Dress up as a sickly person to capture the villain princess!

Her questioning, word by word, stopped the woman holding the gray wolf from asking disdainful questions.

Now that famine is raging, even the wealthy families in Lincang Prefecture do not have extra food. Moreover, there is continuous heavy snow, and the game in the mountains is half less than in the cool autumn.

If you want to get more food, it is indeed only in the hands of the imperial court.

What's more, hunting in the snowy mountains is a job that requires you to take risks. If you are not careful and get trapped in the mountains, you will die without a burial place.

As the leader of a village, how could she not know?

"You said you were from the imperial court, but what proof do you have? You're not just trying to get something for nothing, are you?"

"If you can't produce proof, I will chop your head off right now. What can the court do to me?"

"Anyway, they don't dare to attack!"

The two men stood in the wind and snow and talked for a long time, which naturally attracted many patrolling bandits from Longya Village to approach this side.

They crouched, reaching for the big swords on their waists, and stepped on the thick snow, making a sound of snow rolling.

Gradually approaching the village chief.

Xia Zhiyuan, however, was not afraid at all. If these bandits wanted to kill him, they would have done it long ago. Why would they bother with him until now?

Killing is the lowest form of violence.

Words are the key to conquering people’s hearts.

Looking at the torches that were surrounding him and swaying in the snowy night, Xia Zhiyuan moved his fingers slightly.

"Well, do you recognize this thing?"

She took out an ink-black token from her sleeve. The token swayed slightly in the cold wind, and the two golden characters sparkled under the firelight.

"Token..."

The woman opposite frowned. She naturally recognized the two words on the token - Changlin!

This is the name of the current Princess Changyi. I'm afraid the only workshop in the world that can engrave these two words is the Royal Engineering Bureau.

The token was intricately carved with a Bi'an figure climbing up the rock and swallowing a mouthful of black stone. Its eyeballs seemed to be two black pearls and gems, reflecting light in the dark night.

It seemed to come alive, looking majestic and fierce, staring at the ignorant mortal in front of it!

If this kind of craftsmanship could be faked, then the Daliang Dynasty would probably really have to change hands.

"If my guess is correct, this is the token of the Shadow Guard, which is only in the hands of Her Royal Highness the current Princess?"

"But you..."

She looked her up and down. This person was completely different from the eldest princess in the rumors. She looked sickly, just like the eldest daughter of a wealthy family who was suffering from lovesickness in the play script.

"I am indeed not His Highness, but I am here on His Highness's behalf, not that stupid old man, the prefect of Lincang."

Calling the Lincang prefect a "clunkhead old man" is such a bold move that I'm afraid only people around His Highness can do it.

This title made her believe it a little bit. After all, the people in the court exuded a stinking and pedantic atmosphere and would not tolerate any resistance from others.

When they heard the bandits say a dirty word, those handsome scholars would tremble with anger, kick their legs, and their faces would turn red and their necks would become thick.

"Isn't this fake?"

I saw a man wearing thick black sable fur coat walking out from the bandits. He raised his eyebrows, and his face was handsome and heroic. He was not of the same kind as these rough bandits.

I think he should be a southerner, not a native of this northern border.

He spoke clearly, with neither the accent of a northerner nor the accent of a southerner. Instead, he used standard Mandarin.

It looks like he has studied for several years, or even participated in the imperial examination, and maybe became a scholar.

"Her Royal Highness the Princess is currently in the Imperial City of Jinzhou City, facing constant internal and external troubles. How could she hand over such an important item to you?"

"Those black-armored shadow guards are the last resort for the princess. How could she easily hand them over to others?"

He knew everything about the palace.

This person's background might not be that simple.

No wonder he is treated as a guest of honor by the bandits in Longya Village who look down on scholars and elegant people.

Xia Zhiyuan did not rush to refute, but listened quietly, because the questions raised by this person were all well-founded, reasonable and convincing.

"But if you are the one in the legend - the favorite in front of His Highness, everything can be explained."

Are you so well-informed?

He also knew everything about Jinzhou Imperial City. It seemed that the hermit had a clever plan of his own.

"But I want to know, the distance between Jinzhou City and Lincang Prefecture, even if you gallop, it will take a year or two. How did you manage to appear here in such a short time?"

"Could it be that it's really as mysterious as everyone in the government and the public say, that you know the art of witchcraft?"

The words "witchcraft" and "sorcery" were feared by people in the imperial court, let alone among the superstitious people. For ordinary people, it was something they dared not even think about. If they heard that someone knew the art of witchcraft, they would surely kneel on the ground and tremble in fear.

Especially at night, when the dead branches on the mountain swayed and everything looked white, even the most daring bandits who killed people could not resist the rumors of ghosts and gods.

They began to become suspicious, looked up at each other, and looked at each other's faces with lingering fear.

"None of this is important. What's important is what I can bring to you this time."

Xia Zhiyuan was not afraid that these people would accuse him of practicing witchcraft. Maybe it would be a good thing. Anyway, these people could not hurt him.

Hearing her words, the man curled up the corners of his mouth, smiled slightly, and nodded. He stepped on the snow, took a few steps forward, and walked to the side of the village chief.

Let the wind and snow carry you.

"Okay, then please tell me, what can you bring?"

"This place is not safe. Let's go inside and talk in detail."

……

Outside the current city of Zhou.

A massive army was approaching the city. The leader was riding a tall horse, holding a long spear with a red tassel in his hand, and a young general in a white robe was sitting on the horse's back.

There was no trace of a smug smile on his weathered face. Instead, he frowned and looked serious.

Although he had arrived at the city of Jinzhou, the progress was unexpectedly too smooth, even though he captured the ignorant and brave Marquis alive.

This victory still doesn't feel real.

His nails clenched his spear, the armor on his body clinked, and he squinted his eyes at the neatly dressed black-armored soldiers standing on the city wall.

It was as if everything he was experiencing now was controlled by an invisible giant hand in the air.

Ever since he entered the Central Plains, the news of victory after victory was all intentionally done by someone.

Deliberately lure you into a trap.

But for the promise made by His Royal Highness King Wen, even if there was a trap ahead, he would ride through it even at the risk of his life.

He wants to clear the injustice of his grandfather, he wants to see off the dead souls, he wants justice for himself, and he wants to win a bright future for the soldiers and generals under his command!

The injustice is redressed!

His grandfather was not a traitor!