The leader of the reinforcements was Tuoba Ling, a general from a humble background who was not without support in the Western Qiang. He did not take Jiang Chengyou's harsh scolding to heart.

But the men he sent to scout in the morning had just returned with news that many soldiers had come to the village, and the villagers were also very fierce, already armed with all sorts of weapons and ready for battle.

Now that Jiang Chengyou is scolding him like this, he has to tell him the information he has found out, otherwise he cannot bear the responsibility if it delays important matters.

“Your Highness, the village at the foot of the mountain is now guarded by thousands of soldiers, and the villagers do not seem to be easy to deal with. I suggest we find another way,” Tuoba Ling said respectfully, his eyes lowered.

After venting his anger, Jiang Chengyou felt less aggrieved and sneered, "Now you know they're not easy to deal with? Do you think I don't want to try a different approach?"

Tuoba Ling remained silent, but Liu Ruyi's men entered the tent at that moment.

"Your Highness, our people have discovered that Jiang Qinyu and her family have entered the city and are no longer in Dingshui Village. My master requests Your Highness's advice."

Jiang Chengyou suddenly looked at the man and asked, "What does your master mean? Is she going to quit on behalf of this prince?"

He never intended for his own people to capture anyone; instead, he made a deal with the Emperor of Da Yue.

Emperor Jingqing sent Liu Ruyi to coordinate with him. Everything had been going smoothly until this time when they were careless and allowed A Ping and his men to sneak into the camp.

But now Liu Ruyi is actually asking him to make a decision. What kind of trouble is that woman up to now?

“My mistress said that Your Highness’s reinforcements have arrived, and it is inconvenient for her to intervene further. From now on, she will only assist from the sidelines. We will try our best to meet Your Highness’s needs,” the man said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Jiang Chengyou's face was grim. Didn't this mean he still had to solve the problem himself?

But he wasn't familiar with Dayue, and none of the reinforcements knew much about Dayue either. Liu Ruyi was clearly making things difficult for him on purpose!

Jiang Chengyou said coldly, "Go back and tell your master that if she doesn't do what she's supposed to do, I don't mind writing to His Majesty the Emperor of your country and asking him to find someone else to cooperate with me."

The messenger's expression hardened, he bowed and took his leave.

She hurried to Liu Ruyi's tent and relayed Jiang Chengyou's words.

"Heh, who does he think he is? The Emperor is just trying to use him. Does he really think we can't do without him?" Liu Ruyi said contemptuously.

The tiny Western Qiang, who had to ally with the Dayuan to attack the Great Yue, actually dared to threaten her. Had he forgotten whose territory he was on?

Liu Ruyi's heart stirred slightly, and she said to the maid, "Send a message to the Emperor, saying that the Fifth Prince of Xiqiang wants to capture Jiang Qinyu and take her for his own use."

"Yes," the maid replied and withdrew.

Liu Ruyi looked out of the tent with a playful smile, "So what if you discovered a high-yield crop? So what if you can use a trick to make people think you're a monster? This world still belongs to the emperor!"

She used to not understand the thoughts of those in power, but after she started working for the emperor, she understood some principles better than anyone else.

Those in power don't care how much you do for the people; all they care about is what benefits you bring them.

As for Jiang Qinyu, the Emperor might have initially wanted to use her to bring down Lu Yanzheng, but after realizing her usefulness, he saw more than that.

She, Liu Ruyi, wanted to prove to Lu Yanzheng, Jiang Qinyu, and the others that she was the most outstanding woman!

Thinking of Lu Yanzheng, Liu Ruyi felt a surge of resentment. He was the man she had her eye on, but he had never given her a second glance!

Heh, one day they'll all regret it.

...

Since moving to the city, Jiang Qinyu has enjoyed a few peaceful days. Even Old Man Lu and Madam Chen, who were initially anxious and idle, have become calm and proactive.

Specifically, Old Lu picked up his old craft again—he had learned a few days from a bamboo craftsman when he was young and had some skill in turning bamboo into things that could be used by every household.

Coincidentally, there is now a small bamboo grove in their courtyard, which gives Old Man Lu room to do his thing, and also provides a place for Grandpa Lu and Confucian Qin to pass the time.

As for Chen, she was never idle. She managed to cultivate a small vegetable garden in the backyard, sowed seeds, and would run to the garden to catch insects whenever she had free time, making the backyard the place with the fewest mosquitoes in the whole family.

Jiang Qinyu was happy to see this happen. It's normal for older people to be restless. As long as they can find something they like to do, it's a good thing for the younger generation.

Shufan and Pan'er were finally able to settle down and study, unlike when they were in the village where all the children studied together and the children who were just beginning their education would come to ask for help from time to time.

Wei Chengzong would come to Jiang Qinyu's house every day to check on her, mainly because he was worried and needed to see with his own eyes that they were all well before he could sleep.

When Wei Chengzhong arrived that day, his face looked very grim.

"Lord Wei, what is this...?" Jiang Qinyu looked at him in surprise.

Wei Chengzong handed her a notice, saying, "Madam, please take a look at this first."

Jiang Qinyu took the document, scanned it, and immediately frowned. "Liu Ruyi told the court that I am a monster? The emperor not only believed it, but also ordered all the people of the land to come and punish me?"

She was almost laughing out loud! What kind of bizarre line of thinking is this?

Wei Chengzong's expression was very serious. "Madam, this matter is of utmost importance. We must not take it lightly."

Jiang Qinyu's expression hardened, and she looked at him, asking, "What does Lord Wei think?"

She forgot that this was ancient times, an era of feudalistic thinking and extreme superstition among the people.

If no one points the finger at her as a monster, the people will naturally not think much of it. But once the imperial court concludes that she is a monster... then she probably won't be able to go out anymore.

"I believe that Madam should first conceal her whereabouts and make further plans after this matter has passed," Wei Chengzhong said earnestly.

Many people know that Jiang Qinyu lives here, but the current situation clearly makes it unsuitable for her to continue living here.

Jiang Qinyu frowned. "You want me to hide?"

She did nothing wrong, and on the contrary, she helped the people of the Northwest countless times. Why is she hiding?

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Madam," Wei Chengzong sighed. "There's really no other way at the moment."

Most of the people are ignorant, and since the lady is a woman, and the court has issued a proclamation throughout the country, the news will soon spread throughout the four northwestern prefectures, at which point the lady's situation will only become more difficult.

Jiang Qinyu chuckled, "Lord Wei, if I really hide, it will only further solidify the reputation that the court has imposed on me."

She hasn't done anything wrong, so why should she hide?

“But Madam…” Wei Chengzhong wanted to persuade her further, but Yunzhu interrupted him.