The actions of the Northern Barbarians had been exposed, and the capital city of Kyoto had been in turmoil lately. Patrols and searches were being conducted everywhere by soldiers.
Song Yihuan left her residence. She hadn't walked far when she encountered two soldiers.
She was disguised as an old woman with a limp. Every now and then, she would stop to catch her breath and rub her joints. Her performance seemed quite natural.
When she had devised the plan of faking her death and escaping, Song Yihuan had communicated with Qi Lei in advance. Qi Lei couldn't visit her often, as it would increase the risk of exposure. So she had to rely on herself for everything.
It was just as well, for she also needed to find out about the situation in the city.
Walking and stopping in this way, Song Yihuan carried a wooden basin and reached the large banyan tree and the well deep in the alley.
There were already quite a few women and children gathered there. They were all standing on either side of the well, washing their own and their family's clothes.
Song Yihuan's arrival didn't draw much attention. The women continued their conversations.
"I don't know when this search in the city will end. In order to capture the fugitive, the curfew has been imposed early at night again."
"You're right. Every time there's a curfew, we have to close the door early and go to bed. There's nothing else to do. My husband always finds ways to torment me. I can't stand it."
"I asked a soldier the other day what kind of fugitive they were searching for. According to his description, it seemed to be a young woman."
"How could such a young woman not learn to be good and commit crimes?"
Listening to their conversation, Song Yihuan silently rubbed the clothes in her hands without joining in the discussion. But a bitter smile crept onto her face.
Describing her as a fugitive, it seemed that Ji Lingchuan was really angry with her.
If he caught her, he would probably punish her severely.
Then their conversation shifted to the former Marquis Ding'an's Mansion.
"What surprised me the most was that Marquis Ding'an's Mansion. I didn't expect that they would collude with the enemy and betray the country. The whole family was in cahoots with the Northern Barbarians. It's really hateful!"
"I heard that only the third and fourth young ladies in the mansion were good. The third young lady exposed the marquis's evil deeds. The fourth young lady and her concubine mother were really pitiful. They were bullied and oppressed since childhood. Not only was the concubine mother killed, but the fourth young lady was also pushed off a cliff by the eldest young lady of the marquis's mansion."
"Don't be deceived by the glamorous appearance of these noble families. In fact, there are many dirty things going on inside. My sister-in-law works as a wet nurse in a noble family..."
These women started talking about the scandals of the noble families. Everyone burst into laughter from time to time. Someone even turned around and asked Song Yihuan a question, and she just answered casually.
The information revealed in the women's conversation was quite useful to Song Yihuan. From their words, she learned that Ji Lingchuan had now been promoted to the Great General Protecting the Country, in charge of the Xuanjia Army, the Capital Garrison, and the Imperial Guard. He was more imposing and out of reach than before.
Gu Yunzheng had found some letters in the study's secret room of the Marquis Ding'an's Mansion and had made great contributions by exposing the crimes. Coupled with the fact that she had solved the case of Song Nanxin's murder of Concubine Rou and the half - siblings, she had also been promoted. Now she was the Deputy Minister of the Supreme Court.
The most talked - about thing was that after the emperor had promoted Gu Yunzheng to the Deputy Minister of the Supreme Court, he had also bestowed a marriage on him. The bride was no stranger to Song Yihuan. It was Cao Jinyu, who had once become her friend.
This news really surprised Song Yihuan, but she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, she let out a sigh of relief.
Anyway, she always felt guilty towards Gu Yunzheng. Although Cao Jinyu was a bit timid, she had a kind heart. The emperor must have carefully considered before bestowing the marriage on them.
Seeing that Gu Yunzheng had found his destination, she could feel more at ease. She hoped that the two of them could live a good life and that Gu Yunzheng wouldn't let Cao Jinyu down.
Song Yihuan had brought only a few dirty clothes, just three pieces. She finished washing them soon. She picked up the wooden basin and was about to leave when the barking of hounds came faintly from afar. A child ran towards them and said:
"Mother, mother, the officials are coming again. This time they've brought a lot of big dogs. They said they're going to search again. They've already reached the second house at the entrance of the alley."
Song Yihuan lost her grip on the wooden basin. It slipped from her hands and fell to the ground, making a noise.
The women on both sides all looked at her. She coughed twice, held her waist, and said in a trembling voice: "Ouch, my old waist..."
A kind - hearted woman quickly got up and supported her. "Old lady, are you okay?"
Song Yihuan waved her hand and sighed. "It's okay. It's just that I'm old and don't have much strength in my hands."
Her drooping eyelids covered the deep thought in her eyes.
Normally, after the Xuanjia soldiers had searched a place and found nothing, they shouldn't have come back. But unexpectedly, they came again, and this time they even brought hounds. Hounds had extremely sensitive noses. She had witnessed the search ability of the Xuanjia Army's hounds when handling the case of the old canal.
Yesterday, she had asked a Xuanjia soldier and learned that they were most likely looking for her.
She could indeed use the art of disguise to cover her appearance and change her figure, but she couldn't change her smell!
Now that the Xuanjia soldiers had entered the alley, it meant that they had blocked all the entrances to the neighborhood. She couldn't escape.
She had to find a way to cover her smell quickly and deceive those hounds with sensitive noses!
The kind - hearted woman didn't know what Song Yihuan was thinking. She suggested, "Old lady, can you still walk? How about I support you back home?"
Song Yihuan tried to take a step forward, then covered her waist and groaned. "No, no. Maybe I got up too quickly just now and sprained my tendon. I can't walk."
"Oh, what should we do?"
"Shall we call a doctor?"
Song Yihuan waved her hand. "There's no need to be so troublesome. This is an old problem. I'll be fine after applying some medicinal oil and resting for a few days."
"I've got an idea! Sister Wang, I remember your husband is a stonemason. Your family always has medicinal liquor for treating sprains. How about taking the old lady back to your home and applying some medicine to her?"
The woman surnamed Wang was the one supporting Song Yihuan. Hearing this, she immediately said, "That's the best. Old lady, come with me home to apply the medicine. Come on, walk slowly."
The women helped Song Yihuan to the Wang family's home and then left. There was no man in the Wang family. Only the woman and her two children were at home.
Since applying medicine required taking off clothes, the woman surnamed Wang found the medicinal liquor, gauze, etc. She entered the room, bolted the door, and walked towards Song Yihuan sitting on the edge of the bed. She smiled and said:
"Old lady, let me apply the medicine to you."
Song Yihuan looked up at the woman surnamed Wang, then raised her hand to untie her belt and took off her clothes.
When the old clothes were taken off, the cotton wool and straw stuffed inside were revealed, as well as her graceful figure.
The woman surnamed Wang suddenly realized something. She stared at Song Yihuan with wide eyes and said:
"You, you, so you're actually..."