The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 623: Chapter 623: Clear in One’s Mind

Xiao Wu nodded subconsciously.

’That’s right! Second Young Master Xie’s whereabouts are unknown. I wanted to give him the gift, but I never had the chance.’

Ye Chutang smiled. ”In that case, I’ll prepare a small gift for him too. How about we give them to him together when the time comes?”

Xiao Wu naturally had no objections and immediately nodded like a chick pecking at rice, but then a hint of hesitation appeared.

’Young Master said before that Second Young Master Xie would be back soon. Now, even Chutang is saying it... Does that mean it’s really going to happen?’

Xiao Wu glanced at the two young maids who were chatting animatedly.

’From what they were just saying, it seems the Xie Family isn’t a very suitable place for him to return to right now...’

Ye Chutang put her book away, stood up, and chuckled softly.

”It doesn’t matter when he returns. Let’s just get the gifts ready and wait patiently.”

...

「Long City.」

The sky was overcast and the north wind howled. The few pedestrians on the street all hurried along with anxious expressions.

This was a relatively large border city, and its main streets were usually quite bustling. But recently, with Southern Hu spies on the loose, the authorities were cracking down hard. The entire city was on edge, filled with a tense atmosphere.

Every household had shut its doors, terrified of running into trouble outside.

The Southern Hu people were savage and ruthless to the extreme. They’d even dared to cut off the Lord Prefect’s head and hang it on the city gate—was there anything they wouldn’t do?

If you ran into people like that, even nine lives wouldn’t be enough!

At the mouth of a remote alley, a figure wrapped in a tattered cotton coat, slightly hunched, walked along the wall.

His pace seemed slow, but he quickly rounded two corners. When he reached a dead end, he scanned his surroundings, and seeing no one, bent his knees and leaped, sailing gracefully over the courtyard wall and landing in a deserted small yard.

The yard contained a few tile-roofed houses, a dry well, and heaps of deadwood. It looked long abandoned, with only a few patches of withered yellow weeds swaying in the cold wind.

He landed without a sound.

He looked up, finally revealing a pair of sharp, roguish eyes that didn’t match his hunched frame and shabby attire.

The courtyard was silent.

After observing his surroundings, he walked straight toward the room in the very center.

CREAK—

As the door was pushed open, a cloud of dust billowed out. He casually raised a hand to block it, catching half a spiderweb in the process.

”Everyone, come on out.”

A voice, distinctly that of a young man, rang out softly.

A moment later, several figures emerged silently from various parts of the room.

From under the bed, inside the wardrobe, behind the door...

If they hadn’t revealed themselves, no one would have ever imagined so many people could be hiding in such a dilapidated place!

The young man did a quick count. Including himself, there were five people in total.

He grinned silently.

”It’s only been three days, but everyone’s hiding skills are getting better and better.”

The men exchanged glances and smiled as well.

”A Feng, we’ve been here for a while, just waiting for you. How did it go? Did you find out where King Yan Nan is being held?”

The man they called A Feng was, of course, Ye Yunfeng, who had led his men from Xia City to reinforce Long City.

Three days prior, he had led a vanguard of just twenty men and was the first to arrive in Long City.

Because Long City was currently locked down—entry only, no exit—they had split up to avoid suspicion. They spent three days infiltrating the city in various disguises to investigate.

Fortunately, thanks to the city defense map tucked into the envelope, Ye Yunfeng knew the layout of Long City like the back of his hand.

He had them separate, each going to a different area to gather information from different people.

Also out of caution, Ye Yunfeng had only arranged for four of them to meet with him today.

He nodded. ”He’s in the former magistrate’s residence. They don’t dare lock him in a prison. The Prefect’s Mansion just held a funeral, so hiding him there won’t arouse any suspicion.”

Hearing this, the men all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

”So that means King Yan Nan’s life isn’t in danger. We’re not too late!”

But Ye Yunfeng wasn’t as relieved.

”But this situation is also difficult. The residence is now heavily guarded. Trying to get King Yan Nan out of there single-handedly would be next to impossible.”

His words made their hearts sink again. ”Then... then what should we do?”

Ye Yunfeng didn’t answer directly. He looked at them and asked, ”What did you all find out?”

These men had been handpicked by Feng Zhang. They were completely trustworthy and extremely capable.

”Don’t worry, I’ve found the encampment of the five thousand Southern Hu Soldiers. You’ll never guess—they’re still inside the city! Right at the foot of Tiger Teeth Mountain in the west! No one goes there in the winter, and the terrain is rough and hard to navigate, which is why no one’s found them yet.”

”King Yan Nan’s five hundred personal guards have been split up. Some are locked in the government office’s prison, but there’s no word on the rest. They probably haven’t left the city, though.”

”Most of the court officials in the city have betrayed us. If they didn’t comply, they would’ve met the same fate as the former magistrate. But some of the common people have already sensed something is wrong; they’re just too scared to say anything.”

Ye Yunfeng nodded and looked at the last man.

”What about you? Did you find out where their supplies and provisions are?”

The man chuckled. ”Found ’em! And they’re in one of the three locations you predicted!”

He couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up.

”A Feng, you’re incredible! Didn’t you say you’ve never been here before? But you know this place so well! Amazing!”

They knew Ye Yunfeng had a map, but he hadn’t actually brought it with him this time.

He had burned that letter long before setting out.

However, every word, every sentence, every single stroke on it was deeply engraved in his mind.

He shook his head nonchalantly.

”Long City is only so big, and given the terrain, there are only a few possible locations to stockpile provisions.”

He glanced around at them and lowered his voice.

”Since everything is in place, we move tonight!”