Dressed as the prince's substitute? I took the throne

After settling everything, Zhou Chuxuan took Han Bin, Ma Sandao and Murong Xue and quickly rushed to the address provided by Tongfu Inn.

Lotus Mountain is not far from Qingzhou City. The four of them set out at night and arrived at Lotus Mountain at three o'clock in the morning.

Looking at the towering Lotus Mountain and the patrolling officers and soldiers at the foot of the mountain, Zhou Chuxuan waved his hand to signal for silence: "Why are there officers and soldiers patrolling here?"

"And in the distance, there are bright lights. It's obvious that someone is setting up camp!" Murong Xue looked ahead intently and saw a little light coming through the depths of the woods ahead.

She had led troops in battles on the frontier and was very familiar with this kind of light used in camping outdoors, and could recognize it at a glance.

Ma Sandao rubbed the back of his head and said in a silly voice, "Your Highness, let me go over and investigate! These officers and soldiers are stationed here for no reason. There must be something fishy going on in the mountains!"

"Come back!" Han Bin glanced at Ma Sandao and immediately stopped him. He then turned to Zhou Chuxuan and said, "Your Highness, please make the decision!"

After observing for a moment, Zhou Chuxuan said in a deep voice, "General Han, you and General Ma are familiar with the mountains, so please go up there and investigate the situation! Remember, don't alarm them. Even if you don't find anything, you must withdraw within an hour!"

"Yes!"

Watching the two men walk away, Murong Xue asked doubtfully, "An hour? Lotus Mountain is so vast. Even if they were as fast as they could be, they could probably only survey the military camp over there, right?"

Zhou Chuxuan shook his head and said, "Han Bin and Ma Sandao have been around Fuling Mountain for countless years. They must know how to navigate the mountain roads. Don't worry, I think they can bring me good news!"

"I hope it's not an illusion!" Murong Xue folded her arms across her chest, her beautiful eyes tightly closed, but she remained alert to her surroundings: "Your Highness, your old friend is here!"

"Ok?"

Zhou Chuxuan was slightly startled, then looked towards the dense forest behind him. Sure enough, he found a dark shadow on the treetop, staring at him with burning eyes.

Seeing Zhou Chuxuan looking over, the shadow didn't intend to continue squatting there. He jumped down from the tree and came in front of Zhou Chuxuan: "Your Highness is really quick!"

"Miss Nangong?"

Zhou Chuxuan was very surprised to see that man. Why did Nangong Yanling follow him to Qingzhou? Did she have some other purpose?

"Why, Your Majesty, are you surprised to see me?"

Nangong Yanling chuckled softly. Although she didn't take off her mask, Zhou Chuxuan could still sense that Nangong Yanling seemed to be in a good mood. "It's not really a surprise. After all, Miss Nangong has always been elusive. Is there something wrong with following me to Qingzhou this time?"

Facing Zhou Chuxuan's question, Nangong Yanling curled her lips lightly: "Your Highness, what if I say that I happened to come to Qingzhou and happened to meet you, Your Highness?"

Murong Xue snorted coldly, "Such a lame excuse, do you believe it yourself?"

Nangong Yanling glanced at Murong Xue, and her tone immediately became a little strange: "General Murong, I don't think I'm talking to you, right? Why are you butting in?"

"you!"

"Alright, alright! You two, now is not the time to quarrel!" Zhou Chuxuan waved his hand helplessly to stop the two from quarreling. These two women have been out of control since they fought each other the first time they met, and they no longer like each other.

"Miss Nangong, just say whatever you want to say! There's no need to hide anything between us now! If you need help, I will do my best!" Zhou Chuxuan said softly.

Nangong Yanling smiled, took two steps forward, and looked at the twinkling lights in the distance: "I want to enter Lotus Mountain!"

"what?"

Zhou Chuxuan looked at Nangong Yanling with some confusion: "Miss Nangong, Lotus Mountain is now sealed off by soldiers and patrolled day and night. I just sent people in, you..."

"I know. What I mean is that I want to take Lotus Mountain as the stronghold of my Jiulong Mountain troops!" Nangong Yanling's next sentence made Zhou Chuxuan stunned on the spot.

"What? Lotus Mountain is within Qingzhou, and it's surrounded by soldiers. How can you, with thousands of people from Jiulong Mountain, get in?"

Nangong Yanling blinked her beautiful eyes and smiled, "That's why I came here to find out what the situation is! If we can really occupy Lotus Mountain, we can become a sharp blade in the future and attack the capital by surprise!"

Zhou Chuxuan's mouth twitched. This woman really has a rich imagination!

However, Nangong Yanling's next words made Zhou Chuxuan lose his composure: "Our Jiulong Mountain troops have arrived in Qingzhou and are ready to seize Lianhua Mountain at any time!"

"You guys?" Zhou Chuxuan's eyes widened. At that moment, he thought Nangong Yanling had gone crazy. "There are thousands of you, all wanted criminals by the imperial court. How dare you enter Qingzhou so openly? Aren't you really afraid of being surrounded and suppressed by the soldiers?"

Nangong Yanling, however, put his hands behind his back, looking calm and at ease: "What are you afraid of? Before coming here, I had already found out that there are less than 7,000 soldiers and officers in Qingzhou. They can't hold us back!"

"Haha, not necessarily." Murong Xue seized the opportunity to add insult to injury: "A few thousand stragglers, do you really think you are a regular army? If seven thousand officers and soldiers wanted to start a war with you, I'm afraid they would wipe you out in just one stick of incense!"

"Murong Xue, how dare you insult the people of Jiulong Mountain?" Nangong Yanling's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Let me tell you, the imperial court is corrupt. Just look at those few thousand men, they're all good-for-nothings. If I wanted to, I could slaughter them all in an hour!"

"Haha, since you are so powerful, why were the people from Jiulong Mountain wiped out, and now there are only a few thousand people left?" Murong Xue gave Nangong Yanling a white look.

"you!"

Seeing the two men about to fight again, Zhou Chuxuan quickly waved his hand: "Hey, you two, if you make any more noise, you'll attract the soldiers immediately. What, do you want to be exposed now?"

"Humph!"

The two women snorted coldly at the same time, turned their heads away, and ignored each other.

Zhou Chuxuan rubbed his brows speechlessly, feeling quite troubled. "Miss Nangong, I advise you to calm down. Even if you defeat the Qingzhou soldiers and enter Lotus Mountain, your blatant behavior will inevitably attract the attention of the imperial court. What will you do when tens of thousands of imperial troops arrive?"

"Lotus Mountain is indeed steep and easy to defend but difficult to attack, but the imperial court's troops and weapons are now upgraded, you are no match for them!"

Zhou Chuxuan was fully aware of the power of his muskets and crossbows. If the Imperial Guards and the Imperial Guards were dispatched, even the natural barrier of Lotus Mountain would not be able to stop them.

Just when Nangong Yanling was about to say something, Murong Xue suddenly said, "Your Highness, Han Bin and the others are back!"