Zhou Quan recognized the man as Li Tuo, who had been sent by the Crown Prince to protect the princess at Wugou Ridge. "Brother Li Tuo, are you doing well up on this mountain?"
Li Tuo sighed slightly. "Captain Zhou, I just received news from Wannian City myself, and I know there's fighting ahead."
"I originally thought the news might be false, but seeing you appear, I know it's definitely true."
Zhou Quan nodded slightly. "Yes, the situation is urgent. His Highness the Crown Prince has already gone to the front lines. Alas, I want to persuade the princess to return to Wannian City, but I can't bring myself to say it."
Li Tuo nodded. "I wanted to talk to you about this. Actually, the princess is quite anxious."
"The princess was originally planning to open a restaurant and shop in Xiaojia Town, but after you went to see her yesterday, she rushed back and ordered people to pack her belongings and prepare for departure."
This surprised Zhou Quan. His eyes were filled with joy. "Oh, really? The princess truly has such thoughts?"
After speaking, Zhou Quan chuckled. He suddenly understood why the princess had asked him to find a way to deal with Liu Rumei. It turned out the princess was actually concerned about the front lines.
Thinking of this, Zhou Quan sighed, "I thought the princess was still a child. It seems that spending some time out in the world has truly made her grow a lot."
After speaking, he turned to Li Tuo. "You must take good care of the princess. If anything happens, send word to Wannian City immediately. Someone will relay it to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Captain Zhou, I believe the princess will head to the front lines in a few days. As for your side, you should hurry. If you can't persuade Liu Rumei, have you thought about what you'll do next?"
Hearing Li Tuo's question, Zhou Quan fell silent. Yes, if he couldn't persuade Liu Rumei, he wouldn't be able to complete the task assigned by the Crown Prince.
Thinking of this, Zhou Quan immediately looked dejected.
"Alas, don't mention it. I don't know what to do. If I really can't persuade her, then I'll just have to report back. One more person on the front lines is always one more force."
Li Tuo also let out a long sigh. "Alas, if only we had known this would happen..."
"Now, the people's hearts have likely turned away..."
Zhou Quan waved his hand. "Alright, these are not things you and I should worry about. You just protect the princess. I'm leaving."
With that, he turned and left. Watching Zhou Quan's receding back, Li Tuo could only shake his head in helplessness.
But what use was sighing?
How could the fate of the nation be changed by them, small individuals? They could only do their best.
Zhou Quan left Wugou Ridge, walking and pondering. Finally, he gritted his teeth and led his men towards Hetou Village again.
The princess's words had given Zhou Quan an idea. Since it didn't work during the day, he would wait until night and catch Liu Rumei off guard to see what else she could say.
Still five li from Hetou Village, Zhou Quan dismounted and hid his horse in the woods, leaving two men to guard it. He took the other two and quietly approached Hetou Village.
At this time, in Hetou Village, Chen Xiaobei was having dinner with the villagers. The weather was getting colder. They could no longer sit in the courtyard at night to eat. Thus, they had started eating in the east and west wing rooms.
Chen Xiaobei and the others went to the north room.
It was a bit crowded with so many people, but it felt lively.
Seeing that Liu Rumei was still not at the table, Fang Jun couldn't help but ask, "Brother Xiaobei, why don't we ask Miss Liu to join us for dinner?"
Chen Xiaobei waved his hand. "The villagers all know she's ill. If she were to come and eat now, wouldn't that expose us? Since we're acting, we must see it through!"
Fang Jun gave him a thumbs-up.
At this moment, outside the village, Zhou Quan and his men had arrived at the village entrance. Looking at the village guards in the distance, Zhou Quan knew that the main road wouldn't work; they had to take a small path.
He led his men, turning and following the river upstream. As they walked, they circled around to the back of Chen Xiaobei's old house. Seeing that there was no one on guard here, Zhou Quan smiled. Hetou Village, which seemed so tightly guarded, had such a large loophole.
Zhou Quan led his men quietly into Hetou Village from here. In the old house, two dogs heard footsteps outside and barked frantically.
However, as Zhou Quan and his group moved further away, the barking naturally stopped.
There were indeed village guards patrolling and they heard dogs barking in this direction. But before they could hear the barking stop, they didn't pay much attention.
Zhou Quan successfully infiltrated Hetou Village.
He first led his men to the outside of Chen Xiaobei's new house. They listened there for a long time. The yard was a mess, and the voices were indistinct. But because everyone was inside the house, the sounds were low, making it impossible to understand what the villagers were saying.
However, after listening carefully for a long time, he still heard no sign of Liu Rumei.
Soon, some villagers finished their meal and got up to leave. Zhou Quan and his men watched from the darkness for a while, but found no trace of Liu Rumei. The yard gradually quieted down.
After waiting for a while longer, they saw Chen Xiaobei come out. He walked towards the south, talking with Fang Jun.
Seeing this, Zhou Quan thought for a moment and quietly followed. Chen Xiaobei was completely unaware.
Chen Xiaobei and Fang Jun walked and talked, entering Liu Rumei's residence. Upon seeing Chen Xiaobei enter this courtyard, Zhou Quan secretly rejoiced and immediately signaled his subordinates to wait in the darkness.
He himself moved and climbed onto the roof. He cautiously stepped a few feet towards the light and then lay down to listen quietly.
Chen Xiaobei and Fang Jun entered the house, and Liu Rumei came out smiling from the inner room.
"Rumei, did you have a good dinner?" Chen Xiaobei asked with a smile. Liu Rumei nodded gently.
"It was very good. By the way, did Hu Fan say anything after he left today?" Liu Rumei was clearly more concerned about important matters.
Chen Xiaobei smiled calmly. "Of course, he was quite aggrieved. But I estimate he'll definitely come again, though it's hard to say who he'll send."
"Don't worry. No matter who comes, seeing my sickly appearance, they won't have the heart to force me to come out of seclusion," Liu Rumei said confidently.
Fang Jun, standing beside them, also smiled and said, "Yes, Miss Liu, if you're going to act, you have to see it through. You'll probably have to endure it for a few days."
"Don't worry, I'm fine. You'll notify me in advance if someone comes anyway. I'll just continue with my usual activities, as long as I don't leave this courtyard and the villagers don't see me."
The three of them exchanged smiles. Chen Xiaobei said with some emotion, "Alas, it's a shame to trouble Captain Zhou. He ran all the way here with great effort."
Hearing this, Zhou Quan felt a surge of emotion. Chen Xiaobei was indeed a person of loyalty and righteousness. Because of this, he felt a bit reluctant to expose their lie. However, upon further thought, if he didn't expose them, he wouldn't be able to fulfill the Crown Prince's instructions.
At this moment, Liu Rumei spoke again. "Yes, it's a shame to trouble Brother Zhou. If I have the chance in the future, I must apologize to him in person."
Hearing this, Zhou Quan's thoughts stirred, and he leaped down from the roof.