A husband found in the village? I bought a regent for a penny!

The morning sun shines down.

A neat and orderly procession marched across the northwestern wilderness.

On the left are soldiers dressed in uniform armor, and on the right are women in various styles of clothing.

One is strong, the other is gentle; one is harmonious, the other is flamboyant. Yet, when combined, they don't look out of place at all.

The women openly observed the soldiers, occasionally covering their mouths and chuckling softly, whispering among themselves.

Their husbands were not among them, which was somewhat regrettable.

But that didn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm; they all felt the trip was worthwhile.

Last night, the Northern Li army that dared to trespass into Daye territory was all executed, except for one survivor. His hands and feet were broken off and he was tied to a horse and taken back to the General for questioning.

Mu Nanzhao and Meng Chengping rode side by side on their horses, walking at the very end of the procession.

Meng Chengping's lips curled into a smile that he couldn't suppress. "You're saying you ran into Gu Xixi when we were being chased? You're not just making excuses for slacking off, are you?"

Mu Nanzhao scoffed lightly, "Almost everyone from the dependents' village is here, how could she be missing?"

Meng Chengping smiled and nodded, "That's true, such a grand and spectacular operation is definitely her style."

As he spoke, he realized something, his smile vanished, and he turned to look at Mu Nanzhao.

Mu Nanzhao raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, his sarcasm undisguised, "Still laughing? Keep laughing."

Meng Chengping, no longer caring about saving face, anxiously asked, "Where's Jinglan? How could I forget? With so many people moving together, she can't possibly stay obediently in the village!"

Did you see Jinglan when you were looking for Gu Xixi?

Mu Nanzhao stared straight ahead, saying nothing.

Meng Chengping was both anxious and alarmed, "Say something! How could it be so dark and the women have all scattered? Jinglan hasn't come back yet!"

Last night, he was ordered to protect the military dependents. After searching for everyone, he only counted the number of military dependents and did not include Gu Xixi and He Jinglan.

Mu Nanzhao chased after Gu Xixi to leave the team last night.

Later, Mu Nanzhao returned and rejoined the team, indicating that Gu Xixi was definitely safe and sound.

But Meng Chengping never expected that He Jinglan would also come out!

At this moment, Meng Chengping was getting increasingly anxious when Mu Nanzhao still didn't speak. "Brother Mu, can you stop teasing me? Have you seen Jinglan or not?!"

Seeing that the time was right, and to prevent Meng Chengping from losing his temper and making a fool of himself in public, Mu Nanzhao slowly spoke:

"Jinglan is with Gu Xixi."

“I saw Gu Xixi holding her hand tightly the whole time, taking her everywhere she went, so of course she wouldn’t get lost.”

Meng Chengping breathed a sigh of relief, his heart, which had been pounding in his throat, finally settled back into his stomach.

Mu Nanzhao glanced sideways and sighed softly, "No wonder women always say that men are unreliable."

"In times of crisis, close friends hold hands and hearts together, but you only now remember her."

Meng Chengping was filled with fear and shame, his head hanging low, almost buried in his chest.

But Mu Nanzhao had a wicked sense of humor that seemed to deliver the final blow, and continued, "As Jinglan's brother's best friend and childhood confidant, I really don't think this marriage is a good match..."

When Meng Chengping heard about the "marriage," he blushed. "Brother Mu, please don't say that. If others hear it, it won't be good for Miss He's reputation."

"Besides, given my family's status..."

Meng Chengping's eyes dimmed, and a self-deprecating bitter smile appeared on his lips. "I know my own limitations."

"Let alone the future, even now, the eldest daughter of the He family is not someone I can aspire to."

"Giving up so easily?" Mu Nanzhao said.

“I was thinking of crediting this military achievement to you, and when Huo Jiang reports the merits to the court after the war is over, you could be appointed General Changwei or something, and your status would be immediately different.”

Meng Chengping's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Mu Nanzhao seemed not to hear and continued to speak to himself: "When I return to the capital, given my long-standing friendship with the He family, anyone who wants to marry the eldest daughter of the He family can ask me to act as matchmaker, which may make things much easier."

Meng Chengping's mouth stretched wider and wider, almost reaching his ears.

"It's so great to know a brother as capable as Brother Mu!"

Mu Nanzhao snorted, "It's not even close to being settled yet, and they've already dumped you."

Meng Chengping smiled ingratiatingly, wishing he could immediately jump off his horse and massage Mu Nanzhao's shoulders and back.

"I almost forgot that you and the He family are old friends. Brother Mu will definitely help me then, right?"

"Brother Mu, I knew it! You may have a sharp tongue, but you're a good person!"

Mu Nanzhao glanced at him, his face expressionless with disdain, "Take off that worthless expression of yours."

"We're almost at the military camp. You should think about it. If you disobey orders and act first and report later, how will you face your general's wrath?"

Meng Chengping felt a chill run down his spine when he thought of Huo Jiang's face.

"Hey, you're the one who brought this up, you don't expect me to face this alone, do you?"

Mu Nanzhao said, "Wasn't it General Meng who personally gave orders to the whole team and informed everyone of the temporary mission? It was also General Meng's skillful command that led the whole team to complete the mission."

His tone was exceptionally innocent, “Everyone in Meng Chengping’s team is a witness to what I’m saying.”

"General Meng is so wise and brave, what does he have to do with me, a lowly soldier like Chen Fang?"

Meng Chengping was so angry he almost fell off his horse.

He pointed at Mu Nanzhao, "You! That's not what you said back then!"

Mu Nanzhao asked in confusion, "What did I say? When was 'back then'?"

Meng Chengping had no evidence and could not defend himself.

He finally understood firsthand why the general said, "Those who play power games have dirty hearts."

It's absolutely disgusting and shameless!

Meng Chengping's chest heaved violently a few times as he roared, "The General isn't stupid!"

"Even if I'm going to be punished and there's no escaping it, the General is definitely furious with you. I don't believe you're not afraid!"

Mu Nanzhao chuckled and looked at Meng Chengping, saying, "What am I afraid of?"

"You forgot, I'm not one of his soldiers. Even if he wants to use military law against me, he has no say in the matter."

Meng Chengping became completely withdrawn.

The large group of people quickly reached the military camp watchtower and saw Gu Xixi and He Jinglan running over to greet them from afar.

Meng Chengping's smile returned, and he spurred his horse forward a few steps, calling out, "Jinglan! Wait for me here..."

However, He Jinglan simply ran past him without even glancing at him.

The military dependents were overjoyed to meet Gu Xixi and He Jinglan, and they gathered together, chatting endlessly.

Last night's shared experience of facing major events, experiencing fear, and going through hardships together has brought them even closer together.

Gu Xixi asked everyone about their experiences last night and only felt relieved after confirming that everyone was safe and sound and had not been injured.

Mu Nanzhao rode his horse past Meng Chengping, who had already turned to stone.

He reined in his horse and looked at Gu Xixi from afar.

He Jinglan nudged Gu Xixi, signaling her to look over there.

Gu Xixi looked up and met Mu Nanzhao's gaze. "Thank you. Consider this a favor I owe you."

Mu Nanzhao gestured with his chin toward the military camp, "Want to come in together?"