To divorce his wife, the top scholar preferred being cuckolded to wearing a red hat.

The Fifth Prince was riding a horse carrying several carts of medicinal herbs. When they were still twenty miles from Qingzhou, the Fifth Prince stopped the carts and asked them to rest by the roadside. He also sent someone to inquire about the current situation in Qingzhou.

He suddenly received an imperial order to escort medicinal herbs there.

Having the opportunity to be personally appointed by the Emperor means having the chance to appear before him. Having the opportunity to appear in his presence is certainly a good thing, but the specifics of the task, its danger, and whether one will survive to return and enjoy this honor are all things that need to be considered.

Xiao An leaned lazily against a tree to rest. He heard what sounded like a carriage passing by ahead, so he opened his eyes and looked.

Upon seeing a familiar figure, the drowsiness in my mind immediately vanished.

The woman riding on horseback is none other than Su Mingyue.

Why is she riding a horse instead of riding in a carriage? And who's in the carriage?

He blocked their path with his sword in hand: "Oh, what a small world! To run into Princess Su in a place like this. Princess Su, why aren't you staying in the capital? What are you doing here? You wouldn't happen to have fallen for this prince and secretly followed me, would you?" Xiao An sneered.

Having failed to get revenge on Su Mingyue at Qingfeng Temple last time, he'd been plotting his next move. Who would have thought he'd run into Su Mingyue in a place like this?

"Fifth Prince, you really have a short memory. You called me Aunt Wang just a few days ago, and you've already forgotten?" Su Mingyue sat on her horse, looking down at the Fifth Prince, a faint smile on her lips: "If you can be here, why can't I be here?"

"I, the prince, am here because I have business to attend to. What are you doing here, a woman? You didn't come here to chase after my uncle, did you? He just left the city and you've already caught up with me. You're so worried about my uncle that you have to follow him everywhere."

“We’re husband and wife, wherever he is, I’ll be there too, isn’t that normal?” Su Mingyue looked at the carriages in front of her, which were filled with medicinal herbs needed by the people of Qingzhou City.

The situation in Qingzhou City must be terrible. The Fifth Prince seems to know nothing about what's happening in Qingzhou City and is not worried at all.

"Fifth Prince, where are you going?"

"Inquiring about my journey is a serious crime. Do you still want to find out?"

"I was just asking casually to see if it was on the same route as the Fifth Prince." Su Mingyue glanced at the road ahead and narrowed her eyes.

"You go your way, I'll go mine. Why should I follow your path?"

"I'm just reminding the Fifth Prince that you should set off as soon as possible, lest you delay important matters."

"Do I need your reminders to do things? Do you really think that just because you're the future Princess Consort of the War King, you can interfere in my affairs?" The Fifth Prince said with a look of disdain.

Several coughs were heard behind Su Mingyue.

"Su Mingyue, who's in your carriage?" Xiao An frowned, wanting to step forward.

"What, does the Fifth Prince have to interfere with who's in my carriage?"

"I have no interest whatsoever." Hearing her contemptuous tone, the Fifth Prince's eyes flashed with hostility. This Su Mingyue didn't take him seriously at all.

Who does she think she is? She's just someone who's hooked up with Prince Zhan.

Even if Prince Zhan weren't their real uncle, his father, the Emperor, was currently in power.

"Since the Fifth Prince is resting here, we won't disturb him any longer." Su Mingyue patted the horse's rump and said, "Let's go."

Just as Su Mingyue was about to leave, the messenger from the Fifth Prince's side returned: "Your Highness, I have found out that Qingzhou City is currently under lockdown. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Even if someone wants to enter, they need special permission."

The Fifth Prince frowned: "They're not even allowed to enter the city anymore, it's that serious."

“Your Highness, it seems the situation in Qingzhou City must be very serious.” Zhao Fu, the attendant of the Fifth Prince, stepped forward and whispered, “When you came, the Imperial Concubine instructed me to keep a close eye on Your Highness and not let anything happen to you.”

"Since I'm already here, what's the use of saying all this nonsense? We're only twenty miles from Qingzhou City now. We must get into the city and deliver the medicinal herbs before nightfall. Once the herbs are delivered, my mission will be complete, and Father won't be able to find fault with me."

Zhao Fu looked at Su Mingyue: "Your Highness, Qingzhou City is under lockdown, and I can't see what's going on inside. If it's a plague, people will die. Your health is precious, so please avoid going to such places if you can. As for the medicinal herbs, we've already sent them outside Qingzhou City. Why don't we have Miss Su and the others deliver them there? She wants to see Prince Zhan, so she'll definitely be happy to help us."

"Are you saying that I, the prince, traveled so far to bring the medicinal herbs here, and then give the credit to her? Who does she think she is? Impossible!" The Fifth Prince disagreed.

"Your Highness, the Emperor is aware that you escorted the medicinal herbs here. We are only delivering them to the outskirts of Qingzhou City. You can feign illness and have Princess Su take them in. As for any credit, she can forget about receiving it. It's still unclear whether there's an antidote for the plague. If we just go in like this, what's the difference between us and sending ourselves to our deaths?"

The Fifth Prince was silent for a moment: "You're right. The situation in Qingzhou City is unclear. If I go in like this and get infected, it might cost me my life. We need to send someone in to check the situation in Qingzhou City first. I hate her the most, so it's best to have her bring the medicine into the city. Let's do it this way. Have the people behind catch up quickly. I'll follow her to prevent her from suddenly disappearing and me not being able to find a suitable person to enter the city."

"Yes, I will give the order right away."

Su Mingyue walked for a while and noticed Xiao An following her at a distance. She slowed down and waited for him to catch up. "Didn't the Fifth Prince just say that we weren't going the same way? Why are you following me?"

"Does this road belong to you? You're allowed to walk on it, but I'm not?"

"Since the Fifth Prince wants to go, then go ahead. Qingzhou City is just ahead. I heard that Qingzhou City is under lockdown, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. Fifth Prince, are those things in your carriage being sent to Qingzhou City?"

"Cough..." The Fifth Prince suddenly clutched his chest and coughed. "The place I need to go is Qingzhou City, but I've been traveling day and night and I'm afraid I've caught a cold. I won't be able to send these things in. Su Mingyue, my uncle is inside. Didn't you want to go find him? I'll show you the way into the city. I'll let you go find my uncle, and you can help me bring these things in?"

"Are you really that kind? You're not trying to harm me, are you? The things in your carriage aren't anything shady, are they?" Su Mingyue asked suspiciously.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Those are all medicinal herbs. If I hadn't caught a cold, how could such an important task have been entrusted to you? Just tell me if you want to go to Qingzhou City. If you want to see Uncle Wang, take these things with you. He understands what's going on."