"It's just an excuse." An Qingran felt that this excuse was too funny and far-fetched, and it was probably the most ridiculous excuse in history. They provoked disputes just to get money and women. Thinking about the border town of Tai'an, it must have become a living hell now. When An Qingran thought of this, she hated herself for not being a man, unable to join the army for her father, and unable to fight on the battlefield. She was also worried about her father, but she didn't dare to say it in front of her mother.
After listening to this, Lian Jinyu moved his lips and laughed: "There are such things in the world. If that Zhiqiu woman knew that she had caused a war, I wonder how she would feel."
"I don't even know if that woman exists."
"That's true, but your father has gone to the border, and I'm afraid he won't be able to come back this year..." Just as he said this, An Mingchen ran in, calling his sister. As soon as he stepped through the threshold, he fell to the ground. Feeling distressed, An Qingran ran forward and hugged him, "Is there anything broken? Let your sister take a look."
An Mingchen seemed to be in great pain from the fall. His mouth was open, and he was about to cry. But when he looked at his sister, he was so happy that he smiled with tears in his eyes. He even laughed with snot bubbles. An Qingran pulled up a handkerchief to wipe his nose and asked him, "Where did you go just now? Why didn't I see you?"
"He went to play with his brother." An Mingchen looked back and saw An Mingxuan standing there, very reserved. When he saw her looking at him, he bowed respectfully.
"Meet the Crown Princess."
When An Qingran saw him, she felt very strange. Her mind told her that this brother had hurt her badly in her previous life. But seeing him so timid now, she felt a little soft-hearted and nodded: "I haven't seen you for a long time. How are your studies recently? Have you been naughty?"
"My Master has already taught me the Four Books. Fortunately, I don't dare to be too naughty." An Mingxuan answered respectfully.
An Qingran had nothing more to say.
An Mingxuan stood there awkwardly, not knowing whether to go in or leave. Lian Jinyu waved at him, "Come in, have you seen your father?"
"Reporting to mother, I have seen father. He is in the other courtyard..." An Mingxuan paused here, "He just asked the aunts to help mother take care of the family."
An Qingran smiled. Her father was a man after all, and there was probably only one Dongfang Jin in the world.
There is no other man as special as this.
Lian Jinyu nodded: "What didn't your father tell you?"
"The father told the child to study hard, take care of his mother and brother, and not to be naughty during this period."
"That's better. Tell your father that the Crown Princess has come to the mansion." Lian Jinyu frowned.
An Qingran smiled: "Look at father, he has always been worried about you and your brother, and asked everyone to take care of you. I'm afraid he will say the same thing again when he sees me later."
Lian Jinyu's expression eased a little after hearing this: "You are speaking for your father, and you think I don't know. But I am not a very jealous person. I am afraid that if he keeps sending off the party, the young man will be sentimental and the hero will lose his courage. Wouldn't that affect the morale? Then, wouldn't we be the ones to worry about?"
"Yes, mother cares about father the most."
Lian Jinyu smiled.
Now that her daughter is here, she is still jealous, which is really not like her. Just then, An Mingchen started to act naughty and climbed onto the table, causing the mother and daughter to rush forward in panic...
**************
Two days later.
An Zhongtao went to the battle.
The flags were flying and the atmosphere was fierce. An Zhongtao was dressed in silver armor, looking like he was covered in frost and ice. He was like a sword drawn from its sheath. Facing the farewell of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, his face was serious.
What an iron-faced general.
An Qingran returned to the palace, feeling uneasy. She didn't know whether her father's expedition would be a good or bad one, or what would happen. It was winter now, and the cold weather in winter was definitely more terrible than the enemy. An Qingran specifically asked Dongfang Jin for a military map. Tai'an City was a place that was easy to defend but difficult to attack. When it was conquered by the enemy, there must be many stories or strategies that they didn't know.
Dongfang Jin certainly knew what she was thinking, and he put his arm around her shoulders and said, "General An has fought on the battlefield for many years. He is a man of great experience and is always ready to take the lead. You don't have to worry. He will send back battle reports from time to time, and I will show them to you."
Dongfang Jin felt a little guilty. Sending his father-in-law to the war was really a helpless move. Of course, he didn't want to give his father-in-law's military power to others. He thought An Qingran must understand this.
An Qingran smiled at him comfortingly: "I am just worried, not complaining about anything. I just hope that my father will return victoriously as soon as possible, maybe in time for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month."
As for whether she could make it to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, that was not up to her will. She just hoped that everything would go well.
The army did not encounter any obstacles as it marched forward, and headed straight for Tai'an in great splendor.
***********
Let’s talk about King Ning.
He and Tai'an were in two different directions, one to the northwest and the other to the southeast, but the further he went, the warmer it became. Qin Xiangning's performance along the way impressed him. She did not complain at all and was very strong. She also directed the maids who accompanied them and arranged for their food and lodging. She could have ignored these things, but seeing Prince Ning's gloomy face all day long, she couldn't help but act like a hostess. The concubines did not dare to say anything against it, because the tragic scene of Huan Ge was deeply imprinted in everyone's mind, and even in their nightmares.
Prince Ning and Qin Xiangning were riding in the same carriage. Neither of them talked much. Qin Xiangning did speak up, "We are just ahead of us, Wenlai. We are nearly 41 kilometers away. We will reach Su'an in a few more days. It is said that the climate there is extremely dry and there are many deserts. When we get there, we can sell some thick clothes. We won't need them anyway. We can exchange them for some grains, water vegetables, and salt. I have asked someone to prepare some so that we won't be in the dark when we get there."
"You did a great job." King Ning finally spoke.
Qin Xiangning smiled, and the two of them didn't say anything else. They could only hear the clatter of horse hooves, which was very noisy.
Suddenly, there was a commotion, people screamed, horses neighed, and the two men stood up, but with a thud, a whistling arrow came through the carriage and hit the board between the two of them. The tail of the arrow was still trembling slightly. The two exchanged glances, and Prince Ning flew over and threw Qin Xiangning to the ground. The two men lay on the floor of the carriage: "Be careful, there might be an assassin."
If it was a highway robbery, he should have even informed them first, not to mention that there were not many people in the world who dared to rob Prince Ning. That was no different from an assassin.
The sound of close combat was heard.
The voice of the guards outside came: "Prince Ning, it's not good, there are too many thieves..."
Prince Ning lifted the carriage curtain and walked out.
In a blink of an eye, he was a little stunned. A group of gray-clothed men, about thirty or forty people, were fighting with his guards. The gray-clothed men were all masked, and their movements were quick and ruthless. Although his guards tried their best, they kept falling down one after another. The maids and concubines gathered together, huddled together, trembling, and could not even cry.
Qin Xiangning stood trembling behind Prince Ning. No matter how strong she was, she had never been in a life-and-death situation.
The fishy and salty smell in the air made her stomach churn: Is I going to die here today?
"Who are you? Do you know my identity?" King Ning raised his voice.
But there was no response at all.
Those people ignored him.
He was so angry that he drew his sword and was about to rush forward, but Qin Xiangning grabbed his arm and said, "Your Highness, be careful."
As the two men were struggling, suddenly there was another whistle, and a group of men in black rushed out from the forest. King Ning lamented: My life is over!
However, the group of men in black stopped the men in gray and started fighting each other. Everyone was shocked by this sudden situation. King Ning was also surprised, and the hand holding the sword trembled slightly with excitement.
Soon, the group of gray-clothed men died or fled, and the black-clothed men approached, and one of them looked familiar to King Ning. The man bowed respectfully and said, "I am here to greet King Ning."
"Ma Zhi? Are you the Ma Zhi who is beside Uncle Shou?" Prince Ning blurted out.
"It's me, Prince Ning has a good memory." The horse smiled, "Prince Shou was worried about Prince Ning's safety, so he secretly sent people to protect him. I didn't expect that there would be a bold thief who didn't know what was good for him today. I was too late to rescue him, and it almost caused a disaster."
Prince Ning showed shock on his face: "My uncle actually cares so much about me. If it weren't for what happened today, I wouldn't have known my uncle's friendship. I don't know when I can repay him for his kindness."
Ma Zhi clasped his fists and said, "Before coming here, Prince Shou told me that if there is nothing else, there is no need to let Prince Ning know about this trip. As long as we escort you to Su'an safely, we can go back and report. So, I think Prince Shou may not necessarily accept Prince Ning's favor, and Prince Ning does not need to take it to heart..."
It would have been better if he hadn't said this, but once he said it, King Ning felt a mixture of emotions.
Thinking back to how his father had pinned the crime on him without asking any questions and had banished him to that desolate land, and that he might not see him again in this life, while his uncle had been protecting him secretly without any reward. If it weren't for them, he would have been in great danger today.
King Ning smiled and said, "I don't need to thank you for your kindness. I have worked so hard for you all along the way, but I don't know how to repay you."
"King Ning can rest assured. We will protect you secretly along the way. We will not alarm you when nothing happens. You will just pretend we don't exist. This way, you will have less burden in your heart." Ma Zhi understood his heart very well.
After cleaning up the battlefield, we set out again.
Six guards were lost in this battle, and they were buried on the spot. Three of the men in gray were also killed, and the injured were being tortured. It was not known whether anything could be learned from them. Prince Ning did interrogate them personally, but they only said that they were from a nearby mountain stronghold. Prince Ning did not believe it, and he stopped talking when he was beaten again. As a result, the man was killed by the angry Ma Zhi.
The carriage continued on its way.
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