Chu Zhaoyou hid around the corner and peeked. A group of beggars was attacking a person in black clothes.

The person in black was large and huddled in a corner, silent and unresponsive to the beatings and insults. It seemed he had accidentally trespassed on the beggars’ territory and was being bullied.

Chu Zhaoyou gasped. It wasn’t easy to survive in ancient times. If he had arrived a moment later, he might have been beaten like the man in black.

The man in black didn’t react to the punches and kicks. Chu Zhaoyou saw a beggar pull out a sharp bamboo stick from the corner, ready to strike and draw blood.

Looking around, Chu Zhaoyou climbed over a wall into someone else’s courtyard, crouching behind a tree. He opened his coin purse and took out a handful of copper coins.

Regardless of the situation, he was still an emperor. If there was trouble under his rule, he had to address it. Having just escaped from the palace, he was now truly an emperor.

He tossed a handful of coins and exclaimed, “Wow, someone dropped money! So much! I’m going to be rich!”

The beggars quickly rushed out to pick up the coins, squabbling over a single copper coin and lingering around, afraid of missing any coins hidden in the corners.

Chu Zhaoyou jumped down from the wall and sprained his foot. He ran to the man in black, who was still covering his head. Chu Zhaoyou thought he might have been kicked in the head and kindly patted him, “It’s okay, let’s go.”

Half-carrying the man, Chu Zhaoyou took a deep breath. The man was heavy and stiff, with muscles as hard as steel. He was probably not an ordinary person.

Chu Zhaoyou pouted. Could this man be an elite guard from a wealthy family? His black attire and secretive behavior made him look like someone who had failed a mission and was about to succumb to poison.

What a waste of money.

Chu Zhaoyou dragged the man into another alley, away from the beggars, and found a tree to prop him against. He sat down beside him, panting.

He took out two meat buns and thought about the money he had given away. He wasn’t a saint, and he had done enough. After finishing the buns, he planned to leave.

The clear autumn sky peeked through the alley, and Chu Zhaoyou gazed at it, subtly wondering if the original emperor had went back with the man in black.

The man in black furrowed his brow, his eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes slightly, only to close them again due to the intense pain in his head.

Had he woken the man up?

Chu Zhaoyou quickly let go, feeling awkward as he realized the man’s eyes had turned red. He must have been awakened by the pain.

To endure such pain without a sound or a tremor, it required an incredible strength of will.

Chu Zhaoyou admired him and felt more sympathetic towards him.

“Let me sing you a song.”

In a falsetto voice, Chu Zhaoyou comforted the man while pressing on his acupoints.

“Mother is the best in the world, a child with a mother is like a treasure…”

In extreme pain and unconsciousness, most people think of their mothers. Some people, even in the back of an ambulance after an accident, unconsciously murmur “mom.”

Chu Zhaoyou half-embraced the man, swearing to himself that he wasn’t taking advantage of the situation.

The man in black shrank into Chu Zhaoyou’s arms, and the acupressure provided some relief from his headache.

Was it effective?

Indeed, the softest part of a warrior who walks the edge of the blade must be the meticulous care received from his mother in childhood.

Chu Zhaoyou’s eyes lit up.

“Ah, this man is like a mother…”

“I saved you. Does your father know?”

Just as he began to sing, he heard the sound of a military search outside. He immediately stopped singing, disregarding the man he had just befriended, and pushed him aside, intending to flee.

He can’t run, or can he?

Huh?

A strong force locked his right leg. Chu Zhaoyou almost wanted to kneel and beg for mercy, but when he turned his head, he found that the man in black had awakened.

“Hey, let go!” Chu Zhaoyou demanded.

The man’s eyes, originally stern and sharp, now seemed somewhat scattered and confused, but he stubbornly held onto Chu Zhaoyou.

“We’re not acquainted. Let go,” Chu Zhaoyou emphasized again.

Unfortunately, the man still didn’t understand. Chu Zhaoyou had no choice but to stomp his foot and pull the man up from the ground to run together.

Accidentally, he had picked up a big shot!

“Be gentle!” Chu Zhaoyou scolded sternly, squinting. However, his eyes couldn’t look fierce at all. They were slightly elongated, and the wide and deep double eyelids at the end of his eyes were slightly raised, giving him a tender and affectionate look.

The man in black didn’t respond, but obediently lightened his steps. Several times, Chu Zhaoyou suspected that no one was behind him. He looked back in doubt, only to find the dark figure still standing there.

Chu Zhaoyou moved from the east to the south of the city. It was getting dark, and the southern gate was still closed, guarded by the Imperial Dragon Guards.

Qian Shicheng had patrolled all four city gates and looked somewhat anxious.

If they didn’t find the emperor soon, the regent would probably be furious. The opera troupe had just left the palace, and the regent had already sensed that something was amiss. They had also found the three phoenix hairpins that His Majesty had pawned at the pawnshop, and the owner said that the man had just left.

Therefore, His Majesty hadn’t had time to leave the city!

Qian Shicheng emphasized the seriousness of the situation. Although he was anxious, he had confidence in the defense of the capital.

He dared to say that as long as the Imperial Dragon Guards guarded the city gates, not even a mosquito could fly out, unless the regent personally led a jailbreak.