Her guards

Chapter 258 Prince Mo's Purpose

The sun was shining brightly, and people and horses were running around inside and outside Wucheng.

Because of its remote location and proximity to the Western Rong, the area was mostly pastureland with no trade routes, and the streets and markets were not prosperous.

This is probably the busiest time in Wucheng.

Although they weren't wearing military robes, many people were dressed in red robes with black belts around their waists.

Standing on the city gate wall, it looks very majestic.

Wang Xiang, the patriarch of the Wang clan, a prominent family in Wucheng, sighed deeply.

"When I was young, I went to the capital during the Lantern Festival in the first month of the lunar calendar. Emperor Ai celebrated with the people, wearing a red robe and a black crown. It was quite a sight. Everyone said it was a sign of the Zhou dynasty's prosperity. I never expected..."

"The Mo family's ancestor ordered my Wang family to raise horses for them. This tradition was passed down for generations, but it ended with me. Therefore, when Deng Shan ascended the throne, my Wang family was willing to destroy our pastures..."

At this point, Wang Xiang raised his sleeve to wipe away his tears.

The crowd around him comforted him, saying, "Master Wang, don't be sad," "It was all Zhao's evil deeds," and "Master Wang destroyed his own family business; his loyalty is evident to heaven and earth."

Wang Xiang rolled up his sleeves again, his expression relieved: "Yes, I am not sad. My Wang family has survived by clinging to life, and finally we have waited for the return of the Mo family emperor."

He finished speaking with great emotion.

"Finally, the Wang family can raise horses for the Mo family again. I will rebuild the ranch..."

Before he could finish speaking, a commotion arose below the city gate. More than twenty men, women, and children, carrying bundles, pushing carts, and carrying loads, were about to leave the city...

"What's going on?" Chief Wang asked, frowning.

Everyone asked questions, and soon the guards at the city gate came up to answer.

"Some people, fearing the war, wanted to flee to the Western Rong for refuge..."

The people on the city wall were annoyed. "Absurd!" "The Emperor of the Mo family has returned, and these fools actually want to avoid him!" "The young prince's rallying cry is invincible, why are they running away?"

Chief Wang, however, was not angry; his expression was kind.

“Fear of war is human nature,” he said. “Let them go. When the young prince regains the throne and a peaceful and prosperous world is in sight, they will return on their own.”

The guard responded and turned to leave.

Everyone else praised Master Wang for his kind and benevolent heart.

The people below the city gate also kowtowed to the city wall, then dragged their families out of the city, carrying loads and pushing carts, heading west.

Further west lies the territory of the Western Rong.

They truly left their hometowns and sought survival in other places.

Chief Wang watched them leave with an indifferent expression, showing no concern whatsoever for the fleeing people.

Because the Wang family destroyed the horse farm in Wucheng, they actually moved and hid in the territory of the Western Rong.

This was also the real reason why the Wang family had previously prevented anyone from going to the Western Rong from going to Shouwu City.

Now that war has broken out, it is only natural for the people to be terrified. If we let them go to the Western Rong, even if they discover the Wang family's horse farm, it will not alarm the court. Moreover, they will be at the Wang family's beck and call in the future.

"Look, the little prince is back."

Someone shouted, pointing in the east direction.

Chief Wang hurriedly looked over and saw a group of people in red robes escorting a young man galloping towards them. The young man wore a bright red cloak, and although his face was not clearly visible, he looked imposing.

"...Your Highness has gained another city!"

"...Your Highness is mighty! May the Great Zhou Dynasty prosper!"

Shouts rang out from outside the city, and the people on the city wall couldn't help but wave and shout along, their expressions excited.

"Clan Chief Wang," one of them couldn't help but whisper, "the situation is excellent now. As long as the General steps forward again, we can celebrate the New Year in the capital by the end of the year..."

It appears that Prince Mo raised his arm and they submitted, but in reality, they were obeying General Wei Cui.

It turned out that General Wei Cui had been secretly raising this young prince.

Now that we have obtained the banner of supporting the legitimate Zhou dynasty, the Grand General can step forward.

Chief Wang glared at him: "Keep your voice down."

The man was too busy to say anything more, but his eyes still held a hopeful look.

"The General has his own plans," the royal clan chief said in a low voice, watching the young prince approach the city gate. "Go, hurry and go to welcome His Highness and celebrate with him."

The group descended the city gate in a lively and cheerful manner.

The city gates opened and then slowly closed, cutting off outside view.

The people fleeing outside the city couldn't help but stop and look back, seemingly reluctant to leave their homeland.

"...Are we really just leaving like this?"

"...Young Master told us to find a place to stay in the Western Rong region."

"...Will the young master and the others be able to escape safely?"

"...Let's go, follow the young master's instructions, let's go scout ahead first."

With a low murmur, men, women, and children looked away, picked up their loads, and pushed their carts westward.

……

……

The celebrations in Wucheng for the young prince's capture of three cities continued until late at night.

The Wang clan members and the newly arrived elders from the three cities were taken to rest. In the brightly lit hall, the young prince was still sitting, twirling a teacup in his hand. The young prince did not drink alcohol, citing the fact that his homeland had not yet been restored and that he was still in a period of national mourning. His expression was clear.

Two eunuchs with fake beards returned after seeing off the guests and stepped forward to pay their respects.

"Your Highness," a eunuch said softly, "you should rest too."

Mo Zheng snapped out of her daze and looked at them.

This was given by the emperor to a former palace attendant of the Zhou imperial family.

She lowered her voice and asked, "How's the situation with General Feng?"

Another eunuch whispered, "General Feng's troops are gradually being transferred away, and Qin'an City is now appearing to be empty."

“Wei Cui petitioned the court to request permission to fight, but he did not mobilize his troops and remained stationary in Longxi City.” The eunuch said in a low voice, then added helplessly, “He also does not correspond with us.”

Wei Cui's move was not unexpected. Mo Zheng smiled and raised her hand to count on her fingers: "It's about time. I should give him a push."

After that, he stood up.

"Those who will replace me, are you ready?"

The two eunuchs nodded: "Don't worry, young master."

Mo Zheng nodded and waved her hand: "Let's go, let's say goodbye to the royal family now."

She strode out of the hall, spread her arms, looked up at the night sky, and exclaimed loudly.

"...Thinking of the past of my homeland, I can't sleep at night. I dare not slack off in the slightest. Let's continue to recover our lost territory."

Watching the unrestrained and somewhat manic young prince, the two eunuchs followed behind, their expressions somewhat dazed.

“Sometimes I feel like it’s the real thing,” a eunuch murmured.

It really is that little prince...

Of course, they had never met the young prince. He was said to be a eunuch of the old Zhou royal family, but he entered the palace late and had not even served Emperor Ai for a few days, so they had never met the young prince.

It was precisely because of this that the new emperor, after conquering the capital and entering the palace, was found to be innocent and was allowed to remain in the palace.

Now it has found its place.

“Impossible,” another eunuch murmured. “Before Zhao Tan fled, he ordered everyone in the palace to be killed. Even if he didn’t kill them all, the little prince would definitely be the first to be killed. No, there’s no need to wait until then. Zhao Tan killed the little prince after he became emperor. Why would he keep this scourge alive?”

He suddenly came to his senses and found it somewhat amusing.

"What are you talking about? Don't you know who this little prince is?"

It's Miss Yang!
She is the current emperor's biological daughter, Miss Yang!
This was their plan.

How could they be so confused, still thinking about what's real and what's fake?

The eunuch who had been there earlier also came to his senses. Yes, how could such a thought have come to mind?

"It's clear that Miss is quite capable," he said in a low voice.

Then look ahead at the figure of a young man who strides forward, showing no trace of femininity.

Indeed, this young lady is truly remarkable. She escaped the attack on Baima Town, killed Consort Li, imprisoned the Empress, and now she is personally dealing with Wei Cui, His Majesty's greatest threat...

With such a great achievement, this young lady's future standing in the Emperor's heart will surpass even that of the Prince of Donghai.

You have a bright future ahead of you.

The promising young prince Mo bid farewell to the royal clan chief under the cover of night and left Wu City to continue his conquests.

As they left Wucheng, the red-robed men and horses, shrouded in night, changed formation and split into two groups on the ground.

A large procession of people surged forth, among whom the young prince, fluttering under the banner of Zhou, appeared and disappeared.

The other group consisted of only a dozen or so people, who disappeared into the night like pebbles thrown into the ocean.

Two eunuchs stood in the procession, looking on with worried expressions.

"Is it really okay to bring so few people?" one person whispered.

Another person reassured her, "Don't worry, these are all the people that Madam Yang left for Miss, and they are very capable."

……

……

"Uncle Hei, we're pretty good now."

Mo Zheng looked back from her horse; the fiery serpentine horses and riders had already disappeared from sight. She turned to the people around her and said...

Uncle Black lifted his cloak, and a smile appeared on his scarred face: "To be truly fake is indeed unprecedented. Young Master, you are the number one person in the world."

Mo Zheng smiled, then looked at the wilderness shrouded in night.

“Because it’s real,” she said slowly, “so it has to really appear, and only by appearing can it really disappear.”

In this scheme, she and Yang Luo planned to lure Wei Cui into a trap, obtain and solidify evidence of Wei Cui's treason, and once Wei Cui was subdued, Yang Luo would gain great merit, while at the same time, the matter of Prince Mo would be presumed to be fabricated by Wei Cui.

Thus, Prince Mo did appear, but it was fake; he never actually existed.

This dispelled the emperor's suspicions and prevented anyone from causing trouble in the name of the Mo prince in the future.

but.
Mo Zheng did not believe that this would convince the emperor that there was truly no Prince Mo in the world.

Therefore, in this scheme, her real plan was that, in addition to the disappearance of Prince Mo's name, she herself would also disappear.

(End of this chapter)