This small town was on the mandatory route to the Imperial City.
Previously, Ye Qingying had calculated the timing.
King Xuan's Xuanwu Army had defeated the Rouyi Tribe, and King Xuan would be returning to the capital, but it shouldn't be this soon.
It was estimated to be two days later.
He had never expected Feng Yexuan to return ahead of schedule.
Moreover, judging by his speed, the army's arrival was like a gust of wind, with thousands of horses and soldiers moving in perfect order.
"Xiao Yao, let's head into the alley," he said in a low voice.
"Oh." Xiao Yao, who was snacking, tugged at the reins, intending to turn into the alley.
Unexpectedly, the army in front of them suddenly stopped.
"Wow! They just stopped like that, so amazing!" Xiao Yao's eyes widened.
Like the common folk, she was watching the dark mass of soldiers from afar, enjoying the spectacle.
The army halted!
Ye Qingying said sternly, "Xiao Yao, let's go!"
Xiao Yao was reluctant to leave. For some reason, just watching the army gallop past like the wind made her inexplicably feel a surge of excitement.
It was as if she had lived in the army before.
However, since her master told her to leave, she had to.
She tugged at the reins, guiding the carriage slowly into the alley.
As for the army on the main street...
"Your Highness, why..." Leng Ji rode up to Feng Yexuan's side.
Why had His Highness suddenly stopped?
Feng Yexuan himself didn't know why. He looked back towards the road they had come from. The crowd was bustling, and he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
Just now, what was that fleeting pain in his heart?
"Your Highness, is something wrong?" Leng Ji immediately tensed up.
Could it be that enemy soldiers or assassins had infiltrated the crowd of civilians?
But why couldn't he sense any killing intent at all?
Had his alertness regressed to this point? Even when His Highness said there was a problem, he was still completely unaware?
"Your Highness..."
Feng Yexuan's gaze continued to search the crowd.
They were all ordinary civilians. Occasionally, one or two might know martial arts, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy.
It was not unusual for people from the martial world to come and go.
Why had his heart felt such a sharp pain in that instant?
"Your Highness, the Prefect has arrived!" Leng Ji suddenly announced.
The Prefect, leading a troop of men, was rushing over in a flurry.
They hadn't known His Highness's contingent would arrive early. Upon learning of it, they had rushed out, but His Highness's troops had already gone far ahead.
The Prefect had chased them desperately, and by taking a shortcut, he had finally caught up. Unexpectedly, His Highness's army had passed by with a whoosh.
Like a gust of wind.
If His Highness hadn't suddenly stopped, the Prefect would never have caught up.
"Your Highness, Your Highness! Greetings, Your Highness!"
The Prefect, panting, quickly dismounted.
"Your Highness, I have something to report, Your Highness, I have something to report!"
Feng Yexuan finally withdrew his gaze and looked down at the Prefect kneeling on the ground. "What is it?"
The Prefect was overjoyed. He hadn't expected His Highness to actually pay attention to him. He quickly said, "Your Highness, Qingxi Town has been plagued by the Li Jia worm, and the people are suffering."
"The imperial court once sent an imperial envoy to handle it, but the matter was never properly resolved. The higher authorities... no longer paid attention."
"Presumptuous!" Leng Ji's face darkened.
Did the Prefect mean that after the imperial envoy arrived, they had merely gone through the motions and then reported to the Emperor that the matter had been resolved, acting one way in public and another in private?
The Prefect knew that stopping His Highness King Xuan was a capital offense.
Moreover, he was just an insignificant ninth-rank official. Accusing an imperial envoy was also an act of insubordination.
However, the people were truly suffering now. Even if it meant losing his own life, the Prefect had to speak out about the situation:
"Your Highness, my Qingxi Town is now suffering greatly. Your Highness should be able to see the poverty of the town with your own eyes. Your Highness, please stand up for the people of Qingxi Town. My death is insignificant, but the people are truly pitiful!"
"Your Highness, please stay and see the true state of Qingxi Town!"