The black-robed man raised his head, took a few deep breaths, and tried to calm himself down. He then removed the jade pendant from his waist and threw it to the black-robed man on the ground. "The medicine girl's eyes are sick. She must have been tricked by that person. Pass the order down and do everything in your power to find the whereabouts of the killer."
"yes!"
After saying this, the man in black showed no sign of leaving. Su Zhirou stood by, closely watching the two men's every move, trying to find some useful information.
"As for you, you should know my rules," the black-robed man had just finished speaking. Before Su Zhirou could react, the black-robed man kneeling on the ground took out a piece of cloth and tied it around his left arm. He then took out a piece of cloth from somewhere and stuffed it into the nearest mouth. With a wave of his hand and a knife, he actually cut off his left hand.
Su Zhirou was stunned. At this moment, she completely understood her own stupidity and completely gave up the idea of running away. Now, she only had this ancestral pendant. In this man's eyes, she was like an ant.
The black-robed man glanced at Su Zhirou, picked up his bag and left, saying, "I'll spare your life. Keep an eye on this woman. I'm going back."
"yes!"
...And Wang Yanzhou, who had led his troops to the southern border with Prince Zhong, ordered the camp to be set up not too far from the battlefield. Wang Yanzhou sat aside, his eyes narrowed, watching Prince Zhong arrange everything in the camp.
After Prince Zhong had arranged everything and the soldiers were doing their respective tasks, Wang Yanzhou slowly stepped forward with his Qilin mask on: "There is order in the midst of chaos. Prince Zhong is not as the rumors say."
Hearing Wang Yanzhou say this, Prince Zhong lowered his head shyly and said, "Uncle Wang, please forgive me for laughing."
Wang Yanzhou smiled and said, "We'll be in the southern border tomorrow. If you have any ideas, please share them with me."
Prince Zhong thought for a long time and replied with some embarrassment: "...No."
Wang Yanzhou gestured for Prince Zhong to follow him around the tent, then said as they walked, "Haha, Yan Chongmao dared to lead his troops here this time, so I think he's made thorough preparations. He's very familiar with the defenses of the southern border. It's been almost a month now, and despite being invaded, the southern border remains as strong as ever. Why do you think that is?"
Prince Zhong said without hesitation: "It's a trick."
Wang Yanzhou looked at him and nodded with considerable satisfaction. Rumor had it that Prince Zhong was lustful, ambitious, and good for nothing. Now, it seemed he knew how to hold back. No wonder he was still alive and well, and that Emperor Gan Zhao had trusted him with these tens of thousands of soldiers. "Once the supplies arrive, I'll have completed my mission. You can handle everything else on your own."
Prince Zhong looked at Wang Yanzhou and said in a strange tone, "...I don't understand."
Wang Yanzhou patted his shoulder and said, "There are still many things you don't understand. You, like your mother, are people who know how to endure. Right now, you are only one step away from your goal. But you must be careful of your steps, and don't trip over a stone before you take the final step."
Prince Zhong saw that they had slowly wandered to the outskirts of the camp, and that no one was around to eavesdrop on their conversation, so he spoke directly, "Wang Shuyi, how is the emperor?"
Wang Yanzhou stopped and asked, "Then, what does Prince Zhong think of me, Prince Qingliang?"
Prince Zhong looked at Wang Yanzhou, speechless. Wang Yanzhou didn't want to tease him, so he said with a smile, "Hahahaha, I heard there's a strange kind of multicolored pebbles along the riverbank in the southern border. My wife loves these things, so while I still have time, I have to go find some nice ones to keep. Prince Zhong, are you interested in coming with me?"
"……good."
Prince Zhong originally thought that Wang Yanzhou just wanted to use an excuse to take him to a place with fewer people to talk or something, but he never expected that when Wang Yanzhou arrived at the creek, he and Qilinmian actually bent down and carefully picked up the stones on the riverbank.
Prince Zhong stood alone by, not knowing whether to pick it up or not, feeling very embarrassed.
Wang Yanzhou carefully selected a handful of nice multicolored pebbles and held them in his hand. He then looked up at Prince Zhong, who was standing uncomfortably, and said, "I'm afraid you went to the Pipa Hall that day not just for Xihe, right?"
"......" Prince Zhong was stunned. He thought that his reckless and lustful behavior that day was flawless. How did he find out that he had other intentions?
Without waiting for Prince Zhong to explain, Wang Yanzhou stood up, took out an exquisite small wooden box from his sleeve and threw it over, "Keep it."
Prince Zhong took the small wooden box and looked at it. He was shocked: "You!"
Wang Yanzhou continued to bend down and debate with Qilinmian about which stones looked good, explaining, "Your mother and my mother are half-master and disciple. Pibanong was originally her residence. When she was bored and asked Zhongqin to redecorate the room, she found this in a secret compartment on the wall. I think this little box is quite nice, so I might as well borrow it to offer to the Buddha."
Prince Zhong carefully put the small wooden box into his pocket and stepped forward to test it, "Uncle Wang, do you know what's in this box?"
Wang Yanzhou smiled and said, "I know, but I'm not interested."
The contents of this wooden box were indeed kept by his mother. Emperor Qian Zhao had originally assumed they had been buried with his mother upon her death, but unexpectedly, they were not found in the coffin. Thinking they might be in Qingliang Valley, he carefully instructed him to retrieve them. This item, at best, was a small item, but at worst, it could mobilize the elite troops hidden within the imperial mausoleum.
Prince Zhong looked at Wang Yanzhou's busy appearance and couldn't help but sigh and said, "As my father said, you are really not fit to be an emperor."
Wang Yanzhou said disapprovingly, "Really? If he really thought so, he wouldn't be so wary of me."
After saying this, Wang Yanzhou spread out the two stones he had carefully selected and asked Prince Zhong to choose: "Which of these two do you think is better looking?"
Prince Zhong looked at the two stones in his hands, hesitated for a moment, then pointed at the one on his left hand and said, "Um, this one."
"Okay, that's it," Wang Yanzhou said as he threw the ugly one away. Whether it was by chance or intention, this small stone just happened to knock down the "crow" that had been hiding in the tree. The "crow" was frightened and ran away without a trace.
“Who is it?”
Wang Yanzhou signaled Prince Zhong to remain calm. After all, they were nearing a battlefield, so it was normal for there to be eavesdroppers and assassinations. Besides, even if South Vietnam didn't send anyone to follow them, Emperor Gan Zhao might still be worried about them. "Alright, forget about him. Keep picking up rocks."
A moment later, a masked man in white clothes ran out from the woods and said, "Master, we didn't catch him."
"Nothing," Wang Yanzhou said, and then gestured, "Prince Zhong, you should go back first. You have been with me for a long time, and some people may be worried about your safety."
Upon hearing this, Prince Zhong nodded and bowed, saying, "Yao Ji, take your leave."
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