Chapter 7 007 Suspicion
Chapter 7
Meng Yuning became inexplicably nervous and subconsciously looked behind her. Her carriage had just turned a corner and she could no longer see the team behind her.
Of course, she couldn't see the escorting officers and soldiers following behind the team. Similarly, they couldn't see her, let alone the two guards who ran into the dense forest in front.
She felt relieved, but also confused.
The novel, called "The Return of the Regent", was read by her to kill time on the road and in the hotel during the two days of her trip.
She read a few chapters of this book and found that most of it was a plot of intrigue and power struggle, which was a bit brain-burning, so she didn't read it word by word.
But she had a habit. No matter what, she would usually turn to the end of the book she had read to see the ending.
She was not very interested in the book and just skimmed through it as usual. She remembered most of the key plots related to the protagonist, but she did not pay attention to small details like the two guards' sneaking away.
So she didn't know whether the two guards in the original book ran away?
But logically speaking, there should be some.
But, what are they going to do? Are they going to contact someone?
But no matter what they did, they were following orders and not running away. Otherwise, those sharp-eyed and sharp-eared guards would have caught up with them long ago and would never have turned a blind eye and happily picked wild vegetables like they did now.
What's more, most of these two hundred guards were sent to Qi Jingyan by the Queen's mother's family, the Mu family.
Especially Mu Yun, Mu Feng, Mu Shan, and a few others with the surname Mu. In fact, they are Qi Jingyan's cousins. They grew up with Qi Jingyan since childhood. They have a deep relationship with him and are willing to risk their lives for Qi Jingyan at any time.
However, according to the original plot, they encountered frequent assassinations along the way, and in the end not many people were left. So these two people’s mission should not have been accomplished, right?
Meng Yuning was thinking about something and forgot to lower the curtain for a moment. She stared blankly in the direction where the two people had just run away.
Mu Feng ran over holding a handful of wild onions, blocking her view, and asked with a smile: "Miss Meng, how do you make these wild onions delicious?"
Meng Yuning came back to his senses and patiently answered: "You can stir-fry meat, scramble eggs, make buns, pies, or even mix them cold. They're all delicious."
Mu Feng said happily: "There are so many ways to eat it, so we have to pick more."
After saying that, he turned around and loudly repeated what Meng Yuning had said, and finally reminded them: "Brothers, there are many of us, we must make more to have enough to eat."
The guards responded loudly and pulled and plucked even more happily.
Meng Yuning watched this scene with suspicion. She had previously assumed they were so enthusiastic because they hadn't had any edible food in days.
But now thinking about it, I feel that I was naive. They made such a scene probably to cover up those two people.
They were all guards of the former East Palace, the most trusted men under the former crown prince. How could they act like they had never seen the world before, running around and shouting, disrupting the formation of the usually disciplined team, just for a bite of wild vegetables?
The more Meng Yuning thought about it, the more she felt that she was right.
But on second thought, Qi Jingyan was suppressed to that extent by Emperor Kangwen and the Third Prince, both openly and secretly, yet he was able to turn the tide. This shows that he is definitely not the kind of person who would just leave everything to fate and sit and wait for death. It is normal for him to think of a way to send someone out to deliver the letter.
Thinking that she and Qi Jingyan were on the same boat and her life was tied to theirs, Meng Yuning lowered the curtains, clasped her hands together, and prayed silently.
To the two brothers just now, no matter what you want to do, I wish you a successful start and immediate success!
As the sky gradually darkened, the guards stopped working after filling the carriage at the back, got back on their horses, and moved forward with the team.
Seeing that they were finally safe, the officers and soldiers behind them breathed a sigh of relief and stopped riding their horses to run over to watch from time to time.
The team lit torches and marched forward silently in the night, with only the rumbling of wheels and the sounds of horses' hooves remaining.
Meng Yuning was tired of sitting, so she arranged a few large bags that looked like they were filled with bedding, took off her shoes, climbed on, and curled up to lie down.
She was worried that the officers and soldiers would discover that two people were missing and start another conflict, and she was also worried that the bandits would suddenly rush out from somewhere, but she had no control over these things, so she didn't think too much about it. She closed her eyes, adjusted her breathing, and slowly fell asleep with the swaying rhythm of the carriage.
After an unknown amount of time, the curtain of the car window was lifted a crack by someone from the outside, and then a beam of light from a torch shone in. Then the curtain fell and the car became dark again.
Mu Feng ran to the side of Qi Jingyan's carriage and reported in a low voice: "Your Highness, Miss Meng has fallen asleep. What's strange is that she didn't cry secretly tonight like she did before."
Qi Jingyan said "hmm" lightly.
Mu Feng lowered his voice again: "Your Highness, she saw what happened just now. Do you think we should find a chance to warn her not to talk nonsense?"
Qi Jingyan: "It's okay, she should know what to do."
Mu Feng: "Yes."
---
Maybe it was because she was too tired these days, but Meng Yuning slept very deeply. When she woke up, she was a little dazed and didn't know where she was.
I was stunned for a long time before I recalled all the incredible things that happened yesterday.
She turned over and sat up, opened the car window curtain, and saw that it was already dawn.
The team was still moving forward quietly. She was surprised at the quietness of last night, but nothing happened, which was always good.
Having lived another day, Meng Yuning was in a good mood.
The morning air in the mountains was incredibly fresh. She took a few deep breaths and felt much more refreshed.
Seeing her emerge, Mu Feng, who was following Qi Jingyan's carriage, slowed down and greeted her: "Miss Meng, did you have a good rest last night?"
Meng Yuning nodded: "I slept well. Aren't you tired after riding like this all night?"
Mu Feng shook his head, looking proud: "That's nothing. When I followed our prince to fight outside, it was common for me to not sleep for days and nights."
Meng Yuning remembered that although Qi Jingyan was the eldest son of the emperor, the third prince born to the imperial concubine was also quite favored by Emperor Kangwen, so the position of crown prince had not been established for a long time.
When Qi Jingyan was fifteen years old, foreign enemies invaded from the north. His uncle Mu Xiao was appointed as the general and led the troops to quell the rebellion. He volunteered to follow.
The war lasted for three full years. He fought from the age of fifteen to eighteen, and transformed from a graceful scholar into a cold-faced general with a murderous aura.
Only after he returned from the battlefield did Emperor Kangwen appoint him as the crown prince.
However, he had only been the crown prince for two years, and before Qi Jingyan was even crowned, he was removed from the position of crown prince by Emperor Kangwen.
In the final analysis, it was because Prince Qi Jingyan was too outstanding. He was originally praised by the Taifu for his virtue and strategy, and later praised by the old generals for his resourcefulness and ability to fight.
Emperor Kangwen, however, was narrow-minded. Although his son was so outstanding, he was not satisfied that he had a successor. Instead, he was suspicious and felt that Qi Jingyan would kill the emperor and usurp the throne sooner or later. Of course, this had a lot to do with Concubine Dou's frequent whispering in his ear.
This time Qi Jingyan was demoted, and his uncle's family was also dismissed from office and their property was confiscated. More than a hundred members of the family were exiled to the northwest. In addition, with the death of the queen, their Mu family was completely out of power.
She was just curious. Qi Jingyan was twenty years old this year, and Mu Feng was only fifteen. Five years ago, Mu Feng was only ten years old. Did he also go to the war?
Seeing Meng Yuning looking at him with suspicion, Mu Feng guessed what she was thinking and scratched his head: "I didn't go, but my eldest brother Mu Yun and the others followed His Highness. I heard what they said. But I can do it too. Not to mention a few days and nights, even ten days and ten nights without sleep is no problem."
The young man was quite boastful. Meng Yuning couldn't help laughing and asked, "Are we going to walk all day today?"
Mu Feng nodded: "Yes, His Highness said that he had delayed too much before, and his leg is better now. He wants to hurry up and travel while the weather is good these few days."
"However, we will stop and rest when we come across a suitable place. Miss Meng will then prepare breakfast for everyone."
Meng Yuning nodded happily: "Of course."
After walking for about another half an hour, the sky was already bright. There was an open area in front of them. There were several rows of willow trees on the roadside. Beyond the willow trees, there was a small river, so the team stopped.
Some were digging stoves, some were setting up pots, some were carrying buckets, and five or six guards also filled baskets with yesterday's bamboo shoots and wild vegetables and carried them to the river, apparently to wash them.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Meng Yuning couldn't wait to jump off and ran towards the stream. After taking a few steps, she heard someone calling her, "Miss Meng."
Meng Yuning turned around and saw that Qi Jingyan had been carried out of the carriage at some point and was sitting in a wheelchair looking at her, but he was not holding Yi'er. It seemed that the little boy was still sleeping.
Meng Yuning walked back and bowed to him as a greeting, then asked, "What are your instructions, Your Highness?"
Qi Jingyan said gently, "I wonder if there are any wild vegetables around here that would make people feel sick if eaten?" Meng Yuning was stunned. "Uncomfortable? How could it make me feel sick? Who should I feed it to?"
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