Chapter 565
Entering the City
"Oh? Zhao Tianxiong."
When Li Xiangrou heard the words "Duke," the first person she thought of was this man.
"It seems that our movements are being observed at all times."
Ning Qi smiled and said, "I must meet him."
"Ah."
Li Xiangrou nodded, then called out, "Come in."
After she finished speaking, a guard responded from outside the door.
The door was opened very quickly.
The guards respectfully stepped aside, making way for them.
Immediately afterward, someone walked up from behind him.
Ning Qi glanced at it first.
This was a burly middle-aged man with a chiseled face and piercing eyes.
She exudes an aura of authority without being angry, and upon entering, she looked at Li Xiangrou.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness the Princess."
Zhao Tianxiong said respectfully.
"You're too kind, Duke Zhao. Please have a seat."
Li Xiangrou gestured for him to sit down.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
After thanking him, Zhao Tianxiong sat down and couldn't help but glance at Ning Qi.
Those who can sit and dine with a princess are definitely not ordinary people.
Or rather, for the princess, he was an honored guest.
"Duke Zhao, did you come here specifically to pick us up?"
Li Xiangrou put down her chopsticks, a look of curiosity on her face.
However, he didn't care about it at all.
She was no longer the same person she used to be.
In her eyes, a duke was not a threat.
This confidence comes from Ning Qi.
"Indeed, Your Highness knew you would be returning soon, so I waited here specifically for you."
"As expected, the time has come."
Zhao Tianxiong nodded and said with a smile.
"Oh? Duke Zhao, you're making such a big fuss waiting for us here. If my elder sister finds out, she'll probably get jealous again."
Li Xiangrou spoke frankly.
She was completely different from the person she used to be.
These words made Zhao Tianxiong frown.
"Your Highness need not worry. I am here to pick up the daughter-in-law of our Duke's mansion. Who would dare to object?"
Zhao Tianxiong came to his senses and said.
"Duke Zhao, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."
“A joke my grandfather made back then has been used as a joke by the people of the Yue Kingdom’s capital for decades.”
"You all actually took it seriously."
After hearing his words, Li Xiangrou simply smiled faintly: "Don't mention this matter again. I never take it seriously."
Her meaning was very clear: she did not approve of this marriage at all.
In her eyes, it was just a joke.
Zhao Tianxiong could naturally tell from his accent.
"Your Highness, that may be true, but you are aware of the current situation in the capital."
"Only by joining forces with our Duke's Mansion will there be a sliver of hope."
"Otherwise, the eldest princess is eyeing us covetously."
Zhao Tianxiong looked at Li Xiangrou and said slowly.
"Duke Zhao, you don't need to worry about that."
"I'm back, so I'll take care of these things."
Li Xiangrou showed no fear, instead appearing relaxed: "She's had enough of playing around with me. It's time to let her know who the real ruler is."
As soon as she spoke, Zhao Tianxiong frowned.
The meaning is quite clear.
He's not back to visit relatives, but to seize power.
The long-rumored story has finally been confirmed today.
This little girl is really ignorant of her own limitations, given the complex and intertwined power dynamics in my Yue Kingdom.
She thinks she can gain a foothold in the Yue Kingdom on her own; that's wishful thinking.
"Duke Zhao, when you go back, tell them what this princess has come for."
"Let everyone listen to me, and they'd better behave themselves and not do anything."
"If any of them dare to cause trouble, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Li Xiangrou looked at Zhao Tianxiong with a serious expression.
Zhao Tianxiong's face twitched twice when he saw it.
His brows were tightly furrowed.
He never expected to encounter this situation upon arriving.
The princess actually made it so blatant to tell him her intention to return.
So, what is she relying on?
As Zhao Tianxiong pondered this, his eyes involuntarily drifted towards Ning Qi.
He didn't say a word from beginning to end, he just kept his head down and ate.
He would pour himself a glass of wine every now and then, and he ate with great relish.
He acted as if it were none of his business.
"Master, Princess Xiangxiang has really grown up this time. She actually dares to speak to a Duke like that."
Yao Ling was also wolfing down his food, but Zhao Tianxiong couldn't see him.
"Isn't this good? She'll grow up, and then we can leave in peace."
Ning Qi smiled and continued to savor the delicious food: "She did this so that the Duke could go back and relay a message."
"Make sure all those who want to deal with her are ready, so we can wipe them all out in one fell swoop."
"This will save her a lot of trouble, which is killing two birds with one stone."
"Huh? Princess Xiangxiang has considered all this?"
Yao Ling stopped and couldn't help but glance at Li Xiangrou, who looked completely harmless.
At this moment, she was chatting with Zhao Tianxiong, her eyes full of smugness.
Clearly, Ning Qi's words were pretty much the right guess.
"Your Highness, in that case, I shall take my leave."
After a while, Zhao Tianxiong stood up and then said goodbye to the two men.
"Walk slowly, don't send."
Li Xiangrou simply stood up slightly and then said calmly.
"Your Highness, please wait."
Zhao Tianxiong left immediately after saying just one sentence.
After he left, he got into a horse-drawn carriage.
The carriage was not pulled by horses, but by two sika deer.
After he got into the carriage, the driver spurred the horse and drove it away at breakneck speed.
In the blink of an eye, it flew into the void.
"My lord, I heard everything His Highness said just now. Why are you letting her go like this?"
The coachman asked, puzzled.
"What use are her words, she's just a young girl?"
"Why bother arguing with her? When we get back, I'll report the situation to His Majesty and then tell the eldest princess what she said."
"When the time comes, who will still be on her side?"
Zhao Tianxiong smiled, then glanced back and said, "You've come to the wrong person if you want to give this Duke a hard time."
"Sir, but I have a feeling that something is not right about this."
The coachman thought about it seriously for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, how could you be so arrogant as to oppose all of us?"
"This isn't like her at all!"
"Haven't you heard that she has a master by her side?"
"I think it's because of this expert that she has the audacity to challenge us!"
"But she forgot that by doing this, she would be facing the entire capital city, not just me!"
After Zhao Tianxiong continued explaining, he pointed ahead and said, "Let's go!"
"drive!"
The coachman urged the horse on, and they began to speed up.
At this moment, Li Xiangrou stood in front of the window of the inn's room, gazing at the carriage in the distance.
They saw Zhao Tianxiong's carriage speeding away. "If we had this, we would have arrived in the capital long ago."
Ning Qi also took a look; this kind of special mount was quite rare.
"That would be very boring."
Li Xiangrou glanced at the void and then turned to say, "Besides, I won't meet you again."
"Oh? What you're saying actually makes some sense."
Ning Qi nodded, then continued looking towards the void: "Next, it's up to him."
"Don't worry, knowing him as I do, he'll definitely report back to them when he gets back."
"The more people they know, the easier it will be for me to go back."
Li Xiangrou smiled and said with great certainty, "It would be best if he notified everyone, then I can reap the benefits."
"Your Highness, let's get some rest now and wait to continue our journey tomorrow."
Commander Li was also in the side room. After hearing what she said, he then spoke up.
"Yes."
Li Xiangrou nodded, then turned back.
At the dinner table, he picked up a glass of wine: "Let's drink to our tomorrow!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Commander Li respectfully picked up his wine glass and clinked glasses with her.
The two of them drank it all at the same time.
Ning Qi continued to look in the direction Zhao Tianxiong had left.
This time, Li Xiangrou has offended everyone, and their revenge is coming.
"Master, we're going back tomorrow. We'll be the ones in trouble!"
Yao Ling communicated with Ning Qi through divine sense.
"It's alright, solving her big problem is enough!"
Ning Qi responded without caring at all.
"This girl has a clever plan; she's actually using us."
Yao Ling glanced at Li Xiangrou and said, "If it were me, I'd definitely settle accounts with her."
"Don't bother calculating it. We took advantage of her once too."
"If it weren't for her, we probably wouldn't have been able to come back."
Ning Qi shook his head, then turned around and said with a smile, "In that case, let's rest and conserve our energy for tomorrow's battle."
"it is good!"
"..."
After he made the suggestion, the two of them agreed at the same time.
Ning Qi said goodbye to Li Xiangrou and went to the room next to hers.
Once on the bed, I sat cross-legged and began to regulate my breathing.
After a period of rest and recuperation, Ning Qi also fell asleep.
The night began to fly by.
As dawn broke, the sky gradually brightened.
Ning Qi woke up from his sleep and went outside, only to see Li Xiangrou already in the courtyard.
"Ningzi."
Seeing that he had also gone out, Li Xiangrou came over and greeted him, "Commander Li has prepared the meal, let's go eat."
"it is good!"
Ning Qi did not refuse and readily agreed.
In reality, at his level of strength, this kind of food is meaningless to him.
However, it's not bad to be able to taste something delicious.
The food served was quite delicious.
Ning Qi followed her to a table of food, and the two ate and chatted.
They talked about trivial things, and didn't mention anything about going back.
Everyone already knows what's going on.
There's no need to continue this conversation.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Commander Li had already assembled his troops.
The two of them boarded the same carriage again and sped off towards the imperial city.
This time, for their final journey together, they rode in the same carriage.
The two talked a lot along the way.
It wasn't until the afternoon that the carriage passed through a valley, and ahead lay another plain.
There are villages and towns everywhere, and at the far end, there is a city.
All of them looked like towering pavilions, and even the city walls were dozens of feet high.
"Is this the capital of the Yue Kingdom?"
"This is truly extraordinary!"
After reading it, Ning Qi couldn't help but exclaim, "It's finally here."
"That's right, this is our imperial city, but compared to the Myriad Swords Sect, it's rather inferior."
Li Xiangrou nodded, a solemn expression on her face: "I hope that one day we can also reach the strength of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect."
"Perhaps, that day will come."
Ning Qi smiled and then said, "As long as you are strong enough, anything is possible."
Yes, anything is possible!
Li Xiangrou nodded in deep agreement.
"Your Highness, we will reach the imperial city in another two hours!"
Commander Li, who was ahead, continued speaking.
"Then let's continue on our way."
Li Xiangrou nodded, and then gave an order.
"set off!"
Following Commander Li's order, the troops began to accelerate their advance.
Along the way, their convoy attracted the attention of many people.
However, no one took them seriously.
This team has sent far too many people to the capital.
No one would think he was some big shot.
No one knew that the person who could change the course of the Yue Kingdom was on this very convoy.
They are about to overthrow the entire Yue Kingdom.
And so the caravan sped along, and after two hours, they soon arrived at the gates of the imperial city.
At this time, people were coming and going in an endless stream in front of the gate, but no one came to greet the emperor.
Compared to when Wang Mang came to greet them, the scene was much quieter.
"It seems your words last night had an effect."
Ning Qi looked around and saw that apart from the heavily guarded soldiers, he couldn't even see a single officer.
"Let's go in, and everything will begin!"
Li Xiangrou didn't care and then told Commander Li to continue on his way.
"Yes!"
Commander Li accepted the order, then calmly continued to lead the troops forward.
They arrived at the city gate in a grand procession, only to be blocked by two soldiers with spears.
"stop!"
One of the soldiers said coldly.
"Get out of the way."
Commander Li's expression darkened further as he looked at the soldiers before him.
"Hmph, everyone get off the bus, we need to conduct a routine check!"
The soldier snorted and pointed to the carriage behind him.
Do you know who's in there?
Commander Li gritted his teeth and asked in a deep voice.
"Oh? So what if it's someone? We must investigate!"
The soldier didn't seem to care, and simply said, "No one is an exception."
"How dare you!"
"This is the second princess of the Yue Kingdom!"
"You think you can stop her carriage?!"
Commander Li was immediately enraged and drew his long sword, pointing it at the soldier in front of him.
"Hmph, daring to impersonate the Second Princess, seize her!"
Upon hearing this, the soldier was not afraid at all; instead, he waved his hand.
The soldiers behind them rushed over, each pointing their spears at the convoy in front of them.
If they dare to act recklessly, we will act immediately to stop them. (End of Chapter)