Jiaochu

Chapter 543 The Empress Dowager

The next morning, several carriages left the palace gate one after another, followed by a group of Xuanyi soldiers. After leaving the city, they headed south.

This time Murong Ze did not bring Jingzhe with him, and He He and Ling Dang also stayed in the palace.

When it got dark, the team set up camp on the spot, and the cook brought from the palace started a fire to cook. After the meal was ready, the Xuanyi Army delivered the meal to Murongze, Ye Qingran and Xia Yuan's tents respectively.

Xuan Yijun left after delivering the food. She picked up the chopsticks and picked up a few of her favorite dishes. Xia Yuan sat aside sipping tea and had no intention of picking up his chopsticks.

After dinner, Yan Fei came to invite Xia Yuan over, and she came along. When they arrived at the door of Ye Qingran's tent, Yan Fei reported, and someone inside asked them to come in. Yan Fei lifted the door curtain and invited the two in, and Murong Ze was already inside.

When seeing someone coming in, Ye Qingran was slightly surprised, and looked at Murongze again, feeling a little strange. Murongze had kept the news secret before, so Ye Qingran in the capital didn't know about Ye Lingxi's "resurrection", thinking that she had been resting in the palace. Ye Xingye didn't reveal Ye Lingxi's whereabouts after returning from the southern border, so Ye Qingran originally planned to visit her first after coming here this time, but Murongze said that she ran away from home in a rage a few years ago and went to Jiangnan to relax and hasn't come back yet.

Now seeing her and Xia Yuan coming in together, Ye Qingran naturally felt strange.

Murong Ze stood up and explained that she was Miss Snow and they just looked a bit similar.

"She looks like me." She looked a little angry, and walked over and sat down without bowing to Ye Qingran. Xia Yuan apologized on her behalf, and Ye Qingran did not blame him. He asked him to take a seat. After Xia Yuan took a seat, Ye Qingran said, "I have a few questions in my mind, I wonder if you can answer them?" Xia Yuan smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness, please feel free to ask."

Ye Qingran thought about it for a while, then asked, "This Yellow Springs treasure has always been just a rumor, how sure are you, sir?"

When hearing about the Yellow Springs Treasure, no one in the tent was surprised. Yan Fei had heard about the treasure before, and Murong Ze and Xia Yuan had known each other for a long time, so they should have known about the treasure before. She was a little curious and asked what the Yellow Springs Treasure was. Could it be hidden in the underworld? Xia Yuan said yes and no, that place was indeed a place in the extraordinary world. To open the entrance, the right time, right place, and right people were all necessary. She asked how to open it, and Xia Yuan said that she would know when the time came. Hearing this cliché, she turned her head and pointed it at people with the back of her head, picked up the cakes on the table and started eating.

Ye Qingran continued to ask: "Besides me and the prince, did you invite anyone else this time?"

Xia Yuan replied: "Your Highness will know when the time comes."

Ye Qingran knew that someone else would join the treasure hunt, and asked what to do with the treasure after it was found. Xia Yuan said that when it was found, everyone who saw it would have a share. Yan Fei asked who Xia Yuan would help if there was a conflict. Xia Yuan said that people were too greedy and would end up with nothing. He stood up and prepared to leave, and called her Ah Xue again. Yan Fei frowned slightly, and she took another piece of cake and stood up to leave.

After the two left, Murong Ze was also ready to leave. Ye Qingran asked him to stay for a while and asked if Ye Lingxi was really in Jiangnan. Murong Ze threw the question to Yan Fei, "The Dragon Shadow Guard has so many spies, General Xiao Yan must know the princess's whereabouts very well." Yan Fei said, "Since the princess came to the northern border, how she has been doing is all one-sided from the prince. The prince doesn't want the princess to show up, but what does he want to hide?" Murong Ze smiled and said, "I didn't expect General Xiao Yan to still care about the princess so much. Has he forgotten that the princess is already my princess?"

Ye Qingran put down the teacup and asked Murongze to go back and rest. After Murongze left, he asked Yan Fei if he had seen this girl Xue before. Yan Fei replied that he had seen her yesterday. Ye Qingran asked why he didn't tell him. Yan Fei apologized. Ye Qingran asked him to get up without blaming him. He also reminded him not to judge things by appearances. There were many people with similar looks in the world. There were too many variables in this trip and he must not be careless. Yan Fei said that he could tell who was who and would not be confused because of a face. Ye Qingran nodded and asked him to go down first.

After coming out, Yan Fei stayed outside the tent, sitting by the campfire and occasionally looking up at the cold and bright stars in the sky, while paying attention to the movements around him. Late at night, the light in the middle tent went out first, and when he looked up to see the stars, his sight would always first glance at the tent on the right that still had lights on, and then at the tent on the left.

The lights in both tents were on all night and were not turned off until dawn.

Yan Fei sat by the campfire all night, letting the campfire burn all night long.

After breakfast, Ye Qingran came out of the middle tent and got on the carriage, Murongze came out of the tent on the left, and Xia Yuan and she came out of the tent on the right.

When she got on the carriage, she yawned behind her sleeves. Murongze asked her if she didn't get enough rest last night. Yan Fei also listened to her answer carefully. She said that she couldn't sleep on the bed, so she read books most of the night and fell asleep at dawn. She said that Xia Yuan woke her up and said she didn't want to ride in the same carriage with him. Murongze invited Xia Yuan to ride in his carriage. Yan Fei saw that she got on the carriage alone, and Xia Yuan and Murongze were sitting in the same carriage, and the spirit in his eyes seemed to be brighter.

The Xuanyi Army quickly dismantled the tents and cleaned up the camp, then followed the carriage and continued south.

……

After walking for another two days, a large river appeared ahead in the evening, and some people had already set up camp by the river.

When Yan Fei saw the cold and bright black wall in front of him, he knew who Xia Yuan had found as his partner.

Western Yan!

That cold and bright black wall was represented by a row of black unicorns, their black armor reflecting a cold and terrifying light in the afterglow of the setting sun. Only a pair of eyes were exposed on their bodies, and they were so cold that there was not a trace of warmth, like a perfect killing machine, with all kindness and mercy eliminated.

About a mile away from the Western Yan camp, there was another camp. The troops lined up outside the tents were the Qi imperial guards.

After the carriage stopped, a man walked out from behind the black unicorn with a golden unicorn hanging on his waist. It was Wei Fan, whom Yan Fei had seen in Li Chengyuan's tent before. He was Yan Lianjue's man.

Wei Fan first recognized Yan Fei's sword and then the person, and asked him whether he had delivered the last letter. Yan Fei did not answer. Wei Fan wanted to ask him about the gossip from last time. Another person came. He was dressed the same as Wei Fan, but he did not have the golden unicorn around his waist. Wei Fan called him Qian Feng. Like Wei Fan, he was Yan Lianjue's personal bodyguard, but compared to Wei Fan, he was obviously more silent and steady.

"Qianfeng, why are you here too?"

"Your Highness has prepared a banquet, please come over."

Wei Fan led a group of people over there, and Wei Fan went over to ask Yan Fei about gossip. Yan Fei didn't say anything, but he listened to the gossip he talked about along the way.

The carriage arrived outside a large tent. Ye Qingran got off the carriage first, and then she got off. Seeing that there was another girl, Wei Fan's eyes lit up, and he immediately turned around and ran into the tent, shouting, "Your Highness, come out and see!" Qian Feng looked normal, and it seemed that he was no longer surprised by Wei Fan's behavior. After everyone got off the carriage, he made a gesture of invitation and led the group into the tent.

After coming in, they saw a graceful old lady sitting right in front of them. Ye Qingran and the others were a little surprised, but Xia Yuan's expression remained unchanged, as if he had expected the other party to come.

This graceful and elegant old lady was none other than the Queen Mother of Western Yan, a remarkable woman whose life was full of legends. The Black Kirin was established by her. She carried out political reforms with an iron-blooded approach, led her troops to defeat the God of War of Qi, and served as regent for more than ten years. She transformed Western Yan from a weak country into a powerful country with strong soldiers and horses, and from being a fish to being a knife.

Although there are some gray hairs on his temples, the intimidating aura that looks down on the world is still as strong as before. It's just that he has been cultivating himself in recent years, which has restrained his edge and made him look friendlier. However, the pressure from his eyes is still chilling.

Those eyes looked at everyone who came in one by one and asked them to take a seat.

Yan Lianjue was sitting on the right. When she came in, he glanced at her and then looked away, as if he was deliberately not looking at her. The Empress Dowager insisted that she sit next to him, but she refused to listen and sat next to Ye Qingran. Murong Ze also sat on the left. Xia Yuan asked for a seat and sat next to Yan Lianjue.

Yan Fei stood behind Ye Qingran, Wei Fan and Qian Feng stood behind Yan Lianjue, Wei Fan's eyes seemed to be filled with gossips. The Queen Mother was accompanied by only one maid, who was elegant and dignified, and her name was Qianji.