Bait

Don't ask why you have such a bitter face.

"Master, you don't know, Chunhua can eat so much, my brother and I can't compete with her for food."

These are all the ones I managed to snatch after risking my life.

The snacks I received these past two days were not just the ones in the food box; the Madam's snacks were so delicious that Mo Wen couldn't resist eating quite a few.

Seeing the dangerous look in his master's eyes, Mo Wen's skin tightened and he immediately shifted the blame to Chunhua, knowing that his master would never go and ask Chunhua.

He kept a serious face, trying to convince his master of what he was saying.

"You'd better do that, or you know what will happen to you."

"Don't worry, Master, I wouldn't dare."

Xiao Ce left carrying a food box full of snacks.

Seeing the person climb over the wall and leave, Mo Wen patted his chest, relieved that he had managed to get away with it.

Back at the courtyard gate, I ran into Chunhua. I had just made someone take the blame, so I felt a little guilty seeing Mo Wen.

"Did you do something to betray me?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly do anything to betray you?"

"What kind of look was that just now?"

"My eyes are acting up, that won't do."

Mo Wen turned and left immediately after speaking, afraid that Chunhua would ask a few more questions and expose his secret.

The next day, Ji Yueru got up early, had breakfast with An'an, and then left the mansion.

Last night, Xiao Ce told her that he had booked a private room for them at a restaurant near Caishikou, and today she just needed to bring her people there directly.

The carriages of the Marquis of Anshun had eye-catching signs, and the common people naturally made way for them along the way, for fear of offending the nobleman.

As soon as the master and servants alighted from the carriage at the entrance of the restaurant, the restaurant manager personally came out to greet them.

"Madam Hou, please."

"Um."

Ji Yueru responded softly and, led by the innkeeper, went up to a private room on the second floor facing the street.

The market was some distance from the Marquis's residence, and the group had eaten breakfast at the residence, so they naturally slowed down on the way, afraid that the people from Medicine King Valley wouldn't notice them.

We were delayed on the way, and by the time we arrived at the restaurant, it was almost noon.

Upon seeing the usual lunchtime, Zhiyi followed the innkeeper downstairs and ordered a table of food. The waiter brought it up in no time.

Ji Yueru sat with An'an in her arms in front of the wide-open window facing the street, while Mo Wen and Mo Da stood on either side like two door gods.

Many prisoners have been beheaded at Caishikou, but today it has a different meaning for the people of Beijing.

Other prisoners are common, but those who have the guts to assassinate the Empress Dowager and the Crown Prince are truly rare, so there are quite a few people who came to witness the execution today.

An'an was being held in her mother's arms and was playing with bubbles out of boredom.

"Madam, the dishes are ready."

The mother and daughter moved to the table to eat. Chunhua held An'an in her arms, and Ji Yue put some of the baby food that the restaurant had made for An'an in a small bowl in front of An'an.

"Eat."

An'an gripped the spoon handle precisely and scooped out a spoonful to feed him.

Seeing that An'an had started eating, Ji Yueru began to eat her own food.

An'an is small and naturally has a small appetite. She finished half a bowl of baby food in no time, while Ji Yueru only ate one bowl before putting down her chopsticks.

Since she stopped breastfeeding, her appetite has decreased rapidly, and she has now returned to her pre-pregnancy appetite.

The remaining items were naturally not to be wasted. Ji Yueru carried An'an back to the window, not forgetting the purpose of her trip today.

Several maids sat around the table and finished off the remaining food. With Chunhua there, there was no need to worry about not being able to finish it.

As for Mo Wen and Mo Da, they could only endure it for now. The two of them already knew what their purpose was in coming out today, and they couldn't relax their guard even a little, lest they give the people from Medicine King Valley an opportunity to take advantage of them.

They were sitting high up, and from a distance they could see two prison vans moving towards Caishikou.

As they got closer, An'an clicked her tongue twice.

[Prince Shun is truly ruthless. Even though these two are wearing clothes and their faces don't seem to have any injuries, their bodies are probably mangled beyond recognition.]

Ji Yueru originally thought that the emperor was being too kind to the two of them, but after hearing An'an's words, she realized the trickery involved.

[Mother, did you notice? They seem to have been drugged; their eyes look completely vacant.]

If An'an hadn't told her, Ji Yueru really wouldn't have noticed.

After glancing at the two people imprisoned in the cage, Ji Yueru turned her gaze to the surrounding crowd, wondering where the Medicine King Gugu Master and his people were hiding.

"Mother, don't look anymore, they're not even inside."

I reckon the spies outside the palace have already told the people of Medicine King Valley about my abilities. With me standing here, they definitely won't appear in my sight.

After being reminded by An'an, Ji Yueru stopped searching among the onlookers and instead looked at the execution platform.

Today's executioner is Prince Shun, dressed in a princely court robe embroidered with fine gold. His white hair and aloof face immediately attracted the attention of many.

Since Xiao Ce returned from Dajue Temple, he has used the pretext of practicing Buddhism with his hair intact at Dajue Temple to have his subordinates do a lot of good deeds around the capital.

They did a lot of work, including distributing porridge, building bridges and roads, and it wasn't all for nothing after a few months.

In the past, when people mentioned Prince Shun, they remembered his reputation for harming the royal family. But now, many people only have three words to say about Prince Shun.

He's a good person.

The turnaround in his reputation also made the people of the capital less afraid of him than they had been at the beginning.

Beside an inn behind the restaurant where the mother and daughter were, an old man dressed as a wealthy man watched the two being dragged to the execution ground, his gaze fixed on Luo Feifei.

As a doctor, he naturally knew the extent of his daughter's suffering.

Ji Yueru, Xiao Ce, and Lin Youan.

Very good, he's taken note.

Xiao Ce made many preparations for today. He had already mobilized his men to the capital from the very beginning, and the entire area within a five-mile radius of Caishikou was strictly controlled by his men.

Sitting on the execution platform, Xiao Ce was not idle either. His sharp eyes searched through the crowd of people, but unfortunately, he did not see the person he was waiting for.

Seeing that the time was approaching, Xiao Ce did not hesitate and took out the token from the lottery box and threw it on the ground.

"cut!"

The moment the executioner's blade fell, Luo Yan's breathing became erratic.

Not far from him, Zhou Heng was squatting on a rooftop. He immediately noticed the commotion and rushed towards Luo Yan with his sword drawn.

Today, the emperor has summoned everyone in the palace who could be mobilized to the area around Caishikou.

Upon hearing the sound of something cutting through the air, Luo Yan turned around and disappeared into the alley without any hesitation.

Zhou Heng drew his sword and chased after them into the alley, but found nothing. Behind him were a dozen or so Thousand-Clad Guards who had come from the surrounding area to provide support after seeing the commotion.

"try to find."

At Zhou Heng's command, the Thousand-Clad Guards scattered, and soon one of them discovered a secret passage entrance under a broken basket in a corner of the alley.

"Boss, we've found something."

The secret passage opened, and Zhou Heng entered without saying a word.

Two guards followed behind, while the rest of the men either guarded the entrance or searched the surrounding area.