Great, it's just a lackey, we're saved!

On the eve of Chapter 269!

Inside the main hall, the officials of the Prince's Palace discussed for a while before dispersing.

Huo Shan was the last to leave, and it's unclear what he was thinking about before he departed.

He turned to the two princes and said, "You two princes have lived in Ningzhou and Jiaozhou for more than ten years. We have always kept to ourselves and never interfered with each other."

"Now that the Crown Princess has arrived and the steward has died tragically, the Prince's mansion is temporarily without anyone to manage it, but that does not mean that the two of you can do whatever you want."

"Do the two princes understand what I am saying?"

Nie Wang lowered his head, staring at the surface of his shoes, and did not reply.

Only the eldest prince said in a low voice, "These two states have never been places where Prince Nie and I can do whatever we want. Minister Huo's words overestimate us two brothers."

Huo Shan was met with a rebuff and felt somewhat annoyed.

However, since Jiang Yueli was still in the Prince's mansion, he had no choice but to swallow his insults.

Despite seeing the two people in front of him bowing their heads and behaving obediently, Huo Shan still felt uneasy.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Your Highnesses, over the years, I have helped the steward manage the affairs of the Prince's Mansion, and I have been quite polite to you both."

"The Crown Princess is the heir apparent and will eventually return to the capital. In the end, we will still be in charge of Ningzhou and Jiaozhou."

"If you behave yourselves, we can all live in peace after the Crown Princess leaves. After all, the Crown Princess isn't your own sister. Even if she knew something, why would she risk her life?"

The second prince looked up at Huo Shan, but Huo Shan was not afraid.

"Please don't think I'm being harsh. She is the Crown Princess, while you are princes whom His Majesty has rejected. There is a world of difference in your status."

"To some extent, Her Highness the Crown Princess has to be wary of you, lest you return to the capital and compete with her for the position of Crown Prince."

After Huo Shan finished speaking, he ignored their reactions and turned to leave the main hall.

After he left, the Second Prince said, "Brother, don't listen to his provocations. Yue Li is not that kind of person."

The eldest prince nodded: "I know."

.........

After Zhou Wei returned to the courtyard where the Princess was staying and recounted what she had seen, Tan Lin thought of the old man at the post station.

"This person must have extremely high cultivation."

The young monk Zhu Qi had already entered the Celestial Realm. Even he could only sense that the other party was a cultivator, but he could not perceive the extent of the other party's cultivation.

This indicates that Elder Xun's cultivation level is above Zhu Qi's, and he has probably already reached the peak of the Celestial Realm.

Zhou Wei asked Tan Lin, "Mr. Tan, what is your current cultivation level?"

Tan Lin said somewhat embarrassedly, "Zhou Dianjun, our Zhengshan Academy focuses on scholarship, while cultivation is secondary. I am currently only at the Grandmaster level."

Zhou Wei wasn't disappointed. Tan Lin wasn't useful for cultivation level; she just wanted to see the overall strength of her side.

Currently, the highest cultivation level belongs to Zhu Qi, who is at the Celestial Realm, followed by Tan Lin, who is at the Grandmaster Realm, then the Eldest Princess and Zhou Wei, all at the peak of the fifth rank. Jiang Zao can be ignored, as this child has no cultivation level.

As for Shen Shuqing and Wan Qianliang, Zhou Wei didn't even consider them.

Given their personalities, they'd definitely run away with their buckets at the crucial moment.

Of course, judging solely by their apparent strength, Zhou Wei and her team are at a disadvantage.

If Elder Xun's cultivation surpasses Zhu Qi's, then even if all of them combined, they wouldn't be able to defeat him.

Fortunately, Zhou Wei had a cheat code: her Tathagata Palm, Golden Right Kick, which ignored cultivation level, her defense was maxed out, and her movement was ghostly.

These skills are good for humiliating people, but it would be difficult to actually kill a Celestial Realm expert.

"Princess, is Zhu Qi likely to return on time?" Tan Lin asked.

"Trust those you employ, and don't employ those you don't trust," the princess said firmly. "Zhu Qi's cultivation has already reached the Celestial Realm. I'm afraid that Manyi's men won't be able to keep up with Zhu Qi's pace."

Everyone fell silent for a moment, knowing that a tough battle was about to begin the day after tomorrow.

Within the territory of Ningzhou Prefecture, there are tens of thousands of troops under the control of the Prince's Palace, but the Princess is confident that these men are no match for the soldiers under Man Yi's command.

If the soldiers of Nanguang Pass can arrive in Ningzhou Prefecture on time, the officials of the Prince's Palace have nothing to fear.

However, we need to be cautious about this sudden appearance of Elder Xun.

The eldest princess meant that this person must be killed!

"Old Xun guards the only road in and out of Ningzhou Prefecture, and his house is full of spoils of war. It's clear how many people he's killed over the years!" Zhou Wei said.

The eldest princess nodded, her tone somewhat heavy: "My two elder brothers are by no means mediocre. I believe their ambition has been gradually worn down."

"The spoils of war in Elder Xun's house are all testaments to my two elder brothers' resistance over the years. It's just a pity that no matter how powerful they are, they can't contend with a Celestial Realm expert."

The princess's words gave everyone a better understanding of the two princes.

As a prince, even if he is disliked by the emperor and sent to a fiefdom, his status is still noble. How can he tolerate being enslaved by others?

The two princes must have made many efforts for this over the years.

Unfortunately, it was Elder Xun who guarded Ningzhou Prefecture.

Even in a blessed land, a Celestial Realm expert is an existence that cannot be ignored.

In the end, after more than a decade of trials and tribulations, the two princes finally resigned themselves to their fate!

The next day, the Prince's mansion was unusually quiet.

No one entered or left the small courtyard where the eldest princess and others were staying all day.

Neither of the two princes sent anyone to inquire.

The officials of the Prince's Palace went to work as usual, acting as if nothing had happened in the main hall yesterday.

Beneath the calm surface, however, an undercurrent was brewing.

It makes those in the situation feel inexplicably irritable.

Inside the Prince's mansion, from officials to servants, mistakes were made one after another throughout the day.

Everyone held back their anger and didn't lose their temper. When mistakes were made, they just silently buried themselves in cleaning up the mess.

Everyone felt that the atmosphere inside the Prince's mansion was oppressive, but no one could explain why.

As night fell, the eldest princess stood on the pavilion of the palace and looked out over the entire Ningzhou Prefecture.

Although there was no curfew in the city, the people of Ningzhou were poor, and only a few candles flickered in the city.

The streets were completely silent and deserted!

Under the cover of night, the entire Ningzhou Prefecture was desolate and ghostly.

It is now the early morning of the third day, but Zhu Qi still has not returned.

The eldest princess issued a military order to the Nan Guang army.

If the Nan Guang army does not appear before sunrise today, then the head of the garrison commander Man Yi will be on the chopping block.

Zhou Wei came up with a cloak and draped it over the princess.

“Princess, it’s getting chilly at night, you should go back first! Don’t worry about Zhu Qi, his cultivation is profound, even if you encounter trouble on the road, no one else will be his match.”

The eldest princess nodded, "I am not worried about the little monk, but if the Nan Guang army cannot arrive in Ningzhou on time, the matter in these two prefectures cannot be resolved quickly."

"The thought of my two elder brothers being humiliated for more than ten years makes me want to kill everyone in the Prince's mansion right now!"

Zhou Wei patted the princess's back reassuringly: "It won't be long. Not only are we impatient, but others are too."

As soon as Zhou Wei finished speaking, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the quiet street.

Like millions of troops marching forward in perfect formation!

Upon closer inspection, however, there was no large army on the street; only a thin, hunched figure strode forward.

Zhou Wei narrowed her eyes and said in a deep voice, "They're here!"