Tang Dynasty: To win Yang Guifei, they asked Emperor Xuanzong to die.

If she never sees Li Mao again, how can she get used to facing a strange crown prince all by herself?

Now that things had come to this, Li Mao felt it was about time.

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke, "Ya Ru, if I were to ask you for a favor, would you be willing to help me?"

Ya Ru never expected that she would be able to help Li Mao.

She paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly, saying sincerely, "It is my greatest honor to be able to serve Your Highness Prince Shou. Your Highness, please just tell me what you want me to do. As long as it is within my power, I will definitely do my best to help!"

The girls on the grasslands are simple-minded. After spending a few days with Li Mao and receiving some kindness from him, they became completely devoted to him. Without even asking what Li Mao wanted their help with, they readily agreed.

Li Mao looked at Ya Ru, feeling a mix of emotions.

But he quickly put aside these emotions and said calmly, "Now, because I hold military power, my father is very wary of me. His Highness the Crown Prince and I have a fairly good relationship, but because of the controversy over the selection of the Crown Prince, there has always been some distance between us... I may appear to be successful on the outside, but in reality, I am not close to either my father or my brother."

"Some time ago, my father suspected my relationship with one of his concubines and moved that concubine to a remote palace. On the surface, it seemed to be targeting that concubine, but in reality, it was a show of force against me. Now, if I want to know what's happening in the palace, I have to go through all sorts of troubles, ask around, and watch people's expressions."

Li Mao tried his best to portray himself as very pitiful, thus justifying his desire to use Ya Ru to spy on Li Heng's inner circle.

Of course, that's not the worst part.

As Ya Ru matures, he will have her do more things "within her capabilities." But... that's a story for later. Telling Ya Ru now would probably shock her.

Ya Ru paused for a moment, then said knowingly, "Your Highness, I understand. In the future, I would appreciate it if Your Highness could find a way to send messages from the Eastern Palace. I will inform you of any important matters."

She's such a smart girl; she understands things instantly.

Li Mao was very satisfied and said with a smile, "Thank you very much. I believe you will do very well in the future."

A few days later, Ya Ru's ability to read and write became even more apparent.

Seeing that he could already write his Chinese name on parchment with charcoal, Li Mao was quite satisfied.

He then made a decision: "The time is almost right. We will set off the day after tomorrow. We are about to leave the grasslands. If you wish to say goodbye to the old lord and your brothers and sisters, do so as soon as possible tomorrow, because we may not have many chances to see each other again."

Li Mao didn't want to upset Ya Ru, but he had no choice but to tell her the cruel reality.

—For her, she had to understand the reality that she would have to spend her whole life in Chang'an in order to cherish everything she had now.

Ya Ru naturally agreed to this.

She then asked, "Are we going directly to Chang'an? How long will it take to get there?"

“We’re not going to Chang’an. I have other things to do before we return. You’ll come with me.” Unexpectedly, Li Mao said he wouldn’t go to Chang’an.

Ya Ru blinked, puzzled, and said, "Didn't they say His Majesty issued an edict ordering us to return quickly? If we don't go to Chang'an, won't we displease His Majesty, and then he might take his anger out on you? Wouldn't that be..."

“It’s alright,” Li Mao laughed heartily, “I’m not afraid of being bitten by a lot of lice. My father has many complaints about me, so what’s a little bit of anger? Just come with me happily and learn more about the customs and culture of the Tang Dynasty along the way, and that will be enough.”

Ya Ru looked bewildered, but she never disagreed with what Li Mao said.

The next morning, Li Mao and Ya Ru mounted their horses and prepared to set off.

In order to speed things up, they did not bring soldiers or attendants this time. The two of them each rode a horse and set off for Lingzhou.

Li Mao joked, "It's all thanks to Ya Ru being a girl from the grasslands, whose horseback riding skills are no worse than mine. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to travel faster."

"How could that be? Your Highness's horsemanship is rare among men on the entire grassland. It is the most beautiful and skillful I have ever seen. I am just a woman, and I only know how to ride a horse. I am far inferior to Your Highness in riding." Ya Ru smiled gently and humbly.

The scenery along the way was beautiful, and the sun was shining brightly.

It was Ya Ru's first time traveling far from home, and everything she saw filled her with wonder.

As they passed through a dense forest, Li Mao noticed that her gaze seemed to keep drifting deeper into the woods, and couldn't help but ask, "What are you looking at?"

"Shh—" Ya Ru put a finger to her lips, gesturing for Li Mao to look in her direction.

When Li Mao looked, he saw a crimson figure leaping through the forest.

A lively and charming red fox, like a spirit born and raised in these mountains and forests. No wonder a lively girl like Ya Ru would like it, and even Li Mao couldn't help but glance at it a few more times.

"Your Highness, come with me!"

Suddenly, Ya Ru's playful nature took hold, and she insisted on chasing the fox.

Without even consulting Li Mao, they turned their horses around and plunged into the woods.

Li Mao had no choice but to follow her into the dense forest.

"Your Highness, look how cute that little fox is!" Ya Ru galloped through the forest on her horse, almost catching the little fox several times, but the fox was cunning and always managed to escape, leaving her empty-handed.

Li Mao said, "Why not just shoot an arrow and catch him?"

"How can that be!" Ya Ru said reproachfully. "This is a creature of the world, it has a spirit. How can you shoot it so casually? I just thought it was fun, I don't necessarily have to get it."

Ok……

Li Mao was speechless for a moment; he didn't understand women's psychology.

At that moment, the little fox's ears twitched, and it suddenly stopped in its tracks.

Ya Ru's face lit up with joy, and she immediately tiptoed toward the little fox.

However, just as she was about to reach the little fox, she suddenly heard a deep roar. In a flash, a huge tiger leaped out of the bushes and pounced on Yaru.

"Watch out!" Li Mao shouted.

In the blink of an eye, he swiftly drew his longsword from his waist and leaped to block Ya Ru's path.

The tiger pounced fiercely, but Li Mao nimbly dodged and swung his sword at the tiger.

However, tigers have thick skin and flesh, so how could they be so easily injured?

Li Mao's sword strike not only failed to wound the tiger's vitals, but the tiger also slapped him on the shoulder with its paw, causing blood to gush out. Enraged by this, the tiger roared even louder, its eyes red as it tried to hurt Li Mao again!

Ya Ru let out a scream, picked up a stone from the ground, and screamed as she was about to smash it on the back of the tiger's head.