On the way back to the courtyard, Yaoying took off the Yaksha ghost mask and recalled the look in Sudangu's eyes when she showed him her mask before entering the palace.

Does he know the established rules of the Gaochang Palace banquet?

If he knew, would he misunderstand that she did it on purpose?

He stared at her for a while, was hesitating whether to remind her to change her mask?

Yaoying did it on purpose - but she really didn't know there was such a thing as this, she just wanted to tell him that she had bought him the same mask as his.

Do you want to explain it to him?

This thought was suppressed by Yao Ying as soon as it came up. Sultan Gu only looked at her a few times at that time without any other reaction. Maybe he didn't think much about it at all. It would be embarrassing for her to explain it deliberately.

A man like him, free from worries, wouldn't care about the mask on her face at all.

So no explanation is necessary.

After figuring this out, Yao Ying did not hide her mask. She got off the carriage and was about to find Sultan Gu to discuss the meeting between Wei Chi Damo and Haidu Aling. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a figure coming towards her in the corridor. She was startled, then her face broke into a smile.

"Ah Qing!"

Xie Qing stepped forward and saluted Yao Ying in a serious manner, with a blank expression and a respectful manner.

Yao Ying smiled, walked quickly into the corridor, and pulled her aside to ask carefully, "Is your injury healed?"

Xie Qing replied: "Don't worry, Princess. I'm much better now."

Yaoying felt a little worried, so she stood on tiptoe and moved closer to take a closer look at her face.

Xie Qing was stubborn and never complained about hardship or tiredness. She got up early every day to practice swordsmanship regardless of wind or rain, and her hands were full of thick silk. This time, she was seriously injured while saving Jin Bo, and had to escape from the city to recuperate. Xie Chong and others said that she blocked a knife for Jin Bo with her body, was covered in blood, and was unconscious for a day before waking up. They thought she was in danger, how could such a serious injury be healed so quickly?

The lights were dim, Xie Qing had a dignified face and a straight back. Yao Ying couldn't tell whether her injuries were really healed.

"Ah Qing, I'm safe now. With General Su here, I'll be fine. You should take good care of your injuries. Don't force yourself to stay healthy. It will be bad if you develop a chronic disease. Aren't you martial artists most afraid of getting sick?"

Xie Qing still had a wooden face, and said solemnly: "I'm fine now, I can come back to protect the princess."

Yao Ying knew that she couldn't persuade her, so she sighed, looked back, and wanted to ask Sultan Gu for advice. After looking around, she didn't see anyone.

He seemed to have just walked past her, but she was only paying attention to Xie Qing and didn't notice him.

Yao Ying turned around and continued to talk in a low voice with Xie Qing.

As the two were talking, the personal guards in the courtyard were walking back and forth. One of their eyes looked over and lingered for a long time on Yao Ying's hand, which was tightly holding Xie Qing's.

Yaoying felt something was wrong and looked over.

Yuan Jue was standing at the corner of the corridor, staring at her hands with his gray-brown eyes, a sneer at the corner of his lips, and a hint of anger on his face.

Seeing her turn around, he reacted suddenly, looked angry, turned around and walked away.

Yao Ying looked confused: She was talking to Xie Qing, why was Yuan Jue angry?

Among the guards around Tanmarajya, the guards headed by Prajna saw her as if they were watching the naked witch who seduced Sakyamuni in "The Legend of the Demon King". They did not hide their deep hatred and pain for her. Only Ashina Bisha and Yuanjue treated her politely at the beginning. After spending these days together, Yuanjue became more and more familiar with her and treated her with more respect. Why did he suddenly change his attitude?

Did he have a quarrel with Xie Qing?

Yao Ying couldn't figure it out, so she put the matter aside for the time being and asked Xie Qing in detail about what happened in the inn that day.

Xie Qing's voice was hoarse, and he said, "The princess reminded me to protect Jin Bo that day, so I kept an eye on his movements. The killer in the geisha was the first wave of assassins. My personal guards and I dealt with those assassins, but I didn't expect that his personal guards were the real killers. Jin Bo was caught off guard and almost let them succeed. I saved him, but we made too much noise at the time and were afraid of attracting other people, so we had to retreat from the city first. The city was under strict security a few days ago, with sentries everywhere, and Lao Qi and the others couldn't contact the princess. The guards were not so strict these days. I was worried about the princess's safety, so I came into the city after I recovered from my injuries."

Yao Ying asked: "Where is little Prince Jinbo? Is his injury serious?"

Xie Qing's face flashed with a hint of disgust, and he said, "He only suffered minor injuries, and the people of the royal court escorted him back to Beirong. He was so grateful that he said he would repay the Buddha for saving his life in the future."

She didn't seem to want to talk about Jin Bo anymore, so Yao Ying didn't ask any further questions.

Jinbo was the youngest and most beloved son of Wakhan Khan. He almost died in Gaochang, so he must have suspected Haidu Aling first. He went back to Yating to complain. What would Wakhan Khan do?

If it were someone else, they would be furious and kill Haidu Aling to vent their anger for their son. By then, the internal strife among the Northern Rong would continue, and she and Yang Qian's people would have the opportunity to send out the message through the blockade.

Unfortunately, Wakhan Khan is not that kind of person.

When Wakhan Khan was young, he was wise and decisive, and had both wisdom and courage, so he was able to lead an inconspicuous Turkic branch tribe to rise and become strong, conquer the northern desert, and annex the Western Regions.

After decades of conquests in the south and the north, he was invincible, conquered dozens of cities in a row, and rarely lost. Unavoidably, he was arrogant, underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly. As a result, he was defeated by the young Tanmaraka, who was regarded as a puppet emperor by the world. Not only did he lose a large number of elite soldiers, but he was also so desperate that he had to abandon his position and put on soldiers' clothes to escape. He was hit hard for a while, left with a mental illness, and began to act cautiously. In addition, there were many conflicts in the tribe. After finishing his military affairs every day, he had to deal with disputes reported from all over the place. He was exhausted, and later he continued to besiege the royal court without believing in evil. He did not gain any advantage, and his mental illness became worse. His style of work gradually became conservative.

Even so, Wakhan Khan should not be underestimated. It remains to be seen how he will deal with the dispute between his son and Haidu Aling.

Yao Ying hesitated for a moment and then asked about the injuries of other people.

Xie Qing replied that two of his personal soldiers were seriously injured, but the others were not seriously injured.

Yaoying heard her speaking with a lack of breath, and it was obvious that her injury had not healed yet, so she sent her back to her room.

Xie Qing frowned.

Yao Ying said, "Ah Qing, please help me sort out the things in the boxes. I'm tired after a day of work and I can't even lift my arms."

Xie Qing immediately responded respectfully.

After dinner at night, Yao Ying did not go to bed. Instead, she wrote a few letters to Yang Qian and sent Xie Chong to deliver them overnight. She sat in front of the lamp and thought for a while, then got up to look for Sultan Gu.

Sultan Gu hadn't gone to bed yet either. The lights were still on in the room, and a cool, hazy light shone through the window.

Yuanjue was standing outside the door. When he saw Yaoying approaching, he tilted his chin to the side and his expression was not as warm as usual.

Yaoying recalled what happened when she came back.

"Yuanjue, is there any misunderstanding between you and Xie Qing? She is a straightforward person and doesn't understand much nonsense. If she has offended you in any way, just tell me and I will compensate you on her behalf."

Yuanjue's expression was stiff, his lips moved a few times, and he seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Yao Ying looked at him with clear eyes and sincere expression.

Yuan Jue was defeated, scratched his head, and said hesitantly: "No...nothing, Xie Qing didn't offend me, I just lost my composure for a moment, Princess, don't take it to heart."

He just thought that the princess shouldn't be so close to a guard.

He couldn't say that.

The princess would naturally forget about the Buddha if she was getting close to another man, so shouldn't he be relieved? Why did he feel like a pot of boiling water was bubbling in his heart when he saw the princess and Xie Qing arguing with each other?

At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind: since the princess is the daughter of the Buddha, she should wholeheartedly admire the Buddha...

Yuanjue shook his head and came to his senses. If Prajna knew he was thinking like this, she would definitely want to dig out his head.

Yao Ying's eyes moved across Yuan Jue's face, and after making sure that he didn't seem to be having an awkward relationship with Xie Qing, she smiled and stated her purpose.

Yuanjue didn't dare to let her in, so he turned around and went into the house to report. After a while, he opened the door and invited her in.

There was only one candle lit in the room, the light was dim, Sultan Gu was sitting in front of the couch, with the long black sword he carried with him across his knees, and a cold aura of murder lingering around him.

Yao Ying frowned slightly.

In just one or two hours, she felt that the murderous aura from Sultan Gu suddenly became stronger.

Also more indifferent.

This was the regent she had seen on the city wall, personally executing the criminal.

She looked at Sultan Kumar. He was not wearing a mask. His green eyes were raised and his gaze swept across her face.

"General Su?" Yao Ying stepped forward and called out tentatively.

Sultan Kumbh lowered his eyes and motioned for her to sit down.

Yao Ying sat opposite him and said, "I am sorry to bother you with my late night visit. General, there is one thing I cannot understand. Why can the Northern Rong set up so many checkpoints to block all those who want to pass on messages to the Central Plains?"

Yang Qian and her people will soon set out on the journey eastward. They must pass through the territory occupied by the Northern Rong and the checkpoints set up by the Northern Rong. During this period, many people will surely be discovered and their bodies will be separated.

She wished they had thought more carefully before they set out so that they could detect danger in time.

Every death is a good thing.

Sultan Kublai once fought against the Northern Rong people, so he should have known them well and knew their weaknesses.

Yao Ying sat upright and said, "If the general can tell me, please feel free to give me some advice."