The First Marquis of Leisure

On the bustling streets of Nanjun City, people moved about.

Groups of officers and soldiers rushed in one direction.

Clearly, news of the deaths of the two elderly men and two soldiers had already spread.

Bai Xinghe could only force himself to suppress his guilt and grief; at this moment, he had to be extremely careful.

The news that he and Zhao Xing had arrived at the last fortress in Nanjun must have already spread.

What follows will be a large-scale, comprehensive search and seizure, sealing off all exits of the fortress.

No one was allowed to enter or leave; a thorough, door-to-door search was conducted.

After a brief moment of thought, Bai Xinghe quickly made a decision.

The most dangerous place is often the safest, and at this moment, there is no doubt that the military camps stationed in the city are the most dangerous.

This also shows that it is the safest place.

Without any hesitation, he half-covered his face and mingled with the crowd, heading towards the marching camp.

The area around the camp was inhabited by some city dwellers, due to productivity issues.

Many soldiers served as soldiers during wartime and farmed during their leisure time, cultivating fields and growing grain.

Bai Xinghe hid in a wooden house, not daring to close his eyes to sleep, always holding the weapon in his hand.

Once discovered, there's no choice but to fight to the death.

After finally getting through the night, the next day, just as dawn broke.

The sound of orderly footsteps could be heard outside the house, as if soldiers were assembling.

Bai Xinghe crouched in the corner, peering out through the crack.

The city's garrison commander had assembled all the troops and was making a loud announcement.

"All troops, listen to my command! This city is the last line of defense among the sixteen cities of Nanjun. Not long ago, the capital was shaken by the emergence of treacherous officials."

"It has now been confirmed that Bai Xinghe, the former Prince of the Zhenguo Marquis's residence, and his third son, Zhao Xing, are hiding in the city. Yesterday, they murdered two elderly people and two patrolling soldiers!"

"Everyone must relax their vigilance and search high and low to find these two people!"

"Secondly, our Princess Zhao will arrive in the city this afternoon at 10 PM with her wedding procession. All soldiers must make preparations in advance!"

As the orders from the defending general were relayed, the soldiers quickly and orderly withdrew.

After hiding for a while, Bai Xinghe saw that no one was around, so he ran out of the wooden house.

Whether it's to seize this only opportunity to blend into the wedding procession and escape Zhao territory, or...

Whether it was to see Zhao Sisi or not, he chose to take a gamble and headed to the only exit in the city.

......

Around 10 p.m., Bai Xinghe, who was hiding in an abandoned wooden house at the city gate exit, saw a large number of soldiers arriving in formation.

These soldiers, divided into two groups and fully armed, dispersed the city's inhabitants under the command of their general, clearing a main road.

Looking ahead towards the end of the road, a group of armored soldiers rode on horseback, carrying flags at the forefront.

There were many palace maids and eunuchs on both sides, and a red sedan chair in the middle.

Seeing this, Bai Xinghe felt a pang in his heart.

It's obvious without much thought that the person sitting in the bridal sedan chair is Princess Zhao Sisi.

He clenched his fists and silently watched everything unfold from the crowd.

"All troops, listen to my command! Escort the wedding procession out of the city!"

At the command of the defending general, the soldiers on both sides quickly made their moves.

"Sisi!" Bai Xinghe murmured to himself, gritted his teeth, and followed.

To prevent him and Zhao Xing from escaping the city, the soldiers were on high alert.

Basically, no unauthorized personnel were allowed to approach, and the entire city escorted the wedding procession to the city gate.

As the city gates gradually opened, Bai Xinghe grew increasingly anxious.

Once you're outside the city gates, it means you're truly safe.

However, the city gate, which was right in front of them, seemed like an insurmountable barrier, and the soldiers were on high alert.

He tried to sneak into the wedding procession but found there was no chance; he could only watch helplessly as the bridal sedan chair went further and further away.

"If we can't escape, we'll die sooner or later anyway. At least if we fight, there's still a chance, even if the chance is slim!"

Bai Xinghe gripped the weapon in his hand, making up his mind.

He planned to launch a surprise attack, and no one would have expected that he would have the audacity to force his way through the city under the protection of the guards!

Just as he was about to draw his sword and charge forward, a pair of strong hands suddenly pressed him down.

"Who?" Bai Xinghe exclaimed in surprise.

"Young man, I truly admire you. Do you really think you can force your way through this pass all by yourself?"

With a smile on his face, Ji Chang casually said a few words and then gestured for Bai Xinghe to put away his weapon!

Bai Xinghe was extremely surprised, never expecting it to be Ji Changzai, the Heavenly Strategy General of Yan!

"It's you!"

Ji Chang remained calm and said, "What? Are you surprised?"

Bai Xinghe looked at Ji Changzai, completely baffled as to what the other party meant.

But he could tell that the other party really meant no harm.

"There's no need to be so tense. This general means no harm. I simply cannot bear to see General Bai's only bloodline extinguished!"

Ji Changzai spoke calmly as she led Bai Xinghe to a secluded spot.

"This general will lead you safely out of the city. As for where you will go and what fate awaits you after leaving Zhao territory, that is up to you!"

Ji Changzai stated her meaning very directly.

Bai Xinghe held his father in high esteem, especially on the day of his father's burial.

Most of the officials of the Great Zhao avoided him, fearing that they would be implicated.

On the contrary, Ji Changzai, who had been fighting for most of her life, came to Zhao State to pay homage with the Yan State delegation.

Now, they also need to help him escape from the State of Zhao!

"General Ji, please accept my bow. I will never forget your life-saving grace!"

Bai Xinghe clasped his hands together and said gratefully.

"No need," Ji Changzai waved her hand and said, "Your father and I fought side by side all our lives, and we admired each other. Although we served different masters, we also felt a sense of mutual respect!"

"I'm saving you today only because I can't bear to see your father fight for the Zhao state his whole life, only to have his bloodline die out!"

"Although you are exceptionally talented, surpassing even Li Chentian and Ji Zi in poetry and prose, you are ultimately just a scholar. This general advises you to leave Zhao and live an ordinary life!"

Bai Xinghe paused for a moment, wanting to explain, but ultimately swallowed his words.

How could he possibly live an ordinary life? If he couldn't borrow troops to fight his way back to Zhao, he would rather die!

"Go, follow the crowd and cover your face. Soon, the sixteen cities of Nanjun will belong to my Yan Kingdom, and I doubt anyone will dare to question this general!"

In fact, everything went surprisingly smoothly, just as Ji Changzai had expected.

The moment Ji Changzai revealed his identity, the Zhao general did not dare to stop him and let him pass.

Therefore, Bai Xinghe left Zhao territory safely without any major incident!

Looking at the vast road ahead, he had already decided to head east to the State of Yan.

Ji Changzai also came over at this time and instructed his men to take out some silver notes and hand them to Bai Xinghe.

"Take him in, live a good life, being an ordinary person isn't bad either!"

Bai Xinghe wanted to decline, but Consort Ji didn't give him a chance and leaped off on her horse.