After rebirth, I made the princes cry

Nanci woke up from a dream.

It was a strange dream. In the dream, he dragged Yingshu and stopped her from going to Sikong Beichen. Yingshu, however, looked icy and scolded him: "Who are you to me? Let go of your hand, Sikong Nanci. I am so disappointed in you. How can you be so shameless?"

When he opened his eyes, a pale, blinding light pierced directly into his heart.

His whole body was covered in cold sweat, but he was awake. He knew that there was a huge gap between dreams and reality. Yingshu would never be cold to him. When they "reunited" that year, he felt embarrassed. Yingshu held back her tears with red eyes and smiled at him. The first sentence she said was - Nanci, I miss you so much.

Nanci, I will find out who framed Pingyi Qiao.

Nanci, do you want to leave Jiankang?

Nanci, let’s leave together.

He never wanted Yingshu to know many cruel, ugly and vicious realities. There was an unspeakable truth in his heart: his grandfather and biological mother did commit treason, and he was not completely innocent. He would rather Yingshu not delve into it, but Yingshu still knew a lot of things. She wanted to stay away from him and spend the rest of her life looking for a paradise that could completely free him. It was he who said the words of rejection. He had not much time left and could no longer accompany her for long.

Nanci was sweating profusely and was dazed. After cleaning himself up, he was still a little dazed. He felt that he was now incapable of doing anything except being dazed. In his previous life, he could still deceive himself, but now he...

Feeling powerless and self-doubtful.

There is a kind of frustration that no matter how long he lives or how many times he reincarnates, it seems that he will never have strong arms to protect his girl. Sometimes he hates this feeling. As a reborn person, he is no longer a blind and naive boy, but he is still not strong enough. Sikong Yuehu is only two years older than him, but he has already established his prestige in the army. Compared with him, he also has a brave and warlike uncle. Sikong Yuehu's achievements are entirely due to his own efforts. Laziness in getting involved in power and being partial to Lin Quan can no longer be an excuse. He is now clearly aware that he can be stubborn and insist on staying to protect Yingshu, but he is not sure. He is even now worried about the appearance of Sikong Yuehu "replacing" him to fight side by side with Yingshu.

Just as I was dazed, there was a knock on the door.

"Your Highness, the Third Prince has been assassinated!"

Nanci's mind buzzed, he jumped off the bed and walked over to open the door: "What did you say?!"

"An Yu attempted to assassinate the Third Prince, but was subdued by him."

Hearing that An Yu was the assassin, Nan Ci's heart finally settled down in his chest. He quickly washed and dressed, and rushed to meet Sikong Mujiao. The man who was almost assassinated was not only unharmed, but also did not seem to be frightened at all. Instead, he seemed extremely excited. Without waiting for Nan Ci to ask, he hurriedly said, "I have tied him up and thrown him in the residence. I haven't made it public for the time being. This matter is strange and suspicious. Should we invite the Left Deputy Envoy to make a decision?"

Ever since the Third Prince knew that his return date was near, he inexplicably developed a kind of nostalgia for Chang'an. He once suspected that he was possessed by an evil spirit. Fortunately, after thinking about it carefully, it was not difficult to understand that he was not reluctant to leave Chang'an, he was reluctant to leave the Left Deputy Envoy... No, he really wanted to stay and see the overall situation set up by Sikong Yuehu, and witness with his own eyes how the Shuzhou tribe recovered Hanzhong.

But this wish was impossible to achieve. During the time he stayed in Northern Han, the Third Prince wished he could disguise himself as a personal guard and sneak into the Weiyang Palace to witness how the Left Deputy Envoy planned step by step to advance the great plan of a surprise attack on Hanzhong. However, he, the Right Deputy Envoy who had passed the clear path, could not disappear from the Envoy Post out of thin air. He could not save the Left Deputy Envoy, and could only hope that the Left Deputy Envoy would save him.

How to deal with An Yu must be decided by the Left Deputy Envoy. If necessary, he can even let An Yu use the scissors to stab his arm.

Although Yingshu knew that An Yu was not trustworthy, she did not expect that she would dare to openly assassinate the third prince in the post station. After receiving the news, she naturally rushed to the post station to deal with it. Sikong Yuehu followed her as a matter of course. In the past two days, he was in Baoguang Palace, but it seemed like there was a mountain between him and Yingshu. Until this accident happened today, Yingshu seemed to have returned to normal towards him.

An acquaintance who I have known for a long time but never had a deep friendship with, and now we are temporarily comrades on the same battleship.

Yingshu briefly explained An Yu's origins.

"Is it Wumei Nu?" Sikong Yuehu only thought about it for a moment and understood: "It was the Lord who proposed to abolish Wumei Cang, and this proposal should not have been expected by Jiang Tai. In fact, the existence of Wumei Cang is a trivial matter for the Northern Han court. Probably only Queen Mother Yao would be unwilling and indignant."

Yingshu didn't say anything.

What Empress Dowager Yao cared about was not Wumeicang, but Dayu's interference in the internal affairs of Northern Han. She had been suppressed by Jiang Xiongying for too long and had finally regained power. In the eyes of Empress Dowager Yao, Northern Han was already extremely merciful by not killing all the remnants of Western Yu. The Wumei slaves were all criminal slaves who were rebellious against Northern Han and should be beaten and punished by the Qiang people. The envoy of Dayu proposed to abolish Wumeicang and pardon Wumei slaves, which was arrogant and unreasonable. It was a provocation to the Northern Han monarchy and a provocation to her.

"However, no matter how stupid Queen Mother Yao is, she would not think that An Yu could succeed. This is Jiang Tai's method. His purpose is not to go back on his word and keep Wumeicang. It can be called a delaying tactic." Sikong Yuehu said again.

"Your Highness, how do you think An Yu should be dealt with?"

"For such a small matter, Deputy Envoy Zuo can make the decision."

Yingshu still had some inexplicable resistance in her heart, but the overall situation was more important. Since she had agreed to board the warship that raided Hanzhong, it was tantamount to acknowledging that Sikong Yuehu was the commander-in-chief. Before the end of this battle, they must cooperate with each other. Now she could not even regard Jiang Gaofan as an enemy anymore.

What's more, she couldn't prove that Sikong Yuehu was her enemy.

As soon as he dismounted in front of the street gate of the post station, the guest officer came out to greet him. He didn't even notice the entourage behind the left deputy envoy. After the polite greetings, he welcomed Yingshu into the hall.

"Does Ke Cao Ling know why I'm here?" Ying Shu asked.

"I only know that your Excellency's envoy will come to the post station, so I dare not neglect it."

"I thought the envoys were sent by the Third Prince to the Baoguang Palace to summon me. Did the Third Prince also alert the guest commander?"

"This... His Majesty the Third Prince wants to invite the envoy to the envoy post station. Originally, he didn't need to inform me in advance, but I was ordered by His Majesty not to take it lightly. Even though it was just the envoy guards who went out, I secretly told the post station guards to follow and protect them. The post station guards saw the envoy guards meeting the Left Deputy Envoy outside the palace gate, and one of them informed me first."

It is actually common to disguise tracking and surveillance as fulfilling one's duty. What is unusual is that Yingshu insisted on pursuing the matter today.

"From the tone of the guest Cao Ling, he knew I was coming, so he came all the way here?"

Ke Cao Ling: ...

"If the guest commander was already at the post station, he wouldn't have stressed that he only knew I was coming but didn't know why. The guest commander knew that I was thinking that you knew something you shouldn't know, so he explained in detail why he came out to greet me as soon as I fell off my horse and couldn't even stand."

"Your Excellency has misunderstood me..."

"Didn't Ke Cao Ling just arrive at the post station?"

"I heard that your Excellency's envoy would come to the post station, so I rushed here from the government office."

"So, Ke Cao Ling doesn't know about the strange things that happened in the post station?"

"I don't know, my subordinate."

"The guest commander is not at all curious about what happened in the post station that caused the Third Prince to urgently summon me here to discuss matters."

Ke Cao Ling: ...

This woman is really hard to deal with!

"Your Excellency was unusually stern today. I was terrified. Your Excellency was vague. How could I dare to ask you any further questions?"

"That's a reasonable excuse." Ying Shu smiled and said, "I won't go into the front hall, and the guest officer doesn't need to have anyone follow me. I'll go to the back residence to meet the two princes."

"The Left Deputy Envoy is a woman after all. It's not appropriate for her to go directly into His Highness's living quarters, right?"

"I don't need to worry about whether my reputation will be damaged."

As Yingshu walked around the front hall, she seemed to have eyes on the back of her head. Seeing Ke Cao Ling following her relentlessly, she said, "The important matter that the Third Prince summoned me to discuss is somewhat related to Ke Cao Ling. I will have to ask Ke Cao Ling directly later. Ke Cao Ling had better avoid suspicion for now."

Ke Cao Ling's feet were nailed to the road.

There is an idle garden between the front yard and the back residence of the post station. There is some landscaping for people to enjoy. The kitchen, storehouse, etc. are also set up in the idle garden. Because there are many post servants coming in and out, the idle garden does not look "idle". On the contrary, the back residence is quiet and peaceful. There are guards of the envoys' group guarding the gate of the garden, so they will naturally not stop Yingshu from entering.

The rear residence was not big, a small square courtyard with buildings on three sides and a pavilion against the east wall. Nanci was in the pavilion and saw Yingshu at a glance. He subconsciously went to greet her. He had clearly seen Sikong Yuehu in disguise, but was too lazy to salute. Influenced by Nanci, the Third Prince also enthusiastically stepped forward to greet the Left Deputy Envoy. After receiving the salute from the Fourth Prince, he did not realize that this person was not a envoy guard and did not return the salute.

"Don't worry, Deputy Envoy Zuo. A weak woman can't hurt me."

Yingshu:......

Does she look worried?

There are not only two rooms in the inner residence, but some of the guards of the envoys also live here. It is indeed inconvenient for Yingshu to come in and out. But let alone in the Northern Han Dynasty where men and women have never been strict about separation, even in Dayu, they do not live together. They just meet and chat in broad daylight, which is not a loss of reputation. Just now, the guest officer intentionally led Yingshu to the front hall, in fact, it was to "join" the case in a natural way.

The third prince then told the story of the assassination.

"I always get up early. Today, because my fifth brother didn't get up until the beginning of the morning, I was too lazy to go to Xianyuan for breakfast, so I asked Zhang Chongzhun to bring the breakfast to my room. Because my fifth brother reminded me before, I didn't let An Yu serve me anymore, and I gave the cleaning of the room to Zhang Chongzhun."

Ying Shu explained to Sikong Yuehu: "Zhang Chongzhun is another Wumei slave. He is an old acquaintance of An Yu. He is a trustworthy person."

"I want to read the book quietly. The guards of the envoy group know this. Therefore, after the hour of Mao, they will not stay in the back residence. They will usually patrol around the Xianyuan. The laundry of the envoy post is located in the northeast corner of Xianyuan. During this period of time, An Yu has been helping in the laundry. My clothes are still washed by her. She brings the clean clothes to the inner residence, and the guards will naturally not stop her.

As a result, today she took advantage of the opportunity to deliver the clothes, sneaked upstairs, and tried to stab me with a pair of scissors. I didn't have time to think about it and kicked her unconscious... Actually, it wouldn't hurt to let her stab her arm..."

Ying Shu held her forehead with her hand: "There's no need to resort to the self-torture tactic."

The Third Prince sighed with regret, "I was worried that I might overreact and kick him to death. I felt his pulse and confirmed that he had just fainted. I thought there was no need to make this public, so I called in a guard at the gate and had him tie up An Yu's hands and feet and gag him. I also had him go and wake up the Fifth Brother. Did I handle this properly?"

Ying Shu looked at the Third Prince's eager look as he tried to take credit for the situation. She was a little confused and didn't think much about it. She actually gave him a compliment: "Your Highness handled the situation very well."

"I asked Zhang Chongzhun to watch over An Yu upstairs. Zhang Chongzhun just said that he has woken up. Deputy Envoy Zuo can interrogate him immediately."

"Where was Zhang Chongzhun when An Yu took action?" Ying Shu asked.

"When I finished my breakfast, he sent the dishes to the kitchen. An Yu must have come in when he was not in the inner room. She knew that I was used to reading upstairs and Zhang Chongzhun was not downstairs, so she sneaked upstairs."

"So after Zhang Chongzhun knew that An Yu was planning to assassinate His Highness, he did not go out?"

"No, there are only a handful of people who know about this incident. Apart from the four of us, there is only Zhang Chongzhun and a member of the envoy's guard. I can guarantee that this case will be kept secret in the inner residence!"

"Your Highness the Third Prince is so wise." Ying Shu couldn't help but give him another compliment.

The Third Prince was beaming with joy, like a child who had asked for candy. Sikong Yuehu felt a little dizzy, and couldn't help but hold his forehead. What was going on? Was the left deputy envoy's verbal praise so sweet? Was Sikong Mujiao still the Sikong Mujiao who was determined to fight for the throne?

"Why, fourth brother and the Left Deputy Envoy have different opinions?" The Third Prince stared at Sikong Yuehu.

You still recognize me as your fourth brother? I just saluted to my third brother, but he didn't even respond.

"I dare not have any objection." Sikong Yuehu withdrew his hand that was supporting his forehead.

"We should try An Yu first." Ying Shu made the decision immediately.

The group entered the room and went up to the stairs. To Yingshu, the Third Prince was just a prince. In fact, Yingshu had never even entered Nanci's bedroom. When on a diplomatic mission, even a prince as noble as he was could not have maids and servants accompany him. The cleaning of the house could have been left to the servants of the inn, but the Third Prince did not want people from other countries to enter and leave his bedroom. Therefore, the cleaning of the bedroom now had to rely on Zhang Chongzhun.

How could a rough man be as attentive as the maid who was responsible for serving the prince personally?

He could only maintain basic cleanliness, wipe off the dust, and tidy up the bedding. He probably even forgot to open the windows for ventilation, not to mention burning incense to deodorize... In fact, the room didn't smell bad, but it was obviously filled with the scent of human body, as if countless third princes were standing nearby, giving this room a particularly obvious "owner" mark.

A long gown that could only be worn when there were no outsiders was casually thrown on the couch, a belt was hung crookedly on the clothes hanger, a stack of footwear was also placed in a conspicuous place, and several hair scarves were scattered on the seat.

Yingshu realized belatedly that this was not a suitable place to interrogate a prisoner.

The Third Prince, however, was oblivious to this. He pulled his Fourth Brother with one hand and his Fifth Brother with the other, and squeezed them onto the dining table. He casually rolled up his hairband and moved it onto the table on his knees. He saw Ying Shu still standing in front of the door curtain, and said, "Left Deputy Envoy, there is no need to be restrained. Please take a seat."

Yingshu looked with a headache at the "honorary seat" where half of the space was taken up by the Third Prince's long clothes. She really had no idea that a man's bedroom that lacked a maid to tidy up would be in such a state. Did she have to move the Third Prince's clothes away by herself first... This action was too ambiguous and intimate.

At this time Sikong Yuehu stood up, took three or two steps over, picked up the clothes and put them on the clothes rack, and when he returned to the table, he knelt behind Sikong Mujiao and Nanci. The third prince realized it belatedly. Now Zhang Chongzhun and An Yu were still present, and he couldn't let them know Sikong Yuehu's true identity.

A personal guard certainly cannot be on equal footing with the prince.