Chapter 1237: Chapter 1073: Lingering Shadows

"Commandery Princess, don’t worry. In an hour, you’ll be able to move freely!"

Tossing the letter onto Qin Yingyuan, Gu Chengyu ordered someone to tie up the messenger before saying, "Pack your things, we’re setting off!"

"Ah? Sir, where are we going?" Ming Yan glanced at the black-clad people lying haphazardly in the room, somewhat puzzled as to why Sir suddenly wanted to leave. What’s going to happen with these people?

Gu Chengyu was the first to walk out of the room, looking at the dark night sky. The snow outside had stopped, so traveling wouldn’t be affected.

The carriage continued heading north, with the lantern hanging on the carriage swaying side to side.

"Sir, are we still heading to the border? What about the Capital..." Ming Mo was a bit confused; considering the chaos in the Capital, why does Sir still want to go to the border?

If the Crown Prince couldn’t ascend the throne, and the Emperor was replaced while Sir was far away at the border, wouldn’t that mean losing the initiative? Moreover, if the new Emperor isn’t on good terms with Sir, he might even forget about him investigating cases far away at the border, which would be detrimental to his career!

"The Capital is currently in turmoil. The Crown Prince is still safe, so there’s no need to rush. But Prince Gong’s situation is tricky; internal strife may soon begin. Da Xing is eyeing Dayan, and the border will also become chaotic. When war breaks out, it is the common people who will suffer."

That’s why Gu Chengyu needs to go to the border. If he doesn’t stabilize those restless Daxing people at the border, won’t it just add to the chaos?

Once war breaks out, with increased taxes, conscripting soldiers, and the displacement of civilians, isn’t it the common people who will bear the brunt?

"Furthermore, the Crown Prince instructed me to investigate at the border. Today, it was the Empress calling me back, not the Crown Prince, so I have no reason to return to the Capital."

The Crown Prince didn’t call him back, so what was the point of returning?

Ming Mo had just realized this, but he was somewhat surprised that at such a critical moment, the Crown Prince still sent his loyalist to the border, showing no worry over the Capital’s situation or his own safety.

Not to mention anything else, but with his superior martial arts skills, wouldn’t keeping Gu Chengyu by his side make the Crown Prince feel more at ease?

Sighing, Ming Mo shook his head, unable to comprehend the twisted and tangled thoughts of those in power.

After traveling for more than an hour, Ming Mo saw a city gate ahead, possibly a small county. However, the sky was still dark, and the name on the city gate wasn’t visible.

"Sir, should we rest at this county?" Ming Mo turned to ask.

"No need! We’ll rest at the next county!" They had just set out and had taken breaks for several hours. Although they weren’t in a rush, they couldn’t travel as if on a leisurely tour, especially since his senior was still at the border.

Suddenly, the sound of urgent horse hooves echoed through the silent night.

The hoofbeats were approaching, and Gu Chengyu frowned; there were many people coming. Listening closely, there weren’t just hoofbeats but also disordered footsteps, sounding like an army.

He frowned, pondering what was going on. Could an army be coming through? But the war hadn’t started yet, so how could there be an army?

"Sir, it seems there are many people on horseback rushing over from behind!" Ming Mo and Ming Yan also heard the commotion and quickly reported it to their master.

Gu Chengyu lifted the curtain and looked towards the rear. He saw that although the other party was still some distance away, the line of fire torches formed a long, twisting dragon, stretching all the way to the bend.

"It’s the army; let’s move to the side!" Gu Chengyu had a bad premonition. It wasn’t time for war yet, so why was an army marching at night?

Could some force already be deploying? No, the only one who could act so brazenly at this time would be them.

Gu Chengyu couldn’t believe it and glanced again at the fiery dragon. How could they appear here? This place was northbound from the Capital!

"Army? Sir, I didn’t hear about any military dispatch from the court!" Ming Yan was a little muddled. Sir said there would be war chaos, but since it hadn’t begun, why would the army be marching at night?

Gu Chengyu looked back at the two carriages behind them and observed the terrain, noting that there was only this wide road, flanked by open fields that offered a clear view.

"They’re close; let’s let them pass first! Get inside the carriage, and bring a coachman to drive!" Since the journey to the border was long, Gu Chengyu had hired five coachmen.

Many in the Capital knew of Ming Mo and his group, recognizing them as his followers, making it hard to ignore their presence especially when they sat outside.

Not wanting to engage them just yet, Gu Chengyu simply wished for a low-profile journey to the border. As for rebels and traitors, those weren’t issues he could solve alone, nor did he need to risk everything.

He never was one to sacrifice himself for others.

The hoofbeats grew closer, and the torchlight illuminated the open ground brightly. Sitting inside the carriage, Gu Chengyu almost felt the heat from the torches.

"Prince! There are three carriages ahead!" Lu Chen drove his horse forward, informing Prince Gong.

"Probably merchants! Stay alert and ignore them if there’s no unusual movement!" Prince Gong reeled in his reins, slowing his horse down.

Even though he had kidnapped the Empress, this route was mostly uninhabited; who knew if the Crown Prince had regrets? If the Crown Prince decided to strike in a desolate place, disregarding the Empress’s life in order to eliminate him, it wasn’t impossible.

If it were him, it would be a hard decision to make. Allow the tiger back into the mountain and it becomes much harder to capture again.

Gu Chengyu instructed the coachman not to panic and merely to steer the carriage to the roadside and soothe the horses.

Lu Chen scrutinized the three carriages, noting they bore no clan emblems. Apart from the first carriage appearing somewhat luxuriously modest, the other two were rather ordinary.

This didn’t resemble a trade caravan but rather seemed like a personal journey carrying luggage. Holding his sword hilt, he rode past the carriages, seeing no movement from them, he relaxed a bit.

"Whoa~" Suddenly, Lu Chen thought of something and instantly pulled on the reins.

Simultaneously, Prince Gong also pulled on the reins, "Stop!"

With a low, commanding shout, the march was interrupted, and the torchlight clearly illuminated the coachman’s face.

The coachman was slightly flustered. Seeing the army suddenly, he was naturally afraid, but the young man behind insisted he sit in front.

Originally, after being kidnapped during the day, the coachman and the others didn’t want to continue this job, but those in black were adamant about not letting them leave.

Subsequently, the young man repeatedly assured them of their safety, along with the temptation of getting double Silver Coin compared to before, convincing them to continue.

Who knew something else would happen shortly into the journey; today really was a day they should’ve checked the almanac before leaving!

The coachman initially breathed a sigh of relief when seeing these people ignore them. But now that so many eyes were on him, his heart was pounding.

"Mr. Gu, are you on a sightseeing tour now?" A deep, pleasant male voice, tinged with amusement, came over.

Gu Chengyu rubbed his forehead, sighing, "Really, this ghost just won’t disperse!"

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