Spring arrives and the land smiles

As night fell, Qingyan had Zhuier summon Li Renhe.

"How is the development of the new weapons progressing?" Qingyan asked.

"Your Highness, the count is more than halfway done," Li Renhe replied succinctly and respectfully.

"If the remaining weapons are to be completed within a month, how many more people will be needed?" Qingyan continued to ask.

Li Renhe was puzzled as to why the princess suddenly wanted to accelerate the weapon-making process, but after thinking for a moment, he replied: "I'm afraid we'll need at least 2000 more people."

"Post a notice tomorrow to recruit talent; the project must be completed within a month," Qingyan said.

"Yes." Li Renhe replied without further ado and withdrew after receiving the master's order.

The following day, Li Renhe followed Qing's instructions and posted a notice to recruit talents. Because the pay was quite generous, the Yushan mining area quickly became filled with craftsmen from all over the country.

Although Yushan belonged to the Great Qi, it was located on the border of three kingdoms and gradually became a no-man's-land. With all sorts of people mixed together, there were various ways to enter and leave Yushan. Of course, having an official travel permit was also a way to enter. Therefore, Fang Wenxiao, the person in charge of Yushan's administration, under Qingyan's instruction, allowed all travel permits from Nanxia to pass through.

For a time, craftsmen flocked to Yushan, and Li Renhe's doubts were all resolved when the craftsmen entered Yushan.

The Xuanjia Army was broken up into smaller groups, and Li Renhe recruited them as craftsmen into the Yushan mining area, numbering around two thousand.

Meanwhile, the scouts in Chu Shen's army also discovered the unusual movements of the Xuanjia Army, but they failed to find out where the Xuanjia Army ultimately went.

“General, if the unusual activity is related to the previous incident involving King Zhao of Nanxia, ​​then the Xuanjia Army must be coming to our Great Qi,” Lu Yan guessed.

Chu Shen nodded; this guess was not without merit.

"Go and check the recent population movements in Yushan," Chu Shen instructed.

"Yes." Lu Yan immediately went to do it.

The official post station at Yushan was not large, but it was very well-organized with high walls and thick walls, and it only had one exit, the main gate. Therefore, when Qingyan was at the post station, the guards at the main gate were particularly strict.

Lan Zhen stood at the entrance of the inn and clenched her fist as she looked at the guards at the door.

"Get out of the way!" Lan Zhen shouted angrily.

"Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for us." The guards greeted Lan Zhen with a smile and respectfully bowed.

"Get out of the way!" Lan Zhen was even angrier.

"Your Highness..." The guard tried to stop him again, but was slapped away by Lan Zhen.

"Stop!" Qingyan appeared at the entrance of the inn just as Lan Zhen was about to push the door open.

"Xiao Yan'er." Lan Zhen's tone immediately softened.

"You should return to Nanxia for now. Once the wedding date is set, I will personally welcome you to Daqi." Qingyan coldly instructed the guards to stop Lan Zhen from leaving.

"Hey, Xiao Yan'er, I... I'm not leaving." Lan Zhen acted like a spoiled child.

“Your Highness, let’s be frank. Even if you stay in Yushan, it won’t help. Don’t even think about letting Xuanjia…”

Before Qingyan could finish speaking, Lan Zhen suddenly interrupted her: "Fine, Xiaoyan, I misjudged you." After saying that, she left without looking back.

The border scouts of Yushan, who were hiding in the shadows at the entrance of Yushan Inn, followed Lan Zhen closely after he left, and only secretly returned to their camp after Lan Zhen left Daqi.

Qingyan was not idle either. After "driving away" Lan Zhen, she immediately had Sicheng secretly take two thousand Qi craftsmen from the Yushan mining area out of the smelter in batches and send them to Suizhou. At the same time, she had the Xuanjia Army replace the two thousand craftsmen.

With the addition of the two thousand Xuanjia soldiers who openly recruited talent through public notices, Qingyan had now resolved the issue of the four thousand Xuanjia soldiers.

There are 1,000 people left.

"Are you sure King Zhao has left Qi?" Chu Shen asked, his face full of suspicion.

The scout nodded firmly.

Chu Shen looked at Lu Yan beside him, seemingly conveying his doubts.

"Alright, you may leave." Lu Yan waved for the scout to leave, then walked to Chu Shen's side and whispered, "General, could it be that the Xuanjia Army has gone to Sichuan?"

Chu Shen remained silent, his brows furrowed.

After a long pause, he said to Lu Yan, "The reserves and extent of the Yushan gold mine have not yet been determined. However, the rich ore section is still within the territory of our Great Qi and the adjacent Southern Xia. Since the attack on our Great Qi failed, it is unlikely that they will make a comeback so quickly. It is possible that they will turn to harass Southern Xia instead. The Xuanjia Army is currently the city's defense force. This unusual movement may be to guard against the Sichuan and Shu forces."

Chu Shen analyzed it carefully, and Lu Yan also felt that it made sense.

Chu Shen continued, "Otherwise, given Prince Zhao's infatuation with the Princess and the imperial decree he carries, he would certainly not want to leave. Perhaps today's performance was a deliberate excuse to give Prince Zhao a reason to leave Daqi and go to Sichuan."

"General is wise," Lu Yan agreed.

"Continue to send people to keep an eye on King Zhao, and report back immediately if there are any unusual movements," Chu Shen instructed.

"Yes," Lu Yan replied and immediately went to do it.

After leaving Daqi, Lan Zhen met up with Li Muqing at the Nanxia border army camp. This time, Lan Zhen returned to the camp in a grand manner, which is why the scouts in Chu Shen's army dared to be so confident.

On the surface, the Great Qi Princess and the Southern Xia King Zhao had a falling out over the Xuanjia Army. Lan Zhen had no choice but to return to the border army camp and, as agreed, disband the Xuanjia Army, unable to arrange a future for them. The Xuanjia Army's original garrison was taken over by other border army units, and the Xuanjia Army was disbanded on the spot. However, many of the Xuanjia Army members were refugees or war orphans, mostly alone and without relatives, and had followed Lan Zhen for many years. This was why the Southern Xia Emperor was so wary of them. Now that the Xuanjia Army was disbanded, the Southern Xia Emperor's executioner's blade naturally awaited them.

On the second day after Lan Zhen returned to camp, he pretended to say goodbye to the remaining generals of the Xuanjia Army, and the scene of farewell in the military camp was deeply moving.

After seven or eight days of playing the part of changing garrisons and saying goodbye, Lan Zhen received a message from Qing Yan informing him that the four thousand Xuanjia soldiers had been properly settled, and he felt that he could no longer continue the act.

"Your Highness, this parting may be our last." Li Muqing was overcome with grief at this moment.

"I've served on the border with you for so many years, General. It's truly hard to leave you." Lan Zhen said with a heavy heart. "However, if Father discovers that the Xuanjia Army actually went to Daqi with me after I leave, you will become the target of everyone's anger. Do you have any countermeasures?"

With the Xuanjia Army now settled, Li Muqing's predicament became a source of worry for Lan Zhen.

Li Muqing smiled dismissively: "Your Highness is overthinking it. I have commanded the border army for twenty years. His Majesty will surely remember my hard work. Moreover, the current situation is turbulent and the internal affairs are unstable. The eldest prince has been demoted to a commoner, the second prince is restless, and Your Highness has gone to Daqi for a marriage alliance. His Majesty will surely deal with the border army generals leniently at this time."

Li Muqing's analysis made sense, and Lan Zhen nodded.

"Take care, General. If the situation changes, you are welcome to come to Daqi. I will certainly welcome you in Shengjing." Lan Zhen assured Li Muqing. He was especially worried that the general was too hot-tempered and that Li Muqing might clash head-on with his father, the emperor, and end up with a bad end.

"With Your Highness's words, this humble general will spare no effort to stay alive and go to Shengjing to congratulate Your Highness! Hahahaha!" Li Muqing laughed loudly.

"It's a deal." Lan Zhen and Li Muqing shook hands, making their agreement.

As night fell, the remaining thousand Xuanjia soldiers took advantage of the end of the garrison rotation to split into several small teams. One group secretly sneaked into Sichuan from the border forests, while the other group guarded the Yushan mining area within the territory of Nanxia. Although Daqi had discovered gold mines in the Yushan mining area, Nanxia only controlled this section of the Yushan mining area within its territory and did not mine it. Therefore, the border of this mining area was still under the control of the border troops under Lan Zhen.

Chu Shen's scouts kept a close eye on Lan Zhen, so every move of the Southern Xia border army was immediately reported back to Chu Shen's camp in the Great Qi.

In order to avoid arousing Chu Shen's suspicion, Lan Zhen deliberately let the Xuanjia Army discover the scout but did not capture him. Instead, he severely injured him, allowing him to escape back to Chu Shen's army in Daqi.

"Qingqing, Lan Zhen has already entered Sichuan." Luo Qing handed Lan Zhen's message to Qingyan.

"How many people did he bring across the border?" Qingyan asked.

"The rest of the Xuanjia Army have all entered Sichuan." Luo Qing sighed.

"What? Has he gone mad? We agreed beforehand that he would only bring two or three hundred people, to cross the border from Sichuan into Daqi, and to come with me to the southeastern border. Why is he acting in secret?" Qingyan was shocked.

"Lan Zhen said that you took a huge risk to save the lives of four thousand people, and he will handle the rest himself." Luo Qing clenched his fists at his sides.

"How will he resolve this? Will he lead the remaining thousand Xuanjia soldiers to fight the Southern Xia Emperor in Sichuan? Or will he wait to be discovered by Sichuan and then join forces with the Southern Xia Emperor to destroy him?" Qingyan cursed angrily.

"Princess."

When Qingyan was in a fit of anger, Sicheng requested an audience.

Qingyan: "Come in."

“Princess, a secret letter from His Highness Prince Rui.” Si Cheng handed over the letter.

Qingyan quickly took it and opened it.

The letter was written in the handwriting of Prince Rui's personal bodyguard: The new training ground of the Lingfengge Yushan branch can accommodate a thousand people.

"Brother is so thoughtful." Qingyan happily handed the letter to Luoqing.

After reading it, Luo Qing's expression changed from gloomy to sunny.

"Sicheng, have Siyou and Siwu returned?" Qingyan asked.

"I returned to the Yushan branch the day before yesterday," Si Cheng replied.

"Alright, have the two of them go to the Yushan New Guard training ground to meet the remaining Xuanjia Army. Also, send someone to inform Lan Zhen that if he wants to come back alive to perform the wedding ceremony, he should obediently follow the original plan; otherwise, he shouldn't come back," Qingyan instructed.

He then added, "Be sure to convey the exact words."

"Yes," Si Cheng replied and withdrew.

The new training ground of the Listening Wind Pavilion is extremely well-hidden. The remaining Xuanjia Army soldiers can hide there without anyone noticing, thus avoiding both the Southern Xia Emperor's search and the Emperor's notice. Although the Listening Wind Pavilion belongs to the Emperor and the court, my brother is the actual ruler of the Listening Wind Pavilion. It would be too easy for him to hide people in a remote border training ground.

Now, all we can hope for is that Lan Zhen and the remaining Xuanjia Army can evade Sichuan and Chu Shen and safely enter the Xinwei training ground.

Qingyan silently prayed in her heart, "May the Bodhisattva protect me."

For several days, Qingyan anxiously awaited news of Sicheng at the post station. It wasn't until nightfall on the third day that Sicheng hurriedly returned.

"Princess, everything has been arranged. Eight hundred Xuanjia soldiers have entered the Lingfeng Pavilion New Guard training ground, and two hundred elite troops have entered the country from Sichuan disguised as a merchant caravan with His Highness Prince Zhao. They are waiting for you in Licheng, fifty miles southeast of Yushan."

"Alright, we'll head to Licheng tomorrow." Qingyan breathed a sigh of relief.

Licheng is the first stop on the way from Yushan to the southeastern border.

The next day, Qingyan slept until late morning. To avoid suspicion, Qingyan and Luoqing pretended to be a young couple returning home to visit relatives. Their destination was Yizhou, an important town on the southeastern border.

The group did not keep a low profile; they traveled in a luxurious manner, leisurely making their way to Yizhou while enjoying the scenery.

It's about 600 li from Yushan to Yizhou. At this speed, even if we take the official road, it would take about ten days to get there. Qingyan instructed Sicheng to go to Yizhou ahead of time to make arrangements.

“Princess, if I go to Yizhou, there will be no one to protect your safety,” Si Cheng said worriedly.

"It's alright. You witnessed Luo Qing's abilities during the Seven Colors assassination attempt. He can guarantee my safety. Besides, I will be reuniting with Lan Zhen soon, and you should trust his capabilities." Qing Yan said dismissively.

“But His Highness Prince Zhao is currently a merchant and cannot accompany the princess. If the princess is in danger, he will not be able to protect her in time.” The journey to the southeast is fraught with danger, and Si Cheng is very worried. It is no wonder that he does not trust anyone.

“But my current identity is that of a merchant’s daughter from Yizhou. Because of my husband’s love, I’m returning to my hometown to visit relatives. If I bring a bodyguard with me, and he’s a man, then my identity will be exposed,” Qingyan said with a smile.

That was indeed the case, so Sicheng couldn't say anything more.

Starting from Yushan, Qingyan and her group arrived in Licheng in one day.

Licheng is a prosperous and bustling small city. Because it is located on a major transportation route, it has a large number of merchants and travelers, many of whom are cross-border merchants. Therefore, people of all ethnic groups gather here, making it the perfect place for Lan Zhen to meet.

As night fell, Qingyan and her party checked into the inn where Lan Zhen had already settled. Given Lan Zhen's pickiness, the inn she chose was luxurious and spacious, with elegant and practical furnishings. When Qingyan entered the inn, she muttered to herself: "What a waste of money."

Because they were pretending to be a newlywed couple, they had to stay in the same room.

Qingyan and Luoqing entered the room together, and Qingyan closed the door behind them. As soon as the door closed, Qingyan sensed Luoqing's unnatural nervousness and couldn't help but smile to herself, a mischievous thought rising in her mind.

"Luo Qing, there's only one bed, what are we going to do?" Qing Yan asked with a smile.

"No, it's alright. Qingqing can sleep on the bed, and I... I can sleep on the couch," Luo Qing quickly replied, blushing.

“That won’t do. This couch is too small. Luo Qing is tall and slender. You should sleep on the bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch.” Qing Yan said deliberately, and walked straight to the couch to undress.

Seeing this, Luo Qing was stunned for a while. It wasn't until Qing Yan took off her outer plain gauze robe and untied the ribbon of her fine gauze inner garment that Luo Qing came back to her senses. She quickly stopped Qing Yan's hand and said repeatedly, "Qing Qing, Qing Qing, you should sleep in the bed." As she spoke, she draped the outer plain gauze robe over Qing Yan and then took her hand and led her to the bedside.

Seeing Luo Qing blush, Qing Yan chuckled, making Luo Qing even more uncomfortable.

"Luo Qing, are you afraid of me?" Qing Yan stopped laughing.

"Why do you ask that, Qingqing?" Luo Qing asked, her reaction clearly not out of fear but surprise.

Qingyan said, "Look, you're not only nervous, but you're also blushing, and you're even stuttering."

"I...I didn't." Luo Qing became even more nervous.

“You have it, you have it. If you’re so afraid of me, then don’t stay with me,” Qingyan teased him deliberately.

"Qingqing," Luo Qing suddenly became serious, "Are you going to back out, Qingqing?"