♂?，，

  Yelü Niegulu flashed out and shouted: "Yelü Xianbao! Aren't you going to kill me? Come out and talk!"

  The soldier opposite really opened up a path, and a horse "tick-tock" ran out. On the horse, a knight's figure had already appeared in everyone's eyes. Chen Yuanlong let out a breath and was about to shout "Take action!" when the knight suddenly let out a woman's cry: "Ninth Brother, is that you?"

  Chen Yuan was taken aback, and Yelü Neuluo hastily pressed down on Pang Xi, who was already prepared to jump: "Don't panic! It's one of us!"

  The sentence made the tense atmosphere in the entire team disappear instantly.

  Chen Yuan only then discovered that although it was now early winter, the clothes on his body were already drenched. The calmness and bravery from earlier had vanished without a trace, he sat down on the ground with a thud, not wanting to get up again.

  As the group of people and horses approached, everyone suddenly realized that they were wearing bright armor, and the knights on horseback looked robust one by one. From their equipment and weapons, it could be seen that these were absolutely regular soldiers of Liao State.

  The first one was a female general, holding a long spear of about one zhang in length, wearing a green headscarf, and her face could not be seen clearly.

  Hú Jìng hastily helped Chén Yuān up: "Brother Chén, are you okay?"

  Chen Yuan shook his head, trying to get up, but he couldn't steady himself. He waved his hand, wanting to tell Hu Jing that he was fine, but his chest felt like it was blocked by something and he couldn't say a word.

  "He's fine, just give him some water." The female knight said. After hearing this, Hu Jing immediately took the water bag and put it to Chen Yuan's mouth. After a few sips, the suffocating feeling in his chest disappeared. Chen Yuan adjusted his breathing and finally felt comfortable again.

  " Ninth brother, are you injured?" The female knight was very concerned about Yelü Niegulu's injury.

  Yelü Deguang shook his head, indicating he was unharmed: "How did you know I was here?"

  The female knight looked at his face and finally smiled: "It's okay, it was the emperor who let me come to pick him up. He knew that Yelü Renxian would be in a difficult situation, so he let me bring the guards to hurry over quickly. On the way, I met a merchant group, they told me that some people escaped along the river, and I chased them along the river, fortunately, I caught up with him."

  She said, taking off the hood on her head, a cascade of black hair fell down, and the torchlight shone on her face. Chen Yuan saw a delicate melon-shaped face, looking like a 16 or 17-year-old girl, with big eyes sparkling with spirit, and an open-minded expression that showed the bold beauty of a northern woman.

  Yelü Nieru said: "These are a few of my friends whom I met on the road. If it weren't for their help, I would have died long ago."

  He said as much and specially turned his head to introduce Chen Yuan: "Brother Chen, this is my imperial sister, also the current princess of Liao."

  Chen Yuan suddenly jumped up from the ground and ran a few steps forward, excitedly stretching out both hands: "Oh? Princess? Nice to meet you!"

  Just as Chen Yuan was approaching the princess, two long spears suddenly appeared from the side, blocking his path. Two burly men with thick waists glared at him fiercely, their expressions clearly indicating that if Chen Yuan took one more step forward, they would immediately attack and kill him.

  Chen Yuan was startled awake by the two long guns, and only then did he realize that his greeting ceremony seemed to have been a bit premature. He coughed once, wiped away the wolf-like expression on his face, bent at a 90-degree angle: "Your humble servant Chen Shimei has seen Your Highness!"

  It's clear that Chen Yuan's actions just now have made the princess quite disdainful of him, so she ignored him and walked straight to Yelü Niegulu: "Ninth brother, I received news from the military camp two days ago, saying that Wén Tóng and Song Jun conspired to kill three thousand soldiers under Xiao Kui's command. Is this true?"

  Yelü Niegulu nodded: "Yes, if I didn't do this, I would be dead by now."

  The princess's voice was a little uneasy: "It's really so, I'm afraid it will be some trouble when we go back."

  Yelü Niegulu smiled: "Going back is a bit of trouble, but it's better to go back strong. Don't worry, I have a way to solve it."

  The princess nodded: "When I came, Yelü Renshi and others had already forced the emperor to establish Hongji as the crown prince."

  Yelü Nügu said coldly: "Don't be in a hurry, right, they want to establish Hongji as the crown prince, what did the imperial uncle say? What did Hongji himself say?"

  The princess shook her head: "Father Emperor disagreed, Hongji won't do. After hearing that those people wanted to make him the crown prince, he was so scared that he hid in the palace for several months and didn't dare come out."

  Yelü Niegulu sighed: "He is just too weak, I really didn't expect that the majestic Emperor Taizong would have a son like Hongji who lacks masculinity."

  The princess smiled and said: "If my brother had a man's demeanor, how would Father Emperor let him sit on the throne?"

  Yelü Nangong's words went straight to the heart, and for a moment he couldn't find an answer. It was the princess who spoke up straightforwardly: "Ninth brother, we are all our own people, growing up together since childhood, always taking care of me and Hongji. I believe that even when you become emperor, you won't mistreat us."

  Yelü Nu'er hastily nodded: "The Emperor Father trusts me so much, and the Princess also supports me strongly. If I were to forget these things, what face would I have to live in this world? Don't worry, when I become the Emperor, you can tell me whatever you want!"

  The princess's expression was somewhat dazed: "Ninth brother, taking care of Hong Ji is enough. I might be leaving."

  Yelü Deguang looked at her: "Oh? What's with this talk?"

  The princess's mouth corners rose with a hint of sorrowful smile: "The Tanguts have sent an envoy to negotiate with Father Emperor, and Father Emperor has agreed to marry me off to Li Yuanhao in order to buy time for the Great Liao to reform and to let the Great Song and the Tanguts fight each other. Once the negotiations are over, I will follow the Tanguts to Western Xia, and may never see Ninth Brother again in this lifetime."

  Yelü Deguang's eyes suddenly turned abnormally terrifying, staring at the princess's face for a long time before returning to normal.

  Chen Yuan couldn't help but feel a deep sense of regret when he heard this. In his imagination, people like Li Yuanhao who relied on their martial arts to establish their dominance were mostly bold and unrestrained. But thinking that the beautiful princess in front of him would actually be oppressed by that beast-like man made it all seem so worthless.

  A woman as beautiful as you should be cherished and protected by her own man!

  "Cough, cough!" A deliberate coughing sound came from behind, Chen Yuan turned his head to look back, and Hu Jing's face had already turned unpleasant.

  Chen Yuan didn't bother with her. In Chen Yuan's opinion, a big tree can provide shade no matter how much, but it wouldn't abandon the entire forest for her sake.

  Besides, just because of Di Qing, I'm not allowed to see the princess?

  "Cough! Cough!" The voice grew a bit louder, Chen Yuan thought for a moment and decided to go back and comfort her. So he turned around and ran towards Hu Jing: "What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?"

  Hu Jing's face was as ugly as Chen Yuan's when he said in the military camp: "I thought I really couldn't get up, how did they run faster than me after just taking off their headgear?"

  Chen Yuan smiled and said, "Just a greeting, after all, this is the most basic courtesy."

  Hu Jing smiled coldly: "Why don't I see Pang Xi going over there to show them some courtesy?"

  Chen Yuan deliberately put on a somewhat annoyed expression: "Don't be unreasonable, okay? I'm the boss, why should I go and let Pang Xi go instead? Alright, she's a princess, about to marry that Li Yuanhao soon. Even if I had any ideas, it would only be possible to take a glance or two, don't get angry."

  Hú Jìng thought for a moment and suddenly felt a bit calmer in her heart.

  On the other side, Yelü Niwulu quietly pointed at Chen Yuan and said to the princess: "This man is excellent in talent and intelligence. If he can be used by me, there's no fear that great things won't be accomplished. Be polite to him on the way, Imperial Sister."

  The princess looked at Chen Yuan and whispered: "If Ninth Brother takes a liking to him, he will order him to help."

  Yelü Niegulu smiled: "Is it that easy? I tell the imperial sister, those who come to ask for official positions are all mediocre talents. Some truly useful people don't care about being officials or not, so we need to think of ways to find them out."

  The princess giggled: "No wonder Father Emperor values Imperial Brother so much, little sister has learned a lesson."

  At this point, Yelü Nüwulu suddenly raised his voice and said: "Brother Chen, why did you run over there? We still have some things to discuss."

  Chen Yuan patted Hu Jing's hand: "I'll go over there for a moment, don't make any more trouble, did you hear?"

  Hu Jing reluctantly nodded.

  Chen Yuanchao ran to Yelü Niegulu and said: "I thought you were going to discuss some confidential matters, so I'll withdraw first."

  Yelü Nierong smiled lightly: "Brother Chen, it's nothing to worry about. This is a well-known fact in the Great Liao and won't stir up any trouble."

  It's not true to say that it's not interesting, and knowing more about Liao Guo can be very helpful for this mission. Who knows, one piece of information might make things much simpler.

  Yelü Nu said: "Our Great Liao has now entered a critical moment, the Emperor is eager to learn from the Song Dynasty, improve our governance and economy, this is a wise move. Only Yelü Renxian and those corrupt elements are still waving the banner of following the legacy of their ancestors, hoping that we continue to live in the old way."

  Chen Yuan immediately said: "Throughout history, every reform has been paved with blood. The struggle between those who want to reform and those who want to maintain the status quo is bound to be cruel."

  "Yes, Brother Chen is right. This time when I return, the Emperor will be ready to lay his cards on the table with those people. It seems that as you said, someone will have to bleed dry."

  The princess looked at Chen Yuan and said, "Actually, a month ago, Father had already made a hint. He issued a decree allowing Khitan people to marry Han people, and the children after marriage belonged to the Khitan people. Our surname is no longer simply using the Xiao surname left by our ancestors, and Yelü. However, Yelü Renshi and others pretended to obey but actually disobeyed Father's orders."

  From their conversation, Chen Yuan learned something very important: the struggle in the imperial court of Liao was not inferior to that of Song, but rather more intense. Because their emperors were all involved in it.

  The envoy of the Tanguts has arrived in Yanjing, have Song Qi and the others arrived?

  This Chen Yuan did not know, and neither did the princess. At least when she left, the Song Dynasty's envoy had not yet arrived.

  From this point on, it can be seen that in the intelligence work, those gentlemen led by Xia Yu are far from doing as well as Lü Yi Jian, a small person.

  Diplomacy is also a battlefield, and in this competition, the Song Dynasty has already lost at the starting line.

  But can he complete the task given by Lü Yi Jian?

  Chen Yuan didn't know that now he was very clear, there was still a large group of horse thieves tracking his trail, and whether he could make it to Yanjing alive was a problem.

  Of course, the princess brought these elite Liao troops with her, giving them some chips in their hands. The game can continue to be played.

  Yelü Nu'er looked at Chen Yuan and asked: "Brother Chen, what do you think of our emperor's reforms?"

  This is an approach similar to that of Emperor Wen of Wei, and for the minority ethnic groups invading the Han Chinese, it is indeed a more suitable path. Moreover, those Song people who resisted more resolutely had already been killed by the Liao people.

  Chen Yuan nodded and said, "Indeed very wise, if successful, the situation in Liao State will change immediately. However, Ninth Prince, we are still facing a dangerous situation now, whether we can return to complete our mission, whether I can make my deal, it's really uncertain. I think we should think about how to cope with the current difficulties."

  Yelü Nügu said in agreement, "Yes, Brother Chen is right. Princess, from now on we must work closely with Brother Chen. Only by uniting our efforts can we overcome this difficulty."

  The princess's eyes gazed at Chen Yuan for the first time, and Chen Yuan found her eyes to be enchanting, with a hint of determination, a hint of strength, and the gentle beauty of a woman. In that gentle lowering of her head, Chen Yuan also saw a touch of sadness.

  （）

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