The Duke's Daughter is Reborn

The night comes quickly on the Western Barbarians’ grassland.

Fang Hua squatted beside the campfire, the flames licking his rough knuckles. The bone needles pierced through the sheepskin, bringing up tiny pieces of hair that floated into the air like golden mist in the flickering flames.

The wind blew from the northwest, carrying sand and hitting the cowhide tent, making a rustling sound.

"You kid, are you mending clothes again?"

The one who spoke was Hu Bing, the night patroller, and the copper bell on his waist rang softly with his movements.

Fang Hua looked up and saw the other party holding a ceramic bowl of mare's milk, with grass debris on his beard, so he gathered the sheepskin in his arms and said, "It's broken. I have to send pickled meat to the second prince tomorrow, so I can't let the soup leak out."

He used the tip of his tongue to press against his back teeth, where he was still biting on half a camel-hair thread - he had just mended the critical part and was holding it between his teeth for fear of being distracted.

Hu Bing took a sip of wine, and the smell of wine mixed with the wind and sand filled Fang Hua's nose: "The Second Prince has been acting mysterious recently. The other day I saw a few people in blue shirts in the stable. Their accents sounded like they were from the south..."

Fang Hua paused. The bone needle poked a small hole in the sheepskin. He calmly moistened it with saliva and continued to thread the needle: "Green shirt?"

He thought of the rainy and foggy morning three days ago - he had just returned from training horses for Kuryong, and went to the abandoned orchard behind the mansion, intending to pick up some wild fruits to fill his stomach.

It was a courtyard surrounded by weeds. Two years ago, Kuryong said that he wanted to provide a place for his new dancer to live there, but he locked the door as soon as the wall was built.

But that night I heard some noise behind the stable—like someone was nailing a wooden sign to the wall, the hammer hitting hard and lightly.

He moved closer along the wall. The moonlight seeped into the weeds, illuminating the words "Jingyuan" on the wooden sign, which had not yet dried. What was even more strange was that there was half a basket of dewy vegetables piled up at the foot of the wall. These were clearly the fine vegetables only available in the interior of the country.

"That's right." Hu Bing burped. "I heard from the groom that the gate of the courtyard is locked with copper padlocks at night. The second prince personally issued an order that anyone who approaches will have his legs broken."

He shook the bowl and said, "Forget it, forget it. You won't understand even if I tell you. Go to sleep quickly. You still have to go to the parade ground with the second prince tomorrow."

The bonfire "crackled" and a spark exploded. Fang Hua looked at the dancing flame and his Adam's apple moved.

After following Kulyong for so many years, Fang Hua had already thoroughly understood the temperament of the second prince of the Western Barbarians.

On the surface, that guy always liked to squat barefoot in front of his felt tent and gnaw on a leg of lamb, with oil drops dripping from the corners of his mouth when he spoke. But on every dark and windy night, the sound of abacus beads could always be heard in his tent - that was Kulyong fiddling with the tribute silver from various tribes, and every amount was so precise that it could be calculated with water.

"The Second Prince is even more cruel than the wolves on the grassland." This was what the old groom, Fang Hua's master, said when he was drunk and had just entered the Western Marauders' territory.

But now Fang Hua has already understood that the wolf is only cruel in order to protect its food, but Kuryong is cruel in order to turn everyone who stands in his way into stepping stones.

After lurking among the Xiluo barbarians for so many years, Miss Yang Qi had never contacted me on her own initiative. Even when the Xihu and the Xiluo barbarians were at war, Yang Qi had never used me.

Fang Hua knew how difficult it was for him to get in, and he also knew the role he could play in the future, so he rarely contacted Mr. Zong Yue in recent years.

However, when Mr. Zong Yue came to Xiluo to exchange salt in the winter many years ago, he had already told him: "Young lady is now the Crown Prince's servant, and will keep an eye on the Xiluo barbarians for the Crown Prince."

But what happened in recent days made Fang Hua extremely uneasy. If he didn't find out what happened, he was afraid that it would delay the young lady's important event!

He had been deliberately avoiding the "Quiet Garden" in Kulyon these days, but now, he was afraid that he had to go to the "Quiet Garden".

It was windy tonight, so Fang Hua wrapped himself tightly in his sheepskin coat and sneaked into the stable under the pretext of adding hay to the horse.

The dust on the beam made him cough. After he stood firmly, he reached into the gap between the rafters of the house beam - sure enough, there was a cloth bag, tied tightly with a hemp rope, and it felt heavy to the touch.

His heart was beating violently, his Adam's apple moved, and he took out a silver needle from his bosom and untied the knot.

Seven homing pigeons squeezed out, flapping their wings. A bamboo tube was tied to each ankle. The wings of the fattest one were still covered with fresh grass clippings. They were indeed pigeons raised in the interior.

The bamboo tube broke as soon as it was bent, and the bloodstained silk fell to the ground. Fang Hua squatted down and used the moonlight to read the words on it - eleven bloody words, the handwriting was still wet, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince was captured by the Western Alliance on March 15th."

There were a few strands of dark brown mixed in with the blood words, as if mixed with horse blood, and if you got closer you could even smell the smell of rust.

The wind blew sand against the felt curtains. Fang Hua stuffed the silk into his arms and touched his hot earlobe with his fingertips - this was his old habit when he was nervous. The young lady had said many times that people like him who were on the edge of a knife must either have a heart of stone or be able to hide their emotions.

But at this moment he clearly heard his heartbeat like a drum. Fang Hua couldn't help but began to recall the bustling scene in the imperial city when he followed the old beggar to beg in the Tianyuan Dynasty.

"The Crown Prince is allying with Xiluo?" He murmured to his own shadow, digging his nails deep into his palm. Xiluo had been fighting with Xihu for twenty years, and the Crown Prince's uncle, the Duke of Ying, was the commander of Xihu.

Over the years, many fierce wars broke out between the Xiluo barbarians and the Xihu, in which the Xihu won glorious victories on several occasions.

Behind all these victories, we can’t do without His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s outstanding command and heroic fighting.

It can be said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has become the strongest opponent in Kuryong's heart.

Fang Hua once witnessed Kulyong's crazy behavior after a defeat.

At that time, Kuryong angrily picked up a sharp blade and tore the portrait of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince into pieces bit by bit without hesitation, as if he wanted to vent all his hatred for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on the portrait.

However, if the Crown Prince had not secretly colluded with Kulyong... then, judging from the current situation of the Tianyuan Dynasty, all this might very well be a conspiracy carefully planned by the Fifth Prince's people.

They conspired with Kulyong to frame the Crown Prince, attempting to weaken his power through such despicable means.

This plan is so sinister!

Today, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is at the peak of his power, which is bound to cause dissatisfaction among His Majesty the Tianyuan Dynasty.

As long as the Fifth Prince can successfully design this plan, His Majesty will probably go with the flow and make this matter a reality.

By then, even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not directly deprived of his life, he will probably take the opportunity to take back the power in his hands.

Thinking of this, Fang Hua became extremely anxious, as he knew very well that this news was extremely important to the Crown Prince and the young lady.

He whispered to himself, "We have to send the message back quickly." However, due to excessive tension, his voice became hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against a copper basin.