At the same time, in the magnificent Pepper Room, Princess Kang, with sweat all over her forehead, suddenly sat up in shock.

"Ran...Ran'er..."

Wang Xuran had just gone to inform the Wang family's confidant to find a way to rescue his father, and he was frightened by her when he came back and hadn't even sat down yet.

"Sister, what's wrong with you? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

"Ran'er, what's the situation outside?" Princess Kang looked a little uneasy, always feeling that something shocking was brewing.

Wang Xuran didn't notice anything wrong, but he sneered when she mentioned the situation outside.

But she had just arranged everything. Her sister was in a state of emotional instability, and Wang Xuran really didn't want to expose the cruel truth to her again.

I had to put away the mockery in my eyes and comforted him softly:

"The guards outside the Pepper Room have been strengthened several times. When my sister fainted earlier, the prince was very sad and said that he did not go to the brothel on his own initiative. Perhaps he was too busy with government affairs recently and did not take the time to return to the palace to see my sister..."

"Heh..." Unexpectedly, Princess Kang was terribly sober and interrupted her directly.

"There's no need to talk about those random excuses. Didn't you go through the secret passage earlier? I was asking you about the security situation outside Yunzhong County."

A sharp light flashed in Princess Kang's eyes, as if she had shed the role of a virtuous wife and loving mother and returned to her true self.

Wang Xuran was in a hurry to deliver the message just now, and he really didn't pay attention to the garrison in the city. Hearing what Princess Kang said, he couldn't help but frowned:

"The defenses outside the city look the same as before, but they give people a weird feeling. Well, that's it..."

She thought about it for a while before she realized, "It feels like there are fewer people here! Although it looks the same as usual, if you think about it carefully, there are probably twice as many guards!"

As soon as these words came out, the two sisters couldn't help but open their eyes slightly. Each pass on the Southern Qi border has a fixed number of guards, and such a major event as the replacement of border troops must be discussed by senior generals in the army and submitted to the emperor for personal approval.

How could so many people just disappear without a trace? !

It was also said that a plague was breaking out in the north of the city. If King Kang still cared about his reputation among the people, he would have sent more people to strengthen the city defense. Why would he suddenly transfer so many people away? !

An idea crossed Princess Kang's mind, and she couldn't help but exclaim:

"Ran'er, do you still remember? This was the situation when we left the palace just now. It looked the same as before, but it always felt less popular."

"I'm afraid the defense of Prince Kang's Mansion is similar to that of Yunzhong County. Although there are many people, many of them have been transferred from their posts. The most heavily guarded place in the entire Prince Kang's Mansion is this Pepper Room!"

"Sister, what you mean is..." Wang Xuran replied in disbelief. "Xiao Jingsheng has given up on Mobei Pass?! How...how is this possible..."

She believed that anyone born in Mobei would remember the massacres of the Nanqi people by the Xirong people. Abandoning Mobei Pass was not just a simple secession of the city, but the loss of tens of thousands of people!

"Heh... He has been immersed in the desire for power for a long time, so it's not surprising that his appetite has become bigger." Although Xiao Jingsheng and Princess Kang were mostly pretending when they were together, she probably knew each other's abilities after a long time. She couldn't help but sneer:

"There must be other forces involved in this matter. Xiao Jingsheng alone may not be able to design such a sophisticated plan. Our top priority is to resolve the crisis in Yunzhong County."

She waved her hand in the air, and instantly a dark shadow floated down in front of her.

It was the first time that Wang Xuran saw the close bodyguard beside his sister. At first glance, he seemed as cold as a sharp sword. From beginning to end, his eyes were only focused on his sister, as if he could only see her.

Princess Kang: "Ye Zhao, how many Wang family guards are there in Yunzhong County now?"

"My dear Miss, a group of people were sent by Miss to look for the whereabouts of the old master. Now there are only a few left, and two of them are secret guards waiting outside the palace for orders."

"We just received intelligence that most of the defenders in the city have been withdrawn, and someone discovered traces of the Xirong people a hundred miles away. The other side intended to intercept the messenger, and our people fled desperately, which delayed us for a long time."

This was the proof that King Kang had a grudge against the Western Rong people. In an instant, the air in the palace became stagnant.

"Very good." Princess Kang sneered, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

"We must find a way to leave now. The sudden disappearance of the two of us will surely attract the attention of the guards outside. In this case, there is no need to pretend anymore."

"Take your people and kill them directly. Don't leave any of Xiao Jingsheng's men alive!"

"Yes." Ye Zhao had no doubt in his mind, and immediately led his men to rush forward like a sharp sword.

The guards outside the palace had only received orders to "protect" the princess' safety, and they could never have expected that the usually docile Princess Kang would suddenly have someone kill her.

The guards were not as skilled as the secret guards, and they resisted for less than a quarter of an hour before they were surrounded by the Wang family's secret guards and began to slaughter them unilaterally. Soon, a bloody road was formed outside the Pepper House.

Wang Xuran held Princess Kang with some hesitation, "Sister, you are pregnant now, don't overwork yourself. Why don't you let Ye Zhao send you to Bieye to hide, and I will gather the rest of the guards. Don't worry, I will do my best to protect the people of Nanqi."

Princess Kang shook her head, her eyes filled with unprecedented determination.

"Ran'er, this is what we owe to the people of the Northwest Territory. The Wang family is respected by thousands of soldiers and civilians, so we should shoulder our own responsibilities in times of crisis."

"If anyone wants to break through the Northwest Pass and trample the people of Southern Qi underfoot, they must step over the corpses of the Wang family!"

Princess Kang's tone was extremely calm, but her words were extremely powerful, and Wang Xuran couldn't help but shudder. He nodded firmly at her:

"Well, a country comes before a home. Everyone has the responsibility to protect their home and country. Moreover, we are supported by the taxes levied by the people. We should be at the forefront in times of crisis. We will fight to the death with my sister!"

She held the hand of Princess Kang in her right hand, and swung her left hand sharply, causing the silver chain in her hand to swing in a refreshing arc. It was a beautiful and neat gesture, but it made Princess Kang laugh and cry.

"What do you mean by 'fight to the death, fight to the bitter end'... it's too early to say that now! Where are your magic pills? Give me a few more."

"Sister, you even know this?"

"Heh... After eating what you gave me, my condition is obviously much better than before. Do you think I'm an ignorant child who can't even notice this?"

Wang Xuran was convinced, and hurriedly handed over the letter and various medicine bottles given by the mysterious master.

Princess Kang quickly scanned the small, round characters on the letter and medicine bottle, and couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"He is indeed a rare master in the world. It seems that we owe him a lot of favors this time..."

Princess Kang did not stay any longer. After taking a few more abortion-preserving pills, she led her younger sister and strode out of the courtyard wall. Before leaving, she observed the guards of the palace and gave instructions behind her:

"Ye Zhao, send a few trusted men to inform the rest of the royal guards to meet up at the city gate. Let's go to Xiao Jingsheng's room first. We'll definitely find important clues there!"

"yes."

…

At the same time, in a small village dozens of miles away from Yunzhong County.

The sun had just set above the horizon. Several crows were standing on the wall of the farmhouse where the Sheng family was staying, chirping non-stop, as if to indicate that danger was quietly approaching.

Under the willow trees in the courtyard, Sheng Xiaoce carefully studied the intelligence sent by the secret guards, but he always felt that something was wrong. He could not help but frowned slightly.

On the other side, the orange-yellow charcoal makes the room warm.

Everyone knew that Xiao Xier often went out to do something secretive, so when she saw that the two of them hadn't returned after dinner time, she didn't wait for them.

Grandma and mother just cleaned and prepared the ingredients quietly, and calculated the time to cook a pot of pigeon soup on the stove, waiting for the two children to come back so that they could have some soup to warm their stomachs.

Since there were only five people in the house, we decided to cook together. During the meal, we just said that the two kids were tired from skating on the mountain and were taking a nap, so we helped them cover their whereabouts.

At this time, after eating and drinking, my mother and grandmother were helping the host to clean up the dishes. Yunjin and Sheng Yuhan were sitting in the house sorting out some furs they had recently collected and discussing making a few more thick winter clothes for little Xier.

The two of them were talking behind closed doors, and occasionally a few farmers would pass by and hear the low laughter coming from inside, and their mood would naturally improve.

From the corner of the courtyard wall farther away, the sound of sharp swords could be heard from time to time. This was Sheng Jinghai forcing the "unlearned" third boy to practice martial arts.

A closer look revealed that although the Chinese man was very demanding, he mostly paid attention to the kitchen, and even responded to his son's questions in a perfunctory manner.

I guess if Sheng Jinghai wasn't afraid that this brat would go to his wife and mother and cause trouble, he would have been too lazy to bother with this brat and would have gone to please his own wife long ago.

Sheng Yichen practiced the newly learned swordsmanship several times, and was so tired that he leaned against the wall and panted. Just as he calmed down, he felt something whizzing past, and then he heard a familiar shout:

"Xiao San! Xiao San! Mr. Hui is thirsty, hurry up and pour him a glass of water!"