At noon on November 8, Xue Yujin rode a horse to Wu Chengsi's palace.
As soon as they entered the back hall courtyard, they saw Li Zhiying sitting on a low stool with herbs piled in front of her. She was spreading the herbs on the ground with a small shovel.
Xue Yujin had seen a lot and knew that Li Zhiying was exposing medicinal materials.
"Is your prince not at home again?" Xue Yujin walked up and asked.
Li Zhiying raised her head and glanced at her, nodded slightly and said, "He has been busy recently. He was dragged to a clan meeting by his fifth brother early this morning."
Xue Yujin snorted: "It's really boring. I originally wanted to go hunting with him."
Li Zhiying smiled and said nothing and continued to fiddle with the work at hand.
Xue Yujin looked at it for a while, then became a little impatient and said, "Don't you have enough medicinal materials at home, why do you have to come here to get them?"
Li Zhiying said: "There are many rare medicinal materials here, I will take the opportunity to bring some back."
Xue Yujin grabbed her shoulders and said with a smile: "Okay, so you are stealing things from the palace. Let's see if I tell others!"
Li Zhiying glanced at her sideways and said, "Then go ahead and tell him. When General Xue comes back, I will tell him that you are going to swim in front of a group of men."
Xue Yujin pinched her shoulder and said with a smile: "Okay, I won't tell you. Stop playing with herbs and go hunting with me!"
Li Zhiying shook her head: "I don't like hunting, you go find Caiyi."
Xue Yujin's face changed slightly and she suddenly stopped talking.
Li Zhiying looked up at her and asked, "What's wrong? Did something happen to Caiyi?"
Xue Yujin picked up a herb, rubbed it back and forth with her thumb and index finger, and said, "What could happen to her?"
"Then why do you look like this?"
Xue Yujin snorted and said, "She hasn't come to see me for almost half a month."
"What's wrong with you two?"
Xue Yujin sighed and said, "You should know that she has always wanted me to plead with dad and transfer his brother to the Fourth Town of Anxi."
Li Zhiying nodded.
Xue Yujin blew hard on the ground, then sat on the ground regardless of the image, and said: "Although Dad loves me very much, he doesn't like me bringing favors into his army, so I really can't say anything."
Li Zhiying said thoughtfully: "Is it because of this incident that she didn't come to you?"
"Isn't it? He is really a narrow-minded guy." Xue Yujin curled his lips and said.
Li Zhiying suggested: "Even if she doesn't come to you, you can still go to her?"
Xue Yujin instantly became a little excited and said: "She didn't come to me, why should I go to her?"
Li Zhiying shook her head and said no more.
Xue Yujin patted his butt, stood up and said, "Okay, let's set off quickly, I'll take care of your lunch!"
Li Zhiying looked at the half-packed medicinal materials and said, "What should I do with these?"
"Oh, it won't be the same if you come back and clean it up. These herbs won't grow legs and run away."
With that said, Xue Yujin took his friend out of the palace.
As soon as I arrived at the door, I saw Huainan Duke Li Fan looking outside the hall.
When Xue Yujin saw him, he immediately lost his temper and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Li Fan hesitated and said: "I...I came here to find you. I just went to your place to look for you. The guard said you were here, so I searched all the way here."
Xue Yujin was silent. Although this guy was as annoying as the other people who pursued her, at least he was honest.
Because of this, Xue Yujin didn't have a bad impression of him and said, "We are going to go hunting outside."
Li Fan immediately said: "I'll go with you."
Xue Yujin thought for a while and said: "We will be very thirsty after hunting. You go and prepare some fruits, and then come to us."
Li Fan hurriedly asked: "Then where will I find you later?"
"That hill to the north."
Li Fan immediately agreed and turned around on his horse. The riding speed was not slow.
After leaving the palace, Xue Yujin and Li Zhiying headed north. They were only halfway through when they were overtaken by Li Fan from behind.
Behind him was a carriage, which actually ran faster than the cavalry. When Xue Yujin saw it, he said angrily: "You ran so fast, didn't all those fruits get broken?"
Li Fan laughed and said, "It won't break. I wrapped it with something."
Xue Yujin took a look into the carriage and found that the fruits inside were wrapped in velvet and placed in a large wooden box. The wooden box was wrapped in cowhide and had a lot of ice cubes inside.
Xue Yujin really couldn't find any fault, so she had no choice but to go on the road with Li Fan.
Not long after traveling, a small village suddenly appeared next to the official road ahead. Xue Yujin glanced in the direction of the village entrance and suddenly waved to signal the motorcade to stop.
From the direction of the village entrance, a horse team came unexpectedly.
The leader was a man in a famous suit and a high crown. He had thin lips, a high nose, and sharp eyes. At first glance, he looked like the kind of person who often gives orders.
Next to the man in Chinese clothing, there is a young woman wearing a coarse cloth dress.
Although the woman was wearing ordinary clothes and had no makeup on her face, her appearance was so beautiful that people couldn't look away after seeing her.
Xue Yujin stared at the woman and couldn't help but compare her with his good friend.
A very noble young man, and a woman who looks like an ordinary villager, but whose appearance is so heart-stoppingly beautiful.
When these two people came out of a small village, people couldn't help but be filled with doubts. Even Li Zhiying opened a corner of the curtain and quietly looked at the two people.
The man in fine clothes seemed to be going to the hill to the north. When he saw Xue Yujin and others stopping, he naturally thought that they were giving way to him and passed them directly.
When passing by Li Fan, he actually spoke.
"Is that your woman?" As he spoke, the man in fine clothes looked at Xue Yujin.
Li Fan said hurriedly: "Brother, don't talk nonsense, that is General Xue's daughter."
The man in fine clothes curled his lips, seemingly disdainful of Xue Rengui's name.
Xue Yujin and Li Zhiying were both a little surprised when they heard Li Fan calling the man eldest brother.
Speaking of Li Fan's eldest brother, the eldest son of King Zheng and Li Yuanli, King Li Mao of Huainan! He is a figure that everyone knows.
He is not famous because of his special skills or the great things he has done, but because of his bad conduct and his evil deeds.
Half of King Zheng's reputation as a wise king was neutralized by his bad reputation. Moreover, this person was not in Chang'an City, and no one could control him.
Although King Zheng wanted to take care of him, he had a flaw of being henpecked. Under the protection of Princess Zheng, King Huainan became even more unscrupulous.
Among the Li family's children, when it comes to the good reputation, they may have to talk about it, but when it comes to the bad reputation, he ranks second, and no one dares to talk about the first.
Xue Yujin had also heard of his name for a long time. She felt strange when she saw the beautiful village girl. After learning that the man was Li Mao, she immediately understood what was going on.
Seeing Li Mao passing by her as if nothing had happened, she suddenly felt angry and shouted: "Stop!"
Li Mao raised his eyebrows and said: "Smelly girl, don't think that relying on your father, you can be rude to me."
Xue Yujin covered her face and said: "What's going on with the woman next to you? Is she a good girl you kidnapped in the village?"
Li Mao's face turned dark and he said coldly: "Are you questioning this king?"
"If you don't explain clearly, you won't be able to leave today!"
Li Mao was furious, with veins on his face bulging, and was about to explode. Li Fan hurriedly stopped him and tried to persuade him.
Li Zhiying, who was in the carriage, suddenly noticed something. The beautiful village girl was watching with cold eyes, as if she didn't care about what was happening in front of her.
Li Fan has a weak character and naturally cannot persuade Xue Yujin and Li Mao.
Just when Li Mao and Xue Yujin were about to clash, Li Zhiying got off the carriage and said softly:
"His Royal Highness the King of Huainan, this place is not far from the palace. If things get serious, it might not be good if His Majesty and the Queen know about it."
After Li Mao saw her, his eyes suddenly shone and he asked repeatedly: "Little lady, what is your name?"
Li Fan said anxiously: "Brother, please don't be rude. This is Princess Changping."
The light in Li Mao's eyes disappeared immediately. No matter how good the meat is, if it cannot be put into his bowl, it is not good meat.
Fortunately, there was a beauty beside him. He glanced at the village girl next to him and waved, "Let's go!"
Xue Yujin raised her riding whip and said coldly: "I have already said it before. If you don't make it clear, there is no way you can leave!"
"You bitch, it's not over yet. Do you really think that this king will be afraid of you?" Li Mao said angrily.
Xue Yujin snorted coldly: "Then let's go to His Majesty for comment."
Li Mao suddenly became frightened, turned to the village girl and said, "Ziniang, tell yourself, did I force you to do this?"
The village girl said softly: "No, the little girl voluntarily followed His Highness."
Xue Yujin said hurriedly: "Girl, you don't have to be threatened by him. He won't dare to mess around with us here."
Ziniang glanced at Xue Yujin coldly and said, "What I told is the truth."
Xue Yujin was stunned. He had good intentions to help others, but ended up like this, and felt quite uncomfortable.
Li Zhiying had been quietly observing Ziniang, and she suddenly noticed something. This woman seemed to be injured.
She had a vague feeling that this woman was probably not an ordinary village girl, so she said softly: "Yu Jin, let's not meddle in other people's business."
Xue Yujin sighed and silently moved out of the way, and her white horse team also moved out of the way.
Li Mao laughed loudly and was about to lead the people away when a tall, dark-skinned villager suddenly ran out from the direction of the village.
There were two more people following behind the villager. Each of them grabbed an arm of the tall villager and kept urging him: "Dashan, don't go, you will die!"
However, the combined strength of the two of them was not as strong as that of the tall and strong villager, so they were dragged over by him.
Seeing that the cavalry was getting closer and closer, the two villagers did not dare to get closer and could only let go of their hands.
The villager named Dashan lost his restraints and ran over quickly, but was immediately blocked by Li Mao's guards.
Dashan squeezed in as hard as he could while shouting: "Ziniang, don't go with them, come back quickly, they are not good people!"
Ziniang, who had always been calm, changed slightly after seeing the mountain, and said coldly: "Go back, we will never see each other again."
Hearing Ziniang's decisive words, a seven-foot-tall strong man in Dashan actually cried. He cried heartbreakingly and cried: "Ziniang, don't leave me! I beg you."
Ziniang tilted her head and said nothing.
Li Mao, who was on the side, had long been impatient and said angrily: "I've given you the money, what else do you want? Don't blame me for being ruthless if you don't know what's interesting."
Dashan took out a bag of copper coins from his arms, threw it hard, and cried: "Whoever wants your dirty money, please give Zi Niang back to me."
Xue Yujin snorted and said: "Silly man, your wife must have abandoned you because she disliked poverty and loved wealth. You should forget about such a woman."
Dashan said angrily: "Don't talk nonsense. Ziniang is not my wife, and she is not that kind of person. If you say bad things about her again, I...I..."
Li Mao sneered and said: "What else can you do? I am the current king of Huainan, and you are just a poor and lowly mud-legged person. As long as you are a normal woman, you know what to choose, so you should go back and plant your fields."
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Dashan shouted: "Ziniang, is everything he said true?"
The village girl turned her head and said softly: "It's true. Go back quickly and live a good life. Forget about me."
Her voice was very soft, but to the ears of the mountain, it was like the sound of the heaven and earth collapsing.
All the strength in his body seemed to disappear in an instant, and he was immediately pushed to the ground by Li Mao's guards.
Xue Yujin sympathized with Dashan and said loudly: "Silly man, don't listen to this bastard's nonsense. In my opinion, you are much better than this bastard. Stand up quickly!"
Dashan seemed to have not heard her words, and just stared at Ziniang blankly, his eyes full of sadness and despair.
Although he didn't hear it, Li Mao heard it clearly. His face suddenly turned pale and he said coldly: "You said this mud-legged guy is better than me?"
Xue Yujin said coldly: "Do you really think you are liked by women? It's really funny."
Li Mao's anger surged, but he did not dare to offend Xue Rengui and Wu Chengsi at the same time. He could only vent his anger on Dashan, pointing at Dashan and saying: "Hit me!"
Several guards immediately punched and kicked Dashan, and Xue Yujin said angrily: "Stop!"
Li Mao crossed his arms, raised his chin and smiled: "Didn't you say that he is better than me? Why can't I see where he is better?"
"Your Highness, you promised me not to embarrass Dashan." Zi Niang lowered her head, unable to see her expression.
Li Mao sneered and said: "It's because he doesn't know the current affairs and insists on coming to entangle me. No wonder I am ruthless."
"His Royal Highness the King of Huainan, are you not afraid that your Majesty and the Queen will find out about your oppression of the people?" Li Zhiying said angrily.
Li Mao laughed and said: "It's just a lesson to a weakling. It's nothing. Don't use them to oppress me!"
At this moment, he suddenly heard a sigh, and then suddenly felt a sharp pain on his face. When he wiped it with his hand, his hand was covered with blood.
He turned his head in horror and saw a soft sword in Ziniang's hand, looking at him coldly.
"You... how dare you... how dare you..." Li Mao pointed at her, horrified and unbelievable.
Ziniang said coldly: "A man like you, who is like a pig, should have a pig mark on his face."
As soon as she finished speaking, she jumped up high, placed her toes on the horse's back, and landed in front of the guards in front of the mountain.
The long sword was raised, and he was about to take the lives of these people, when he suddenly heard a voice from the distance: "Don't hurt anyone's life."
She turned around and took a look, and found that the person speaking was the woman in palace clothes who came out of the carriage.
Just listen to the woman continue to say: "You run away quickly, leave this place to us."
Ziniang looked at each other, and at this moment, all the guards of King Huainan surrounded her.
She shook her long sword lightly, like a stick, knocked down several guards with the sword blade, and pulled Dashan away from the gap towards the village.
King Huainan looked at the blood in his hands and said angrily: "Catch them, I will chop them into pieces and feed them to the dogs!"
The guards were about to pursue them into the village when a long arrow suddenly flew towards them and shot into the ground in front of the guard at the front. The guards immediately stopped in their tracks.
"No one is allowed to move!"
Xue Yujin picked up her bow and arrow, aiming at the guards. The white horse team behind her also drew their bowstrings to full length.
King Huainan was hurt and angry, and shouted: "Do you have to go against me?"
Xue Yujin didn't say anything. He led his men to block the guards and answered Li Mao with his actions.
Li Mao was about to have a seizure, but Xue Yujin's white horse team had more people, and they were all holding long bows. He said angrily: "Second brother, just watch your brother being humiliated!"
Li Fan scratched his head and said, "Brother, why don't you let them go."
Li Mao covered his face and said angrily: "Asshole! That bitch slashed my face with a sword, and you let me just let it go?"
Li Zhiying said calmly: "It's not because you beat up that villager first that you caused these things."
Li Mao had never suffered such a great humiliation in his life. In anger, he lost his mind and roared: "Whoever stops me again, I will kill him too!"
The riding whip hit the horse's butt hard, and he was about to rush in. Xue Yujin was slightly shocked. After all, the horse was the king of the county, and she did not dare to actually shoot the arrow.
At this moment, the thunderous sound of horse hooves was heard, and another horse team came from the direction where Li Zhiying and others came.
This cavalry team has a very large number of people, more people than Xue Yujin and Li Mao combined. The leader is Li Xun, the king of Yingchuan County.
When he arrived at the entrance of the village and found that the road into the village was blocked by people, King Yingchuan was also a little surprised.
After scanning Li Zhiying, Xue Yujin, Li Mao and Li Fan one by one, King Yingchuan raised his eyebrows and said, "What are you doing here?"
At this time, King Huainan was attacked from both sides. He did not have a good relationship with King Yingchuan. He thought that the other party was here to help the other party, so he shouted: "Li Xun, do you want to embarrass me too?"
King Yingchuan frowned and said nothing. He came here to arrest the man in black who eavesdropped on the conversation between the King of Yue and the King of Han a few days ago. He did not want to make it public and did not know how to answer for a while.
At this time, the guard commander next to him said: "Someone in this village is trying to sabotage the Zen Ceremony, and my Highness has been ordered to come over to investigate."
Xue Yujin waved his horsewhip and said: "That's nonsense. I see you are all of the same virtue and you are here for that woman!"
King Yingchuan was stunned, and just as he was about to ask, King Huainan had already roared: "Li Xun, that bitch is mine, don't try to snatch her from me!"
At this time, King Yingchuan had already figured out the situation. It seemed that King Huainan wanted to enter the village, but Xue Yujin would not let him enter the village.
He thought for a moment and said immediately: "Brother, don't be angry. Since you like that woman, just take it. I won't compete with you."
The King of Huainan said angrily: "That bitch scratched my face with a sword. I will scratch her face with more than ten swords and then sell her to a brothel!"
King Yingchuan said: "Okay, brother, you can do whatever you want with her, I will help you."
The King of Huainan was overjoyed: "Okay, you are worthy of being our brother." He turned to look at Xue Yujin and sneered: "Smelly bitch, if you block the way again, don't blame our brothers for being rude!"
Xue Yujin also felt a little embarrassed at this moment.
Although she wanted to help the two villagers, they were outnumbered and she did not want to sacrifice the lives of her men for two strangers.
At this moment, the sound of horse hoofbeats was heard again. It was a horse team coming from the direction of the hill to the north. The leader was a young man in brocade clothes.
After seeing the scene in front of him, he immediately stopped the team. After seeing the situation clearly, he roared and said: "Whoever dares to bully my sister-in-law, I will risk my life with him!"
The young man in brocade was none other than Wu Xiyue, the youngest of the Wu family's children. He had just returned from hunting in the hills to the north.
After seeing Li Zhiying's carriage surrounded by the Li family's children, he thought they were bullying his sister-in-law, so he became furious and led his men to block King Yingchuan's team.