I just want to be a princess, no, you want to be a queen

Chapter 240 Completely Prepared

A cold wind blew as Chu Mingzheng walked out of the palace and rushed to Nianluo Fragrance Drink Shop. Now that Leng Lingfeng had moved in, the signboard of Nianluo Fragrance Drink Shop had been taken down and replaced with a blank one.

Lu Mingyang once asked him why he didn't just open a clinic and practice medicine to save people. He said that there were so many miserable people in the world and he couldn't save them all, so he only saved those who were destined to be saved.

When Chu Mingzheng walked in, Pei Mian and Lu Mingze had already been discussing for a long time. Pei Mian saw Chu Mingzheng and asked hurriedly, "Your Highness, what did His Majesty summon you for?"

Chu Mingzheng sat down and said with a smile, "Let me feed the horses!"

"Ah?" Pei Mian was stunned.

Lu Mingze asked, "Shanglinyuan Racecourse?"

Chu Mingzheng nodded. "The letter from the Marquis of Bei'an said that the horses in the army were too weak to catch up with the Xiongnu. Your Majesty appointed me as the Grand Stable Commander to raise horses in Shanglin Garden."

Lu Mingze said, "If the border war becomes serious, war horses are of paramount importance. The emperor asking Your Highness to raise war horses is a sign of reliance, but..."

"If I am asked to do such an important matter, it would be impossible for me to lead the troops to war." Chu Mingzheng smiled and took over Lu Mingze's words.

"What about the two of us?" Pei Mian was a little excited, but in someone's eyes, he was gloating.

"Ask His Majesty yourself!" Chu Mingzheng glared at Pei Mian angrily. He didn't necessarily want to lead the troops to war, but Jin Yiluo's swift movements made him panic.

Pei Mian was frustrated and spoke aggrievedly about what he hadn't finished talking about today. "Nearly a thousand men have disappeared on the Shuofang border, most of them blacksmiths."

Blacksmiths are mostly used to make weapons and harnesses, but such a large-scale looting is rare. Chu Mingzheng was a little confused for a moment and asked, "How is your negotiation going?"

Pei Mian said: "I think the Huns have discovered iron ore." Forging daily weapons definitely does not require so many people.

Lu Mingze said, "We think that if the Xiongnu had a large amount of iron, the first thing they would use it for would be their cavalry formations."

Chu Mingzheng thought the same. Although he had broken Jin Yiluo's formation back then, both sides suffered losses. Later, when Chengyang Marquis Lu Shao went on an expedition, he encountered Jin Yiluo's improved formation, and both sides suffered losses as well.

If you don't plan ahead, you're likely to suffer a crushing defeat.

Chu Mingzheng asked, "Eldest sister's method of breaking the formation yesterday was quite novel. What did she say?"

Pei Mian was shocked: "Didn't His Highness teach you?"

He always thought that His Highness was deliberately helping the Marquis of Chengyang in order to please the princess.

Lu Mingze said, "I told my elder sister about Jin Yiluo's formation, but she didn't use my method. My elder sister said that although Jin Yiluo's formation is powerful, it has a very obvious weakness: speed."

Yes, if Jin Yiluo's elite troops hadn't been a bit clumsy, he wouldn't have endured it until now. So, has he overcome this weakness now?

Chu Mingzheng said, "No matter how difficult it is, we must send spies to investigate and find out why the Xiongnu captured the blacksmith."

"Your Highness!" Lu Mingze reminded: "Right now, the most important thing is not what the Xiongnu think, but what the Emperor thinks."

No matter how perfect their ideas were, the decision-making power lay in the hands of the emperor. If the emperor did not approve, all their efforts would be in vain.

All three of them fell silent. The only sound between heaven and earth was the sound of Leng Lingfeng pounding the medicine. He sat in the outer room, pounding the medicine as if no one was around. After Pei Mian and Lu Mingze left, Chu Mingzheng walked over and coughed lightly.

"My medicine!"

Leng Lingfeng looked up, took out a white jade porcelain bottle from his arms, and threw it to Chu Mingzheng, instructing him: "Take one pill an incense stick in advance, and it will last for two hours."

"Thank you!" Chu Mingzheng put it in his arms awkwardly and turned away.

"Hey! I shouldn't have wronged you that day. I'm sorry." But he really couldn't understand why a girl would drink that kind of medicine. Leng Lingfeng couldn't help but ask, "Did you do anything to offend her?"

"I hope so!" That way, he would have a way to make it up to her, unlike now.

Although it was just a back view, Leng Lingfeng had never felt so pitiful for the man in front of him, but he didn't know how to comfort him. "Take the medicine slowly. Don't take it too often. It's not good for your health."

Chu Mingzheng walked back to the palace and headed straight for the main courtyard. Before turning into the main courtyard, he stopped, poured a pill from the white jade porcelain bottle, and swallowed it.

Extremely bitter.

Ruying and Rushu, who were guarding the courtyard, saw His Highness coming in and hurried to greet him. Ruying said, "Your Highness, the princess has gone to bed. Please come back another day!"

"Bed down?" Chu Mingzheng looked up at the starry sky. Yangyang rarely slept at this time of day. Could it be that he was tired from being in the barracks for so long?

Chu Mingzheng hid the disappointment in his eyes and walked around the two of them into the room. He didn't push the door open. In the past, no matter how late it was, the girl in the room would not lock the door and would even light a light for him.

"What's going on?" Chu Mingzheng looked at the two girls in confusion.

Ruying bravely said, "Your Highness, the princess has really gone to bed. She said she wants to have a good night's rest. If you come, let me apologize to you on her behalf."

Chu Mingzheng didn't give up and knocked on the door lightly: "Yangyang, I won't force you to do anything you don't like. Can you open the door?"

He didn't want to disturb her rest, but his hands subconsciously increased the strength.

Lu Mingyang, sitting on the bed with his knees hugged, looked at the shaking door and said anxiously, "Your Highness, I want to stay alone for one night. Please don't force me, okay?"

Chu Mingzheng's anger flared up at the word again, but he still tried his best to lower his voice: "What did I force you to do?"

"Brother Zheng, don't be angry."

A gentle female voice came, Qin Miao lifted her skirt and came forward, took Chu Mingzheng's arm, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear: "Sister, you must be scared. I don't know where this lunatic came from today, and he actually wanted to molest you."

"Madman?" Chu Mingzheng glanced sideways.

"Yeah, and one of her legs is missing." Qin Miao pulled Chu Mingzheng away, her face full of disgust: "Calling me sister is so affectionate, why are you calling me..."

"Girl!" The wet nurse who came running from a distance hurriedly stopped Qin Miao from speaking.

Chu Mingzheng glanced coldly at the wet nurse, turned back to look at the main courtyard with the gate closed, and asked Qin Miao: "What did he call Princess?"

"Call, shout..." Qin Miao secretly glanced at the nanny and changed her words: "Call the baby."

Chu Mingzheng then asked, "How old are you? Where is your accent from?"

Qin Miao said: "He doesn't look very old. As for where he is from, Miao'er doesn't know."

Chu Mingzheng pushed the hand on his arm away and turned to leave. Qin Miao hurriedly chased after him, "Brother Zheng, come back to the East Warm Pavilion with me, and I will tell you everything in detail."

"No need." Chu Mingzheng did not stop.

Qin Miao looked at the direction Chu Mingzheng left and stamped her feet anxiously.

The nurse came forward, supported Qin Miao, and comforted her: "Miss, you must be patient and don't reveal your true identity. If you endure for two more days, the prince will be yours alone."

"But..." Qin Miao looked towards the main courtyard, her heart beating: "I'm afraid Brother Zheng will forgive her."

"No," the nurse said firmly, "Master has made every possible preparation and will never let her turn over."