Tang Zhuyun ignored her.
With things so urgent, who has the time or energy for empty talk?
"Tangbao, I'm asking you! Aren't you good at history?"
Tang Zhuyun: "I'm good at history, not military science."
If winning is simply a matter of remembering a few battles, then why doesn't she just remember the Normandy landings and conquer the entire continent?
Her gaze darkened slightly as she looked at Qu Nian.
Qu Nian: You're not looking at what you should be looking at, but you're looking at what you shouldn't be looking at.
But he remained serious, saying solemnly, "There's no need to panic too much. We, the defenders, have a geographical advantage..."
"Then can we win?" Ren Yingying asked interjected.
Qu Nian: "We can't win."
Ren Yingying: "..."
What are you saying if you can't win!
"But we can't lose either, the key is one word..."
Ren Yingying: "Drag it out?"
Qu Nian: "You're right."
Good job, you understand very well.
Ren Yingying: If I take off my underwear again, I won't have any left.
That Qu Nian is such a good-for-nothing. He only knows this one word over and over again. He clearly doesn't understand anything.
"Find Mingzhu first," Tang Zhuyun said, "And bring her back. As for the matters outside, I'll leave them to the young master."
Before leaving, the Prince of Jin told her that all matters concerning the military should be left to Qu Nian.
Wu Zhenhai, who was standing to the side, said, "Your Majesty, you mustn't!"
Tang Zhuyun looked at him calmly and said, "Have you ever learned anything about Mingzhu?"
With just a few words, Wu Zhenhai felt as if he had been pricked by a needle.
I don't know.
He once thought he understood, only to later realize that it was all just his arrogant self-righteousness.
But it was too late for regrets.
However, Wu Zhenhai did not regret this action.
Nothing is more important than being alive, and he hoped that Ruanruan could live a good life.
Tang Zhuyun didn't expect to get anything out of him, and simply said calmly, "Mingzhu herself will come back if she has the chance. She probably won't appreciate your good intentions."
"I don't need her gratitude," Wu Zhenhai said. "I just want her to live."
Ren Yingying: "Tangbao, why are you paying attention to him? Instead of wasting your time, why don't you think about getting rid of those candied hawthorns first?"
Tang Zhuyun looked at Qu Nian: "Do you need it?"
That was someone the Prince of Jin trusted; if he said so, she would trust him too.
"No need," Qu Nian said decisively.
Wu Zhenhai's face showed surprise, and his brows furrowed.
He believed that Qu Nian had overestimated himself.
"Then we won't leave," Tang Zhuyun said. "Is there anything we need to do?"
"With me here, it's not necessary."
Qu Nian felt that when he said these things, he was 2.8 meters tall and had a powerful aura, which must have made him the most charming.
The result, however, was not as expected.
Ren Yingying looked at him suspiciously. "You wouldn't happen to be a spy sent by the Northern Yi, would you?"
He spoke of fighting 30,000 against 10,000 with such nonchalance, it made him seem like the other side.
Qu Nian: "... Shut up!"
Disrupting morale! Take him out and behead him!
Seeing that Qu Nian was confident, Tang Zhuyun breathed a sigh of relief and smoothed things over, saying, "Then I'll leave everything to the young master."
After Qu Nian left, Tang Zhuyun began to plan the search for Mingzhu.
Wu Zhenhai tried to persuade them, but both sides were adamant: one refused to say anything, and the other insisted on finding them.
Just as things were at a stalemate, a young maidservant exclaimed excitedly, "Your Highness, Miss Huo is back!"
Everyone in the room was shocked.
You're back?
Wu Zhenhai himself admitted that Mingzhu was kidnapped, so how did she get back?
Wu Zhenhai's shock was mixed with disbelief and heartache.
He went to so much trouble to send her away, and she came back on her own?
He's a complete waste! His trusted confidants are all useless!
When Mingzhu came in, she looked rather disheveled. Her dress was torn to shreds, her hair was slightly disheveled, her face was flushed, and she was panting heavily.
She spotted Wu Zhenhai immediately, her gaze complex, but she didn't react and quickly looked away.
"Sister-in-law, I'm fine." She walked towards Tang Zhuyun.
Wu Zhenhai was disappointed and angry.
--If we don't seize this opportunity, it will be even more difficult to get rid of Mingzhu in the future.
As intelligent as she is, she will surely be on high alert from now on, and will stand with the Prince of Jin's Residence to the death.
Ruanruan, you're so silly.
Those confidants are all just freeloaders.
Four grown men, unable to keep an eye on one woman?
Wu Zhenhai hurriedly left.
Although he knew it was useless, he still wanted to find out what exactly happened.
Dong Da, one of Wu Zhenhai's trusted confidants, knelt down before him with several others, their faces filled with shame.
"Speak," Wu Zhenhai said, his face ashen, hands behind his back, "How did she escape from the clutches of four grown men?"
He was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist slapping each of them twice across the face—useless trash!
Dong Da knelt on the ground, his body trembling slightly, and explained in a trembling voice, "My lord, we followed your orders and, although we bound Miss Huo, we treated her with great courtesy..."
Wu Zhenhai suddenly realized.
The problem probably lies in the phrase "treating them with great courtesy".
Mingzhu was kidnapped, yet she was treated with courtesy. How could someone as intelligent as her not be suspicious?
Unfortunately, Mingzhu had changed her appearance, and very few people knew her true identity. She could quickly trace it back to herself using the process of elimination...
It can only be said that man proposes, God disposes.
Perhaps Ruanruan was destined for this ordeal; all he could do was stay by her side until the very end...
Does this count as being unable to share a bed in life, but destined to share a grave in death?
Wu Zhenhai laughed self-deprecatingly.
"Your subordinates," Dong Da, "We never expected that Miss Huo could escape without a trace while she was relieving herself... We searched everywhere afterward and only then realized that we had fallen for her trick of luring us away from our prey."
Mingzhu didn't go far; she remained hidden nearby until they were far away before leaving.
Unfortunately, by the time they caught up, they had already returned to the city.
Mingzhu called out to the crowd, and thus returned home safely.
Wu Zhenhai knew that things had come to this point, and there was no point in getting angry anymore; moreover, he couldn't punish the four of them when he needed their help, so he waved his hand to let them go down, and then leaned against a tree, thinking for a long time.
Inside the house, Mingzhu was also telling everyone about her experiences.
"... I felt they had no intention of hurting me, and were even careful to keep their distance. Plus, I suspected Wu Zhenhai had knocked me unconscious, so I guessed they were people sent by Wu Zhenhai."
Ren Yingying interviewed her. "Aren't you worried that he might take you back and force himself on you?"
"Isn't he one?" Mingzhu asked.
Ren Yingying suddenly felt sorry for Wu Zhenhai.
Look at the image he has in Mingzhu's mind.
Tang Zhuyun said, "Let's not talk about that. Xiu'er, tell Mingzhu about the current situation."
Ren Yingying stood up and said, "Alright, I'm not listening anymore. I'm going out for a bit."
Tang Zhuyun vaguely sensed that she was up to something again, so she asked, "Where are you going? Don't leave the manor. If you really have to go out, be sure to bring plenty of guards."