Chapter 400: Oh No, Where Did Ji Qingwu Go?

She really was Lu Juan’s wife, Ji Qingrong.

’This is bad! Then where did Ji Qingwu go?!’

The person in the carriage had been Ji Qingrong all along.

They had deliberately faked the appearance of Ji Qingwu getting into the carriage.

The Dark Guard Leader thought calmly. Si Hai’s appearance here meant that Ji Qingwu had to be nearby as well.

But in the instant he turned, he saw that the figure at the base of the wall had also vanished.

He had been outmaneuvered.

Ji Qingwu had also noticed this weak point in her plan.

Si Hai’s appearance here was meant to confuse them.

"We’re pulling out!"

So many Hidden Guards gathered at the gate. Even at night, it was never a good idea to linger for too long.

The Dark Guard Leader raised his hand, signaling a retreat. In an instant, dozens of Hidden Guards vanished into the night.

Chun Xing rubbed her eyes, thinking they were playing tricks on her.

Ji Qingrong was inwardly astonished by the sight, but she let none of it show.

The Dark Guard Leader leaped down from the carriage. "My apologies for the disturbance, Madam Lu."

Ji Qingrong spoke up. "Sir, please wait." She handed over a letter. "My younger sister left this for you. Please have a look."

The Dark Guard Leader paused before raising a hand to take it.

The letter had no envelope. It was written on a piece of kraft paper used for wrapping herbs, and it still carried their faint scent.

The handwriting within...

It was just barely legible, a wild, unrestrained cursive that didn’t seem to match Ji Qingwu’s delicate and enchanting beauty at all.

"To the mysterious, dark-faced big brother: by the time you read this, I’ll already be on my way to the Northern Border."

The form of address was surprisingly fitting at that moment.

In the darkness, though the Dark Guard Leader wore a mask, you could almost see his expression darken another shade.

"Don’t bother sending men after me. You’d be better off returning to the Imperial Palace to protect your little master. If I truly wish to hide, you’ll never find me."

Ordinarily, the Dark Guard Leader would have thrown his head back and laughed at such arrogant, conceited words.

But he had just lost track of Ji Qingwu right under his very nose.

His gaze fell upon the last two lines of the letter.

"Don’t worry, I will explain the situation to His Majesty, so you won’t be charged with dereliction of duty. Farewell, and may we meet again. Sincerely, Ji Qingwu of the Ji Family."

It was a kind gesture from Miss Ji, but just because she said it wasn’t a dereliction of duty didn’t mean Emperor Wu Su would listen to her.

The Dark Guard Leader’s hand tightened, crumpling the letter. He gritted his teeth, then vanished before the mistress and her maid.

Seeing him leave, Ji Qingrong let out a breath, her palms slick with a thin layer of sweat.

The look in the Hidden Guard’s eyes before he left clearly showed he hadn’t given up. It seemed he was going to continue the pursuit for Ji Qingwu outside the city.

Her gaze fell to Song in her arms. The little boy seemed to be sleeping fitfully, his small legs kicking out.

Ji Qingrong gently patted him. Song squirmed, arching his little body, then fell back asleep.

Chun Xing asked softly, "Madam, do you think Fifth Missy will be discovered?"

Ji Qingrong replied, "He’s as experienced and cunning as Fifth Sister said—very difficult to deal with. I can only hope things go according to her plan..."

The Dark Guard Leader led his men in pursuit out of the city, traveling six hundred li through the night.

Just as Ji Qingwu had said in her letter, they didn’t see a single trace of her.

Finally, they concentrated their efforts on searching for traces of Si Hai.

They finally discovered a Hidden Guard’s mark in the courtyard of a farmhouse outside the city—a place where one had previously taken cover.

But the farmhouse yard was empty. They continued to search, but within a five-li radius of the location, Si Hai had left no further marks.

This meant one of two things: either something had happened to Si Hai, or he was no longer deliberately concealing his presence.

Ji Qingwu and Si Hai had vanished together.

*

「The next day, at noon.」

A grand caravan heading for Longzhou kicked up a trail of dust as it traveled.

The three carriages at the front were for the nobles, their compartments spacious, clean, and tidy. Behind them were cargo carts laden with goods, where the servants also had to make do.

Ji Qingwu was hidden away on the second-to-last cargo cart.

She had changed her appearance, just as she had before, now with thick, dark eyebrows and plain, flat features.

To better fit the image of a village woman who often worked in the fields, she had even added a couple of sunspots to her cheekbones.

Dressed in gray-cloth clothes with several floral patches, she looked thoroughly rustic and comical.

The day before, Ji Qingwu and her elder sister had been discussing how to evade the Hidden Guards’ spies. It always helped to have someone to scheme with, and through their planning, she learned that a caravan was leaving Lin’an for Longzhou that very night.

It was the perfect opportunity to slip away in the confusion.

But their strength alone wasn’t enough, so Ji Qingwu sent for her older brother, Ji Changlin.

Her older brother often traveled between several kingdoms and was very familiar with the well-known caravan leaders in Lin’an. It wouldn’t be difficult for him to sneak someone into their ranks.

By dusk, when Ji Changlin was leaving, Ji Qingwu had already disguised herself as Lan Ling and followed him back to the Ji Family residence.

Si Hai remained at the medical hall to accompany Ji Qingrong to the city gate and misdirect the Hidden Guards.

The plan was for Si Hai to first hide at the farmhouse outside the city. Then, when the caravan passed nearby, he would rendezvous with Ji Qingwu, who would already be on board.

By noon, Ji Qingwu’s heart finally began to settle.

The cart’s surface was rock-hard and the space was cramped. Ji Qingwu had been sitting for over ten hours. She shifted her bottom.

"Fifth Missy."

The living, breathing person beside her, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.

Ji Qingwu glanced over and couldn’t help but sigh.

The person immediately corrected herself. "Fifth Sister-in-law."

Ji Qingwu hadn’t expected Ji Changlin to send his personal guard, Lan Ling, along with her.

This time, Lan Ling was dressed as a village girl, her hair in two braided pigtails.

She explained, "Fifth Sister-in-law, this was all Ji... I mean, Big Brother’s idea. He ordered me to go with you so I could look out for you on the road."

Ji Qingwu gave a helpless smile. "Big Brother is really generous."

’He gave his most capable female guard to me, terrified I’d run into some trouble.’

Ji Qingwu took a few flatbreads from her personal bundle and pressed one into Lan Ling’s hand.

"I’m not blaming you," she said. "If you’d told me sooner, I would’ve brought more food."

She had only packed enough food and water for two.

Lan Ling offered the flatbread back. "I don’t need to eat."

Ji Qingwu pushed it back firmly. "This will last us two days. When we run out, I’ll figure something else out."

Ji Qingwu lifted the curtain flap and patted the back of the person driving the cart.

"Have something to eat."

From his back alone, you could tell the driver was very young, somewhere between a youth and a boy.

His back was thin and lean, yet straight as a poplar sapling stretching toward the sky.

Ji Qingwu handed him a white-flour flatbread.

He turned his head, his eyes downcast, and said shyly, "Th-thank you."

Seeing his bashfulness, Ji Qingwu gave his back a hearty slap, nearly knocking the unprepared Si Hai right off the driver’s seat.

"Jiang Hai, if that’s not enough, I have more."

Ji Qingwu had given Si Hai a new name—Jiang Hai. It was a proper name, not just a codename.

To avoid suspicion, she and Si Hai were posing as a newlywed couple. The original plan had been to pose as brother and sister.