Wei Dongling, feeling sick of the lovey - dovey display of those two people, refused to even go out to enjoy the snow scene. She just stayed in the carriage all day, eating and sleeping. When she saw Cui Huan, she even rolled her eyes at her.
Cui Huan was utterly speechless. "I can only chat with my man for a few words all day long, and you're unhappy? You can't find a man, but you don't even let me be with mine?"
Ruan Niang beside them just smiled and said nothing.
Someone outside the carriage announced loudly, "Your Highness! We've entered the territory of Xiliang. Our great general of troops and horses is waiting for you up ahead."
Wei Dongling sat up straight and replied seriously, "I'll get ready and go there right away."
"Yes!" The man left after receiving the order.
Not long after, Wei Dongling's carriage slowly came to a stop. A maid stepped forward, lifted the curtain, and helped the well - dressed Fifth Princess get off the carriage gracefully.
A large troop of soldiers came forward in unison to pay their respects to the princess. Wei Dongling nodded, indicating that the soldiers need not be so formal. Then she saw the great general of troops and horses, wearing a black cloak, slowly raise his head.
Wei Dongling glanced at him, and her face instantly turned pale.
The man, with a familiar face, looked at her half - smiling, his expression contemptuous and tinged with a hint of mockery.
Even Uncle Li behind Wei Dongling was stunned. This man was Zhao Chuanyi, who should have been sent to the army and had been missing for a long time. How could he secretly go to Xiliang and become the great general of troops and horses there?
Seeing tens of thousands of Xiliang soldiers standing behind Zhao Chuanyi, Wei Dongling and the others gradually felt a sense of unease.
Thinking of how Zhao Chuanyi had caused the entire family of Prime Minister Su to be executed and Wei Jiang to die far away from home, Uncle Li just regretted that he hadn't strangled him when he made a scene at Baoqing Tower. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the chance to act so arrogantly here.
The leader of the Xiliang envoys, seeing that everyone was silent, quickly stepped forward and introduced to the Fifth Princess, "This is General Zhao, the great general of troops and horses of Xiliang!" Then he said to Zhao Chuanyi, "General Zhao, this is..."
Zhao Chuanyi interrupted him coldly, "This is the princess consort of our Second Prince, the Fifth Princess Murong Wanlin of the Celestial Dynasty, right?"
The leader nodded repeatedly.
Alarm bells rang in Wei Dongling's heart. It seemed that Zhao Chuanyi had been closely monitoring her all along, and he even knew that she had regained her princess status.
Li Mingyang had fled at the last moment and left her to Zhao Chuanyi to be taken back to the capital of Xiliang. Fortunately, Uncle Li and the others had followed. Otherwise, if something had happened to her on the way, no one would have known!
Wei Dongling forcibly suppressed her anger and nodded at Zhao Chuanyi, laughing loudly, "Oh! Isn't this Lord Zhao Chuanyi of our Celestial Dynasty, who was imprisoned for forming cliques and disregarding human lives and was later exiled to the army? What? In just a few months, you've cleared your name and become the so - called great general of troops and horses of Xiliang?"
Wei Dongling's words made all the Xiliang soldiers look stunned. They all showed confused expressions. This Fifth Princess of the Celestial Dynasty was about to marry into Xiliang as a princess consort. Why was she speaking so rudely? Every word was like throwing dirt on General Zhao. And the fact was that General Zhao had indeed only been in office for a short time. If it weren't for the Second Prince insisting on appointing him, how could he have gotten this position?
Could it be that what the princess consort said was true?
Seeing that Wei Dongling's words made the Xiliang soldiers look confused and start to speculate, Zhao Chuanyi was secretly angry. He snorted and said, "Your Highness is wrong! It's clearly that our Second Prince has the discerning eye of a Bo Le and can recognize my talent as a thoroughbred horse. Look, now our Second Prince has also taken a fancy to you, the Fifth Princess, and welcomed you back with a generous betrothal gift."
Hearing his evasive words, Wei Dongling sneered in her heart.
Uncle Li snorted unhappily, "What? After changing places, you've even forgotten your roots? Are you a Xiliang person now?"
"You!" Zhao Chuanyi was furious. He was now the great general of troops and horses of Xiliang, but he was still being ridiculed by the princess consort from the Celestial Dynasty, and even her servant dared to speak sarcastically to him. His face turned ashen, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Enough! I'm ordered to take the princess consort back to the capital. I don't have time to argue with you. Please, Your Highness!"
Wei Dongling glanced at him and said no more. She turned around and walked towards the carriage.
"Wait!" Zhao Chuanyi snorted, "The princess consort can go with us alone. The rest of you, go back the way you came."
"What?" Everyone looked at each other in disbelief. Zhao Chuanyi actually wanted the Fifth Princess to go to the capital alone. The imperial guards, maids, and the Fifth Princess's relatives were all supposed to return to the capital? This was unacceptable! The Fifth Princess was still ill. How could she do without the servants' care?
Zhao Chuanyi said impatiently, "The princess consort will be taken care of by our many Xiliang envoys. We won't receive the rest of you. Hurry back!"
Uncle Li shouted angrily, "Absolutely impossible! We must see with our own eyes that the Fifth Princess arrives safely in your Xiliang capital and witnesses her wedding with the Xiliang prince before we leave!" Who knew what he would do to her after they left?
Zhao Chuanyi sneered, "I said no, and that's final! You'd better save your energy and go back quickly."
Wei Dongling shouted angrily, "Is this how you Xiliang people treat guests?"
Zhao Chuanyi glanced at Uncle Li and the others and sneered, "Who knows what you've come to Xiliang for? What if you're spies from your Celestial Dynasty?"
The leader of the Xiliang envoys looked embarrassed. Prince Mingyang hadn't given such an order, but since General Zhao insisted, they could only choose to remain silent.
Uncle Li was both angry and enraged. He cursed loudly, "Arrogant brat! How dare you slander us! Do you believe I'll beat you to death?"
Zhao Chuanyi had suffered losses in front of Uncle Li before. His leg had been broken by him. Seeing Uncle Li getting angry, he was naturally a bit scared.
But when he looked back at the tens of thousands of Xiliang soldiers behind him, he instantly regained some confidence. He coldly ordered the soldiers behind him, "Come! Take the princess consort back to the capital. Drive away all the others!"
"Yes!"
"How dare you, you brat?" Uncle Li was furious. He stepped forward and grabbed Zhao Chuanyi's lapel, shouting angrily, "I think you don't want your legs anymore, do you?"
Seeing their great general being captured, all the Xiliang soldiers tightly grasped their silver spears and shouted angrily, "Let go of our general!"
Tens of thousands of people were in unison, their anger overwhelming. Wei Dongling and the others couldn't help but turn a little pale.
Zhao Chuanyi, being grabbed by the lapel, showed no sign of fear. He took out something from his bosom and laughed loudly, "Li Lang, you might as well take a look at what this is before you act against me."
Everyone looked in unison and saw that Zhao Chuanyi was holding a string of translucent Buddhist beads. Wei Dongling thought the Buddhist beads looked extremely familiar!
The more Wei Dongling looked, the more shocked she became! Wasn't this the string of Buddhist beads that the abbot of Lanshan Temple had given to Grandpa Su when he was released from prison? Grandpa Su always carried it with him. But why was it in Zhao Chuanyi's hands?