"It’s ti to go!"
At so point, Yin Huan poked her head out from inside. "Manager ng is here."
"Yin Huan, too...?" Seeing the situation, Song Lianhe understood everything. "She’s one of your people now?"
Zhou Cangyan didn’t say a word. Instead, he draped an arm over her shoulder and hurried her to the back door. Xuan Qi imdiately opened it, and the Shadow Guard followed them out.
As Xuan Qi left, he didn’t close both of the double doors, leaving one ajar.
It was as if soone had forgotten to close the door on their way out.
Zhou Cangyan brazenly pulled Song Lianhe behind the other half of the door to hide.
Song Lianhe held her breath, thinking, ’This is way too bold!’
But sotis, the more obvious the mistake, the less likely it is to arouse suspicion.
A mont later, Manager ng’s voice drifted from inside. "Huh? Where’s Doctor Song?"
"Doctor Song was tired, so I sent her to her room to rest."
It was Yin Huan.
"Ah, then... then what about this Hero E..."
"Oh, he ate too much. I was afraid he’d eat you out of house and ho, Shopkeeper, so I hit his pressure points to let him rest for a while too."
Upon hearing this, Manager ng was imnsely grateful and thanked Yin Huan profusely.
"Manager ng, there are so dicinal herbs here that I don’t quite recognize. Could you teach ? After all, we are running a dical hall. If we’re going to put on a show, we have to make it convincing!"
"Right, right, right, Miss Yin Huan is absolutely correct."
And so, Manager ng led Yin Huan to the drying racks on the other side of the courtyard to identify the dicinal herbs one by one.
Song Lianhe lifted her gaze to the man before her, her voice a re whisper. "I didn’t even know you’d recruited Yin Huan!" She huffed. "And here I thought she and I were closer. I never expected you’d have won her over so long ago."
Bracing one hand against the wall, Zhou Cangyan glanced down at her. "She’s clever and street-smart. She knows how to adapt, so she can stay by your side and look after you."
Hearing that he had done it for her, Song Lianhe couldn’t stop the corners of her tightly pressed lips from curling upward.
Just then, he suddenly moved closer.
Startled, she tilted her head up and stared at him blankly.
"For the next few days, you will stay here. If you’re in danger, reveal your identity as Princess Qing."
"No!"
Song Lianhe refused without a second thought.
"Prince Yongdong will use to blackmail you!"
He watched her steadily and said slowly, "Then let him blackmail ."
"You..."
Just then, the Shadow Guard whispered, "Why let soone else use her as a threat? It would be better for the Princess Consort to co with us. We have so many brothers to protect her."
Xuan Qi calmly stated, "Being with us is the most dangerous place for her."
The Shadow Guard faltered and fell silent.
’On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes. It really is too dangerous. It’s better for the Princess Consort to blend into the crowd, especially since these are Prince Yongdong’s people.’
The light in Song Lianhe’s eyes dimd as well. It wasn’t because she couldn’t go with Zhou Cangyan; she had never planned to, for fear of holding him back.
She was worried about this battle. Once the flas of war were ignited, it would surely be a matter of life and death.
Zhou Cangyan suddenly asked, "Where’s Little Lan?"
Song Lianhe froze for a mont, subconsciously lifting her wrist. There, on her bracelet, coiled a small blue snake, its scales shimring with a faint, iridescent sheen.
"Huh, I haven’t seen it for a while. It seems like... it’s changed its appearance again? But I can’t quite say how..." As she spoke, she waved her wrist in front of Zhou Cangyan. "Don’t you think so?"
Zhou Cangyan rely glanced at Little Lan, and the little snake, as if terrified of the Evil Qi around him, imdiately shrank its head and refused to lift it again.
Even Song Lianhe noticed. "See? You scared it."
"Who knows? Maybe it has a guilty conscience."
"It’s a Poisonous Snake. What could it possibly have a guilty conscience about?"
Zhou Cangyan looked up at her. "Regardless, it’s better to keep it with you. Even if you just throw it at soone, it might save your life at a critical mont."
Little Lan: "..."
’Oh, thank you so much!’
In the courtyard, grateful to Yin Huan for the favor of "saving his grain," Manager ng was explaining everything to her in ticulous detail.
Over here, Song Lianhe wasn’t as nervous anymore, but this was Sishui City after all, full of Prince Yongdong’s spies. He couldn’t stay for long.
"You and your n should leave quickly."
"...Mm."
Zhou Cangyan looked down at her and murmured his assent, yet he didn’t move.
"Is there sothing else?"
Song Lianhe suddenly slapped her forehead. "How could I forget!"
She said hurriedly, "I heard so of your troops have malaria and typhoid. I prepared a cart full of dicine for you before I left. It’s in a carriage parked outside the city. Wait there, and Ah Jun will lead you to it."
The Shadow Guard said happily, "Princess Consort, you’ve been a huge help this ti! To be honest with you, the old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers sent last ti weren’t so bad. At most, they were just too old to walk. But this ti, Emperor Cheng Xiao is clearly sending us to our deaths!"
Xuan Qi went on to explain, "Our ranks are filled with soldiers suffering from infectious diseases. We’re encamped in that conspicuous spot by the river purely as a bluff. Now, with these dicines, we can save the majority of our troops, and the old lord will no longer have to worry about us."
Xuan Qi’s seemingly casual sentence revealed an important fact.
’Personal feuds are one thing, but when it cos to the good of the nation, Sui Bei will not waver!’
’This ans the Heir King is planning to send reinforcents.’
’But if he does, Sui Bei would be deploying troops without an imperial summons, which is tantamount to treason.’
’What a fine Emperor Cheng Xiao!’
’With those thick brows and big eyes, you look so righteous. Who would have thought you’d gamble with the lives of an entire province!’
’An Emperor’s heart is the most ruthless of all!’
Hearing the voices inside drawing closer, Song Lianhe said hurriedly, "The pills are sorted by color; I wrote clear instructions. Also..." She looked up at Zhou Cangyan, slightly awkward and flustered. "I prepared a separate package just for you."
Zhou Cangyan nodded. "Understood."
"My Lord, we have to go."
The Shadow Guard steeled himself and urged him again.
’It wasn’t that he was tactless; it was just too dangerous. They were right at the enemy’s front door!’
At that mont, Zhou Cangyan put his fingers to his lips and whistled. A mont later, Chun Hua was circling in the air above.
"I’ll leave Chun Hua with you. If you’re in danger, have her notify ."
"I know, I know! Just go!"
Song Lianhe could already hear the patrol at the end of the alley. Terrified sothing would happen to him, she frantically urged him to leave.
Only after all three of them had disappeared into the night did she breathe a sigh of relief.
She hurried back. Manager ng was stunned when he saw her. "Doctor Song, weren’t you resting in your room?"
"I was, but then I heard you explaining the herbs to Yin Huan and couldn’t resist coming out to listen."
"Oh dear, I must have disturbed you!"
"It’s fine. Oh, right, Ah Jun! Go out and buy so candied fruit... Manager ng, please continue. Let learn along with you..."
"You’re flattering this old man... Er, well, in that case, let’s discuss them together."
On top of the wall, a dark figure leaped down.
Only after confirming she was safe did Zhou Cangyan truly leave with the Shadow Guard and Xuan Qi.
「Outside the city.」
Ah Jun sat on a haystack, bored, counting the stars in the sky.
A throwing dart suddenly flew past his head, scaring him so much he jolted upright.
"Who’s there?"
Dressed in military attire, Zhou Cangyan approached slowly with his hands clasped behind his back.
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