Emperor Wenxuan noticed her constantly changing expression and said in a deep voice, "Is the golden token, the imperial command arrow, and the imperial sword enough for you?"
Bai Chuxiao blinked. Could she really execute the Crown Prince? But Emperor Wenxuan was determined to send her, and her refusal was futile. "Thank you, Father Emperor," she said, "I will certainly do my best."
Emperor Wenxuan's eyes flickered slightly, and he slowly spoke, "All situations in Yunzhou, the actions of Prince An and the Crown Prince, must be reported to me. Do you understand?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled faintly, "Yes, Father." Monitoring is no easy task. Emperor Wenxuan clearly wants to protect the Crown Prince; if she says anything bad about him, the Emperor will inevitably be displeased…
Emperor Wenxuan spoke again calmly, "Let's set off as soon as possible... By the way, I plan to appoint your second uncle as the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangnan. You can go and say goodbye beforehand."
Bai Chuxiao's face lit up with joy. She cupped her hands and said, "Thank you, Father Emperor." The Provincial Surveillance Commissioner was a real official position, much better than the Vice Minister of Rites. His Majesty the Emperor had been quite generous this time. So she would reluctantly become the Crown Prince's bodyguard...
Bai Chuxiao first went to the Murong family to tell everyone the good news about the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner.
"Congratulations, Second Uncle! The position of Provincial Surveillance Commissioner of Jiangnan is a great one, and it will also make it much more convenient for Hui-di to study at Bailu Academy in the future."
Murong Hui, however, showed no joy. "Sister Xiao, now that we're all gone, won't you be the only one left in the capital?"
Murong Cheng also said in a deep voice, "Xiao girl, you still need to find a way to get out of here as soon as possible."
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly, "I still need to go to Yunzhou. His Majesty won't let me leave anytime soon, so I'll feel more at ease if you all go to Jiangnan first."
Madam Murong frowned. "Your Majesty, how could you be entrusted with such a dangerous task? It's far too risky."
Kong Xihan also said with concern, "Xiaoxiao, although your kung fu is good, Yunzhou is ultimately someone else's territory. You need to bring more people with you and be careful in everything you do."
Bai Chuxiao nodded with a smile, "Second Aunt, Sister Xihan, you don't need to worry about me. It's just that I don't know when we'll see each other again."
Murong Cheng spoke in a deep voice, "Xiao girl, if anything seems amiss, immediately back down and don't be stubborn. We'll discuss everything after your maternal grandfather and the Prince of Yan have finished their battle."
Bai Chuxiao said seriously, "Second Uncle, I know."
Back at the Prince of Yan's residence, Bai Chuxiao didn't waste any more words. She hurriedly left the city with Zhan Chi, Xia Fan, and two hundred guards. She felt that Prince An had probably deliberately lured them there. It would be better for Yu Fengyang and Cui Hao to stay in the capital, so that they could provide support if anything unexpected happened...
When Bai Chuxiao arrived at the city gate with her entourage, the Crown Prince was already waiting for her there with a troop of personal guards and several imperial physicians.
Chu Tianyou's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at the imperial sword she was holding. "Princess, what is this?"
Bai Chuxiao blinked. "I'm just a lowly princess with little influence, unlike the Crown Prince whose status is so noble. My father bestowed upon me a precious sword to facilitate my actions."
Chu Tianyou nodded. "In that case, let's set off immediately."
The closer they got to Yunzhou, the more suspicious Bai Chuxiao became. If there were an epidemic and widespread public discontent in Yunzhou, there would definitely be refugees fleeing out. However, they hadn't encountered a single person from Yunzhou along the way.
Bai Chuxiao approached Chu Tianyou and slowly asked, "Your Highness, how much do you know about that gold mine?"
Chu Tianyou's expression hardened slightly. "I've already said this has nothing to do with me; it's all my uncle's doing."
Bai Chuxiao nodded speechlessly, "I know, so our trip to Yunzhou will be very dangerous. Your Highness, please tell us the truth so we can proceed accordingly." This guy just blindly rushed in, and he won't even know if he gets sold out by Prince An.
Chu Tianyou pondered for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice, "This is just a small gold mine in Mingyue Mountain, east of Yunzhou. It was already mined out several months ago, as you and Lao Qi probably know. As for the men who worked in the mine, they were released back home long ago and didn't get sick at all."
Bai Chuxiao lowered her eyes. This Crown Prince was completely clueless; he dared to cooperate with Prince An without knowing anything.
When the group arrived at the gates of Yunzhou City, the gates were tightly shut. Although the guards on the city walls were dressed in Yunzhou Guard uniforms, their behavior was quite strange.
The middle-aged man beside Chu Tianyou shouted angrily, "The Crown Prince and the Princess Consort of Yan have arrived! Why haven't you opened the city gates yet?"
A guard on the city wall made a hand gesture, and immediately someone opened the city gate.
Chu Tianyou coldly ordered, "Let's go, into the city."
He wanted to see what tricks his good uncle and the officials of Yunzhou were up to, daring to use him as a scapegoat.
Bai Chuxiao frowned slightly and quickly said, "Your Highness, you mustn't!"
Chu Tianyou was displeased. "What does the princess mean by this? How can the refugees be managed if we don't enter the city?"
Bai Chuxiao spoke in a deep voice, "Something's not right with these guards. I'm afraid it's not just a simple gathering of plague-stricken refugees. We only brought so few people; it's easy to go in, but difficult to get out. Your Highness, it would be safer to borrow a garrison from nearby Changzhou."
Chu Tianyou frowned. "The Yunzhou garrison is also under the command of the imperial court, and we have enough troops to deploy. If we bring in the Changzhou garrison and it clashes with the Yunzhou garrison, plus the refugees, we'll be in even more trouble."
Moreover, the Changzhou Guard probably won't move without his personal presence, which would waste a lot of time. If the epidemic spreads and that imperial uncle does something to frame him, he would have no way to defend himself.
Bai Chuxiao spoke loudly to the city gate guards, "Where is your commander? Tell him to come out and see us." The Yunzhou garrison was unsure whose side they should follow; they should first confirm with Wei Changkong, the commander of the Yunzhou garrison, before making any decisions…
The guard on the city wall suddenly spoke up, "Your Highness the Crown Prince and Princess Consort, please enter the city first. We closed the city gates to prevent infected refugees from leaving."
Chu Tianyou ignored Bai Chuxiao's words and said in a deep voice, "Let's go."
Bai Chuxiao hurriedly called out, "Wait!" but the Crown Prince and his entourage completely ignored her and headed straight into the city.
Xia Fan frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Your Highness, what should we do?"
Bai Chuxiao cursed inwardly, "Let's keep up. The Crown Prince's safety is the most important thing."
Between a son and a daughter-in-law, the son is undoubtedly more important. Emperor Wenxuan has specifically instructed that protecting the Crown Prince is the most important thing. If the Crown Prince were to die, Emperor Wenxuan might take his anger out on her.
As soon as they entered the city, the city gates were slammed shut. On the way to the Provincial Administration Commission, there wasn't a single commoner selling goods; only a few restaurants remained open.
Bai Chuxiao frowned slightly. "Xia Fan, go and ask what happened."
Xia Fan bowed and replied, then vanished in a flash.
When Bai Chuxiao arrived at the Provincial Administration Office with the Crown Prince, Jiang Ming, the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Yunzhou, was already waiting outside. Upon seeing them, he immediately came forward to greet them.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince; greetings, Princess Changning."
Chu Tianyou roared, "Jiang Ming, how dare you! When did I ever order the mountain to be set on fire?"
Jiang Ming sighed slightly, "Your Highness, Magistrate Wang Ping of Qing County insists that he received Your Highness's order, and I have reported this truthfully to Your Majesty."
Bai Chuxiao asked in a deep voice, "Where is Wang Ping?"
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