Yun Xiao strolled slowly along the stone path, followed by Wanwan and Qiao'er, while the others kept their distance, trailing behind.
Yun Xiao glanced at Wanwan, who was supporting her, and spoke softly.
"Wanwan, I will be leaving the palace for a while. I need you to put on a show for me."
Wanwan was startled, not knowing where her mistress was going. Her expression grew solemn, and she stared blankly at Yun Xiao. Yun Xiao continued, "I will return soon. After I leave, you will stay in the Yun Prince's manor in my place. Say that Prince Yun is ill and I am staying to accompany him. Unless you receive my orders, do not return to the palace."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Wanwan did not know where her mistress was going. Since she had spoken so, she must have her reasons, so she nodded in agreement.
Yun Xiao remembered another matter and handed a packet of antidote to Wanwan. "When the princess gets married, I will not be in the palace. Just before she gets into the sedan chair, give her this antidote, and her feet will be healed."
As soon as Yun Xiao spoke, Wanwan became a little displeased. That woman deserved it; she would not give her the antidote. However, Yun Xiao seemed to know what she was thinking and reminded her, "You must give it to her. This is an order."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Wanwan agreed, though with some reluctance. "That woman treated you so poorly, why should we give her the antidote? Let her be unable to walk; she deserves it."
"Her father saved Mu Rong, and she is Mu Rong's biological sister. I do not wish for him to have any regrets."
After Yun Xiao finished speaking, Wanwan and Qiao'er said nothing further, nodding in assent. Yun Xiao finally felt at ease and continued her walk in the garden.
Shangguan Yin secretly summoned Xiao Yao into the palace and arranged the relevant matters. Xiao Yao, receiving the imperial decree, quietly selected two thousand elite soldiers from the imperial guards.
These men were extremely skilled, capable of fighting ten opponents at once. They all disguised themselves in plain clothes. Xiao Yao also assigned another thousand elite soldiers for Prince Yun's command.
These soldiers would travel by water to the Qingyun Mountain Range, while the others would travel by horse and carriage.
Furthermore, they learned the secret codes of the Blood Bandits and how to issue mobilization orders from Shen Siyuan. The treasure chamber contained many hidden mechanisms. Shen Siyuan only knew some of them; he was unaware of some that had not been triggered.
Hearing this, Shangguan Yin's heart grew heavier.
He did not want Yun Xiao to go, but Yun Xiao was determined to eliminate the bandits of Xishan.
The most important thing was to obtain the treasure. This was Dong Qin's fastest and most direct way to recover. Once they obtained this treasure, their subsequent clearing of the area would be much easier.
Two days later, the Empress made a high-profile return to the Yun Prince's manor to visit the sick prince, ordering that she would stay in the manor to accompany the prince for several days.
However, in secret, she left the capital with Shangguan Lin and others. They departed from the north gate, while the Northern Dynasty's wedding procession entered from the west gate, the two passing each other.
Yun Xiao, as before, disguised herself as a man, appearing as a dashing and elegant young gentleman. Their group rode horses, followed by several carriages filled with stones, but they claimed to be in the business of trading medicinal herbs.
No one doubted this explanation.
Dong Qin was different from the Northern Dynasty. Dong Qin was still a land of fish and rice, and it was not short of medicinal herbs, jewelry, and jade.
However, the Northern Dynasty was still a grassland with fierce customs. The climate was not suitable for growing medicinal herbs, so the Northern Dynasty lacked medicinal herbs the most. Many merchants would transport Dong Qin's medicinal herbs to the Northern Dynasty in exchange for the Northern Dynasty's precious furs.
By trading back and forth, they could earn a considerable sum of money.
However, many people knew that the journey from Dong Qin to the Northern Dynasty was thousands of miles, with constant mountains and hills, and they would encounter many bandits along the way.
If they were not careful, they would not only be wiped out but also lose their lives, let alone their money. Therefore, even though this business was profitable, many people dared not engage in it.
However, it was unavoidable that some daring and meticulous individuals would undertake this business.
Shangguan Lin and Yun Xiao traveled north. The further north they went towards the Northern Dynasty, the more desolate it became. The population gradually thinned, mountains appeared continuously, and the sky above was a clear blue with white clouds, surrounded by verdant green mountains.
This feeling did not bring the joy of travel; instead, it made one's hair stand on end and filled them with dread.
Yun Xiao and a few others sat under a tree to rest, eat something, and prepare to continue their journey. Meteor and Chaser had already been sent to scout the situation.
Soon, the two returned, their expressions grave. "Master, not far ahead is a place called Ghost Head Mountain. There are bandits on the mountain, and they might be planning to rob us."
Yun Xiao's cold brows furrowed, and a chilling aura permeated her body. She glanced up. Although their group consisted of only a dozen people, each of them was a master, and they were not afraid of any bandits.
However, since these people had targeted them, there was only one outcome: death.
This was because they could not afford any mistakes. If those bandits leaked their whereabouts, and it was discovered that their carriages were filled with stones, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.
Yun Xiao waved her hand, and dozens of people surrounded her. She commanded in a deep voice, "If anyone tries to rob us, remember not to let anyone approach the carriages. I will handle everything else."
"Yes, Master." xxs壹贰
The group took their orders, mounted their horses, and Shangguan Lin followed closely behind Yun Xiao.
As Yun Xiao mounted her horse, she felt a discomfort in her stomach, as if she wanted to vomit. She couldn't help but be surprised. Had she eaten something bad? She casually felt her pulse and immediately sensed an unusual heartbeat. This was clearly a sign of pregnancy.
She was stunned, almost suspecting she had misdiagnosed herself. She felt her pulse again, and indeed, it was a sign of pregnancy.
Her heart suddenly filled with joy, and a gentle smile curved her lips, radiating brilliance onto her face, completely unlike her usual cold demeanor. Shangguan Lin, on his horse beside her, not understanding what was happening, couldn't help but lean closer, asking with concern, "What's wrong? Could you have eaten something bad?"
Shangguan Lin had noticed Yun Xiao's discomfort earlier. Yun Xiao looked up and smiled at him, but shook her head. Her bright, expressive eyes were warm and gentle. She shook her head and slowly said, "I'm fine. Don't worry."
She didn't want to tell anyone else about this. She wanted to be the first to tell Mu Rong about her pregnancy.
Thinking of this, she remembered something. She was not yet two months pregnant, and this was a time when a miscarriage was easily triggered. She couldn't ride a horse. No wonder she had felt uncomfortable all the way; it would be better to travel by carriage.
For the sake of the baby, she had to proceed with caution.
"Shangguan Lin, I'm tired. Let's switch to the carriage."
As soon as Yun Xiao spoke, Shangguan Lin nodded. In fact, a carriage had already been prepared for her, but she had insisted on riding a horse.
Unexpectedly, she now requested to ride in a carriage. It seemed she was truly unwell and didn't want to burden them. However, they were already close to the Qingyun Mountain Range, so it wasn't appropriate to turn back. They could only proceed with caution.
He absolutely could not let her suffer any harm.
Shangguan Lin dismounted and helped Yun Xiao into the carriage. The group continued forward.
Inside the carriage, there was a soft couch and tea. In the past, she would rest here at night. Now, for the sake of the baby, she tried to switch to traveling by carriage.
The group continued their journey towards the Qingyun Mountain Range.
By this time, it was dusk, and the sun was about to set. Ahead lay the mountain range mentioned by Meteor and Jingyun, called Ghost Head Mountain.