They arrived at the only inn in Nankou Town before dark.
A waiter clearing the tables spotted two carriages approaching from afar. He quickly put down the bowls and chopsticks, wiping his hands on a cloth as he hurried out to greet them.
"Honored guests, there's a stable in the rear courtyard. Let me show you the way."
Winding around the side of the building to the backyard, they saw dozens of cargo-laden carts parked in the yard.
A man, bundled up in thick cotton clothes and a hat, sat guard in the nearby woodshed.
Song Jinzhao scanned the surroundings. Confirming there were no other guards, she picked up her Lingyun Spear and alighted from the carriage.
Seeing two men, two women, and a young child of just a few years step down from the two carriages, a flicker of surprise crossed the waiter's eyes.
They all looked quite young. Were their families really at ease letting them travel so far?
Entering the main hall, the innkeeper behind the counter greeted them warmly. "Honored guests, the inn is quite full today. We only have two superior rooms left. Would you like one or two?"
Superior rooms cost twice as much as simple ones. Judging by their attire, these guests could likely afford two.
Song Jinzhao took silver from her purse. "We'll take two."
She asked casually, as if making conversation, "How come there are so many guests in the dead of winter?"
The innkeeper grinned in explanation. "The Yan family cloth merchant convoy from Anyang Prefecture is staying the night. It's fortunate their master hurried on ahead after dark, otherwise you honorable guests might have had to squeeze into just one room."
Song Jinzhao gave a slight smile and nod, then pointed to the menu board on the wall. "We'll have a lamb and tofu hotpot, a Three-Crisp Soup Pot, and send a steamed minced pork with egg to the room."
Innkeeper: "Right away, I'll have the kitchen prepare it."
Going upstairs, Song Gaoli nudged Song Qiming's arm and whispered, "Is the Yan family the innkeeper mentioned Yan Baoyi's family? They are in the cloth business."
Song Qiming's eyes held a thoughtful look. "If it is, then the master and servant we encountered on the mountain path half an hour ago might have been Yan Baoyi's father."
His son was about to be imprisoned and exiled, so the man would have rushed through the night, leaving the convoy behind.
Song Gaoli frowned uncertainly. "His father shouldn't have the power to make Prefect Meng change the verdict, right?"
Song Qiming shook his head, his tone firm. "The judgment has been passed. With our teacher keeping watch, no one can save Yan Baoyi."
Song Gaoli nodded hesitantly, setting his mind at ease.
When resting that night, Song Jinzhao mixed the ground iron powder and salt in a precise ratio, then added water to form a paste.
She divided it into fifteen portions, wrapped each in oiled paper and dipped them in oil, then wrapped them again in silk handkerchiefs thoroughly soaked in oil.
In the middle of the night, when everyone in the inn was asleep, Song Jinzhao stood by her room's window. Peering through a crack, she looked down at the backyard.
Once the man guarding the goods was snoring soundly on a pile of straw, she changed into black clothes, covered her face, and left her room.
Silently, she slipped the packets into the cloth bundles on every cart.
Oxidizing iron powder releases heat; the precise ratio controlled the time until ignition.
Cloth is highly flammable. Once the ignition point was reached, the fire would start from within, reducing all the goods to ashes in no time.
It would be done without a trace. Given the knowledge of this era, no one would ever discover the cause.
The sky gradually lightened. Watching the faint glow of dawn behind the mountains, she knew today would be clear and sunny.
After breakfast, Song Jinzhao and her four companions left the inn almost simultaneously with the Yan family convoy.
One headed south, the other north, in completely opposite directions.
