Liu Mo flew along the winding road like a bow tie, and the moonlight sprinkled the nearby hills into a silvery white. He had to get as far away from Rongcheng as possible before his plan was discovered.
Tomorrow he would be forced off the road and through fields, bushes, and streams to escape possible pursuers, but for now speed was more important than cover. After all, his destination was obvious.
It was not easy to leave the heavily guarded Rongcheng. The soldiers guarding the city gate stopped everyone for questioning.
Fortunately, Liu Mo had funded Lu Sheng, and the latter arranged for a Baihu official to say hello to one of the soldiers guarding the gate, and they waved the carriage to pass. From beginning to end, no one paid attention to who or what was on the carriage.
But Liu Mo still felt that he should not take it lightly. If Gao Qi knew that he had left Rongcheng, he would definitely send troops to pursue him.
Gao Qi didn't have the habit of waking up at night, so Liu Mo at least had some time before dawn to try to put as much distance between him and Rongcheng...
During this trip to the capital, it was difficult to get things done because of the large number of people, so Liu Mo only took Zhao Da with him.
On both sides of the road ahead, flickering lights shine through the woods.
"This is Dingcun!" Liu Mo thought to himself, "It should be safe!"
Zhao Da urged his horse to run past. He heard a dog barking and a donkey braying from the barn. Other than that, the village was silent. There were a few glimmers of firelight peeking through the closed windows or leaking between the wooden planks of the house, but only a few.
Just when Liu Mo breathed a sigh of relief and was about to take a rest, there was a sudden rush of horse hooves from behind, which made Liu Mo uneasy.
"Damn it, will you be Gao Qi's pursuer?"
Poking his head out of the carriage, Zhao Da has already drawn his single sword and is ready!
Zhao Da stopped the carriage, and the man rode his horse forward. He held the reins tightly and turned his horse around.
"Husband, why don't you take me with you?"
Liu Mo took a closer look and saw that it was Gong Xiaorou. A full moon shone in from behind her shoulder, casting a delicate shadow.
"Xiaorou? What are you doing here?" Liu Mo was surprised, "Go back quickly, don't block the way!"
"I want to go with my husband to save daddy," Gong Xiaoju said, "Don't drive me away!"
"You are a weak woman, are you fooling around!" Liu Mo frowned, "Be obedient!"
"Weak woman?" Gong Xiaorou pursed her lips, "I'm not bragging, even three husbands can't stand up to me!"
The reason why I can't beat him is because Brother Zhu taught me all the martial arts skills for killing enemies on the battlefield. Is it possible for me to kill him?
"If you don't leave, I'll ask Zhao Da to kidnap you back!" Liu Mo threatened her.
"You won't!" Gong Xiaorou laughed, "Take me back. Husband, are you going to wait here for him to come back? It will take you a whole day to come back and forth. Aren't you afraid of the pursuers?"
…
Got taken advantage of by this crazy girl!
"I will protect myself, husband, can you just let me follow you? Please..."
Seeing Liu Mo's frown, Zhao Da also tried to persuade him, "Sister-in-law, let the fourth lady follow us. If you encounter a bad person, the fourth lady is good at protecting you."
If you think about it carefully, your father was imprisoned in a prison that was like a hell on earth. How could a daughter stay at home with peace of mind?
With the skills of a crazy girl, it is no problem to deal with a few ordinary men who have never practiced martial arts, and it is not shameful to rely on the protection of my wife! (Refer to Wei Xiaobao)
"It's okay to follow me, but you have to listen to me along the way."
"Thank you husband!" Gong Xiaorou laughed.
Seeing his wife's smile, Liu Mo felt extremely bitter.
I can't let her know the pain Gong Changyi suffered.
For this reason, when Gong Xiaorou asked about his father's condition, he could only answer with a white lie: "I can eat and sleep, nothing serious!"
Traveling north, Liu Mo discovered that Gong Xiaorou, who looked strong on the outside, was actually very fragile on the inside.
One night, Gong Xiaorou suddenly woke up, feeling an inexplicable fear.
Overhead, the moon and a thousand stars adorned the night sky. Although she could hear Zhao Da's dull snoring, the beeping of the campfire, and even the commotion of horses not far away, she felt that the night was strangely peaceful, as if the whole world had held its breath.
This kind of silence made her couldn't help but tremble. She clutched the sword in her hand, and a tear flowed from the corner of her eyes.
Seeing this, Liu Mo quickly stood up and hugged her gently.
"Is my father really okay?" Gong Xiaorou asked with a tearful voice, "They all say that the beast named Gao kills without blinking an eye. In his hands, no one can survive the interrogation!"
"When did my husband lie to you?" Liu Mo comforted her, "This trip to the capital is based on the evidence given by my father-in-law."
"Really?" Gong Xiaorou looked up, tears leaving pink traces on her cheeks. At this time, Liu Mo noticed that she was so thin.
"Crazy girl... is also a weak woman who needs my care. I have to be nicer to her in the future."
After walking for about seven days, Liu Mo and the others finally arrived at their destination, the capital of Daxia: Jizhou.
Jizhou City is approximately square, spreads out for more than ten miles, and is protected by high walls. There are a total of eight gates that can enter the city, two each in the east, south, west, and north. The largest and most visited one is the Suzaku Gate in the east.
Within the city walls, the city is dotted with residences, trees, hotels, markets, taverns and brothels. There is a large fish market near the river to the east of the city. Hundreds of piers can be found in the port.
Between the buildings are wide roads, streets, and segmented alleys lined with trees.
The city covers three hills, with the royal palace built on the top of the hills. The Royal Palace is located in the southeast corner of the city, overlooking the entire river bend. The marble-walled palace, the walls of the palace are all painted gold.
Jizhou City was fairly densely populated, with a population of about one million, a number that fluctuated during the winter as people took shelter behind the city walls. But it will not exceed 1.2 million at most.
Compared to Rongcheng, this place is a dirty and messy place.
As soon as he entered the city, Liu Mo saw the Imperial Guards covered in golden armor, helmets, and cloaks. There are about 3,000 of them, and they are the main garrison force of Jizhou City. They are responsible for guarding and maintaining public order in the city and surrounding areas.
Not long after riding, they passed a place separated by a high wall. The east side of the high wall is resplendent and resplendent, and you can tell at a glance that it is the place where dignitaries live. On the west side of the high wall, the stench from the garbage can be smelled two miles away.
According to Huang Shouren's introduction, the west side can be said to be the shameful place of the entire Daxia Dynasty. The poorest residents in the entire Daxia live in slums. The narrow streets and alleys inside are like a maze, crowded with beggars and the poorest of the urban population. The poor part.
Before departure, Huang Shouren had sent an urgent letter to notify his friends in Jizhou to entertain Liu Mo and others.
The destination is not hard to find. "Tingyu Tower" is the largest hotel in Jizhou City, taller than the neighboring houses.
After getting off the carriage, the shop assistant stepped forward to take care of the horses. Liu Mo took Gong Xiaorou to find him and just walked into the inn when he heard a familiar voice. "Master Liu, you're welcome and safe!"
A closer look revealed that this person was none other than the headmaster of Jiangyuan Academy: Tan Guangyan!
