Chapter 2349: Surrounded Thoroughly (Patreon)

Chapter 2349: Surrounded Thoroughly

After settling Wei Qin, Shu Yu's group left Zhengdao Village early in the morning, just as dawn was breaking.

The Prefect Magistrate's Mansion was not in Linzhang Prefecture but in the neighboring Hetai Prefecture. Although it was considered neighboring, it wasn't close. Without taking winding paths into account, it was still about 150 kilometers away.

So, even if they didn't delay on the road, by the time they arrived at the Hetai Prefecture, it was already in the afternoon of the second day.

Hetai Prefecture was considered the prefectural capital, and it was livelier and more bustling than Linzhang Prefecture. Walking through the city, one could immediately sense the difference in the atmosphere.

However, what was even more apparent was the intense surveillance on them.

Shu Yu lowered the curtain and swayed with the movement of the carriage. "I have a feeling that entering the Chen Mansion is no different from entering the lion's den."

Zhao Xi couldn't help but shiver. "Then should we still go?"

"Don't you say that 'you won't catch any tigers without entering a tiger's den'? What else can we do? Should we head straight back to Dong'an Prefecture?"

"Ugh... I just want to get back to my wife and kids. I don't want to die here," Zhao Xi lamented with a bitter face.

"Pfft, don't talk about death; talk about staying alive. Can you think positively for once?" Shu Yu retorted, remembering that Zhao Xi was the one who first mentioned the danger.

Meng Yunzheng had already opened a small box on the carriage, taking out long, thin needles and blades. As he hid these items in his hair, he said, "Don't worry, there's no immediate danger to our lives. As I mentioned before, if they wanted us dead from the start, there would have been plenty of opportunities on the way here. Our journey to the Chen Mansion has a different purpose."

With that, he handed a needle to Shu Yu. "Hide this, just in case."

Shu Yu concealed it in her hair as well, and Zhao Xi, after wiping his face with a cloth, cautiously took the weapon handed to him by Meng Yunzheng. He applied some homemade ointment to it and hid it on his person.

With the three of them prepared, they had Ying Xi and Xia Yan enter the carriage one after the other to tidy up.

Riding on a horse next to the carriage, Ma Lu didn't notice anything unusual. He just chuckled and spoke, "County Princess, Young Master Meng, we're almost at the Governor's Mansion."

Shu Yu peered out, observing the mansion growing closer and the increasingly tense atmosphere. She let out a slow breath. "I have a feeling that when we enter the Chen Mansion, it won't be any different from a sheep entering a tiger's den."

Before long, the carriage finally came to a stop.

Ma Lu went up to knock on the gate, and Shu Yu and her companions disembarked from the carriage. They raised their eyes to look at the grand entrance ahead.

Not long after, a person emerged from inside the gate.

"I am Cheng Wu, and I greet the County Princess and Lord Meng. The master has been waiting in the mansion for a long time. Please follow me inside."

Shu Yu recognized him; he was one of the guards who had accompanied Prefect Magistrate Cheng in the past.

"Lead the way, sir Cheng."

Cheng Wu stepped aside and took the lead by half a step. The group quickly walked toward the front courtyard.

As the rear gate closed behind them, Cheng Wu suddenly quickened his pace. When they reached the middle of the front courtyard, he was already a few meters ahead of Shu Yu's group.

Ma Lu hesitated for a moment. "Guard Cheng Wu..."

However, before he could finish his sentence, Cheng Wu abruptly turned around and, in the next moment, over a dozen guards armed with weapons rushed out from the nearby buildings, surrounding Shu Yu's group directly.

At the same time, numerous figures appeared on the eaves and rooftops surrounding them. All of them had their bows and arrows aimed at the group, ready to release a barrage of arrows at the slightest movement.