"Are you just worrying unnecessarily? Besides, you can't force your way in... Alright, I won't stop you."
Chu Mingyao is a woman with her own opinions, and Danma respects her greatly. Chu Mingyao and Su Wan have a good relationship, so he's not worried about anything going wrong.
He followed Chu Mingyao out of the carriage and called over Luna, the commander in charge of escorting her, saying, "The Crown Princess is returning to the capital. Note that she is going secretly. Select twenty brave warriors to escort the Crown Princess, and have them dress up as people from the Great Jin Dynasty."
Luna asked, "We haven't started a war with the Great Jin, so why do we need to go secretly?"
Danma said, "Don't ask, just arrange it."
Chu Mingyao changed into the clothes of an ordinary woman from the Great Jin Dynasty and mounted her horse. Luna selected twenty warriors, who also wore Great Jin clothing, and they left the caravan, galloping towards the capital.
The warhorse was incredibly fast, reaching the capital in just one day. Chu Mingyao left the horse at the inn and went to the lobby to inquire about the Empress's whereabouts from the innkeeper.
The shopkeeper was busy calculating accounts on the abacus, but when Chu Mingyao mentioned Su Wan, he stopped doing so.
"Don't even mention you want to see her, which of us doesn't long to see Her Majesty the Empress? But she stays in the capital all day and never comes out. I heard from the guests who came out of the capital that His Majesty was worried about the Empress's mood and planned to accompany her on an outing, but he refused."
Chu Mingyao was even more worried after hearing this. Just as she was about to ask more questions, there was a commotion outside, and someone shouted, "The General Who Protects the Nation is passing by. Please make way, everyone else."
She hurriedly left the inn and saw that everyone had already moved to the side of the road, making way for the middle of the road, and were whispering among themselves.
"The general is a girl, and she's stronger than any man. Amazing!" a woman said to the old woman beside her.
The old woman scoffed, "Isn't she just General Meng's daughter? She's always lived in the capital. Her father died in battle at Xiping Pass, and who would have thought she could bring glory to her family like this..."
The crowd was making a ruckus when a troop of cavalry approached from afar, led by Meng Ruliu, who was clad in full armor and looked quite dashing.
Blocked by the crowd, Chu Mingyao simply stood on tiptoe and waved her hand high at Meng Ruliu.
Meng Ruliu caught a glimpse and recognized Chu Mingyao. Seeing that she was dressed as a commoner, clearly not wanting others to know her identity, she turned to her adjutant and said, "Invite that woman to see me. Remember not to be impolite."
She led her men to a secluded spot, dismounted, and waited. A short while later, the lieutenant arrived with Chu Mingyao. The two greeted each other, and Meng Ruliu ordered the soldiers to leave.
"Your Highness, why are you dressed like this?" Meng Ruliu asked.
Chu Mingyao said, "I don't want to make a scene, but I would like to see Her Majesty the Empress. Could the General take me there?"
Meng Ruliu said with difficulty, "That's difficult. These days, Her Majesty the Empress has been staying deep in the capital, and even if I wanted to see her, I was prevented from doing so."
Chu Mingyao was taken aback and said, "You're her sworn sister, and she won't even see you?"
Meng Ruliu said, "I'm wondering about that too. I don't know what's wrong with her. She was sullen on the day of the coronation ceremony, as if she had something on her mind, and even her smiles were forced. I don't know how to comfort her. Maybe His Majesty made her angry?"
Chu Mingyao said, "His Majesty favors her greatly, how could he possibly anger her? Could you find a way to let me see the Empress?"
Meng Ruliu readily agreed, saying, "I don't really understand what's going on. Maybe it will work if the Crown Princess goes. I'll give you a waist token; with that, you can enter the capital."
She took off her waist tag and handed it to Chu Mingyao, instructing her:
"Once you enter the capital, just say that the General sent you on a mission, and no one will stop you. But as for how to see the Empress, you'll have to figure that out yourself."
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