The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

My overprotection may be inadvertently depriving them of the opportunity to grow.

When Zhuge Liang was immersed in thought, he saw soldiers rushing towards him.

The soldier saluted respectfully, handed over a letter, and said, "Sir, the Prime Minister is not at home, and the eldest lady said that she is a woman and cannot take charge of the family affairs, so she asked me to give this letter to you."

Zhuge Liang took the letter, frowned slightly, and listened to the soldier explain the origin of the letter.

After the soldier finished speaking, he couldn't help but be surprised, and a bad premonition surged in his heart.

He did not dare to delay and opened the letter. It read: "Xi Yu, come to the cave quickly, otherwise you will bear the consequences."

Zhuge Liang was fully aware of the seriousness of the matter. If the prime minister did not act according to the woman's request, the lives of the innocent people who had been abducted would be in danger.

He paced back and forth in the room, thinking about what to do. What was this woman's intention? Where was the prime minister? Time was running out, and he had to find a way to save the people as soon as possible.

Zhuge Liang frowned, holding the letter tightly in his hand, and muttered to himself, "This is really a hot potato." He knew very well that this matter was thorny, and if it was not handled properly, the lives of the people would be in danger.

After thinking for a while, Zhuge Liang decided: "We need to discuss this matter with Zhou Yu. We can send troops to suppress the bandits, but since that woman dared to kidnap people and threaten them, she must have taken precautions. If we act rashly, the people will be implicated. But since the lady has entrusted this matter to me, how can I sit back and do nothing?"

So Zhuge Liang immediately ordered his men to prepare and head to Zhou Yu's residence.

Along the way, he was thinking about how to discuss with Zhou Yu a win-win solution that would both relieve the people's distress and capture the mysterious woman in one fell swoop, avoiding alerting the enemy and putting the people in a more dangerous situation.

Zhou Yu was drinking tea at home, enjoying the aroma of tea. Suddenly, a servant came to report that Zhuge Liang wanted to see him. Zhou Yu was slightly startled, and then ordered someone to invite Zhuge Liang in.

After Zhuge Liang entered, the two exchanged a few pleasantries. Zhou Yu smiled and joked, "Why did Kong Ming come here today? Do you have another brilliant plan to share with me?"

Zhuge Liang, however, looked solemn, waved his hand and said, "Gongjin, I have an urgent matter today, which concerns the lives of many people."

As he spoke, he handed the letter to Zhou Yu, and then told him in detail the relevant circumstances such as the villagers being abducted, the threatening letter, and the prime minister's absence.

Zhou Yu's originally relaxed expression gradually turned serious. He listened and read the contents of the letter carefully, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

Zhou Yu stroked his chin, thought for a moment and said, "Now that the Prime Minister is not at home, we must discuss a countermeasure. Since that woman dared to threaten the lives of the people, she must have some courage and means." His eyes became firm, "I will lead the troops to secretly ambush near the cave in case of emergency. Kong Ming, you are resourceful, so you go and negotiate with that woman to see if you can stabilize the situation and find out the truth."

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly, his expression solemn: "It seems that this is the only way. But that woman's mind is unpredictable. I must be careful and cautious this time, try to delay time and ensure the safety of the people. At the same time, I hope you can grasp the opportunity, Gongjin, and never act rashly, so as not to endanger the people."

"Don't worry, Kong Ming, I will act with caution. You should also be careful. Since that woman dares to do such a thing, she must be difficult to deal with." The two looked at each other and prepared for action. The air was filled with tension.

In this way, Zhou Yu led an elite team and carefully followed Zhuge Liang towards the cave. The location of the cave was extremely secret, surrounded by lush vegetation and rugged rocks. Even if there were soldiers hiding in it, it would be difficult to be discovered without careful inspection.

Zhuge Liang held a feather fan in his hand and walked towards the cave step by step. He looked normal, but he was actually a little terrified in his heart. After all, the enemy he faced this time was full of unknowns.

Suddenly, there was a slight noise and Zhuge Liang stopped immediately.

Almost at the same time, a figure flashed in the cave. It was the woman's subordinate.

The man looked alert and stared at Zhuge Liang sharply, and shouted, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

At this moment, the woman slowly walked out of the cave. She looked at Zhuge Liang with an arrogant expression and cold eyes, and said loudly: "I am Madam Mingyue. Is the person coming here Prime Minister Xiyu?"

Zhuge Liang bowed slightly and answered in a neither humble nor arrogant manner: "Madam Mingyue, the Prime Minister is not at home. I received your letter and know that the matter of the people being taken hostage is of great importance, so I came to ask you why you did this. I hope you will not be impulsive and hurt innocent people."

Upon hearing this, Madam Mingyue's eyebrows immediately turned upside down, her face full of anger: "Humph! I won't see anyone except Xiyu. Don't say anything more, get out of here! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude."

There was a fierce look in her eyes.

Zhuge Liang showed no fear, holding a feather fan, and said slowly: "Madam, since you are looking for the Prime Minister, you must have something important to discuss. Now that the Prime Minister is not here, why don't you tell me? Maybe I can help you solve your problems."

Madam Mingyue sneered, her eyes full of disdain: "Just you? Who do you think you are? You are not qualified to meddle in my affairs."

After saying that, she waved her hand, and several nimble men rushed out of the cave and pounced on Zhuge Liang like wolves pouncing on their prey.

Although Zhuge Liang wanted to resist, he was outnumbered and was soon captured by them.

Madam Mingyue walked up to Zhuge Liang, circled around him, and raised the corners of her mouth in a sinister smile.

"Humph, originally I was afraid that I would not be able to threaten Xi Yu after I captured those civilians. But now, if I capture the people around him, I think he will come faster."

Her laughter echoed in the cave, revealing a chilling malice.

Zhuge Liang struggled hard and shouted, "Madam, I came to negotiate with you with good intentions. Why do you treat me like this? Where is justice? Let me go!"

As he shouted, he deliberately raised his voice, and the sound echoed through the valley.

Zhou Yu heard Zhuge Liang's shouting not far away and secretly said "not good".

He frowned, knowing that the situation was critical, and immediately whispered to his men, "Prepare for action, listen to my orders at any time, and make sure Mr. Zhuge is safe and rescue the hostages."

While Zhuge Liang was struggling, he was forcibly taken into the cave by Madam Mingyue's men.

The cave was dimly lit and filled with a damp smell. When the people saw Zhuge Liang being captured, they all showed expressions of fear and despair.

At this moment, Zhuge Liang, who was brought into the cave, showed no fear on his face. He stared at Madam Mingyue with his eyes wide open and cursed loudly: "You evil woman, you are killing innocent people. How can you be called a hero? You have the ability to fight the prime minister openly. What kind of ability is it to take these unarmed people as hostages? If you have a grudge against the prime minister, you should go to the prime minister himself to settle the score. This behavior is simply despicable!"

Madam Mingyue's face darkened, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in her eyes: "Humph! You are such a fool, and you still dare to be stubborn. If you keep talking nonsense here, I will break your legs right now!"

Her men also gathered around, staring at Zhuge Liang with eager eyes, and the atmosphere in the cave suddenly became extremely tense.

Zhuge Liang secretly groaned in his heart, realizing that his impulsiveness just now might make the situation worse.

His original intention was to let Zhou Yu know his situation, but he did not expect that he might anger Madam Mingyue and endanger the lives of the people.

Just then, there was a noise outside the cave.

Zhou Yu had led his soldiers and rushed out of the cave as fast as the wind.

Madam Mingyue's face changed when she saw this, and she and several capable subordinates rushed out without hesitation.

Zhou Yu held a sword in his hand, looking very heroic. He stared at Madam Mingyue with a sharp gaze and shouted, "You evil man, stop doing evil and release the hostages immediately, or I will not let you go today!"

The soldiers behind him were all on high alert and aggressive, forming a tense standoff with Madam Mingyue's side.

Madam Mingyue had a mocking smile on her face and said loudly, "Humph, Xiyu is just a coward. He doesn't dare to show up himself, but he sent so many people here. He is simply a coward!"

When Zhou Yu heard this, his eyes widened with anger, as if fire was about to spit out of them. He shouted sternly: "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will take your life now!" The sword in his hand was slightly raised, and a cold light flashed.

Madam Mingyue showed no fear, instead she sneered: "Humph, if you have the guts, just come and deal with me. But, don't you worry about the lives of these people? If you dare to act rashly, I promise to make all these people die with me!"

Zhou Yu and his soldiers were afraid to act rashly.

Madam Mingyue then raised her voice and said, "If these civilians are not harmed at all, none of you can bear the consequences if the Prime Minister blames you in the future!" Zhou Yu's brows were furrowed, his heart full of confusion. He knew very well that the difficulty of this matter was far beyond his imagination, and he was caught in a dilemma for a while.

After much hesitation, Zhou Yu had to soften his stance and asked, "So what do you want?"

Madam Mingyue's expression became stern, and she said loudly, "I have only one request, I must see the Prime Minister tonight. If I can't see him, the lives of these people will be in danger. Also, the person who just came here must stay as a hostage. Your action of sending troops here has already angered me. According to common sense, I can start a massacre right now, but I am kind-hearted and don't want to commit more sins of killing. I hope you will leave quickly."

Zhou Yu's face was solemn. He knew that he had to make a careful decision now, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

Zhou Yu frowned and deliberately asked, "Why are you looking for the Prime Minister? You should know that the Prime Minister is not at home now, and we don't know his whereabouts. You are being unreasonable and will only make things worse."

Madam Mingyue raised her eyebrows and said impatiently, "I have nothing to say. Humph, the fact that the Prime Minister is not at home is your business and has nothing to do with me. I will only say this once, I must see the Prime Minister tonight, otherwise you will bear all the consequences."

There was an unquestionable firmness in her eyes, and it was obvious that she had made up her mind.

Zhou Yu was helpless. After weighing the pros and cons, he had to temporarily agree to Madam Mingyue's request and leave.

He looked at Madam Mingyue with a serious expression and said, "Madam, I hope you can keep your promise and take good care of Zhuge Liang and the people. If they are harmed in the slightest, we will never let you go."

Madam Mingyue just looked at Zhou Yu coldly without responding. Seeing this, Zhou Yu had no choice but to turn around and leave with his soldiers.

On the way back, Zhou Yu frowned and was extremely worried.

He thought to himself, "Where on earth has the Prime Minister gone? Time is so tight, how can I find him tonight? What is the hidden story that made this woman go to such great lengths to see the Prime Minister?"

Zhou Yu was extremely anxious, but had no idea what to do. He could only ride back to the city as fast as he could, hoping to find the prime minister as soon as possible.

The prime minister has always cared about the people and regarded the safety of the people as the top priority. What he hates most is that someone uses the lives of the people as a bargaining chip. This is undoubtedly a blatant challenge to the prime minister's bottom line.

But now, faced with Madam Mingyue's such a cruel behavior, everyone fell into deep helplessness.

She acted so recklessly, totally disregarding the lives of the people, and her own side was cautious, and if they were not careful, it could lead to irreversible consequences. It was really infuriating and difficult. Although Gan Mei said that she was a woman and it was not convenient for her to intervene, she was actually concerned about the development of the people's captivity. She frowned and was restless, so she sent her servants to inquire about the news.

Soon, the servant came back and reported: "Madam, Master Zhuge Liang went to contact Master Zhou Yu and has not returned yet."

Gan Mei became more and more worried. At this moment, a servant came to inform her that Zhou Yu wanted to see her.

Gan Mei hurriedly asked Zhou Yu to come in. Zhou Yu walked quickly into Gan Mei's room, bowed, and then told her the whole story in detail.

The story recounts everything from receiving the letter, to discussing countermeasures with Zhuge Liang, to the confrontation with Madam Mingyue in the cave, and Madam Mingyue's demand that the Prime Minister show up or else she would harm the people and Zhuge Liang.

After hearing this, Gan Mei's face became very solemn.

Zhou Yu was anxious, and asked Gan Mei anxiously, "When will the Prime Minister return? The situation is critical now. If we delay any further, the people will be in danger."

Gan Mei looked helpless and answered with worry in her eyes: "I don't know where my husband has gone, and I don't know when he will be back."

Zhou Yu heard this and sighed deeply: "Alas, those innocent people were implicated and lived in fear in the cave. It's really pitiful. But that woman is extremely vicious and we are afraid of the consequences. No one dares to act rashly, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

Gan Mei pondered for a moment and said to Zhou Yu, "General Zhou, you go back first. I will think about it carefully and see if I can find another solution."

Zhou Yu knew that there was no better way at the moment, so he could only sigh heavily again, bowed, and turned to leave, hoping that Gan Mei could come up with a solution as soon as possible.

Gan Mei sighed and kept saying in her heart, Husband, when will you come back?

Gan Mei paced back and forth in the room, looking anxious and worried, completely at a loss as to what to do.

Just at this moment, Xi Shi came with a smile and invited Gan Mei to play cards.

Gan Mei had no mood to play cards. She frowned and told everyone everything about the kidnapping of common people and the threats against the prime minister.

After hearing this, Xi Shi was also surprised, and a look of worry instantly appeared on her face.

"What should we do? Now that my husband is not here, what can we do?" Xi Shi's voice trembled slightly, and her eyes were full of panic.

Gan Mei bit her lower lip and tried to calm herself down: "We can't just sit there and wait for death. We have to think of a solution. But in this situation, what can two weak women like us do?"

The two fell into silence, and the air seemed to freeze.

The breeze outside the window blew gently, but it couldn't blow away the clouds of sorrow in their hearts.

They racked their brains to think of countermeasures, however, in the face of this crisis, they felt extremely helpless and confused.

Zhou Yu returned home with a gloomy face, his heart full of resentment and unwillingness.

He never thought that what happened today would make him so frustrated. He had always been invincible in leading troops to fight on the battlefield, and had never suffered such an injustice.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He slammed his palm on the table with a loud bang. "Damn it!" His eyes widened and his teeth chattered.

Then, another heavy slap came down, and the table shook slightly, as if it also felt his anger.

The afterglow of dusk shines on the ancient walls of Youzhou City, creating a layer of warm golden light.

Xi Yu returned to Youzhou City exhausted. At this time, he didn't know that Gan Mei was as anxious as an ant on hot pan.

People sent by Gan Mei had already been here anxiously waiting for Xi Yu's return.

Seeing Xiyu's figure, the man hurriedly stepped forward to salute Xiyu and said in a hurried tone: "Prime Minister, you are finally back. The eldest lady has an emergency and has been waiting for you to come back."

When Xi Yu heard this, he was shocked.

He knew very well that Gan Mei would never send someone to find him so anxiously unless she encountered something serious.

Without any hesitation, he immediately jumped on his horse and galloped towards the mansion at full speed.

The dust raised by the horse's hooves drifted away in the twilight of dusk, and Xi Yu's heart was also tightly gripped. He didn't know what had happened to make Gan Mei so anxious.

Gan Mei was restless in the room, and her anxiety made her unable to calm down. Finally, she came to Ouyang Linlin's small Buddhist temple.

In the Buddhist temple, the candlelight flickered, emitting a soft light. The faint scent of sandalwood filled the air, making people's hearts seem to find a trace of tranquility at this moment.

However, Gan Mei's heart was still in turmoil.

She knelt in front of the Buddha statue, clasped her hands together, her eyes full of anticipation.

She kept praying, mumbling to herself, praying that Xi Yu would come back soon. Every word she said was filled with her deep concern and worry.

At this tense moment, she placed all her hopes on the Buddha, hoping to get a little comfort.

As the sky outside gradually darkened, Gan Mei became more and more anxious. She didn't know when Xi Yu would return, but she firmly believed that as long as she prayed sincerely, the Buddha would bless Xi Yu to return to her safely. (End of this chapter)