Chapter 69: Chapter 69
She looked at Ruan Mian, filled with gratitude.
"Young lady, you are our savior, I..."
"Not a savior, just something that happened in passing. The Xuanjia’s actions involve court struggles, which are not simple. The priority is for you to stay alive; as long as you’re alive, there will be more opportunities."
"Those villains will get their due retribution, and what’s more, the Prime Minister is already investigating the border issue, your situation will surely be brought to the court’s attention."
Back when Ding Cheng was embezzling military funds, she had Guard Liu deliver many corrupt officials’ account books to Xie Huai’an, hoping they could follow the trail of the embezzled military funds to uncover the Rongcheng Army’s current plight.
But Ah Jing said, "Hasn’t Prime Minister Xie Huai’an already been dismissed?"
Hearing this, Ruan Mian was taken aback: "Dismissed? When did this happen?"
"A month ago, as I heard from General Liang, but I don’t know more specifics."
A month ago? Based on this, they would have been in Changping City just then.
So did Guard Liu manage to deliver those items to Xie Huai’an?
For a moment, Ruan Mian was perplexed.
The original book didn’t have Xie Huai’an being dismissed; could it be her appearance that caused the plot change?
Lost in thought, Ah Jing asked her: "Are you acquainted with Mr. Xie?"
Ruan Mian regained her composure and said calmly, "We’ve had a few interactions, but now I’m an exiled prisoner, matters of the Capital City are no concern of mine anymore."
The immediate priority is to reunite with the family and ensure their safety is the most pressing matter.
At this moment, the Ruan Family, brought to safety, were anxious.
Ruan Mian had been away for a while, and they hadn’t seen her, making Ruan Qingsong restless and determined to go out searching for her, regardless of others’ attempts to stop him.
Just as he reached the cave entrance, he suddenly saw Ruan Mian’s figure, and immediately, he became emotional, pulling her over and giving her a once-over.
"Mian’er! How are you?"
Seeing her in shabby clothes made him even more worried.
"Brother, don’t worry, it was to avoid being chased. Now we are safe."
Those people before, no doubt, have been driven away by Little Tiger.
The Xuanjia Army camp is now a mess, having no time to care about this place.
All their camp’s food supplies, money, and battle gear have been taken by her.
They must be anxious, so they need to take advantage of this time to quickly move to a safer area.
The government officers quickly counted heads, and in the pause of rest, Ruan Mian lay quietly in the corner for a while.
She touched the Jade Bracelet, entered the space to check the grain in the warehouse but unexpectedly saw the large White Tiger running towards her, mewling.
It was like a complaining big cat, nudging its head, lifting its chin as if boasting and begging for praise.
It could autonomously enter the space, could it have truly become a Space Spirit Beast?
Ruan Mian curiously patted its head, then heard Rui calling her.
"Aunt, Aunt, we are leaving."
Ruan Mian opened her eyes, leaving the space, seeing Rui staring admiringly at her with round eyes.
"I just knew Aunt would come back safely. Aunt, you’re amazing!"
Ruan Mian pinched his chubby cheek, picking him up and walking to the family.
At that moment, Mu Su had also organized everything, and after saying goodbye to Ruan Mian, they planned to head to their initial camp to meet Pan Chen.
Ruan Mian’s group had to return the way they came, to take the correct route towards Zhuangzhou Mountain Pass.
Otherwise, privately changing routes, the government officers would have no way to account to the court.
In this incident, a few of the group were casualties, and Qi Nanfeng was missing.
This made the Liu Family anxious, kneeling before the officers and continuously kowtowing.
"Lord, my son has not returned yet! I don’t know where he has escaped to hide, he wouldn’t leave his mother behind, I beg you to search more for him."
The officers were too exhausted, knowing they’ve already delayed too long, if Qi Nanfeng doesn’t return on his own, it will be treated as though he’s dead.
After two consecutive terrifying nights, the group was exhausted and no one was causing trouble anymore.
They returned to the previous valley and the officers found the correct route again to follow.
At this point, the snow has stopped; the weather has been quite good in recent days, meaning high visibility, preventing them from losing direction in the mountains like before.
Once past Zhuangzhou Mountain Pass, reaching Wuheng was close by, and the road was flat and easy, unlike before.
But for Ru Ning City, Ruan Mian felt a strange unease, as though the Fifth Princess would target Xie Huai’an there.
But Ah Jing said Xie Huai’an had been dismissed; so where is he now?
Also, why would he go to Ru Ning?
She still didn’t know.
On the other hand, the journey was made easier by their intercepted grain and good weather, so the family didn’t struggle as much.
Over at the Uncle’s Mansion, both the old lady and Li Mao were gone, leaving Mrs. Wang in charge as the matriarch of the family.
So the journey went smoothly. Googlᴇ search NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Until they came to a certain road and saw a man lying across the middle.
He weakly lifted his head, imploring the officers: "Lord, Lord..."
This sharp voice nearly made the officer fail to recognize him.
Upon careful inspection, they found it was Qi Nanfeng, who had been missing for days.
They thought he had died on the cliff with Li Mao!
But unexpectedly, he was alive.
Upon hearing it was Qi Nanfeng, others were puzzled and surprised, but Ruan Mian was not.
After all, he said he was the Fifth Princess’s lover, and if there was action, the Fifth Princess would handle it personally.
He was kept alive for some greater use, so it wasn’t surprising he was sent here.
This was, after all, the route to Wuheng.
Seeing her son alive, the Liu Family rushed over to care for him, but after a few days, Qi Nanfeng seemed to have changed.
Thinner, his face devoid of energy, seemingly tortured for a long time.
His body seemed like it could fall with a breeze, even his voice had changed.
The Liu Family were shocked: "My son, your voice... Why has it become ?"
Qi Nanfeng was filled with anger, wanting to end Ruan Mian with a swipe.
If not for her, how would he end up in the hands of that perverted woman Ashi!
Her concoctions were not for the ordinary palate!!
There were some things he found hard to speak of.
Ruan Mian, meanwhile, leisurely sat on the wagon, looking unfazed.
The officers saw an opportunity, so they had the group stop, to search nearby woods for something to eat.
With the better weather, small animals were coming out of their holes, increasing the chance of catching rabbits.
Today, the officers had another surprise, spotting a wild boar.
Fortunately, Shaoxi was there, her precise archery hitting the mark every time.