When they checked the cargo, it was fresh goods: fish, meat, wheat, and potatoes.
The driver pleaded that if they waited until the gate reopened the next day, the fish and meat would spoil.
So they made him write and sign a document with his full name and address, and as an emergency exception, allowed the wagon to pass through.
The mansion had been lively with people coming and going during the evening party.
That much movement wasn't suspicious on its own.
However, Jihl found the wagon from the capital very suspicious.
It wasn't about logic—it was a gut feeling.
From the moment tonight's gathering was planned, everything must have already been arranged.
Bao Bei was probably hidden in a false floor or secret compartment of that wagon.
Jihl gathered his knights and immediately rode his horse at full speed to the city gate to chase after that very wagon.
The enemy seemed to have expected pursuit and left behind very few traces, making tracking difficult.
