Chapter 977 - 977 977 Situation Worsens
Chapter 977: Chapter 977: Situation Worsens Chapter 977: Chapter 977: Situation Worsens This only intensified the strange feeling in Liu Sisi’s heart.
Looking up and around, the narrow alley was flanked by low and dilapidated houses with tightly closed doors. It was eerily quiet, and apart from the noise the three of them made while pushing and pulling the carriage, there wasn’t a sound to be heard.
“Wait! Don’t you feel that it’s too quiet around here? Unnaturally quiet?”
Liu Sisi frowned.
Upon her remark, the three of them stopped what they were doing and listened intently.
Indeed, it was unusually quiet.
“Not good! I’m afraid something has happened to Xue Yi. We need to move quickly!”
A thought flashed through Liu Sisi’s mind, and she urgently whispered a halt.
She hadn’t thought of it before, but now that she did, the question that man asked earlier was very wrong. It was only because she had been anxious to find Granny Peng that she was blinded by appearances.
Not to mention whether that silhouette was actually Granny Peng, just judging by Granny Peng’s mobility, she definitely couldn’t move that fast! So fast that she could keep up with the speed of the carriage!
“Princess! The carriage is stuck, and at present the only way out is to abandon it and leave.”
The two followers, both old hands from the manor, immediately covered Liu Sisi’s retreat as soon as they heard this.
But they were not faster than the actions of others!
The previously silent streets suddenly came alive with noise!
Countless people holding big blades and long spears burst out of doors, enclosing Liu Sisi and her group of four in the middle, with a great battle about to erupt!
“Who are you? Stop, don’t come any closer!”
One of the followers shouted.
He managed to shoot a signal arrow into the sky before retreating two steps while protecting Liu Sisi.
Instead of retreating, those people tightened their encirclement around the group of four. One man came forward from the crowd and greeted Liu Sisi.
“The Princess must be frightened! We are also here under orders. Please, Princess, come and drink some water wine with us.”
What good could this ‘water wine’ possibly be? Furthermore, she never drank alcohol.
Liu Sisi felt bitter inside, but her face remained calm, and she stood up straight, “Since you all have sincerely invited me, what if I, the Princess, say I will not go? What then will you do?”
The man gave another fist greeting, “Then we would have to inconvenience the Princess.”
–
In recent days, Di Yelei had been forced into a passive position.
It was not only the hindrance from the remnants of the rebels, but what troubled Di Yelei the most was the pressure from the Provincial Military Commissioner.
The Commissioner seemed tailor-made just to oppose him. Anything he wanted to accomplish was certain to be met with opposition. And the man was especially capable of stirring up trouble, making Di Yelei incredibly irascible.
Especially today, his eyelids wouldn’t stop twitching, as if something was about to happen.
“… We’re short on human resources at the moment. What I mean is, should we call Zhang Peng and Old Tang, who are still in the capital, to come over? Although help from afar won’t solve the immediate thirst, it’s still better than being completely out of options.”
Di Hongyuan also felt extremely helpless and voiced his suggestion.
“It’s useless; if His Majesty truly intended to punish us, he would not resort to merely sending people to trouble us as he is now. If he were to take real action against us, he would directly send an Imperial Decree. Could you or I possibly say no to that?”
Di Yelei saw through the situation clearly, which was why he let the Commissioner make a fuss.
“You are right, the situation at present is indeed just so.”
It wasn’t that they couldn’t deal with the other party; it was that they couldn’t say no with the Emperor standing behind him.
After discussing for a while, the two of them still couldn’t find a suitable solution.
Outside, a signal arrow shot up into the sky, causing Di Yelei’s complexion to change immediately.
It was a signal arrow! In his military, it was used to alert his comrades of a significant emergency. And the signal arrow that soared into the sky at the moment was dragging a red tail, which he had intentionally given to the followers protecting Sisi, fearing for her safety.
With that thought, he could no longer care about anything else and quickly stood up to rush out of the house.
“Sisi is in trouble! Hurry, follow me to rescue her!”
I hope everything is still in time! Sisi, hang in there.
Following the location where the signal arrow had shot into the sky, by the time Di Yelei arrived nearby, the narrow alley was quiet and deserted, not a single person in sight.
“My lord Marquis! Look over there.”
A trusted guard pointed near the deep pit.
Di Yelei quickly turned to look, the messy footprints and wheel tracks near the deep pit seemed to silently narrate what had happened there.
–
Liu Sisi suddenly disappeared!
This news was quickly spread by those with ulterior motives.
A few children soon got the news and were all anxious.
Di Yelei forcibly suppressed the anxiety in his heart and investigated the whereabouts of Liu Sisi, while his horsemen also found many anomalies.
“My lord Marquis, it seems that in addition to our horsemen, there are several other groups looking for the Princess. Should we stop them?”
Are there others investigating Sisi’s whereabouts?
After a moment’s thought, Di Yelei finally shook his head, “No need to bother with them, as long as they don’t hinder you from searching. If they really obstruct your search… that’s another matter.”
Fortunately, the situation Di Yelei feared did not occur.
His men quickly found a clue.
“A large number of unidentified people were discovered congregating near the wharf. Someone saw quite a few people escorting two women and several others towards a cargo ship. Whether it’s true or false still requires your judgment, my lord Marquis.”
What is there to judge?
Di Yelei summoned his horsemen and headed straight for the cargo ship indicated by the informant.
At the moment it was late at night, the river surface was rippled with fish-scale-like waves. The night is exceptionally cold, freezing people through to the bone.
Everyone cautiously approached one of the cargo ships, gradually tightening the encirclement.
“My lord Marquis, it should be there. Our people attempted to approach, but the ship is far from the other cargo ships, making it difficult to find an excuse to get close.”
Di Yelei, however, stared intently at the cargo ship on the river, scoffing.
“Seeing how they are well-prepared for battle, the other party is most likely targeting us specifically. Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been such a case previously where nothing could be found. Send someone to find the team leader who normally supervises these cargo ships on the river. Approaching that ship without alerting those on board the other ship will probably be the only way.”
Sisi, you must wait for me, I will arrange for everyone to come and save you right away!
This plan was unanimously agreed upon by everyone.
They quickly found the person who usually managed this area.
“My lord Marquis, this area is under my management. However, that cargo ship seems to have just arrived here and is not in my official records.”
People here often avoid registering with the government office to evade taxes, thereby saving a large sum of silver.
“A cargo ship without an official record, can it still go unchecked?”
These rough men who made a living on the water were knowledgeable and experienced. After looking around, they showed a troubled expression on their faces.
“Of course, we can inspect it. I am concerned that if these desperate felons see no escape, they might directly target the Princess. That would be a heavy loss indeed.”