Zhang He

After Yuan Ming and Zhong Yingqi had discussed it, they moved to Mucheng with the remaining Qi soldiers.

On the way, Rulan tugged at Yuan Ming's clothes and asked, "Are we going to stay with General Zhong and the others now?"

"Almost. He has the troops and power. If anything happens to She You, I will try to seize Zhong Yingqi's troops and use them to rebel."

"Ah, this isn't good." Rulan said in shock, "General Zhong treats us very well. If we really do this, we'll look like ungrateful people."

"What do you mean by ungrateful? We are." Yuan Ming said with a smile, "Shh, keep your voice down, don't let anyone overhear. My rebellion hasn't been accomplished yet, don't let it die halfway."

"You...you, really want to do this?" Rulan lowered her head and pinched the corner of Yuan Ming's clothes, looking like a child who had done something wrong.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming became playful and said, "What? Are you scared? If I succeed, you will be the first hero. This is your chance to bring honor to your family. Don't miss it."

"Can't we just do it openly? I'm afraid we'll get punished if we do this."

Yuan Ming put her hands on Rulan's shoulders with a very serious expression. Rulan thought she was going to say something important and her heart was pounding.

"Rulan, tell me, are you attracted to Zhong Yingqi?"

This shocking question hit Rulan on the head, making her unable to tell east from west.

"Why...why do you ask?"

Yuan Ming pointed at her blushing cheeks and said, "You've been praising him in front of me a lot lately. Whenever I want to do something, your first reaction is that I'm going to hurt him. You care about him so much, doesn't that mean you have a crush on him?"

"Why do you think so?"

Rulan accidentally shouted too loudly, and everyone on the road turned their eyes to her, including Zhong Yingqi who was leading the way.

"I'm fine...it's okay, stop looking at me." Rulan's voice was as thin as a mosquito. She hid behind Yuan Ming and didn't dare to stick her head out.

Zhong Yingqi, riding on a black horse, asked, "But what happened?"

Yuan Ming smiled slyly, "It's okay, I was picking up bugs with a stick and accidentally scared Rulan."

Zhong Yingqi rode his horse to their side and saw Yuan Ming holding a small branch in her hand. A large, unknown black insect was poking out from the tip of the branch.

Jiang Kai passed by, took a look and said, "Your Highness is really childlike. Even on the dusty road, he still remembers to pick insects and play with birds."

Yuan Ming said bluntly: "Old man, it's your business, just go your own way."

Jiang Kai left an angry "humph" and walked forward without looking back.

Zhong Yingqi was not angry at all, but said gently: "Your Highness and Miss Ru are tired from walking, why not ride my horse?"

Yuan Ming: "What about you?"

Zhong Yingqi: "I can hold the reins for you."

Yuan Ming nudged Rulan, who was covering her face with her hands, with his elbow and asked, "Are you tired from walking? General Zhong asked if we wanted to ride that majestic black horse."

Rulan poked one eye out and noticed Yuan Ming looking at her with a half-smile. She didn't know how he was teasing her. She shook her head vigorously, determined to dispel Yuan Ming's misunderstanding of her.

Yuan Ming said with some regret, "Thank you for your kindness, General. We don't have much road left. You are riding ahead with such impressive majesty. We must let the governor Zhang He see it, so he won't dare to look down on us."

A team of wounded soldiers really needs a commander to hold the fort. Zhong Yingqi nodded and said to Yuan Ming, "Your Highness is right. If you have any other questions, please let me know immediately. Go!"

Seeing Zhong Yingqi return to the front of the team, Rulan angrily pushed Yuan Ming away.

"Yuan Ming! Stop talking nonsense! I'm grateful to General Zhong for helping us, but I have absolutely no other ulterior motives. If you continue to smear my innocence, I'll be angry!"

"Why are you talking about innocence?" Yuan Ming said gloomily. "I just thought that if you like him and he likes you, and you two get married, I'll think twice before trying to harm him in the future. If you don't have that intention, just take the medical book back from Jiang Kai. Don't let them get away with it."

"Hmm?" Ru Lan was speechless. "You have a childish temper. Doctor Jiang has saved you several times. He has read medical books to improve his medical skills. He has not only passed on my master's medical skills, but also saved more people. This is a good thing."

"Bullshit! Zhong Yingqi is talented and famous, and he has a doctor with superb medical skills under him. Maybe in the future, more talented people will come to him. If he gets tired of being a general and wants to be the emperor, it's not impossible for him to rebel." Yuan Ming's face was gloomy. "As for me, I have nothing now. She You has his own plans, and you are the only one who follows me wholeheartedly. I want you to be stronger and more unique, what's wrong with that!"

"Yuan Ming..."

This was the first time Rulan saw such a strong sense of hostility in Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming knew he had spoken out of turn, so he turned his head away and explained, "As long as Zhong Yingqi doesn't stand in my way, I won't be so cruel as to harm him. But, Rulan, you have to understand that living at the mercy of others is worse than death. I would rather die than live like that, otherwise my life would be in vain. Now Zhong Yingqi is willing to help us, and I don't deny that he is a good man. But we can't put all our hopes on him. The difference between him being able to protect us and us being able to protect ourselves is as great as heaven and earth."

Rulan was stunned when she heard this.

Yuan Ming smiled bitterly, took Rulan's hand, and followed the main group.

"Don't tell anyone what I just said, or we won't live long."

"I understand." Rulan lowered her head and looked listless.

Yuan Ming sighed softly. She knew Rulan had a kind nature. But what she had said before was all she really thought. If Rulan wasn't prepared, she would find a reason to place her somewhere safe, to protect her from the bloody storm that would follow. Of course, it would be best if she could be prepared.

Yuan Ming touched the heavy knife at his waist and felt at ease.

After walking for a day, we finally arrived in Mucheng before sunset.

Yuan Ming put on the veil he had prepared earlier to hide his face. The military camp was full of Zhong Yingqi's men. With Zhong Yingqi's orders, Yuan Ming could act with impunity, and the soldiers wouldn't tell anyone about it. But once he arrived in Mucheng, everything was unpredictable.

I originally wanted to ask Jiang Kai to change her appearance, but when I thought of his grumpy face, I gave up. A veil hat would be more convenient.

Yuan Ming, dressed in a veil and hat, caught Zhong Yingqi's eye.

Zhong Yingqi: "Your Highness..."

Yuan Ming looked in the direction of the voice and said, "General, please tell me that I was a commoner abducted by the barbarians and was fortunately rescued by you. However, I was burned during the night raid by the Liang soldiers and my face was disfigured. I don't want to show my true appearance to others because I don't want to scare others."

"I will do as your Highness says."

Yuan Ming suddenly thought of something and looked back at Zhong Yingqi with a smile: "General, you don't have to follow my arrangements in everything. Here, the general has the final say."

Yuan Ming's last sentence was full of profound meaning. Zhong Yingqi lowered his head in thought, and when he looked up again, he saw that Yuan Ming had walked into the army, trying to hide as much as possible.

On the city wall, Zhang He, the prefect of Yanmen County, personally opened the door to welcome him.

Yuan Ming couldn't help but frown. Zhang He's gorgeous clothes exuded a greasy smell, which she could smell from a distance. And his bloated figure, squeezed by layers of fat from the brocade, showed that he had no clear awareness of his own body shape. And the huge gold rings on his fingers were dizzying.

Yuan Ming felt contempt in his heart. Zhang He was not pretending at all.

"Oh my, General Zhong has arrived. I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person. I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person."

Zhang He rolled to Zhong Yingqi like a big meatball. Yuan Ming looked at Zhong Yingqi with some amusement, thinking that he should also be shocked by Zhang He.

Zhong Yingqi's eyebrows were twisted into knots, and after a few seconds he said, "Are you Zhang He, the governor of Yanmen County?"

"That's me." Zhang He took a few steps toward Zhong Yingqi. "General, you may not know, but ever since you asked the Empress for permission, you've personally rushed to the Northern Frontier military camp to protect our Qi Kingdom, drive out the barbarians, and kill the Liang soldiers. Mucheng is nearby, and I'm deeply impressed by your words. You're someone I admire."

Zhang He wiped away his tears of excitement and continued, "My men reported that the general vowed to protect Her Royal Highness and leave the Princess. He fought the Liang army to the bitter end, and our Qi soldiers suffered heavy casualties. Therefore, the general is coming to Mucheng to rest and recuperate. Upon hearing this news, I really couldn't sleep all night, and I have been looking forward to meeting the general. Seeing him today, I can see that General Zhong is indeed a rare and handsome general of our Qi Kingdom!"

Zhang He spoke in a loud, clear, and emotional voice. Yuan Ming, who was hiding among the soldiers, couldn't help but applaud Zhang He softly.

Zhong Yingqi hesitated to speak, and finally said in a tired tone: "Zhang Taishou, the wind is strong here. Why don't we go into the city first and let my brothers rest for a while."

"Yes, yes, yes. Look at my stupid brain. How could I let you all sit here in the wind all the time? Please follow me. We have wine, meat, and medicine ready in the city. I will definitely help you wash away the dust of the journey."

Zhang He, with a smile showing his eight teeth, led everyone to the inn in the city.

The sun had set, and after dealing with Zhang He's free praise, Zhong Yingqi returned to his room in the inn.

But before he could sit down and drink a cup of cold tea to soothe his throat, there was a noise at the window. His heart, which had just relaxed, tensed up again. He shouted angrily, "Who's there?"

There was a clanging sound outside the closed window; someone was knocking on the window.

Zhong Yingqi held the sword and cautiously opened the window. He was taken aback: "Your Highness, why are you here?"

Yuan Ming's ten fingers clung tightly to the narrow edge of the window, their tips turning white. She gritted her teeth and whispered, "Hurry and pull me up! I can't hold on any longer."

Yuan Ming's bad luck paid off, and the next second her fingers slipped from the edge. In a flash, before Yuan Ming's hands were even half an inch away from the window, Zhong Yingqi firmly grabbed her with one hand.

Yuan Ming climbed back into the house through the window with great difficulty. While she was catching her breath, Zhong Yingqi handed her a cup of tea. Yuan Ming gulped down the tea and came back to life.

Zhong Yingqi was incredibly patient with Yuan Ming. He didn't ask her why she always liked to break into men's dormitories at night; that was something Jiang Kai, who had a bad relationship with Yuan Ming, would ask. He simply let a soft touch flicker in his eyes as he quietly waited for Yuan Ming to explain.

Yuan Ming glanced at Zhong Yingqi and felt that he was becoming more and more strange recently.

Yuan Ming stood up and walked to the tea table, looking straight into Zhong Yingqi's eyes. Zhong Yingqi just smiled and said nothing.