They breathed a sigh of relief, finding no trace of the enemy.
After traveling another dozen miles or so, a change appeared ahead.
About four or five miles from the roadside, a faint mist was rising.
Based on experience, the area must be very humid.
Liu Rumei led her people over, only to discover, unexpectedly, that it was a series of deep gullies.
These gullies were very deep, tens of feet deep, and at least tens of feet wide.
Among the trees in the gullies, most of the leaves were withered and yellow, but near the roots, there were still green leaves, indicating that the temperature below was much higher.
This made Liu Rumei ecstatic. She quickly led her people down into the gully. Once at the bottom, it was indeed much warmer.
It was now midday, the sun was strong, and there was almost no wind in the gully. People felt slightly sweaty.
"Great, let's see if we can find something here..."
Before Liu Rumei could finish speaking, someone suddenly shouted, "Look, there's a stone cave."
Following the direction pointed by the person, they saw several cave openings on the stone wall not far away, one after another.
Liu Rumei quickly led her people forward. As they reached the cave entrance, she stopped.
She picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it towards one of the cave openings.
Everyone understood instantly. This was like startling a snake by beating the grass.
Throwing stones inside would naturally alert any animals if there were any in the caves.
However, after throwing stones for quite some time, the caves remained silent with no reaction. Liu Rumei then raised her long sword, moved, and landed at the entrance of the largest cave.
She then drew a torch from her back, lit it, and threw it vigorously into the cave. The torch was thrown in and went about ten to twenty feet deep.
Watching the flame disappear, the torch was gone.
Huh, what was going on?
Liu Rumei was startled. At this moment, Xiao Qing, below, shouted, "Look, the other cave opening lit up."
Following Xiao Qing's finger, Liu Rumei looked and saw that the cave opening beneath her own feet was illuminated by the fire. Liu Rumei suddenly understood that these two cave openings were connected.
"These cave openings are probably all interconnected. Everyone come and check them out."
Zheng Zhun and others also joined in. Then, each person took a cave opening to carefully examine.
Liu Rumei, navigating the complex network, found many interconnected cave openings. Some even had over a dozen openings communicating with each other. After exploring the structures, they converged into a large cave at the very bottom, resembling a vast labyrinth.
Liu Rumei secretly marveled at nature's ingenuity, creating such a wondrous design.
However, the abundance of cave openings had an advantage: there was no need to worry too much about smoke when lighting fires.
But regardless of the smoke, they dared not light fires during the day. Fortunately, the caves were quite warm.
After eating something, the group dispersed to rest. Liu Rumei leaned against the cave wall, pondering that this place was indeed suitable for concealment, and they might not be able to leave for a while.
Meanwhile, a thousand miles away.
In Qingguang City, Qiao Pussen also received a secret report from the Great Cang Kingdom.
The Black Wolf Guard, after killing several Great Cang officials, had been forced to retreat outside the city due to intense searches. They were waiting for an opportunity to re-enter the city for assassinations.
Upon seeing this news, Qiao Pussen was overjoyed. "Excellent."
"Quickly send a message to the Black Wolf Guard. Tell them not to rush. Wait until the city's vigilance relaxes before striking back. Preferably, kill Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun."
At this time, Wannian City was filled with an atmosphere of peace. The Black Wolf Guard had been inactive for several days.
Although others indulged in singing and dancing, Liu Xiangnan felt uneasy. He knew that enemies hiding in the darkness were the most terrifying.
But clearly, not everyone shared his vigilance.
Even Xiao Jingyun had relaxed his guard. In the evening, he went to the palace alone to see his father.
Seeing Xiao Jingyun arrive at this hour, Xiao An was a little worried. "Jingyun, the assassins from Great Tu might still be in the city. It's best not to come out so late in the future."
"Father, you worry too much. After our repeated searches, those people must have been scared away long ago," Xiao Jingyun said dismissively.
Then, he changed the subject, "Father, you once said on Phoenix Mountain that whoever contributed the most in resisting Great Tu, you would marry the princess to them!"
Xiao An looked at him. In his heart, he had already instructed Chen Junyu that no one should mention this matter when the Crown Prince was in council.
Why was Xiao Jingyun bringing it up himself this time?
"Jingyun, what do you mean by that?"
Xiao Jingyun bowed. "Father, I believe that Chen Xiaobei made the greatest contribution in resisting Great Tu. You should marry the princess to him."
Hearing this, Xiao An's expression darkened. "This is outrageous! Chen Xiaobei is already betrothed and has married Liu Xiangnan's daughter. How can I marry my daughter to him?"
Xiao Jingyun respectfully clasped his hands again. "Father, you cannot say that. You never said that those who were already betrothed could not marry again. Moreover, my younger sister marrying him would allow you to grant Chen Xiaobei rewards under the title of a consort. At that time, my younger sister would naturally be the principal wife, and Liu Rumei would only be a concubine." He added, "Just as you established your Empress, she was not necessarily the first person you married. She was only later elevated to Empress because she gave birth to me and Xiao Jingfeng."
Hearing Xiao Jingyun's words, Xiao An fell silent.
He had to admit that Xiao Jingyun had a point. His own Empress was indeed not the first person he had married, but only because she had given birth to Xiao Jingyun and Xiao Jingfeng was she made Empress.
Seeing his father's silence, Xiao Jingyun knew that his father's attitude had softened.
"Father, the assassins are causing chaos in the city now, and the people are in a state of panic. If we were to bestow a marriage at this time, people's attention would surely shift. Everyone would be happy with good news."
Xiao An listened and remained silent.
His heart was conflicted. He truly did not want to be a disloyal emperor, yet he found it difficult to make up his mind about marrying his daughter to Chen Xiaobei. Frankly speaking, Chen Xiaobei was still far from the ideal consort he had in mind.
"Jingyun, you should go back. Let me think about this matter further."
Xiao Jingyun knew he couldn't persuade his father in a few words.
After leaving the palace, he immediately turned and headed to the home of Prime Minister Chen Junyu.
Prime Minister Chen Junyu, upon seeing Xiao Jingyun's arrival, quickly went out to greet him.
"Your Highness, coming personally this late, is it something urgent?"
Xiao Jingyun nodded. "Yes, it's something urgent, concerning my younger sister's marriage!"
Chen Junyu invited Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun into the reception hall, where tea was served. Xiao Jingyun briefly explained the matter. Chen Junyu felt a pang of distress. He had already discussed with the Emperor that this matter should be postponed, but he hadn't expected the Crown Prince to bring it up again.