Chapter 159 Liu Rumei's Stubbornness

The sudden docility of Liu Rumei made Zheng Ke feel a little embarrassed. He waved his hand, cutting the ropes binding Liu Rumei. "Quickly, prepare food and drink for the young lady." Liu Rumei winked at Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong, "You two, go help." Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong bowed and withdrew. They were usually responsible for Liu Rumei's daily needs in the Liu manor, so cooking was something they were quite skilled at. Zheng Ke had brought only men, who were not good at cooking. With the help of these two maids, they were naturally happy to let them handle it. The meal was simple, consisting of pre-cooked beef and mutton that they only needed to heat up, chop, and serve for a feast. A whole sheepskin was spread on the ground, covered with oilcloth, and then the beef and mutton were laid out. Each person was also poured a bowl of wine. With wine and meat, dinner began. Zheng Ke first took a bowl of wine and offered it to Liu Rumei, "Young lady, have a drink to relax." Liu Rumei, however, waved her hand slightly. "You all eat first, I'll go take a look over there." With that, she stood up and walked towards the depths of the woods. Zheng Ke understood immediately and quickly called out to his men, "Turn around, no one is allowed to look back." He assumed Liu Rumei was going into the dense woods to relieve herself. Little did he know that Liu Rumei, deep in the woods, turned to Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong and asked, "Is the medicine ready?" Xiao Qing chuckled, "Young lady, rest assured, after they drink this wine, they should be asleep." Before she finished speaking, a clinking sound was heard from nearby. Turning back, they saw Zheng Ke and his men already sprawled on the ground, groaning. "Excellent, quickly!" Liu Rumei urged the two maids to run back and tie Zheng Ke and his men to the trees. Once everything was done, she took out a small porcelain bottle from her robes and held it under Zheng Ke's nose. Zheng Ke opened his eyes and looked at Liu Rumei with a helpless expression. "Young lady, why must you do this? Do you really need the Prince to personally come and escort you back?" Liu Rumei looked at Zheng Ke and bowed slightly. "Uncle Zheng, please tell my father for me, I, Liu Rumei, will swear my allegiance to the Crown Prince until death. I wish to guard Green Ox Mountain alone." Zheng Ke sighed helplessly. "Alas, young lady, you are not in the capital and do not understand the current situation. The Grand Tutor has already gained the upper hand, and the Crown Prince is about to be deposed. What use is it to protect him?" "Furthermore, even if you help the Crown Prince overthrow the Grand Tutor, the Crown Prince is already betrothed, and the position of Princess will never be yours!" Liu Rumei looked at Zheng Ke and said word by word, with seriousness, "Uncle Zheng, I, Liu Rumei, act with a clear conscience. I am helping the Crown Prince not for personal gain, but for the greater good of the realm." "The greater good of the realm!" Zheng Ke mulled over this phrase repeatedly, his expression eventually becoming respectful. "Young lady, you are right, it should be for the greater good of the realm. But at this point, trying to stop the chariot with a mere mantis is futile. I fear we will perish without a burial place." Liu Rumei stood up. "Uncle Zheng, if you are afraid, I am not. I must return to Green Ox Mountain. Oh, and if my second brother comes, please give him a message: he must treat Liu Tie well." With that, Liu Rumei called out, and with Xiao Hong and Xiao Qing, they mounted their horses and disappeared into the night. Seeing Liu Rumei ride away, Zheng Ke roared, and the ropes binding him were easily shattered. He then got up and woke everyone else. The men clearly understood what had happened and looked at Zheng Ke with searching eyes. "Uncle Zheng, what should we do?" Zheng Ke sighed. "What else can we do? Our mission is to bring the young lady back. Where the young lady goes, we go!" "But the young lady..." Seeing everyone still hesitant, Zheng Ke stood up. "The young lady wishes to stay and guard Green Ox Mountain. I, Zheng Ke, cannot stand by idly. Those who fear death can return to the capital. Those who do not fear death, follow me back." With that, he mounted his horse, flicked the reins, and headed towards Green Ox County. Seeing this, the men followed. At this moment, Liu Rumei rode her horse at full speed, arriving at Green Ox County and easily entering the city with her Liu family token. In the Liu manor, upon seeing Liu Rumei's sudden return, everyone cheered with joy. Only Liu Ce frowned deeply. He knew that Liu Rumei's return must not have been through normal means. After everyone's cheers subsided, Liu Rumei called Liu Ce into the reception hall alone. "I intend to defend Green Ox Mountain to the death, but my father's attitude may change. Go and ask everyone their opinions. Those who wish to leave can depart now and return to the capital to find my father. Those who wish to stay will accompany me to Green Ox Mountain tomorrow morning. Do not pressure them; listen to their true thoughts." Just as they were speaking, a cheer suddenly erupted from the courtyard. Liu Ce turned and went to the door, looking out to see the brothers Liu Zhiming and Liu Ziliang had returned. Seeing them return, Liu Ce couldn't help but smile. There must be good news. Indeed, the two brothers entered, clasped their fists to Liu Rumei, "Young lady, we have found Sun Jian's whereabouts. He is staying at an inn in Xiao Family Town." Liu Rumei couldn't help but show a pleased expression. "Excellent, we've finally found them." Liu Ce quickly clasped his fists and said, "Young lady, Cangying Mountain's strength is hidden and unfathomable. We may not have full confidence in defeating them." Liu Rumei smiled slightly. "What if we add the Vermilion Bird Gang? They are eager for revenge." Liu Ce bowed. "Understood. I will head to Hetou Village immediately." Liu Rumei waved her hand. "No hurry. Handle the matter I told you about first." Liu Ce stomped his foot impatiently. "Hey, it's an emergency! Let's deal with Cangying Mountain first!" Liu Rumei remained noncommittal and stood up, then left. Liu Ce turned and went into the courtyard, gathering everyone. "Brothers, Zhiming and Ziliang have found Cangying Mountain's location. What do you say we do?" "Take them down." "We must take them down." "Avenge Brother Liu Tie." "Yes, avenge him." The crowd was stirred up, their blood boiling. This was exactly the effect Liu Ce wanted. "Then if I tell you now to leave Green Ox County and return to the capital, will you go?" "No, we won't leave until Cangying Mountain is annihilated." The crowd cheered and raised their arms again. "Good. Then everyone get back to your rooms and rest. We will discuss this matter again tomorrow morning." Although they agreed to discuss it the next morning, Liu Rumei couldn't sleep that night. She thought of her father, who had gradually wavered from supporting the Crown Prince to now wanting to betray him and align with the Grand Tutor. Her heart ached. Her father was once the Crown Prince Xiao Chen's most trusted confidant. The Crown Prince must not have expected that this most trusted person would betray him. Therefore, she had to guard Green Ox Mountain no matter what, even if it was to atone for her father's sins. Of course, Liu Rumei also understood that from the moment she decided to stay at Green Ox Mountain, this mansion no longer belonged to her. Her second brother would arrive soon and take over everything. And she, Liu Rumei, although nominally still the daughter of Duke Huguo Liu Xiangnan, would likely receive little substantial support from the Liu family. So where should she go? After much thought, Liu Rumei had only one choice: to go to Hetou Village, the closest place to Green Ox Mountain, and do her utmost to protect the dragon脉 of Da Cang Kingdom.