"Lanzhi girl?? She..."

Upon hearing the Emperor suddenly mention Lanzhi, Zhang Xiu looked at the Emperor in astonishment, opened his mouth, and was somewhat at a loss for words.

"What I mean is, what kind of person is she?"

Zhang Xiu's appearance amused Liu Hong.

Zhang Xiu stammered, "Oh... Although Miss Lanzhi has suffered a great calamity and has some connection with the bandits in the desert, and wants the Han Dynasty to help her restore her country, I think she is a kind person!"

"Hmm? What makes you say that? Is it because she's pretty?"

Liu Hong looked at Zhang Xiu with a scrutinizing gaze. Beauty is poison, and Liu Hong did not want his trusted general to be bewitched by this Lan Zhi.

"Your Majesty, I have no such intention. Even if she were a celestial maiden, in my eyes she would be nothing more than a beautiful skeleton! If she were to do anything to harm Your Majesty, I would personally kill her!"

Meeting the emperor's cold gaze, Zhang Xiu was startled and quickly knelt on one knee before Liu Hong, his words without the slightest hesitation.

"Haha~ Heroes have always loved beauties, and everyone likes beauties. I know your loyalty to me! Besides, she is now an envoy of a country, how can she be killed so easily?"

Liu Hong was very satisfied with Zhang Xiu's performance. Through Xun You's message and the reports from his spies along the way, Liu Hong could tell that Zhang Xiu did indeed have some interest in Lan Zhi.

However, for the sake of his future plans to proceed smoothly, it was still necessary to give Zhang Xiu a warning to remind him to distinguish between primary and secondary matters.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! I will fight only for Your Majesty in this life, and I will never be burdened by others!!"

Zhang Xiu had a pretty good idea of ​​the meaning behind the emperor's words: "Beauty is a curse." This was a reminder not to let the allure of beautiful women cloud his judgment.

Seeing that Zhang Xiu understood his thoughts, Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction and said with a smile:

"Alright!! Tell me, how did you come to the conclusion that she is a kind person?"

"That's right. I once rescued some women from the bandits' lair in the desert, but I later learned that most of them were spared from being violated by those bandits because of Lanzhi's protection!"

"Oh? Bandits can listen to her?"

Liu Hong couldn't help but look at Zhang Xiu with some curiosity. If the bandits were so obedient, Lanzhi wouldn't have been imprisoned in the desert.

"No, it's because Lanzhi told the bandits that those women are very valuable in our Great Han, but they must be virgins, so the bandits didn't violate them!"

"Hmm, I see!!"

Liu Hong nodded, thinking that those women had now married his soldiers, and since they were still virgins, it wasn't a bad thing for them.

"Furthermore, as we traveled from Jincheng together, whenever we saw refugees on the roadside, a trace of sorrow would appear in her eyes, showing great sympathy for those people!"

Moreover, the reason she so desperately wanted our Han Dynasty to help her restore her kingdom was because her uncle was an extremely cruel person... Perhaps she wasn't so much obsessed with the throne of Gaochang, but rather worried about the people of Gaochang!

Liu Hong smiled slightly and looked at Zhang Xiu, "Hmm~, so you think she's still kind at heart?"

Zhang Xiu said somewhat uncertainly, "This is just my feeling; I'm not sure if she's just putting on an act!"

Liu Hong nodded, and then asked, "In that case, do you think our Han Dynasty should send troops to help her?"

"Now is not the time!"

Zhang Xiu said without hesitation.

"Oh? Why?"

Seeing Zhang Xiu's resolute expression, Liu Hong couldn't help but be a little surprised. He had just been praising her so much, how could she change her mind so suddenly?

"Gaochang Kingdom is far away from our Han Dynasty, and we do not know much about the situation there. Sending troops on a distant expedition would be too costly and not worth the effort!"

"You're right, let's leave it at that for now! We'll discuss sending troops later!"

Liu Hong nodded, agreeing with Zhang Xiu's statement. His goal was to completely incorporate the Western Regions into the territory of the Han Dynasty. Although he could easily help Lanzhi restore her kingdom at present, the hearts of the people did not belong to the Han Dynasty, and such matters required further planning.

"By the way, I intend to summon your master to Luoyang. I wonder if you would be willing to go?"

Then Liu Hong remembered Tong Yuan, the master of spearmanship, and couldn't help but think of recruiting him.

"Your Majesty, my master had already begun his travels when I descended the mountain, saying he was searching for the true successor of the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear. Therefore, I have no idea where my master is now!"

"I see! Since we can't find your master, how about Zhang Qing goes to the Imperial Guard and takes charge of teaching the trainees marksmanship?"

Hearing that even Zhang Xiu didn't know Tong Yuan's whereabouts, Liu Hong felt a little disappointed, but he quickly came to terms with it. If his master couldn't come, his disciple would do.

"Your Majesty, I will obey your command!"

Zhang Xiu couldn't help but show a look of joy. Although he was certain that he would enter the Imperial Guard, he never expected to do so as an instructor. Just thinking about the scene of His Majesty's confidants calling him instructor made Zhang Xiu feel a little excited.

"Then you should go back and make your preparations. Report to the Imperial Guard tomorrow. As for Lanzhi, leave her to the Grand Herald to arrange things for her!"

"Your Majesty, I take my leave!"

Watching Zhang Xiu's departing figure, Liu Hong couldn't help but sigh. He turned back to his desk and, unusually, didn't deal with government affairs, but instead sat there in a daze.

Before long, Xi Zhicai arrived outside Deyang Palace with a list of eliminated members of the Imperial Guard.

Xi Zhicai looked at Song Dian, who was serving at the palace gate, and asked, "Is His Majesty inside?"

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