045

Wang Zhiyan was on high alert, but the man in front of her suddenly smiled and then tore something off his face.

"It's been a long time, Miss Wang."

"Mr. Song?!" Wang Zhiyan was overjoyed and strode forward: "How could it be you? What are you doing here?"

"Yueyun, just call me by my name," Song Ling frowned as she peeled off the remaining gel-like substance from her face, her features contorting for a moment. "This thing still needs some improvement."

Wang Zhiyan: "We're about the same age, so I'll take the liberty of calling you A-Ling."

"What's so inappropriate about this? You've only been here a short time. Why don't we talk?" Seeing that Wang Zhiyan was still wary of the outside, Song Ling reassured her, "No one will be here anytime soon."

Song Ling was known for her uncanny ability to predict the future, rarely making a mistake. But no sooner had she finished speaking than someone came along to slap her in the face.

"Second brother!"

"Where are you? Get your ass out here!"

A man's rough roar came from the courtyard; it sounded more like he wanted to devour someone than someone looking for them.

Song Ling pressed her tongue against her cheek, a flash of annoyance crossing her eyes.

"Bang--"

Scarface pushed open the door to come in, but unexpectedly a sword was pressed against his forehead. Damn it, his mother was good in every way, except for giving him a good height.

The man in white gave a chilling laugh: "What does Third Brother want with me?"

"Smiling tiger, you bastard—" Scarface spat as he took a step back, "It was clearly my men who got those women out, so why the hell do you take all the credit?"

"Hand him over! If anyone should be interrogated, it should be me!"

Song Ling's smile remained unchanged: "Why don't you ask the eldest brother, third brother? After all, I'm not in charge. Besides, you said that day that you didn't care whoever wanted to contact you, right?"

"you--"

Because this bastard saved the leader's life, not only was the position of second-in-command given away so easily, but even the brothers in the stronghold praised him highly. Who still remembers him as the third-in-command?

He was furious; the one-eyed man was seething with anger and felt incredibly frustrated.

"Third Master, shall we still go to the First Master's place now?"

"Go away! Go to hell!" One-Eyed kicked the courtyard gate in front of him hard. "If you're so capable, then don't make me grab you by the tail. I'll get you down sooner or later!"

The cursing and swearing outside the courtyard gradually faded away. Wang Zhiyan asked in confusion, "Will this... cause you any trouble?"

Song Ling shook her head: "No, that's just how the Third Boss is. He can't stand me, but he can't do anything about it. He just curses at me a few times, but he doesn't dare to actually do anything. Even if he really angers me, there's still the Big Boss above him to back him up."

Wang Zhiyan relaxed and had the leisure to ask her, "I haven't asked you yet, how did you end up here?"

"That's a long story." Song Ling didn't waste any more words: "To make a long story short, I saved the life of the chief of Qinglong Village when I passed through here a year ago, and also helped him with some small matters. In return, he promised me the position of the second chief. I never expected to meet your group here. I originally planned to meet you in Luoyang."

“That’s quite novel,” Wang Zhiyan said as if she had heard a joke, “There are things you haven’t considered.”

Song Ling raised an eyebrow: "Do you think I'm a god? That won't do."

After the joke was over, Wang Zhiyan casually asked, "What about those people who escorted us to the capital? Are they still alive?"

Song Ling shrugged: "Most of them are probably dead by now."

She didn't miss the strange look that flashed in Wang Zhiyan's eyes, and chuckled as she explained, "There are still a few left, currently outside the village, probably plotting to raid the village and rescue you."

Wang Zhiyan couldn't quite explain her own thoughts. She was just a guard, and her duty was to protect her master, so her hesitation was really overstepping her bounds.

"Who are the people outside the village? Can you find out, A-Ling?" But she regretted it as soon as she opened her mouth and shook her head: "I'm obsessed. Just pretend I didn't say anything."

Song Ling understood perfectly: "What you think is true. Whoever you are thinking about right now, that's who it is."

No matter how mature Wang Zhiyan was, she was still a young woman in her late twenties. When Song Ling teased her and exposed her secret, her face flushed and the tips of her ears turned pink.

"Ah Ling, when did you become like this?"

Song Ling asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

Wang Zhiyan puffed out her cheeks. Thanks to this joke, the slight awkwardness between the two of them disappeared. She was never one to suffer a loss, so she naturally didn't want to swallow the teasing. Her eyes darted around, and she asked, "How are things going between you and General Yu? I don't believe you didn't understand what I said back then. Just by looking at him, I could tell at a glance that he wasn't just looking at you innocently."

"Me?" Song Ling stammered.

To be honest, she wasn't quite sure what she was thinking either.

At that time, she convinced herself that she would agree to his proposal with the intention of changing her fate, but deep down she knew that her lifespan was shortened. If she were truly determined to change her fate, why would she need to find an excuse about marriage and destiny? Couldn't a relationship between ruler and subject work? It wasn't that she didn't know the secret arts, it was just... she wanted to find a seemingly righteous excuse for her selfish desires.

She must have had some fondness and lingering affection for the general.

Seeing that she remained silent and didn't react much, Wang Zhiyan couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. Sure enough, this person was still aloof and not easy to amuse.

"Why are you disappointed?" Song Ling came to her senses and saw that the girl next to her had so much oil hanging from her mouth. She smiled and said, "It's my fault for disappointing you. It's just not the right time yet."

"If that day ever comes, you risked being expelled from your clan to board my ship, so you'll definitely get a drink."

Wang Zhiyan immediately smiled: "I got on this boat of my own volition; nobody wants to fall into the water halfway through. By the way, I know A-Ling is good at divination; could you tell my fortune?"

Song Ling looked up in surprise: "What do you mean?"

"Um... cough cough, marriage." Wang Zhiyan was a little embarrassed: "Is that alright?"

Marriage has always been arranged by parents and matchmakers, so I always felt that her eagerness to get married implied a sense of desperation. But this matter was really important to her; if her destined husband was that man from Luoyang, she would be furious.

"You dislike the Second Prince?"

A flash of disgust crossed Wang Zhiyan's eyes: "I spent a few months in the capital two years ago and met that person a few times. How should I put it? Everyone in Luoyang says that His Majesty's second prince is so filial and virtuous, that he is handsome and upright, that he loves his wife dearly, and that he is capable in politics... I always believe what I hear but not what I see. I don't know anything about politics, but as for his character, every time I see his hypocritical and disgusting side, I naturally wish I could never have anything to do with such a person again."

She sighed: "No matter what I say, my father will naturally not believe it, and even if he did, it wouldn't affect his determination to arrange the marriage."

Song Ling listened to her complaints and smiled helplessly: "But I've never been one to care about marriage."

Wang Zhiyan asked curiously, "And what about you?"

Song Ling explained, “Naturally, it’s the same. I rarely consult the oracle. In the past two years, Mr. Lin has only consulted the oracle four times. One of those times was the day I first met you.”

Wang Zhiyan was shocked: "Me?"

"Otherwise?" Song Ling blurted out calmly, "I did some calculations the other day, and our fate is still quite deep."

"So you knew I'd be on your ship back then? You're amazing!"

Song Ling sighed and said, "What are you thinking? How could that be? It's just taking things one step at a time and thinking a few steps ahead. It's not that mysterious. However, although it can't be considered a marriage, it's okay to tell you. At most, the Second Prince is just a calamity for you, not a destiny."

As for marriage, just let your heart decide.

Wang Zhiyan: "Then I'm relieved. I was worried that if I really got married, it would be a problem how to get out of this situation."

What kind of monster is the Second Prince?

Song Ling shook her head: "I can't just stand by and watch you get married while I'm here. I have a plan for you, please listen."

A month later, Luoyang and Yunzhou received the news one after the other.

"Qinglong Village...Qinglong Village...Whose territory is this?"

Seeing the Second Prince's restrained anger, the retainers felt a pang of worry for the Governor Wang's eldest daughter. They exchanged glances, and in the midst of their eye contact, one of them suddenly felt a push on his back and stumbled forward a few steps.

Meeting the Second Prince's sharp gaze, the retainer had no time to berate his colleague and hurriedly replied, "This Qinglong Village is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is located in Wu County in the southern part of Jingzhou. The county magistrate is a new one who took office last year and is named Lü Shangwen."

The second prince's eyes were dark and unreadable: "Has a letter been sent to the governor of Jingzhou?"

"I went... but I haven't met him yet." This retainer was a newcomer to the Second Prince's residence this year. He had heard from outsiders that the Second Prince loved talent and knew how to be polite, but after actually entering the residence, he realized that this was not the case.

Unfortunately, there's no going back.

The Second Prince's residence was easy to enter but strict to leave, so he felt like he was walking on thin ice every day.

"Send a letter to the Prefect of Yunzhou, one month."

The retainer was stunned for a moment: "What?"

Before he could ask any more questions, he was pulled back by a hand from behind. The three men stepped forward to accept the order: "Your Highness, we will take care of this matter."

"Hey, Brother Zhang, why didn't you let me ask?"

The man addressed as Brother Zhang appeared to be in his forties, nearly twenty years older than the young retainer before him. After exchanging glances with the other two, he said earnestly, "Tingfang, considering you haven't been here long and we're so much older than you, let me give you a heads-up. In the Second Prince's residence, it's best to play dumb sometimes. Staying by His Highness's side means you have to be quick-witted at all times."

Having said all they needed to say, the three exchanged a mysterious glance before leaving to do their work.

Only the retainer named Tingfang remained silent, his lips pursed.

He must be a fool to have been able to become a retainer in the Second Prince's residence. But... based on his understanding of the Second Prince over the past year, he definitely couldn't have only a month to rescue the person.

The contrast is too great; everything now is completely contrary to the ambitions he had when he entered the manor.

"Your Majesty, please be careful on the road."

Luckily, he remembered the way, otherwise he would have offended the important person.

"Your Majesty, may you be well." Tingfang immediately stopped to the side and bowed his head in greeting.

"Where is Your Highness?" The voice was gentle and steady, like a clear spring flowing into the heart.

Fang Ting's ears tickled a little, and fearing that her rudeness would be noticed, she subconsciously took a small step back.