CH 68

Shen Erlang said, “I sense that woman has ill intentions. Everyone should be cautious around her.”

The others nodded calmly, “We knew that long ago. Did you just figure it out?”

Shen Erlang was indignant. If they had known, then why did they have that expression when he mentioned it?

His question only invited laughter from everyone.

Shen Yu’an spoke on behalf of the group, “It’s not the person that surprised us, but rather the things you said.”

Shen Erlang was puzzled and couldn’t understand. What did he say that shocked them so much?

But Shen Yu’an recalled what Shen Erlang had told them, things like:

“I don’t know if there are ghosts, but I can tell you have something fishy going on!”

“If you’re in a hurry, hurry up and take care of your business!”

“Big Sister, I think there’s something wrong with your throat!”

“Staying here compromises my innocence!”

…

Hahaha! Shen Yu’an couldn’t help but burst into laughter inwardly.

Even though she wasn’t present, she could almost sense Zheng Li’s frustration.

Shen Yu’an felt that this might be what others referred to as “being a mouthpiece” in her previous life.

He looked at his still perplexed and puzzled second brother and smiled, saying, “She must have had ulterior motives towards you. You did well!”

While the Shen family enjoyed a harmonious meal, Zheng Li was too angry to eat.

She had thought that Shen Erlang was the easiest one to handle, but unexpectedly, things had taken a turn for the worse.

Fuming with anger, Zheng Li ended up burning the food she was cooking, earning her father’s reward of a resounding slap across the face.

However, she dared not express her anger and could only quickly extinguish the fire and serve the ruined meal.

After everyone finished eating, they resumed their journey.

It was still morning, and the sun wasn’t scorching yet. But in a little while, the sun would be strong enough to make the skin turn red from its heat.

As they continued their journey, the people from Shen’s village walked ahead, while Zheng Li and her group of four, along with the Bai father and daughter, walked behind. Further back were the rest of the Shen family members.

Due to what happened with Shen Li, the eldest son of the Shen family, the Bai father and daughter had distanced themselves a bit from the group of Shen’s village. They walked neither too close nor too far, just slightly ahead of the Shen family.

After walking for about an hour, the sun had fully risen.

Just as everyone was sweating from the heat, Shen Yu’an suddenly felt an abnormal shaking on the ground.

Shen Yu’an was startled and quickly stopped in his tracks.

The Bai father and daughter, not far from them, and the Shen family members following behind them also stopped upon seeing Shen Yu’an’s action.

Shen Yu’an furrowed his brow. Could there be an earthquake happening here too?

The earthquake that occurred a few days ago happened in several counties and towns south of Shen’s village.

That’s why they were supposed to go south, but instead of going straight from Shen’s village to the south, they first went east and then circled around to the south.

She remembered that the earthquake in the book happened in one place, so what was causing this shaking sensation here?

Soon enough, the sound grew louder and everyone could hear it.

Everyone stopped in their tracks, feeling a bit uneasy and panicked.

The sound grew closer and closer.

Shen Yu’an finally recognized it as the sound of a galloping horse.

“Official business, clear the way!” A stern voice accompanied by the sound of horse hooves came closer and closer.

The crowd, who were originally walking in the middle of the road, quickly moved to the sides and lowered their heads, afraid to look around.

“neighhhh~”

A long, piercing neigh echoed through the air, causing the mounted riders to halt in the middle of the road.

They turned their horses, facing the group of people.

A soldier sitting atop a tall and majestic steed spoke, “Prince Fei Yanchen of Wuding has been harmed by bandits and his whereabouts are unknown. The Emperor has issued an order, offering a reward of one hundred taels of silver for any information. Have any of you seen this person?”

Upon finishing his words, the soldier unfolded the scroll he held, revealing a lifelike portrait that captured every detail.

The crowd looked up in awe at the portrait.

The man in the painting had a fair complexion and a pair of beautiful yet seemingly indifferent eyes, slightly lifted as if he had found something intriguing. His gaze was filled with curiosity.

Ji Xun, who stood among the Shen family, felt a tremor in his eyelashes upon hearing the name “Prince Fei Yanche.”

Harmed by bandits?

The Wuding Prince’s family was stationed far away on the border, so when did they end up in the imperial capital and fall victim to bandits?

However, it wasn’t the time for him to ask questions. Like everyone else, he respectfully looked up, fearing that his true identity might be recognized.

Fortunately, these soldiers were just low-ranking troops and hadn’t seen his face before, so they didn’t recognize him.

Upon hearing the reward of one hundred taels of silver for providing information, the crowd couldn’t help but feel tempted.

They had never seen so much silver in their entire lives.

Now, just by providing some information, they could obtain such a substantial reward.

However, as they looked up at the portrait, the noble and distinguished appearance of the gentleman depicted was beyond their familiarity.

“Sir, we haven’t seen this person,” Shen Lizheng, who is trembling, spoke up as a representative.

The official disdainfully glanced at the dusty Shen Lizheng and arrogantly said, “Look up, everyone! Inspect!”

Reluctantly, the crowd complied and allowed the soldiers to conduct their inspection.

There were over a dozen mounted soldiers, and after dismounting, they grabbed each person’s face and pulled to check if they were wearing disguise masks.

The people’s faces were sore from being pulled, but they dared not offend these soldiers. They could only respectfully allow them to do as they pleased.

When one of the soldiers inspected Zheng Li, she even threw a seductive glance at him while he was touching her face.

However, the indifferent soldier ignored her completely and, after the inspection, callously pushed her aside, forcefully shoving her face in the process.

Zheng Li stumbled and fell to the ground.

They didn’t find anyone suspicious, but the expressions of the soldiers turned grim.

They had been sent down for five days already to find the person, but there was still no trace of them.

If they let the person escape, they would definitely face severe consequences.

The lead soldier, feeling irritated, forcefully plunged his spear into the bag of provisions.

Grains spilled out from the punctured seams, and a woman hurriedly caught the falling grains with her hands and covered the hole with her hand.

“Sir, these are the bags we use to store provisions. There’s nothing else inside,” the woman pleaded pitifully.

The soldier could clearly see that there was no one hidden inside the bags. How could they possibly fit the tall figure of Prince Fei Yanchen? However, he was currently feeling anxious and, of course, wouldn’t admit his mistake.

He ordered the people behind him, “Search through their carriage as well. Leave no crevice unchecked.”

“Yes!” The others immediately began searching.

In the chaos that ensued, pleas and protests from the crowd filled the air. Shen Yun quickly helped Xiao Zhang Shi down from the carriage, fearing that she and her unborn child might be harmed as the soldiers ransacked the carriage.

“Let’s go!” The soldier mounted his horse and rode off into the distance, with the others following closely behind.