The group sped along and finally spotted the large convoy transporting the stolen goods on the evening of the tenth day.
Gu Yuzhi patted Xueye's big head, and when he looked down, he saw its aggrieved eyes.
He smiled and said, "Don't be angry. After a while, when I return to Mobei from Jinzhou, I can stay with you all the time."
"When we get back, I'll take you to the mountains for a few days of fun!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Bai, who had been hiding in his sleeve, suddenly poked its head out, stuck out its tongue and hissed twice, clearly dissatisfied that Gu Yuzhi was only accompanying Xue Ye.
The main force was not far ahead. Xue Ye dared not make a sound and even restrained his aura, for fear of accidentally frightening the horses.
Hearing Xiaobai vying for his affections, he rolled his eyes with a hint of disdain.
The master said that it is the most special existence by his side, and no one can replace it.
So it shook its head and led its beast army deeper into the mountains and forests, but not very fast, thinking that it could protect its little master along the way.
After Xueye left, Gu Yuzhi breathed a sigh of relief and muttered comfortingly, "Xiaobai, don't be jealous of Xueye. You like Mr. Huo's grilled meat, right? When we get back to Mobei, I'll let you eat it for five days straight, okay?"
Little White didn't know what five days meant; it only knew that its little master had asked Mr. Huo to grill meat for it several times, but hadn't done so yet.
So it was very unhappy, and slightly loosened its grip, wrapping its arms around Gu Yuzhi even tighter.
Gu Yuzhi scratched his head, glanced at it again, and tentatively whispered, "How about I give you some jerky first?"
Something is better than nothing, so Xiaobai reluctantly accepted it, and after eating several pieces of jerky, he slowly crawled back into his sleeve.
Gu Yuzhi wiped away non-existent sweat, mounted his horse, and whipped it to the front of the group.
"Duke of Qi!" Gu Yuzhi exclaimed with a broad smile, "I'm here!"
The Duke of Qi, dressed in armor and carrying a long spear, remained on high alert despite the lack of any apparent danger on the road, his eyes sharp and unwavering.
Upon seeing Gu Yuzhi, the Duke of Qi finally smiled: "Your Highness, have you finished your business?"
"It's all done!" Gu Yuzhi winked at the Duke of Qi. "Duke of Qi, wait for me after you return to the capital. I have a gift for you."
He heard it from Mr. Huo that the Duke of Qi was skilled with a long spear, so when finalizing the weapons and quantities, Gu Yuzhi selected a long spear for the Duke of Qi.
However, the weapons he wanted were all of a high standard and took a long time to make. The manor lord said he would send them to the northern desert before winter.
It was only then that Gu Yuzhi realized that it was already August.
The convoy transporting the stolen goods couldn't move quickly; it might not get back to the northern desert until October.
The temperature difference between day and night in northern Mobei in October is huge, and it will snow soon.
Xie Changshi Shun, whether the Northern Di will invade this winter is like a guillotine hanging over the northern desert, ready to fall at any moment.
Thinking of this, a hint of worry appeared on Gu Yuzhi's face.
The Duke of Qi thought he was worried about the safety of the group, and explained in a low voice: "Your Highness, rest assured, there are scouts ahead to explore the way. If there are any problems, I will ensure your safety."
Gu Yuzhi exclaimed "Ah!" and looked up at the Duke of Qi with a somewhat bewildered expression: "I'm not worried!"
He has a legion of beasts, what does he have to worry about? He should be worried about those who dare to rob him!
The Duke of Qi smiled and changed the subject: "Your Highness said that I should wait for a surprise. Could Your Highness give me a little hint as to what the surprise is?"
He shook his head: "I'm just curious. If I don't know, I'll be so anxious and restless that I won't be able to get any rest."
Gu Yuzhi looked up and saw that the Duke of Qi was making faces at him, clearly teasing him.
He snorted and waved his index finger from side to side: "Duke of Qi, I'm not a three-year-old child, I won't fall for your tricks."
He made a face at the Duke of Qi and chuckled, "Duke of Qi, just keep dreaming!"
Duke Qi was slightly surprised that he couldn't get any information out of Gu Yuzhi: "Your Highness, are you telling the truth?"
Gu Yuzhi chuckled, amused by his words: "Really? You're just curious!"
The group walked slowly and leisurely, and finally arrived in Jinzhou at the end of September.
Just before they were about to part ways, Gu Yuzhi took out the iron-making formula of the Tianquan Manor Master and handed it to Jiang Kangming mysteriously: "Guard Jiang, this is a gift I'm giving to my brother. When you return to the capital, give this to him."
Jiang Kangming gently squeezed the bamboo slip, and asked with some surprise, "Your Highness, aren't you going to the capital?"
Although princes with fiefdoms are not allowed to enter the capital without being summoned, Your Highness has just pacified Jiangnan and stabilized the hearts of the people there. Even if you were to enter the capital now, the Emperor would absolutely not punish you.
What's more, the young prince has also carefully prepared a gift for the emperor.
Gu Yuzhi shook his head: "No, no, my brother hasn't summoned me yet."
On the way, they encountered the guards who had delivered the imperial edict. They clearly informed the emperor that after receiving his urgent letter, he had halted the reinforcements and prepared a welcoming banquet for the Duke of Qi in the capital.
However, he didn't mention that he should return to Beijing, so naturally he couldn't go back.
Although he acted perfectly fine at the moment, he was still very upset when he first heard the news.
Because he really missed his mother, this was a perfect opportunity to return to the palace and catch up with her.
But the emperor didn't mention it. Chief Secretary Xie said that it meant now was not a good time for him to return to the capital. He should wait and see. Perhaps the best opportunity would come after they had dealt a heavy blow to the Northern Barbarians and completely stabilized the northern desert.
Gu Yuzhi had no other choice but to suppress his grievances and pretend to be happy as he handed the bamboo slip to Jiang Kangming.
Guard Zhang, who was waiting nearby, drove two carriages over and handed a set of keys to Jiang Kangming: "These are His Highness's gifts for the ladies of the harem and Consort Tai Xian."
Seeing Jiang Kangming take the keychain, Gu Yuzhi jumped onto the pony and waved to Jiang Kangming: "Guard Jiang, see you again sometime!"
Jiang Kangming responded with an "oh," his expression neither sad nor happy, and knelt down before Gu Yuzhi.
Gu Yuzhi and his men did not enter Jinzhou. Instead, they sped north along the official road, kicking up dust from their hooves. In no time, they had left the main escorting force far behind.
Only after he could no longer see anything did Gu Yuzhi rein in his horse and turn to look. Although he couldn't see anything, he stood there for a long time, and the smile on his face gradually faded.
This was the closest he had been to his mother since leaving the capital, but he still couldn't return to the capital to reunite with her, not even for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn...
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