"Your Highness Regent, have you seen clearly? This is our Mingyue territory." Maimaiti's lips curled into a cold smile, and even his eyes were filled with killing intent.

Seeing this, Maimaiti's men also stepped forward to show their defiance towards him.

Qi Guze glanced at them indifferently upon seeing this.

These forces were not to be feared, but he did not want to waste any more time or argue with them: "In that case, this land is yours."

After saying that, he left, deciding to go ahead and take a look at other land.

He believed that the Kingdom of the Dark Moon would have such land, or even better land.

He was just about to set off again when he saw Pei Xuan and Zhang Ting approaching on horseback in the distance.

Qi Guze frowned, realizing that there might be something else going on, so he decided to wait for them to see what had happened.

"I've finally caught up with you." Pei Xuan dismounted and, still catching his breath, immediately explained the whole story. "Zhang Ting said she wanted to come see you, and I was worried about her, so I came along too."

His concern wasn't for Qi Guze, but for Zhang Ting.

Pei Xuan was convinced that Zhang Ting was Maimaiti's spy among them, but he had no evidence. Perhaps he could uncover something fishy today.

At this moment, Zhang Ting also dismounted and hurriedly stepped forward to ask, "Your Highness, how is it?"

Qi Guze gave Zhang Ting a meaningful look, but didn't say anything.

"I thought you were new here and didn't know much about the land of the Dark Moon Kingdom, so I thought I'd come and help you. Maybe I can help you find a better place," Zhang Ting quickly explained.

Her eyes were full of love as she looked at Qi Guze.

Maimaiti gave the two of them a meaningful look, then asked, "Your Highness the Regent's connections are indeed extensive; you even know people from the Dark Moon Kingdom. May I ask how you two met?"

"I really have to thank General Maimaiti for making the connection. Zhang Ting happened to save my life that time," Qi Guze said, acknowledging their relationship and giving Maimaiti a faint look in return.

He did want to repay Zhang Ting for saving his life, but he didn't feel that it was something he couldn't say out loud.

Zhang Ting, fearing being discovered, glanced nervously at Maimaiti.

It was precisely this glance that Pei Xuan caught.

Seeing their reactions, Pei Xuan immediately realized that the relationship between Maimaiti and Zhang Ting was definitely not ordinary.

He asked, "Zhang Ting, your maternal family are also from the Mingyue Kingdom and serve as officials in the court. You should know General Maimaiti, right?"

When Zhang Ting heard them mention her maternal grandparents' home, her eyes filled with panic, and she stammered, "Yes...yes..."

Maimaiti, who was standing nearby, also saw this. In order to prevent Zhang Ting from revealing any flaws, he interrupted Pei Xuan.

“This general and Zhang Ting do know each other because our two families are old friends. Is there any rule that says we can’t know each other?” Maimaiti showed no sign of panic.

Upon hearing this, Pei Xuan couldn't help but press further: "Then why didn't you ask General Maimaiti for help when you said your family had encountered some trouble, and instead came to us instead?"

"I...I..." Zhang Ting couldn't give a coherent answer.

Her eyes darted away, and she even subconsciously sought help from Maimaiti.

Maimaiti immediately explained, "This matter is a secret of our Mingyue Kingdom. Her maternal grandfather was ordered to inspect the northern border, so naturally he could not announce it to the world. Today, I really don't want you to misunderstand her, so I decided to speak out. I hope that the Regent and Lord Pei can keep this a secret."

"Oh? Miss Zhang Ting was on the verge of death that day, how come she's now on official business?" Pei Xuan immediately noticed the loophole.

Having come from the Dali Temple, he naturally knew how to find loopholes in the case.

Maimaiti's face immediately turned cold: "This concerns the Mingyue Kingdom, so it's not something you Central Plains people can interfere with."

Qi Guze and Pei Xuan felt increasingly uneasy about the two of them. Moreover, when they asked Zhang Ting, she hesitated and couldn't answer, eventually having Maimaiti do it for her.

This Maimaitisu looks down on others, yet he keeps protecting Zhang Ting, which makes them wonder.

It seems there's definitely something fishy going on between these two.

So the two exchanged a glance and decided to take the opportunity to shake off the two men.

Meanwhile, Marquis Ningyuan, having failed in his first scheme, devised another, but all of them failed. In desperation, he sent men to hunt down Zhou Wan and Tie Xiong, while he himself went to the Eastern Palace.

At that moment, Ah Qi was practicing calligraphy on Xuan paper. When she saw Ning Yuanhou rushing in angrily, she only slightly raised her eyes, without saying a word, and didn't even stop what she was doing.

Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Marquis Ningyuan was even more furious and said impatiently, "The outside world is already in complete chaos, and you still have the leisure to practice calligraphy here? When Qi Guze returns from the peace talks with Mingyue Kingdom, let's see how you, the fake crown prince, will conduct yourself!"

His words were laced with anger.

“Why are you in such a hurry, Lord Marquis? Whether Qi Guze can reach an agreement with Mingyue or not, in the end we still need to give our approval. Besides, Maimaiti is with him now, so he will naturally learn all these things. When he leaves, we can talk to Maimaiti again.” Aqi was not in a hurry.

With Maimaiti causing trouble for Qi Guze on Mingyue's side, he only needs to handle the troubles in the capital.

He pondered for a moment, put down his brush, and asked, "How is things going with Xu Yuehuai?"

“The people sent by the Duke of Zhenguo didn’t find out anything. However, Zhou Wan and Tie Xiong also went to Luoping Village to inquire. Although I sent people to stop them, it hasn’t been very effective.” Marquis Ningyuan’s emotions had calmed down a bit, and he suddenly spoke again, “From Mingyue Kingdom, Maimaiti sent a letter asking me to arrange a marriage for Xu Yuehuai. I’ve already been there once, but she didn’t agree.”

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Ah Qi's mouth.

He knew Xu Yuehuai's temperament; it was already good enough that he disagreed. If he really angered her, she would definitely kick him out.

He suddenly realized the problem and asked, "Why would Maimaiti make such a request?"

Marquis Ningyuan briefly recounted the events of the past few days, then asked, "You've spent so much time with Xu Yuehuai, you should know her character. Tell me, how can we make her accept another man?"

Ah Qi paused.

It seems that Xu Yuehuai is now their most important link.

"It's absolutely impossible to get her to marry someone else willingly; we'll have to outsmart her." A smug smile crept onto Ah Qi's lips.