"Nonsense, who says I canât handle him?" The Old Poison Monster was not pleased. "With so many people in the palace, even if I am powerful, can I possibly handle thousands of Imperial Army soldiers?"
"Alright, alright, youâre amazing, now hurry up." Yangyang urged, waving his hand.
The Old Poison Monster was indeed formidable, and the few people in front of him were no match at all. In no time, they were knocked down.
"How do we leave?" After finishing off a few people, the old man and the young one started heading towards the city gate.
"We must leave the city quickly," said the Old Poison Monster. "We canât stay in the city for long, or once the palace knows youâve slipped out, theyâll likely lock down the gates immediately."
"Then letâs hurry."
They soon reached the city gate; the routine inspection for entering and exiting the city found nothing unusual.
The Old Poison Monster was dressed in womenâs clothing, appearing as an old lady, holding Yangyangâs hand as they went through the inspection.
The inspection crew was relatively fast, and the old and young pair with empty hands, carrying nothing, passed through directly.
It was their good fortune, just as their inspection finished and they left the city, it went into lockdown. The two exchanged a glance, full of smugness.
Without lingering, the two hurried away, taking small paths instead of the main roads, even traversing mountains and hills to evade their pursuers.
"Still havenât found them?" Prince Le of the Great Qi Palace looked at the crowd, dissatisfied.
"No!" A guard replied quickly, "My lord, the day after tomorrow is the grand enthronement ceremony. If they canât be found, perhaps itâs best to let the eldest prince take the throne; after all, he is your own child." The guard had followed Prince Le for many years but still couldnât fathom his masterâs intentions.
With a ready-made son, he stubbornly seeks someone elseâs child.
"I have my own plans," Prince Le responded, eyeing the guard. "Consider yourself lucky youâve been with me for years, or else..." For todayâs two sentences alone, he wouldâve been put to death.
The guard was shocked, "Yes, I realize my mistake!"
"Leave now."
The guard exited, and Prince Le snorted coldly, "Underestimating those two little rascals, their minds are quite quick."
Qinghua Hall, the heir of Prince Le was dancing with joy, only appearing like a child at this moment.
"My lord, congratulations on achieving your wish."
"I must thank you, Yuan Lu, for suggesting it."
"I donât dare take credit. Itâs because of your wisdom, knowing to have me inquire about Ye Haoyangâs matters, or we wouldnât know he still thought of returning home."
The heir of Prince Le suddenly laughed, "For this, I must thank my father. He said to know oneself and the adversary leads to victory in every battle."
"So it seems, the master still cares for you, otherwise, he wouldnât teach you these things."
"..." The young heir said nothing. He didnât agree with Yuan Luâs words. When in Great Zhou, his father wanted him dead; he always remembered that.
~~~~~
Liao City
The first day of the eleventh month is Liao Cityâs Ancestor Worship Festival, also known as the Clothes Burning Festival. Families with ancestral shrines prepare incense, food, paper money, and the like to worship their ancestors. Since the harsh winter is approaching, they fear their ancestors might be cold below, so they also prepare clothes to burn for them, known as Sending Cold Clothes.
The Ye Familyâs ancestors were naturally not in Liao City, but having arrived in this place, they had to adapt to local customs. Without an ancestral shrine, Ye Ziâan took his wife and children to a mountain temple outside the city.
Upon returning, they saw someone pacing outside the courtyard where they were currently staying.
(ps: The traditional Chinese Ancestor Worship Festival is on the first day of the tenth month, but the time has been altered in the text)