Armed with a machete and a gun, armed with a system, they fled the famine.

Upon hearing this, Dou Qingran's gaze darkened slightly.

"That beast ran away secretly a few days ago, probably back to the capital."

After all, only the capital city was still in the hands of the imperial court, so Zhou Ning had no choice but to flee there.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sanlang felt even more contempt for Zhou Ning.

If he can't win, he runs away; that's just how he is.

Zhao Yan's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing this.

After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked Dou Qingran, "Brother Dou, what are your plans for the future?"

Dou Qingran immediately replied without reservation, "Our people are currently incorporating the imperial army's soldiers. In two days, I plan to lead my men directly to the capital."

Daizhou is still under the control of the imperial court, and there are tens of thousands of troops guarding the capital.

This is also why Zhou Ning fled overnight.

He never dreamed that the reason he kept these soldiers was to have them deal with Dou's army.

He can hold them off for now. Once he sends someone to the north to discuss cooperation with the barbarians, he will naturally send someone over again.

To everyone's surprise, these hastily recruited soldiers and generals didn't even put up much resistance before surrendering and betraying the regime.

Zhou Ning, far away in the capital, was completely unaware of this matter. He was currently in the palace arranging for people to go to the northern lands to discuss cooperation with the barbarians.

After listening to Dou Qingran's words, Zhao Yan glanced at Yang Sanlang, then turned to Dou Qingran and said, "Brother Dou, since you have already made arrangements, Sanlang and I will not stay any longer."

She's planning something big.

Dou Qingran hurriedly asked, "Are you going back, sister-in-law? That's fine, I'll arrange for someone to take you back right away."

Zhao Yan shook her head and said, "No, Sanlang and I won't go back first. We'll head to the capital first."

Upon hearing this, Yang Sanlang's dark eyes immediately lit up.

"Yan'er, do you mean to..."

Zhao Yan looked over and gave him a slight smile.

"Well, it's what you think."

I've wanted to get rid of that guy in the palace for a long time, and this time I'm not going to let him go no matter what.

However, the palace is heavily guarded, so it remains to be seen whether Sanlang can get her into the palace this time.

If that's not possible, then we'll have to think of other ways.

Upon hearing this, Yang Sanlang felt a surge of excitement.

His daughter Yan'er truly understood him perfectly, and their thoughts coincided.

Dou Qingran was stunned for a moment, then quickly realized something, and her eyes widened in surprise.

But then he remembered that the palace was heavily guarded, unlike other places, so he said in a deep voice, "Sister-in-law, this is no joke. You and Sanlang must not do anything reckless."

"Otherwise, you can wait two days and then come with us."

Zhao Yan showed a nonchalant expression and shook her head, saying, "Don't worry, Brother Dou, I know what I'm doing. Sanlang and I will act according to our abilities."

She values ​​her life now, so naturally she won't be reckless.

If she really can't personally kill that person in the palace, she will naturally wait for Dou Qingran and the others to arrive before thinking of other solutions.

Dou Qingran wanted to say a few more words of persuasion, but Yang Sanlang said from the side, "Brother Dou, there's no need to persuade us anymore. Yan'er and I know what to do. Don't worry, we won't do anything else. We'll just go to the capital to scout things out first."

Seeing that she couldn't persuade the two, Dou Qingran could only repeatedly remind them: "You must be very careful on the road. If you feel anything is wrong, come back immediately, okay?"

Yang Sanlang nodded hurriedly and said, "Yes, Brother Dou, don't worry."

So, after a short rest, the two bid farewell to Dou Qingran and continued their journey north without stopping.

On the way, Zhao Yan disguised herself and Yang Sanlang again.

She made herself look dark and ugly, and transformed Yang Sanlang into a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.

The two left Yizhou and entered Daizhou. They traveled non-stop for several days and finally arrived in the capital on the afternoon of the fifth day.

Several rows of soldiers with broadswords at their waists stood at the city gate, each with a serious expression and looking quite intimidating.

The city gates were tightly sealed, and people were not allowed to enter or leave at will.

Yang Sanlang dismounted and fearlessly went forward to ask the soldiers guarding the city.

"Sir, are the city gates closed?"

The soldier glanced over dismissively and said impatiently, "No, it's nothing, get out of here."

Yang Sanlang's dark eyes flickered slightly. He smiled and nodded to the soldier, then turned and left.

When they returned to the grove where Zhao Yan was, Yang Sanlang said, "Yan'er, the city gates are closed, we have to find another way to get into the city."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan immediately understood what had happened.

She said to Yang Sanlang, "Alright, let's do it the old way."

She was referring to scaling the city wall.

Yang Sanlang: "Okay."

In the middle of the night, Zhao Yan unsaddled the tall horses she and Yang Sanlang were riding and released them back into the mountains.

There was no other way; once they entered the city, they wouldn't be able to come out again, so we had to release them for now.

Yang Sanlang put his arm around Zhao Yan's slender waist and strode towards the city wall.

They found a section of the city wall that was almost deserted.

Yang Sanlang carried Zhao Yan and easily flew from the city wall into the city.

An atmosphere of gloom pervaded the city; the once bustling night scene was now eerily quiet.

Nobody dared to wander around outside.

Zhou Ning had issued an order several days earlier, declaring martial law in the capital and forbidding anyone from walking outside at night. Anyone found doing so would be punished for treason.

Therefore, Zhao Yan and Yang Sanlang walked through the quiet streets without seeing a single person.

Every now and then, they could also see several patrol teams.

Yang Sanlang carried Zhao Yan at breakneck speed, heading straight for the northernmost imperial city.

However, when they arrived outside the palace, they found that all four gates were filled with soldiers in armor.

Zhao Yan paused, then muttered to Yang Sanlang in front of her, "Judging from his posture, is he planning to stay in the palace and never come out? Does he think he can guard this palace with just a few shrimp soldiers? How laughable."

Yang Sanlang stared intently at the soldiers in the distance with his dark eyes, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"The one who is most afraid of death is often the one sitting at the top. Zhou Ning obtained this throne by personally killing his own brother. He is definitely unwilling to hand it over so easily, and will naturally try every means to keep the throne under his butt. Who knows what he might be doing in secret."

He's right.

The day before, Zhou Ning had already sent several teams of men out of the city to the north, with the aim of contacting the barbarians as much as possible and hoping that they could send troops to help defeat the Dou family army. He promised to reward them handsomely if the task was accomplished.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan inexplicably thought of the barbarians of the north.

She glanced at the man beside her and suddenly asked, "Sanlang, do you think that beast might send someone to the northern lands to contact the barbarians and ask them for help in dealing with the Dou family army?"

Yang Sanlang's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

"What you said isn't impossible. Yan'er, we need to find out about Brother Dou and the others as soon as possible."

"We also need to inform Uncle Yuan and Master, so that they can be prepared."

Although Gao Ye has been taken into their control, his power as an individual is ultimately limited.