Tangli Fried Snow

At this time, Zhao Muqing had already boarded a ship bound for the Bohai Sea.

His men were all sent by his uncle to meet him. His personal guards saw him standing alone at the bow of the ship in the biting cold wind and specially brought him a thick cloak.

"Second Master, I wonder if Miss Beitang has escaped from the capital?"

Zhao Muqing's dark eyes flickered, and he said calmly, "I asked Lord Jiang to take care of her for me. With Lord Jiang's protection, she will definitely not be in danger. With her intelligence and skills, she will escape and reunite with us soon."

. . . .

Chu Beitang and his troupe of singers and dancers were preparing to depart. The singers and servants sat in the carriages in front, while the accompanying warriors, fully armed, cleared the way from all sides. The group of more than three hundred people and dozens of carriages made a grand procession to the city gate, where they were stopped by the guards.

A group of city gate guards stopped the large group, and a magistrate took the lead, blocking the way in front of the magnificent carriage.

The deputy commander on duty was named Jing Ran, and he could see the flag of the singing and dancing troupe from afar.

He certainly recognized the renowned songstress; when they arrived in the capital, a large group of royal relatives and nobles came to personally greet her. He frowned at the fully armed warriors, quickly ordering his men to inform the new city garrison commander, Jiang Qimo, while he himself stepped to the front of the group to conduct initial negotiations.

Jing Ran spoke to the guard commander of the group in an almost amiable tone: "Things have been unsettled lately. A large number of troops have left the city and the city guards need to personally oversee the situation. Please wait aside for a while."

The guard commander, named Guo Jun, was in his thirties, tall and burly, with a broad back and thick waist. After hearing this, he sneered and said, "If you don't want to eat the whip in my hand, get out of the way right now." After saying that, he lashed the horsewhip in his hand towards Jing Ran's face with lightning speed.

Jing Ran didn't even blink, just stared into his eyes without changing his expression. Sure enough, the whip cracked once right under his nose and then returned to Guo Jun's hand.

No matter how arrogant or brainless the person on the other side is, they wouldn't go so far as to attack an official like him at the city gate.

He continued gently, "Please be patient."

Guo Jun roared, "We are guests invited by your Song royal family. Our Miss Beitang is famous throughout the world. She is associated with the upper class of royalty and nobles. Many high-ranking officials treat her with respect. How dare you, a mere watchdog, block her carriage? Do you still want your head?"

"Brothers! These people treat the young lady like this, let's storm out of the city right now and teach them a lesson!"

Hundreds of tough men gave their resounding promise, their voices powerful and imposing. Guo Jun took the lead, guiding a group of men toward the palace gate.

This peerless courtesan was already famous, and many admirers would follow her caravan from a distance, just to catch a glimpse of her unparalleled beauty.

Upon seeing the conflict between Chu Beitang's guards and the city gate soldiers, many young men immediately surrounded them, shoving and shouting at the guards, all indignant on behalf of their idol.

Many people went up to the carriage of the girl from the north hall. Some handed gifts hoping the beauty would accept them, some handed out poems hoping to impress her with their talent, and some even begged in front of the carriage just to catch a glimpse of the beauty's face.

The scene was once very chaotic.

The city gates had long been closed, the walls were still covered with archers, and countless soldiers surged over, ready to fight Guo Jun's group.

The scene became chaotic, and Guo Jun ordered his men to draw their bows and aim arrows at the soldiers on the city wall. The tense atmosphere suddenly escalated, and if anyone had a weaker mentality, a gunshot could have been accidentally fired, which would have led to a fierce battle.

Jing Ran followed behind the group with a forced smile, still negotiating with Guo Jun. No matter what he said, the group opposite him was all ready to fight and ignored his earnest advice.

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Jing Ran hurriedly said loudly, "Commander, you don't need to get so angry. We can talk things over. It's not that I'm not letting your Beitang girl pass, but the situation is complicated right now. Without the superior's permission, I dare not let so many people out of the city."

Guo Jun sneered, "You were all so polite and humble when you invited us here, but now you're doing everything you can to stop us from leaving. You're utterly shameless."

At this point, more and more onlookers gathered, whispering among themselves in the alleyway and craning their necks to watch the commotion.

Just as things were getting chaotic, the sound of horses' hooves came from behind. A group of men from the north quickly arrived at the scene. When Jingran saw that it was the newly appointed city garrison commander, Lord Jiang, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped aside to let his superior handle the matter.

Jiang Qimo, leading the way, reined in his horse and solemnly said to Guo Jun, "Mr. Guo, please have your men lay down their weapons. The arrows on our city walls are all crossbow bolts. With so many women here, if we are not careful and a fight breaks out, it will be your women who get hurt. Why don't we lay down our weapons and have a calm discussion?"

Guo Jun saw that the other party was a young lieutenant general with a high rank, a good attitude, and reasonable words. He had no intention of forcing his way through the city gate. He just snorted and ordered his men to put down their weapons, staring coldly at Jiang Qimo.

Jiang Qimo approached the most magnificent carriage at the front and humbly asked, "I wonder if Miss Chu Beitang is inside?"

After a long while, a voice as melodious as a nightingale's song came from inside the carriage, lazily saying, "It is indeed my daughter. May I ask what orders Lord Jiang has?"

Jiang Qimo respectfully said, "Lord Lu of the Ministry of Justice is looking for you, Miss. A person of noble status has been falsely accused and is currently imprisoned. He needs your testimony as a witness to get him out of jail. I wonder if you could come to the government office for a chat?"

Chu Beitang was overwhelmed with mixed feelings. She neither agreed nor disagreed. A storm of thoughts surged through her mind. Of course, she knew who that person was and what Jiang Qimo wanted to do with her.

There was a long silence inside. The horse beneath him paced restlessly in circles, but Jiang Qimo patiently waited for her reply.

After a full cup of tea's time, Chu Beitang lifted the curtain, immediately revealing half of her beautiful face. The admirer standing by the carriage gasped, feeling his body go weak on the spot, revealing a lovesick expression of being completely infatuated.