A message was sent to the border troops of the Wei Dynasty. In order to prevent the other side from misunderstanding and causing a war, a team of Wuman knights retreated from the mountain.

The scouts of the Wei border army reported that the barbarians had retreated, so the border army also withdrew and returned to the barracks.

On the Wuman side, the knights followed their new king and rode down the hill. Instead of returning to the camp, they climbed another hill. This hill was a little far from the Wei border, so it was not convenient to occupy it during a war. But now that there was no war, standing here in the dense forest, it was very convenient to see the situation on the Wei border.

Look, the military camp over there has a fire burning all night long, and the fire can be seen for ten miles without being extinguished.

The hooded Wuman King rode on a tall horse, with his arms folded and looking ahead.

A knight behind him said, "Your Majesty, why don't you just ask those Wei people to send their princess back? Your Majesty came here specifically for the princess, didn't you?"

King Wuman, whose face was hidden under his hood, sneered when he heard this.

His name is Meng Zaishi.

He was the eldest son of the previous King Wuman, whom Princess Danyang married.

A year ago, Wuman was in turmoil. The successor Wuman King died and the princess passed away. Meng Zaishi was also supposed to die in the war.

Meng Zaishi answered irrelevantly: "The people of Wei will definitely send someone to inquire about the details tomorrow. Then I will say that I am just a clan member of the previous king. Let the people of Wei think that the family of the previous king is dead, and I am just a petty thief who took advantage of the chaos to ascend the throne."

Someone immediately said, "Your Majesty is a brave man, the savior of our Wuman people! How can you compare to a petty thief?!"

Meng Zaishi stared at the brightly lit direction of the Wei border troops and did not respond to his subordinates' flattery.

It makes the person who is flattering feel a little embarrassed.

The other man glared at the person who failed to flatter the right person, and asked cautiously: "Since the king wanted to deceive the people of Wei, why did he pass the message to Princess Danyang? If Princess Danyang knew who the king was, wouldn't the emperor of Wei also know it?"

Meng Zaishi said calmly: "That may not be the case. Our princess may not be on the same page with her father. I want to see if she will tell the Emperor of Wei that I am still alive, so that the Emperor of Wei will be on guard early. I bet she won't.

"Our former queen is no ordinary woman."

At this moment, the subordinates behind him all lowered their heads and dared not speak. The relationship between Meng Zaishi and the former Queen of Wuman...even as a subordinate, he should have been ignorant.

And they really didn't know.

I've only vaguely heard some rumors.

Everyone looked towards the direction of the Wei army. Suddenly, they saw cavalry sneaking down the mountain towards the Wei army. There was no sound of horse hooves because the hooves were wrapped in cloth. Although their movements were hindered, they avoided the detection of the Wei army.

This line of troops went into the woods, apparently intending to do something to the Wei border troops at night.

King Wuman stood high above, staring with narrowed eyes.

A subordinate behind him said excitedly: "It seems that the news your Majesty has received is true! The King of the Southern Barbarians really can't help it and wants to harass the Wei border troops tonight and seize their food and land!"

There are five tribes of southern barbarians, and Wuman is just one of them.

The Nanman also had a king, but the five Nanman tribes did not listen to the king. However, the news from the Wei Dynasty was delayed, and they did not know that in recent years, there was a young king in the Nanman who worked hard and was growing up. This young king was determined to subdue the five Nanman tribes and conquer the Wei Dynasty! And when the Wei Dynasty did not know, this young king had already begun to fight and sweep the entire Nanman land!

Tonight the young King of the Southern Barbarians will send his troops to harass the border troops of the Wei Dynasty.

Meng Zaishi was just standing on a high place on his horse, watching the battle quietly starting below. He smiled and said, "It seems that the young king really wants to conquer the five tribes. He hasn't conquered the five tribes yet, but he wants to get some benefits from Wei? He is indeed young and brave."

The subordinate said: "Of course not as good as you, my king!"

The subordinate said, "The Wei border troops have been discussing countermeasures tonight because of our arrival. The army sent by the Nanman King tonight may really catch Wei off guard. Your Majesty, although we have not surrendered to the Nanman King, we are also Nanman people, right? Should we follow him and take advantage of the opportunity to reap some benefits?"

The soldiers behind him were eager to try after hearing this. They were brave and warlike, and seeing the benefits to be gained, of course, they couldn't contain their excitement.

Meng Zaishi said calmly: "If you want to go, go ahead."

Seeing that the king had no objection, several subordinates immediately stepped out, rode down the mountain, and went to reunite their own men.

However, there were also some subordinates who could read the king's expression. Seeing that the king did not make any comment, they gritted their teeth and suppressed their greed, followed behind the king, and together with the king, looked down at the people below who were making trouble at night.

Some people were puzzled: "Your Majesty, why don't you want to do something that will obviously benefit you?"

Meng Zaishi got off his horse, standing tall in a black robe. He raised his arm and pointed in the direction of Wei: "Stealing and robbing are only temporary. It's ridiculous to do this for the rest of your life."

The people behind him looked at each other, not understanding what the king said.

They listened to Meng Zaishi, who rested his chin on his hand and said thoughtfully, "For so many years, we ate food when we had it, and went to Wei to rob when we didn't. The entire Nanman is like this. Because we have been fighting for many years, we are all good at fighting. The most powerful army of Wei is the border army, but the border army is not worth mentioning in our eyes.

"Since we are so strong, why can't we be as rich as Wei? Why are our people so stupid? Why are our houses not as strong as Wei's? Why do we keep fighting for years? Do we only want Wei's precious jewels and beautiful women?"

Meng Zaishi turned around and looked at the people behind him who were looking at each other in surprise.

He smiled faintly: "Originally I wanted to know the answer from Princess Danyang. Unfortunately, she is an untrustworthy collaborator. Then I had to change the method and let the King of the South Barbarians do the experiment.

"I swear here! In my lifetime, I want to be more than just the King of Wuman. I want to be the king of all Nanman. I want to lead my people out of their current state. I want us to become as powerful as the Wei Dynasty, or even surpass it!"

Under the starry night, the knights dismounted and knelt at the feet of their king. They worshiped with pious hearts, and they had a premonition that -

The most powerful king, the man in front of them, will lead them to a different future!

-----

The border troops were once again harassed by the barbarians, but it did not attract much attention. This was the reason for the border troops' existence.

The list of young talents selected by each state was sent to Chang'an at full speed. These were the people who would take part in the imperial examination next year.

After a long journey, the news that Wuman had a new king was sent to Chang'an, which marked the beginning of new changes in the land of Nanman.

And it was raining again in Lingnan, and the rain was as heavy as sorrow.

At dusk, Mu Wanyao was still taking a nap. He had been infected with miasma a few days ago, and his body had not fully recovered. He needed sleep to recuperate.

In her drowsy sleep, she had nightmares about the past, which made her back sweat and her heart beat rapidly. She was trapped in the nightmare and couldn't wake up. Suddenly, a clear reading voice woke her up from her dream.

The gauze curtains were vast, and Mu Wanyao sat on the bed in a daze, frowning as he listened to the sound of reading outside.

"Big rat, big rat, don't eat my millet..."

It often repeats itself, and the sound is as clear as rain.

Mu Wan shook her long hair, pulled aside the curtains, and looked gloomy. She knew that it was the annoying Yan Shisheng who was reading again!

Reading again!

She lifted the curtain, stood up, and pushed open the window. As expected, she saw the young scholar sitting in the corridor, holding a book and studying hard. Mu Wanyao was about to scold him for reading too loudly, but she saw a drop of rain flying sideways and splashing on his eyelashes in the drizzle of the evening rain.

His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he raised his hand to wipe away the water stains on his eyelashes. He looked up at the drizzling rain, sitting quietly.

His back is dignified, his profile is elegant, and his temperament is as vast and boundless as distant mountains and clear water.

Mu Wanyao couldn't help but stare in amazement.

... How could a good temperament that only children of noble families can develop appear in a Lingnan country bumpkin? Is reading so magical?

But he doesn't seem to be very good at studying.

Yan Shisheng looked at the rain for a while, and then put his heart back on the book in his hand. Just as he was about to continue, a fan flew from behind and hit him on the back of the head.

Yan Shisheng: “Hey.”

He was knocked down and fell. He turned around and hurriedly put away the fan. He saw that it was a feather fan inlaid with many pearls. This fan was the one that Mu Wanyao often used. He held the fan and looked up. Sure enough, he saw the red skirt swaying, and Mu Wanyao walked towards him along the corridor with her waist swaying.

She scolded him: "When you read, you should speak in a low voice and try to find the meaning. Don't be like the village students who shout loudly!"

Yan Shisheng looked helpless, and stood up to return the fan to her. He said, "I have learned your lesson."

...Actually, he didn't read very loudly.

But I guess the quarrel lasted until dusk.

Seeing that the princess had no other instructions, Yan Shisheng sat down again, this time silently reading his book. The raindrops dripped, and Yan Shisheng's back was tense. He took a moment to think about why the princess didn't leave.

She was standing behind him, what was she doing?

There were twinkling lights in Mu Wan's eyes as she waved her feather fan slowly.

She asked coldly: "Yan Shisheng, do you want to go to Chang'an?"

Yan Shisheng replied: "Yes."

He wanted to stand up and face her, but Mu Wanyao held his shoulders from behind, preventing him from facing her. She held him down and asked him to talk to her. The girl put her hand on his shoulder and stood behind him, observing him. Yan Shisheng had a strange look on his face and felt a little uncomfortable.

Mu Wan shook: "Do you want to be an official?"

Yan Shisheng paused and said slowly: "Yes."

Mu Wan was puzzled: "Why? Didn't you say you don't like fame and power? Then what kind of official do you want to be?"

Yan Shisheng said nothing.

Mu Wan poked him on the shoulder, gently, flirting. Her voice was like mist and rain, with a hint of seduction: "I want to ask you a question. Can you tell me the truth? Is it so difficult for you to tell the truth?"

Yan Shisheng chuckled.

He looked at the rain and sighed, "It's not that I don't tell the truth, but the truth is so ridiculous that no one believes it."

Mu Wanyao said playfully, "Maybe I will believe it?"

Yan Shisheng was silent.

Mu Wan hooked his shoulder and poked him again. Like a fish tail sweeping a pool of clear water, starting from the shoulder, Yan Shisheng was almost numb from her poking.

His face flushed and he tried to get up several times, but she forced him to sit down.

He had no choice but to sit up straight, looking at the drizzling rain between heaven and earth, and answered softly: "Then I will only say this once. If Your Highness asks me again in the future, I will not admit it again."

Mu Wan shook his head and said with a smile: "Go ahead."

Under the evening rain, she heard Yan Shisheng's soft voice: "Your Highness, have you ever seen 'frozen corpses on the road', have you ever seen 'the common people are so cold that they are beyond salvation'? When I was young, my mother was still alive. My brothers and sisters followed them to study in the south. We encountered severe droughts and cannibalism. My father said that the world is unkind and such hard-working people are everywhere.

"As I grew older, I saw more. I couldn't help but wonder, what can I do for the world? I am just a scholar, trapped in a remote corner of Lingnan. I want to change the world. Apart from taking the imperial examinations or becoming an official, I have no other options.

"I want the world to be peaceful and prosperous, and the people to be unyielding. I want neighbors to be tolerant and the world to be peaceful. I have no choice but to be an official."

The scholar is full of vigor and the youth is full of passion. Yan Shisheng said softly: "Princess, did you hear the "Big Rat" I just read?"

The evening rain was like sand, and the two of them were in the rain, one sitting and the other standing. The young scholar sat in front, and the young princess put her shoulder on his shoulder. The two people's voices overlapped in the rain, one in front and one behind:

"Big rat, big rat, don't eat my seedlings! I have been feeding you for three years, but you are not willing to work for me. I am leaving you and going to the happy suburbs. Happy suburbs, happy suburbs, who will cry for you forever?"

——Lejiao, ah Lejiao, where on earth is it? !

Reading this poem with him, Mu Wanyao was filled with excitement, unable to contain her emotions. She hugged his shoulders, leaned over from behind, and kissed him gently on the cheek.