Her guards

Chapter 249 Trading
Master Wei stood outside the study, staring at the courtyard in the night.

Soon after, footsteps were heard, and a servant carrying a lantern led the three people in.

The lamplight flickered, and walking at the front was a young man dressed in a blue robe with a bamboo pole strapped to his back, his steps neither hurried nor slow.

So this is the little prince.

Master Wei stared at it. He had never seen the real person during the pursuit, only images.

I wonder if it looks the same as in the picture...

As you get closer, you can see that the features are delicate and that the person in the portrait does indeed resemble the person in the painting.

He was just an ordinary young man, someone who wouldn't stand out in a crowd.

However, this is normal. When a country is defeated and a dog is in hiding, it is most afraid of being discovered.

It's lucky that the puppy has survived this long.

Is it the broken fortune of the previous dynasty's Mo family?
Master Wei sneered inwardly, just as the group of people arrived at the door.

"Seventh Master," the servant carrying the lantern greeted.

Seventh Master Wei stood tall and looked arrogantly at the young prince...

The young prince also looked at him...

If he smiled at him, Wei Qi thought, then he would smile back, but wouldn't that seem too humble?

This young prince should be given a warning.

Call him Your Highness, but don't take yourself too seriously. You're just a dog kept by the Wei family.

So, let's not laugh anymore. The general is kind and gentle, while he's here to show off the prestige of the Wei family...

Many thoughts flashed through Wei Qiye's mind in an instant as he looked at the young prince in front of him.

The young prince's face suddenly drew closer.

Caught off guard, Master Wei instinctively stepped back and bumped into a pillar.

What are you doing!
The young prince before him didn't smile. He took a deep sniff in front of him, then looked up to meet his eyes...

"Your taste..." The little prince smiled, "I really miss it."

After saying that, he looked away and stepped over the threshold.

"...General, you have been waiting for a long time."

The boy's voice came from inside, and the door closed again.

Master Wei, who had been leaning against the pillar, relaxed, though his eyes still held a hint of fear.

What's wrong with this little prince!
They actually came up and sniffed him like a dog, saying he smelled like him... Do I miss him?

Master Wei felt a chill.

And also, that glance he just gave me from below.

He no longer resembled an ordinary young man, but rather a ferocious beast that devoured people.

……

……

In the brightly lit room, a young man sat down, his features clear and bright.

Wei Cui smiled and said, "Knowing your rules, young master, I won't serve tea."

Mo Zheng nodded: "General, you don't need to be so polite." She added, "I'm the one who arranged for her to return to her parents' home today and stay outside. After all, Wei Jiao is at home, so it's inconvenient for me to come and see the General. If he finds out, we'll both be in trouble."

As expected, he didn't go out without a reason. That makes sense. Wei Cui nodded with a smile: "A-Jiao needs to be guarded against. This child has some skills."

After saying that, he asked.

"How have you been feeling in Longxi City these past few days, Your Highness?"

“The General showed me the extent of our assets earlier. I was surprised, but not at all. After all, the General has not suffered any losses in battle over the past ten years,” Mo Zheng said.

Wei Cui laughed heartily; this little prince really enjoyed belittling others.

He's really putting on a brave face as a monarch of a fallen kingdom.

He didn't mind and listened to the young prince continue.

"...But after personally entering Longxi territory and observing it for the past few days, I found the region to be peaceful and prosperous, rich in resources, and most impressively..."

Mo Zheng looked at Wei Cui.

"...The general is the heart of the people."

Wei Cui laughed again, this time a genuine laugh, with no attempt to hide his smugness.

“My Wei family has been a prominent clan in Longxi since our ancestors’ time, and we have a long-standing reputation for our heroes. Even during the chaotic times of the past, the people only knew my Wei family and not Zhao Tan.”

Mo Zheng asked with a smile, "When will the general make his move?"

Is this a case of finally releasing the hawk after seeing the rabbit? Wei Cui looked at the young man: "From the moment I began searching for Your Highness, I have already made my move. Your Highness, as I said before, what I want to do is make you famous throughout the world."

Therefore, it is he who should take the lead.

Wei Cui took a scroll from the table and opened it.

"Your Highness, now is the best time."

"I have also chosen a place for Your Highness to appear in the world."

He pointed to the map on the scroll.

"Qin'an City".

Mo Zheng frowned at him: "Has the General already made up his mind?"

Wei Cui said, "I've thought it over. Since Your Highness is here today, I'll escort you there." He then smiled faintly, "Your Highness doesn't need to worry about anything; I'll arrange everything."

This meant that they would be forced to stay today. The two men standing behind Mo Zheng took a step forward with unfriendly expressions, but Mo Zheng raised her hand to stop them.

“This is the general’s house. How can we expect to benefit from disrespecting him?” she said with a smile.

Wei Cui didn't explain, he just smiled.

“However,” Mo Zheng continued, looking at Wei Cui, “since the General wants to use the name of the Mo family, shouldn’t he also give the Mo family some benefits?”

Wei Cui smiled and said, "In the future, I will respect Your Highness as my sovereign and will never be as disrespectful as Zhao Tan."

That's as good as saying nothing at all.

Mo Zheng smiled and said, "The kind of person I am could not have a future at any time, so I only look at the present and do not worry about the future."

Wei Cui said "Oh," and then asked, "What does Your Highness want now?"

Mo Zheng reached out, and a man behind her took out a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to her.

“Since the general wants me to charge into battle while you stay in the rear, then for my own good, I need men and territory,” she said.

After saying that, he placed the scroll on the table and unfolded it.

This is also a map.

Map of Longxi.

Wei Cui stood up slightly, not surprised that the young prince Mo had a map of Longxi.

After all, he was the ruler of the land before, and those eunuchs who escaped from the palace must have taken a lot of treasures with them.

Alternatively, it wouldn't be a big deal to have Miss Yang get one from Deng Shan now.

Wei Cui looked at the map, then at the young man, and his smile deepened.

"Okay, then let's have a good talk."

…… ……

When Prince Mo and his entourage left, Master Wei Qi avoided them beforehand.

He was afraid that the little prince might sniff him again...

He couldn't guarantee he wouldn't be impolite.

He wasn't afraid of the young prince; he was afraid of ruining the general's plans.

However, the original plan was that since the young prince had come, he wouldn't be allowed to leave tonight.

But to my surprise, they let him leave, and even agreed on cooperation terms.

"He even asked us for benefits?" Master Wei entered the study and was very dissatisfied after hearing Wei Cui briefly recount what had just happened.

Wei Cui smiled without showing the slightest dissatisfaction.

“If he agreed immediately and did whatever I asked, I wouldn’t dare use him,” he said. “Asking me for favors and exchanging benefits with me—isn’t that also a form of sincerity?”

Master Wei frowned as he looked at the two maps hanging on the shelf: "Are we really going to give Wucheng to him? It's not that bad, it's just a place for raising horses, but isn't it too far as a place to start a power struggle?"

“He said that in such remote places, where people live together, it’s easier for them to hide their identities,” Wei Cui said. “Moreover, it’s better to be far away, so that we can lure Feng Suyunyang’s army away, and Qin’an City will naturally return to our hands. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”

At this point, he threw down the pen in his hand.

The brush, still damp with ink, fell onto the map, leaving a stain.

Wei Cui turned to look at Seventh Master Wei.

"Send a message to the Wang family in Wucheng, telling them to prepare to welcome Prince Mo."

Master Wei replied, "Yes."

……

……

As night deepened, the noise from the villa subsided.

Mo Zheng climbed over into the inner courtyard and made a sound to signal before the embroidered women in the corridor surrounded her.

She went out tonight, having a palace maid take her place. The embroiderers naturally knew that Wei Jiao was covering it up.

While the Wei family was spying on him, he pretended not to know and let them spy for a while before going forward to check.

Upon seeing her return, Xiuyi made a gesture indicating that there were no prying eyes around.

Mo Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and was about to go inside when she stopped.

Is Wei Jiao already asleep?

Will it wake him up?

It would be more reasonable to go to the place where the palace maids rest and switch places with them when serving in the morning.

But, Wei Jiao is covering for me, and he'll be worried about it. It wouldn't be good if he came back and didn't tell him, would it?

As Mo Zheng hesitated, a gust of wind swept past overhead. She swayed slightly to avoid the flying tiles and saw a figure sitting up on the roof.

Although her face was obscured by the darkness, she knew that figure all too well.

Mo Zheng smiled instantly.

……

……

"Why didn't you sleep?"

Mo Zheng asked.

After she came up, Wei Jiao had already lay down again.

Before Wei Jiao could answer, Mo Zheng laughed again.

"Indeed, how could the Commandant sleep if I didn't come back?"

Wei Jiao nodded with her eyes closed, "Yeah, who knows if you'll kill or commit arson and implicate me."

After he finished speaking, he guessed that the woman would immediately respond with a smile, such as, "How could my little skill possibly harm my husband?"

But the woman beside him didn't say anything; instead, she lay down next to him.

Wei Jiao frowned, opened his eyes, and turned his head. He saw that she was resting her head on her arm, just like him, looking up at the night sky.

"You've really worn me out?" Wei Jiao asked.

Mo Zheng laughed and turned to look at him: "How could my little skills possibly be a burden to you, my husband!"

"You guessed right," Wei Jiao thought to herself, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Good to know," he said, turning his gaze back to the night sky.

The rooftop was quiet.

If he were alone, this tranquility would continue, just like before, but now…

The silence lasted only a moment before the sounds around me began to rise again.

There aren't many stars tonight.

"What's there to say?" Wei Jiao thought. "I just want to talk to him."

“There were a lot of stars a few days ago,” he said.

Not only did he talk, but the people around him also liked to move around. She turned her head to look at him.

"A few days ago, before I married into this family? It's a pity, I was in Qin'an City..."

She giggled.

"I couldn't see the same starry sky as the captain."

Wei Jiao didn't speak; he seemed to be asleep.

Mo Zheng chuckled softly to herself and looked away at the night sky.

She was actually feeling sleepy, so she closed her eyes.

Just as I closed my eyes, I heard Wei Jiao's voice from beside me.

"The starry sky remains unchanged throughout the ages; perhaps we have seen the same thing before."

Have you seen it? Mo Zheng thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, I saw the starry sky with the Commandant of the Capital at the Duke of Ding'an's residence."

Wei Jiao didn't speak again, and Mo Zheng's eyes slowly closed.

The world fell silent.

Listening to the steady breathing of the person sleeping beside him, Wei Jiao slowly opened his eyes and turned to look at her.

The night was at its darkest.

Even lying side by side, you can't see each other's faces clearly.

Before that, he and she must have seen the same starry sky in the capital.

Wei Jiao turned her gaze back to the night sky, where scattered stars twinkled.

As he lay alone in the filthy kennel of the palace, someone else was also looking at the same starry sky with him.

He had no idea then that this person would one day lie beside him.

Living, it turns out, is pretty good.

　The upcoming major plot developments will involve some unavoidable events, so please feel free to save up your thoughts!
　　(End of this chapter)