Eavesdropping on Fu Bao's inner thoughts, emptying the stored grain and fleeing the famine

After settling the companions who had followed them all the way, Lian Rongrong and Li Yuanqi led everyone to set off again.

Xiao Bai suggested erasing everyone's memories of the ring, but Lian Rongrong ultimately only had it erase the memories of the boatman and his fellow travelers.

The reason is simple: even Rongrong doesn't trust the boat owner's group, and as for her crew, the less they know, the safer they are.

The people who would accompany him next were either his family or the bodyguards trusted by Li Yuanqi. Knowing about the ring's existence was actually more convenient for them than not knowing it.

In this way, we no longer need to think about how to explain those strange things every day.

The only person Lian Rongrong wasn't entirely at ease with was her cousin, Wang Yang, though he had been behaving himself ever since Liang Yecheng.

As long as he doesn't cause any more trouble in the future, Lian Rongrong is willing to accept this not-so-likable cousin.

The group traveled along the western border between Shang Kingdom and Dasheng. This route should have been the safest, as the Lian family army had a significant military presence there.

However, for safety reasons, the group chose to approach the border only after nightfall.

But as they approached the border, they sensed something unusual.

"Dad, don't you think something seems off?" Lian Yicheng whispered to his father.

Although the sound wasn't loud, it was loud enough for the people around to hear, since most of them were trained martial artists and had better hearing than the average person.

Having been soldiers for many years, the Lian family was extremely sensitive to danger. At this moment, they were observing the garrison situation from a distance, hidden in the woods at the foot of the mountain.

Lian Jinghuai nodded: "Something is definitely not right. Their formation and habits are not the style of our Lian family army."

“It has only been about twenty days since we left the western border, but the border has already been garrisoned?”

It seems the weather in the capital is truly about to change.

Lian Yicheng's words caused a stir of panic among the crowd. Although no one showed it on their faces, they were indeed very worried.

The purpose of sending the eldest prince back to Sheng was for the high position. However, if the old emperor could not hold on and the situation in the capital changed, then Li Yuanqi's return would be tantamount to handing over his head.

An Ye looked at Li Yuanqi with some concern. Although he didn't speak, his eyes said it all.

On the contrary, Li Yuanqi himself seemed not to be worried at all.

"Look at that expression on your face! It's like you're about to send me off to my death." Li Yuanqi rolled his eyes at An Ye.

Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped hard on the back of the head.

Looking at everyone present, apart from the prince's woman, who else would have such audacity?

Watching the outspoken prince get beaten up, An Ye felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. If he hadn't been so skilled at managing his expressions, he probably would have burst out laughing.

"Quickly slap the wood! Pui! Pui! Pui!" Lian Rongrong glared angrily at Li Yuanqi.

"Why do you still believe in these things, you silly girl?" Li Yuanqi affectionately ruffled Lian Rongrong's hair.

But Lian Rongrong grabbed his hand and placed it on a tree trunk beside him. "I didn't believe it before. But now, after these experiences, I really believe it even if I didn't want to. Li Yuanqi, hold on tight!"

Li Yuanqi shook his head helplessly and had no choice but to listen to his wife, slapping the wooden board and spitting it out.

Seeing that their cold-faced master had been made even more docile than a kitten, the guards couldn't help but turn away and chuckle.

"Father, are you sure this place is no longer ours?" Lian Rongrong left Li Yuanqi aside and went to her father's side.

Lian Jinghuai nodded: "The commander guarding this city was personally trained by me. He comes out to patrol every night at this time without fail."

But look at them now, so lazy and undisciplined, they don't resemble my Lian Family Army at all.

"It seems Li Yuanyi has already made a move. What should we do?" Lian Rongrong asked, frowning.

"My second brother was transferred to guard the Lian family army, probably to keep an eye on me. If such a person were to actually encounter the Shang Kingdom in battle, I'm afraid he wouldn't last a single day."

Fortunately, the Shang Kingdom is currently overwhelmed with its own affairs and has no energy left to focus on warfare. Otherwise, we could have joined the Shang Kingdom's army and charged forward.”

Li Yuanqi's words were full of sarcasm, and it was clear that he was genuinely furious.

"Your Highness, there is another intersection to the northwest; perhaps we could give it a try."

“Alright, I’ll listen to my father-in-law.” Li Yuanqi glanced back at the border garrison, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger though he didn’t say anything.

For brothers to quarrel to the point of completely disregarding their country and family, this younger brother is truly remarkable.

Under the cover of night, the group headed towards the northwest corner, only to find that the area was already completely surrounded.

Lian Jinghuai snorted coldly, and even this military general, who disliked gossip, couldn't help but say sarcastically:

"If His Highness had put all this experience into the right path, Da Sheng could have avoided most of the troubles."

Seeing even the old general couldn't help but complain, Li Yuanqi couldn't help but smile knowingly. However, the current situation was truly not optimistic.

"What do we do now?" An Ye couldn't help but ask General Lian, "Is there any other way out?"

Lian Jinghuai shook his head. "No. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Lian Jinghuai looked up at the towering mountain in the distance, "We have to cross the mountain."

All eyes were drawn to the towering, precipitous mountain, now covered in a blanket of white, as winter had arrived.

It looks beautiful from afar, but everyone knows that crossing the mountains at this time of year is no easier than forcibly breaking through the border.

"Why don't we just go for it?" Dark Night suggested a simple and direct idea.

But Lian Rongrong shook her head: "No, there are only so many of us. If we force our way through, there will definitely be injuries. So climbing the mountain is more reliable."

“But…” An Ye instinctively wanted to refute Lian Rongrong, but he didn’t finish his sentence because of Lian Rongrong’s identity.

“I know what you’re worried about. Climbing a mountain like this is indeed very difficult, but not everyone has to climb it.”

"Not everyone has to climb?" Not only An Ye, but everyone else also looked at Lian Rongrong with puzzled expressions.

Lian Rongrong smiled slightly, raised her hand and shook the ring on her hand: "Have you all forgotten that I have a treasure?"

We'll split into teams of five, so we can look out for each other.

"In groups of five, each person climbs only a short distance. This not only reduces the difficulty but also increases the speed."

Li Yuanqi looked at Lian Rongrong with a face full of pride, his expression as if to say: Look at my wife, isn't she amazing! Isn't she clever!

Lian Rongrong's idea was approved by everyone, and the secret guards were divided into ten teams under An Ye's command.

Originally, Li Yuanqi did not intend to involve Lian Jinghuai, but the old man was very stubborn and insisted on sharing weal and woe with everyone.

So the three members of the Lian family were grouped with Li Yuanqi.

Since no one knew exactly what stage the situation in the capital had reached, the group dared not delay and quickly headed towards the mountains.