Li Xiangyang hadn't been practicing martial arts for very long, and he was also quite young, so his accuracy was a bit poor; he could only hit the target once or twice out of ten shots.
However, because the force was too weak, even if the birds were hit, they would only flap their wings twice and then fly away.
It was already quite good for a small baby, but Li Xiangyang was very dissatisfied.
Seeing this, Mu Xi put her arm around Li Xiangyang, held her arms firmly with both hands, aimed at a bird, and with a whoosh, the bird landed.
Li Xiangyang was utterly stunned, then clapped his hands and said, "Wow, Second Sister-in-law, you're amazing! Can you teach Xiao Qi?"
Mu Xi was already captivated by Li Xiangyang's repeated calls of "Second Sister-in-law," so she nodded and told him the secret to shooting with a slingshot.
Li Xiangyang nodded in agreement, and then threw out another small stone.
Although the bird was not killed, it was hit in the wing.
Li Xiangyang was extremely excited.
Seeing how lively it was outside, Yan Qingqing couldn't resist getting off to ride a horse.
Meanwhile, back in the capital, Xiao Mochen was overjoyed to receive Yan Qingqing's message by carrier pigeon.
Seeing his rare moment of joy, the young eunuch Xiao Ruizi who had served him since childhood asked with a smile, "Your Highness, what has made you so happy?"
This little Ruizi has been by Xiao Mochen's side since he was five or six years old. He is clever and loyal.
During the time Xiao Mochen was murdered and forced to leave the capital, he kept a close eye on the Crown Prince and Consort Yu, hoping to find a way to get revenge for their prince.
Especially in Xihua Garden, Xiao Ruizi bribed several palace maids and eunuchs to monitor Consort Yu and her son.
Knowing his loyalty, Xiao Mochen didn't hide anything from him and said with a smile, "Auntie has already set off these past few days and should arrive in the capital soon."
The letter said that Xiaoqi came along too, and you should go and collect some items that children like.
"Forget it, I'll go myself. That girl may be young, but she's incredibly picky."
After saying that, he stood up and went to his storeroom.
His storeroom contained many things, some of which were gifts from his father, the emperor, and others were congratulatory gifts from the ministers when he was promoted to Prince Chen.
He roughly ordered that anything Li Xiangyang liked be packed into boxes, and soon two large boxes were collected.
Similarly, the Crown Prince also received news that Yan Qingqing was setting off for the capital.
The eldest prince looked at the man in black before him and asked, "Is this information accurate?"
The man in black nodded: "Your Highness, rest assured, it's absolutely accurate."
Our people saw Lady Mingzhao leave the house.
The eldest prince nodded and asked, "How many people did they bring with them on this trip?"
The man in black replied, "According to our men, besides Madam Mingzhao, her second son and two daughters were also with her. There were only a few maids, servants, a steward, and a guard."
The eldest prince said dismissively, "With just a few people, wouldn't two guards be able to take care of them all?"
The man in black thought for a moment and replied, "Your Highness should not be careless."
Although they were outnumbered, the guard beside Lady Mingzhao was quite formidable.
Those who instigated trouble during the last plague were all killed by that guard with a single sword stroke.
Afterwards, my subordinates sent someone to investigate, and they confirmed that he was definitely a master.
Moreover, the guard was a woman, and according to the news from over there, she was engaged to the second young master of Madam Mingzhao.
Upon hearing this, the eldest prince said disdainfully, "As expected, she is an ignorant country bumpkin. She is now a second-rank lady appointed by the Emperor."
They could easily find their son a daughter-in-law who is of equal social standing and can help their family.
It seems I have overestimated her.
As a member of the imperial family, Xiao Moyan naturally looked down on people like Yan Qingqing who came from a peasant background.
He wanted to kill Yan Qingqing simply because she saved Xiao Mochen and donated grain to the Northern Territory, ruining his plans.
However, the eldest prince still dared not be careless and sent out five secret guards.
In the Crown Prince's mind, sending five secret guards was already overkill. It would be a piece of cake.
He never imagined that these people would all come and go without ever returning.
Meanwhile, Yan Qingqing was sightseeing and taking her time along the way.
Occasionally, Yan Qingqing would race horses with Mu Xi and the others. The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, making it a truly pleasant experience.
They walked for four or five days before leaving the territory of Xuancheng Prefecture.
As soon as they left Xuancheng Prefecture, Mu Xi approached Yan Qingqing and said, "Madam, I sensed several fluctuations of energy nearby, as if they were following us."
Yan Qingqing frowned and asked, "Approximately how many people are there?"
Mu Xi replied, "Five people."
Yan Qingqing: "How's your kung fu?"
Mu Xi: "They are about equal in skill with me, but I should say they are slightly inferior."
Yan Qingqing chuckled and said, "It's alright, just pretend you don't know."
This is their first time out, so it's good to let them practice later.
Mu Xi nodded upon hearing this, then stepped back to the side.
Yan Qingqing was very protective of her life, and with Li Xiang'an and the others accompanying her, how could she not be concerned about her safety?
There are only about ten guards on the surface, but there are more than a hundred more in secret.
They all disguised themselves in various ways, some as merchants, some as passersby, and some as beggars.
These people would appear around Yan Qingqing from time to time, and some of them were so unfamiliar that even Yan Qingqing couldn't recognize them.
But it doesn't matter, as long as they know Yan Qingqing.
The Crown Prince's men, who were hiding in the shadows, had long been targeted by Yan Qingqing's people.
However, they dared not act without their master's orders.
Several men in black were hiding in the shadows, whispering and discussing something.
One of the men in black said, "Didn't you say there was only one guard? How come there are twelve more?"
The other person was also completely bewildered; the information they had received was that Lady Mingzhao only brought one guard with her when she went out.
Why are there so many more people suddenly after leaving Xuancheng Prefecture? There are only five of them, so they have no chance of winning.
Little did they know that Yan Qingqing had instructed Mu Xi to tell them to wait outside the town so that these unfamiliar faces wouldn't appear before the people of Canghe Town.
Most of the previous batch of secret guards have become open guards, and Yan Qingqing doesn't want to put these people in the open as well.
Who knew that by sheer chance, the Crown Prince's men misjudged the information.
The man in black continued, "Shall we make our move now?"
The other person took a deep breath and replied, "Let's wait and see if they can spot us. I think these people are quite skilled, especially the leader of the guards."
If they can't find us, it means their skills are inferior to ours, and we still have a chance of winning.
If they discover us, we'll immediately send word to our leader to send reinforcements.
Although they were secret guards, they still valued their lives.
Especially since half of their brothers were killed during the last interception of grain supplies, they cherished their lives even more.
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