Before dawn broke, the city of Luoyang, shrouded in darkness, began to stir.
Lu Ke had not dared to close his eyes all night, constantly alert to the sounds outside. Reason told him that the Chancellor should not care so much about Nan Rao, but the facts proved that things were not as simple as he had imagined.
The patrol captain was searching for someone.
The more you fear something, the more it comes.
Nan Rao had assumed the other party did not care about her departure, but the reality was exactly the opposite of what she had thought, leaving her completely baffled.
She thought for a moment, then said seriously, "If they truly are coming for me, I will leave right now."
Otherwise, Lu Ke would be implicated.
Lu Ke shook his head and murmured, "I'm afraid it's too late. Even if you hadn't come to me tonight, I probably wouldn't have escaped this calamity."
Chancellor Pei knew their relationship was far from ordinary.
If this was aimed at Nan Rao, no matter where she was, Lu Ke's place could not be avoided.
Unless she went nowhere at all.
But given the current situation, even Lu Ke, who had been cautious before, had sensed the strangeness of the Chancellor's attitude toward Nan Rao.
Lu Ke drew in a cold breath. He had been an official for several years, yet at this moment he was less composed than Nan Rao. But on second thought, he and Duan Xun had been classmates in their youth with deep friendship. When the Duan family was framed, he had hidden his head like a turtle—that had already violated righteousness. And later, when Nan Rao was forced to fake her death and enter the Chancellor's residence, he bore some responsibility as well.
All these years in Luoyang, he had kept his head down and endured much humiliation. Why not stand tall for once?
He steeled his resolve, gritted his teeth, and said, "Sister-in-law, rather than waiting for them to search my place, it's better if I take the initiative. As soon as dawn breaks, I'll drive the carriage out of the city alone to draw their attention."
Nan Rao had not expected him to say this. She was momentarily stunned. "Mr. Lu…"
Lu Ke wanted to comfort her, but his heart was trembling with fear. He forced a smile uglier than a cry. "You… don't worry about me. I'll drive an empty carriage out of the city. They have no evidence—what can they do to me?"
Nan Rao fell silent.
She had no intention of involving others, but it seemed that some invisible force was always gripping her tightly, making it hard to breathe. As if the moment she resisted, the shackles around her would suddenly tighten, grinding her down until she had no strength left.
She had already expressed her thanks, and there was no time for polite refusals now. Nan Rao steadied herself and looked up. "Does Mr. Lu have a map of Luoyang?"
Lu Ke nodded and quickly fetched one.
Luoyang city had many main thoroughfares running north-south and east-west. The city was longer north to south and shorter east to west, with twelve city gates in total. Kaiyang Gate, Shangdong Gate, and Pingcheng Gate were all major thoroughfares. Among them, Shangdong Gate was near the Northern Palace, where most noble and ministerial residences were located. As for the Three Excellencies' mansions, they were close to the Luo River, near Pingcheng Gate and Kaiyang Gate.
Nan Rao could memorize routes almost instantly. After quickly listening to Lu Ke's introduction, she had a rough plan in mind.
When the sky was just beginning to lighten and the city gates had just opened, Lu Ke drove the carriage out through the Gu Gate, heading toward Mang Mountain.
The sky was faintly brightening. The thin moonlight of the cold night fell upon armor, reflecting a killing chill like the edge of a blade.
Searching soldiers moved silently through the city's streets and alleys. All patrol captains had received orders to secretly search for suspicious persons—anyone walking within the city would be strictly checked. As for the northernmost Gu Gate of Luoyang, Di Yue had been waiting there since the gates opened, lying in ambush.
Sure enough, before long, Lu Ke, wearing a bamboo hat, drove a carriage swiftly toward the city outskirts.
"Stop the carriage!"
Di Yue saw the carriage approaching from afar and raised his hand, ordering his men to block the way with halberds.
Seeing this, Lu Ke gritted his teeth and fiercely cracked his whip, clearly intending to force his way through. He knocked aside the two soldiers guarding the gate and charged straight out with a roar.
Di Yue's expression turned cold at the sight. He mounted his horse and gave chase, shouting angrily, "I told you to stop!"
Lu Ke was a frail scholar—how could he resist a military officer from the Imperial Guard? Di Yue caught up in no time and showed no mercy. He extended his spear and hooked it with brutal force, sending Lu Ke tumbling heavily to the ground. Then he leaped onto the carriage, yanked hard on the reins with his left hand, and forced the horses to a halt.
"Cough, cough…" Lu Ke had taken a hard fall. Clutching his chest and coughing, he was held at knifepoint.
Di Yue glanced at him expressionlessly and waved his hand, signaling for the men to tie him up.
He turned, raised his hand to lift the carriage curtain, and his eyes darkened.
The carriage was completely empty.
Pei Ling stood with his hands clasped behind his back by the banks of the Luo River.
The biting wind cut like a knife against his face. Days of heavy snow had caused a thin layer of ice to form over the Luo River—calm, windless, almost deathly still.
Soon, the sound of hoofbeats came rapidly. Di Yue dismounted and roughly hurled the bound man from his horse to the ground, then stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Just as the Chancellor predicted. The gong—" He almost let the word slip and quickly corrected himself. "Nan Rao went to see this Lu Ke."
This man surnamed Lu was indeed bold, daring to risk helping her.
Pei Ling had expected this all along. Going out through the Gu Gate toward Mang Mountain was the most foolish route—it could only be a deliberate distraction. Nan Rao would not be in the carriage.
She would take another route.
The most dangerous place is the safest place.
—The south.
So he waited by the southern gate, lying in ambush.
Pei Ling turned around unhurriedly, his icy gaze landing on Lu Ke's face, which was pale with pain.
"She came to see you last night?"
Lu Ke felt as if every bone in his body was about to fall apart. He endured the pain and nodded.
"How did the two of you plan this?"
Under the direct interrogation, sweat beaded on Lu Ke's forehead. He gritted his teeth and said, "What plan is there… I only helped her leave the city to draw you away, so you wouldn't find her so quickly. I didn't ask about the rest."
Pei Ling's expression was cold and stern, clearly not believing Lu Ke's words.
He only wanted to find her quickly now, to ensure she was safe and sound.
Just then, he heard Lu Ke mutter under his breath, "As for you lot—why are you chasing a weak woman all over the city? I'd advise you not to waste your efforts. It's probably too late by now…"
At these words, Pei Ling's eyes snapped up. He strode quickly to Lu Ke's side and demanded coldly, "What do you mean?"
Lu Ke clamped his mouth shut, refusing to speak. Only when he saw Di Yue impatiently draw his sword did he speak up, trembling with fear: "What else could it mean! My brother Xun died on the battlefield, and his wife has been thinking of him day and night. Now that the Duan family case has been cleared, even her last attachment is gone. Yesterday she came to my residence in tears to bid me farewell. I tried my best to persuade her, but her heart was like dead ashes—she wanted nothing but release. At this hour, it's likely already too late."
The moment he finished speaking, he saw the man before him change expression drastically, his gaze turning sharply cold.
Even Di Yue was so startled he nearly dropped his sword hilt, unable to resist turning his head to look at the Chancellor.
Wanting nothing but release.
These were the words Nan Rao had taught Lu Ke to say.
Before parting, Nan Rao had said to Lu Ke: "If the Chancellor truly comes after me, there can only be two possibilities. Either the Duan family case is concluded, but I am still a party involved. If I fall into the hands of someone with ulterior motives and my identity is exposed, I would become his leverage—exposing how he manipulated the case and deceived the Emperor. That's why he's so anxious. If that's the case, when he learns I am determined to die, perhaps he will let it go."
Nan Rao's reasoning was remarkably clear-headed. Lu Ke listened in astonishment and pressed further: "And the second possibility?"
"…He has other intentions toward me." Nan Rao's hand clutching her skirt tightened slightly. She didn't want to speculate in that direction, but these past days, Pei Ling's care for her did not feel like that of a superior bestowing favor.
Every time she met his gaze, she felt something she couldn't put into words.
It was as if beneath his gentleness lurked something surging and terrifying.
She lowered her lashes and said, "If that's the case, when he hears you say this, he will only be more eager to find me. Unfortunately, he is not the only one in this city of Luoyang—there is the Emperor, the hundred officials, and many nobles and aristocrats. Countless eyes are watching."
With so many eyes watching, one misstep would draw the attention of others.
Would he be restrained by that?
Nan Rao didn't know.
She was only an ordinary person.
Unless Chancellor Pei's power had grown so vast that he could overturn all of Luoyang for a minor figure in full view of everyone, and no one would dare say a word.
Now, Lu Ke relayed the message exactly as Nan Rao had instructed, and he clearly saw that the Chancellor Pei, who was always inscrutable in his moods, had for the first time revealed such an icy, intimidating expression.
Pei Ling did not believe she would take her own life.
But recalling the mournful words in her letter, upon careful reflection, they did seem to carry a note of finality.
Could she be… thinking of doing something rash?
Granted, from what he knew of her, though she was gentle, she had a resilient spirit—she was certainly not one to treat her own life lightly.
But what if?
She had lost her memories. Those five years spent adrift outside—could they have already worn away her sharpness and pride?
What if what happened back then repeated itself…
Pei Ling stood motionless, the bones of his fingers beneath his sleeves already clenched white and pale.
He suddenly swept his sleeve and turned, speaking coldly: "Boyu, deliver my orders. Seal the city gates immediately. Mobilize the Zhijinwu and the Yulin Army. Finding her takes precedence over everything—even if we have to turn Luoyang upside down, dig her out."
Yan Zhan bowed and said, "This official obeys."
Nan Rao had originally planned to flee south out of the city.
But she changed her mind at the last moment.
By the simplest logic, if Lu Ke went out the north gate to draw attention, she should seize the opportunity to flee south. There were fishing boats and cargo vessels on the Luo River—she could take the water route, which was concealed and convenient. Besides, no one would expect her to be bold enough to linger near the Chancellor's residence.
But Nan Rao thought Pei Ling was not that foolish.
Last time, her little trick was easily seen through by him. Would he really fail to guess such a simple diversionary tactic?
This man was deeply calculating—he could not be judged by ordinary reasoning.
Nan Rao remained cautious and did not immediately run south.
She changed into dark hemp clothing and deliberately stuffed extra cotton inside her garments to make her waist appear thicker and her figure broader than usual. She wore a hooded veil on her head, with an additional layer of gauze beneath it.
On Kaiyang Gate Avenue, carriages and pedestrians flowed endlessly. Nan Rao clutched the dagger Lu Ke had given her against her chest, keeping her head down as she hugged the edges of the street. She could clearly see that the number of mounted soldiers patrolling the area had increased significantly.
Clad in crimson-yellow uniforms, long blades at their waists, their horses' hooves thundering against the ground.
This attire marked them as the Tiqi under the command of the Zhijinwu.
Nan Rao's heart pounded with terror.
Even though she had mentally prepared herself in advance, she was utterly bewildered at this moment. The more she thought about it, the less she could understand—was such a massive show of force truly meant for her?
What exactly did they intend to do?
If it had been early this morning, Nan Rao might still have hesitated about whether to simply give in. Pei Ling was, after all, her benefactor in some sense—why should she make things so ugly between them?
But the current situation was nothing like what she had imagined, and it only made her feel that things were far from simple.
—She absolutely could not let Pei Ling catch her.
Though she didn't know why, this conviction only grew stronger in Nan Rao's heart.
Seeing that the soldiers were patrolling toward the south, she gritted her teeth and changed course, running in the other direction.
Shangdong Gate.
Lu Ke had said that the residences of high-ranking court officials were mostly located near Shangdong Gate—figures such as the Imperial Censor-in-Chief, the Commandant of Justice, and the Grand Herald. Today happened to be the birthday of the mother of the newly enfeoffed Marquis of Boyang, who was hosting a banquet for guests. No doubt many court officials would be coming and going near Shangdong Gate.
In the current court, aside from Pei Ling's overwhelming power, there was also Grand Tutor Yang Jin and Grand Commandant Deng Si of the Grand Empress Dowager's maternal clan. Beyond them, powerful families like the Cui clan of Boling and the Zheng clan of Xingyang each held their own influence. If Pei Ling were to flagrantly disregard propriety, it would do him no good.
Nan Rao ran forward in frantic haste, not even noticing that her silk skirt had become stained with mud.
But she had underestimated their determination to find her.
Nearly every commoner along the road was being questioned one by one. Nan Rao's veiled hat made her far too conspicuous, so she quickly tore it off, smeared some dirt on her face, and squeezed into the densest crowds, trying her best to blend in.
But some soldiers still spotted her with sharp eyes and began walking in her direction.
Nan Rao's entire body went rigid.
She lowered her head, her heart plummeting straight down.
It's over.
She was going to be caught.
She clutched the dagger in her sleeve with deathly force, her palms slick with sweat, her mind racing at lightning speed. In the final instant before the soldier drew near, she whirled around and bolted. Caught off guard, he grabbed at empty air, instantly realizing something was wrong with her. He barked sharply, "Stop!"
Nan Rao had no intention of stopping.
She gathered her skirts and ran as fast as she could, weaving left and right against the flow of the crowd, utterly refusing to slow down.
Every hair on her body stood on end, all her blood surging to her heart in an instant, leaving her limbs ice-cold.
She had never run this fast before.
She was giving it everything she had.
But Nan Rao had been frail over the years, having scarcely ever exercised.
Before she had run much longer, her chest felt stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't catch her breath.
Her vision swam before her eyes, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
She gritted her teeth and pushed through.
Can't stop.
"Stop right there!" The pursuer behind her still tried to shout her down.
Nan Rao rapidly recited the map of Luoyang in her mind, darting into several narrow alleyways in quick succession, trying to shake them off.
But then—
The sound of hooves soon came from behind.
She could never outrun a horse.
What to do?
Her body, pushed past its limits by the running, left Nan Rao barely able to breathe. As she emerged from the alley mouth, she clutched her chest and coughed painfully, despair flooding her heart.
She couldn't run anymore.
If she truly couldn't resist, then all that remained was to surrender and let them do with her as they pleased.
Nan Rao stood swaying at the mouth of the alley. Just then, she heard shouts from not far away. The broad avenue before her was thick with flowing crowds, but a group of soldiers pushed through the masses, advancing in orderly formation toward her.
"Her Highness Princess Rongchang is on procession! All commoners, stand aside!"
The road was being cleared ahead, commoners retreating to both sides.
Nan Rao looked up, her gaze piercing through the layers of the crowd, and saw a magnificent carriage—drawn by five horses, with bronze bells hanging from all four corners—approaching.
Before and behind the carriage, an entourage of guards and ceremonial attendants stretched in grand procession.
An imposing display, no doubt.
Princess Rongchang.
Five years had passed since the new emperor ascended the throne, and few officials were remembered by name among the people. But the city's commoners seemed quite familiar with this princess's title.
Nan Rao overheard a few commoners nearby muttering:
"Why is it Princess Rongchang again? She makes such a grand show every time she goes out."
"Shh… keep your voice down. Everyone knows Princess Rongchang is the emperor's own sister—she's always been used to extravagance."
"Even Princess Huayang, who was more favored than this Princess Rongchang, never made such a spectacle every single time…"
"I hear Princess Rongchang modeled her display after the late Princess Huayang. This princess is obsessed with appearances. They say that after Princess Huayang passed, she took all her former personal maids for herself, and even copied Princess Huayang's manner of dress and daily habits, refusing to fall short in the slightest."
Princess Huayang.
Xiao Lingzhang.
That name—Nan Rao had heard it many times from Di Yue's lips.
She was Pei Ling's late wife.
And yet, Nan Rao still didn't know what Princess Huayang had been like in life. She only knew that the princess had been of noble birth with a powerful maternal clan, yet had died young in an accident.
And this Princess Rongchang before her, being the emperor's own younger sister, conducted herself with extravagant ostentation and appeared quite formidable to provoke.
A rash and daring idea suddenly took root in Nan Rao's mind.
As Princess Rongchang's carriage drew near, the common folk along the road all bowed and kowtowed under the shouts of the guards, not daring to lift their heads.
In the end, only Nan Rao remained standing there, straight and tall.
Her slender yet upright figure was especially conspicuous.
At the same time, the pursuers behind her were about to catch up.
When the attendant before her saw that she refused to kneel and moved to grab her, Nan Rao abruptly sidestepped his hand and dashed straight toward the direction of the princess's procession.