Lord Liu bowed slightly to Miss Liu Rumei. "Miss, let me go instead. My old bones are insignificant, my life and death matter little."
Liu Rumei shook her head. "If I go, I can pretend to know nothing. But if you go, won't it expose us?"
"Besides, all the supplies are piled up on the steep slope. There's no strategic advantage to defend there. We need to organize people to transport them inside quickly."
"Although Liu Ce and the others have been transporting them, they are limited in manpower. So I want to trouble you to go up the mountain tonight."
Hearing Liu Rumei's arrangements, Liu Kai sighed helplessly. "Alright, I will follow your instructions, Miss."
"Oh, and I'll have Chen Xiaobei bring people to accompany you up the mountain. Also, you must keep a close eye on Chen Xiaobei and prevent him from coming down the mountain again."
At Liu Rumei's words, a flicker of surprise flashed in Liu Kai's eyes.
Liu Rumei had grown up under his care, always cherished by everyone. It was always others who showed concern for her, and he had never seen her show concern for others.
At this moment, Chen Xiaobei and several village guard members were roasting by the great locust tree, discussing their next steps. According to Chen Xiaobei's plan, they were to enter the mountain with Prince Xiao Jingyun. However, he didn't know when would be an appropriate time to mention this. Thus, they could only follow the prince up the mountain when he set off.
Just then, they saw Liu Rumei approaching. The others, being perceptive, stood up and excused themselves, leaving only Chen Xiaobei and Huang Ying.
Seeing Huang Ying sitting next to Chen Xiaobei, Liu Rumei's eyes still showed a trace of surprise.
Chen Xiaobei clearly understood the meaning behind Liu Rumei's gaze. He quickly explained, "Oh, Miss Huang Ying is staying to protect my safety."
Liu Rumei smiled without a word. Seeing her smile, Chen Xiaobei suddenly realized he might have said too much, sounding like he was protesting too much.
Liu Rumei looked at Chen Xiaobei and said seriously, "Tonight, Steward Liu Kai wants to go into the mountain. I would like to trouble you to escort him up."
"Also, the imperial army will arrive tomorrow. For safety, you should go to the mountaintop with Liu Ce and the others and not return. Are you willing?"
Chen Xiaobei thought to himself, this was exactly what he wished for. He wanted to be with them, and they were proactively offering.
"Alright, if Miss Liu wants us to stay on the mountain, then we will stay and lend a hand."
Just as they were talking, a commotion erupted from the village entrance.
Since there was no one left in the village, no village guards were on duty.
Chen Xiaobei stood up and walked forward a few steps. At that moment, he heard someone from afar shouting, "Yo, it's Miss Xiao Qing returning."
Hearing that Xiao Qing was back, Liu Rumei's heart stirred, and she immediately called out loudly, "Xiao Qing, I'm here."
Hearing Liu Rumei's voice, Xiao Qing quickly ran over. "Miss, I'm back."
Liu Rumei nodded. "It's good you're back. Did you find Ma Biao and the others?"
"I found them. They've been guarding by the Dragon King River. In another hour or so, they should arrive."
Hearing this, Liu Rumei finally felt relieved. Excellent, with Ma Biao back, her last worry was gone, and she could now focus on dealing with Zhu Meng.
At this time, Zhu Meng had reached a place only thirty miles from Qingniu County. Seeing that it was getting late, he ordered the army to set up camp and march again tomorrow.
After dinner, Zhu Meng summoned the generals under his command for a council.
"Generals, we will arrive at Qingniu County tomorrow. I believe Xiao Jingyun must have received the news long ago."
A red-faced man in golden armor and a golden helmet stood up beside him. "Marshal, your humble subordinate Wang Long volunteers to lead the vanguard."
Zhu Meng smiled and shook his head. "General Wang, I know you possess unmatched valor, but this is not a direct assault. We only want Xiao Jingyun's head; we cannot harm innocent people indiscriminately."
"But... Xiao Jingyun will surely not surrender without a fight," Wang Long still seemed unwilling.
At this moment, a thin man stood up. He wore no armor, only a blue robe.
"General Wang, please do not be hasty. Please listen to what I, Zhang Liao, have to say." The man clasped his hands in a salute to Zhu Meng.
Zhu Meng nodded. "Military Advisor Zhang, please speak."
Zhang Liao surveyed everyone present. "G enterals, we will reach Qingniu County by noon tomorrow. Upon arrival, we will go to see Xiao Jingyun under the pretense of paying our respects to the prince."
"If he grants us an audience, we will act accordingly. As long as we sever his head, Xiao Jingfeng will be no threat."
Wang Long was still insistent. "What if he refuses to see us?"
"If he refuses, we will mobilize our troops to besiege him. Can 300,000 troops not surround one Xiao Jingyun?"
Hearing his words, Zhu Meng nodded with satisfaction. "Hmm, that makes sense. As the saying goes, courtesy before force. If he shows no regard for propriety, then do not blame this marshal for being heartless."
"Scouts have already been dispatched. We will receive news by early tomorrow morning. Generals, do not drink too much tonight, lest it interfere with tomorrow's important task."
While they were deliberating, Princess Zhaoning, along with the Lotus Sect leader and others, hurried to Hetou Village.
Xiao Jingyun had actually no longer held out much hope for Princess Zhaoning's arrival. After all, he had waited a whole day. He never expected her to appear just as he was about to give up.
The unexpected surprise greatly boosted Xiao Jingyun's spirits. Naturally, there was little formality between the reunited siblings.
Princess Zhaoning bowed. "I received a letter from my brother's messenger early this morning, but I was delayed by some private matters I had to attend to in the county town."
Xiao Jingyun smiled and pointed to a chair beside him. "Alright, sit down. It's good that you could come. You'll accompany me up the mountain tomorrow morning."
Princess Zhaoning thanked him again. "Brother, I came in a hurry and did not bring you any gifts."
Xiao Jingyun waved his hand. "Alright, there's no need to be so polite with me. I'll arrange for someone to escort you to rest."
After settling Princess Zhaoning, Xiao Jingyun finally let out a long sigh of relief. In his opinion, everything was in place, and they just needed to wait for tomorrow's ascent.
The next day, as dawn broke, Hetou Village became busy again.
The village guards had all left, and the original residents of Hetou Village had also departed. The ones busy now were the people from the Liu Manor, the people brought by the Lotus Sect leader, and the little maid.
Prince Xiao Jingyun and Princess Zhaoning Xiao Jingfeng stood side by side, watching the people bustling about.
After a long while, they turned to look at each other with a tacit understanding and shared a knowing smile. At this moment, they found a certain rapport again, but both understood that this rapport was only temporary.
Meanwhile, Liu Rumei returned to her manor.
She slept until the sun was high, then lazily got up and called Xiao Qing to go out to the street and find a restaurant to fill their stomachs.
They had just taken a few bites of their two bowls of noodles when several burly men sat down at the next table.