Lieutenant General Li was startled and asked in surprise, "Does the prince think they went to Yunyang?"
Song Huai said, "I once heard from my father that Lieutenant General Luo, who guards Yunyang, had fought with the emperor before, and he also had some friendship with Marquis Dingyuan. If Zhao Jingyu had somewhere else to go in Nanzhao, it must be Yunyang City, so they would take this route."
"My Lord, do you mean that Zhao Jingyu did not stay in Nanzhao City?" asked Lieutenant General Li.
"Hmph!" Song Huai snorted coldly and glanced at the carriage. He almost fell for this woman's trick again!
"But Lieutenant General Luo has always been loyal to the prince. He has been guarding Yunyang for many years and has never made any mistakes. He also has no contact with the capital. Will he really take in Zhao Jingyu?" Deputy General Li was skeptical.
"Whether it's true or not, we'll know when we go and take a look," Song Huai said.
Xie Nanjia secretly cried out in the car, "Not good!" Song Huai was indeed smart, guessing their intention so quickly. She didn't know if Zhao Jingyu had arrived in Yunyang yet, but she must not let Song Huai catch up with him halfway.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Song Huai poked his head in from outside: "I'll have someone send you back to Nanzhao first. You'd better behave yourself on the way, otherwise you may never see Zhao Jingyu again."
Xie Nanjia's face was calm: "Aren't you taking me to Yunyang?"
"I'm not that stupid." Song Huai said, "Only by sending you back to the palace can Nanzhao be safe."
"It seems that I am quite useful." Xie Nanjia laughed at himself and said, "Since the prince thinks so highly of me, I might as well remind you that it is not a wise move to go to Yunyang at this time."
"What? Are you afraid that I will catch Zhao Jingyu there?" Song Huai said.
"Are you sure you can catch him?" Xie Nanjia asked, "If Zhao Jingyu isn't there, it would be useless for you to go. If Song Huai is there, it means that General Luo is a member of the imperial court. If you go, wouldn't that be like walking into a trap?"
"..." Song Huai stood there in a daze, speechless for a moment.
He knew in his heart that Xie Nanjia didn't say that for his own good, but he had to admit that she was right.
If Zhao Jingyu did not go to Yunyang, and he rashly went to Yunyang to ask for people, it would definitely cause dissatisfaction from Luo Ping, who would think that King Nanzhao did not trust him. If Zhao Jingyu went to Yunyang, it meant that Luo Ping was indeed a man of the court, and then he and the eight hundred light cavalry would never return.
Therefore, no matter whether Zhao Jingyu went to Yunyang or not, there would be no benefit for me to go to Yunyang.
But then again, if he really gave up his plan to go to Yunyang because of this, wouldn't that be exactly what this woman wanted
Song Huai was about to go crazy. He really hated the feeling of having to jump into a trap even though he knew it was a trap. Especially since the trap was dug by Xie Nanjia, it made him so depressed that he wanted to vomit blood.
He was unwilling to admit that he was always led by a woman.
But he had to go.
Deputy General Li also heard Xie Nanjia's words outside the car, and finally understood the prince's unspeakable complex feelings for this woman.
I can't love it, and I can't hate it. It would be a disaster to keep it, but I can't bear to kill it.
It's really a headache when women are too smart.
"Sir, in my humble opinion, our top priority is to bring the hostages back to Nanzhao first. As for whether Zhao Jingyu is in Yunyang and whether Lieutenant General Luo has rebelled, we can discuss this with the prince and make a decision later."
Song Huai thought for a while with a stern face and made a decision. He first sent ten men to rush back to Nanzhao to report the news as quickly as possible, and then sent Lieutenant General Li with a hundred men to Yunyang to spy on the movements of the Lieutenant General's Mansion under the pretext of conveying the oral order of the King of Nanzhao. He himself took the remaining men to escort Xie Nanjia back to Nanzhao.
Lieutenant General Li did not expect that the prince would assign him such a difficult task. If he had known this, he would have gone with everyone.
But at this point, he had no choice but to lead a hundred cavalrymen to Yunyang.
Xie Nanjia was really surprised that Song Huai could make such arrangements, but fortunately this was not a bad thing. After this delay, it was enough for Zhao Jingyu and others to arrive in Yunyang smoothly.
As long as we see Lieutenant General Luo, we will be completely safe.
Now, her only hope is that after returning to Nanzhao, Song Huai will detain her together with the guards, so that she won't need Zhao Jingyu to rescue her and she can find a way to escape on her own.
She breathed a sigh of relief and fell asleep in her seat without any distraction.
She hadn't slept for a day and a night, so she took this opportunity to rest and recuperate.
When you cannot change the status quo, you have to learn to accept it and even enjoy it.
As for what will happen tomorrow, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.
Halfway through the journey, Song Huai came in. Seeing Xie Nanjia sleeping peacefully with her hands tied behind her back, he suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
This woman, how big her heart is, she can actually sleep like this.
He had to admit that he really had no way to deal with this kind of woman.
He sat down quietly next to Xie Nanjia and looked at her closely.
Compared to the thin and immature little girl when I first met her last summer, she has become a completely different person now. Her eyebrows and eyes have grown more mature, she has grown taller, and her figure has become more slender. The only thing that has not changed is the natural confidence and openness between her eyebrows. Even with her eyes closed, people can't help but be fascinated by it.
He imagined what the pair of phoenix eyes would look like when they opened, with narrow pupils, upturned eye corners, and eyeballs as black as deep pools, hiding her amazing wisdom and scheming.
Such a woman is really his nemesis.
He sighed softly, reached out his hand, and brushed the messy hair away from her face. His fingertips touched her delicate skin, and an indescribable bitterness rose in his heart.
When the sky brightened, Xie Nanjia returned to the Nanzhao Palace.
King Nanzhao did not make things difficult for her. He ordered her to be temporarily detained in a side room in the back hall, and then he and Song Huai went to the front hall to summon officials to discuss countermeasures.
Xie Nanjia moved her arms, which had been tied up until they lost consciousness, and paced back and forth in the room.
Things did not develop as she had hoped. She didn't know where her guards were being held. The house had no exit except for a small window and a locked door. It seemed difficult for her to escape on her own.
In that case, let’s get some more sleep!
She simply ignored everything and just lay down on the bed against the back wall and fell asleep.
Just as she closed her eyes, someone called her through the window. It was Zhu'er who had served her before.
"Zhu'er, why are you here?" Xie Nanjia walked to the window and asked happily.
"The steward asked me to serve the young lady, but I can't go in. If the young lady needs anything, you can tell me and I will pass it to you." Zhu'er said.
"Thank you so much." Xie Nanjia said, "I don't need anything right now, I'm just feeling bored in here alone, please talk to me!"
"..." Zhu Er hesitated for a moment, "The steward didn't let me talk any more."
"It's okay, just listen to me, okay?" Xie Nanjia said.
"Okay." Zhu'er nodded repeatedly.
What a naive little girl, Xie Nanjia thought.
So the two of them talked through the window, one listening to the other. As they talked, Zhu'er forgot the instructions of the steward and started chatting with Xie Nanjia enthusiastically.
"There was a fire in Fengming Palace that day. I thought you were burned to death and cried secretly for half the night."
"You and the Second Young Master Zhao are missing. The prince and the crown prince are very angry. We are all terrified."
"The princess is not here, and the prince has no time to take care of us. Now everything is decided by the wife of the chief steward. The wife of the chief steward is very fierce, and we all don't like her."
"Where are the princess and the others being held?" Xie Nanjia interrupted.
"I don't know." Zhu Er shook her head. "Everyone used to say that the princess was not good, but now they are all looking forward to her coming back!"
"Aren't there two princesses?" Xie Nanjia asked, "Why doesn't the prince let the two princesses run the household?"
"The eldest princess is still in confinement, and the second princess cries all day long and can't manage the household." Zhu'er said.
"Oh, so that's it!" Xie Nanjia thought for a moment and said, "I think the second princess is quite pitiful. What do you think?"
"I feel sorry for her too," said Zhu'er.
"But her crying all day is not a solution. Why don't you try to persuade her?"
Zhu Er looked around and lowered her voice and said, "She was born out of wedlock. Her mother and brother have committed a serious crime. Their lives are in danger. How can anyone take her seriously? Everyone around her looks down on her!"
Xie Nanjia sighed sympathetically: "She's so pitiful. Why don't you call her over tonight and let me try to persuade her."
"You persuaded her?" Zhu'er hesitated, "Why?"
"No reason, it's just that she came to see me last time with Mrs. Wu, and I thought she was a pretty good person." Xie Nanjia said, "I'm not sure I can persuade her, but I think it's good to have someone to talk to her at this time."
"You're right. I'll find some time to ask her if she's willing to come and see you." Zhu'er said.
"Just tell her that I have a secret to tell her, and she will definitely come." Xie Nanjia said.
"Okay, I understand." Zhu'er agreed happily, "Miss Xiu'er, you are such a good person."
"You too." Xie Nanjia said.
The two chatted for a long time. Xie Nanjia said that she was a little tired and wanted to sleep for a while, so she asked Zhu'er to take some time to visit the second princess.
Zhu'er believed her words and left happily with a sense of mission to be a good person.
Song Huai didn't return from the front hall until lunch time.
His Fengming Palace burned down, so he naturally moved into the Qilin Palace of the former Crown Prince Song Zhan.
Xie Nanjia was imprisoned in the side room of Qilin Hall.
Song Huai did not rush to have lunch, but went to the ear room to see Xie Nanjia first.
"My father has already dispatched a large number of troops to Huya Pass, and a dragnet has been set up outside Nanzhao City. Neither the imperial army nor the 10,000 troops from Yunyang can attack in a short period of time. So, I'm afraid you will have to stay here for a long time."
Xie Nanjia smiled at him through the window: "In that case, can you give me a bigger house?"
"..." Song Huai said depressedly, "Do you really not care about what's happening outside at all? Or are you deliberately pretending to be calm in front of me?"
"Do I need to pretend?" Xie Nanjia said with a smile, "How many soldiers does Nanzhao have? At most, there are 100,000. Let's not talk about the 10,000 elite troops of Lieutenant General Luo. Do you know how many people are under the command of General Wuan? I can say without exaggeration that if General Wuan comes, it will be as easy to crush Nanzhao as to crush an ant. If you can survive for a while, please remember that it is not because your army is good at fighting, but because the emperor and the general are kind and can't bear to see the people suffer. Tell your father that if he still has a trace of pity for his people, he should confess his guilt to the court before the war starts, and don't wait until it is too late to regret!"
Song Huai was stunned by what she said, and didn't come back to his senses for a long time. After a while, he slowly said: "What are you afraid of? Don't we still have you? The daughter of the Phoenix, whoever gets you can get the world. Whoever holds you, the world will be in his hands, right?"
"Hmph!" Xie Nanjia sneered, "The daughter of the Phoenix protects the true dragon emperor. Who do you think is the true dragon, you or your father? After conquering the world, who should sit on the throne, you or your father? Will your father be willing to give up the kingdom he risked his life for to you, and become a useless emperor?"
Song Huai's heart skipped a beat and his eyes suddenly turned cold.
It's not like he hasn't thought about this question before, but hearing these words from Xie Nanjia's mouth made him inexplicably upset.
"You want to sow discord?" he said coldly.
Xie Nanjia stared into his eyes, not blinking, as if she could see through his eyes into his heart: "I guess I got your worries right, didn't I?"
Song Huai was flustered and no longer gave her the chance to seduce him. He turned around and left.
He decided that he would never visit her again unless it was necessary.
This was the most difficult woman he had ever seen!
This is exactly the effect Xie Nanjia wanted. As long as Song Huai doesn't bother her, she can meet Song Meiying smoothly.
(End of this chapter)