Fire Captain

As the bandit suppression gradually came to an end, the weather became colder. As the New Year was approaching, Bai Ziyang had received a letter asking him to go home for the New Year. Bai Ziyang wanted to invite Gu Tingye to join him, but Gu Tingye declined with a smile. Gu Tingye had originally fled from the capital and was now homeless. It would be better for him to stay in the army for the New Year. With Gu Tingye here to watch over him, Bai Ziyang could rest assured.

Bai Ziyang originally thought that as it was so cold today, Mrs. Sheng and Minglan would definitely spend the New Year in Youyang before returning to Beijing. Unexpectedly, he met them on the way back to Beijing.

It was time to say hello. Bai Ziyang rode his horse to the carriage of Old Lady Sheng and Minglan. The servants had informed them of the arrival. When Bai Ziyang arrived at the carriage, Old Lady Sheng lifted the curtain and said, "Young Prince Zhao!"

Bai Ziyang said: "Ziyang meets the old lady, old lady Ci'an!"

Old Madam Sheng asked, "Is the young prince going home to celebrate the New Year?"

Bai Ziyang smiled and said, "Yes, my mother wrote to me urging me to go home for the New Year. I thought the old lady would return to Beijing after the New Year. If I had known earlier, I would have asked the old lady to return to Beijing with me."

Old Madam Sheng said, "We, the grandparents, just came back to Beijing on a whim. It was a sudden event and we didn't have a plan. Besides, we didn't want to delay the young prince's journey."

Bai Ziyang said: "It's okay, we're on the way, and the roads are not peaceful right now, so I brought some extra people with me, so the old lady can rest assured!"

Old Madam Sheng nodded and smiled, "Thank you very much, young prince!"

Bai Ziyang bent down on the horse's back, seemingly returning the greeting to Old Lady Sheng, but in fact his sharp eyes were all looking inside the carriage, trying to find the little man. Unfortunately, when he stood up, he caught a glimpse of the man who was leaning against the side of the carriage, seemingly restraining himself and observing courtesy, but in fact, he was eavesdropping with his ears perked up.

Before leaving, Bai Ziyang smiled at Minglan, and his smile seemed to say: Don't hide, I can see you!

Since Minglan's group was mostly composed of female relatives, it would be inconvenient for Bai Ziyang and his group of rough men to get close to them, so after saying hello, Bai Ziyang automatically led his team to follow Minglan's carriage at a distance to avoid suspicion.

When Minglan and the others got off the carriage to have a meal at the tea stall, Bai Ziyang reined in his horse and ordered them to rest on the spot.

Minglan greedily took out a plate of steamed bread from the tea stall and put it on the table. She turned around and saw Bai Ziyang sitting on the ground in the distance. She took the water bag handed to her by the person next to her, raised her head and gulped down a few gulps of water. She couldn't help but said hesitantly: "Grandmother, otherwise... let's ask the little prince to come and sit over!"

Old Madam Sheng turned around, glanced at Bai Ziyang, and said to Nanny Fang, "Have someone send some hot water to the young prince and his friends, and see if there is any food to send over as well."

Nanny Fang smiled and said, "Yes!" and glanced at Minglan as she turned around.

Old Madam Sheng said, "Alright, eat... Since the young prince didn't come over on his own initiative, there must be some considerations. Just eat your food and have a good rest so we can set off."

On the road afterwards, what Bai Ziyang had predicted came true. They indeed encountered a group of bandits who intended to rob them. It cannot be said that they were unlucky, but rather that their eyesight was poor. They did not even see the neat team of soldiers following behind the carriage. They rushed down with knives raised and came directly in front of Bai Ziyang and others.

Who can blame Bai Ziyang for his good eyesight? He saw this group of bandits as soon as they showed up. With a wave of his hand, he led his men silently to the front of the carriage of Minglan and her grandchildren.

Bai Ziyang sat on his horse, looked back at his soldiers, then looked at the group of dumbfounded bandits in front of him, and said with admiration: "Brother, just for your courage, I respect you as a man!"

At this time, the leading bandit also wanted to ask: Where did you guys come from? Just now I saw only two or three carriages and a dozen servants?

Bai Ziyang turned his head and gave the order directly: "Capture him!"

This group of soldiers had just wiped out bandits and seen blood, so the murderous aura hadn't been washed off yet. For them, dealing with this group of bandits was like using a butcher knife to kill a fly, without any effort. Afterwards, they strung the bandits together and tied them behind their horses, and continued to march towards the capital in a "major" manner. This group of people became the "chicken" that Bai Ziyang killed to scare the monkeys. With them around, as long as they didn't encounter those short-sighted people, the journey would be peaceful.

After escorting Minglan and her grandchildren safely to the Yuqing Temple outside the capital, Bai Ziyang saw that Sheng Hong was already waiting there with his men. He left quietly with his men without saying goodbye to the Sheng family.

After Sheng Hong received Old Lady Sheng's call, he vaguely saw the figures of Bai Ziyang and others leaving, and couldn't help but ask curiously, "Mother, do you know who that group of people are?"

Old Madam Sheng said, "Oh, on the way back to the capital, I met Young Prince Zhao, and we came back together. It was also thanks to Young Prince Zhao that I was able to return to the capital safely."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Hong said, "If I had known this would happen, I would have gone to thank Prince Zhao!" His regret was evident in his words.

Minglan, who was following Mrs. Sheng unnoticed, looked back inadvertently, but she could no longer see anyone and could only vaguely hear the sound of horses' hooves in the distance.

Because it was late and the city gates were closed, the Sheng family could only stay at Yuqing Temple and wait until the next day to enter the city. Unexpectedly, when they set off early the next morning, they actually met Mrs. Wu from the Earl's Mansion at the gate of Yuqing Temple. Mrs. Wu was a warm person. When they met, she pulled Wang Ruofu and talked to her. After a few words, the topic was brought to Mrs. Wu's youngest son.

"It's all for the marriage of our Xiaoliu. His older brothers and sisters have all found a place to marry, but he's not good enough. I have to pray a few more times in front of the immortal, hoping that he can get a satisfactory daughter-in-law!" He said this while looking at Minglan.

When Minglan noticed this, she pretended to be shy and hid behind Old Madam Sheng. Old Madam Sheng raised her hand and held her to her side.

Madam Wu noticed the actions of the two generations, and knew that it was her gaze that attracted attention, so she quickly changed the subject and talked about the young Master Qi from the Duke of Qi's Mansion.

"Madam, old lady, have you heard? The young master of Duke Qi's mansion and the princess have been fighting for several months. Recently, the princess has not even smiled. It's scary! In the past few days, the young master has not gone out. I heard that he had a fight at home and even refused to eat!"

Wang Ruofu listened to it as if she were listening to a story, and said in surprise: "Oh, Sanqing Zhenren, where does this young master get so much pride? Why is he not satisfied? The princess only has this young master, what happened?"

Madam Wu said half-heartedly, "This... How would I know? But I heard that the princess was very angry this time. After failing to persuade her, she simply beat to death a maid who served in the young master's room, saying that she was seducing the young master and was a worthless person..."

Wang Ruofu was just about to ask about the inside information when she heard something rare. Old Madam Sheng beside her suddenly said, "Oh, that sounds scary... Madam, please talk to the Countess. I can't stand the fatigue, so I'll leave now!"

Finally, Madam Wu didn't say these things to chat with Wang Ruofu. She said what she needed to say, and the people who needed to listen also heard it. She said goodbye quickly. After watching Madam Sheng and her group leave, she said to herself: "I have said everything I need to say. If you are a smart person, you should know that the palace of the prince is a sea of ​​fire and swords, and the door of my earl's palace is easier to enter!"

After returning to the Sheng Mansion, Minglan settled everything and paid the necessary visits. After everything was done, at night, Minglan came to Old Madam Sheng's room.

Old Madam Sheng knew Minglan's intention, so she said straight to the point: "What the Earl's wife said today, firstly, she likes you. The Earl's legitimate son is also very high-class, much higher than your sister Hualan. Secondly, except for your confused legitimate mother who can't hear, who are you and I talking to?"

Minglan lowered her head and said, "Yes, granddaughter understands."

Old Madam Sheng asked, "Then what do you think?" Seeing Minglan hanging her head and not saying anything, Old Madam Sheng said anxiously, "At this point, are you still harboring delusions? Your sister Shulan's example is not far away. If you want to turn back in the future, your parents will not offend the prince and princess for you! Do you want me to support my old bones to seek justice for you? Ming'er, you are smart. You must know that there are some things that you can't do, not that you can't do them!"

Seeing that Minglan didn't seem to be listening, Old Lady Sheng said with a little disappointment: "Forget it, forget it. All my teachings over the years have been in vain. You have been obsessed with a man and have forgotten everything and are not afraid of anything. If that's the case, what are you talking to me about? I am an old woman, stupid and foolish. I can't be your master!"

Minglan said: "Grandma, I haven't forgotten. I know I shouldn't think about it, I can't think about it, but..."

Old Madam Sheng looked into Minglan's eyes and asked, "Ming'er, are you really determined? Don't you regret it?"

Minglan said, "Grandmother, I don't dare to fantasize about how good my future husband will be to me. I just want to be respectful to him and to be able to protect myself in this life. But the young prince is not Qi Heng after all. He is much more decisive than Qi Heng and is not someone who can be slaughtered at will. Since he has made it clear, if I am afraid and retreat at this time, I will be like a traitor. At that time, I am afraid that he will become the laughing stock of the capital... I... I am sorry for his affection for me."

Minglan held the hand of Mrs. Sheng and said, "Grandmother, I know that the prince's mansion is a noble one. The prince is in a high position and the princess is extraordinary. I am insignificant and my words are not taken seriously. If I marry him, I will have to be vigilant day and night. But for him, he treats me so well, I am willing to risk it all, I am willing, grandma! ... Grandmother, please forgive your granddaughter's unfilial behavior, and punish me!"

Old Madam Sheng looked at Minglan, who was crying anxiously, and her eyes became wet. Finally, she sighed and said, "Ming'er, don't cry... This palace... is not a den of dragons and tigers. In my opinion, although Princess Zhao seems unfathomable, she is not an unreasonable person after all. When you arrive at the palace, as long as you are cautious and behave properly, you should be fine. But you will suffer endlessly..."

Minglan nodded and smiled, enjoying it...