Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Xue Huaiyu pondered for a moment and said, "Although it's a risky move, we'll only know if it works after we try."

“But, Your Majesty,” Ye Churan wanted to say something more, but was ruthlessly interrupted by Xue Huaiyu.

"I understand your concerns, but the imperial decree has already been issued and cannot be changed. We can only take it one step at a time."

Ye Churan sighed helplessly, feeling that the emperor was still too young and impetuous.

..........

Inside the Prime Minister's Mansion

"Father, why are you sending me on this mission?" Zheng Luoqi asked, looking puzzled.

"Hmph, I know perfectly well what that old fellow Wen Taiwei and the emperor are plotting," Zheng Yuxiang said disdainfully.

"Sending you there this time is just a convenient arrangement. Besides, I happen to have an important matter that I need you to handle." After saying that, Zheng Yuxiang casually tossed a token to Zheng Luoqi.

Zheng Luoqi took it and looked at it carefully. She saw that there was a large "Zheng" character engraved on the token.

"Father, what is this?" Zheng Luoqi asked curiously.

“These are my private soldiers. I don’t trust the others, and as for those two lads, I doubt they can be relied on either. If you encounter danger, just take out this token to summon the soldiers I’ve raised. They are all part of the Zheng family army, and there just happens to be some of our troops near Yangzhou,” Zheng Yuxiang explained calmly, as if discussing a trivial matter.

Zheng Luoqi's eyes widened in astonishment: "Father, you actually raised your own army!"

Zheng Luoqi was so shocked that she started to stutter.

"Look at you, what's so surprising? Remember to use this when life and death are at stake," Zheng Yuxiang said with a relaxed smile.

“I’m sending you to Yangzhou this time because there are other things I need you to do. Someone in Yangzhou has reported that the rebels have a lot of weapons. I suspect there’s an iron mine there. Go and find the iron mine. Remember not to let anyone know. The Yangzhou prefectural government is under our control. You can contact them anytime,” Zheng Yuxiang added, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips.

“Yes, Father,” Zheng Luoqi knew that this iron mine was probably used to forge weapons for his private soldiers.

Zheng Luoqi couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder he's the main villain in the book. Every single thing he does is a capital offense. This time it's embezzling iron mines and raising an army on his own."

"Remember to take good care of yourself along the way, and send me a message if anything happens," Zheng Yuxiang said earnestly.

..............

Pei Wenyu, Lin Zifeng, Zheng Luoqi and the others got ready and met up outside the city to set off together.

Before Lin Zifeng departed, Lin Qianning came to see him off and handed him a sachet, saying, "Brother, I heard there are many mosquitoes in Yangzhou, so I made a sachet to repel them."

After saying that, she handed the medicine packet to Lin Zifeng. Lin Zifeng suddenly felt that his younger sister had grown up and was now caring about her older brother. Just as he was feeling touched, he saw Lin Qianning walk towards Zheng Luoqi's carriage.

"Young Master Zheng," Lin Qianning called out to the carriage.

Zheng Luoqi lifted the curtain with a puzzled look and asked, "What does Miss Lin want with me?"

Lin Qianning smiled and handed over a purse. "I heard that there are many mosquitoes in Yangzhou, so I made a sachet to repel them. I happened to have an extra one. I gave one to my brother, and this one is to thank Young Master Zheng for saving my life back then."

Zheng Luoqi hesitated for a moment, but still took it and said, "Thank you, Miss Lin."

Lin Zifeng understood everything he saw. He never expected that his sister would have feelings for Zheng Luoqi.

When Lin Qianning saw Zheng Luoqi accept the purse, a joyful smile appeared on her face, and she quickly ran away.

Along the way, after learning that her younger sister had feelings for Zheng Luoqi, Lin Zifeng's mood soured, her face darkened, and she became hostile towards Zheng Luoqi, finding fault with her in every way.

Zheng Luoqi was completely baffled, wondering why Lin Zifeng was so hostile towards him. She didn't think she had offended him in any way, and felt utterly confused the whole way.

As night fell, they finally stopped to rest. Having rushed all day, they hadn't had time to find a suitable inn and had to camp overnight in the wild.

Zheng Luoqi, Lin Zifeng, and Pei Wenyu sat around the campfire, the atmosphere somewhat awkward. Lin Zifeng maintained a stern face, staring silently at Zheng Luoqi, making Zheng Luoqi feel extremely uncomfortable.

Zheng Luoqi muttered to himself, "What's wrong with this guy? Did I offend him somehow?" But he couldn't figure out the reason, so he could only silently endure the strange atmosphere.

Pei Wenyu stood by, watching the two of them as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, Lin Zifeng finally couldn't help but ask, "Lord Zheng, you're not young anymore, are you? I heard you're still unmarried, is that right?"

Zheng Luoqi was puzzled. Why was he suddenly asking about his marriage? But she still replied, "He is indeed unmarried. What? Does Young Master Lin want to be a matchmaker?"

"I've heard that Lord Zheng has countless concubines and male lovers in his household. Is this true?" Lin Zifeng asked curiously. He had heard a lot about Zheng Luoqi and really couldn't understand why his sister would fall for such a person.

"Is it true? Didn't you see clearly that day on the Qixi Festival? Or is it that Mr. Lin cares so much about my marriage that I can hardly help but suspect that you have other thoughts about me?" Zheng Luoqi glanced at Lin Zifeng with a half-smile.

"What nonsense are you spouting? I have no homosexual tendencies!" Lin Zifeng looked at Zheng Luoqi with disgust, finding his words utterly absurd. He was a respectable man; how could he possibly have such a fetish? Suddenly, he remembered something else and angrily questioned, "But why did you accept my little sister's purse today?"

Zheng Luoqi chuckled inwardly at Lin Zifeng's excited expression. However, he understood Lin Zifeng's concerns; after all, his reputation wasn't great. But what did that have to do with him? "I'm not really interested in his sister, and he's giving me attitude instead." Zheng Luoqi didn't want to argue with him.

"Young Master Lin, you can rest assured, I have no romantic feelings for your little sister. I simply see her as a younger sister." Zheng Luoqi said with a mischievous smile.

Hearing this, Lin Zifeng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Zheng Luoqi harbored ill intentions towards his younger sister, but now it seemed that wasn't the case. However, he still didn't completely believe what Zheng Luoqi said. After all, his younger sister was so kind, and Lin Zifeng couldn't help but warn, "Lord Zheng, you'd better keep your word!"

Zheng Luoqi shrugged, indicating his helplessness. He knew Lin Zifeng was wary of him, given his less-than-stellar reputation. But Zheng Luoqi didn't care. Besides, he genuinely didn't have any particular feelings for Lin Zifeng's younger sister; he simply saw her as a cute little sister.

Looking at Zheng Luoqi, Lin Zifeng could almost picture the tragic scene of Zheng Luoqi surrounded by women while his little sister secretly cried. Lin Zifeng shook his head to stop himself from letting his mind wander like that; he absolutely wouldn't allow such a thing to happen.