Chapter 189: Escape

In the darkness of the night, amidst the heavy snow, Bai Li was no longer as lively as before. Her hair was disheveled, and her white clothes were stained with dirt.

The apricot tree, the mountain fire, the person who led the horse for her—they were all left in yesterday. There would be no more surprises tomorrow; when she looked up again, her eyes no longer needed to hold any light.

Han Tong stood on the mast, gazing at Bai Li for a long time without speaking. He hadn't expected the secret police department to use Bai Li to threaten him. Who had betrayed him?

Yun Yang held a torch, illuminating Bai Li's face with the firelight so Han Tong could see more clearly. "Sect Leader Han, in the spring of the twenty-fourth year of Jianing, you secretly appeared outside the gates of Jing Wangfu, looked at the princess once, and then left. On the Shangyuan Festival in the twenty-fifth year of Jianing, you secretly waited at the City God Temple, looked at the princess once, and then left. In the twenty-sixth year of Jianing... you looked at the princess a total of twelve times, seven of which were on the princess's birthday, and five were on the Shangyuan Festival and the Chongyang Festival. Why do you say this is?"

Han Tong's pupils contracted. He thought his whereabouts were very secret when he went to see Bai Li, but he hadn't expected to still fall into others' eyes.

This wasn't someone betraying him; even A Yun didn't know when he secretly went to see Bai Li. The kid who plotted against him tonight was even less likely to know.

Yun Yang looked at Han Tong with a half-smile, half-scowl. In the flickering torchlight, his face was half-illuminated and half-dark, making him appear particularly ferocious. "Sect Leader Han, our secret police department monitors the world. All goblins and monsters have nowhere to hide. It's only a matter of time before we arrest you. Why don't we make a deal now and save the princess's life?"

Hearing Yun Yang's words, Bai Li was startled and looked up at Han Tong on the high mast. She had told Chen Ji that this person had secretly looked at her four or five times – those were the times she had discovered.

And in the corners she hadn't noticed, the other party had actually visited her secretly so many times.

Han Tong stood straight on the mast and asked from afar, "Tell me, how do we save her?"

Yun Yang smiled and said, "Sect Leader Han, your life in exchange for the princess's life."

Han Tong was silent for a long time. "Do you think I'm that stupid? I have no connection with her. Is your secret police department mistaken about something?"

The next moment, Jiao Tu drew the short knife from her sleeve and cut a wound on Bai Li's thigh. Blood immediately soaked her pants leg.

But Bai Li's expression didn't change; she just stared blankly at the river surface, as if she couldn't feel the pain.

Han Tong's body moved slightly but then stopped again.

Jiao Tu turned her head and looked at Han Tong. "Come down and we'll exchange people. You come with us, and our secret police department will allow your people to send her away."

Jin Zhu coldly watched the backs of the two people. He knew these two were lying again. Even if they were the Twelve Zodiacs, they didn't have the power to release the princess, not even the inner minister.

He looked at Han Tong, unsure in his heart if Han Tong would surrender with his hands tied. He then looked at the wound on Bai Li's leg.

Yet, Jiao Tu swung her knife again, intending to cut Bai Li's arm. Just as the knife was about to fall, her wrist was caught by Jin Zhu.

Jin Zhu said with a gloomy face, "That's enough. The princess is, after all, of the imperial clan. His Majesty hasn't said whether to kill them or not yet. Don't be too willful."

Jiao Tu glanced at him sideways. "You want to interfere?"

Jin Zhu sneered, "I just feel you might commit foolishness and lose your zodiac position, lose your lives, so I'm kindly reminding you."

Jiao Tu hummed and slowly put away her knife.

Yun Yang looked at Han Tong again and said loudly, "Sect Leader Han, do you really not want to exchange your life for the princess's life?"

However, Han Tong just quietly looked at Bai Li for a long time. He saw the wound on Bai Li's leg and her stubborn expression, refusing to make a sound. Suddenly, he dug his fingernails into his palm, drawing blood.

But he ultimately didn't exchange life for life. He only said coldly, "Do you think I'm that stupid? Where is there an exchange? It's just dying together. The secret police department's actions today will be reported in detail later."

Saying that, he looked at Bai Li one last time, turned, and leaped, disappearing into the ice-cold river water.

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu were stunned, and Bai Li slightly lowered her head.

Jin Zhu said to Jiao Tu, "Quickly help the princess bandage the wound. Whose bad idea was this? What kind of relationship could the princess and Han Tong have?"

Yun Yang looked back coldly. "If there's no relation, why would he secretly visit the princess so many times? Do you yourself believe they have no relation?"

Jin Zhu retorted, "What kind of person is Han Tong? He's the big bandit who has dominated the jianghu for many years. He has countless helpers under him. How could he bury his life because of a moment's emotion?"

Yun Yang sneered, "Someone just now robbed the prison and took away the heir. Who knows where they're hidden. You also saw, Han Tong just now secretly summoned a fast ship. It's clearly to send people away, presumably he wants to send the heir."

Bai Li turned her head and looked at Yun Yang. Robbed the prison? The heir? Who did it?

An answer emerged in her mind, just like every time that answer subconsciously emerged. Only she was previously very certain, but at this time she denied it.

Jin Zhu pretended to be confused. "Han Tong just summoned a ship, is this connected to the heir?"

Yun Yang glanced at him sideways. "Wait and see, then you'll know."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for Zhang Zhuo, Lord Zhang."

On the slippery road in the heavy snow, the garrison soldiers of Luocheng cursed as they escorted the grain to the dock. Everyone's ears and hands were frozen red, and their toes were also numb with cold.

Someone whispered a complaint, "Such heavy snow, if we could go home and have a few drinks, hugging our wives and children by the warm kang, how good would that be? Why does the prefect have to transport grain today?"

"Yes, ah, such heavy snow. Wouldn't it be better to wait for the snow to stop? And we still have to take such a long road!"

"Don't say anything, the dock is just ahead. Let's finish our duty quickly and go home to sleep... Keep your voice down, the prefect is here."

Beside the grain team, the prefect, in a red official robe, rode on his horse. A red fox fur cloak was draped over his shoulder, and he held a copper hand warmer in his hand, anxiously looking at the bright lights of the dock ahead, always feeling something wasn't quite right.

Zhang Zhuo pondered for a moment. "Wait, stop the grain first!"

The puzzled garrison soldiers turned their heads and could only stop all the ox carts.

Zhang Zhuo waved his hand. "We're not transporting grain today. We're transporting the grain back to the granary!"

The garrison soldiers suddenly became agitated. The deputy general said loudly, "My lord, we've walked from evening until now, and we're almost at the dock. Why aren't we transporting it?"

Zhang Zhuo looked coldly. "Or would you like to be this fifth-rank prefect?"

The garrison soldiers shrank their necks. "This subordinate spoke too much."

Zhang Zhuo waved his hand. "Go!"

However, at this time, laughter came from the roof. "Lord Zhang, where are you going?"

Zhang Zhuo suddenly looked up, only to see Yun Yang and Jiao Tu standing on the roadside eaves, looking down at the long grain team.

As they spoke, in a small alley near the grain team, countless Jie Fan Wei appeared, their hands on their waist knives, surrounding the grain team!

The garrison soldiers wanted to draw their knives to confront them, but they heard Yun Yang say carelessly, "Not many people dare to draw knives in front of my secret police department, ah."

The garrison soldiers' expressions froze, and they awkwardly let go of their hands.

Zhang Zhuo said in a deep voice, "What, you all want to rob my grain team? Even the secret police department cannot arbitrarily invade and disturb the official grain transport! According to Chapter Seven of Volume Eighteen of the Da Ning law, anyone who invades or steals more than twenty-five strings of tax grain transport shall be caned one hundred times, tattooed with the five words 'steal official money grain things', and exiled three thousand li!"

Yun Yang smiled and said, "This seat knows Lord Zhang can recite the Da Ning law backward, no need to casually take it out to scare people. We also received news that there may be suspects hidden in your grain team. Lord Zhang, since you are familiar with the law, do you know what crime harboring rebellion is?"

Jiao Tu sat on the eaves, smiling and asked, "Lord Zhang, will harboring rebellious parties also lead to the execution of the entire family?"

Zhang Zhuo stared coldly at Yun Yang. "You say I harbor rebellion, what evidence?"

Yun Yang smiled. "Simple, we search the grain team and then we'll know. Move!"

"Wait!" Zhang Zhuo's expression was nervous as he looked at the grain cart, his right hand raised high, stopping the Jie Fan Wei's steps. "This is court official grain. I'd like to see who dares to move it arbitrarily?"

Yun Yang raised his eyebrows. "What, Lord Zhang isn't seeing the coffin and not shedding tears?"

Saying that, he took out the king's command flag from his bosom. "Lord Zhang may know what this is? My secret police department holds the king's command flag and can patrol on behalf of heaven, first chopping and then reporting!"

Zhang Zhuo said in a deep voice, "It's true that you hold the king's command flag, but you cannot act arbitrarily. I remember you two just recently made a big mistake. If you mess up again this time, I don't know if you'll lose your zodiac position?"

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu looked at each other, both with hesitant expressions.

They didn't fear exile or being impeached by civil officials, but the inner minister there would never give people a third chance to make mistakes.

Zhang Zhuo saw an opportunity to turn things around and quickly added fuel to the fire. "You two hold the king's command flag, of course, you can search the grain cart, but if you two find nothing, this official can go to the imperial court to impeach you. At that time, your fourth-rank official position, I'm afraid, cannot be kept!"

Jiao Tu covered her mouth and laughed. "Lord Zhang, why are you so nervously threatening us two? The more you threaten us, the more I feel that criminals are hidden inside the grain team. Lord Zhang, you're shooting yourself in the foot."

Yun Yang waved to the Jie Fan Wei. "Search!"

The Jie Fan Wei directed the garrison soldiers to unload bags of grain from the carts, piling them in the snow.

But time passed little by little. All the grain carts were unloaded clean, and no one was seen hidden in the carts.

Yun Yang paced back and forth on the eaves irritably. He shouted loudly, "Look inside the sacks to see if anyone is hidden!"

The Jie Fan Wei drew their waist knives and stabbed the grain bags. Jiao Tu turned her head and suddenly saw a mocking cold smile on Zhang Zhuo's mouth. She suddenly felt something was wrong. "Wait, don't stab anymore, the grain sacks are that big, they can't hide people at all!"

But now it was already too late to give orders. More than twenty bags of grain had already been stabbed, and the grain was flowing out, scattered on the ground.

Zhang Zhuo laughed heartily, stroked his beard, and said, "You two, are there criminals in the grain?"

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu lightly floated down to the ground. Jiao Tu said loudly, "All garrison soldiers take off your helmets, check them one by one, see if the rebellious party is hiding among them!"

Zhang Zhuo no longer pretended. "All of you take off your helmets for the adults to see, let them see enough."

Yun Yang and Jiao Tu didn't trust others and personally identified each garrison soldier one by one, but there was no trace of the heir inside.

Yun Yang said in a low voice, "It's over."

His heart gradually sank to the bottom, only feeling that after coming to Luocheng, not a single thing had gone smoothly. Where exactly had things gone wrong?

Jiao Tu puzzled. "Maybe they ran to another place halfway?"

Yun Yang said viciously, "Search! Tonight, even if we turn over the entire Luocheng, we have to find the heir!"

The Jie Fan Wei retreated like a tide. Zhang Zhuo coldly watched their backs and said loudly, "You two secret police department adults, this time you probably really can't be zodiacs anymore, oh."

In front of Tuoluosi Temple, thirty-two monks were reciting scriptures while lifting the huge Sumeru seat back to the temple.

They shook the copper Vajra bell, lowered their eyes, as if everything happening in Luocheng tonight had nothing to do with them.

After entering the temple, the monks lifted the Sumeru seat and the Zi Zai Guanyin statue into the Mahavira Hall.

There were young novices who closed the eight vermilion-painted doors of the Mahavira Hall, blocking out all the wind and snow outside the door.

At this time, Zhang Xia, dressed in fiery red clothes, walked out from behind the scripture curtain, pointed, and directed the young novices, "Release them."

The young novice looked at the elderly abbot. The abbot waved his hand, "Do as she says."

The young novice put his hands together. "Yes."

The novice came behind the Zi Zai Guanyin and opened the place used for hiding.

When sculpting Buddha statues, monks would first leave a hollow in the back of the Buddha statue. When performing the light-opening ceremony, the resident high monk would place seven treasures, eight treasures, holy land flowers and plants, scriptures, jewels, five grains, and metal lungs and livers inside and seal it. This ritual is called "installing the repository". Ordinarily, Tuoluosi Temple uses this method to transport gold and silver money, escorted by thirty-two official monks, which is very safe.

And at this time, the heir, She Dengke, Chunhua, Liang Gouzi, and Liang Mazier were all hiding inside. In that huge Zi Zai Guanyin statue, five people were actually hidden.

The elderly abbot said softly, "Second Miss Zhang, please take your friends out of the city through the temple's secret passage. From now on, my Tuoluosi Temple no longer owes Benefactor Xu Shu karma. I hope he cultivates well, no longer contaminates worldly affairs, and returns to the forty-nine heavens early."

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