Xiao Jingyun thought to himself, "Isn't that stating the obvious? How can you rescue someone from the mountain without sending people up?"
Seeing their bewildered looks, Liu Rumei smiled faintly, "Your Highness, when I say send people up the mountain, I don't mean it in the way you think."
"Brother Xiaobei just said that Cui Fugui left a letter for his household servant, asking Axiang to go up the mountain to find him."
"Then we'll send someone disguised as Axiang to go up the mountain and find Cui Fugui."
Hearing this, Xiao Jingyun and Princess Zhaoning exchanged glances.
Xiao Jingyun exclaimed, "Excellent, that's a good idea! Posing as Cui Fugui's household servant won't alert Zhu Meng."
"But who should go up the mountain?"
"Your Highness, our Liu family's old steward, Liu Kai, can take on this important task."
"Liu Kai is about the same age as Axiang, and with a little disguise, outsiders won't be able to tell the difference."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyun repeatedly shook his head, "No, no, that won't do. How can an old man of his age go to Qingniu Mountain to take such a risk?"
Liu Rumei remained calm, "Don't worry. Even if I were to fight him now, I wouldn't have a guaranteed victory."
At this, Xiao Jingyun and Princess Zhaoning exchanged glances once more.
Princess Zhaoning enthusiastically gave him a thumbs-up, "Good, good! The old man is still strong and healthy, the most suitable candidate."
"Additionally, I will bring the young girl and others to cooperate with the old steward's actions from the shadows."
Hearing Princess Zhaoning's eagerness to join the mission, Liu Rumei repeatedly waved his hands, "Your Highness, this is absolutely not advisable. Your noble personage, how can you put yourself in danger?"
Xiao Jingyun, however, understood Princess Zhaoning's intention perfectly – she wanted to redeem herself for her previous mistake.
With this thought, he nodded, "Jingfeng, you don't need to go. Let the young girl go instead. Make sure to guarantee the safety of both elders."
He then nodded at Liu Rumei.
Liu Rumei immediately bowed and retreated.
With no one else present, Xiao Jingyun's expression darkened.
"Now you know the consequences of killing Zhu Yan."
"Originally, seven or eight tenths of the people in Qingniu County had already left. If we attacked the city, even if it was a fight to the death, the casualties among the civilians would be minimal."
"But now, the Apex Daoist has taken over a thousand more civilians. Tell me, how can we fight this battle?"
"Not to mention Qingniu Mountain. Even Chen Xiaobei's father-in-law has gone up the mountain. Can we afford to hold back out of concern for the hostages?"
Hearing Xiao Jingyun's words, Princess Zhaoning looked wronged, tears streaming down her face, "Brother Emperor, I know I was wrong. I was just eager to earn merit. I feared that when I returned to Wannian City, Father Emperor would ask and I would have achieved nothing."
Xiao Jingyun sighed, "You, what can I say about you."
"Originally, we captured the Imperial Advisor Sun Yuliang and held the initiative. As soon as the ten armies arrived, we could surround the city without attacking. Over time, Zhu Meng's army would lose morale, and we would win without a fight."
"But now, by killing Zhu Yan, you've forced us into a decisive battle with Zhu Meng!"
He sighed again, "You'd better contact your master and tell him to stay put and not act rashly, otherwise our plan will be disrupted again."
Meanwhile, the Lotus Cult Master slept soundly all night in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
As dawn broke, someone brought food into the room.
The Lotus Cult Master looked at the person and asked in a deep voice, "What's the situation on the streets now?"
"Great Hero, the soldiers are searching and arresting people everywhere. But don't worry, the soldiers have already been here, and they won't come back."
Unfortunately, this person was only half right.
The fact that the soldiers had been there did not mean they wouldn't come back.
Early that morning, the Apex Daoist summoned his generals again.
After a night of turmoil, they had still found nothing.
The Apex Daoist, with a grim expression, looked at everyone present, "Are you sure you've searched everywhere?"
A red-faced man stepped forward, cupped his fists, and bowed, "Daoist Master, we have searched all the places we were supposed to."
"Alright, General Zhu, you can dismiss everyone to rest."
This General Zhu was Zhu Yan's younger brother, Zhu Jianyu.
Zhu Jianyu understood the implication and signaled everyone to leave while he stayed behind.
"Daoist Master, do you have any further instructions?"
The Apex Daoist smiled and nodded, "You say you've searched everywhere, but I've thought of one place."
"Daoist Master, where do you mean? I'll take my men to search immediately."
The Apex Daoist smiled and shook his head, "No need to trouble yourself. Bring your men and follow me."
The Apex Daoist, along with Zhu Jianyu and his subordinates, suddenly surrounded the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Looking at the tightly shut doors of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Zhu Jianyu was bewildered.
"Daoist Master, the doors are shut tight. I'm afraid everyone has fled. Why are we still here?"
The Apex Daoist chuckled, "Just do as I say."
With a wave of his hand, soldiers stepped forward and began pounding on the courtyard gate.
Meanwhile, on the third floor of the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Gui Lan was desperately trying to persuade the Lotus Cult Master.
"Great Hero, before they surround the place, you should leave through the back courtyard quickly."
The Lotus Cult Master, however, was very calm. He waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright. You can go and open the door. If they want to search, let them search. I guarantee they won't find me."
The Lotus Cult Master did not dare to use force, so he could only sigh in frustration and rush towards the courtyard gate.
Gui Lan ran out in a panic, shouting as she went, "Coming, coming!"
In a flash, Gui Lan opened the courtyard gate.
Zhu Jianyu, leading his soldiers, rushed in, quickly filling the courtyard.
The Apex Daoist, with a dark expression, looked at Gui Lan, "Hand over the person."
Gui Lan, a true actress, looked at him with an innocent expression, "Daoist Master, who do you want me to hand over?"
The Apex Daoist let out a cold snort, "Don't play dumb with me. Naturally, it's the murderer of General Zhu."
"Daoist Master, you searched here this morning. There is no murderer here. Someone must have impersonated our Hundred Flowers Pavilion." As she spoke, she began to cry, "Please, Daoist Master, uphold justice for me."
The Apex Daoist waved his hand, and Zhu Jianyu immediately led his men to scatter and search meticulously.
Watching the men surge upstairs like wolves, Gui Lan's heart leaped into her throat.
However, Zhu Jianyu soon came down with his men.
"Daoist Master, all the people have been brought down."
The leader waved his hand, and a few of Zhu Yan's guards stepped forward to identify the culprit. However, after looking around, they all shook their heads.
The Apex Daoist seemed caught off guard by this turn of events. He was a bit stunned. He looked at the guards, "Did you see clearly?"
The guards nodded almost simultaneously, speaking in unison, "We saw clearly."
The Apex Daoist scratched his head and sighed, "So be it, I miscalculated. Let's go."
Seeing the Apex Daoist leave, Gui Lan let out a long sigh of relief. She closed the courtyard gate and hurried to the third floor.
When she pushed open the Lotus Cult Master's door, the scene before her stunned her.
The Lotus Cult Master was sitting there, leisurely sipping tea.