Chapter 230

The next day, as the sky began to brighten, several carriages arrived at the East City Gate.

Upon seeing the carriages belonging to the Zhou family, the guards stationed at the gate hurriedly approached.

"You cannot leave the city now; you should return," the guard informed them.

"Why can't we leave the city?" asked one of the carriage drivers. "We are headed to a manor outside the city."

"Leaving is not permitted anywhere. It is the order of the Prime Minister. We cannot disobey," replied the guard.

"Nonsense!" Suddenly, a stern voice came from inside one of the carriages. "When did the Prime Minister ever mention closing the city? I, as the Prime Minister, have never heard of such a thing."

The Prime Minister?

The guard felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't expected the Prime Minister to be inside the carriage. He had assumed it was merely a relative of the Zhou family.

What should he do now?

"Lord Zhou," the guard mustered up his courage and said, "it is indeed the Prime Minister's order. I cannot defy it..."

"So, you can defy his order, but not mine?"

In order to leave the city, Song An didn't mind putting on a show of authority in front of a low-ranking soldier.

Sure enough, the guard broke out in a cold sweat upon being confronted like this. Gathering his resolve, he quickly ordered his subordinates to open the city gate.

As for any responsibility that might arise later, he would let the Prime Minister deal with it himself. After all, he was just a low-ranking soldier, and nobody dared to provoke or offend him.

Once outside the city gate, Song An immediately instructed his accompanying guards to search for the Yizhou Army and the frontier troops.

He, on the other hand, sat inside the carriage, gazing out the window at the gloomy sky.

Is the capital really about to descend into chaos?

...

While Song An waited for news outside the city, Li Yao had already disguised herself as a young maidservant. She carried a food box filled with meals and arrived at the heavily guarded prison where Xu Zhan was being held.

"Soldier, I've come to deliver food to our master," Li Yao said.

"Who is your master?" the soldier asked, looking around. He seemed unfamiliar with her.

"He is... Mister Xu," Li Yao replied, catching herself just in time.

After matching the names, the soldier no longer suspected her and opened the prison gate, allowing Li Yao to enter. Xu Zhan was confined deep within the prison, shackled with handcuffs and with disheveled hair. Compared to his previous heroic image, he looked completely different.

However, he didn't seem to have suffered any physical harm, though he had lost a considerable amount of weight.

After the soldier opened the cell door, Li Yao placed the basket in front of Xu Zhan. "Master, please eat," she said.

"You..."

Although she had disguised herself, Xu Zhan could vaguely recognize Li Yao.

"Eat while it's still hot. The taste changes once it gets cold," Li Yao winked at him, signaling him not to reveal anything. Xu Zhan understood and uncovered the lid of the basket, picking up a large chicken leg and taking a bite.

Li Yao then turned around and approached the soldier on duty, taking out a bag of heavy silver coins from her sleeve. "Soldier, our lady has a few things she wishes to convey to Master. I kindly ask for your temporary absence," she said.

As long as there was silver, such a small matter could naturally be handled, especially since Li Yao was generous and handed over quite a few coins.

The soldier tucked the silver coins into his pocket and instructed, "No more than fifteen minutes."

Once the soldier left, Xu Zhan whispered, "Li Ru, why have you come?"

"I've come to rescue you," Li Yao replied.

"Save me?" Xu Zhan exclaimed, "How can we get out of here?"

"I have a way, just stay still," Li Yao assured him.

With that, Li Yao retrieved a pile of cosmetics from under the basket and quickly transformed Xu Zhan to look like the guard from earlier, fixing his hair as well.

Xu Zhan remained puzzled because his hands and feet were still bound.

However, these primitive and crude locks were no match for Li Yao. With a thin steel wire, she effortlessly opened all the locks in a few moments.

"But there are still many guards outside."

"You lie down on the bed and pretend to sleep. I'll handle it," Li Yao instructed.

Before long, the previous guard returned, and Li Yao pretended to tidy up the dishes. When he wasn't paying attention, she easily took him down.

"Quick, change into his clothes," she urged Xu Zhan.

Without hesitation, Xu Zhan swiftly stripped the soldier's clothes off. Their bodies were similar, and the clothes fit well. Finally, they both wore waist knives and transformed into prison guards.

"If we encounter someone, you just speak, but don't make any sound," Li Yao explained.

Xu Zhan didn't understand the meaning behind her words, but he knew that he could trust Li Yao.

They placed the unconscious soldier on the bed, making it seem like he was sleeping. Then, side by side, they walked towards the exit of the prison.

There were guards stationed at the entrance of the cell, but the lighting was dim, and their faces were not clearly visible.

However, when they reached the outside of the cell, Xu Zhan became a bit worried.

The lighting was better outside, and if they encountered familiar people, they might recognize him. But he underestimated Li Yao's makeup skills. As a top-tier assassin, as long as she had the materials, she could perfectly replicate another face.

So, Xu Zhan walked all the way without arousing any suspicion, and no one even spared him a second glance.

When they reached the main gate, one of the guards from Xu Zhan's shift started complaining, "Why did it take you so long?"

"Uh..." Xu Zhan was about to respond but suddenly remembered Li Yao's instructions. He decisively remained silent, only moving his mouth.

Miraculously, the guard's voice actually came from behind him.

"I went to the latrine."

It was Li Yao speaking, imitating the voice of the soldier from earlier.

"You must have slacked off, huh? Well, I also need to go to the latrine. You guard for a while," the other guard said and left.

Even now, Xu Zhan couldn't believe it. He had escaped so easily and simply from the most heavily guarded prison in the realm!

It felt surreal.

He opened the gate, allowing Li Yao to go out first, and after making sure that no one noticed, he quickly followed suit.

Li Yao had prepared a carriage in a nearby alley, and the two of them swiftly left the area.

...

Back at the inn, Xu Zhan had many questions to ask, but he ultimately remained silent.

Now was not the time to ask those questions.

"Even if I've escaped, I'm still a fugitive," Xu Zhan said, "Li Yao, you took too much risk."

"No, you're not a fugitive," Li Yao replied, "You are General Xu."

As she spoke, Li Yao presented the General's insignia and handed it to Xu Zhan.

"Where did you get this?"

"The Emperor told me where it was kept, and I retrieved it."

"The palace? Have you seen the Emperor? How is he now?"

Not only have I seen him, but Li Yao also delivers meals and medicine to him every day, which is quite exhausting.

"The Emperor is doing well now," Li Yao said. "But after tonight, it's uncertain."

"Why?"

"Because the Crown Prince is planning to usurp the throne tonight."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhan was not surprised but rather indignant. He said, "I've long known about the Crown Prince's ambitious nature. It seems he can't hold back any longer! Li Yao, help me enter the palace and rescue the Emperor!"

"No, it wouldn't make any sense for you to go alone."

"What should we do then? We can't just stand by and watch the Crown Prince plot against the Emperor!"

"What I mean is, you can take thirty thousand troops with you."