The fire was blazing and thick smoke was billowing.

Judging from the intensity of the fire, the entire inn had been burned beyond recognition. Someone was shouting and screaming in the flames, sounding sorrowful and hysterical.

Yao Ying thought of Xie Qing and other personal soldiers who stayed in the post house, and felt dizzy and a layer of cold sweat broke out on her back.

The night wind blew and her body trembled slightly.

A voice rang in my ears: "The people from the posthouse have left the city. They set the fire to warn us that someone is attacking at night."

It is so cold without a trace of fireworks, yet has a kind of calmness that can soothe people's hearts.

Yao Ying felt relieved and slowly exhaled. She believed in Sultan Gu. He was a man of few words. If he said that, he must be 70% sure.

There must be some secret code between him and his personal guards.

Yao Ying slowly came back to her senses, "Were the attackers coming for us? Did Wei Chi Damo leak the news?"

Sultan Ku shook his head.

A flash of lightning flashed through Yao Ying's mind, and she was shocked. "They are coming for Jin Bo! Could it be that Haidu Aling has already come to Gaochang?"

Yuchi Damo only knew that they were envoys sent by Tanmo Luojia, and he was not clear about their identities. He was a smooth and flexible person. He sent letters to the royal court every year and used humble words. He would not offend Tanmo Luojia for no reason, at least he would not kill them before the secret meeting. The people who attacked at night must have someone else's plan.

Yaoying could only think of Haidu Aling.

The Sultan said: “It may not be done by him personally.”

Yao Ying nodded, thinking of the arrogant guards around Jin Bo, an idea quickly came to her mind, "Maybe when Jin Bo set out, Haidu Aling had already arranged a killer beside him, and when Jin Bo arrived in Gaochang, the killer took action immediately. Haidu Aling is in Beirong, so not only can he clear his suspicion, but he can also put the blame on Weichi Damo."

Wakhan Khan valued the honor of the descendants of the wolf clan and was unwilling to hurt anyone behind their backs. Haidu Aling had no such scruples. Moreover, Jinbo and his men had set traps to kill him several times. If he had not been so brave, he would have died at the hands of his brothers.

Yao Ying's eyes flashed with shock, and she murmured, "If Haidu Aling has arranged assassins around every prince..."

The princes hid the truth from Wakhan Khan that he was going to get rid of Haidu Aling by borrowing reinforcements. Haidu Aling took advantage of the situation and stayed in Beirong, secretly sending assassins to lurk around the princes.

In this way, he not only eliminated his opponent without anyone noticing, but also used this incident to force people like Yuchi Damo to join forces with him. By the time Wakhan Khan reacted, it was too late to save the situation.

The more Yaoying thought about it, the more frightened she became.

Haidu Aling is ambitious. Once he replaces Wakhan and becomes the new Khan of Northern Rong, he will definitely lead his army to conquer the Central Plains. I hope Xie Qing remembers her instructions and saves Jinbo. Although Jinbo is stupid, he is the son of Wakhan after all, and he may be of some use.

Sultan Gu turned his horse and led Yao Ying through the empty alleys. He reacted quickly and always managed to avoid the patrolling guards.

There were huge sounds of burning coming from the direction of the post house. The raging fire lit up half the sky. The snow on the walls and roof tiles cast a layer of dark red light. Yaoying seemed to be able to feel the flames burning in the distance, and her cheeks were burning.

While she was worrying about Xie Qing's safety, she was also thinking about whether Haidu Aling might have other schemes and plots. She was in a trance and didn't know how much time had passed before the sound of horse hooves suddenly stopped.

They stopped in front of a secluded house with two porch lights.

The light flickered, and a person stood in the shadow under the cover. When he heard the sound of horse hooves, he came out quickly. It was one of the personal soldiers who stayed behind to guard the post house.

The guard saluted respectfully first and then whispered a few words in Sanskrit.

Sultan Kumar nodded and dismounted first.

Yaoying and he were riding on the same horse. When he moved, she felt empty behind her, her body swayed, and she fell forward.

The guard opened his mouth wide.

Yaoying was groggy and her body went limp. She tried to struggle to steady herself but had already fallen. She thought vaguely: There is such thick snow on the ground, it shouldn't hurt if I fall down, right?

Her arms suddenly tightened, and a pair of leather-clad hands tightly grasped her shoulders, stopping her from falling.

Yaoying felt Sudang's thin and strong fingers holding her shoulders, his chin resting on the top of her head, and a cool smell of medicine came from him.

The next moment, she threw herself into his arms.

Sultan Gu thought she slipped again, so he helped her to stand steadily and was about to take back his arms from her shoulders. She fell forward again following his movement, her delicate body leaning against his arms, and she struggled to get up, but she was limp and weak.

Sultan Gu frowned slightly, looked down at Yao Ying, and met her slightly red eyes.

Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were hazy, and her shoulders were trembling slightly. She was like a pear blossom in the spring rain. I felt pity for her.

The guards stared at Yao Ying, stunned: "The Regent Prince...Princess Wen Zhao..."

Sultan Kudaheng picked up Yao Ying and walked into the courtyard.

"She is ill."

He thought it was another test.

The guard was stunned for a moment, and Sultan Gu had already hurried into the courtyard carrying Yao Ying. The guard quickly came to his senses, led the horse into the porch, turned around and locked the door, followed into the main house, thought for a moment, did not follow into the inner room, and stood outside the screen with his hands hanging down, waiting.

Sultan Gu walked quickly into the inner room of the south house, put Yaoying down, lowered his eyes, gently pulled open the sleeve on her wrist, and placed his fingers on the exposed snow-white wrist.

Yaoying felt hot and cold at times and shivered slightly.

Sultan Gu looked at the beads of sweat on her forehead, retracted his fingers, stood up, walked around the screen and went outside, and asked his guards: "Has everyone left the city?"

The guard clasped his fists and replied, "Reporting to the Regent, just now in the inn, the guards and dancers of Prince Jinbo suddenly assassinated the little prince. The centurion followed the general's instructions and protected the little prince to escape. Because he was afraid that there were more assassins in the city, he left the city first. Only I and Alanruo were ordered to wait for the Regent here."

…

Before entering the city, Sultan Gu had ordered that if things changed, everyone should evacuate Gaochang Royal City first. If the city was under strict martial law and there was nowhere to go, they could gather in the courtyard. Alanruo was the person who guarded this courtyard.

Tonight, after the Sultan Gu and his men left, the dancer in the inn hall suddenly shook her arms, and a sharp dagger slipped out from her sleeves and rushed towards the drunk Jin Bo. Jin Bo's guards reacted and drew their swords to meet the dagger. Immediately, blood splashed everywhere, and the whole place was filled with the flashing of swords and sabers. The Hu merchants who were watching the singing and dancing were so scared that they ran away in panic, shouting, swearing, and yelling, and the whole place was in chaos.

Seeing that Jin Bo was about to die under Hu Ji's sword, Xie Qing immediately drew his sword and rushed out to save Jin Bo. Xie Chong and other guards helped subdue the Hu Ji.

Jin Bo almost bled to death on the spot. He was still in shock, but still drunk. He held on to Xie Qing's hand and shouted, "Thank you so much for saving me, this brave man!"

Xie Qing pushed Jin Bo away with a sullen face, and the guards beside him burst into laughter.

At this moment, something unexpected happened. Jin Bo's guard actually slashed his master with a knife!

Everyone on the field was stunned. Then a few Beirong guards suddenly jumped up, and taking advantage of the moment when everyone was stunned, they raised their swords and killed their companions. Heads were rolling all over the ground.

Jin Bo was stabbed and blood gushed out. This time he was completely sober and screamed in fear.

At this time, the sound of horse hooves and bowstrings could be heard outside the inn.

The Hu merchants had already fled in all directions.

Xie Qing and the others looked at each other, suspecting that Jin Bo's guards might have betrayed him, and they also had helpers. The inn was not a place to stay for long, so without any hesitation, they grabbed Jin Bo and rushed out.

The personal soldiers stayed behind to remind the people in the royal court to escape from the city, then set fire to the posthouse to warn the Sultan and his men so that they would not fall into the enemy's trap when they returned.

…

There was only one oil lamp lit in the main room, and the light was dim, so the pattern on the screen could not be seen clearly.

Sultan Ku listened to the guard's brief account of what happened tonight and asked, "Is there a maid in the courtyard?"

The guard was stunned for a moment, shook his head, and said, "This courtyard has always been guarded by Alanruo. Apart from him, there are only a few horses and two camels, no one else."

Sultan was silent for a moment, "Send some hot water."

After saying this, he turned around, walked around the screen and went into the inner room.

The guards were stunned for a moment, then realized: Princess Wen Zhao was sick and needed someone to take care of her, but her people had just escaped from the city during the chaos, so the Regent asked if there were any maids.

He went to Alanruo to ask for a pot of hot water and brought it to the main house.

"Regent King... I just asked Alanruo. The fire in the inn has been put out. I don't know what the situation is in the palace. The guards just went door to door to issue warnings. Now the city has issued a strict order. Anyone who goes out will be arrested and locked up."

In other words, Li Yaoying had to survive tonight. It was so late at night that the guards would probably come rushing over as soon as the door lock rang, let alone go out to ask the doctor to find the maid.

Sultan Gu hummed and took the copper kettle: "Go find some clean clothes."

The guard said, "Prince Regent, there are clothes in the palace, but they are all for men."

Sultan Gu had already turned around and entered the inner room. His hoarse voice came through the screen: "Bring it here."

The personal guard agreed, found some spare clothes, clean bedding and towels, boiled several large buckets of hot water, and carried them to the main house and into the inner room together with Alanruo.

Behind the screen, a tiny lamp flickered gently.

Sultan Gu stood in front of the bed, his figure was thin and tall. The bed curtains were tightly wrapped around it, so he couldn't see Princess Wen Zhao on the bed clearly, but he could vaguely see the woman's slender figure on the bed, and her weak breathing could be heard intermittently.

Alanruo couldn't help but look up at the bed, and a cold gaze swept over her.

Sultan Kumar glanced at him.

It was as if a basin of snow water was poured over his head. Alanruo shuddered suddenly and quickly lowered his head and retreated with his personal soldiers.

The door closed from the outside.

Inside the room, Sultan Gu turned around, faced the bed, and raised his hands to lift the bed curtains.

The dim light fell in front of the bed. Yaoying lay on her side on the pillow, hugging her arms tightly, curled up into a small ball, her collar disheveled, revealing a trace of her snow-white chest. The innermost clothes were soaked with sweat, revealing the snow-white skin. Her hair was also wet with sweat, and the hair stuck to her cheeks, shining with moisture.

She was half conscious, and when she felt the light, she opened her eyes, her thick eyelashes trembling, and said weakly, "I'm sorry to cause trouble to General Su... I just have an old problem, it's not a problem."

Even at this moment, her voice was still gentle and peaceful, dignified and calm.

"Did the princess forget to take her medicine?"

Sultan Ku asked.

Yao Ying shook her head on the pillow, "It's not the due date yet... I calculated it..."

She was born with a deficiency and took Ninglu pills every month. She remembered the last time she took the medicine very clearly, on the way to Gaochang, only ten days ago. Tonight she had been feeling dizzy and had a fever, and thought she was guilty of being a thief, but she didn't expect that it was an old illness.

Sultan Ku then asked, "Does the princess have any pills?"

Yao Ying folded her arms tightly, trembling slightly, and said nothing.

Sultan Gu leaned over and sat in front of the couch, saying, "The princess has always been cautious, so she must have brought pills with her."

Yao Ying said nothing.

Sultan Ku asked, "Is the princess worried that no one will take care of her when she dispenses the medicine?"

Yao Ying's heart trembled, she raised her curtains and looked at Sultan Gu.

Their eyes met. His gaze was deep and calm, as if he was looking down at her from the clouds, as if he could see through all her thoughts.

Yao Ying smiled lightly on her pale face and said softly, "It's okay, I'll be fine after a good sleep... I'll be fine after tonight."

Sultan Gu looked down at her and said: "I know a little about medicine, Princess, there is no need to hide it."

Yao Ying was stunned.

Sultan Gu said calmly: "Although there are differences between men and women, to me, the princess is just a patient. I am a Buddhist disciple and can take care of the princess. Princess, don't be embarrassed, just take the medicine."

His tone was cold and every word that came out of his mouth was like a spring flowing over a rocky beach, cold and chilly.

There was a kind of vague pressure, gentle, yet powerful enough to make one feel a little breathless.

Yao Yinghun felt uncomfortable all over, his eyes were sore, he clenched his arms tightly and hummed softly.

Sultan Kumar asked, "Where are the pills?"

Yao Ying loosened her hand, tremblingly searched her body for a while, and found a small jade bottle.

Sultan took the jade bottle from her fingers, poured out a pill, lifted her chin with his fingers, and fed her the pill.

After taking the pill, Yaoying's body started to feel hotter.

She was soaking wet and had to change into dry clothes. She struggled to get up: "General, please help me..."

Sultan helped her up, carried her to the wooden barrel, let her lean against it to stand, then turned and walked out.

After a few footsteps, he stopped and stood in front of the door, his back to the screen, his body straight.

Yaoying couldn't see outside, so she didn't care about being embarrassed. She took off her clothes, wrapped a handkerchief with great effort, and wiped her body.

There was a charcoal fire in the house. She felt dizzy, her head was heavy and her feet were light. Her whole body was soft and limp. Just the few movements of rubbing each other made her breathless. Now Xie Qing was not around, and Sudangu was a man... She bit her tongue, forced herself to wake up, hurriedly changed into the clothes hanging on the screen next to her, and turned back.

He took a step forward, his feet went weak, and he fell to the ground.

There was a heavy, blunt sound. Sultan Gu, who was standing by the door, turned around abruptly. When he walked to the screen, he paused and asked, "Princess?"

Yao Ying fell to the ground, her whole body in pain. She gritted her teeth and tried to stand up by herself. As soon as she touched the ground with her hands, she felt dizzy and had a wave of nausea in her stomach. She had no choice but to agree softly.

There was the sound of footsteps, a figure swayed slightly in front of the screen, and a pair of black leather boots approached her little by little.

Sultan Gu leaned over, picked up Yao Ying and put her on the bed.

Yaoying was exhausted and her whole body ached. She whispered "thank you". As her head touched the pillow, her eyes closed and her eyelashes trembled slightly.

Sultan put her down, his eyes swept across her disheveled clothes, he pulled the quilt over her, took her hand, gently rolled up her sleeves, and took her pulse with his fingers.

She took the medicine and her pulse became more stable, but she still had to endure the powder medicine tonight.

People like her who take medicine for a long time will feel hot and cold when the medicine is dissipated. They must stay in bed and rest until the effect of the medicine wears off.

Sultan Ku let go of Yao Ying's hand.

Her palms were hot and slightly sweaty, but her fingers were cool, and her knuckles were as soft and slender as green onions, each one as smooth as jade.

Sultan Gu paused for a moment, pulled Yao Ying's hand back under the quilt, pulled the quilt over and covered her up. Afraid that wind would leak in, he pressed the corner of the quilt with his fingers again.

He stood up and let down the bed curtains.

There were a few knocks on the door, and the guards brought two bowls of hot vegetarian soup cakes and said, "Prince Regent, there are only some medicines in the palace, no other medicines."

As he spoke, he stood on tiptoe and looked inside.

The screen blocked my view and I couldn't see anything.

The guard was silent for a while, then said in annoyance: "Regent... I have never heard of the princess having an attack... not even once..."

After Princess Wen Zhao came to the royal court, he was responsible for protecting the princess. He followed the princess from the palace to the Buddhist temple. The princess was always in high spirits and beautiful, but she looked a little haggard in the past two days. He thought the princess was tired, but he didn't expect that she was actually sick.

Sultan Ku took the vegetarian soup cake without saying a word.

Of course, the royal guards would not know that Li Yaoying was ill, and even the soldiers around her did not know.

The only person who knew that she had to take medicine every month was probably Xie Qing.

Beauty and weakness can win pity and affection, but not respect and awe.

In this foreign land far away from the Central Plains, the title of Princess of Wei is like a vague mirage, and its illusory glory will eventually fade away. If Li Yaoying is weak and timid, a small personal soldier will betray her without hesitation.

So she didn't dare to be cowardly.

She must always be calm and rational, always have a strong will, and always have clear goals, so that she can truly win over her subordinates and gain their loyalty.

Now, her personal soldiers, the newly formed caravan, were all loyal to her, Li Yaoying, rather than the Princess of Wei.

She walked step by step, going through all the hardships.

The author has something to say: I took my temperature for three days and I didn't have a fever~(＾－＾)V

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The second update will be very late, you can read it tomorrow morning.