Chapter 226 Shen Lanxi, you want my life!
Under Shen Lanxi's deliberate manipulation, Qian Feng and others were hired by her in Fengbo Town and officially became members of the marriage alliance.
"General, shall we continue by water?" Shen Yuanjing asked.
Shen Lanxi said without looking to the side, "There are bandits on the waterways today. For the princess's safety, let's continue by land!"
Ban Sicao now understands what she meant; the water bandits were all made up by her.
"What if the imperial court sends someone to verify this?"
Xiao Fang glanced at Ban Sicao with amusement: "What else can we do? At worst, we'll just confirm it!"
I've done it all – horse bandits, rebels, spies – so what's one more river bandit?
Ban Si Cao silently gave everyone a thumbs up!
"It must be getting cold in Dongchuan this season, right?" Shen Lanxi suddenly asked.
Cheng Zheng wrote in a few strokes: "After the people from Zhou arrive, it will snow!"
Xiao Fang felt a chill run down his spine whenever he thought of the bone-chilling cold of Dongchuan.
"I hope the Northwest won't be so cold!"
That's hard to say. Fortunately, she had already ordered people to plant cotton on a large scale last year and harvested a lot of charcoal, so at least she wouldn't have to worry about heating when she got to the Northwest.
Upon arriving in Fengbo Town, Shen Lanxi immediately took out the imperial edict and began recruiting guards in a grand manner.
Zhou Yunyue became much more well-behaved and didn't cause any more trouble until she left Fengbo Town.
Afterwards, Shen Lanxi personally drew the route and arranged for the soldiers who came from Dongchuan to be included in the marriage procession under the guise of guards.
As the number of soldiers increased in groups, Nie Shuanghai noticed something was amiss.
Most of these people were skilled martial artists, and they never got close to each other. They seemed to come from the same place, sticking together for warmth, making it difficult for outsiders to integrate.
He didn't dare tell anyone these things; he kept them all to himself and pretended not to know.
As the carrier pigeons flew out one by one at night, he pretended to be deaf and blind and didn't see them.
The officials of the Ministry of Rites also realized that something was wrong. The number of guards recruited was too large. All the guards combined were almost as many as the Imperial Guards guarding the capital.
The Imperial Guards protecting the capital number a total of 10,000. Although the total number is currently less than 2,000, at this recruitment speed, it will be there soon.
“General Shen, there are regulations for marriage alliances, and we cannot exceed them. Otherwise, if the court blames us, we will have no way to explain ourselves to the court!” Cao Ziling said stubbornly.
Shen Lanxi did not refute, but instead asked, "Are you sure?"
Cao Ziling's brow twitched, feeling as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat, finding it difficult to answer the question.
She turned to the other two: "Zheng, Zhu, do you two also think that these manpowers are sufficient?"
Zheng Qiao and Zhu Ju'an hesitated, neither daring to answer the question.
"So, you're all unsure, yet you're telling me to stop recruiting guards? My lords, I will truthfully record and report every word you say to His Majesty!"
Cheng Zheng was writing furiously on the side.
Cao Ziling steeled his resolve and said coldly and disdainfully, "This is the territory of our Great Zhou. Foreign tribes would never dare to invade in such a large-scale manner."
Shen Lanxi: "Did everyone hear that? Since Lord Cao has given his full guarantee, then we should stop recruiting guards."
"Cheng Zheng, don't forget to write down every single word of Lord Cao's words. Before submitting them to His Majesty, have Lord Cao personally review the contents."
Cheng Zheng nodded.
Cao Ziling's face darkened, and he remained speechless for a long time.
The escort team of over two thousand people set off again. While the court wouldn't pay the recruited guards, it couldn't very well refuse to provide them with provisions!
“We will ask the court for grain in the same way that the Prince of Zhennan asked for it before. With the Prince of Zhennan as a precedent, we don’t need to worry about the procedures.” Shen Lanxi pressed her imposing aura against the official in charge of grain.
The official in charge of supplies was terrified.
Their marriage procession initially consisted of only five hundred people. When they left the capital, they brought some supplies with them. Upon arriving in each town, they could use the official documents issued by the imperial court to have the local government make purchases. The local government would advance the funds, and then the payments would be reported up the chain of command before being distributed to the local government offices.
With an additional thousand or so people to feed all at once, how could the local government possibly be willing to provide that?
To put it bluntly, the Prince of Zhennan is the Prince of Zhennan, while the other is a prince, a son of the dragon, so His Majesty naturally opens the door to convenience.
Who is Shen Lanxi? She is nothing, at most she is someone sent to marry a princess.
Doesn't she know what the current state of the imperial court is?
How could the imperial court possibly be willing to provide food and drink for more than a thousand people at once?
Isn't this making things difficult for him, the grain and provisions officer?
"General, what if the locals refuse to give it to us?" the supply officer asked, forcing himself to speak.
Shen Lanxi: "Then they are spies trying to sabotage the marriage alliance. Spies, of course, should be killed without mercy!"
All the officials were startled.
She's a woman, and she's always fighting and killing. What kind of behavior is that?
The grain officer reluctantly went to the local government office to request grain supplies.
After days of traveling, Zhou Yunyue finally couldn't take it anymore and fell ill.
"Princess, you've fallen ill due to a combination of emotional distress, traveling for days, poor diet, and lack of rest!" the accompanying imperial physician said after taking your pulse.
Shen Lanxi: "Will this delay our trip?"
The imperial physician thought for a moment and said, "That's unlikely, but if the condition isn't properly cared for, it might worsen!"
Shen Lanxi: "Then let's continue on our way!"
Zhou Yunyue's face turned deathly pale, and her heart felt like it was on fire. Hearing Shen Lanxi say this, she couldn't help but get up and angrily cursed at her: "Shen Lanxi, you want my life."
Shen Lanxi: "It won't come to that. If you can't handle it, you can say so in advance. I'll have your maid take your place in the marriage."
Zhou Yunyue couldn't believe her ears. She exclaimed in shock and anger, "Shen Lanxi, how dare you have someone impersonate royalty? What are you up to!"
Shen Lanxi chuckled and said, "I'm thinking about your health! After all, you are a royal princess, and the journey to the west is long. If you were to perish on the way, I wouldn't be able to explain it to the court!"
Zhou Yunyue's eyes widened: "You know you have no way to explain this to me, yet you still dare to treat me like this?"
Tsk tsk, all I can say is that Zhou Yunyue still can't see the situation clearly.
"Your main task is to go on this marriage alliance. If you perish on the way, I will have to find someone to take your place. I cannot let down the Great Zhou, so I can only let you down!"
Zhou Yunyue stared wide-eyed for a long time, feeling a chill emanating from her entire body.
What did she mean by that?
She is the true princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How dare Shen Lanxi replace her with a lowly maid? She's dreaming!
"Zhou Yunyue, wake up! Are you still dreaming of being a princess?" Shen Lanxi ruthlessly shattered Zhou Yunyue's last shred of fantasy.
"Throughout history, countless princesses have sacrificed themselves for the court by marrying into political alliances. Do you think those emperors were willing to let their own daughters marry into those alliances?"
"That's you!"
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