Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

On the official road in the night, the sound of horse hooves can be heard.

A true Western Region horse, at full gallop, could easily reach Yunzhou in two or three hours. However, the horses Zhang Jingwei and his men had temporarily requisitioned were merely ordinary draft horses and pack horses from the government office. Their stamina was significantly inferior, and even with constant urging, it would take them half a day to cover the distance. A slower freight carriage would have taken a full day and night.

Qian Ming controlled the reins while estimating the time, his tone filled with worry, "Master, judging by the time, the young mistress is riding 'Chasing the Wind', so I think she's already arrived in Yunzhou City by now."

Zhang Jingwei pursed his lips tightly, his eyes fixed on the dark night ahead. He just hummed "hmm" when he heard this, his voice filled with fatigue and anxiety that was hard to conceal: "I hope she is just feeling depressed and wants to go home to relax... I hope nothing happens to her on the way." His heart tightened when he thought of Huangfu Ling galloping alone in such excitement.

Liang Dahai interrupted, trying to ease the tension: "Master, are you so sure that the young mistress must have returned to Yunzhou?"

Zhang Jingwei glanced at him unhappily, his tone tinged with annoyance, "Where else do you think she would go? She has no other relatives or close friends in Gaoyang. Where else could she go except the Yunzhou Marquisate?"

Liang Dahai scratched his head and smiled innocently: "That's right... The only place the young lady can go is her parents' home."

As he spoke, the outline of an official post station appeared on the roadside ahead. A sharp-eyed yamen runner suddenly pointed in its direction and shouted, "Sir! Look! There are several tall horses tied outside the post station. Judging from their frames and demeanor, they look like Western Region horses, definitely war horses! There are also several men dressed as soldiers nearby!"

Zhang Jingwei looked in the direction of the sound and saw several soldiers in Yunzhou military uniforms dozing against the wall of the post station, their majestic warhorses leisurely munching on hay nearby. His face darkened instantly, and a surge of anger rose: "Hmph! These lazy bastards! We sent them out to chase someone, and they're actually hiding out in the post station! They didn't catch anyone, but they're already resting!"

Qian Ming's eyes flashed fiercely, and he whispered, "Master, do you want me to go over and tie them up and interrogate them?"

Zhang Jingwei suppressed his anger and shook his head. "That's unnecessary. They neglected their duties and will be punished by military law when they return to camp tomorrow. It's not our turn to interfere."

Ding Xu, standing by, looked at the majestic war horses, a hint of desire flashing in his eyes. He suggested, "Sir, how about... we quietly trade with their horses? With war horses, we'll definitely be able to reach Yunzhou before dawn!"

"No!" Zhang Jingwei flatly rejected it. "War horses all have military markings. How can you just swap them out? Do you want to lose your head?"

Liang Dahai was still a little unwilling, and muttered: "After all, they are all horses. If I can throw my inferior horse that can't run to them, it can be regarded as leaving them something to repay..."

Yuan Liang, well-versed in legal matters, sighed and explained, "Da Hai, you're truly ignorant of the law. Forget the warhorses themselves. Look at the horseshoes on their hooves; they're all numbered and branded. The military inspectors are very professional. By examining the horseshoe prints, they can easily tell if a horse is military and which battalion it belongs to. You can't do this. It's a serious crime!"

Qian Ming looked at his young master's anxious expression, then at his mount which was unable to move any faster, and said helplessly, "Then we will just go slowly and leisurely. It will probably take us until daybreak to reach the foot of Yunzhou City."

Zhang Jingwei took a deep breath, suppressing his fatigue and anxiety. He shook the reins violently, squeezed the horse's belly hard, and shouted, "Then rest a little! Whip faster! Go!"

He was the first to spur his horse forward. It wasn't until he truly learned how to ride a horse that Zhang Jingwei truly realized the hard work behind this seemingly glorious act. He originally thought that riding a horse meant simply sitting on the horse's back and letting the horse do what it wanted, but that was not the case. During long-distance gallops, in order to reduce the burden on the horse and maintain stability, the rider often needs to squat, the waist and abdomen must be constantly exerted, and both hands must tightly grasp the reins to control the direction. The muscles of the whole body are in a state of high tension. Just riding for a while is enough to make a person's back ache, sweat profusely, and the inner thighs are rubbed so hard that they often can't even stand steadily after getting off the horse. It feels like their legs are not their own.

At this moment, he endured the aches and numbness that spread throughout his body, with only one thought in mind: to get to Yunzhou as quickly as possible and see Ling'er as soon as possible. The official road stretched endlessly forward under the moonlight, and the sound of horse hooves echoed far and wide in the silent night.

……

As expected, by the time Zhang Jingwei and his entourage arrived at the foot of Yunzhou City, it was already bright daylight.

Outside the tall city gate, a huge crowd of people had already gathered, waiting to enter the city. There were vendors pushing vegetable carts, peddlers carrying loads on their shoulders, and ordinary people, blocking the gate completely. The crowd was restless, and the sound of discussion was like a tide.

"What's going on today? It's already this late, why haven't you opened the door yet?" "Yeah! When I went out, I glanced at the sky, it was already the morning hour, it must have been at least a quarter of an hour past!" "Could it be that the Rong people are attacking? That can't be..." "Don't scare me! If I had known, I wouldn't have come to this morning market today!"

Zhang Jingwei frowned and motioned Qian Ming to go forward and knock on the door.

Qian Ming understood, and rode forward a few steps. He looked up and shouted at the tower, "Sir on the tower! Curfew has passed, why haven't you opened the city gate yet?"

A moment later, a familiar head popped out from behind the battlements. It was Garrison General Wang Caiwu. He spoke in an official tone, slowly saying, "Who's making such a noise here?"

Qian Ming bowed, his tone filled with familiarity and confusion: "General Wang! It's been a long time since we last met. Why are you here guarding the city gate in person? It's really time to open the gate and let people pass."

Wang Caiwu rubbed his eyes, as if he had just woken up, and pointed inside the tower and said, "Oh, it's Master Qian. It's not that I won't open the gates, it's just that it's not time yet! Look at the official clepsydra in my tower, it's clearly pointing to 'three quarters of an hour at the hour of the yin'. There's still at least two quarters of an hour before the gates open at the hour of the morning!"

As soon as he said this, a vegetable vendor waiting to enter the city below the tower couldn't help but shout, "Bullshit! General, your clepsydra must be broken, it's at least half an hour slow! It must be 'the third quarter of the first lunar month' now! So many of us are waiting!"

Wang Caiwu glared at them and shouted with authority, "How dare you! This is an official clepsydra produced under the supervision of the imperial court. How could it be fake? You are gathering a crowd here to stir up trouble. Are you planning a rebellion?!"

Zhang Jingwei saw this and knew he had no choice but to show up. He urged his horse forward and said loudly, "Sir Wang, what a powerful authority you have!"

When Wang Caiwu saw that it was Zhang Jingwei, a smile immediately appeared on his face, but it seemed a little forced: "Hey! Son-in-law! You're here really early!"

Zhang Jingwei didn't bother to play along and asked directly, "Did you know I was coming? Has your young lady returned home?"

Wang Caiwu nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, the young lady returned home safely last night, don't worry, sir."

Zhang Jingwei tilted his head back, feeling a slight soreness in his neck. He said impatiently, "It's really hard for me to talk to you with my head tilted up like this. General Wang, open the city gate quickly!"

Wang Caiwu shook his head like a rattle: "No, no! My dear son-in-law, this door must not be opened before the appointed time! This is my duty, and I am also afraid of being accused of collaborating with the enemy and perverting the law!"

Zhang Jingwei suppressed his anger and changed his excuse: "I came to Yunzhou on official business. If I delay official business, the court will blame you, and you can't bear the consequences!"

Wang Caiwu spread his hands, his face businesslike, and said, "Then please show me the official document or the prefect's warrant. I will check it and open the door immediately!"

Zhang Jingwei was furious and pointed at Wang Caiwu. "I finally understand! Even if you open the city gates when the time comes, I'm an official from outside the city. Without official documents, you still have a reason to not let me in, right?"

Wang Caiwu chuckled, neither admitting nor denying: "My dear, it's a rule... that's the way it is."

"You...!" Zhang Jingwei was speechless for a moment.

Yuan Liang, who was standing by, saw this and rode closer to Zhang Jingwei, whispering, "Sir, it seems the Madam must have explained this to the commander. I'm afraid using ordinary arguments won't convince him."

Zhang Jingwei asked irritably, "Yuanliang, do you have any ideas?"

Yuan Liang smiled faintly, confident: "My lord, please wait for me." After that, he dismounted, walked to the foot of the city wall, bowed to Wang Caiwu, and said sincerely: "General, please come! To be honest, we are here mainly to hunt down a female thief, not just to find my wife."

Wang Caiwu was stunned and asked in confusion, "What female thief? My Yunzhou City has good security, where did this female thief come from?"

Yuan Liang continued calmly, "General, you don't know. This female thief is extremely cunning. Last night, she stole my master's mount and disguised herself as my wife, Madam Huangfu, in an attempt to get away with it."

Wang Caiwu laughed heartily as if he had just heard a joke. "Hahaha! You're a scholar, you look so refined, but how come you're telling lies all the time? I saw it with my own eyes last night, it was definitely my young lady!"

Yuan Liang sighed, a look of "How could you be so foolish?" on his face, and his voice rose a few notches: "Alas! General, you are usually so astute, how could you be so foolish at this moment? Think about it, if it was really your wife in the mansion right now, how did that female thief deceive the guards of Gaoyang City and ride a BMW all the way to Yunzhou? If not, why would we bring so many yamen runners to chase her at night? And why did your wife go 'home to visit relatives' without my master by her side? General, think carefully, does this make sense?"

Wang Caiwu was a little confused by his barrage of questions, especially the logic behind the question, "If the one in the mansion is the real lady, then who is the female thief?" His heart skipped a beat and he couldn't help but recall the details of last night. His tone was also tinged with uncertainty, "It seems... that woman is thinner than usual, her face is more haggard, and her voice is a little hoarse... But... that is indeed the appearance and demeanor of my young lady!"

Yuan Liang struck while the iron was hot, his tone becoming even more determined, even tinged with a hint of rebuke. "Think about it again... If I'm not mistaken, you took the initiative to send someone to escort her back home last night, didn't you? If she was truly your daughter, wouldn't she know the way home? Would you, a general defending the city, have gone to the trouble of sending someone to escort her?"

Wang Caiwu subconsciously defended himself: "Well...I volunteered to send someone to escort the young lady back to ensure her safety!"

Yuan Liang clapped his hands suddenly, his voice becoming stern. "You're still calling her 'Miss'?! General, you're so confused! Your young lady is so well-educated and well-mannered. When has she ever done such an unruly thing as sneaking back from her husband's house in the middle of the night? She's clearly a female thief pretending to be her, guilty and afraid of being exposed, that's why she needs your 'escort'! Moreover, if it's the real young lady you're sending back, where would her reputation be? The daughter of the Huangfu family is being sent back home late at night by a subordinate of yours, a person of another surname. How do you expect the people of Yunzhou City to view you? How will they view my wife? And how will they view the family traditions of Lord Bei?!"

This series of questions struck Wang Caiwu's heart like a heavy hammer, especially since it involved Huangfu Ling's reputation and the face of Northern Marquis Huangfu Changshui. He instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He breathed a sigh of relief, trying to calm his pounding heart, his face already turning pale.

Cao Shen, his personal advisor, was also terrified when he heard this and quickly whispered, "General, he...what he said seems to make some sense..."

Wang Caiwu muttered to himself, his voice trembling: "I...I did something wrong?"

Cao Shen said with a bitter face: "I told you last night that it would be better to inform the Marquis first! But you...but you just wouldn't listen, and insisted on selling this..."

Wang Caiwu slapped his thigh in frustration, his intestines turning green with regret. "Oh! I... I'm... I really want to improve! I was thinking of using this opportunity to show off in front of the Marquis, but it seems that this year's election for the lieutenant general... I have no chance at all..."

Cao Shen said anxiously, "General, now is not the time to talk about this! At this point, the right thing to do is to let my son-in-law into the city as soon as possible! What if... what if what that scholar said is true, and the person you let in last night is really a female thief, then your actions will be regarded as... regarded as harboring a criminal, and you will be guilty of the same crime!"

Wang Caiwu was so frightened by the word "same crime" that he suddenly woke up. All his persistence and calculations were thrown out of the window. He quickly clung to the battlements and shouted anxiously to the people below: "Sir! Sir! It was me who was confused! I will open the door for you right now! Please come in! Please come in!"