Leaving the capital, entering Liangzhou and switching routes to Lizhou, then connecting to the western Shannan Circuit would allow one to follow the Yangtze River downstream directly to Yizhou—where the Shu Southern Royal Manor was located!
This was the fastest route, the one everyone would assume Bu Shulin was most likely to take, as it was the only way to shorten the journey.
The news of Bu Shulin's ambush and disappearance reached both the Youning Emperor and Xiao Huayong almost simultaneously. Liu Sanzhi bowed his head and reported, "Your Majesty, Worldly Son Bu was ambushed just after leaving the capital. His whereabouts are currently unknown."
"Ambushed right after leaving the capital?" The Youning Emperor, bent over his desk reviewing memorials, didn't even look up. "Quite a clever tactic."
He intended to intercept and kill Bu Shulin—a fact Bu Shulin was aware of, and likely the entire court knew as well. His ambitious sons wouldn't miss such an opportunity. Whether Bu Shulin could return safely to Shunan concerned the inheritance of the Prince of Shunan's title and control over tens of thousands of troops in Shunan.
Not only was Bu Shulin a threat to him, but because Bu Shulin had openly aligned with Shen Shi, none of his sons who coveted the throne wished to see this happen.
If not for the critical importance of Bu Shulin's return to Shunan, which demanded utmost caution, he would have preferred to stay entirely uninvolved and see just how formidable his sons' ambitions had grown.
An attack outside the capital could only have been arranged by two parties: either Bu Shulin himself or Shen Shi. No one else would go to such trouble to act ahead of him without gaining anything, as this move allowed Bu Shulin to temporarily vanish into obscurity.
"Qizhou, Fengzhou, Liangzhou, Jinzhou, Shangzhou, and Binzhou—the Invincible Army has divided into six units to blockade all entry points," Liu Sanzhi further reported.
The Youning Emperor had anticipated such a strategy. He had nurtured a brave and battle-hardened Invincible Army and had no shortage of men to deploy. These six routes encircled the capital, with Qizhou and Shangzhou flanking it on either side—far from the gate through which Bu Shulin had exited the capital.
Binzhou lay north of the capital, the complete opposite direction from Shunan.
But so what? The Youning Emperor had never overestimated himself or believed his men would balk at taking a detour. Moreover, with Shen Shi involved—a young woman who had already bested him three times in secret—he would rather cast a wide net than allow Bu Shulin any chance of escape.
"Have the officials report at tomorrow's morning court," the Youning Emperor decided, unwilling to address the matter publicly so soon.
The news that the Shunan Prince Heir had been ambushed outside the capital gates and was now missing would quickly reach the Capital Governor, who would then pass it to the Palace Attendant. Wei Song, upon receiving the urgent report, immediately rose and rushed to the palace gates late at night, seeking an audience.
The palace conveyed that the Emperor had caught a slight chill, taken medicinal soup, and retired. Wei Song knew this was a pretext—the Emperor was buying time to secretly ascertain Worldly Son Bu's escape route before taking action.
Had the report reached Cui Zheng or Tao Zhuanxian, even if the Emperor were genuinely unwell, they would have insisted on an audience due to the urgency. But Wei Song, having been promoted by the Emperor himself, had to play the villain. Out of consideration for the Emperor, he took the memorial back to his residence but could no longer sleep. He sat in his study, waiting for dawn and the morning court.
At the morning court, when Wei Song finally presented the news, the Censorate immediately stepped forward to accuse him of failing to prioritize correctly. They criticized him for delaying such a critical matter overnight, stating that if anything happened to Bu Shulin, he would be held accountable.
Wei Song had no defense to offer.Naturally, the Youning Emperor had to protect his own. He coughed a few times: "Last night, I unfortunately caught a chill. Minister Wei came to report overnight out of concern for his ruler. This matter was delayed because of me. Issue the order: mobilize personnel nationwide across all official roads to search for Worldly Son Bu. From prefectures down to counties, even townships, distribute portraits of Worldly Son Bu. No matter what, we must exhaust all efforts to find him. Those who succeed will be rewarded."
Rewarded with what? The Emperor did not specify, but the court painters were indeed kept busy, starting to create portraits of Bu Shulin for distribution.
"His Majesty is attacking from both overt and covert fronts," Shen Xihe remarked upon hearing the news, her expression still calm.
Though she had been worried about Bu Shulin yesterday, since Bu Shulin had already chosen this path, there was no changing it. Further anxiety would be futile.
Everyone knew the Emperor’s intention to prevent Bu Shulin from returning to Shu South. Such measures came as no surprise to them.
Shen Xihe didn’t need to guess that the Emperor had dispatched numerous agents covertly. Now, with this seemingly urgent edict to find Bu Shulin issued openly, it was meant to leave Bu Shulin with no way out. Anyone who spotted her would only need to report to the authorities, revealing her whereabouts.
"Worldly Son Bu left the capital a day earlier. By the time the Emperor’s men realized it, it was too late. Even if they set up an impenetrable net across the six prefectures outside the capital, they wouldn’t be able to intercept her," Xiao Huayong reassured Shen Xihe in a low voice. "As for the Emperor’s edict, the court painters’ brushwork is exquisite—they’ll surely capture her likeness vividly."
The more accurate, the better. Unfortunately, Bu Shulin had people from Xiao Huayong by her side. Not only had she resumed her female identity, but she also disguised herself as a merchant’s wife, wearing hairpins and skirts, revealing her slightly protruding belly. Her appearance was altered as well; even if she swaggered down the street, no one would recognize her.
Shen Xihe glanced at Xiao Huayong, then averted her gaze. Bu Shulin was safe for now. Once Xiao Huayong began using decoys fleeing in all directions to set traps for the Emperor and the various princes, they would eventually realize what was happening and reassess everything. By then, Bu Shulin would not have reached Shu South yet and would still have to face this hurdle.
"Where do you plan to start?" Shen Xihe asked.
"Liangzhou," Xiao Huayong replied without hiding it from her.
Timing it so that traces would first appear in Liangzhou, then Lizhou, he aimed to stir up the entire Shannan West Circuit and see how many demons and monsters lurked there.
"Which route did A Lin take?" Shen Xihe asked again.
"I don’t know," Xiao Huayong answered truthfully. "She left first. Before the Emperor and others could react, any route was safe. The Shu Southern Royal Manor has also made arrangements. She needs to learn how to escape and protect herself."
The people assigned to Bu Shulin would not report to Xiao Huayong unless absolutely necessary. Their mission was not to spy on Bu Shulin; that task fell to Haidongqing.
This also provided Bu Shulin with some leeway. If Xiao Huayong’s men were constantly watching, all of the Bu family’s trump cards would likely fall into his hands.
Haidongqing couldn’t speak; even if it witnessed everything, it couldn’t relay the information to Xiao Huayong.
"Whether this journey will be smooth remains uncertain," Xiao Huayong added. "I arranged an escape and concealment route for her at the capital’s city gate. No matter how she flees, within two days, forces from all sides will be lying in ambush at the gates of Shu South City."This was also Bu Shulin's only route forward. She could not bypass this place to enter Southern Shu—this would be the final battleground.
Naturally, Xiao Huayong had also set up multiple checkpoints here. When the time came, victory or defeat would be decided by a final, all-out confrontation.
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