After the interstellar female general died in battle, she transmigrated into the body of a dashing p

A lively sound arose outside the courtyard. Ling Fei put away the letter, the two exchanged a glance, and walked outside.

Yuan Ming, carrying several packaged boxes, strode inside with a bright smile on his face. "An'an! An'an! The snacks in Jingnan are truly special, you must try them!"

Chu Mo, who was behind him, also had his hands full. He handed over the bag of fruit that he had already opened, his brows furrowed, looking as if he was disgusted. "He bought all of these, saying he was taking them back for Nianyun and the others. If I hadn't stopped him, he would have emptied the store."

Zheng Zhian took the dried fruit, tasted one, and smiled faintly, "It's really good." He found it somewhat amusing that his arms were stuffed full by Yuan Ming; it seemed the kid had really gotten restless lately. If Yu Xiuzhu hadn't requested an audience today, he could have stayed a few more days...

"Get some rest early today, and set off early tomorrow morning."

Chunhua and Xiachan immediately put away their smiles and became serious. Chunhua, who always strictly followed orders, immediately replied, "Master, then we will go and prepare."

Yuan Ming, who had been all smiles just moments before, instantly lost his enthusiasm, his eyebrows drooping and his lips pursed. "Since that's the case, I'll be leaving now." He hadn't had a proper wash since leaving Baishan County, and he sniffed his clothes, "Ugh~" he said with self-loathing as he walked out.

Ling Fei nodded slightly to Zheng Zhian, then turned and left.

Chu Mo seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he watched Yuan Ming's retreating figure. He placed all the boxes he was carrying on the table and sat down on the wooden chair. His movements were more unrestrained than usual, and he tapped his legs lightly as he muttered, "Shopping is really not something a human can do!" Walking through the streets and alleys for two hours is more tiring than practicing martial arts!

The servant brought the tea and quietly left. Zheng Zhi'an raised an eyebrow and glanced at him teasingly: "Ah Ming has always been full of energy. Did you only realize that today?!"

Chu Mo stopped massaging his legs, opened his mouth but found he couldn't refute it, so he could only shake his head and chuckle helplessly, take a sip of tea, and ask, "Did something happen?"

She had previously said there was no need to rush back to the capital and even suggested that everyone go out for a stroll. She originally intended to stay here for a few more days, but just now she said that she would set off tomorrow. This unusual behavior of her junior sister was noticeable.

“Yu Xiuzhu came to see me.” Zheng Zhian was marveling at how his senior brother’s every move was as beautiful as a poem or a painting, no matter when or where, when he was suddenly impressed by his keen insight.

Fortunately, it was one of their own, otherwise she might not have had enough brain cells.

Chu Mo lowered his eyes to look at the floating leaves on the surface of his cup, as if murmuring or telling a story: "He's quick to get information." He hadn't made any special effort to conceal his trip, so it wasn't surprising that Yu Xiuzhu would know. What was surprising was his eagerness, which was contrary to his usual aversion to socializing.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Chu Mo's mind, and he looked up, "His job isn't going well?"

The matter he was investigating involved not only officials from various regions but also two princes; it would be a miracle if it went smoothly.

Zheng Zhian rolled his eyes at his feigned ignorance.

Chu Mo put down his teacup and pretended to be deep in thought, fiddling with his fingers and calculating. "Let me calculate whether this involves you or not." Without waiting for a reply, he continued, "Or perhaps it involves the Duke's mansion?" Only this way could he make his carefree junior sister change her original plans.

Seeing her pursed lips and cold expression, he knew he had guessed correctly. He dropped his teasing look and asked seriously, "What do you plan to do?"

"It's a waste of talent for Young Master Chu not to go out and tell fortunes!" Zheng Zhian rubbed the edge of the teacup without picking it up, complaining irritably.

Chu Mo smiled faintly and retorted sarcastically, "Thank you for your suggestion, Junior Sister, but your senior brother is not so destitute that he needs to set up a stall to make a living." He then changed the subject, "Don't blame me for not reminding you, don't forget that you still have a third uncle who guards the western border."

The reason why the court was so wary of Zheng Zhi'an taking over Duping was not only because she was a favored legitimate princess. Due to the late empress's influence, the military power of the Yun'ao Army had long been consolidated in the emperor's hands, and the Duke of Yun had long since stopped caring about court affairs. Although the Ministry of War was seemingly temporarily handled by the Duke, everyone knew that the one who truly spoke was the one on the dragon throne.

Yun Yangying, who guards the western border, is the adopted son of the Duke of Yun and the third maternal uncle of Zheng Zhian. For many years, in order to avoid suspicion, he has rarely contacted people in the capital and has been conscientiously guarding the border. He is a person who has been intentionally or unintentionally ignored by all parties in the court.

However, if she successfully takes over Duping this time, the power behind her will be like lakes flowing into rivers. At that time, she will truly be second only to the emperor in the court. With the Duping army in hand, if Zheng Zhian were to follow the example of Empress Xiyu, who could stop him? Even if he doesn't, who can guarantee that she won't support any prince in the future? Therefore, it is the safest course of action to prevent her from taking over Duping.

The emperor himself pushed her into the position of public target, and no matter how Zheng Zhian wanted to avoid it, she could only be forced to place herself in the midst of the undercurrents.

"Thank you so much!" Zheng Zhian slammed the lid down on the teapot, making a crisp 'ding-dong' sound. It was precisely because of this that she wanted to hurry back to the capital to see what those old men were really thinking.

Chu Mo felt relieved that she had finally faced her situation squarely, but also felt sorry for her. Her junior sister was focused on imagining herself as a bird returning home, soaring and flying (Note 1), but forgot that she was unaware of the truth that poison can kill you if you are in the thick of it (Note 2).

As Chu Mo got up to leave, he remembered the person he had seen outside. "We saw people from Medicine King Valley while we were strolling around today. Are you sure about Zhu Zhiling's whereabouts?"

Zheng Zhian tilted her head and stared at him suspiciously. She had never mentioned this to her senior brother. If she hadn't known about Zhu Zhiling's disguise beforehand, even she wouldn't have been able to see through it. How did he know that Elder Shi was Zhu Zhiling?

Chu Mo raised his hand to his lips and coughed lightly, betraying the person without a trace of guilt. "I noticed that Yuan Ming and that Old Shi were quite familiar with each other, so I asked him out of curiosity."

Zhu Zhiling left ahead of time, and he had some doubts at the time. But when facing his own people, Yuan Ming, that fool, he poured out his heart without reservation.

It was precisely because they knew about this that they paid more attention to the people from Medicine King Valley. Their appearance here was clearly not a coincidence. It must be because the people from Medicine King Valley had noticed something amiss when they heard that Zhu Zhiling had disguised herself as Elder Shi and made a move in Baishan County. As for how Junior Sister should deal with it, that depends on her mood.

"Ha, the day you sell A-Ming out of business, he'll definitely be grinning as he counts the money for you." Zheng Zhi'an wondered how he could have raised such a naive and innocent girl when everyone around him was cunning and ruthless.

Chu Mo shook his head in disagreement, "No, no, Yuan Ming knows I won't sell him. At most, I'll sell Nian Yun so he can count the money. He'll naturally be happy with that."

Yun State Duke's Mansion

In the lakeside pavilion, Duke Yun swiftly placed a white chess piece, while Kong Mufeng, with his otherworldly air, flipped a black piece between his fingers, glancing at a letter placed beside the chessboard. The cover was blank, and without even looking, one could tell it was from that girl. In her words, "Her handwriting is so messy, it's better not to embarrass herself."

"Aren't you going to take a look?" he asked, casually dropping a chess piece.

Duke Yun then placed another piece, saying, "You wanted to play chess, but the game isn't over yet. How can you do two things at once?"

Kongmu Feng clicked his tongue and scrambled the chessboard. "A draw, a draw! Quick, take a look at what that girl wrote. She's been gone for so long, she's probably been out having fun and has completely forgotten about us old folks. Quick, take a look at what she wrote."

Duke Yun picked up the letter with some disdain. The old man knew he was going to lose the game today, so he was trying to cheat. Everyone outside said he was some kind of reclusive sage, but if they saw him like this, their eyes would probably pop out of their sockets.

Even though that's what I thought, I couldn't help but feel curious.

As he read through the contents, Duke Yun's expression grew increasingly cold and indifferent, causing Kong Mufeng opposite him to scratch his head in frustration. "What did you say that made your old face change like that?!"

Duke Yun handed him the letter with a sullen face, then stood up and walked to the railing to look at the calm lake. Not far away, the leaves of the ginkgo trees on the shore fluttered down, causing ripples, which slowly tightened behind him.

"Who is Wu Xuemin?" Kong Mufeng stood up and handed the letter back. He had been in Yunfu for more than ten years and had never heard of this person.

Duke Yun's gaze became distant, as if recalling some past events. "Back then, An Chong was beset by internal and external troubles. The late emperor personally led troops to resist the northern barbarians. At that time, Xi Yu wanted to take advantage of the situation and get a share of the spoils. Zhe Mao and his sister led troops north to support the late emperor and his men. Meanwhile, Prince Gongwen, who controlled the three prefectures of Lin Dan, Jiang Ling, and Jing Nan, harbored wolfish ambitions."

He wanted to seize this opportunity to control the western border army. Just then, Changyu was escorting supplies to the western border when he was assassinated by Prince Gongwen's men. Wounded, he escaped with the help of Wu Xuemin, who was then merely the son of a merchant. Changyu learned that Wu Xuemin aspired to officialdom and secretly recommended him to the Ministry of Personnel. However, although Wu Xuemin was somewhat educated, he lacked practical skills. Out of respect for the Yun family, the Ministry of Personnel appointed Wu Xuemin as a county magistrate in his hometown. And you know what happened next.”

Kong Mufeng knew, of course, that back then, Anchong Kingdom was attacked from both the north and south and was on the verge of collapse. General Yun Zhihong, who was guarding the western border, lost two sons in one year. His eldest son, Yun Zhemao, died in the north to save the late emperor, and his second son, Yun Changyu, died in battle at Xifeng Gorge while resisting the invasion of Xiyu. He himself was seriously injured and guarded the western border. It was no exaggeration to say that the Yun family was full of loyal martyrs.

"Didn't you transfer him to Duping?" Kong Mufeng wondered. If it weren't for the emperor's order, the Ministry of Personnel wouldn't dare to get involved in Duping.