Zhu Ci said calmly, "Things like this, once put on paper, are far too dangerous. I fear that if they accidentally fall into someone else's hands, they might cause unnecessary trouble, so I wrote this with my left hand to ensure no one could identify me through my handwriting."
Zhu Ci said very sincerely, "You are indeed thoughtful. To be able to write to this level with one's left hand is already quite good; although it is not very neat, it already possesses a certain character within it."
Zhu Ci..
You'd better not say any more!
Zhu Ci gave a quick glance and asked, "How many people are needed?"
“I will keep the number of Jinyi Guards within eight, it would be best if they do not exceed that number either.”
Zhu Ci tucked the list into his sleeve and said, "Alright. It is getting late; you should go back and rest first. Leave the rest to me."
Zhu Ci nodded and walked toward the Small Flower Hall together with Zhu Ci.
Before they parted, Zhu Ci looked at Zhu Ci and asked, "Has the carrier pigeon been released?"
Zhu Ci nodded silently, feeling extremely anxious at this moment, not knowing exactly what Zhu Ci had written.
Zhu Ci smiled slightly after hearing this, patted his shoulder, said, "If we calculate it, he will receive it by tomorrow night at the latest. Let him have one last good sleep today. Alright, I'm going to sleep, you should rest early too."
Zhu Ci watched his retreating figure, his mouth opening slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.
He could feel that Zhu Ci was hiding secrets, but after thinking it over, he decided to act as if he knew nothing at all.
The next day, as the mission set out, Alna, who was traveling toward Tongguan alongside Dodo's great army, received a carrier pigeon.
“So fast?" Alna's expression held a hint of self-satisfaction; he assumed that Zhu Ci had already been won over by him and had completely sided with him.
It was a pity this man could not be kept; otherwise, it would have been quite nice to keep him by his side for amusement in the future.
Alna opened the letter with a smile on his face, but in an instant, the smile froze.
A paragraph was written in Chinese on that letter: "A shameless scoundrel reborn into this life, do you truly believe you can reach the heavens and pierce the earth? In your previous life, you were nothing more than a Manchu slave; even if you caught a glimpse of the heavenly secrets, what benefit was there? A modest gift has been prepared; I await you in Yangzhou. I expect you are nearing Tongguan. When spring arrives next year, we shall meet again."
Alna's back instantly broke into a cold sweat. He stared fixedly at the words, his heart filled with both shock and suspicion.
At this moment, his mind was in total chaos: Did Zhu Ci know about his situation? No, it was impossible. If Zhu Ci truly knew, he wouldn't have allowed the Ming state to fall to this point.
Who could that be? Does he really know his origins? Is he bluffing?
No, it's impossible for anyone to know his situation; he must be a charlatan.
It's just that.. how could a charlatan ever appear by Zhu Ci's side?
Moreover, the other party had accurately pointed out the timing; according to the imperial court's plans, they were indeed preparing for a southward advance next year.
In fact, the original plan was to have the Prince of Yu, Dodo, lead the troops southward, but he had been unexpectedly ordered to advance westward through Henan to strike directly at Tongguan.
Because it was a secret march, very few people knew about this matter, let alone those in the south.
Or perhaps, this person is actually in the Imperial Court? Then how did he manage to get Zhu Ci's carrier pigeon? Could it be that Zhu Ci has not arrived in the south?
Something was still wrong. He had sent men to follow Zhu Ci, they had sent back certain news: Zhu Ci had already been settled in Hangzhou.
Who is it? Just who is it?
Alna paced restlessly back and forth inside the camp tent.
Rebirth was his greatest secret and his greatest advantage. If it were discovered and his plans were disrupted.. or even if it were leaked, he feared he would die without a place to be buried!
Just as Zhu Ci thought, Alna indeed had a restless night, nearly causing him to miss the next day's march.
And because he could not confirm the identity of the person who had written the letter, Alna did not dare to reply for a moment.
..
“He didn't reply?” Zhu Ci asked, flicking the blood off his blade.
Zhu Ci was shocked by his nonchalant manner.
Whenever he thought he understood his cousin to some extent, the other would always give him a few surprises.
For example, right now.. Zhu Ci did not look like a martial artist, yet his every move and posture was incredibly disciplined.
Zhu Ci gave him a puzzled look: "What? Scared senseless?"
It shouldn't be, right? After all, he is someone who has experienced the destruction of his country and the loss of his home; surely he wouldn't be someone who has never seen blood?
Zhu Ci snapped back to his senses: "No."
Hmm, he probably won't dare to contact you in the short term. If he does.. it's up to you whether you respond or not.
After Zhu Ci finished speaking, he glanced at the corpse on the ground and said, "Clean this place up."
After setting off from Hangzhou today, they immediately split from the main force. Along the way, he and Zhu Ci deliberately slowed their pace, forcing them to camp out in the wilderness.
The campsite was also chosen in a location relatively close to a stream.
Sigh, this is the one good thing about the South; there are so many water sources that if you throw a corpse into the water, no one will ever notice.
Zhu Ci looked at his own face, which remained calm even amidst the flickering firelight, suddenly felt a sense of peace in his heart, a feeling as if his father were still alive.
When his father was still alive, there was always someone to shield him from the wind and rain. Since his father's passing, this was the first time he had felt that sense of security in another person.
It was as if, with this person present, there was nothing to fear.
Zhu Ci noticed his gaze and turned his head, saying, "That's enough. Although this place is a bit dirty, it's not easy to find another place in the middle of the night, so let's just make do for one night and set off early tomorrow."
Zhu Ci naturally didn't care; he was no longer that pampered Crown Prince.
What surprised him was that Zhu Ci was also unaffected.
But then again, Zhu Ci had also taken action during that "battle" just now, he had been quite ruthless.
Early the next morning, after finishing breakfast, Zhu Ci stood up and said, "It's getting late. You all should set off; it is time for me to leave as well."
Zhu Ci was slightly taken aback. "You? You alone?"
Zhu Ci nodded. "Exactly."
No," Zhu Ci said immediately. "The road is too dangerous.
Zhu Ci smiled. "What danger is there?"
Zhu Ci shook his head and said seriously, "You haven't traveled alone before, so you don't know. The world is very unstable these days; there really are bandits, even if there aren't, others might plot against you. Human hearts are treacherous, since you are young and alone, you will be targeted."
Zhu Ci weighed the knife in his hand and said, "If we truly encounter bandits, it's anyone's game."
Zhu Ci thought of the ruthless efficiency with which he had just swung his blade, leaving him momentarily speechless, but he insisted, "No, you must take at least two people with you, otherwise I won't be at ease."
Sigh, my foolish cousin, by insisting on having people follow me, you are merely pushing them into the tiger's mouth.
Zhu Ci intended to flee and could not allow anyone to know his whereabouts; if someone followed him, he would have to deal with those two first.
However, Zhu Ci meant well. Zhu Ci helplessly pulled him aside and said, "Most of those left are members of the Donglin Party. What if they kill me on the road?"
Zhu Ci fell silent for a moment. This matter was indeed difficult to handle. After thinking for a bit, he said, "Then let Akuan and Ahong go with you."
Akuan and Ahong were the two eunuchs who had recognized Zhu Ci, their previous performance had been incredibly brave and their skills extraordinary.
Zhu Ci thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright then."
Zhu Ci gripped his wrist and said, "Wait a moment, I need to give them a few instructions."
In truth, there wasn't much to instruct, only a reminder that they must protect Zhu Ci, but also that they must not treat him like a prisoner.
Zhu Ci emphasized repeatedly that he was his right-hand man and would be heavily relied upon in the future; he must not be allowed to come to any harm, nor should anyone do anything unnecessary.
Fortunately, those two understood that the person was protecting their Crown Prince; although they were reluctant to part with their own Crown Prince, they still listened obediently.
After the assignments were made, Zhu Ci held his hand and said with lingering reluctance, "See you in the Capital."
Zhu Ci patted his hand. "Be careful on the road."
Zhu Ci walked away, looking back three times, clearly reluctant to leave. Even though he had traveled all this way as a refugee, it had been out of necessity. Having had Zhu Ci around these past few days had truly made him feel relieved, but now, for the road ahead, he would be all alone once more.
However, things were much better now than before; at least he had about a dozen people escorting him away.
Zhu Ci waved to him, after Zhu Ci was persuaded back into the carriage, he also turned his head and said, "Let's go, let's try to reach Jiaxing today."
He and Zhu Ci were traveling in opposite directions. Zhu Ci would take a route through Yuhang, Lin'an, Yuqian, Changhua, bypassing Huzhou Prefecture to head directly toward Nanjing.
As for Zhu Ci, he stated that he would travel via Jiaxing Prefecture to Suzhou Prefecture, also bypassing Huzhou Prefecture to head toward Nanjing.
Akuan and Ahong naturally had no objections; one of them drove the carriage while the other rode on horseback to guard him.
Zhu Ci sat inside the ordinary carriage, sighing that it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality.
In the past, he always traveled with the Crown Prince's ceremonial procession; setting aside everything else, his conditions were truly excellent, but now he naturally traveled in an ordinary carriage.
Of course, it wasn't exactly ordinary either; with the constant traffic on the official roads, his carriage could already be considered quite luxurious.
Even so, he still found the jolting a bit uncomfortable, the carriage was so small that he could only sit, unable to even stretch his legs.
Zhu Ci looked out through the carriage window at Ahong riding a horse, feeling a momentary sense of envy.
He might as well have let him ride a horse.
Fortunately, the distance from where they departed in Chang'an Town to Jiaxing was only about a hundred li. Perhaps because of the prosperous trade in this area, the official roads were well-maintained, they arrived in Jiaxing at the second quarter of the Wei hour.
After entering the city, Zhu Ci had the two of them find any inn that looked decent to stay at.
Ahong hesitated slightly: "Your.. Young Master, why don't we just go to the official guesthouse?"
“It's easy to be found at the relay station, what identity would you use to enter one?” Zhu Ci glanced at him.
The Hangzhou Prefect had given them fake identities as scholars; they held a certain status among the commoners, but it was not eye-catching.
However, even a scholar has no official status, even someone with official status would need a permit to stay at an official inn—essentially, proof of official business.
Only those on official business are permitted to stay in official inns; since he is neither an official nor in possession of an official permit, he might be beaten out if he tries to lodge there.
Ahong and Akuan were stunned for a moment before finally realizing. They had grown so accustomed to staying in official post-houses during their journey, believing them to be much safer, that they had completely forgotten about this matter.
The three of them found the largest private inn in the city to stay at and requested two rooms immediately.
After putting down the luggage, Zhu Ci looked at Akuan and Ahong and said, "I'm going out for a stroll. You two must be tired from the journey, so go rest first. If you get hungry, just have the shopkeeper send up some food; don't be hard on yourselves, just charge it to my account."
Akuan and Ahong immediately stood up and said, "No.. we shall accompany you, Young Master."
Zhu Ci waved his hand. "Don't follow me. What danger could there be in this city? I haven't even explored it by myself yet. If you two want to wander around, go do it on your own; don't follow me."
He left immediately after he finished speaking. Akuan and Ahong exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, then decided to stay.
Along the way, it hadn't been easy for them, with one riding a horse and the other driving the carriage; at this moment, they truly lacked the energy to go strolling through the streets.
After Zhu Ci came out, he appeared to be walking and strolling casually, but in reality, he was carefully observing the plaques around the streets. Upon seeing a pharmacy, he walked inside and asked, "Waiter, do you have Mandrake petals here?"