Wealth and glory seek stability

"But the Sixth Princess is still in the northern frontier, and I have to go back to give her some instructions." Jian Xi couldn't hide the excitement on her face, as if she couldn't wait to rush to the imperial capital the next moment.

Ruan Zhiyin snorted coldly, "Then go back and don't play any tricks."

Jian Xi saluted, "Yes."

Before leaving, Jian Xi looked at Mai Mu, whose eyes were full of submission. Jian Xi stopped and said, "City Lord, my wife and I had a great time talking after we parted in Kee City last time. I brought a gift and wanted to give it to my wife in person. Do you know how to get to the backyard?"

Mai Mu's face changed, and he subconsciously looked at Ruan Zhiyin. After a moment, he came back to his senses and said, "Madam needs to rest. She should be resting now. If the Minister of Agriculture has anything to say, just tell me directly."

Jian Xi smiled calmly, "In that case, I won't bother you anymore."

As soon as he left the City Lord's Mansion, Jian Xi got on the carriage and said, "I'll go back to Saibei right away."

"Yes."

Mo Chuan drove the car himself and got out of the city gate before it closed in the evening.

When they reached a small road, Jian Xi estimated that they were already several dozen miles away from Kecheng, so she stopped the carriage and set up camp.

Mo Chuan got angry, "Are you afraid that someone will hunt you down?"

Jian Xi sat in front of the fire and shook her head. "No, I just feel like something is fishy. I want to go back quickly."

Mo Chuan pursed his lips, his strong facial features were sharply angular under the light of the fire.

Jian Xi lowered her head and looked towards the fire. The guards who followed her were all from the Saibei official residence. Half of them were native to Saibei, and the other half were migrated from the Xia Kingdom.

"You know, I have no romantic feelings."

Mo Chuan bared his teeth, "I know, why do you say that, sir?"

Jian Xi sighed for a long time, "I'm sorry."

Mo Chuan poked the fire and said, "Sir, it's late at night and the dew is heavy. You should get on the carriage and sleep. I will arrange for someone to keep watch."

Jian Xi got into the carriage without saying anything.

Mo Chuan slowly tightened his hand around the branch.

Click.

The branches broke.

Mo Chuan suddenly laughed out loud, "I am a monk."

It’s fine like this, at least I can watch it every day.

The mansion of the Lord of Kecheng City.

Mai Mu knelt in front of Ruan Zhiyin, tears in his eyes, "Prime Minister, how is my wife?"

Ruan Zhiyin stepped forward, stretched out her hands to help Mai Mu up, "Hurry up, you and I are old friends, you have a son in your old age, how could I make things difficult for your wife? She is well taken care of now, as long as you work for me for an annual salary, I will definitely reunite you and your wife when the eldest princess ascends the throne."

"Thank you, Prime Minister." Although Mai Mu was dissatisfied, he had no choice but to say, "The accommodation has been arranged. Please move in, Prime Minister."

After Mai Mu settled Ruan Zhiyin down, he returned to the backyard.

Madam Qingzhu was lying in the secret room behind the firewood room of the City Lord's Mansion. Seeing her husband, Madam Qingzhu propped herself up and asked, "Husband, have those people left?"

Mai Mu waved away the servants in the room and said, "Prime Minister Ruan is very suspicious. Although he found a woman to replace the lady who was captured, we still have to be careful. I'm sorry that the lady is left here."

Madam Qingzhu shook her head. "My husband, you are too serious. My eldest brother actually plotted against my husband and me. The Qingzhu family agreed to let my eldest sister-in-law take my place. For the sake of her son and her family's safety, my eldest sister-in-law will not easily expose herself."

Mai Mu held Madam Qingzhu's hand, and the couple snuggled up to each other.

"I hope that woman can do something." Mai Mu muttered.

"what?"

"It's okay. My husband and I just need to live our own lives. Once the little one in your belly is born, our family of three will be lively." Mai Mu looked at Madam Qingzhu's belly with warm eyes.

The news of the empress's critical illness did not spread.

Jian Xi and his group traveled day and night and finally arrived in the northern frontier.

Zhang Cen'er pretended to be out and about during the day, and at night he returned to the office to gather his subordinates to discuss countermeasures.

Gao Yunhuai took the road from Yaowang Valley and arrived in Saibei within three days, heading straight towards the government office.

Jian Xi looked at the two young men with similar figures opposite her and asked, "Are you the grandsons of Prime Minister Ruan?"

Ruan Feibai raised his eyebrows, strode to a chair beside him and sat down, put his long legs on the table, and said casually: "Yes, so which seat can you get down from? We are here to take over Saibei."

Qi Si was originally reporting to Jian Xi, and upon seeing this, she scolded him, "How shameless! It's written on the document that you are only here to be adjutants, yet you are so shameless as to say such things."

Ruan Yuquan glanced at Qi Si and said, "What business does an ugly girl like you have here? How come there are so few good-looking women serving as officials in the northern part of the Great Wall?"

Although Jian Xi is beautiful, she always has a stern face and an expression that keeps people at a distance.

"Since you two are here, I should entertain you well."

Jian Xi slammed the table with one hand, "Someone, put them in the dungeon and wait for their fate."

"You dare?!" Ruan Feibai stood up immediately.

"Aren't you afraid of the power of our Ruan family?" Ruan Yuquan became a little more rational and started to defend himself.

The corner of Jian Xi's lips curled up. It would have been fine if the Ruan family hadn't been mentioned. It just so happened that she had been annoyed by that old man Ruan Zhiyin, and then two blind people came to her door.

"Afraid? Of course I am afraid. Seeing how strong they are, I will beat them with fifty military sticks and throw them into the dungeon."

"Yes!" A dozen burly men came forward and pressed Ruan Feibai and Ruan Yuquan to the ground before they could react.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't touch me, Master."

"I am from the Ruan family. Don't you want to live?"

Military sticks are different from boards. They have wedges on them, so blood will be drawn immediately.

Ruan Feibai refused to accept the decision, "If you dare to hit me, I will definitely kill you."

Qi Si said sinisterly: "Still killing people? Think about whether you can get out of Saibei alive."

Ruan Yuquan looked at Qi Si's face that looked like a female Rakshasa, with his mouth wide open, unable to make a sound.

Jian Xi didn't want to listen to the two people's noise, so she just said a few words, "Shut their mouths."

"Yes." One of the men tore off the luxurious clothes on Ruan Yuquan and stuffed them into the two men's mouths.

Jian Xi looked at Qi Si, "What are you doing here?"

Qi Si then remembered and handed the visiting card in her hand to Jian Xi, "There is a man from the Central Plains outside who wants to see you, sir. This is his visiting card."

As a female official, Qi Si shouldn't have been doing the monkey's errand job, but the man looked too much like Gao Qingxi, and there was a woman in a black dress next to him who was pulling him.

Qi Si keenly smelled the scent of gossip, stopped the person who delivered the invitation, and took action herself.

There were only three words on the visiting card with a white background sprinkled with gold: Gao Yunhuai.

Jian Xi probably knew what was going on.

"Please let him in." A cold voice sounded, like a clear spring.

The two men in the hall were quite strong and did not faint after being beaten with military sticks for twenty times.

Jian Xi waved her hands and looked at the two half-dead people, "Stop, drag them away and watch carefully, and don't let them pass on the news."

"Yes."