They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

Although he wasn't heroic enough, he no longer felt the same resistance towards him as before.

After an unknown amount of time, they heard the clatter of horses' hooves, the shouts of the crowd, and the flickering torches in the distance.

Having learned his lesson from last time, Han Yuxiu remained silent this time. Wu Ziyan was awakened by the noise. She rubbed her eyes, stretched her neck, stood up, and shouted, "We're here!"

Hearing her call, Han Yuxiu tried to stop her, but she helped him up and gave him a reassuring look.

Soon, Chu Qiu and several strong women arrived in front of them. Seeing their disheveled appearance, they didn't say much. However, Chu Qiu felt a little uncomfortable looking at their tattered clothes and the way their bare skin was huddled together.

He dismounted, took off his outer garment and gave it to Han Yuxiu, then glared at Wu Ziyan. Wu Ziyan was puzzled, and a gust of cold wind made her shiver: "Chu Qiu, why don't you give me one too!"

"You're a woman, bear with it!" Chu Qiu led Han Yuxiu away, while Wu Ziyan rode her horse alone, her hands and feet aching and weak. At that moment, she felt that being a woman was too difficult.

Back at their encampment, Wu Ziyan treated Han Yuxiu's wounds again. Han Yuxiu, however, was anxious for Wu Ziyan to deliver the herbs he had gathered. He seemed to care more about others' lives than his own.

After having the medicine sent away, Han Yuxiu finally saw Wu Ziyan's hands covered in scars by candlelight, and felt a mix of emotions. He then had someone bring the medicine box back.

He only broke his leg, but his hand could still move. He bandaged Wu Ziyan's hand and said, "You asked for this!"

Wu Ziyan knew he was being stubborn again, so she placed her injured hands on Han Yuxiu's shoulders and said, "Oh dear, I don't even know who I was saving when I got injured. I'm so pitiful!"

"You! You..." He turned his head away in a huff, but his face was red.

Meanwhile, those secretly plotting on the other side failed again. They decided to lie low for a while and not make any more moves. But Wu Ziyan was well aware that danger was right beside him.

A few days later, Han Yuxiu's legs were able to walk with difficulty. Wu Ziyan called everyone in the tent and said that since they had been away for a long time, they should let their families know that they were safe.

They each wrote letters home, but as they sealed them, they exchanged glances. Sure enough, someone was lurking outside the tent. Wu Ziyan shouted, "These letters must be delivered to the officials in the court as soon as possible!"

The messenger almost bowed and scraped as he took the letter and left. On the way, the letter was stolen, but he still had some humanity and didn't kill anyone.

They hurriedly searched through the letters for what was written inside.

Sure enough, Chu Qiu's letter contained these words: "Sister, I am doing well here. Also, the princess said that the provisions should be arriving soon. It will be faster to reach the encampment by taking the mountain road. The provisions here are also running low. I hope you can come quickly."

A group of men in black went back to report, of course, to the assassins sent by the Prime Minister. Upon seeing this, the man was puzzled. Why did this talk seem so vague? What about grain? Although there wasn't enough grain here, there was no need to rush to use it.

Moreover, even she, the official in charge of escorting the grain supplies, didn't know what those words meant.

Or perhaps Wu Ziyan and the others have begun to suspect her? Impossible, she's disguised herself so well, it's impossible for her to be discovered. So maybe she simply wants to write the plot notes.

This letter left them completely bewildered, but she had to remain calm and wait for the Prime Minister's next instructions.

When Wu Ziyan and the others learned that the letter had been stolen, they all kept quiet about it, but at the moment, they were indeed short of medicine and food. Fortunately, the weather had been relatively good recently, which mitigated some of their losses.

Two more days passed, and Wu Ziyan went for a walk on the riverbank alone, followed by several people at a distance. When Wu Ziyan turned around, they would pretend to be busy with their own things. These were people Chu Qiu had arranged to protect her in secret. Of course, there were also a few people watching from a distance.

The river gradually calmed down. Wu Ziyan walked a long way to see where the river was to be diverted, to see if it was feasible.

"This requires explosives. I think there was an explosives recipe last time, but I don't know how to make it. I'm so frustrated! It's supposed to be smart, and it is quite smart. It even knew I might need explosives, but it didn't give me a ready-made product!" He complained as he walked.

Both groups watched Wu Ziyan muttering to herself, each with their own thoughts. She stood on the other side of the river for a while before turning back. The explosive formula was already etched in her mind, but in this fictional era, did such a thing even exist? And it would be strange for her current identity to possess such a thing.

As she walked, lost in thought, she bumped into Changsun Boyou, who was walking towards her. Wu Ziyan looked up and blushed, probably remembering what had happened last time. Although no one mentioned it, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward when they were alone together.

“It’s very dangerous for someone to come to the river alone,” Changsun Boyou said first.

"I know they're all protecting me in secret."

"I'm here openly to protect you, how can you, a woman, have the nerve to do this?"

Wu Ziyan stared at him, and suddenly a thought flashed through her mind. Changsun Boyou had always liked to study strange things, so this was something she could really discuss with him.

Seeing the glint in Wu Ziyan's eyes, his heart skipped a beat. Wu Ziyan stood on tiptoe and whispered in his ear, a scene witnessed by many.

He was a little embarrassed at first because they were so close that he could feel her breathing, but after hearing what she said, he was shocked.

He frowned at her. Was this really the legendary useless princess? How did she know so much? Wu Ziyan blinked: "You're in charge of finding her."

Her tone was somewhat playful, making her sound like a princess. She walked back, and Chu Qiu followed. However, Wu Ziyan went to Huang Ziliang's tent again. Chu Qiu wanted to go, but for some reason, Wu Ziyan saw her from afar and said, "Chu Qiu, come here, I have something to tell you."

Wu Ziyan trusted them, but not completely. At least not the newcomer Huang Ziliang. He was too clever, and if he were on the opposite side, things would be difficult. Chu Qiu quickly walked to Wu Ziyan's side and asked unexpectedly, "What were you saying to Changsun back then?"

Seeing Chu Qiu's awkward expression, Wu Ziyan laughed and joked, "What's wrong? Are you jealous? Come closer, and I'll tell you."

Chu Qiu was about to speak and retort when Wu Ziyan put her hand to his mouth: "What, you want me to have some self-respect again?"

Chu Qiu blushed with anger and did not argue with her.

Wu Ziyan stopped teasing him and resumed her serious demeanor, saying, "Last time when we discussed the river diversion, I had an idea. I also discussed some things with Bo You, which I'll tell you later. Right now, I need to write a proposal that the Empress will agree to."

Huang Ziliang was indeed like a strategist. When Wu Ziyan entered, he bowed. Although he had said before that there was no need to bow, he seemed to have a deep-rooted understanding of the difference between royalty and commoners.

"Ziliang, the river has changed course; the petition to the emperor can be drafted now."

"It's ready. Please take a look, Miss. If there are any flaws, make immediate corrections." He lowered his eyes, very respectfully.

After watching for a while, Chu Qiu nodded in approval that Huang Ziliang was indeed meticulous in everything he did. This made things easier. Even if the Empress disagreed, they could use the excuse of not obeying imperial orders while away from home to shirk responsibility.