Cui San almost pissed himself when he heard this.
Cui San thought he had accomplished the task and could receive rewards and praise from Cui Da Na. But he never expected that before he could get any reward, he would almost lose his head.
Almost at the same time, a carrier pigeon circled and flew into the imperial palace.
In an inconspicuous corner of the harem, there was a Plum Blossom Palace.
After the carrier pigeon landed in the palace, a palace maid quickly stepped forward, unstrapped the secret letter from its leg, and hurried into the main hall.
In the main hall, a woman was holding a book, reading with great interest.
This woman looked no more than twenty years old, and she was dignified and beautiful.
She was also dressed in brocade and fine clothing.
This was none other than the famous Princess Zhaoning.
Princess Zhaoning was accomplished in both civil and military arts and was quite renowned in the Great Cang Kingdom.
When the palace maid entered, she quickly approached Princess Zhaoning and whispered.
"Your Highness, Wen from Qingniu County has sent a letter."
The princess nodded and casually said, "Read it."
The palace maid opened the secret letter and read carefully, "Liu Tie has arrived in Qingniu County and found people from the Vermilion Bird Gang of Tianzhu Country at Liu Rumei's residence. They have already left the county town overnight."
After hearing these few sentences, Princess Zhaoning's expression became solemn. She closed the book in her hand and slowly stood up.
She walked quickly to a wall nearby.
A palace maid stepped forward and pulled aside the curtain on the wall. On the wall was an enlarged map of Qingniu County.
Princess Zhaoning gazed at the map and pointed at it a few times.
"Leaving Qingniu County overnight, they can only be heading to Qingniu Mountain. Twenty li is covered in an instant."
As she spoke, she turned to look at a maid who had been following her, "Hudie, where should my master be now?"
Hudie stepped forward and pointed at the map, saying cautiously, "When Chu Han sent us a message, he said he had entered the depths of Qingniu Mountain, around this area."
Princess Zhaoning nodded, "Being able to enter the depths means their progress is normal."
"This means my brother has likely not discovered them."
Hudie quickly bowed and replied, "Yes, that's what Chu Han's letter said."
Princess Zhaoning frowned, "And what about these past two days? Have there been any messages?"
Hudie shook her head.
"No, they cannot receive messages while moving. They can only send them back, and all the carrier pigeons they took have been used up."
Princess Zhaoning looked slightly melancholic, "Tell Tian Wen to find out about my master's situation as soon as possible."
Hudie hesitated for a moment, "Princess, if you do that, Tian Wen might be in danger of exposure."
Princess Zhaoning frowned slightly, "If Master encounters Liu Rumei, then both sides have essentially revealed their hands. Exposure is not a concern."
"Tell Tian Wen that if he senses any danger, he can retreat immediately."
Hudie bowed in agreement and retreated.
Princess Zhaoning pondered for a moment, then called out to another person, "Has the National Preceptor made any moves recently?"
"Reporting to the Princess, the latest news is that after the Supreme Daoist returned, he has been staying at his residence and has not gone out. Sima Wushuang, the National Preceptor's personal guard, has been gone for some time and has not been seen. He should not have returned yet."
Princess Zhaoning nodded slightly, "What about Zhu Meng? Are there any signs of military movements?"
"No signs. Zhu Meng has been at the Marshal's mansion and rarely leaves except for court sessions."
"From the current situation, it seems the National Preceptor has no intention of making a move."
Princess Zhaoning nodded with satisfaction, "Good, then let's see who has more patience. When he starts fighting with my brother, that will be our time to act."
In the blink of an eye, as the sun set, Chen Xiaobei and his group finally returned to Hetou Village.
Seeing them return from the official road outside the village, Chen Dachun and the others were overjoyed. They couldn't help but cheer and rushed forward with smiles.
Chen Xiaobei looked at the cheering crowd, but his eyes were constantly searching. He was looking for the person he was concerned about.
At the back of the crowd, Cui Hongyu stood quietly, holding Chen Qiao'er.
Chen Xiaobei quickly walked forward. Ignoring the gazes of the crowd, he pulled them both into his arms.
No matter how many times he had gone up the mountain, or how many times they had parted, none of those separations had made Chen Xiaobei's heart ache and filled him with fear as much as this one.
Cui Hongyu even shed tears of joy.
With a choked voice, she said, "You're finally back. I was so worried..."
Chen Xiaobei raised his hand and wiped away Cui Hongyu's tears, saying emotionally, "I'm back, and I've made you worry."
At this moment, Chen Qiao'er suddenly spoke, "Brother, brother, I miss you too! Sister-in-law said she couldn't sleep at night, and I couldn't sleep either."
Cui Hongyu's face flushed red at her words. She suddenly made a gesture as if to hit Chen Qiao'er, "You little thing, Qiao'er, how dare you speak ill of me to my face."
Chen Qiao'er suddenly giggled and shouted, "Help! Help! Sister-in-law is going to hit me!"
Just then, a clear voice rang out, "Don't be afraid, Qiao'er, your master is here." Su Dan Novel Net
Not far away, Shen Ziyan and Huang Ying walked side by side.
Huang Ying looked at Cui Hongyu with envy in her eyes.
Shen Ziyan looked relatively normal. She took Chen Qiao'er from Cui Hongyu's arms.
"Qiao'er told me that you two should go home soon."
After speaking, she looked at Cui Hongyu with a mischievous smile, and Cui Hongyu's face instantly turned red.
Then she raised her head, trying to cover up her embarrassment, "Ziyan, you're back. Come to my house for fish tonight."
Upon hearing about eating fish, Huang Ying immediately smiled, "Great, great! I love eating fish the most."
Chen Qiao'er also added from the side, "I love it too, I love it too!"
Alright, Shen Ziyan sighed and gave Huang Ying a look. Huang Ying pretended not to see it and turned away.
Just as they were happily preparing dinner.
In Qingniu County.
Liu Rumei and Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun were already eating. After all, they had traveled twenty li less.
Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun seemed to be in high spirits.
He even started drinking wine.
He raised his wine cup and smiled at Liu Rumei, "Rumei, it's all thanks to you that we could return safely this time."
Liu Rumei bowed, "Your Highness, please forgive my directness, but this was not my accomplishment. It was all thanks to Chen Xiaobei."
"If it weren't for Chen Xiaobei and his two subordinates, we don't know when we would have crossed that river."
After hearing her words, Xiao Jingyun pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.
"Hmm, you are absolutely right. I must reward him handsomely."
"By the way, we will go to Hetou Village first thing tomorrow morning."
At this moment, Zhou Quan, who was beside him, said, "Your Highness, you have been to Qingniu Mountain and seen the dragon veins. We should return to the capital as soon as possible."
As they were speaking, they heard footsteps outside. Ma Xiaoyi rushed in, "Reporting to Your Highness, someone has returned from Qingniu Mountain."
Upon hearing that there was news from the mountain, Liu Rumei was very excited.
"Quick, let him in."
Soon, a man in black walked in and knelt on one knee, "Reporting to Your Highness, reporting to Madam, Zhang Yu and over fifty others on Qingniu Mountain have all been killed by me. The fifty disciples of the Lotus Sect have been annihilated. Three prisoners were captured."