Haoyue Kingdom
It would take more than half a month for a carriage to travel from the border of Qingzhou Prefecture to the Panshi Imperial City. Adding the more than 20 days wasted on express horses delivering letters back and forth, there were less than two months left before the envoy negotiations.
The atmosphere along the way was also very tense. Song Lin and Captain Song took turns driving the carriage and never let the Mirror Users take the opportunity to get close. Even when they stayed in a hotel, they were divided into two groups and kept an eye on each other.
Both sides were on high alert, their weapons tightly grasped, ready to kill the other at any moment.
Pei Zhiyuan originally thought that the uncle and nephew Song Lin were just martial artists with better martial arts skills than ordinary constables, but he didn't expect that the two of them had excellent anti-reconnaissance capabilities, especially Constable Song, whose attention would be drawn to any unusual behavior.
"You'd better not try any tricks." Captain Song angrily thrust his sword between the legs of the man standing on the ground, stepped on his chest, and threatened, "Old Song, I used to be a prisoner escort. No matter how powerful the prisoner was, or how far the journey was, no one had ever escaped from my hands. You guys, with just a few brats, think you can escape and report this?"
Pei Zhiyuan frowned, looked at the letter in the man's hand, and shouted, "Didn't I tell you not to act without authorization?"
"Master Pei, you need to explain what this means." Captain Song, holding a piece of paper in his hand, glanced at Pei Zhiyuan sharply. His tone suddenly became cold, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air: "Master, you don't think that our group can't reach the capital without you, right?"
Upon hearing this, the other two also rushed over. Seeing the Mirror Master being stepped on by Captain Song, they looked at each other, drew out their Embroidered Spring Swords, and were ready to fight Captain Song to the death.
Pei Zhiyuan's face changed slightly, and he quickly stopped the other two from attacking. However, one of them ignored his advice and rushed forward with a knife. Without saying a word, Captain Song kicked the Mirror User away and drew his knife to block the attack.
With just one move of turning the knife backhand, he slashed with the knife without any unnecessary movements, and cleanly cut off the opponent's embroidered spring knife.
Seeing that Captain Song's knife was about to strike the Mirror User's neck, Shen Xu hurriedly shouted to stop the fight, "Uncle, don't hurt him!"
Captain Song suddenly stopped his attack, but the blade still caused his opponent's skin to tighten, leaving a tiny mark on the man's neck, from which a trace of blood seeped out.
He snorted lightly, put away the knife, and warned unhappily: "Master Pei, keep your people under control."
The other Mirror User who did not take action quickly put away his knife and went forward to support the two men. Pei Zhiyuan had a gloomy face and stared at the broken piece of Xiuchun Knife without saying a word.
The carriage bumped along the road for another whole day, and the atmosphere along the way was quite unfriendly. Shen Xu and Xiao Mingcheng hid in the carriage all day and did not come out, while the other two stared at the four people, and the long journey became a torture.
"Husband, I feel a little uncomfortable. Can we stop and rest for a while?" In the afternoon, Shen Xu lifted the curtain of the carriage and said that it was too stuffy and wanted to stop and rest for a while and drink some water.
Song Lin understood and stopped the car, but was met with dissatisfaction from others, who said that the distance between towns was long and they had to reach the next town before dark, otherwise they would have to sleep in the wilderness.
Constable Song also agreed, "Yes, this road is too desolate. It will take a whole day to reach the next village or town. It is also the most likely to encounter bandits. Can you be patient for a while, niece? Once you pass this place and find a place to rest, the road ahead will be easier."
"But I'm really feeling unwell, and I've run out of water. Can you get me some more?" Shen Xu handed the kettle directly to Pei Zhiyuan's Mirror User and pleaded, "Rest for a while, then we'll leave."
Constable Song was worried and said, "I'll go find some water."
"No, uncle, please stay here to protect Cheng'er. My husband, please take me to a nearby place to get some fresh air. I need to go to the bathroom."
Pei Zhiyuan pursed his lips and told the two men to find water. He and another man got off the horse and rested under the shade of a tree.
As expected, when night fell, the group had not found a place to stay and decided to camp outdoors. The two groups each built a fire and sat around it, eating their own food.
The Mirror Envoy who had originally placed the secret letter cast a hostile glance at the four people sitting by the other fire, then lowered his voice and said, "Master Pei, if we allow them to go to the capital to meet with Imperial Master Hua, no matter what their motives, whether it's surrender or assassination, it will be of no benefit to us."
"Yes, sir, if they are going to surrender, Xuan Jingsi will definitely be charged with murdering the royal heir. If this group of people is going to assassinate, then we will be implicated." Another person nodded in agreement.
Pei Zhiyuan's face changed, and he shouted quietly: "No one is allowed to act without authorization. The uncle and nephew of the Song family are extremely skilled in martial arts. Even if all of you come together, you are no match for them. In addition, Miss Shen is cunning and scheming. She is definitely not a good person."
The Mirror Master who hadn't taken action whispered, "Then let's fight to the death and kill the little prince, leaving them with no leverage to advance to the capital. If the Imperial Master demands punishment later, I alone will bear the responsibility."
"Xiao Ba!" Pei Zhiyuan raised his voice and immediately stopped him, saying, "Master Hua's order is to capture him alive. If we kill the little prince, none of us from the Xuan Jing Division will be able to escape. None of the four of them can move!"
"Why, sir!" Xiao Ba asked in confusion, "Are we going to let them get to the capital and push our Xuan Jing Division into the fire pit?"
Pei Zhiyuan frowned and said irritably: "In short, if you want to survive, don't act rashly!"
The Mirror Envoy who had initially intended to deliver the secret letter said, "Sir, I have poisoned their water. We can take advantage of their weakness to kill the three of them and snatch the little prince away. Whether to kill them or keep them is entirely up to you, Sir Pei."
Pei Zhiyuan stared fiercely at the blazing flames and stopped them, saying, "You are only allowed to capture them alive, not to kill them. If you disobey my orders again, I will not let you go!"
Now, the actions of Master Hua and the Queen Mother have obviously angered the world. Just as Prime Minister Lu and my adoptive father said, they are squandering the country's fortune and want to cut off the dragon vein of the Xiao family.
However, the wolves of the north and the tigers of the southwest are sniffing around, ready to make a move. The world is now a deer, and those with military power are now waiting for an opportunity to compete for the throne.
Although Hua Guoshi commands a powerful army, a prolonged battle will inevitably lead to demoralization. The Xue clan is currently gaining momentum in the north, and public opinion is surging across the land, with support for the Xue clan gradually growing louder. If this continues, the royal army will inevitably be defeated.
An even worse outcome would be that once the Xiao family falls, all the heroes in the world would rush in and fight on their own, and the Haoyue Kingdom would fall into chaos again.
If the secret letter from the North Sea Kingdom is genuine, then the Yanyang Kingdom and the North Sea Kingdom will inevitably join the war. If the people of Haoyue are united in resisting the foreign invaders, they can still compete with the two countries. But if the various provinces hold troops and horses and covet the throne of the Rock Imperial City, the Haoyue Kingdom will surely perish!
And these few people might be the turning point that turns the tide of the battle...
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