He looked up and saw that the person approaching was Zhou Quan.
Zhou Quan also waved towards Xiao Bei from afar.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao Bei couldn't help but frown. The Crown Prince's guard captain had come all the way to Hetou Village. This must mean something big was happening!
Zhou Quan approached, reined in his horse, but did not dismount. He spoke urgently, "Brother Xiao Bei, where is Miss Liu?"
Chen Xiao Bei paused for a moment. "Brother Zhou, Miss Liu is at home. What brings you here...?"
Zhou Quan's expression was grave. He clasped his hands towards Chen Xiao Bei again. "Brother, the situation is urgent. I have an important matter to discuss with Miss Liu."
Having said that, Chen Xiao Bei couldn't press further. He turned and said, "Then let's go. I'll take you there."
Chen Xiao Bei led Zhou Quan to Liu Ru Mei's residence.
As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Liu Ru Mei practicing her swordplay.
Indeed, she was a martial artist, and such skills should not be neglected.
Seeing Chen Xiao Bei arrive, Liu Ru Mei gestured and stopped, then ran over with a smile, "Brother Xiao Bei..."
Before she could finish her greeting, she saw Zhou Quan standing at the main entrance. Liu Ru Mei was also taken aback.
"Brother Zhou, why are you here?"
Zhou Quan's expression was solemn. He stepped forward and clasped his hands. "Miss Liu, the Crown Prince is in trouble. I beg Miss Liu to lend a hand."
Upon hearing this, Liu Ru Mei raised her eyebrows and quickly asked, "What happened to His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Zhou Quan sighed deeply. "Don't ask. Based on the intelligence received, the Crown Prince believed Zhu Meng was going to attack the Jizhou front with the Great Chu Kingdom, so all the military supplies and troops were diverted there."
"But unexpectedly, the Great Tu Kingdom played a trick and launched a sudden attack from the northwest."
"That is the route they took when they last invaded our borders."
Hearing this, Liu Ru Mei was stunned. "You mean they attacked along the same route as last time?"
Zhou Quan's expression was solemn. "Yes, it's the same route. They advanced three hundred li in one day."
"And our General Du Bai is leading troops along the northern Jizhou front, and Tian Wen Hao has also sent military supplies and provisions to Jizhou."
"The Crown Prince had no choice but to hastily gather tens of thousands of troops from the surrounding areas to meet the enemy, while the rest are still being mobilized."
Liu Ru Mei's expression became serious. After a long pause, she sighed softly. "Brother Zhou, you can leave. I will not go."
"This," Zhou Quan was taken aback. "Miss Liu, at a time of national crisis, you..."
Before he could finish, Liu Ru Mei waved her hand again. "I will say it again, you can leave."
With that, she turned and walked back into the house, then said to Chen Xiao Bei beside her, "Please see Brother Zhou out."
Watching Liu Ru Mei enter the house, Zhou Quan stood there for a moment, somewhat at a loss.
Chen Xiao Bei, however, somewhat understood Liu Ru Mei's feelings. Her Liu family had worked hard for the Great Cang Kingdom for so many years, only to be treated like a hunted rabbit after its use, with her father sent to a monastery.
She was even married off to this small mountain village. Now that the country was in trouble, they expected her to come out of retirement.
After people's hearts had grown cold, it was obviously impossible to expect Liu Ru Mei to fight on the battlefield as before.
Thinking this, Chen Xiao Bei bowed to Zhou Quan, with a hint of apology in his voice. "Brother Zhou, Ru Mei has been feeling unwell lately. I hope you can understand. When you return, please explain this to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"There will be a solution in the end. The Great Cang Kingdom is full of talented people, and someone will always step forward."
Hearing Chen Xiao Bei's words, Zhou Quan fell silent. He sighed and said, "I know it was somewhat presumptuous to come to Miss Liu, but with the enemy at our borders, only Miss Liu's prestige in the army..."
Chen Xiao Bei guessed the rest of Zhou Quan's words. Liu Xiang Nan had led troops on the battlefield for many years and had extremely high prestige in the army. Even if he didn't appear, Liu Ru Mei's appearance could rally the troops.
However, given the current situation, they still hadn't decided to invite Liu Xiang Nan out of the monastery, so it was no wonder Liu Ru Mei was unwilling to appear.
But Chen Xiao Bei couldn't say these things. He could only hint indirectly, "Brother Zhou, forgive my bluntness, but with so many civil and military officials, they will surely find a way."
"If there's really no other way, why not go to Xiangguo Temple and seek advice from Marquis Liu."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Quan remained silent for a moment. He walked a few more steps with Chen Xiao Bei before sighing and lowering his voice. "Brother Xiao Bei, to be frank, before the Crown Prince sent out the troops, I also suggested inviting the old Marquis to come out of seclusion. But for some reason, His Majesty refused."
His Majesty refused! Hearing this, Chen Xiao Bei fell silent. He could roughly guess the Emperor's intentions.
It was a convenient excuse to send Liu Xiang Nan to Xiangguo Temple. If they were to invite him out of seclusion again, wouldn't that show that the Great Cang Kingdom couldn't do without the Liu family? Wouldn't Liu Xiang Nan's prestige be restored?
Therefore, this was the fundamental reason why Xiao An did not intend to employ Liu Xiang Nan.
"Brother Xiao Bei, after I leave, please try to persuade her a few more times."
"I will return to the county town first to report the situation here to the Crown Prince and await further instructions."
After seeing Zhou Quan off, Chen Xiao Bei hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to go find Liu Ru Mei.
He walked into the house and saw Liu Ru Mei sitting with her head bowed, silent.
From this, it could be seen that Liu Ru Mei was also conflicted.
Seeing Chen Xiao Bei enter, Liu Ru Mei opened her mouth but said nothing, then lowered her head again.
Chen Xiao Bei sat down on a chair. Xiao Qing immediately brought over tea.
Chen Xiao Bei took a sip of tea, exhaled slowly, and then tentatively asked, "Ru Mei, do you still want to go?"
Liu Ru Mei shook her head gently. "My heart is dead. But thinking of the time when I studied with the Crown Prince in my youth, I feel I cannot bear to see him in danger."
"Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince is in a dangerous situation. If anything were to happen to him, the Great Cang Kingdom would likely..."
Chen Xiao Bei stopped midway, not continuing his sentence.
Liu Ru Mei clearly understood Chen Xiao Bei's meaning. If something happened to the Crown Prince of Great Cang, there would be no successor.
But they couldn't think about that now. Even if they were willing to rush to the front lines, it would take three days and three nights to reach Wannian City, and it was unknown how many more days it would take to reach the front lines from Wannian City.
Liu Ru Mei looked at Chen Xiao Bei and shook her head again. "That has nothing to do with us. We should just live our lives peacefully here in Hetou Village."
Chen Xiao Bei didn't say anything more, but he knew very well that the premise of living peacefully was that the Great Tu Kingdom must be defeated.
If the Great Tu Kingdom truly annihilated the Great Cang Kingdom, the common people would likely face a catastrophe.
But if he were to say these things, it would be an attempt to persuade Liu Ru Mei to come out of seclusion, which went against his original intention. After all, deep down, he did not wish for Liu Ru Mei to go out again.