"Yue'er, is there anyone nearby?"
Zheng Taifei and Huangfu Yue had not spoken since leaving the riverbank. Seeing her grandmother silent, Huangfu Yue remained silent as well, but her silence was soon broken by Zheng Taifei.
Though she didn't know why Zheng Taifei suddenly asked if there was anyone nearby, Huangfu Yue immediately replied, "No."
Zheng Taifei showed a relieved expression. Huangfu Yue looked at her grandmother, thinking that her grandmother must feel safe to speak without being overheard.
"Yue'er, is the national treasury theft case related to you?" Zheng Taifei stopped and looked directly into Huangfu Yue's eyes, asking a question that surprised Huangfu Yue.
Huangfu Yue never expected her grandmother to ask her this. She secretly sighed in surprise, thinking, *Is Grandmother too perceptive? Her intuition is incredible!*
*My theft of the national treasury was absolutely flawless, leaving no evidence whatsoever, and I haven't told anyone. So, Grandmother suspecting me has absolutely nothing to do with her discovering anything.*
*Grandmother must just be suspicious of me based on her keen intuition, thanks to the Qiankun bag.*
"No," Huangfu Yue shook her head and denied it without a second thought.
Although her grandmother was trustworthy, stealing from the national treasury was too big of a matter to let her know.
Thinking this, Huangfu Yue deliberately asked, "Grandmother, why do you think the national treasury theft is related to me?"
Before Zheng Taifei could answer, Huangfu Yue spoke, "Although I know sorcery and have the Qiankun bag, I don't have the ability to sneak into the heavily guarded imperial palace and steal from the national treasury without being discovered."
"That's true... I was overthinking it..." Zheng Taifei nodded and smiled, not doubting her granddaughter's words at all.
"I thought of how you know sorcery and have the Qiankun bag, possessing immense power, capable of moving so many things from the royal mansion without anyone knowing. When I heard about the national treasury being completely stolen in a very strange and magical case, I couldn't help but think of you..."
"I'm sorry, Yue'er." Zheng Taifei showed an apologetic smile to her granddaughter.
"It's alright, Grandmother." Huangfu Yue smiled understandingly.
Hearing her granddaughter say this, Zheng Taifei should have been happy, but she suddenly frowned, her brow furrowed with worry.
"Now, because of the national treasury theft case, towns near the capital will be sealed off. This is quite troublesome for us; we won't be able to enter any towns near the capital. We'll probably have to camp outdoors for this period," she sighed with a worried expression.
She had been thinking about this matter since she heard that towns near the capital would be sealed off due to the national treasury theft, and she had been deeply concerned and worried all along.
Although Yue'er was there, along with Feng Maoyuan and his guards, having to camp outdoors continuously was still unsettling.
However, she had tried her best to control herself and not show any of it in front of everyone. Since it seemed no one else had realized her concerns, she was afraid that speaking up would cause panic, making everyone uneasy and unable to eat.
She planned to discuss it with her granddaughter first, to see if there were any countermeasures, and then talk to everyone after they had figured something out.
Huangfu Yue nodded. It was indeed true.
Since all towns near the capital would be sealed off, they would be unable to enter any towns nearby. They would probably have to camp outdoors for this period.
Earlier, she had asked Little Black to fly to nearby towns to scout and see if they had already been sealed. The result was that they had indeed been sealed.
Towns within a radius of several hundred li had all been sealed. This meant that even if they reached these towns, they wouldn't be able to enter.
"Yue'er, do you already have a plan?" Zheng Taifei asked.
She noticed that although her granddaughter nodded, there was no trace of worry or concern on her face, which was unusual.
Therefore, she guessed that her granddaughter's demeanor might be because she already had a plan.
Huangfu Yue nodded again. "I do have a plan."
"What is it?" Zheng Taifei asked quickly.
"I know a secret art that can move everyone hundreds of li in one night after they've fallen asleep," Huangfu Yue said, uttering astonishing words.
Zheng Taifei looked shocked. Huangfu Yue continued, "If we use the secret art tonight, we'll be able to reach a place hundreds of li away from the capital by tomorrow, arriving in a town far from the capital that hasn't received orders to seal off."
Of course, she didn't know any secret art; this was all made up.
She planned to use a soporific on everyone after they fell asleep, to knock them unconscious, to prevent anyone from waking up.
Then, she would have the dimensional space send out a passenger bus, move the unconscious people onto the bus, and drive the bus at full speed through the night. Before dawn, they would reach a town far from the capital that had not received orders to seal off and was not sealed.
Although the bus's speed wasn't very fast, driving all night would definitely cover hundreds of li, and on good roads, it could even cover nearly a thousand li. This would absolutely take them far from the capital and to a town that wasn't sealed, allowing them to properly lodge and rest.
She herself didn't mind living outdoors, but her grandmother and the other elderly, weak, women, and children couldn't. Even with her protection, they would definitely be afraid.
In ancient times, there were many wild beasts in the wilderness, the most common being wolves. Wolves were pack animals, and if a pack of wolves appeared, timid people like Yang Wanqian might be scared to death.
Therefore, she tried to avoid having them live outdoors.
"That's wonderful! Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease..." Zheng Taifei rejoiced, all the worry and concern on her face vanishing.
"Yue'er, you are truly all-powerful and capable. Fortunately, we have you. Otherwise, in this situation, I truly don't know what we would do!" Zheng Taifei reached out to hold her granddaughter's fair, delicate, and beautiful hand, sighing.
She sighed again in her heart, thinking about the good fortune she had accumulated in her past lives to have such an incredibly capable and filial granddaughter.
"Grandmother, in the future, if you encounter similar situations, you don't need to worry. I will find a way to solve it... Compared to this, Xu Yuqing is more of a headache," Huangfu Yue said with a smile. She suddenly remembered Xu Yuqing, and the smile on her lips flattened and disappeared, revealing a somewhat conflicted expression.
"That woman is indeed a headache!" Zheng Taifei's joy immediately vanished upon hearing her granddaughter mention the second granddaughter-in-law, and she once again showed a worried and deeply furrowed brow.
"This morning when you went to buy horses, she actually tried to sneak out. Your maid Ying'er stopped her, and she even tried to hit Ying'er... Fortunately, I was there and subdued her, making her obediently go back to her room.
But unexpectedly, after returning to her room, she put on makeup and dressed herself up, completely forgetting that she is in mourning, as her husband had died not long ago...
Thinking about how she had the leisure to hide rouge and powder on the night of our family's raid, and thinking of dressing up on the journey of exile, I was so angry that I almost spat out a mouthful of blood! If it weren't for Ying'er's sake, I would have truly wanted to kill her on the spot!" Zheng Taifei gritted her teeth in hatred, her face filled with murderous intent.
"Grandmother, please calm down. She won't be able to cause trouble for much longer. Didn't you think of making 'Cui Yi Piao Xi' to stop her from causing mischief?" Huangfu Yue quickly comforted Zheng Taifei, gently stroking her back.
Huangfu Yue saw the old lady's back slightly trembling with anger.
"The mention of 'Cui Yi Piao Xi' makes me even angrier. I originally wanted to go out with you this morning to buy things to make 'Cui Yi Piao Xi,' but because of Xu Yuqing, I had to give up on going out with you, to prevent her from insisting on following us and causing trouble outside," Zheng Taifei sighed.
"Grandmother, please don't be angry anymore. It's not worth getting sick over someone like Xu Yuqing! It's okay if you couldn't go buy things to make 'Cui Yi Piao Xi' this morning. You can buy them in a new town later. There's no rush for this," Huangfu Yue said.
"In case Xu Yuqing sees me going out with you in a new town and insists on coming along, I'll write down the things needed to make 'Cui Yi Piao Xi,' and you can help me buy them," Zheng Taifei said.
"Actually, I considered writing it down last night and having you buy them for me. But the things needed to make 'Cui Yi Piao Xi' are extremely complex, and two items are very easy to get mixed up and buy the wrong ones. So, I thought it would be better if I bought them myself. But now, fearing that Xu Yuqing, I can only write them down for you to buy."
"Alright." Huangfu Yue immediately agreed. "Grandmother, after you write them down, tell me which two items are easily confused and bought incorrectly. I will pay special attention and definitely not mix them up or buy the wrong ones."
"Mhmm."
Just as Zheng Taifei was about to ask her granddaughter if the Qiankun bag contained a desk and writing materials so she could write them down immediately, she saw her granddaughter's expression suddenly change, a layer of coldness instantly appearing on her face.
"What's wrong? Yue'er?" Zheng Taifei asked worriedly.
"Xu Yuqing is causing trouble again." Huangfu Yue frowned and sighed.
She was truly exasperated with this woman, wondering how she could cause so much trouble.
*Would she die if she didn't cause trouble or stir up mischief?*
Just now, Little Black had told her that Xu Yuqing and Zhu Jiayi had started arguing and had even gotten into a physical fight.