The Duke's Daughter is Reborn

Fang Hua calmed himself down after touching the letters and silk in his arms. The words on these letters and silk were like knives, stabbing his heart and making it ache - this was not an ordinary secret report, it was something that could destroy the Crown Prince's foundation, and it could also cost him, Fang Hua's life.

These secret reports must be passed to the lady as soon as possible!

"We have to contact Mr. Zong Yue as soon as possible." He whispered to himself, his Adam's apple moving.

The letters and silk in my arms suddenly became hot, as if I was holding a piece of red-hot charcoal.

This was the first time in his seven years of lurking in Xiluo that he had used the emergency code - a plum blossom mark tattooed with wolfsbane under his left shoulder blade. It could only be used when his identity was about to be exposed, or when there was something more important than his life that needed to be conveyed.

The bonfire crackled outside the tent, and Hu Bing, the night patroller, walked by singing an off-tune folk song.

Fang Hua took out the silver needle hidden in his boot and gently stabbed his left shoulder in the moonlight.

When the blood oozed out, Fang Hua only felt pain, so much so that his eyes were sore - he was not afraid of the pain, but he was afraid that this drop of blood would not be spread out, that the young lady would not wait for the news in the imperial city, and that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would really be dragged into this muddy water.

Fortunately, Fang Hua and Zong Yue had already worked out a plan to escape. After everything was ready, Fang Hua immediately disguised himself and entered the territory of the Western Hu.

Zong Yue settled down under an old elm tree on the border of Xihu.

When Fang Hua arrived, the courtyard gate was ajar and the red silk tied to the door knocker was rustling in the wind - that was the exclusive code between Zong Yue and Fang Hua, which would only be used in extremely urgent situations.

Just as he was about to knock on the door, it creaked open and Zong Yue's figure wrapped in the night rushed out, with a strong smell of medicine mixed with rust hitting his face.

"Fang Hua!" Zong Yue's voice trembled, and he grabbed his wrist with both hands. "What happened?"

Under the moonlight, Fang Hua could see Zong Yue's face clearly. This was the first time Fang Hua saw Zong Yue in such a state of disgrace. The Mr. Zong who always smelled of medicinal herbs in his memory now looked like an old leopard whose tail was stepped on.

Fang Hua didn't say anything, and directly stuffed the secret letter and silk in his arms into Zong Yue's hands.

Zong Yue's fingers trembled violently the moment they touched the silk. He used the moonlight to see the words clearly. His Adam's apple moved and he suddenly started coughing violently, which made the four words "March 15th" even more eye-catching.

“Miss…” Zong Yue held onto the courtyard wall and gasped, “Miss and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince are now in the same boat, but the Fifth Prince and Concubine Hua’s men have set their sights on her.

"He suddenly grabbed Fang Hua's shoulders, his nails almost digging into the flesh, "Do you know that if this secret report falls into the hands of the fifth prince, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be accused of 'collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country'? By then, let alone the throne, even his head will be in danger!"

"Mr. Zong," Fang Hua suppressed the panic in his heart, "I need to return to Beijing as soon as possible."

Zong Yue stared at him for half an incense stick, then suddenly let go of his hand: "Follow me." He turned and walked into the yard, his pace three times faster than usual. "I asked someone to prepare a ride for Gaozi Escort Agency.

I know Gao Xian, the young master of the escort agency, from the past. He specializes in secret escorts, and everyone in the underworld gives him some respect.

The lanterns in the tea stall look like a ball of orange fire in the night.

When Fang Hua followed Zong Yue in, Gao Xian was sitting behind the counter polishing his sword. His blue shirt was washed white, but the iron sword at his waist was polished to a shine, with half a circle of faded red silk wrapped around the scabbard - the pattern was exactly the same as the one at Zong Yue's waist.

"Mr. Zong," Gao Xian said without raising his head, "your people?"

"Brother Fang," Zong Yue patted Fang Hua on the back, "I want to take your escort car to Beijing."

Gao Xian then raised his head, his eyes like a poisoned knife, sweeping from Fang Hua's head to his feet. His eyes were bright, with the corners slightly raised, making him look like someone who knows martial arts.

"Mr. Zong's people are trustworthy." He pointed to the backyard and said, "The car is in the back, loaded with 20 boxes of silk. Brother Fang is in the third car, which has a secret compartment under the bottom of the car, which contains money and dry food."

Fang Hua followed the young man to the backyard. When passing by the stable, he caught a glimpse of a piece of broken jade in the trough.

Gao Xian paused, and when he turned back, a trace of vigilance flashed in his eyes: "Brother Fang, did you find anything?"

"Nothing." Fang Hua smiled and shook his head, "I just think this jade pendant is beautiful, like the ones I saw in the Imperial City when I was a child."

Gao Xian's eyes softened a little: "Brother Fang, have you been to the Imperial City?"

"I have been there." Fang Hua remembered Mr. Zong Yue's prior instructions and touched his hot earlobe. "Back then, I followed the caravan to sell furs and lived in the imperial city for three months.

I have seen the old locust tree outside Xizhimen. There is a hole in the trunk as big as a bowl, which is always filled with clay figurines for children to play with. I have also seen the stone lions in front of Donghuamen. The one on the left is missing half a tooth, and the soldiers guarding the gate always tie it up with straw ropes.

Gao Xian nodded slightly and asked in a low voice: "So, do you know Gaozi Escort Agency?"

Fang Hua thought about it for a moment, then shook his head: "I haven't heard of it."

Fang Hua had seen what happened in the imperial city before when he followed the old beggar to beg. At that time, he had never heard of the Gaozi Escort Agency.

Over the years, Fang Hua has been living among the Western Barbarians. He knows very little about what is happening in the imperial city, except from the rare information he gets from Mr. Zong Yue.

Gao Xian smiled and explained, "That's right. Our Gaozi Escort Agency is quite low-key and specializes in taking on some secret escorts. To outsiders, we are just ordinary medicinal material merchants, and we use this as a cover."

It was because Gao Xian was a medicinal materials merchant that he had contact with Mr. Yue from the same clan.

After saying that, the two men walked to the third carriage. The young man lifted the curtain. Fang Hua looked closely and saw that the four walls of the carriage were nailed tightly with thick wooden boards, and in the middle of the carriage, there was a soft couch.

According to what Gao Xian had said before, Fang Hua bent down and gently pushed open the secret compartment, and indeed found a package hidden inside. When he opened the package, he saw several ingots of silver and several bags of fried rice neatly placed inside.

Fang Hua felt warm in his heart, it turned out that Zong Yue had already paved the way for him.

"Brother Fang," the young man patted his shoulder, "My surname is Gao, and my given name is Xian. I'm here to escort the darts to Beijing this time, so I'll make sure you're safe. However, although this journey won't be as chaotic as before, you still have to follow my arrangements and don't run around."

Originally, the marginal areas of Xihu were full of bandits and robbers who were rampant. They occupied the mountains as their own territory and claimed to be the king.

These bandits not only often robbed passing merchants and travelers, but also harassed and plundered nearby villages, making life miserable for the people in this area.

Therefore, the journey from Xihu to the imperial city is generally recognized as the most difficult.

Now, the Duke of England has already sent troops to clear out the bandits and robbers in the surrounding areas, so this journey is easier than before.

Fang Hua nodded: "Don't worry, Mr. Gao."