"Cold?"

The princess reached out and adjusted Liu Ruqing's collar.

"Not cold at all." Liu Ruqing smiled.

"How does it feel to be home?" the princess asked.

"Does elder sister want to hear the truth?"

"Of course."

"This is elder sister's home, but it's long since ceased to be younger sister's home."

Even though this was Fancheng, even though the Fan residence was here.

Even though Liu Ruqing had once been a daughter-in-law of the Fan family;

But now,

She was already the woman of the Pingxi (Pacifying the West) Marquis.

She didn't have much affection for the Fan family; of course, it wasn't as if she hated them. But if you insisted that returning to her old stomping grounds would evoke particularly strong emotions, then that was simply unnecessary.

"Mm, actually, it's the same for me."

The princess turned and looked at the vast expanse outside the city walls; Chu in winter was desolate.

"I used to think the saying 'a married daughter is like water thrown away' sounded quite ridiculous, but this time coming back, I discovered that, seemingly, there's some truth to it."

Gou Moli stood to the side, not saying a word.

The master's two women were talking here; he could just wait on the side;

Want to join in? He cherished his life too much.

"Elder sister, is it appropriate for us to come over like this?" Liu Ruqing asked with some worry.

Xiong Liqing smiled and reached out to gently pinch Liu Ruqing's face; Liu Ruqing demurely tried to refuse, but didn't actually reject it.

Clearly, such intimate gestures on weekdays would only be more outrageous.

"You're only asking now?"

"Mm, I was happy in my heart as soon as I heard I could go out."

"Yes, me too." Xiong Liqing stretched lazily, "What's more, it's returning to the Chu kingdom."

This was Fancheng.

Originally the Fan family's base, now, the city walls had been repaired and fortified, turning it into a military stronghold in this area.

After the Jingnan Prince destroyed Yingdu, Yan and Chu concluded a peace treaty;

What caught the world's attention was naturally the change of ownership of Zhennan Pass, and at the same time, Shanggu Commandery was incorporated into the sphere of influence of the Yan people;

But in reality,

In the later stages of that war, the garrison of Zhennan Pass had to withdraw whether they wanted to or not; Nian Yao couldn't possibly continue to lead hundreds of thousands of Chu troops in a desperate stand on the Zhennan Pass line when his logistics were completely cut off and there was no way to retreat.

And Shanggu Commandery was originally barren land that had frequently experienced war since the time of Situ Lei; the delineation in the Yan-Chu peace treaty was essentially treating Shanggu Commandery as an area where the forces of both sides could contend, a buffer zone that everyone tacitly agreed to leave empty, which would become the future battlefield.

Therefore, this clause of the peace treaty was nothing more than a way for both sides to end things with some dignity.

The only thing that truly had practical additional benefits was another clause, which was the delineation of a piece of land from the Meng Mountains to be given to the Yan kingdom, which was the Fan family's sphere of influence.

Relying on the Meng Mountains, though both the waterways and mountain roads were difficult to navigate, at least they were passable; and the Fan family had surrendered to the Yan kingdom early on and stabbed the Chu kingdom in the back, so it was only natural that they should be awarded a piece of land in the peace treaty after the war.

When the late Emperor was still alive, he conferred a noble title on Fan Zhengwen, and at the same time, gave the Fan family the hereditary position of Prefect.

Similar to the way the Qian kingdom governed the southwest Tusi (ethnic minority chieftains), they gave those obedient Tusi hereditary positions as county magistrates or prefects, in exchange for their support of the imperial court in major matters.

The Fan family's wealth was naturally beyond question, and when the Pingxi Marquis dug up the ancestral graves of those Chu nobles in Chu, the Fan family also helped to digest and transport a lot of the spoils; although they didn't dare to openly covet the Pingxi Marquis's spoils of war, skimming some off the top was inevitable.

Therefore, the Fan family repaired the city, recruited soldiers, and bought horses; the former lackeys of the Qu clan were now the true masters of this area.

Furthermore,

Fan Zhengwen had sent his eldest son and his legal wife, Madam Min, to Yanjing long ago, and had sent his sister-in-law, Liu Ruqing, to the Pingxi Marquis's residence.

Their allegiance,

Couldn't be more upright.

They were a model of the quintessential traitor.

"Don't worry, since North Mister agreed to it, it'll be fine; when the master isn't around, North Mister's words are the law."

"Mm."

The blind man asked them if they wanted to go back to Chu to take a look; they agreed, and then they came.

Gou Moli accompanied them.

Gou Moli was of course clear that this wasn't just a simple visit; in reality, it was because Qu Peiluo was about to die.

Qu Peiluo was captured in the beginning, and then Zheng Marquis released him; with the Fan family providing funds, he led a group of Qu clan prisoners of war to rebuild;

In the grand scheme of things, where Yan and Chu were both tacitly avoiding large-scale official conflicts,

Qu Peiluo was essentially carrying out a proxy war.

What surprised the Marquis's residence somewhat was that after Qu Peiluo received funding from the Fan family, starting from establishing a mountain stronghold, to recruiting old subordinates, and then gradually expanding outward, he had actually achieved something of a spectacle.

Several times the Chu kingdom's regular army came to suppress him, but they failed to wipe him out, and instead allowed him to become even more powerful.

However, this was also because the Chu kingdom did not mobilize troops on a large scale, fearing that it would cause a misunderstanding with the Yan kingdom, which was to say, fearing it would provoke the Pingxi Marquis's residence; they were somewhat hampered by concerns.

In short,

The young master of the Qu clan,

The man who could once be called the Pingxi Marquis's lifelong enemy,

After experiencing emotional turmoil, family upheaval, and military rebellion,

Had matured and transformed;

According to Fan Zhengwen, Qu Peiluo now had a force of 20,000 men under his command, which, though still a rabble, was truly impressive for its momentum.

But, man proposes, Heaven disposes;

Qu Peiluo encountered an assassination attempt and was seriously injured by a hidden arrow;

He had someone send a letter to the Fan residence, hoping that the Fan residence would forward it to the Pingxi Marquis's residence.

In the letter, he dedicated the vast majority of the content to his unrequited love for the princess;

The blind man read the letter,

He didn't know if the master would feel very pleased after seeing this letter,

But at least,

He felt quite pleased when he read the letter.

At the end of the letter, he wanted to entrust this group of people to someone, and chose a reliable subordinate to take over, but he hoped to obtain recognition from the Pingxi Marquis's residence, and recognition from the princess.

Because by using the name of the Great Chu princess, these Chu people could have some semblance of dignity, believing they weren't being dogs of the Yan people but were working for the royal family; it could also be called a fig leaf.

Perhaps, Qu Peiluo didn't expect it when he wrote this letter.

That the princess,

Would actually come.

"Mister Gou." The princess looked at Gou Moli, "When do we set off?"

The meeting place was in a stronghold eighty li south of Fancheng.

Gou Moli respectfully replied:

"Madam, naturally we will wait for Qu Peiluo's people to arrive, and then set off after we receive the news."

"Good."

In the afternoon,

The princess left Fancheng in a carriage.

Surrounding her were hundreds of Fan family guards.

Liu Ruqing didn't come along; she wanted to, but the princess didn't let her.

Halfway there,

The princess instructed someone to summon Gou Moli, who was following along.

Gou Moli naturally didn't dare to enter the carriage, but instead sat next to the coachman, facing sideways, and spoke to the inside through the curtain.

"It's not that I don't trust Mister Gou, nor that I don't trust North Mister, but is it really alright to go like this?"

If the princess wasn't clear about the abilities and overall strategy of the blind man Bei,

She would really think that he was getting rid of her on behalf of his good friend Si Niang.

But no matter how she thought about it, that wasn't possible; not to mention that North Mister wasn't such a foolish and short-sighted person, even in the inner quarters, she had always been the little sister in front of Si Niang.

"Madam, rest assured, everything has been arranged."

Late at night,

They arrived at the periphery of their destination.

The team stopped, and Gou Moli sent someone to inform the stronghold ahead.

Before long,

The gates of the stronghold opened, and a team of knights carrying torches came out.

They stopped in front of the carriage.

One person dismounted and came to the carriage.

"Princess Consort?"

It was Qu Peiluo's voice.

The princess instructed someone to lift the curtain of the carriage,

Under the light of the torches, that face was already full of vicissitudes and untidiness.

The once-young master of the Qu clan, now a traitorous rebel of the Chu kingdom, was no longer as refined as he once was.

Qu Peiluo saw the princess, and he smiled, kneeling down in prostration:

"Qu Peiluo greets Princess Consort."

The princess didn't speak, but instead looked at Gou Moli, who was standing beside the carriage.

Gou Moli also didn't speak.

The atmosphere immediately turned cold.

The princess had no choice but to say:

"You've worked hard."

"Not at all." Qu Peiluo shook his head with a smile.

"Your injury?" the princess asked.

Qu Peiluo was somewhat surprised to hear this, and said:

"It's naturally a feigned one."

The princess was stunned for a moment, and then looked at Gou Moli again.

Gou Moli then stepped forward and said to Qu Peiluo:

"Have the people arrived?"

"They have." Qu Peiluo replied.

"Have you chosen?" Gou Moli asked again.

"Do I have other paths to choose?" Qu Peiluo asked in return.

Gou Moli's height was actually only slightly taller than Xue San, and was still considered short in the eyes of normal people, but fortunately, Qu Peiluo was kneeling at this time, so he could clearly see Qu Peiluo's face, his eyes.

The Wild Man King reached out and gently stroked Qu Peiluo's face.

Qu Peiluo still had a smile on his face.

"Actually, you and I are very similar." Gou Moli said.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"So..."

"So, you should be proud."

Being recognized by the Wild Man King, and beginning to become similar to him, was indeed a form of praise.

"Let's enter the stronghold." Gou Moli said, "Let them rest assured."

"There will be risks." Qu Peiluo looked up at the princess again.

Gou Moli sighed; Qu Peiluo's gaze was very similar to when he himself was staring at embroidered shoes.

After a short while,

Gou Moli looked at the princess sitting in the carriage,

And asked:

"Madam, shall we enter the stronghold?"

"Will the harvest be great?"

The princess asked.

Xiong Liqing didn't ask how dangerous it was,

Because she felt that asking about the level of danger at this time would be lacking in style.

Yes,

As the Marquis's woman, she had long since learned the tone of the Marquis's residence.

"Madam, when fishing, the better the bait, the bigger the fish you catch, naturally."

Xiong Liqing didn't say something foolish like, 'How dare you compare me to bait';

Instead, she nodded somewhat excitedly,

And said:

"Then let's enter the stronghold."

The princess's carriage entered the stronghold.

After entering the stronghold, Qu Peiluo immediately "injured" himself, and also became "critically ill."

Then,

The princess began to meet with some of Qu Peiluo's "great generals," bestowing gold and silver, and promising them the future.

That night was peaceful.

The second day was also peaceful.

On the third day, shouts of killing rang out in the stronghold, and the people in the stronghold were fighting as one.

But the princess was no longer in the house where she had been staying, but had long since stood on the walls of the stronghold with Gou Moli.

In the stronghold, Qu Peiluo was leading people, fighting with his original subordinates; the leader on the other side was the one who had previously accepted the princess's promises, the one who was originally supposed to be Qu Peiluo's successor.

The princess wore a sable coat, as picturesque as snow;

She wasn't a woman of captivating beauty, but she was definitely the kind that grew on you.

"I heard from Qu Peiluo that the Emperor of Yan seems to be on his last legs." the princess asked.

Gou Moli nodded and said, "The documents sent by the master also mentioned it; it should be soon."

"Then who will be the new Emperor of Yan?" the princess asked again.

"Madam, actually, who becomes the new Emperor of Yan won't have any impact on our Marquis's residence, because whoever becomes the new Emperor will have to treat our Marquis's residence even more respectfully."

"That's the truth."

"By the same logic, the Fan family has no way out; even if it's not the Sixth Prince who ascends the throne, his Fan family can only continue to stand firmly on the side of Great Yan, oh no, they will stand even more firmly on the side of our Marquis's residence."

"Mister Gou is right."

The fighting below intensified, and the people of the entire stronghold were divided into two groups; brothers from earlier times began to wield their knives mercilessly.

The outer perimeter was even more interesting, because the princess and Gou Moli were both standing on the walls of the stronghold, so they could clearly see that there were also two groups of people fighting together on the outer perimeter.

Gou Moli explained:

"The reason why Qu Peiluo was able to develop so well in the past year was partly due to the Fan family's funding, and partly due to the Chu kingdom's leniency; the Chu kingdom's Fengchao (Phoenix Nest) Guard didn't stuff a few grains of sand under Qu Peiluo's command."

"They were fully aware of it?" the princess asked.

Gou Moli nodded and said, "This is actually unavoidable; although Mister Three has also trained a batch of people, the foundation of our Marquis's residence still can't compare to that of a nation;

Furthermore,

It's impossible for our people to really be sent over to help Qu Peiluo control his roots.

The master releasing Qu Peiluo in the first place was just an idle chess piece; since he has grown up, we might as well pick a fruit."

"I miss my husband."

Gou Moli didn't dare to respond to these words.

The princess reached out and touched the wall of the stronghold, and said:

"Was I brought here to lure them all to come out?"

"Yes; originally, their target might have been Fan Zhengwen, who was coming to negotiate."

"Will Fan Zhengwen come?"

"Fan Zhengwen's ambitions are great; he won't be willing to give up, and he will be willing to take risks; furthermore, Princess Consort, haven't you come too?"

"That's true."

"So, when they confirm that Princess Consort has also come, this time, they won't be able to help but jump out completely, and perhaps, it won't just be them."

As they were speaking,

In the distance,

The military flags of the Chu army actually appeared; the Chu army's formation, marching with orderly steps, was slowly advancing in this direction.

Upon seeing this scene, those who were loyal to Qu Peiluo outside the stronghold suddenly wilted in momentum, and gradually began to show signs of collapse.

But the princess and Gou Moli on the walls of the stronghold weren't flustered at all.

"I'm curious about one thing."

"Madam, please ask."

"Qu Peiluo, has he sincerely joined my husband?"

"Perhaps before meeting Madam that night, he was cooperating with them in a performance, perhaps wanting to rely on his own counter-espionage to finally prove that he, Qu Peiluo, wasn't a traitorous enemy, and still cared about Great Chu, washing away some of the shame on himself; not asking outsiders to believe it, but at least making himself feel more comfortable in his heart.

He told us that a lot of sand had been mixed into his command, but wouldn't he have to have agreed or even encouraged that result?"

"Oh?"

"People are capable of change."

"I'm not so naive as to think that he changed because of me."

"Actually, it's possible." Gou Moli said.

The princess looked at Gou Moli;

Gou Moli bowed slightly,

And said:

"People's thoughts can only be grasped, but not guessed, especially when he knows that we are guessing his thoughts."

"My husband is willing to let me come forward to do things because he's afraid I'm too bored at home, but I'm clear that my husband won't allow me to do things in this way."

"Madam, rest assured, we won't allow it either, because the master's reputation is above all else. However, since we are going to do things, it's inevitable that we will bear some responsibility and be subject to speculation."

"I know that."

There was another sentence that Gou Moli didn't say, which was that, that night, when he looked at Qu Peiluo, he felt that Qu Peiluo seemed to be more willing to be the one who would do anything for his love.

It wasn't to say that he loved the princess that much;

They had only met twice before the wedding; how could he possibly love her to death?

But if history were to write about him like that, it might make him feel a little better.

"Qu Peiluo, can he still be used in the future?"

"Madam should know my identity."

"Yes." The princess nodded.

"Even I can be used, so what is Qu Peiluo?"

"Mm."

"After this, the Fan family's sphere of influence can be said to be completely expanded, and will no longer be limited to the vicinity of Fancheng and the Meng Mountains. Qu Peiluo's troops can be more effectively combined with the Fan family's forces, making the Chu kingdom's arrangements come to nothing, and completely ruining the situation here.

The purpose of doing this

Is that when Yan and Chu start another national war in the future, the flames of war won't immediately burn to Fancheng, and the Fan family will also have enough time and room to maneuver, waiting for the support of my Marquis's residence.

This nail can be considered to have been hammered in firmly."

"Mister Gou, are you so sure that my imperial brother won't learn his lesson and launch a large-scale war?"

"The master once said that His Majesty the Emperor of Chu is even more Gou (cautious) than my surname."

"Heh heh."

On the outer perimeter,

With the appearance of a regular Chu army of more than three thousand men, the battle outside the military stronghold gradually presented a one-sided situation.

However,

Just then,

The sound of orderly hooves suddenly came from the north.

A team of elite Jidong (eastern Jin) Iron Cavalry in full fine armor, stepped out in a rhythmic march.

The Great Yan Black Dragon Flag,

The Pingxi Marquis's residence's exclusive double-headed eagle flag,

Fluttered in the wind.

The number of people wasn't large either;

Everyone was exercising restraint, tacitly acknowledging that this friction zone was just a small squabble.

However, there were three thousand Chu soldiers on that side,

And three thousand Iron Cavalry on this side!

The one leading the army,

Was none other than Liang Cheng!

The princess was a little surprised,

And asked:

"General Liang, is actually here in person?"

The princess knew Liang Cheng's position in the Marquis's residence; her own husband could be said to have given him most of his military power.

Gou Moli nodded,

And said:

"Actually, North Mister sent a letter to the master in the capital beforehand."

"My husband knows I've come to Chu?"

"Yes."

"Then what did my husband say in his reply?"

"The master's reply was:

Let madam,

Have fun."