The three princes were escorted throughout this journey by the Pei Family Army under the command of the Duke of An. Leading the way was the vice-general of the Pei Family Army. The soldiers in black armor had solemn expressions. Riding on their horses, they cleared the path. From afar, they looked imposing and intimidating.
Behind them were two other tall horses. The figure slightly in the front was tall, straight, and handsome. Every strand of his hair exuded high spirits. It was Prince Xuan, Xiao Yixuan, the son of the imperial concubine.
The figure slightly behind was thinner than Xiao Yixuan. The man's facial features were slightly inferior to Xiao Yixuan's. There was a tinge of melancholy between his eyebrows, and the color of his clothes was rather dull. He seemed like a foil to Xiao Yixuan. This was Prince Ning, Xiao Wuchen.
Behind the two princes, the Pei Family Army was also escorting several carriages. The one in the front was pulled by three horses. It moved as steadily as a pine tree. From time to time, there came a few very soft coughs from inside. Presumably, this was Prince Mu, Xiao Tianchi.
As for the other carriages, it was assumed that the other accompanying officials were sitting inside.
At first, the commoners were curious and wanted to catch a glimpse of the three princes. However, the battle-hardened Pei Family Army exuded a cold killing aura. Gradually, everyone lowered their heads, holding their breaths and not daring to make any noise.
The commoners on both sides scattered and knelt down to welcome the procession. This kind of scene was nothing new to Xiao Yixuan. He was already used to it.
His body swayed slightly with the rhythm of the horse's steps. There was a somewhat casual look on his face. His eyes casually scanned the surroundings, and his lips silently murmured the name of the town.
Dongli Town.
The name of this town was really full of meaning.
His gaze unconsciously swept across the commoners kneeling on the left. He paused for a moment, slightly frowned, and a strange feeling flashed through his mind. Just as he was about to look to the side again, a voice suddenly came from the front:
"Bu Hua, the Right Guard Commander of the Eastern Palace, leads all the guards of the Eastern Palace to pay respects to Your Highnesses, Prince Mu, Prince Xuan, and Prince Ning."
"Pay respects to Your Highnesses, Prince Mu, Prince Xuan, and Prince Ning!"
The other guards also knelt down one after another to pay their respects.
Xiao Yixuan came back to his senses and looked ahead. Bu Hua and the other officials of the Eastern Palace's southern inspection who had rushed over after hearing the news were all kneeling in front to pay their respects.
Xiao Yixuan raised his hand, and the convoy thus came to a stop.
Among the people in this convoy, the one with the highest status should be Prince Mu, Xiao Tianchi. After Xiao Yixuan gave the order to stop, the curtain of the leading carriage was lifted from inside. A refined and elegant figure was helped out.
It was already summer, and the weather was hot, but Xiao Tianchi was still wearing a cloak. He didn't take steps very quickly. There was an eunuch beside him to support him. From time to time, he would raise his hand to his mouth and nose and cough lightly twice.
Xiao Yixuan and Xiao Wuchen also dismounted from their horses respectively and greeted him respectfully: "Uncle Royal."
Xiao Tianchi raised his hand and said gently to Bu Hua and the others, "All of you, rise. There's no need for such grand ceremonies."
After receiving the order, everyone stood up from the ground one after another.
Then Xiao Tianchi turned around and waved to the commoners kneeling on both sides: "Let the commoners in the town rise too. Don't scare everyone."
There was a faint smile on his face, and his voice was very gentle and warm. Immediately, he won the favor of many commoners.
"Everyone, rise."
"His Highness Prince Mu is considerate of everyone. Rise!"
Ye Wanmian got up with the others, but still kept her head down. Taking this opportunity, she concealed her figure and quietly stepped back a little.
Beside her, the commoners were whispering in low voices: "I didn't expect the princes from the capital to be so kind. They're much better than those so - called soldiers of the Crown Prince guarding the city gate."
"Yeah, the other two princes also look very humble. Anyway, they're all much better than that Crown Prince!"
"Humph, finally there are people who can suppress these bandit - like soldiers."
Ye Wanmian bent down slightly, lowered her eyes and stroked the back of the yellow dog, pursing her lips without echoing these remarks.
Xiao Jingcheng only then noticed her strangeness. He looked back at her thoughtfully.
In the past, whenever this woman heard someone scolding him, she would stop and echo a few words. But today, she was very quiet.
That's right. Since this woman recognized him and had a feud with him, presumably she also recognized Prince Mu, Prince Xuan, and Prince Ning. So she had remained silent from beginning to end, afraid of being recognized by them.
This was consistent with his previous speculation - she had indeed lived in the capital before.
In front, Prince Mu talked with Bu Hua for a few more sentences and then was helped back into the carriage. Prince Xuan and Prince Ning mounted their horses and, guided by Bu Hua and the town guards, headed towards the only official residence in the town.
Prince Mu and the others came to Dongli Town in the south indeed because of the case of the Crown Prince, Xiao Jingcheng, being attacked and missing. However, there were too many people at the entrance of the town, and it was inconvenient to explain many things. They needed to find another place to talk and plan in detail. Moreover, Prince Mu and the others needed to settle down in the town first.
The carriages and horses entered the town under the gaze of many commoners. Riding on his horse, Xiao Yixuan unconsciously looked back at the crowd on tiptoes behind him.
"Brother, what are you looking for?" Prince Ning noticed his strangeness, urged his horse forward, and asked in a low voice.
Seeing nothing, Xiao Yixuan looked back and said, "It's nothing."
Prince Ning then fell silent and silently retreated to his original position.
Only after seeing the last carriage in the convoy of the three princes enter the town without any more incidents did Ye Wanmian heave a sigh of relief.
She had taken a careful look just now. There were no familiar faces from the Ye Family in the convoy. Presumably, no one from the Ye Family had come with them. In this case, she only needed to be careful not to be recognized by Xiao Yixuan.
The commoners outside the city were gradually let in. Soon it was Ye Wanmian's turn.
Because she had made a scene when going out of the city before, the guards of the Eastern Palace already recognized her. They casually checked her identification plaque and let her in.
There was a lot of raw meat in the bamboo basket behind her. Ye Wanmian tried hard to suppress the faint uneasiness in her heart. She planned to go home first and deal with the prey, lest the hot weather spoil the food.
"Da Huang, let's go back... Da Huang?"
She turned around to call the yellow dog to follow, but saw the yellow dog chasing after the convoy of the three princes.
"Da Huang!"
Ye Wanmian called out, but the yellow dog ignored her as if it hadn't heard. Its figure weaved through the crowd and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Ye Wanmian didn't dare to shout loudly anymore, for fear that her voice would startle the convoy in front. She stamped her foot in annoyance and had no choice but to start running after it.
Fortunately, the yellow dog didn't really catch up with the convoy. Ye Wanmian found its figure soon. Moreover, it even stopped and looked back at her, as if waiting for her to catch up.
But just as she was about to catch it, the yellow dog got up and ran forward again.
Ye Wanmian was so angry that she was about to explode. She gritted her back teeth hard.
Da Huang was becoming more and more disobedient. She should have listened to Doctor Wang and found a rope to tie it up properly and set some rules for it!