Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 482 Adventure into the City

The night in Chuzhou City was as black as spilled ink. The wind swept across the base of the city walls, stirring up dust that carried the distinctive rusty smell of the armory.

Shi Wanxia crouched down and followed behind Lin Yiyu, clutching a piece of broken tile in her fingertips—she had picked it up on the road, hoping it could serve as a self-defense item should she encounter patrolling soldiers.

"Sister Shi, slow down, there are lanterns ahead."

Lin Yiyu suddenly stopped, his hand still resting on the short knife at his waist, his eyes glancing at the shadows in the corner of the wall.

He deliberately stood up straight, like a sapling blocking her way.

Shi Wanxia nodded and shrank back in the shadow of the eaves.

She could see two rebel soldiers carrying lanterns walking by at the street corner not far away; the clanging of their armor was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Only when the soldiers disappeared at the alley entrance did Lin Yiyu breathe a sigh of relief and pull her along to continue moving forward.

“If it weren’t for Brother Cui giving me a way to escape, I would have been killed by the rebels long ago.”

Lin Yiyu's voice was very low, with a slight sob in it.

“He’s locked up now, I’m determined to help you get him out.”

Shi Wanxia felt a warmth in her heart and patted the back of his hand: "Let's rescue him together, Brother Cui will be alright."

The two slowly felt their way along the base of the wall of the main street. The bluestone pavement under their feet was full of potholes, and they would occasionally kick up fragments of wine jars discarded by the rebels.

Just then, a wooden door next to them suddenly creaked open a crack, and a head popped out—it was a middle-aged man wearing a coarse cloth jacket, holding a chamber pot in his hand.

"Shh!"

When the man saw them, he quickly put his finger to his lips and waved vigorously at them.

"Come in quickly! Don't stand outside!"

Shi Wanxia and Lin Yiyu exchanged a glance, both of them somewhat wary.

Lin Yiyu took two steps forward, his hand still on the hilt of his sword: "Who are you?"

“I’m a local resident, my surname is Zhang, you can just call me Brother Zhang.”

The man lowered his voice and pointed inside the house.

"My wife is here too, we're not bad people! The patrolling soldiers are coming soon, you'll be discovered if you stand there any longer!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the shouts of soldiers could be heard in the distance.

Without further hesitation, Shi Wanxia pulled Lin Yiyu through the wooden gate.

The man quickly closed the wooden gate and even used a stick to prop it up before he breathed a sigh of relief.

There were no lights in the woodshed; only the moonlight revealed the silhouette of a woman.

The woman, carrying a cloth bag, hurried over: "Lord Shi, Young Master Lin, are you alright? In this chaotic world, how dare you enter the city?"

"We're here to find someone."

Shi Wanxia whispered, "Do you know where Cui Zhihao, the young master, is being held?"

"Master Cui?"

Brother Zhang and the woman exchanged a glance, their faces darkening. Brother Zhang squatted down, scratching the ground with a stick, his voice extremely low: "You're talking about that young master from the Cui family of Qinghe who was arrested by Lord Lei a few days ago, right? He's locked up in the innermost cell of the government jail, guarded by a dozen or so soldiers with knives. There's a sentry every three steps and a sentry every five. Don't even mention getting close; just glancing over there a couple of times will get you beaten to the ground by the soldiers!"

“Yesterday, an old man selling vegetables in the west of the city lingered a while in front of the government office and was stabbed by a soldier for ‘intending to spy.’”

The woman took over, her voice trembling, "Those soldiers aren't human, they're wolves!"

Shi Wanxia's heart sank—the government prison was heavily guarded and they were willing to kill anyone on sight. Saving Cui Zhihao would be even more difficult than she had imagined.

Just then, Brother Zhang suddenly sighed, his voice even lower: "There's something else, which we heard secretly from my nephew who works as a handyman in the government office."

"In a couple of days, a large number of rebel troops will enter Chuzhou City, claiming to be 'suppressing the rebels,' but who doesn't know that they're going to target us ordinary people and the disaster victims outside the city!"

"The famine victims outside the city are already starving to death. If the rebels come, won't they be at their mercy?"

The woman wiped away her tears, "I'm afraid the ten thousand people of our Chuzhou City will also be doomed!"

Shi Wanxia was shocked—she had only thought about saving Cui Zhihao, but forgot that there were tens of thousands of disaster victims outside the city and so many innocent people inside the city.

If the rebels were to actually occupy the area, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Lord Shi, Young Master Lin,"

Brother Zhang suddenly stood up, grabbed Shi Wanxia's arm, and looked at her earnestly.

"Take our advice and leave now! Before the city gates are sealed, head east; there are fewer soldiers there, and you can escape!"

"Never mind us, and never mind Young Master Cui!"

The woman also joined in the persuasion, taking out two cold steamed buns from her cloth bag and stuffing them into Shi Wanxia's hands.

"Life is more important! This Chuzhou City will soon be no place for humans to live! If you leave, at least you'll have your lives, and maybe you can avenge us common people in the future!"

Shi Wanxia clutched the cornbread in her hand, her eyes welling up with tears. This couple were complete strangers, yet they were willing to risk their lives to bring them into their home and even persuade them to escape. This kindness was more precious than anything else.

She bit her lip, stuffed the cornbread into her bosom, and bowed deeply to Brother Zhang and the woman: "Thank you, sir and madam, we will remember your kindness."

"But Brother Cui was arrested to save us, I can't abandon him."

"I can't just ignore the people in the city and the disaster victims."

Lin Yiyu nodded in agreement: "We'll be careful. Once we've rescued Brother Cui, we'll definitely find a way to get everyone out of this predicament!"

Brother Zhang wanted to persuade him further, but suddenly there was a knocking on the door from outside, accompanied by gruff shouts: "Open the door! Night check! Every household must be checked!"

Brother Zhang's expression changed, and he quickly pushed Shi Wanxia and Lin Yiyu into the haystack deep inside the woodshed: "Quickly hide inside! No matter what you hear, don't make a sound!"

Shi Wanxia and Lin Yiyu immediately scrambled into the haystack and held their breath. The wooden gate was kicked open with a loud bang.

The sound of soldiers' footsteps and shouts came in. Brother Zhang and the woman's voices were panicked, but they still didn't give them away.

Shi Wanxia clenched her fists in the haystack—she had to save Cui Zhihao, she had to protect the people of Chuzhou City, and she absolutely could not let the rebels' conspiracy succeed!

The wind in Chuzhou City these past few days has been carrying a chilling chill, like iron filings, and it feels like a knife when it hits your face.

The hinges of the dilapidated temple in the west of the city had long since rotted, and it creaked when the wind blew in. Shi Wanxia huddled in the haystack, clutching the polished bronze token in her fingertips, her knuckles turning white.

"Sister Shi, have some water."

The hand that handed over the water bag had distinct knuckles and a shallow scar on the web of its thumb—it was Lin Yiyu.

During the day, when Shi Wanxia was looking for Cui Zhihao's former subordinates in a mass grave on the outskirts of the city, she was spotted by a rebel patrol. Lin Yiyu suddenly appeared, shot down two soldiers with a crossbow, and pulled her into a dilapidated temple.

He said he had found out the specific prison where Brother Cui was being held.

Shi Wanxia took the water pouch, and when her fingertips touched his hand, it was even colder than her own.

"Xiaoyu, are you sure that secret passage leads to the prison?"

She kept her voice low, afraid that the rebels patrolling outside the temple would hear her—yesterday evening, they had just seen two groups of rebels carrying spears pass by the temple, and the sound of armor plates clashing could be heard from a great distance.

Lin Yiyu nodded, took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, and unfolded it in the sunlight streaming through the broken window. It was a simple map of Chuzhou City, with the locations of the prison, granary, and city gate marked in charcoal.

“I found out from an old jailer in the prison. He secretly told me that there is an abandoned drainage tunnel in the west corner of the prison that leads to a dry well outside the city, but you have to get past the jailer’s sentry post first.”

He pointed to the red dot on the map, "Moreover, Lei Zhao keeps a tight rein on the prison's medicine storehouse, so for Brother Cui's injury... we need to find a way to get some wound medicine first."