It was indeed Meng Qiao, but not the frail, trembling Meng Qiao of my memory.

Since arriving in the capital and studying martial arts for almost two months under the female master from the deputy general's family arranged by the Zhan family, she now has a rosy complexion, a resolute gaze, and walks with a powerful and imposing gait.

At first glance, he looks exactly like a dashing swordsman.

Although her skin was a bit tanned, she looked healthier, more energetic, and had an indescribable vitality.

Upon seeing the young girl in the green dress, Meng Qiao's eyes lit up with immense joy. Her smile was bold and cheerful as she strode over and easily lifted Zhan Xinjia into her arms.

"Ah Paper Girl!!"

Zhan Xinjia, who was forcibly lifted high, fell into deep thought.

Good heavens, who changed my Qiaoqiao like this? She can even see the muscles peeking out from under Qiaoqiao's sleeves.

Wow...you did a great job!! Qiao Qiao looks much better now, healthy and strong, which is much more reassuring than her previous pale, thin, malnourished, and delicate appearance.

Although being fair-skinned and thin is quite cute, it still makes people a little worried.

Anyway, judging from Zhan Xinjia's aesthetic sense, she still prefers Qiao Qiao's current appearance, at least she won't be bullied outside anymore.

well.

If it weren't for the powerful influence of the villainous female supporting character's genes on Emperor Ruyan, Zhan Xinjia would have originally wanted to develop in that direction as well. But as the unlucky heir of the female supporting character, even if she ate ten bowls in one sitting, she would still look like a poor, scrawny cabbage.

"Okay, okay, put me down."

Zhan Xinjia blushed slightly.

Not only her, but also Yan Xiyue and Yan Huishi were quite surprised.

I remember when I saw this Miss Meng in Jiangyuan County, she was timid and quiet and didn't dare to speak much. In less than two months, she was completely transformed, her spirit and energy were different.

Meng Qiao didn't stand on ceremony, and smiled as she cupped her hands in greeting to the two princes.

Her attention was still mostly on Zhan Xinjia.

"Miss Azhi, where are you going?"

"Oh, no need to be so polite. You can call me by my name or just call me Azhi. We're just strolling around. By the way, Qiaoqiao, what are you doing here all of a sudden?"

Upon hearing Zhan Xinjia's question, Meng Qiao scratched the back of her head somewhat embarrassedly.

"The tribute festival is coming soon, and my master told me to come out and get some experience running errands and doing errands. He plans to arrange for me to sneak into the palace and become a guard for the noble ladies, so I can at least get a proper job."

In the Great Sheng Dynasty, there were female martial arts instructors and female guards. For example, the secret guards who followed Yan Xiyue all year round were women. However, Zhan Xinjia had never seen her much.

After all, if she were by Yan Xiyue's side, there would be no need for the secret guards to intervene in case of danger; Zhan Xinjia would simply deliver two powerful counterattacks.

“Ah Zhi…”

It was the first time he had called her so affectionately, and Meng Qiao blushed a little, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Will you also go to the palace on the tribute festival?

"Hiss... I'll go, by the way, where are you going to take care of some business?"

"Send the roster to the Prefect of the Capital."

The Great Sheng Dynasty is currently the most powerful country in this region, with more than a dozen vassal states of varying sizes. Every year during the tribute festival, there are many foreign royal families who come to offer congratulations, and all of them must first be registered.

Meng Qiao's current female mentor was a renowned female general who had served on the battlefield. However, she later suffered an injury to her left leg and had been staying in the capital to handle security matters.

This year, she happened to entrust this matter to Qiaoqiao.

Although the roster was confidential and should not be leaked, Meng Qiao had nothing to hide from the Crown Prince and Princess standing in front of her, so she simply handed it over openly.

Yan Hui glanced at the list and immediately his expression changed drastically. He slammed the list shut and clenched it tightly in his palm.

Yan Xiyue, standing to the side, also frowned deeply, her face turning extremely pale and looking unusually unpleasant.

"How could they be here... There have never been any in previous years. What is Father thinking? Has he developed dementia?!"

"It's alright, Yue, it's okay."

When Yan Huishi returned, he gave Yan Xiyue a look, signaling her to shut up.

However, the suspicious Zhan Xinjia had already noticed something amiss.

"What's wrong? What did you see that made you so unhappy? Let me see it too."

As she spoke, she reached out to snatch the roster from Yan Huishi's hand. Unexpectedly, when she reached out, Yan Huishi awkwardly put his hands behind his back, showing great resistance.

"Don't look at it, it's nothing particularly important."

The more you try to cover it up, the more suspicious you seem.

Zhan Xinjia was puzzled, while Meng Qiao, equally confused, continued to mutter to herself.

“I’ve finalized the rest of the list, but I can’t find those guests from the Southern Kingdom at the post station. I don’t know where they went. It’s strange. Could they be visiting Prince Yan’s residence?”

Oh no!

As soon as Meng Qiao uttered those words, Yan Xiyue and Yan Huishi felt a chill run down their spines. They both nervously looked at Zhan Xinjia, staring intently at her face, afraid that she might suddenly recall some unpleasant memories.

However, Zhan Xinjia didn't even lift her eyelids, remaining completely indifferent, shrugging as if she were listening to something completely unrelated.

"The Prince Yan's residence? What are they doing at my master's house?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Qiao was slightly taken aback.

"Don't you know, Ah Zhi? Prince Yan Wuju's birth mother was from Nanjun!"

Even she knew about something that wasn't exactly a secret.

Prince Yan Wuju's mother was a princess sent by Nanjun to marry a foreign ruler many, many years ago. She was quite favored by the late emperor at the time, but she died in childbirth after giving birth to Prince Yan.

Later, when war broke out between Dasheng and Nanjun, the prince's status and position became awkward.

Moreover, because he had half of the blood of Nanjun, he was destined to be ineligible for the throne. He was even placed under house arrest by the late emperor for a considerable period of time because of his Nanjun bloodline.

This war lasted for many years, and Yan Wuju also fell seriously ill during his imprisonment, his legs becoming cold and damp, making it difficult for him to walk.

Later, General Zhan Yue led his troops to Nanjun to suppress the rebellion, and the war finally came to an end. Yan Wuju, who had been imprisoned for several years and whose legs had been completely crippled, was released and, as compensation, was granted the title of Prince.

However, after the current emperor ascended the throne, the treacherous Nanjun, still harboring wicked intentions, began to harass the people on the border and cause unrest.

Nine years ago, the two countries went to war again, until General Zhan once again led his troops to break through and completely disintegrate the alliance.

Nowadays, Nanjun is nothing more than an insignificant vassal state of Dasheng, and even its monarch is a puppet supported by Dasheng.

However, perhaps because he was afraid of being beaten, in previous years the puppet ruler of Nanjun always feigned illness and dared not come to pay tribute. Each time, he would only send someone to deliver the gifts and then leave in fear and trepidation.

This year is quite unusual; three people actually came at once.

"Prince Yan's mother was from Nanjun...?"

Zhan Xinjia unconsciously frowned.

It's strange, how come she never realized this before, and no one ever told her about it.

Most importantly, this is just an ordinary list, so why are Yan Xiyue and Yan Huishi so nervous?

Zhan Xinjia suddenly felt her heart pounding uncontrollably, the wound on her wrist throbbed with pain, and her head throbbed with pain, as if some particularly important clue or detail had slipped out of her mind.

But once she forced herself to recall, her mind went completely blank.

"Ugh... these are all such boring things, forget about them! Little sister, you're still injured, and it's so hot, why don't we find a place to sit down and rest?"

Seeing the cold sweat on Zhan Xinjia's forehead, Yan Xiyue looked worried.