The city of Qin Zhou was now firmly under the control of the Great Yue Dynasty. The murder of its esteemed Prefect was no minor affair.
However, for some inexplicable reason, Song Chaoyu felt a sense of unease.
Mu Changxi signaled for their group to halt. He then led them to a secluded corner and whispered, "Something is amiss. This happened last night, yet we heard no news of Prefect Fang's death along our journey here."
Song Chaoyu suddenly understood, slapping her forehead. "So, this entire city of Qin Zhou must be under someone's control, preventing any news from spreading. It seems we've stumbled into a major upheaval in Qin Zhou!"
Song Zhao Yi couldn't tell if this was their "luck" or some arrangement by fate.
Or perhaps... their movements had been leaked, and someone was playing a much larger game.
Regardless of the situation, Song Chaoyu felt they needed to stay alert and not let their guard down.
Thus, she asked Mu Changxi, "What are your thoughts now?"
Mu Changxi frowned and called Tang Ming over. "Is there any way for us to enter Qin Zhou City? I need to know the situation within."
If anyone else had asked, Tang Ming would not have dared to claim he had a solution.
But he knew of Mu Changxi's group's identities and feared that the chaos in Qin Zhou might spread throughout the entire prefecture.
For an ordinary citizen of Qin Zhou like Tang Ming, the last thing he wished for was for Qin Zhou to be plunged into turmoil once again.
After a moment of thought, Tang Ming nodded at Mu Changxi. "There is indeed a way. But I need to find someone and will need half a day. I can't guarantee it, but I'll try my best."
Song Chaoyu was surprised by Tang Ming's swift agreement.
She watched in astonishment as Tang Ming sprinted towards Qin Zhou City. Mu Changxi explained in her ear, "They are from Qin Zhou, and they're hunters. They surely have their own methods. Forget Qin Zhou City; even some seemingly insignificant individuals in the capital sometimes have more solutions than we do!"
Song Chaoyu had to agree with this point.
Fortunately, Tang Ming did not keep them waiting for too long.
By late afternoon, Tang Ming returned in a hurry.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as he jogged towards them. "We need to go around to the less crowded north gate. Then, at midnight, someone will meet us!"
He glanced at Cong Fei. "However... they can't bring them along. There are too many people, and it's truly uncontrollable. Moreover, the situation in the city is not optimistic, and we must be cautious."
Tang Ming explained that he had once rescued someone on the mountain, who was now the captain of the Qin Zhou City guards, named "Qi Da Zhu."
This Qi Da Zhu was stationed at the north gate of Qin Zhou City and had reported that the situation within the city was dire.
Originally, according to the Great Yue Dynasty's regulations, a prefecture city required two systems: civil and military. These two systems were complementary but independent.
The civil authority naturally fell under the Prefect's office, managed by the Ministry of Personnel.
The military authority was headed by a Garrison General with ten thousand guards, under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of War.
The Prefect's office had no power to interfere with the daily operations of the garrison, and the garrison could not meddle in the affairs of the Prefect's office. Each served their own functions and supervised each other, a tradition that had continued since the founding of the Great Yue Dynasty.
The problem in Qin Zhou City this time stemmed from this very system.
After the imperial court recaptured Qin Zhou, they appointed a Prefect, the current Prefect Fang.
However, to demonstrate trust in the people of Qin Zhou, the court did not appoint someone from the Great Yue Dynasty as the Garrison General.
Instead, they chose a general who had surrendered to the Great Yue Dynasty back then, named "Huo Lang."
Subsequently, the garrison of Qin Zhou City was composed of descendants of the Huo family army.
Huo Lang had been injured on the battlefield and had no children. However, he had adopted several orphaned children as his godchildren.
The current commander of the Huo family army was a descendant of his godson, named "Huo Wu Chang."
Tang Ming conveyed that Qi Da Zhu had told him that it was likely Huo Wu Chang's men who had killed Prefect Fang.
Furthermore, Huo Wu Chang's army now controlled the entire vast city of Qin Zhou.
Although their intentions were unclear, the curfew in Qin Zhou was now exceptionally strict.
It was feared that within these two to three days, no one other than Huo Wu Chang's men would be able to enter or leave Qin Zhou City.
In light of this, Tang Ming repeatedly confirmed with Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu, "Are you sure you really want to enter Qin Zhou City? It's the territory of the Huo family army, and it might not be very safe."
Mu Changxi asked Tang Ming, "So, we just happened to be caught in this incident, and they don't know that someone is coming from the capital?"
Tang Ming was certain about this. "They likely don't know. It appears the Huo family army wants to control the entire Qin Zhou City for some unknown purpose. In any case, Qin Zhou City is currently unstable. The Huo family army is stockpiling weapons and training soldiers. We don't know what the situation will be like once we enter."
Even so, they had no other option.
Even if the Huo family army intended to rebel, they had to enter and investigate.
This was not only for the Noble Consort, for Cong Fei, but also for the stability of the entire Great Yue Dynasty.
Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu exchanged glances, seeing the determination in each other's eyes. "We must go! Tang Ming, lead the way."
They had to go with Tang Ming, but they also needed to make arrangements for Cong Fei.
Cong Fei's condition had been stabilized by Dong Shuang for the time being. To be safe, Song Chaoyu decided to leave Dong Shuang behind.
Mu Changxi gave Dong Shuang several signal flares: red for emergencies when they were in danger, yellow for when they were leaving the city to find another way, and blue for when they could enter the city and wanted to rendezvous with Mu Changxi and the others.
With all possible scenarios covered, there was no need to worry about losing contact.
In addition, Mu Changxi left Chun Jun behind to protect them.
This left only Mu Changxi, Song Chaoyu, Li Zi, Rui Zi, and Cheng Ying entering the city.
Tang Ming, of course, would not enter the city with them, as the situation within was still unknown.
By evening, Tang Ming had procured several sets of clothing worn by low-ranking soldiers for them.
He had also specifically found a large garment for Mu Changxi that could even cover his wheelchair.
In addition, he had prepared a stretcher.
He explained that if they were discovered, Mu Changxi could pretend to be injured.
His wooden wheelchair was simply too conspicuous.
However, this also gave Mu Changxi an idea: after entering the city, they could discard the wheelchair.
Naturally, this was to be done without anyone knowing Mu Changxi's true identity.
After all, moving around the city in a wheelchair was far too noticeable.
They had not even mentioned this to Tang Ming.