The prince loves me like his life, but I force him to rebel

"How do you want me to help you?"

Hearing Batu's words, Gu Nianzhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Batu is not a reliable ally now, at least he has believed what he said, and the two sides can be said to have temporarily reached a consensus on interests.

"If the Crown Prince and General Shu have had a smooth journey, they should have seen the capital of Qiangyi by now. The Third Prince and I will meet up with them as soon as possible."

"I can lend you my Ferghana horse, or I can secretly send someone to the city to help you get information, but my identity prevents me from entering the city. I can only send you to the outskirts of the city. Once you enter the city, it will be up to you to adapt to the situation."

"We also need... we need some money for the journey." Gu Nianzhi was a little unsure. After all, she and the Third Prince could only give Batu a blank check at the moment. Now that Batu had already given them the Ferghana horse, it seemed a little too much for him to ask for money on his own initiative.

Batu didn't think too much about it and agreed immediately: "No problem."

With money, horses, and several of Batu's capable men escorting them along the way, the two men rode non-stop and arrived at the capital of Qiangyi - Weicheng - after a few hours.

Although no one cared about Batu and Bater's armed forces when they were at the border of the three kingdoms, they were, after all, bandits who occupied a certain area and proclaimed themselves kings in the mountains, and it was not appropriate for them to stay in the Acropolis for a long time. Therefore, after arriving at the Acropolis, only Gu Nianzhi and the third prince were left.

"After you enter the city, go to Tulu Street and find a restaurant called Wankelai. The owner there used to be a subordinate of Brother Batu. As long as you report Brother Batu's name, the owner will try his best to help you with anything."

Gu Nianzhi and the Third Prince bowed and said goodbye to the others. After a simple inspection, they successfully entered the Acropolis.

The Acropolis is not as prosperous as the capital. Perhaps because of the surrounding geological reasons, all the buildings here look rough and shabby. The whole city is filled with an indescribable strange smell, like the smell of sheep or horse manure.

"It was hard to get used to at first, but you won't find it smelly after a while." Sima Yao led the horse and explained to Gu Nianzhi, "The people in Qiangyi are different from the people in the capital. They eat beef and mutton, and every household uses horses as a means of transportation. So every family has a stable in front of and behind the hall, and there are cattle and sheep waiting to be slaughtered. The whole city is like this, and the smell is lingering, so it's more or less unpleasant."

"How do you know so much?"

"When I was training in Dingxi Prefecture, I once came to Weicheng. At that time, the relationship between the two countries was not so tense, and Weicheng was far more prosperous than it is now."

No matter in which dynasty or era, even in the world of books, peace is the foundation of development.

"If the prince's marriage is successful, perhaps the relationship will soon be restored to what it was before."

"A marriage alliance can only bring temporary peace. If the two countries' strengths can still be compared, once a conflict of interest arises, disputes are inevitable. To achieve true peace, one side must be overwhelmingly strong."

Gu Nianzhi turned to look at Sima Yao. She felt that the Sima Yao in front of her was slightly different from the Sima Yao she had experienced in the book, but she couldn't tell what the difference was.

Wankelai Restaurant.

Gu Nianzhi and Sima Yao found a seat and sat down. It was almost time for dinner and there were many customers in the restaurant, so the waiter was very busy.

"The Dasheng wedding procession encountered a sandstorm, and hundreds of people died."

"I heard from someone that this sandstorm is rare in ten years. It's their bad luck that they happened to run into the eye of the storm."

"So, do you think this marriage will continue?"

"The Crown Prince has entered the palace and submitted the imperial edict for marriage. The marriage will definitely take place, but it will be postponed for a while. They said that Dasheng will have to prepare the betrothal gifts and the wedding procession again."

"That's for sure. Even if she is a girl from a commoner family, it is impossible for her to follow the man without any betrothal gifts. What's more, Dasheng wants to marry our eldest princess. Dasheng must show some sincerity."

……

At the next table, some people were discussing the marriage.

From their conversation, we can know that the Crown Prince and General Shu should have successfully arrived at the capital of Qiangyi and submitted the edict of marriage.

Sima Yao finally felt relieved.

As long as the eldest brother is still alive, everything can be considered carefully.

"We can't go back to Dingxi Prefecture." Gu Nianzhi reminded, "Min Lirong obviously wants the crown prince to die in a no-man's land and then put the blame on Qiang Yi. In this way, the relationship between Qiang Yi and Da Sheng will deteriorate due to the failure of the marriage, and the strategic position of Dingxi Prefecture will become more important to Da Sheng, and the second prince's power in the court will become stronger. He is determined to get the position of crown prince."

"The news that my elder brother has submitted the marriage edict should not have reached Dingxi Prefecture so quickly. They have always believed that the two people in Bater's prison are the crown prince and General Shu. We can take advantage of this time to bypass Dingxi Prefecture from the river valley area and return directly to Dasheng Capital. As long as we return to the palace, it should not be so easy for the second prince to attack the crown prince."

"The only problem now is how to contact the prince."

"When night comes, I will find a way."

After the two finished their meal at Wankelai Restaurant, Sima Yao did not find the shopkeeper to tell Batu's name, but instead went to stroll on the street.

Sima Yao bought some small street trinkets and chose a vendor who looked somewhat similar to a Dasheng person. He gave him an ingot of silver and asked him to get a room at Wankelai Restaurant.

"You just need to say that you are Brother Batu's friend, and check in here as he says. Stay in the room for an hour, and then come to me and you can get another ingot of silver."

Sima Yao found a seat in the tavern opposite Wankelai and sat down, from which he could have a complete view of the entire Wankelai store.

They watched the vendors enter the Wankelai and then saw him go upstairs.

"Third Master, what do you mean?"

"Batu is from Qiangyi after all. We can't completely trust their words."

"As I recall, the Third Young Master didn't seem to be a suspicious person before."

"That's because my eldest brother has always protected me before. I only needed to follow him and didn't have to worry about anything. Now that my eldest brother is not around and we are in the territory of Qiangyi, I naturally have to be more careful about everything." Sima Yao still stared in the direction of Wan Kelai.

Half an hour passed.

Sima Yao put on the black veil he had just bought at the market, and walked to the front desk of Wankelai in a menacing manner to look for the vendors.

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Sir, we have no guests staying here all day today. How could this person you mentioned come from? I'm afraid the person who sent you the letter must have made a mistake."

"If you don't hand him over to me today, don't blame me for smashing your store."

"Sir, I am just a small businessman. Harmony brings wealth. There is no need for me to go against you. So, you sit down and calm down. I will ask the kitchen to make you some special dishes. Then I will help you ask if this person has checked into another inn. What do you think?"

As the shopkeeper spoke, he gestured to the waiter behind his back.

The waiter turned around and went upstairs.

Sima Yao decided to quit while he was ahead. He left Wankelai with a harsh remark and returned to the meeting place he had agreed to meet with the vendor.

As expected, not long after, the street vendors came hurriedly.