Chapter 230: After Tonight

Chapter 230

The next day, as the sky began to brighten, several carriages arrived at the East City Gate.

Upon seeing the carriages belonging to the Zhou family, the guards stationed at the gate hurriedly approached.

"You cannot leave the city now; you should return," the guard informed them.

"Why can't we leave the city?" asked one of the carriage drivers. "We are headed to a manor outside the city."

"Leaving is not permitted anywhere. It is the order of the Prime Minister. We cannot disobey," replied the guard.

"Nonsense!" Suddenly, a stern voice came from inside one of the carriages. "When did the Prime Minister ever mention closing the city? I, as the Prime Minister, have never heard of such a thing."

The Prime Minister?

The guard felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't expected the Prime Minister to be inside the carriage. He had assumed it was merely a relative of the Zhou family.

What should he do now?

"Lord Zhou," the guard mustered up his courage and said, "it is indeed the Prime Minister's order. I cannot defy it..."

"So, you can defy his order, but not mine?"

In order to leave the city, Song An didn't mind putting on a show of authority in front of a low-ranking soldier.

Sure enough, the guard broke out in a cold sweat upon being confronted like this. Gathering his resolve, he quickly ordered his subordinates to open the city gate.

As for any responsibility that might arise later, he would let the Prime Minister deal with it himself. After all, he was just a low-ranking soldier, and nobody dared to provoke or offend him.

Once outside the city gate, Song An immediately instructed his accompanying guards to search for the Yizhou Army and the frontier troops.

He, on the other hand, sat inside the carriage, gazing out the window at the gloomy sky.

Is the capital really about to descend into chaos?

...

While Song An waited for news outside the city, Li Yao had already disguised herself as a young maidservant. She carried a food box filled with meals and arrived at the heavily guarded prison where Xu Zhan was being held.

"Soldier, I've come to deliver food to our master," Li Yao said.

"Who is your master?" the soldier asked, looking around. He seemed unfamiliar with her.

"He is... Mister Xu," Li Yao replied, catching herself just in time.

After matching the names, the soldier no longer suspected her and opened the prison gate, allowing Li Yao to enter.

Xu Zhan was confined deep within the prison, shackled with handcuffs and with disheveled hair. Compared to his previous heroic image, he looked completely different.

However, he didn't seem to have suffered any physical harm, though he had lost a considerable amount of weight.

After the soldier opened the cell door, Li Yao placed the basket in front of Xu Zhan. "Master, please eat," she said.

"Uh..." Xu Zhan was about to respond but suddenly remembered Li Yao's instructions. He decisively remained silent, only moving his mouth.

Miraculously, the guard's voice actually came from behind him.

"I went to the latrine."

It was Li Yao speaking, imitating the voice of the soldier from earlier.

"You must have slacked off, huh? Well, I also need to go to the latrine. You guard for a while," the other guard said and left.

Even now, Xu Zhan couldn't believe it. He had escaped so easily and simply from the most heavily guarded prison in the realm!

It felt surreal.

He opened the gate, allowing Li Yao to go out first, and after making sure that no one noticed, he quickly followed suit.

Li Yao had prepared a carriage in a nearby alley, and the two of them swiftly left the area.

...

Back at the inn, Xu Zhan had many questions to ask, but he ultimately remained silent.

Now was not the time to ask those questions.

"Even if I've escaped, I'm still a fugitive," Xu Zhan said, "Li Yao, you took too much risk."

"No, you're not a fugitive," Li Yao replied, "You are General Xu."

As she spoke, Li Yao presented the General's insignia and handed it to Xu Zhan.

"Where did you get this?"

"The Emperor told me where it was kept, and I retrieved it."

"The palace? Have you seen the Emperor? How is he now?"

Not only have I seen him, but Li Yao also delivers meals and medicine to him every day, which is quite exhausting.

"The Emperor is doing well now," Li Yao said. "But after tonight, it's uncertain."

"Why?"

"Because the Crown Prince is planning to usurp the throne tonight."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhan was not surprised but rather indignant. He said, "I've long known about the Crown Prince's ambitious nature. It seems he can't hold back any longer! Li Yao, help me enter the palace and rescue the Emperor!"

"No, it wouldn't make any sense for you to go alone."

"What should we do then? We can't just stand by and watch the Crown Prince plot against the Emperor!"

"What I mean is, you can take thirty thousand troops with you."