Chapter 155: The Way (Change)

Chapter 155

This trip to Liang Country was conducted in private and secrecy. The group traveled lightly in plain clothes.

Initially, Palace Maiden Gong Xiaohua was not included on the trip. However, King Ye specially named and added her to the entourage.

When determining the officials to travel, the Guard Department selected the top elites from the palace guards and imperial guards to accompany the group as per normal procedures.

But because the Crown Prince would be part of the traveling party, the Guard Department also wanted to have Protector General Gong Xiaohua, who had traveled before, to go on another trip. Every time she was sent out on dangerous missions, she was able to accomplish them perfectly with a 100% completion rate.

They personally witnessed her frightening ruthlessness and agile adaptability when quelling the rebellion. Having her escort the Crown Prince and his party would allow them to rest assured.

Thus, they discussed the matter with Grand General and Duke Who Stabilizes The Country to have Protector General Gong Xiaohua protect and escort the traveling party, but were rejected by the Duke.

He nearly lost a good seed when escorting the Prince of Wei Country last time. And now they wanted to take another of his talents again. Was there no one available in the protection squad or the imperial guards that they had to keep plucking his good seedlings?!

Moreover, the third-rank Protector General was already in charge of two large armies. Instead of looking after her own troops, she kept accepting escort tasks and helping the Guard Department meet their targets?!

Furthermore, Protector General Gong had notified him of her plans to personally lead the special training of the Western Garden Army for three months. He strongly supported it.

Left without a choice, the Guard Department could only drop the matter and submitted the list of escorts as planned.

But King Ye did not hesitate at all to directly add Gong Xiaohua’s name into the list.

The safety of the future heir could not be compromised during this secret trip in plain clothes. Any accident would shake the foundation of the country or cause internal strife at the minimum.

So how would he feel assured without having someone reliable accompanying the Crown Prince? He immediately made the decision to include Gong Xiaohua into the traveling party.

When Madam Qin found out her son and daughter-in-law would be traveling together, she did not complain about Gong Xiaohua as usual. Instead, she was exceptionally enthusiastic.

She personally prepared all the essentials required for traveling. Afterall, her son’s safety on the trip would depend entirely on Gong Xiaohua. Her double standards were shown blatantly.

On the day of departure, only Madam Qin and Qin Chuqin were at the front gate of Qin’s residence to see them off.

“Xiaohua, A’yuan, you’ll be out traveling together. Take good care of each other and be careful of everything.” Qin Chuqin exhorted them.

“Alright.”

Fortunately, no one compromised on meals throughout the journey. Whenever they stopped to rest, someone would take the initiative to hunt prey.

That first night they camped outdoors, Gong Xiaohua made grilled meat. It was an unprecedented gastronomic delight that overwhelmed their senses. They had never tasted such addictive food before.

Later, they discovered that Gong the General could turn random tree leaves she plucked into delicious pancakes.

If Gong Xiaohua knew what was going through their minds, she would retort, “What tree leaves? That was Fragrant Ash!”

Gong Xiaohua had grown accustomed to their keen fixation on food whenever she went out on assignments. The entourages were always groups of gluttons.

Qin Chuyuan felt distressed seeing Gong Xiaohua not only serving as their escort during the day but also busy preparing meals to satisfy their appetite at night.

Thus, whenever someone longed to eat something, he would toss them seasoning and ask them to prepare the food themselves. The Crown Prince harbored deep resentment as he nearly sold out all his dignity for the sake of food.

After crossing thousands of miles over the course of a month, they were nearing Liang’s capital. During an evening in the wilderness right before arriving in Liang’s capital,

The Crown Prince, Qin Chuyuan, the Ministry of Rites Attendant and Gong Xiaohua gathered around the fire while the other escorts patrolled the perimeter.

The Crown Prince was the first to speak. “The assassins Gong General encountered when sending the Prince of Wei back were most likely sent from Liang Country based on my guess. Over these years, Liang Country had been secretly scheming to make Wei and Ye fight and weaken each other. When both countries were exhausted from battle, Liang intended to reap the rewards and rise in power. Regardless, we must accomplish our mission to persuade Liang to form an alliance, no matter the sacrifice.”

Everyone nodded. They understood the importance of this trip clearly.

“We’re nearing Liang’s capital. Do you have any thoughts regarding our mission?”

“The Art of War said: Know yourself and know your opponent, and you will never be defeated. We should gather intelligence on Liang’s circumstances before deciding our response.” Gong Xiaohua suggested.

“Good point. I heard this King of Liang is extremely suspicious. It might be more effective to persuade his trusted aides and people he favors instead of directly negotiating with the King.” Qin Chuyuan said.

The Crown Prince contemplated and agreed it made sense, “Alright. When we enter Liang, let’s find a place to stay first. Then we’ll separately scout Liang’s situation in private.”

“Yes.”

After the meeting ended, the Ministry of Rites Attendant watched Gong Xiaohua walking together with Qin Chuyuan. Previously, he only heard rumors of how exceptionally wise she was. After working together for this period, he now knew the rumors were not unfounded.

“Feel that she is more outstanding than your imagination?” The Crown Prince walked up behind the Ministry Attendant, following his gaze as he sighed emotionally.

Upon hearing the Crown Prince’s voice, the Attendant quickly pulled back his stare and turned to bow at the Crown Prince. He replied, “Yes, but women are fragile. I hope Master Qin does not fail her.”