Xiao Huaishi felt a twinge of pity seeing Chen Rong waiting for him in the sun. So he picked up the small bowl and took a sip of the rock sugar pear soup. "Rong'er, you're so thoughtful," he said.
Eunuch Li nodded repeatedly and then reported the actions of the Western Yue delegation to the emperor. "The envoys from Western Yue have been arranged properly. But there's one person who didn't follow the group as per your order. We've also sent people to search for the seventh princess of Western Yue within the imperial city. After she had a meal in a restaurant, there's been no news about her."
Xiao Huaishi thought to himself that it was just as he had expected. The seventh princess of Western Yue had already arrived. She wasn't delayed on the way as she claimed. But he wondered why she came early but didn't come to pay her respects. So he suspected that the princess had ulterior motives!
But for now, everything seemed normal. So Xiao Huaishi instructed Eunuch Li, "Keep trying to find out the whereabouts of the seventh princess of Western Yue and see what she's been up to. Also, protect her secretly. Try to arrange more meetings between the fourth prince and the princess so that they can get to know each other."
Eunuch Li quickly agreed. Just then, a young eunuch rushed in and knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, I'm sorry for disturbing you and barging in like this, but it's an urgent matter! A guard at the palace gate said he had something important to report."
Hearing that it was a guard from the palace gate with important news, Xiao Huaishi forgave the young eunuch's sudden intrusion. "Get up. Quickly bring him in," he said.
The eunuch quickly brought in the guard. As soon as the guard entered, he knelt on the ground. "Your Majesty, a black - clad man at the palace gate claimed to be from the Western Yue delegation. He said he was ordered to take some things out of the city for the princess. He also threatened that if we didn't let him go within half an incense stick's time, he'd hold us accountable. The guard captain sent me here to ask for your instructions. We're not sure if he's really from Western Yue, and Your Majesty has ordered us to keep a close eye on those leaving the palace..."
Eunuch Li asked, "Describe the appearance of the black - clad man. Are there any special or distinctive features?"
The guard nodded. "He has a rather delicate appearance, very fair skin, a hooked nose but almond - shaped eyes. The most distinctive thing is his clothing. It's not like our robes. The bottom is much looser, like a woman's dress."
Eunuch Li thought for a while and was sure that this was the attire of the Western Yue people. The black - clad man who had left under the pretext of going to the toilet looked just like this. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I'm sure this is the black - clad man who left under the pretext of going to the toilet."
Xiao Huaishi thought it made sense. After all, the Western Yue people had just arrived, and no one could pretend to be them to leave the city. So he waved his hand at the guard. "Let him go. Send some guards to follow him secretly. Choose some smart ones to keep an eye on him, but don't let the black - clad man notice."
The guard quickly nodded and rushed back to the palace gate.
At the palace gate, the black - clad man was extremely anxious. He was eager to find the seventh princess of Western Yue and fulfill the envoy's order. So he paced back and forth restlessly.
Inside the wooden barrel, Shen Li also felt extremely anxious. He thought he had been impulsive, but now that he was inside, he couldn't get out for the time being. He had to calm his mind and stay still. But after the barrel was closed, the oxygen was getting less and less. Shen Li was afraid that he would suffocate.
The messenger guard finally returned. The black - clad man was overjoyed when he saw him. The messenger guard whispered something to the guard captain. The guard captain then looked at the black - clad man and said, "You can leave, but the eunuchs won't carry these barrels out for you. We'll do it. The eunuchs can't leave the palace for now."
The black - clad man thought the barrels weren't important. What was more important was to find the princess as soon as possible. The barrels were just a cover. So he agreed. "Okay, then hurry up. Please send some guards to carry the barrels out for me."
The guard captain pointed at a dozen guards and said seriously, "You, you, and you. Yes, you guys. Temporarily go out to carry the barrels. Someone will replace your posts. Follow him and that black - clad man. Do you understand?"
Then he pointed at the messenger guard beside him and led the other guards to patrol.
The guard began to instruct the assigned people. "Work in groups of four. Push the wooden carts. Remember not to lose the barrels. You can go now."
Then, led by the black - clad man, with the messenger guard second, and the other guards following behind, they left the palace in a line.
Inside the barrel, when Shen Li heard that they were finally about to leave and was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he felt the wooden cart move. He fell forward due to inertia. Since there was nothing for him to hold on to, he hit the barrel directly and couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.
A guard outside said, "Did you hear a thud?"
Another guard replied, "You must be hearing things. Your ears have always been bad. It should be the sound of the cart wheels."
The guard patted his ears and said doubtfully, "No way. I felt like something hit the barrel when we started pushing."
The other guard gave him a helpless look, sighed, and patiently explained, "Maybe it's the things inside hitting the barrel. Don't be so paranoid. What else could it be? Do you think there's a person inside? Stop daydreaming."
Hearing their conversation, Shen Li quickly covered his mouth and didn't dare to make a sound for fear of being discovered.
The guards outside started chatting again. Shen Li's heart was still pounding. He listened carefully to the sounds outside, always looking for a good opportunity to slip out.
Just now, Shen Li heard the guards outside say that they should keep a close eye on the black - clad man. It seemed that they wouldn't care about the barrel. This meant that he would have a chance to get out later.
Sure enough, after they reached an alley, the black - clad man stopped and glanced at the soldiers. "You just stay here and guard these barrels. I'll go find the contact person and then deliver the barrels to them."
After saying that, he turned around and left as if he didn't care about the barrels at all. The head of the guards immediately said to the soldiers beside him, "Split into two teams. One team follow me and keep an eye on the black - clad man. The other team go and assist the city guards in searching for the princess. Do you understand? Don't worry about this barrel. When night falls, go back to the palace to report. Those who don't return will be considered to have left their posts without permission."
Although it was a bit dark in the alley, the soldiers could still see the serious look on the guard captain's face.
The guard gave his instructions and immediately led a team to chase after the black - clad man.
In a short while, everyone had left.