Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

For the next five days, the Scorpion delegation continued to stay outside Kyoto.

During these five days, they were like hibernating poisonous scorpions, lying dormant. They neither negotiated with Chu Ning about the purchase of food nor showed any unusual behavior.

Outside the envoys' tent, the black flag of the Scorpion Tribe fluttered in the cold wind, as if silently proclaiming some hidden power.

The Jinyiwei of Chu State monitored the movements of the Scorpion delegation day and night, but they were unable to find anything suspicious.

The members of the envoy group just made fire and cooked as usual every day, and occasionally walked outside the tent with indifferent expressions, as if they were indifferent to everything in Youzhou City.

Five days later.

In the Chu army camp in Youzhou, the prince's concubine Feng Mulan was leading her elite cavalry in daily training.

The cold wind did not dampen her fighting spirit at all.

She was wearing silver armor, with a sword at her waist, riding on a warhorse with heroic spirit, and scanning the soldiers in training with sharp eyes.

"Hurry up! The enemies on the battlefield won't wait for you to slowly form up!"

Feng Mulan's voice was clear and powerful, echoing over the training ground.

Upon hearing this, the cavalrymen immediately sped up their movements. The horses neighed, dust flew, and the entire training ground was filled with a solemn and murderous atmosphere.

Feng Mulan practiced martial arts since childhood and was proficient in riding and shooting. What was even more rare was that she had courage and strategy that was no less than that of men.

Since she followed the prince into battle, she has made many military achievements and has won the prince's trust and the respect of the soldiers.

At this moment, she was concentrating on guiding the cavalry's training, without slacking off at all.

Suddenly, a Jinyiwei in Feiyu uniform came over quickly, knelt on one knee, and reported respectfully:

"Your Highness, I have received reliable information that a batch of grain will be shipped out through Youzhou tonight."

Feng Mulan heard this, and a sharp light flashed in her eyes. She narrowed her eyes slightly and asked:

"Is the news reliable?"

Jinyiwei said in a deep voice: "Replying to Concubine, our informant has confirmed it many times and the information is absolutely reliable."

"This batch of food appears to be destined for the border. The destination is unclear, but it is most likely intended for the enemy."

Feng Mulan sneered and tightened her grip on the whip: "How dare you smuggle military rations into my Youzhou territory!"

She immediately ordered, "Pass it down. Increase patrols tonight, especially along the main roads leading to the border. I want to see who's behind this!"

As night fell, the cold wind of early December was biting, and there was silence outside Youzhou City.

The moonlight was obscured by thick clouds, and only sporadic torches flickered in the darkness, illuminating the way for the night-traveling caravans.

A caravan of more than twenty carriages slowly drove towards the border.

The carriage was covered with thick oilcloth and looked like it was carrying ordinary cargo, but the deep ruts left by the wheels on the ground revealed the weight of the cargo.

The old man at the head of the caravan was riding on his horse with a serious expression. He looked back from time to time, as if he was wary of something.

"Hurry up, we must reach the border before dawn!" The old man urged the drivers in a low voice.

The drivers did not dare to delay and whipped their horses to speed up the journey.

However, just as the caravan was about to pass a checkpoint, a group of Chu soldiers blocked their way.

"Stop! Routine inspection!" said the sentry captain coldly.

The old man's face changed slightly, but he quickly calmed down, took out a document from his pocket and handed it over:

"Sir, this is the pass from the Governor of Youzhou. Please help me."

The captain took the document, glanced at it briefly, but did not allow it to pass. Instead, he sneered:

"There's an order from above tonight that all passing caravans must be inspected."

Upon hearing this, the old man was furious. "How dare you! How dare you search a caravan with a letter from the Governor!"

The captain remained unmoved and waved his hand to signal the soldiers to come forward: "Search!"

Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, a burst of rapid horse hooves sounds came from afar.

Feng Mulan led hundreds of Youzhou cavalry and rushed over like a whirlwind, surrounding the caravan in an instant.

"This is my order!"

Feng Mulan rode on her horse, looking down at the caravan from above, and said in a cold voice, "Search every carriage carefully!"

The old man's face turned pale and he wanted to argue, but he was forced to the ground by two cavalrymen.

The soldiers lifted the tarpaulin of the carriage, revealing mountains of grain bags underneath.

"Sure enough!"

A cold light flashed in Feng Mulan's eyes: "Transporting military rations out of the country without permission is a capital crime of treason!"

She shouted, "Catch all these people!"

When the caravan members saw that their plan was exposed, they suddenly launched an attack, drawing out their hidden weapons and trying to fight their way out.

However, they were facing the well-trained Youzhou cavalry.

The battle ended quickly. Some of the caravan members were killed, some were injured, and the few remaining survivors were tied up and brought to Feng Mulan.

Feng Mulan stared at the captives coldly and demanded, "Tell me! Who ordered you to secretly transport the grain out of the country?"

The captives lowered their heads, saying nothing. Feng Mulan sneered, "You won't tell me, right? Take them back to the camp and interrogate them strictly! I want to see how stubborn you are!"

After returning to the camp, Feng Mulan immediately ordered the prisoners to be interrogated.

However, these people were extremely tight-lipped and refused to reveal any information no matter what means were used.

What was even more surprising was that one of the prisoners suddenly vomited black blood and died during the interrogation.

Afterwards, several other prisoners also vomited black blood one after another.

Before everyone could react, all the captives died.

"It's poison!"

After examining them, the military doctor said, "They've hidden poison sacs in their mouths. If their plan is exposed, they'll commit suicide by taking the poison."

Feng Mulan frowned, her mind filled with doubts.

Anyone who can command such a large number of assassins is definitely not an ordinary person.

She vaguely felt that there might be a bigger conspiracy behind this grain smuggling case.

No wonder Chu Ning informed her of this matter in advance and asked her to personally lead the Jinyiwei in Youzhou to secretly investigate the matter!

It seems that Chu Ning should also be prepared for this.

"Empress Concubine, what should we do next?" asked a deputy general.

Feng Mulan pondered for a moment and said, "Immediately send someone to investigate the source of this grain. At the same time, strengthen surveillance inside and outside Youzhou City. Also, report this matter to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

The deputy general took the order and left.

Feng Mulan stood alone outside the tent, looking at the dark night sky, with a thousand thoughts in her mind.

She had a feeling that this grain smuggling case had some connection to the Scorpion Emissaries lurking outside the city, but she couldn't figure out what exactly it was.

"It seems that this storm has just begun. I wonder how prepared His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is." She whispered to herself.