How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

In the middle of the night, on the official road fifty miles away from Sifang City, a carriage was traveling under the stars.

Grandpa Hua cracked his whip to urge the horses on, the wheels kicking up clouds of dust as they passed. Inside the carriage, a pair of slender, delicate hands gripped the frame tightly.

"Grandpa Hua, are we still in time?"

Grandpa Hua didn't even turn his head, saying, "I'll make it in time."

"it is good."

After that, he asked no more questions, only staring at the bright moon, hoping that heaven would give him more guidance.

The person in the car was Lu Qingru, the older sister Yan Ruxin had been longing for.

Lü Qingru was only two years older than Yan Ru and had always been the darling of her parents.

However, after giving birth to Yanru, Lü's mother was in poor health. In order to focus on recuperating, she raised Yanru with her daughter-in-law, Granny Hua. Later, after Lü's mother passed away, Yanru was brought back to Lü's home.

Qingru felt sorry for her younger sister who didn't have a mother's love, so she always stood up for Yanru and took care of her, showing the qualities of an elder sister who was like a mother.

This time, she went back to her hometown to collect rent on behalf of her father, and as soon as she arrived, she received an urgent letter from him.

"The family is ruined, do not return. Your sister has been settled. Remember, do not return!"

Without any clear cause or explanation, Qingru couldn't guess what trouble had occurred at home. Feeling uneasy, she realized it couldn't possibly be as her father-in-law had said!

That very night, I packed my things and headed back.

However, she was cautious. Since her father had told her twice not to return, something serious must have happened. So she acted as if nothing was wrong during the day, and only hurriedly set off after dark.

Two hours later, the horse was exhausted, and the man was exhausted. Poor old man Hua's hair had turned white, and he was still working hard.

Seeing the old man's gray hair and haggard appearance, Qingru felt a pang of pity and said, "Stop the car."

"Whoa!" Old Man Hua quickly pulled the horse to a stop. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"It's alright, let's stop and rest for a while." Qingru wasn't sure either, but since the road ahead was uncertain, it was better to be cautious.

The two stopped to rest. Grandpa Hua stroked the horse tenderly, fed it a piece of candy, and then went to find water and grass by the roadside.

Qingru also jumped out of the car and gazed into the distance.

As dawn broke, standing on the hillside, one could see the majestic city walls and gates of Sifang City not far away. Some vendors from the surrounding area, who were selling vegetables or carrying breakfast on shoulder poles, were lined up sporadically at the city gate, waiting to enter.

They were about to enter the city after walking a little further. Qingru wasn't sure how much more dangerous this trip would be than usual, but she had already made up her mind.

When Grandpa Hua arrived, Yanru instructed him to go to a nearby house and find a men's outfit that was similar in size to hers.

Not wanting to reveal her whereabouts, Qingru slipped back into the carriage.

Before long, Grandpa Hua returned with a bundle. Seeing that Qingru had already returned to the carriage, he handed it to her and said, “I said that I slipped and fell because of the heavy dew this morning. I asked a villager nearby to give me some clothes to change into. They were made to my size. They are a bit too big for you, but everyone is poor at this time. It’s common for poor boys to wear clothes passed down from their older brothers. It doesn’t matter if they don’t fit.”

Qingru took the clothes and looked at them. They were indeed a bit too big, but she was tall enough to wear them. The clothes were clean, but they were washed until they were white, and there were a few inconspicuous patches on them. She was quite satisfied with them at the moment.

"It's alright. It's good enough to find clothes at this point. I hope my caution was justified."

Grandpa Hua was a little worried. "Master told us not to go back. If we go back, won't we delay Master's important business?"

Qingru had already tied her hair up, and she was also nervous upon hearing this. "No matter what it is, I have to figure it out. Dad knows me. It's impossible for him to want me to stay away with just one sentence. He wouldn't have said this out of the blue if something urgent hadn't happened."

After piling her hair up on top of her head, Qingru tore a strip of cloth from her oversized clothes and thought for a moment, "Grandpa Hua, is there anything that can immediately darken my skin?"

Grandpa Hua noticed that Qingru's beauty was still undeniable even in simple clothes, and knowing her concerns, he thought carefully and said, "At this time of year, rubbing your body with pomegranate peel might be helpful, but it's not easy to wash off. Only salt or white vinegar can clean it."

Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, which is the time when pomegranates ripen.

“That’s right, Grandpa Hua. Could you please look ahead and see if there are any pomegranate sellers going into town? And if there are any pear sellers, please buy me their baskets too. I’ll change my clothes in the car.”

"Yes," Grandpa Hua replied, taking the change Qingru handed him. He bent his straight back, revealing an honest and simple appearance, and headed towards the city gate.

Fortunately, the carriage had driven off the main road when it stopped and was hidden among the trees. It wouldn't be easily noticed unless you looked closely.

Qingru held the clothes, pondered carefully, and finally got out of the car. She wrapped the clothes in the roadside grass to get them wet with dew, then rubbed them on the ground to cover them with mud, making them look as if they had just come back from the fields.

After looking around to make sure no one was around, Qingru got into the car to change her clothes.

……

Guo Zixing, riding a horse and leading a group of people, was hurrying along the official road, his face looking very grim.

Sergeant Zhang, being very perceptive, rode forward, trying his best to appear humble even on horseback.

"Hey, young master, those two girls can't go far. We'll catch them sooner or later."

Guo Zixing looked at Chief Zhang with a sinister and slightly mocking expression, "Stop sucking up to me, you said the same thing yesterday, where are they?! Not to mention the two girls, you caught just one girl?"

Chief Zhang forced a smile. How embarrassing! Who would have thought that two frail women could disappear overnight? He was still wondering who to complain to.

"We're only about ten miles from the city. They can't run far. Besides, some brothers said that Miss Lü left the city in a carriage with an old servant. We should focus our investigation on these people."

Guo Zixing was too lazy to talk to him anymore. He took the reins and shouted "Giddy up!" to distance himself from him.

Sergeant Zhang's face was so dark it could drip water, but he didn't dare show it.

This was the first time Guo Zixing had ever acted alone. He had finally managed to persuade his father to give him a small team to carry out a mission that couldn't be more trivial. Who would have thought that his first attempt would be a complete failure? Wouldn't his half-brothers laugh themselves to death?

The thought of making his family members look foolish and embarrassing sent Guo Zixing's anger soaring to the heavens.

Guo Zixing said he couldn't accept failing to catch a woman with an old servant even after chasing her through the night!

The group of about ten people rode at full speed forty or fifty kilometers to Jiuhuang Village, but failed to catch anyone, so they hurried back. Everyone was exhausted, but because Guo Zixing, the young master, hadn't spoken, no one dared to suggest resting.

Guo Zixing, on the other hand, was seething with anger inside, so he couldn't possibly feel sleepy.

He stopped chasing after them on horseback and simply rode along the wide official road, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.

Qingru was unaware that her caution had played a crucial role; she had barely escaped one round of capture, only to be about to fall into the lion's den again...

The carriage was cramped, and it was also piled with grain brought back from the village. Qingru changed her clothes, but for some reason, her heart was pounding, and she felt uneasy, as if something was about to happen.

Fortunately, Grandpa Hua returned at that moment, bringing with him several pomegranates and a basket of pears.

Helping Qingru peel off all the skin, Qingru squeezed out the juice and applied it to her face, hands, and any exposed skin.

There was no mirror in the car, so Qingru had to stick her head out to show Grandpa Hua after she finished applying the makeup. "Grandpa Hua, look at me, have I changed?"

Although Grandpa Hua was not young, he was still sharp-eyed and clear-headed. Moreover, since the sky was already showing the first light of dawn, he was able to see Qingru clearly.

Her once fair skin was now sallow, which diminished her appearance.

Qingru resembled her father, possessing a captivating charm combined with a dashing and heroic air that made one afraid to look directly at her.

Although she had reached a certain age, few men were willing to take a liking to her. Moreover, Qingru was determined to send her younger sister out of the house first, so even at twenty, she didn't follow the trend of "free love".

After some dressing up, Qingru transformed the beautiful woman into someone who looked like a homeless child. Her hair was disheveled and wrapped in strips of cloth, she wore an ill-fitting patched garment, her skin was sallow, and she was covered in mud.

Grandpa Hua opened his mouth wide, looked Qingru over and over, and praised, "Not bad, not bad, Miss, you look like a completely different person in this outfit. This old servant almost didn't recognize you."

Qingru chuckled, "That's exactly what I wanted to do so you wouldn't recognize me. But you don't need to comfort me. I only had a limited amount of stuff, so it's already quite an achievement that I managed to put together something like this."

Indeed, at first glance, no one could connect a great beauty with the poor boy in front of them, but upon closer inspection, clues would emerge.

For example, Qingru had her ears pierced, which could not be concealed no matter what. Also, although Qingru's complexion was sallow, it was full and radiant, unlike what one would expect from a poor family that couldn't afford to feed themselves.

However, in a hurry, it's already quite good if it can be mistaken for something else at first glance. Besides, there are many people entering the city early in the morning, making it the easiest time to blend in.

Qingru took the basket of grains and weighed it in her hand; it weighed about ten pounds.

"Wow, that's really heavy."

Grandpa Hua couldn't stand it anymore. "Let me do it. You've never done heavy work before. Be careful not to hurt your arm."

Qingru refused, put down the pear basket, picked out a few more, and discussed the next steps with Grandpa Hua.

"Grandpa Hua, I'm still worried, so I think... we should split up. You see, if my dad doesn't call me back, there must still be danger in the city. We didn't hide from anyone when we left the city, so a little inquiry will reveal the truth. Therefore, we should split up."

Grandpa Hua was an old hand at this, and he understood after a little thought. "Going into the city separately is fine, but what should we do with the carriage?"

Nowadays, cars are available, but horse-drawn carriages are still the main mode of transportation for most people. Although it is no longer fashionable to hang small flags of one's own household on the carriage as in the past, it is still very eye-catching. If the police ask the neighbors, they will surely notice something amiss.

Qingru was also troubled; this was the first time in her twenty years that she had encountered such a difficult situation. After thinking about it, she decided to be cautious.

"Let's not drive the carriage; let's leave it here for now."

These days, buying a horse-drawn carriage isn't cheap, and Qingru would be very reluctant to throw it away.

"How about this, I'll go into town first and pretend to sell pears, Grandpa Hua. You drive the cart to the nearby village to sell the pears and the grain, whatever the price, just sell them quickly. Then take the money and hide. I'll go back and check things out first."

"Yes," Grandpa Hua agreed, but he was also worried about his relatives in the city and couldn't help but give them a word of advice.

"Miss, please keep an eye on my wife and son's family. If things don't look good, tell them to go back to the old village."

Qingru agreed, thinking there were no problems, and quickly said goodbye to Grandpa Hua.