After escaping the Kingdom of Gaochang, Lanzhi, following her father's guards, traveled eastward into the desert after overcoming numerous hardships.

They accidentally stumbled into the lair of a band of horse bandits and killed them all!

Everyone was finally able to enjoy a satisfying meal in peace.

Having endured the hardships of the journey and finally found a place to settle down, some people were no longer willing to follow Lanzhi to Dahan.

Lanzhi did not insist on this, but led the remaining men to continue towards the Han Dynasty.

But after walking for a long time, they still hadn't escaped the vast desert.

Those guards of the Crown Prince's palace had never suffered such hardship. Unable to endure it, they deserted their posts and joined the bandits in the desert.

In the end, Lanzhi had less than ten guards left by her side, and there was no more food or water. Looking at the endless desert in front of her, Lanzhi began to waver.

If I continue like this, I'm afraid I'll be trapped and die in this vast desert before I even reach the Han Dynasty.

Coincidentally, they came across a bandit stronghold, so they sneaked over and killed the bandit leader and his gang.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the last dozen or so people around Lanzhi were unwilling to follow her to the Han Dynasty and urged her to stay.

Seeing this, Lanzhi knew that she probably wouldn't be able to reach the Han territory on her own.

Moreover, what his subordinates said made sense; it's better to rely on yourself than on others. So Lanzhi agreed to his subordinates' request and stayed in the desert to become a bandit.

With just a dozen or so personal guards, Lanzhi quickly built up a sizable band of bandits. While roaming the desert, she also sent people to contact her former guards and created a so-called bandit alliance, with herself becoming the nominal leader of the bandits.

Initially, under Lanzhi's organization and discipline, the bandits knew what was important and only robbed people of their valuables without harming them. In addition, Lanzhi had written down a method for refining glass, which enabled the bandits to acquire a large amount of wealth in a very short time.

Thus, after more than two years of development and recruitment, the number of bandits in the desert increased and their power grew. However, Lanzhi gradually realized that she seemed to have lost her voice.

Although they appeared very respectful to him on the surface, they always made excuses no matter what he said, especially when Lanzhi asked them to organize their men to fight back to Gaochang and restore the country, they flatly refused.

Lanzhi also understood that she had lost her power to control them.

The only consolation was that these people seemed to still have a conscience and did not do anything too outrageous to her. So, Lanzhi had no choice but to stay in the bandits' den.

Meanwhile, the guards who had gained power and wealth began to let themselves go. Without any restraint, they started to resemble real bandits, committing murder, robbery, and all sorts of evil deeds.

Lan Zhi also realized that these people had changed. Even if they helped her restore her country, they would only bring disaster to her country!

And so, Lanzhi kept trying to find a way to escape, but the bandits were worried that she would attract the Han army, so they kept her under house arrest there, preventing her from finding an opportunity.

It wasn't until one night, when Li Jue led his men in and stormed in, that she was finally freed from the bandits' clutches.

The scene of the memory ends here, and Lanzhi, sitting on the bed, is now in tears.

"Thump thump thump!!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Lanzhi quickly put away the jade pendant and carefully placed it in her bosom.

"Squeak~"

Lanzhi quietly went to the door and opened it, only to find that standing outside was Zhang Xiu, the young military officer she had met outside the city earlier that day.

"May I ask what brings this general here?"

"Prefect Xun learned that the young lady is a princess of Gaochang, so he specifically ordered me to come and be responsible for her safety!"

Although Zhang Xiu spoke very politely, Lanzhi sensed a hint of undeniable authority in his words.

It looks like they're planning to put themselves under house arrest!

Thinking of this, Lanzhi's expression changed, and then she looked at Zhang Xiu and asked softly, "May I ask if I may meet Prefect Xun and General Li?"

Zhang Xiu shook his head. "No! It's better for you to stay here."

Thinking that she had finally made it to the Han Dynasty, and was about to be placed under house arrest before she had even done anything, Lanzhi said anxiously with resentment:

"But General Li once promised this young lady... he..."

Seeing this, Zhang Xiu interrupted her without hesitation, saying coldly, "Miss, please don't say any more. Please leave!"

"I... okay!!"

Lanzhi paused for a moment, then nodded helplessly, closed the door, and went back inside.

"You two stay here and wait!"

"promise!!"

After giving instructions to two soldiers, Zhang Xiu glanced at the door and then turned and left.

From Lan Zhi's behavior just now, he realized that this woman did indeed have some purpose.

Lanzhi returned to her bed and began to ponder deeply.

"Could it be that they suspect something?" Lan Zhi frowned slightly, thinking to herself.

Thinking about the change in Zhang Xiu's attitude towards her today, Lanzhi couldn't help but understand why Li Jue insisted on keeping her by his side in the first place. It seemed that it wasn't just about making her his guide.

Rather, from the moment Li Jue discovered him, they already had the idea of ​​placing him under house arrest, because he was still of great value to the Han army.

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