Chapter 427 Enter the City

Chapter 427: Entering the City

The moment the words left his mouth, Cheng Ge himself was caught off guard, a faint heat creeping up to the tips of his ears, as if he realized the question had been rather foolish.

The amusement in Yun Xunyu's eyes deepened, as though he had been waiting for precisely this question. He drawled lazily, "Have I ever deceived my sweetheart?"

Cheng Ge immediately thought to himself: *How many times have you spouted that kind of nonsense?*

Of course, he was just running his mouth—he didn't actually want to be emperor.

Being emperor? He'd rather be an ordinary person and live at ease.

Just look at Zhou Mingqi—drowning in paperwork, looking half-dead every single day.

He held the jade seal out toward Yun Xunyu again. "Keep it safe. This is no ordinary object—not something to joke about."

Once the joke was over, Cheng Ge's expression turned solemn.

Since this seal was a forgery, and the messenger had been pursued all the way here, it was highly likely that a major upheaval had indeed taken place in the capital.

His gaze swept over the dead officer's body on the ground and the two letters with vastly different contents, his thoughts crystallizing with each passing moment.

The other party had forged an imperial edict, strictly ordering Prince Zhenbei, Cui Ji, to remain at his post—clearly fearing Cui Ji and the Cui Family Army he commanded.

*"The stars dim above the Purple Palace; clouds shroud the imperial gates"*... It seemed a great upheaval had already erupted within the palace walls.

If this forged edict reached the northern border first and restrained Cui Ji, there would truly be no one left to turn to. When power changed hands later, given how this faction feared Cui Ji, they'd likely want him dead and gone!

Fortunately, by a stroke of luck, the messenger had run into them, and both the real and forged letters had fallen into their hands.

The priority now was to get someone to the northern border immediately to inform Cui Ji of what had happened.

This matter was of utmost importance—the messenger had to be absolutely trustworthy, fast on their feet, and resourceful enough to handle any ambushes or complications that might arise.

Cheng Ge's gaze swept quickly over those present—Ling Feng, Wufeng, and the other shadow guards were loyal and reliable, but this matter carried too much weight. Perhaps someone more... *unusual* was needed.

His gaze ultimately settled on Yun Xunyu, a glint of calculation in his eyes.

Cheng Ge pursed his lips, reached out, and gave Yun Xunyu's sleeve a gentle tug.

Yun Xunyu paused mid-gesture, raising an eyebrow at him, those phoenix eyes gleaming with feigned innocence. "Hm?"

"You..." Cheng Ge cleared his throat, his tone carrying a rare note of hesitation and entreaty. "Could you do me a favor?"

Yun Xunyu's brow arched even higher, and without much deliberation, he said, "My sweetheart wants me to go to the northern border and deliver word to Cui Ji?"

Cheng Ge thought to himself that this man was indeed sharp—one word and he got it. He nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, this matter is of the utmost—"

But before he could finish, Yun Xunyu cut him off flat, spitting out two words: "Not happening."

Cheng Ge: "..."

His prepared speech caught in his throat, and for a moment he couldn't process it. *Shot down that fast?*

Yun Xunyu looked at his stunned expression, then suddenly reached out as well, lightly tugging at Cheng Ge's sleeve just as he had done moments ago.

The nonchalance on his face slipped a little, replaced by an inscrutable look, and his voice dropped low, revisiting the proposal he'd left unfinished in the carriage earlier:

"Since the capital's already in chaos, the road ahead is anyone's guess. My sweetheart... why not come back to Nanling with me? You'll be safe there."

Cheng Ge shook his head almost without thinking—instinctively refusing: "Not going."

For a moment, the air went still.

A cold wind swept across the open field, carrying the stench of blood and the bitter bite of dead grass.

Lin Nanshu had already walked a few paces away, quietly instructing Ling Feng to deal with the scene and bury the bodies, seemingly unaware of the brief standoff nearby.

Yun Xunyu looked at Cheng Ge's face, which had refused without hesitation. Deep in those ever-smiling, affectionate eyes, a shadow flickered past—so fleeting it was nearly invisible.

He slowly let go of Cheng Ge's sleeve and looked off into the distance.

But the next second, when he turned back to look at Cheng Ge, the carefree, roguish grin was already back on his face.

"Fine." His easy agreement threw Cheng Ge off guard again.

"I'll go find Cui Ji." As he spoke, Yun Xunyu even stretched lazily, rolling his wrists. "But my sweetheart, you'll have to travel a bit slower and wait for me.

I'm fast—I'll deliver the message and come right back to you. Don't make me chase after you."

Cheng Ge hadn't expected him to change his mind so quickly, nor to agree so readily, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He lowered his head, absently grinding the frozen dirt under his foot, his voice dropping much softer than before.

"...Then, be careful on the road..." He paused. "I'll have someone pack some everyday medicines for you to take."

Yun Xunyu watched his lowered lashes, and the carefully crafted smile in his eyes finally warmed into something genuine.

He gave a soft "Mm," his voice gentler as well. "Alright. Whatever medicine you give me, I'll keep it on me at all times."

Yun Xunyu left without looking back, taking only the two letters and the small bundle of everyday medicines Cheng Ge had shoved into his hands.

Alone on horseback, he galloped toward the northern border, hooves pounding the frozen ground, his figure quickly swallowed by the twilight stretching along the main road.

Cheng Ge stood there, staring after him, until Lin Nanshu walked to his side and quietly reminded him: "Muyu, we shouldn't stay here long."

Only then did he withdraw his gaze and nod.

The group quickly cleaned up the scene, quickly burying the officer's body too, before reboarding the carriage and continuing their journey toward the capital.

Inside the carriage, the charcoal brazier was stoked back to life. Cheng Ge leaned back against the soft cushion, his fingers absently worrying the edge of his sleeve.

He closed his eyes. The crown prince's plea for help, the forged imperial edict, the intercepted messenger...

For the first two days, the road was relatively calm, but that calm felt more like the suffocating pressure before a storm.

On the third day, however, that carefully maintained peace was shattered completely.

Deep within the dense woods flanking the official road, signs of fighting began to appear with increasing frequency.

Broken weapons, bloodstains already turned black splattered across withered grass and fallen leaves, and... bodies.

Many of them wore official robes similar to the messenger who had collided with their carriage that day, or were dressed as couriers or household servants.

Clearly, these were all people who had tried to deliver messages in various directions—especially toward the northern border—but had fallen along the way.

In the afternoon, to avoid potential spies, they chose a more remote fork in the road.

As they neared an abandoned tea pavilion, a thick, rotting stench hit them.

Ling Feng moved ahead cautiously to check it out and soon returned with a grim expression.

"Master," he said in a low, serious voice, "there are seven or eight corpses ahead. From their clothes, they look like men sent by different households—all of them killed.

The bodies... were sloppily shoved into the bushes, but not buried deep enough—wild dogs dragged them out..."

Cheng Ge signaled the carriage to stop and walked over himself, with Lin Nanshu following closely behind.

Several mangled corpses lay scattered in the weeds, their official robes or everyday clothes torn to shreds, revealing pale, bluish skin riddled with bite marks and wounds. The wild dogs had been scared off, but the gnaw marks and drag trails were still there.

A cold wind swept through, carrying the thick stench of blood and rot.

"They probably died within the last two days," Lin Nanshu said somberly after examining another body. "The wounds were sloppy—like they were killed and just dumped here."

He lifted the dead man's hand, noting the thick knuckles and calloused web between thumb and index finger. "He was a martial artist—probably a household guard or private soldier."

Cheng Ge stood, his gaze sweeping over the carnage, the unease in his chest hitting its peak.

Cheng Ge's eyes swept over the carnage—the gruesome corpses and the stench of rot wrapping around his heart like cold vines.

"We can't wait any longer," Cheng Ge said, looking at Lin Nanshu, whose eyes held the same grim look. "Ling Feng, take most of the men and keep going along the main road in the carriage to draw attention.

Yuli, you're with me. We'll take just two men, travel light, cut through the back roads, and ride all night."

Lin Nanshu nodded without a moment's hesitation. "Got it."

They ditched the heavy carriage and most of the luggage without a second thought, keeping only the essentials—food, water, and weapons for defense.

The sun was already sinking in the west, the sky fading to dusk. They left the main road and turned onto a mountain path.

Even so, someone caught wind of their movements.

On the third night, they were hit by a brutal ambush.

The enemy had apparently guessed someone might risk the back roads and set a trap at a choke point.

A tripwire snapped taut, and the guard in front went flying—horse and carriage tumbling!

"Muyu!" Lin Nanshu's soft sword flashed, deflecting most of the arrows as he lunged, tackled Cheng Ge, and rolled them both behind a big boulder by the road.

Cheng Ge was pinned beneath Lin Nanshu, his back slamming into the cold, hard rock, forcing a muffled grunt out of him.

Arrows thudded into the rock where they'd just been standing, sending stone chips flying.

"I'm fine!" Cheng Ge said urgently, grabbing Lin Nanshu's arm. "Yuli, you okay?"

Lin Nanshu pushed himself up behind the boulder, his sharp eyes scanning the dark woods as he answered quickly, "I'm fine."

His voice stayed steady, but in the faint moonlight, Cheng Ge saw his left sleeve had been slashed open, the dark fabric soaked even darker—definitely blood.

The ambush spot was perfect, but the attackers were few. Once Cheng Ge and the others got their bearings, they fought back.

The fight erupted suddenly but ended just as fast.

Realizing they couldn't finish the job fast and afraid the noise would draw more trouble, the leader whistled, and the rest faked an attack before melting back into the dark woods.

"Chase them?" a guard asked, wiping blood off his face.

"Don't chase a cornered enemy—we need to keep moving," Cheng Ge said, sheathing his sword, his breathing a little ragged.

The four didn't dare stick around. They helped the wounded, found a relatively sheltered spot out of the wind to catch their breath, patch up injuries, and feed the horses some beans.

Less than an hour later, they were moving again.

On the sixth day, just before dawn—the darkest hour.

Days of nonstop riding had nearly drained every last bit of strength from men and horses alike. Cheng Ge felt like his soul was about to be rattled right out of his body.

Just then, the scout up ahead called back in a hushed, excited voice: "Master! I can see the city walls!"

Cheng Ge's head snapped up, and he blinked hard against his dry, burning eyes.

On the distant horizon, a dark, silent silhouette grew clearer against the sky.

There was no cheering, no letting their guard down. Instead, the four of them grew even more alert.

The patrols on the walls were unusually thick, moving silently in the pre-dawn gloom like the wary eyes of some great beast.

They didn't dare gallop anymore, slowing to let the exhausted horses catch their breath as they closed in.

Finally, they reached the South Gate, usually the busiest entrance.

Right now, the gate was shut tight, with no one in front of it—just two rows of armored soldiers standing stiffly with halberds.

The checkpoint for people entering the city was set up about a hundred paces from the gate.

A few officials sat behind a table, questioning and searching everyone who came near.

Cheng Ge reined in his horse and traded a look with Lin Nanshu beside him.

The two merged into the thin trickle of people, slowly moving toward the checkpoint.

Behind the wooden table sat two officials—one asking questions, the other flipping through a thick ledger, the mood grim.

The clerk doing the questioning lifted his eyes, letting them rest on Cheng Ge's face for a beat before sliding to the person beside him.

Lin Nanshu was now dressed as a village woman—coarse cloth dress, hair wrapped in a faded blue scarf, face smeared with something to make it look dull and grimy. He stood meekly half a step behind and to the side of Cheng Ge, clutching a small bundle.

"Where you from? What's your business in the city?" the clerk asked, his voice dry and flat.

"To answer you, sir," Cheng Ge said, hunched slightly with a fawning smile and a thick out-of-town accent, "I'm from Jingzhou in the west, bringing my wife to the capital to find relatives and scrape by. The roads were dangerous, and we got delayed quite a bit."

"Your wife?" The clerk's gaze dropped back to Lin Nanshu, sizing him up from head to toe.

The look wasn't rude, but it was sharp—like it was trying to see through the coarse clothes and the deliberately dirtied face. "Lift your head."

Lin Nanshu's shoulders gave a barely noticeable flinch, as if shy, and he raised his head a little as told, but kept his eyes down, only daring to look at the ground in front of his feet.

He was naturally tall, and even with a deliberate slouch, he still stood too straight for a woman. Luckily, the thick winter clothes hid some of it.

The clerk stared at him for a few moments, his brow knitting slightly: "This wife of yours... is pretty tall."

Cheng Ge cut in quickly, his tone carrying that mix of pride and helplessness a country man might have when talking about his own woman:

"You're too kind, sir. Country folk—worked hard since they were kids. She's sturdier than most women, and got big feet too. She's quick on her feet, and she's been a real help on this trip."

Cheng Ge said, before his words even faded, he abruptly reached out and yanked the "woman" beside him into his arms, planting his hand squarely on the waist wrapped in coarse cloth.

He exerted force with his arm, tugging the person against his chest, the gesture carrying an unvarnished, rustic intimacy typical of a country man, a dumb, good-natured grin still on his face that seemed to say, "My wife is really capable."

Lin Nanshu, suddenly hauled into his embrace, went rigid, his breath hitching for a moment.

Through the thick coarse clothing, Cheng Ge could even feel the waist beneath his palm go tight as iron in that instant.

But within a single breath, the taut muscles deliberately forced themselves to go slack, though they remained awkwardly stiff.

Lin Nanshu lowered his head even further, nearly burying his face in the crook of Cheng Ge's shoulder.

The wide sleeve that had been used to cover his face now lifted in a fluster, not to hide his face, but to give a weak, half-hearted push at Cheng Ge's chest.

The force was as light as a feather brushing past, more like an instinctive reaction born of embarrassment.

A muffled, almost whimpering sound escaped his throat.

Then he fell completely silent, angling the faded blue cloth headscarf on his head toward the petty official, his body shrinking slightly, as if he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

"The more I write, the more I want to laugh..."