Zhao Ming frowned slightly, somewhat doubtful: "But she's a woman from the Shang family, and I've heard she's quite skilled in martial arts..."
Mr. Ye waved his hand dismissively: "No matter how capable she is, she is just a woman. Your Highness can easily bribe a few soldiers."
Zhao Ming looked at Mr. Ye with some doubt, but seeing the latter's confident and ethereal appearance, he finally believed him and immediately sent someone to infiltrate the group of five hundred elite soldiers.
Zhao Ming gave the three men a few instructions, then sat silently in the hall, lost in thought, his right hand fiddling with the small sandalwood bracelet.
After a long while, he finally smiled and went to the back garden of the Prince's mansion. He pushed open an inconspicuous, abandoned wooden door and found a dozen or so tombstones standing densely packed inside. Beside the tombstones bloomed beautiful canna lilies and poppies, which were even more beautiful than the flowers tended by the most careful gardeners, and looked somewhat bewitching.
The tombstone in the very center is inscribed with "Beloved Wife Shang Jieyou". There are twelve tombstones surrounding Shang Jieyou's grave. If you look closely, you can see that the owners of those tombstones are the women from powerful families in Shengjing who "died suddenly" in the last six or seven years.
Zhao Ming walked straight to Shang Jieyou's grave. A smile slowly bloomed on his usually cold and aloof face. He bent down, embraced Shang Jieyou's grave, and affectionately rubbed his cheek against it, as tenderly as a lover: "Jieyou, don't worry, I will avenge you soon. After all those people are dead, I will come to find you, okay?"
Of course, no one could answer him. A cold wind blew by, and Zhao Ming's black clothes billowed in the wind, looking like a dark cloud from afar, ready to unleash a storm at any moment.
...
As soon as Shang Shaoyan and his group left Shengjing, they learned that Emperor Chen had dispatched 500 elite soldiers to escort them.
Shang Shaoyan knew this was Shang Yunlan's idea—he wanted him to recruit these five hundred elite soldiers to his own side, but how could this be so easy? Not to mention that there were two prime ministers watching nearby, just the fact that these five hundred elite soldiers were directly under the control of Emperor Chen showed how difficult this matter was.
Shang Shaoyan rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache, and then forced himself to chat with the leading soldier.
The soldier was handsome and refined, looking more like a scholar than a soldier. He was elegant and looked at Shang Shaoyan with a smile in his eyes: "Princess, there's no need for such formalities. My name is Cheng Chu. From now on, our troops will be at your command."
He paused, then lowered his voice: "Don't worry, the Duke has already taken control of our military force. He told you to just go ahead and do it."
Shang Shaoyan: "...?"
She looked at Cheng Chu with a complicated expression, the short sword in her sleeve almost drawn: "What did my brother tell you?"
Cheng Chu gestured for Shang Shaoyan to speak privately, and Shang Shaoyan nodded and followed him a few steps outside.
"My real name is Yan Nan, but the Duke usually calls me Anan. I was originally a secret guard in the manor. My master has already explained the situation to me. I infiltrated this elite force half a month ago, and from now on, I will be at the command of the County Princess." Cheng Chu bowed respectfully, and then took out the token of the Duke of Zhenguo's manor for Shang Shaoyan to examine. "This is my identification document, and you can also use it to command this force."
Shang Shaoyan suddenly realized that the old Duke had left behind a group of secret guards, but she found it troublesome and handed them all over to Shang Yunlan.
Shang Shaoyan took the Zhenguo Duke's token from Cheng Chu, and with that understanding, he felt relieved. He nodded slightly to Cheng Chu and then returned to the carriage.
This carriage was converted from an old sedan chair. It was small but complete. From the outside, it didn't look special, but inside it was like a small bedroom, exquisite and luxurious.
Shang Shaoyan and Bai Lu sat inside the carriage. Bai Lu was still biting her fingers in distress. When she saw Shang Shaoyan return, she looked like she was about to cry: "Princess..."
Shang Shaoyan glanced at her amusedly and teased, "What, afraid I'll silence you?"
Bai Lu shook her head. After a moment's thought, she said, "When the county princess saved me from the beggars, I swore to follow her for life. I have no family left, and I'm just a life I've already sold to the county princess. County princess, Bai Lu will always be with you from now on."
Shang Shaoyan took Bai Lu's hand and smiled: "You've always been smart, but there's no need to rush to conclusions. You can think about it carefully along the way to Shuzhou."
Bai Lu shook her head, her gaze firm: "Princess, there's no need to worry. I never like to change my mind easily... When my father was still alive, he praised me for being just as capable as any man. If I can help you in any way, I'll be happy."
Shang Shaoyan stared intently at Bai Lu, and it would be a lie to say that she wasn't moved. However, she was naturally suspicious, so she didn't dare to believe her completely. She could only suppress her doubts and pat Bai Lu's hand with satisfaction.
...
Because of Shang Shaoyan and Shang Yunlan, the more than thirty people who were exiled were well taken care of. Although they did not live as comfortably as Shang Shaoyan, they were well-fed and warmly dressed, which was completely different from other exiled officials.
Before nightfall, the group had arrived in Hangzhou. Shang Shaoyan had already made arrangements for his uncle, the governor of Hangzhou, so they were not staying at an ordinary post station, but at a newly renovated one with plenty of charcoal.
Outside the post station, the five hundred elite soldiers and the soldiers responsible for escorting the exiled prisoners sat around the fire chatting, occasionally bursting into laughter.
Chen Shu and Li Xuan were arranged to share a room. They held hot water bottles in their arms and soaked their feet in hot water, which turned the fatigue of a day's journey into comfort.
Chen Shu sighed, "Princess Heyang is truly a meticulous and warm-hearted woman. If we hadn't been exiled, I would have definitely asked Wulang to ask her for a marriage proposal."
Li Xuan didn't respond.
Chen Shu was a straightforward person and not very observant at times, but he could see clearly that Princess Heyang was no ordinary person and that her kindness to them was not just to "repay a debt of gratitude."
If it's to repay a debt of gratitude, then the cost is far too high.
Although Princess Heyang went to Shu Prefecture for two reasons—to seek medical treatment and to search for the Iron-Eating Beast on His Majesty's orders—she actually had no reason to accompany them at all—especially after His Majesty dispatched five hundred elite soldiers, which made it even more unbelievable.
Li Xuan had a headache. He looked down at his feet, which were already blistered in the hot water, and his mind was in a mess.
Just then, someone knocked on their door: "My lords, I have been sent by the county magistrate to deliver medicine."
Chen Shu quickly dried his feet and went to open the door: "What medicine? We're not sick..."
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