Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 481 Relying on Favor (26)

After reading Yan Zhen's memorial, Zhao Yuan summoned his subordinates the next day to discuss transferring some soldiers and mobilizing local farmers to turn over the abandoned fields and spread farmyard manure before winter to maintain them.

Chen He knew that Zhao Yuan planned to defend Tingzhou and allow the people to recuperate, but he was not optimistic about planting potatoes.

Our lord is a natural-born warrior. Instead of taking advantage of the world being torn apart to seize territory, what kind of man hides away and farms?

Not only Chen He thought this way, but several generals under Zhao Yuan also shared this view.

After the meeting, several generals muttered to themselves as they walked out.

"What is the Lord thinking?"

"What kind of grain can be grown in this barren land of Tingzhou?"

The group was puzzled, when a general surnamed Li suddenly said, "The memorial that the emperor took today, judging from the handwriting, seems to have been written by a woman."

Upon hearing General Li's words, Chen He recalled Zhao Yuan's request yesterday to find a clothing shop and a jewelry shop, and his heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that the Lord has been deceived by a woman?

Throughout history, countless monarchs have fallen victim to the allure of beauty.

He couldn't let Zhao Yuan follow the same path.

Chen He was anxious, but he didn't lose his composure.

After the other generals left, he found the steward of the Prince Zhao's mansion and inquired, both openly and subtly, whether the mansion had a mistress.

The steward was a shrewd man. Ever since his master returned from the Northern Jurchens, he had been inseparable from that Liang princess, and his affection for her was self-evident.

Since the lord did not publicly reveal the existence of the Princess of Daliang, this news could not be leaked from the mouths of these servants.

Thinking of this, the steward declined repeatedly and didn't say a word.

Seeing that he refused to speak, Chen He grew impatient and emphasized, "This matter concerns the future of Tingzhou. Our lord is young and naive, and has been bewitched by beauty. Are you also naive?"

The steward shook his head again: "General Chen, the lord is a man of his own mind. He has his own plans for what is important and what is not. This old servant advises you that we, as his subordinates, should just do our duty."

Upon hearing this, Chen He assumed that the person in charge had also been deceived by the unfamiliar "mistress," and angrily prepared to storm into the backyard of the Prince's mansion.

The steward quickly stopped him: "General Chen, please don't make things difficult for us..."

The two were arguing when a woman's voice came from the hanging flower gate leading to the backyard: "Butler, what's wrong?"

Chen He looked up and saw Yan Zhen come out.

In the past few days, Chen He had seen Yan Zhen several times at the Prince's Mansion. In the past, she wore a proper maid's uniform and did the work of serving tea and water. Although Chen He thought the maid was really good-looking, he did not think anything else about her.

But today Yan Zhen has changed into a brightly colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and has changed her jewelry and accessories from head to toe. This is clearly not the attire of a maid.

Could she be the "mistress" of the Prince's mansion's backyard?

Thinking of this, Chen He quickly walked up to her and asked bluntly, "Is the woman the master keeps in the backyard you?"

Yan Zhen nodded: "Yes."

"Did you also write the memorial today that the Lord discussed with us about farming?"

"Yes."

Chen He's eyes widened: "You're the one who advocated a truce to the Lord?"

"Ah."

Chen He's gaze towards her changed: "Who are you? A woman interfering in politics, you're simply..."

"I am the Empress of the Great Liang Dynasty."

Chen He was taken aback, thinking he had misheard.

When he finally realized what was happening, he roared "Witch!" and was about to draw his sword.

The steward quickly stepped forward to stop him: "General Chen, you mustn't!"

Yan Zhen took two steps back and said to the maid beside him, "Go and call Zhao Yuan over."

The maid curtsied in response and turned to run towards the study.

Soon, Zhao Yuan arrived after receiving the news. When he saw that Chen He hadn't left and was glaring angrily at Yan Zhen, he knew that Yan Zhen's identity could no longer be hidden.

"Zhao Yuan, you handle this matter." Yan Zhen didn't bother to say anything more to Chen He.

She left the wedding procession and came to Tingzhou to find Zhao Yuan because she was after the resources held by the vassal king.

If supporting Zhao Yuan would require her to persuade her subordinates and resolve these troublesome matters, she might as well kill Zhao Yuan and do it herself.

After saying this, Yan Zhen turned and went back to the backyard.

It's unclear what Zhao Yuan said to Chen He, but not long after, Chen He stormed off in a huff.

Zhao Yuan returned to the backyard, where Yan Zhen was tending to the potatoes planted in flowerpots in the makeshift greenhouse.

Hearing Zhao Yuan enter, Yan Zhen didn't turn his head: "Is everything resolved?"

"Hmm." Zhao Yuan walked over, squatted down next to her, and waited for her to ask the next question.

But after waiting for a long time, Yan Zhen was only focused on his own business and showed no interest in how he resolved the matter.

Zhao Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to ask me how I solved it?"

"That's your business," Yan Zhen said, while also stating his position, "Zhao Yuan, since you have already agreed to cooperate with me to recuperate and fight back against Daliang, what happened today must not happen a second time."

Zhao Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Okay, I will never let them cause trouble in front of you again."

-

A few days later, the soldiers Zhao Yuan had sent out to find Fu Xue returned.

"We've searched all the nearby hills, but we haven't found anything," the soldier said. "We haven't seen any living people, nor any corpses."

No body found—

It's highly likely that Fu Xue is still alive.

Thinking of the Liang army that conducted a thorough search of the mountain that night, Fu Xue might have been taken away by Xie Ying.

Thinking of this, Yan Zhen asked Zhao Yuan, "Is the Liang army that was sent to find me still in Yunzhou?"

The scouts kept a close eye on the movements of the Liang army. Zhao Yuan said, "They're still here, but I heard that the Northern Jurchens are going to send troops to Liang. They should be returning to Liang soon."

Yan Zhen pondered for a moment, then said to Zhao Yuan, "Fu Xue may have been taken away by the Liang army. I want to go and bring her back."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan immediately asked, "Are you going to rescue Fu Xue?"

Yan Zhen nodded.

"No way!" Zhao Yuan immediately objected. "Knowing that the people sent by the Great Liang are looking for you, you're still going to get close to them. Isn't that just courting death?"

“But I’m worried that Fu Xue will be severely tortured while she’s in the Liang army.”

Fu Xue knew her whereabouts, and if she refused to tell, no one knew what Xie Ying might do to her in a panic.

In Tan Junzhuo's memory, Xie Ying was a gentle and refined gentleman, but such a person could give up his fiancée for the sake of the Great Liang.

***'s disappearance concerns such a major event as the marriage alliance between the two countries. If Xie Ying were to torture Fu Xue, Yan Zhen had a premonition that this loyal girl would rather suffer torture and die than reveal her whereabouts.

When she decided to leave the wedding procession with Fu Xue, she intended to protect this maid who was loyal to her mistress.

How can we just stand by and watch her be in danger?

"I'll send men to rescue them," Zhao Yuan said. "You wait for news in Tingzhou."