The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the Somersault Cloud, Old Zhu was so envious he cried!

This scene sent chills down Cao Gonggong's spine.

Even though he was used to the ups and downs of the palace, he couldn't help but feel flustered when he encountered such a strange situation.

"Zhao Erniu, do you think these people are possessed? Why are they all staring at us like that?"

Zuo Qianhu was also very scared at first.

But when he heard Eunuch Cao call him Zhao Erniu...

Zuo Qianhu immediately turned around and said solemnly, "Eunuch Cao, Zhao Erniu is dead. The man standing before you now is Zuo Qianhu, bestowed the name by His Highness the Sixth Prince. I hope you will remember my name and not call me by the wrong name in the future!"

Eunuch Cao stared at him speechlessly.

No, are you out of your mind?

We're in dire need of time right now, and you're still agonizing over a name!

You even said Zhao Erniu was dead, why don't you say Awei is dead!

However, Cao Gonggong only dared to make these remarks in his heart, since he still needed Cao Gonggong to protect his safety in the future.

"Commander Zuo, what's going on? I have a feeling these people are looking at us strangely."

"You noticed too? Something's definitely not right, and look around, we're surrounded!"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Cao's heart tightened, and he quickly looked around.

The passersby and vendors who had seemed to be leisurely hurrying along just moments before now stood tall and straight, their eyes sharp, and quietly gathered their positions.

By the time Eunuch Cao realized what was happening, it was already too late.

The group of people in front of them had completely surrounded them, and a chilling aura emanated from them.

Startled, Eunuch Cao instinctively took a half-step back.

Zuo Qianhu immediately stepped forward, blocking Cao Gonggong's path. His right hand gripped the hilt of his sword, his back ramrod straight, and he said in a gruff voice, "Don't panic, Cao Gonggong! With me here, I will protect you!"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Cao was overjoyed and immediately exclaimed excitedly, "Could it be that Commander Zuo possesses extraordinary skills, capable of taking on a hundred men single-handedly?"

Upon hearing this, Commander Zuo suddenly swayed to the side, his official hat almost falling to the ground.

"Eunuch Cao, you overestimate me. I am but an ordinary martial artist. Only Your Highness possesses the ability to take on a hundred men single-handedly!"

Eunuch Cao frowned deeply and hurriedly asked, "We're completely surrounded now, what are your plans?"

"This is simple..."

Commander Zuo took a deep breath, then gathered his energy in his dantian and roared at the top of his lungs towards the crowd:

"What are you doing!"

"Stop right there, all of you! Do you even know who you've surrounded?"

"How dare you plot against us in the capital? You bunch of bastards are tired of living!"

Oh my, it's even in Northeastern dialect!

Eunuch Cao was startled and was about to ask Commander Zuo if this trick would work.

To everyone's surprise, the group actually stopped in their tracks the next second.

Immediately afterwards, the surrounding crowd moved aside, creating three straight passages.

Then, three figures slowly emerged from inside.

One was a seemingly honest and simple old farmer, another was a street vendor hawking his wares, and the third was an auntie who farmed the land.

The three immediately revealed their identities upon their arrival.

The man, disguised as an old farmer, bowed and introduced himself as a secret guard under His Majesty, ordered to accompany and protect the Sixth Prince.

A man dressed as a street vendor followed closely behind, explaining that he had been assigned by Crown Prince Zhu Biao and that his duty was also to secretly protect the safety of the Sixth Prince.

As for the last woman who was farming, she was sent by Empress Ma.

Although the three belonged to three different factions, they shared the same goal: to do everything in their power to ensure Zhu Ming's safe journey.

As for the group that surrounded them earlier, the three groups were actually strangers to each other.

Zhu Yuanzhang, Crown Prince Zhu Biao, and Empress Ma's secret guards were unaware of each other's identities.

Seeing a group of strangers approaching Eunuch Cao and his party, they all instinctively assumed they were villains with ill intentions and stepped forward to be on guard. Before long, they naturally formed an encirclement.

After understanding the whole story, Eunuch Cao looked on with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, speechlessly scanning the densely packed crowd around him.

He thought to himself: So it turns out that all the pedestrians on the street are actually his own people!

A moment later, the old farmer, the peddler, and the woman stepped forward together, looking at Eunuch Cao with solemn expressions. The three of them took turns asking questions:

"Eunuch Cao, why did the Sixth Prince suddenly leave? This matter is of great importance, so please tell me the truth and do not conceal anything."

Eunuch Cao rolled his eyes, his tone tinged with frustration and helplessness: "What else could it be?"

"The city gate is completely blocked by a long queue, and with such a large group of you lying in ambush here, your progress out of the city is incredibly slow."

"His Highness grew impatient and simply took Miss Xu and left on his own."

Upon hearing this explanation,

The old farmer, the vendor, and the woman all wore expressions of embarrassment.

It turns out that after all that fuss, it was still their fault!

"So what should we do next?"

The old farmer was the first to regain his senses, gripping the dagger hidden at his waist, and said in a deep voice, "There's no point in saying more now. There's only one way: set off immediately to catch up with the Sixth Prince!"

The vendor and the farmer's wife nodded repeatedly.

The three guards quickly regrouped, and everyone packed their belongings and gave chase in the direction the Sixth Prince had gone.

Without another word, Eunuch Cao quickly climbed back into the carriage, lifted the curtain, and shouted urgently, "Don't just stand there! Commander Zuo, set off immediately and catch up with His Highness!"

Left Commander dared not delay, immediately whipping his horse to urge it on. The carriage wheels spun rapidly, following closely behind the people and horses ahead.

……

Hundreds of miles north of the capital, there is a village where, in previous years, every household would light a fire to cook around noon.

Nowadays, there are hardly any wisps of smoke rising from the village, because the area has just suffered a severe drought, resulting in a complete crop failure.

At first, the villagers could dig up wild vegetables and eat grass roots to survive, but the day-to-day famine had long since eaten away the last bit of greenery in the mountains and fields.

A dilapidated wooden house at the entrance of the village.

A gaunt man, his clothes patched and worn, staggered into the courtyard. He looked at the woman in the yard and asked in a hoarse voice, "Sister, what's your decision?"

The woman shook her head, her body weak and powerless, and replied in a dry voice, "Brother Li, you should go back. I will not agree to that matter."

Upon hearing this, the man immediately became anxious, staggered forward two steps, his chapped lips trembling uncontrollably, and pleaded in a low voice, "Girl, what time is it? Why are you still being stubborn?"

"If this continues, neither you nor your daughter will survive this famine. In the past, at least one of you could have saved your life!"

However, the woman still shook her head.

In the end, she simply closed her eyes, turned her head away, and deliberately ignored all the man's advice, refusing to listen to a single word.

Looking at her like this, the man sighed helplessly and said in a hoarse voice, "Sister, then think about it again."

"If you ever change your mind, come find me next door, and we can switch our children."

The woman did not speak.

It was as if they hadn't heard a thing.

The man said no more and silently turned and walked towards his own courtyard.

His already somewhat hunched and withered body was now bent even more deeply by the weight of despair.