"What, she's missing?"
Chu Chen was almost driven mad.
"How is this possible? What were your Embroidered Uniform Guard doing?"
Chu Chen had been feeling a prickle of unease for the past two days, and now he finally understood why.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, Princess Liu asked us to keep our distance. We spread out to guard her, and then a group of people came and rescued Princess Liu."
"There were dozens of them, and each one was a formidable cultivator."
"They were well-coordinated, rescued Princess Liu, and headed north."
Chu Chen's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What, heading north?"
Chu Chen's expression shifted slightly. At this time, Li Mengdie heading north, her intentions were obvious.
Was she also going to get involved?
Chu Chen clenched his fists. If she came, many things would change.
He had let Li Mengdie go once before. Was he going to let her go a second time?
She was clearly after the throne. How could Li Xinyue not know?
He didn't even have the mood to pursue the Embroidered Uniform Guard's responsibility now, only lamenting that their capabilities had their limits.
They were all drawn by the system, their loyalty was certainly sufficient.
Chu Chen imagined Li Mengdie making a comeback, and it made him feel nauseous.
Li Mengdie really didn't make things easy for him. He had planned to go see her after dealing with the matters in Shuangyue City, but she had run off.
"By the way, do you know who those people were who rescued her?"
Chu Chen looked at the Embroidered Uniform Guard, suddenly regaining some spirit.
"Reporting to Prime Minister, I don't know. Those people were wearing yellow-green camouflage uniforms and crawled on the ground. They caught us completely off guard."
"Five people drew our attention, so we didn't see the people on the ground at all. In the end, Princess Liu was rescued."
Chu Chen sighed, pondering where these people might have come from.
After much thought, he couldn't come up with any leads. He decided to go find Li Xinyue.
He had initially wanted to bring the Old God of War along, but upon arriving, he heard the Old God of War seemed to be having a good time and didn't want to disturb him.
Furthermore, he was going to the palace, and the journey would be relatively safe, so he didn't call for him and went directly to the warm pavilion.
At this moment, Li Xinyue was discussing state affairs with some ministers. Seeing Chu Chen arrive, she waved her hand, asking the ministers to return and discuss further.
After the ministers bowed to Chu Chen and left, Li Xinyue put down the memorial in her hand.
"Chu Chen, why are you here?"
Chu Chen glanced in the direction the ministers had left and said with a wry smile, "Regent, there is an important matter to report to the Regent."
Li Xinyue nodded. Seeing Chu Chen's hesitant demeanor, she couldn't help but be curious.
"What is it that makes you so hesitant? Tell me."
Chu Chen thought for a moment before saying, "It's about Princess Liu."
Upon hearing this, Li Xinyue immediately became tense. "How is Mengdie? Is she alright?"
Chu Chen said with a wry smile, "Regent, Princess Liu is very well. My Embroidered Uniform Guard had located her and was about to make a move, but she was rescued by a group of people."
Hearing this, Li Xinyue was stunned. "Weren't her subordinates captured by you earlier? Why would someone appear to rescue her?"
Chu Chen sighed, "Your Highness, this is what worries me. If it were just her, I wouldn't be so concerned."
"But if she has help, the situation becomes much more serious. I worry that someone is colluding with her to disrupt the Yunyue Kingdom, or even to launch a coordinated attack to capture Shuangyue City."
Li Xinyue couldn't help but laugh.
"Surely not. We've won the battle, and the Empress Dowager has returned. What could she achieve even if she took Shuangyue City? Would she depose the Empress Dowager and make her a retired empress? Her strength doesn't allow for that."
Chu Chen scoffed, "Your Highness, you are right, but Li Mengdie doesn't know that. She might think we suffered a defeat and that the Empress is in trouble, so she sees an opportunity."
Li Xinyue nodded calmly and smiled, "I didn't expect our feint to draw Mengdie here. But she won't escape this time. Chu Chen, you must capture her, but do not harm her."
Chu Chen couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile. "Regent, you want to keep her, but not harm her. How can it be that easy?"
"You know Li Mengdie's personality. How could she possibly allow me to control her?"
"Her resistance might be very fierce, and things will become very troublesome."
Chu Chen was already regretting setting up this diversion. Li Mengdie had been locked up nicely, but now that she was released, she was another unstable factor.
Li Xinyue nodded, a little helplessly. "In short, everything is entrusted to you. By the way, what are your plans? Tell me."
Chu Chen thought for a moment and said, "I think we should keep a close eye on the generals and soldiers within the city, especially those in key positions. When they make their move, we can go with the flow, lure the enemy into a trap, and resolve the issue once and for all."
Li Xinyue looked at Chu Chen's confident demeanor, and felt a little relieved.
"Since you have made preparations, I will not say more. Be careful with everything."
Chu Chen smiled slightly. "If Li Mengdie gets hurt in the process, I hope you won't blame me."
Li Xinyue quickly shook her head and smiled. "How could I blame you?"
"Matters on the battlefield are often troublesome. You have already done enough by protecting the Yunyue Kingdom from foreign invasion and protecting me."
Chu Chen sighed. "Alright, I came to give you a heads-up. Of course, I might be overthinking it. Perhaps Li Mengdie wants to go to Zhao Kingdom in the north, or even to the Xiongnu."
"But we must be prepared, otherwise, if a major crisis occurs, the Empress will certainly not want to see this happen."
Speaking of which, Chu Chen suddenly remembered that he hadn't informed the Empress about this matter yet. He immediately got up and said, "Xinyue, I need to report this to Her Majesty. I can't delay any longer, so I'll be going now."
Li Xinyue nodded and watched Chu Chen leave, a sense of emotion washing over her.
Second sister, why must you go through all this trouble? Can't you come back and live peacefully with us?
The Empress Dowager would certainly not harm you. At worst, you could live a normal life. With everyone's support, would your life be worse than before?
Meanwhile, in a carriage continuously traveling towards Shuangyue City, a figure who looked like an ordinary young lady from a wealthy family was seated inside.
A moment later, this figure lifted the curtain, a smug smile appearing on her face as she looked at the scenery outside the window.