On the main street, there were many government officers, walking in pairs as they escorted a convict, their expressions serious. The procession seemed endless, indicating quite a number of convicts needed to be transported.

The convicts being escorted by the government officers wore identical clothing, all in narrow-sleeved short attires, with black fabric trimmed with gray margins. On their chests was a gray patch with the word "Zhao" embroidered on it.

Upon seeing the surname, Zhu Yu roughly understood the situation. She examined those being escorted closely, thinking their attire looked odd. If they were government soldiers, each one had a fierce look, and some even had scarred faces. Such appearances were undesirable for any prominent noble family, as it would be somewhat disgraceful to showcase them in public.

But if they weren’t government soldiers, the conspicuous "Zhao" on their chests seemed to make sure everyone knew whose subordinates they were.

The government officers transporting these people walked at a pace slow enough for the bystanders to clearly see everything. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

After the overwhelming procession passed, more people resembling government officers followed, but they weren’t escorting any convicts. Instead, they supervised workers who carried weapons, shields, and other heavy items forward.

So, this procession of weapon carriers continued for quite a while.

Initially, when watching the escorting of convicts, the people on the roadside were just stretching their necks to watch the spectacle, not reacting too strongly, at most whispering among themselves whether this "Zhao" referred to Duke Yan’s "Zhao."

Being in front of the official family, they dared not be too unruly, only whispering quietly, the volume kept low.

But upon seeing the armaments, the murmurs could no longer be contained, turning the entire street noisy.

No wonder, it wasn’t just the common folk, even Zhu Yu was surprised.

At first, those workers carried only bundled sabers. Later, there were shields, broadswords, spears, and even many strong crossbows being carried.

Zhu Yu looked at the crossbows being carried past her, noting their texture and color, which were very familiar — evidently made from Black Iron.

She watched those items intently, afraid of being mistaken, and furrowed her brow.

Earlier, Shuo Country’s black iron mine had been illicitly mined by collusion with the Pang Family. Many Shuo Land blacksmiths were abducted and imprisoned, forced to forge weapons.

However, some of those weapons had been used to falsely incriminate Jie Country, and some to falsely incriminate Cao Tianbao.

If it was solely about incriminating Jie Country, suggesting possible illicit ties between Jie and Shuo Countries would make it hard to determine the identity of the mastermind. However, when Cao Tianbao was framed, Zhu Yu almost immediately ruled out Duke Yan as a suspect.

After all, everyone knew that he and Cao Tianbao had always been on the same side, and achieving his grand endeavors depended on Cao Tianbao as an indispensable pillar.

Unless Duke Yan had lost his mind, it was impossible for him to undermine his own foundation.

Now, what was with these Black Iron weapons? Had she previously misjudged? Or had Duke Yan’s plans also shown flaws, leading to manipulation by someone?

After a while, when the weapon carriers had moved far away, Zhu Yu gently patted Lu Qing’s arm, signaling him to let her down.

No longer disrupted by crossing government officers, the crowd dispersed somewhat, increasing the volume of discussions.

"What was that all about just now?" An old man with cloudy eyes and white hair asked the middle-aged man beside him in confusion, "Where were these mountain bandits caught from?"

"Uncle Huang, your eyesight is really getting worse! If necessary, consult a doctor for some remedies!

They’re not mountain bandits; they’re ’internal traitors’!

Didn’t you see that large ’Zhao’ character on the chest of that crowd?" The middle-aged man chuckled, waving his hand.

"Alas, my eyes can’t be cured! Besides, even if my eyesight were good, I can’t read!" The old man named Huang shrugged helplessly and asked, "Did you say they have a ’Zhao’ on their chest? Could it be... that unattainably high-status Zhao?"

"Who else?!" The middle-aged man laughed at his words, "Could it be Zhao Ji from Juezi Lane who sells tofu?"

"Ah?!" Old Man Huang looked shocked, "Isn’t that Zhao an impressive official? How come... how come the officers arrested his people?"

"No matter how high the official rank, one can’t forget the emperor’s authority!" The middle-aged man grimaced, "I heard it’s because his grandson caused trouble outside. We don’t know exactly what happened, only that both people and weapons were escorted back. It seems like significant trouble!"

"What a sin! Being such a high-ranking official, why couldn’t they just keep safe and sound?!" Old Man Huang shook his head regretfully.

The middle-aged man also sighed with emotion: "Human desires are insatiable like a snake trying to swallow an elephant! Originally, they had all the riches and glory one could imagine; nowhere else could one find such a fortune.

Now, well! It seems their good days are over."

"You’d better say less!" Another person nearby overheard their conversation, leaned in, "Haven’t you heard the saying, ’The centipede dies yet does not stiffen!’?

No matter how great his ability, even if we are mere ants living in the Capital, surely we know this!

Who knows, maybe in a few days, they might turn adversity into blessing, and nothing will happen. Better not speak recklessly at this juncture, or it may reach their ears, putting our small families in grave danger!"

Alerted by this reminder, the two nodded in agreement, refraining from further discussion, and quickly went their separate ways.

Lu Qing turned his head to look towards the rune side. Although a veil hat obscured his face, the rune couldn’t see Lu Qing’s expression, yet they still intuitively understood, nodding slightly before slipping into the dispersing crowd, disappearing from sight.

"There’s no more spectacle to see, let’s go back," Lu Qing said to Zhu Yu. The two turned and walked through the main gates of Yunyin Pavilion.

Now, with many eyes outside, taking the small path to the backyard would likely expose their tracks more. It was better to walk through the main entrance openly, where within Yunyin Pavilion, their people would naturally block any prying eyes.