Zeng Haomiao brought a martial - skilled servant, hired a carriage, and set off with Shi Ning'an and Yingtao.
They kept it a secret from the rest of the Zeng family. Shi Ning'an didn't even dare to imagine what Zeng Ruoyun's expression would be when she found out they had secretly gone to the capital. Most likely, she would be furious and think they were being unfair for not taking her along.
Yingtao didn't think much about it. Sitting beside Shi Ning'an, she stared at the servant named A Wu in front. She thought to herself that this so - called martial - skilled servant couldn't even beat her. What kind of martial - skilled person was he?
It was an ordinary carriage pulled by three horses with a blue roof. It didn't travel very fast. Even if they changed carriages in time on the way and traveled day and night, considering the uninhabited areas, it would probably take about twenty days to reach the capital.
Zeng Haomiao had made preparations in advance. The seats in the carriage could be removed to make a simple couch for people to rest. The carriage was quite spacious. Four or five people could lie side by side. However, when Zeng Haomiao designed it, he never thought that Shi Ning'an would come along too.
He hesitated for a moment and said, "Cousin, if you're sleepy, A Wu and I will go to the front. You can rest well."
Shi Ning'an smiled. She took the seat board that had been removed and placed at the back of the carriage, then put it in the middle and said, "Tomorrow we can find a way to make a fixed partition. Then Yingtao and I will be on this side, and you and A Wu will be on the other side. We can just squeeze a bit."
Zeng Haomiao quickly shook his head. "This won't do, Ning'an. It's okay for us to sit together during the day, but how can we be in the same place when we sleep at night? It's not good for your reputation."
Shi Ning'an asked, "If there is chaos in the world, will we still care about reputation?"
Zeng Haomiao frowned.
Shi Ning'an asked again, "Moreover, we need to travel day and night. If I sleep at night, what about you? Or should Yingtao and I drive the carriage during the day?"
Zeng Haomiao shook his head again. "That's definitely not possible..."
Shi Ning'an laughed. "Cousin, don't worry. We're like siblings. Besides, if Rong Sui doesn't trust me, even if we abide by all the etiquettes while sharing a carriage, he still won't believe me. If he trusts me, he won't be persistent about these things."
In the end, Zeng Haomiao couldn't argue with her and agreed to this proposal.
It was for the convenience of traveling and to avoid attracting attention when they entered the capital later. The two disguised themselves as siblings of ordinary people, pretending to be going to the capital to look for relatives. Along the way, they encountered no obstacles.
After about thirteen or fourteen days, they arrived at Hankun County. Although it was just a county, Hankun had a large territory. There was an entire mountain within its boundaries, and there was a natural moat outside. It was originally going to be divided into a prefecture, but due to its sparse population, it remained a county.
Zeng Haomiao presented the travel permit. Soon, they entered the city with the crowd. It happened to be late, and there was a curfew in the city at night, so they couldn't continue their journey. Zeng Haomiao found an inn and stayed there temporarily.
The siblings had dinner together, but Shi Ning'an looked worried.
Zeng Haomiao comforted her softly, "Don't be anxious, sister. We'll soon enter the capital and find uncle."
A guest at a nearby table heard this and turned around to ask, "Are you going to the capital?"
Zeng Haomiao replied politely, "Yes."
The guest seemed to be a merchant. He sized them up and asked, "Where are you from?"
Zeng Haomiao answered, "We're from Nanling. Our family used to farm. We've learned some medical skills and want to go to the capital to seek refuge with our uncle."
The merchant waved his hand. "Oh, you've come at the wrong time. It's not suitable to go to the capital now."
Zeng Haomiao quickly stood up, bowed to the merchant, and whispered, "Brother, could you please give us some advice?"
Merchants are usually very enthusiastic. The merchant waved his hand and responded, lowering his voice. "The capital is not peaceful. Haven't you heard? The Rong family has been stripped of their titles and official positions. I heard it's even more terrifying than the Dong family back then. It's said that the emperor intends to confiscate their property. He's holding back because he's afraid that the Rong family in Wuyun will rebel. But even so, the Rong family... tsk tsk..."
Zeng Haomiao asked repeatedly, "What about the Rong family?"
The merchant pretended to be mysterious and wagged his finger. "Can't say, can't say."
Shi Ning'an was anxious. She couldn't help but ask, "Brother, you're only telling us half of the story. Isn't that making us... feel uneasy?"
Seeing that she was a beautiful girl, the merchant became even more enthusiastic. "I'll tell you then. I came from the capital. It took me a great deal of effort to get out. Now the capital is under strict control. I heard that the Rong family has taken control of the Yulin Guards and the Military and Horse Department. Just think about how large the capital guards are. Almost half of them are under the control of the Rong family. Now it all depends on whether the imperial city can hold out."
Zeng Haomiao's eyelids twitched. "Has the Rong family rebelled?"
The merchant shook his head. "Who knows what's going on up there? All we know is that the capital is now strictly restricting entry and exit. It's almost impossible to get in or out. No one knows what's going on inside. You may not be able to enter the capital even if you go there."
Shi Ning'an sat there in a daze for a while. She couldn't eat the food on the table. She said she didn't feel well and went back to her room early.
For convenience and to avoid suspicion, Zeng Haomiao only booked medium - grade rooms. He and A Wu shared one room, while Shi Ning'an and Yingtao shared another. The coachman stayed in a low - grade room.
Not long after, Zeng Haomiao also went upstairs. He knocked on Shi Ning'an's door. His face was full of anxiety. "Ning'an, what should we do now?"
Shi Ning'an slowly shook her head. "We can only believe half of what that man said. Although he seemed to know the inside story, his words were rather vague. We can't fully trust him."
Zeng Haomiao had been so anxious that he believed whatever others said. After hearing his cousin's explanation, he felt a bit more at ease. He also thought that the merchant might have exaggerated.
Even so, it was clear that the situation in the capital was not optimistic.
Zeng Haomiao sighed. "Anyway, we're going to the capital. We'll see what happens when we get there."
Seeing that Shi Ning'an still looked worried, he asked, "Cousin, have you thought of something?"
Shi Ning'an sighed and lowered her voice. "Cousin, this isn't your first time coming to Hankun. Haven't you noticed anything different?"
Zeng Haomiao felt a sense of solemnity. Hankun was a必经之路 between the capital and Nanling. Although there was a mountain, it was a crucial thoroughfare connecting five prefectures. Moreover, the Zeng family had disciples practicing medicine in Hankun, so he had come here quite a few times.
Hankun was an important thoroughfare. Although there weren't many local residents, there were quite a few people passing through and staying temporarily. But now it seemed a bit desolate, which was probably due to the changes in the capital. What was strange was that when they entered Hankun, the gatekeepers checked very strictly, and there seemed to be many more soldiers.
Zeng Haomiao and Shi Ning'an thought about it for a while but couldn't figure it out.
Before long, night fell. In summer, night came late, and it was time to rest.
Zeng Haomiao got up and was about to go back to his room when Shi Ning'an grabbed him.
Shi Ning'an's room was next to the street. She motioned for her cousin to come to the window with her. She lifted the curtain and looked out. Instead of the usual guards and constables, they saw a well - organized group of people on patrol. Another group came less than half an incense stick's time after the first one left.
Zeng Haomiao's eyelids twitched. He whispered, "This is..."
Shi Ning'an shook her head. "In the capital, such a grand patrol is only carried out by the Yulin Guards when there's an important matter. This time in Hankun is really strange."
Zeng Haomiao looked up at Shi Ning'an. "What have you figured out?"
Shi Ning'an pointed at the well - organized guards. "I don't think they're ordinary guards."
"Then what are they?"
"An army."
Zeng Haomiao's eyes widened. "You mean there's an army in Hankun? Is it the Rong family's army?"
Shi Ning'an didn't know. Had the Rong family's army returned so quickly? Had Uncle Er come back? But besides the Rong family's army, there were other armies in the Great Zhou, such as the Zhou family's army, which was supposed to be in the Beishan area.
The Zhou family's army was loyal to the Third Prince.
Shi Ning'an's eyelids twitched.
She turned to the pillow, took out a dagger, and put it in her sleeve.
Zeng Haomiao rushed over. "Sister, you..."
Shi Ning'an looked up. "I'm going to take a look."
Zeng Haomiao objected. "No, no. It's already curfew time."
Shi Ning'an said, "I have to go even during the curfew, brother. I have to find out. If it's the Rong family's army, I need to know what's going on in Wuyun. Why did the Xia family inform against the Rong family? If it's the Zhou family's army, they won't hurt the common people for no reason. I'll just say I'm a stranger who got lost, and they'll send me back."
Zeng Haomiao took a deep breath and nodded. "Then we'll go together."
It would be better if A Wu and Yingtao could help out.
The four of them secretly followed the wall and walked eastward. If there was really an army stationed here, it must be near the mountain, where there were only small villages. After bypassing the mountain road, they would be out of Hankun.
Coincidentally, going out of Hankun was the direction to the capital.
The inn they stayed in was a small, unassuming one they had deliberately chosen in the east of Hankun for convenience the next day. It was convenient for them to go in that direction. In less than half an hour, they saw a manor.
Just looking at the manor from afar, Shi Ning'an already felt a sense of oppression. There were definitely not a small number of people in the manor.
Zeng Haomiao whispered, "What should we do now?"
Shi Ning'an calmly looked at the manor in front. The entrance was right ahead, but there were many guards there. In fact, without going in, just looking at the situation, they could tell that the people inside were not ordinary.
They couldn't get in.
They couldn't take risks.
Shi Ning'an sighed. If it was the Rong family's army, it would be okay. But if it was the Zhou family's army or other armies, they could say they were lost when they were here. But if they rushed in and were caught, the excuse of getting lost wouldn't work.
The four of them observed carefully for a while. Maybe because it was night, there were only ordinary soldiers and no generals. No matter how they tried, they couldn't tell which army it was. The only thing they knew was that since the army didn't fly any flags, it definitely wasn't summoned back by the emperor.
Shi Ning'an didn't dare to take the risk. The four of them had to turn back the same way.
Just as they turned around, they saw several big men standing behind them silently.
The leader stared at them coldly. "Who are you!"
Yingtao blurted out, "Sir, we're lost..."
Shi Ning'an held Yingtao back and didn't let her speak. These men had been standing here for a while. Obviously, they had noticed them long ago and had been following them to see what they would do.
Moreover, although she wasn't very familiar with the accent of the leader, she knew that he was definitely not from Wuyun.
She had miscalculated.