The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 423 There's a Hidden Arrangement

"What do you mean, General?"

He Wuyu smiled inscrutablely: "First, let's put on a good show of our eagerness to attack the city. After this battle is over, it will be our time to shine."

She understood that they couldn't help His Highness; all they could do was avoid hindering him.

Such waiting days are unbearable. The soldiers are all passionate people; they don't like to reap the rewards without sowing.

Either fight for morality or for credit; in short, you have to participate.

But now, He Wuyu wouldn't let them act rashly.

Therefore, she had to appease them with words and tell them not to disturb His Highness.

"How long do we have to wait?"

“It won’t be long,” He Wuyu spread out the map. “Now, we must prepare for all three possibilities.”

The first thing is that His Highness's plan succeeded, and Murong Ze and his army were wiped out. So where should we march next, and which state or prefecture should we attack?

The second option is if His Highness's plan fails, in which case they will have to confront Murong Ze directly. He is an even more troublesome person than Ding Cheng.

The third thing came from a rather strange instruction from His Highness.

In addition, different unexpected and unforeseen situations must be taken into account.

While this method cannot guarantee absolute safety, it can at least handle most unexpected situations.

It is precisely this cautious and thorough thinking style that has enabled He's army to turn defeat into victory countless times.

……

Meanwhile, Zheng Xun and Xiao Si each found their own clues.

One by one, people around me died, and each person's death lasted no more than 15 minutes.

The generals of the Brown Kingdom had not been unaware of the dangers, nor had they failed to devise any strategies, but the people lurking in the shadows were like ghosts, invisible and untraceable, impossible to grasp or touch.

Even though they gathered with many people for safety, one person still collapsed without warning.

They finally panicked.

Under intense pressure, someone finally couldn't help but slip up and give themselves away.

Outside the tent where Ding Cheng lays his body.

A young general walked through layers of guards and entered.

Unbeknownst to anyone, there were two other figures who had quietly slipped in behind them.

These two people are, of course, Zheng Xun and Xiao Si.

Zheng Xun did not turn around, but he could feel the person behind him following closely.

This fourth one is surprisingly skilled in martial arts.

She slowly increased her speed, but Xiao Si kept pace with her, maintaining the same distance from her the entire time.

Before Zheng Xun could continue probing, they had already arrived at their destination.

Maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far, Xiao Si explained the identity of the person opposite Zheng Xun in a low voice.

"His name is Ding You, and he is Ding Cheng's distant nephew. However, the two are so distant that Ding You has only ever held a low- to mid-level military officer position. On the surface, he doesn't have any great abilities, but he is cheerful and righteous, so he is very popular."

Are you sure he's that person?

The interior of the tent was extremely dark.

Zheng Xun's voice was so low that it seemed as if it would vanish with the wind if one did not listen carefully.

"That's him, no doubt about it."

At this moment, Ding You also spoke up.

"Uncle, you promised me that you would give my parents a life of wealth and luxury, but you're dead. What am I supposed to do now? Am I still supposed to fulfill your promise?"

"Your Highness, should we kill him?"

"Xiao Si, we are civilized people, not bandits."

"Does Your Highness have other plans?"

"Hmm," Zheng Xun replied casually, "Let's go."

Stepping out of the tent, Zheng Xun suddenly said, "It's too dangerous here now. Gather our men here, and I'll take you away."

"Need not……"

"No need for further explanation, you wouldn't like being blown up into the sky, would you?"

"That's definitely not the case."

"Let's go, hurry up, let's go back."

"Okay! I'll go get someone."

Watching his hurried departure, Zheng Xun suddenly smiled.

"It's a talent."

Xiao Si quickly gathered everyone in a secluded spot, where Zheng Xun was already waiting.

Xiao Si was clearly stunned for a moment when he saw her: "Your Highness... how did you find this place?"

"I can predict the future!"

Xiaosi:......

That was a completely meaningless answer.

He didn't press further, but asked curiously, "Why did Your Highness gather us here?"

"Naturally, it's because I'm just as greedy as you."

Xiao Si was confused: "What does Your Highness mean by that?"

Zheng Xun suddenly moved closer to him and drew the short sword from his waist.

Xiao Si didn't resist, still completely bewildered: "Your Highness wants my knife?"

Zheng Xun smiled and brandished his sword, the blade aimed directly at his neck.

Xiao Si paused for a moment, then suddenly retreated rapidly, leaving only a bloody mark on his neck.

Zheng Xun's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Even though her mental energy was locked onto him, he managed to break free in just a moment.

Either he has some kind of defensive means, or he is protected by the fortune of this Heavenly Dao.

Neither of these scenarios is good news for Zheng Xun.

When she first made her move, no one else had time to react, but now, in order to protect Xiao Si, they all rushed forward instantly.

Xiao Si, shielded in the middle, raised her hand to stop the others from attacking Zheng Xun: "Alright, what are you all going to do?"

Going there would be no use; he's no match for Zheng Xun.

Zheng Xun tossed the short sword in his hand and stood leisurely opposite the more than one hundred people in front of him: "Tsk tsk. What a grand scene!"

Xiao Si still looked innocent: "What is Your Highness doing? Killing someone to cover it up? This is not ethical. If this gets out, who will dare to work for Your Highness anymore?"

"Playing dumb is pointless."

Zheng Xun was somewhat absent-minded. At this moment, her mind was filled with murderous intent, and she really didn't want to listen to his nonsense.

"Is Your Highness angry because I fooled you?"

Zheng Xun gave a perfunctory reply: "Mhm, mhm, mhm."

"Unfortunately, the deception didn't last long."

Xiao Si touched the wound on his neck.

It also injured him.

Tsk, he couldn't swallow this insult: "Your Highness is quite bold, aren't you afraid you won't be able to leave alive today?"

Zheng Xun chose to answer him with actions.

She took a step forward, then suddenly accelerated.

Others tried to stop her but were frozen in place.

Zheng Xun casually pushed them aside, walked up to Xiao Si, and thrust his short sword into his heart.

This time, Xiao Si was prepared. He took a step back and said, "Your Highness's methods are useless against me."

"Murong Ze".

"Hmm? Your Highness, what are your orders?"

Zheng Xun dropped the short sword and slapped him across the face.

Murong Ze was stunned.

This slap wasn't meant to kill; it was pure insult.

After a moment's thought, he suddenly rubbed his cheeks and laughed: "This level is possible, but it just can't kill anyone."

Zheng Xun: You're a bit greasy.

She looked away with disgust, seriously suspecting that there was something wrong with this person.

However, she quickly turned her head back and carefully examined Murong Ze's features.

Murong Ze smiled and reached out to the people around him.

The person next to him understood and immediately took out a half-dry handkerchief that smelled of medicine.

Murong Ze took it and wiped it on his face.

When the handkerchief was removed, his facial features returned to normal.

Upon closer inspection, one can find a striking resemblance to Guo Jingming, yet it's difficult to connect the two faces.

The person who disguised him clearly had an extremely skillful hand.

These thoughts flashed by, but what finally lingered in Zheng Xun's mind was: How could anyone carry "makeup remover" with them?

Noticing that she was distracted, Murong Ze said with displeasure, "Your Highness is so arrogant, are you really so sure you can leave safely?"

Zheng Xun nodded: "Yes."

Murong Ze wasn't angry: "What a coincidence, I was also certain you couldn't kill me."

"You're nothing like the rumors suggest. You were supposed to be vengeful and petty, but what happened to that?"

"Rumor has it that you can predict the future, why don't you try it out?"

The two spoke calmly, showing no trace of the murderous intent that had just been brewing.

Zheng Xun raised his hand in a serious manner, making a gesture as if he were calculating.

Murong Ze looked expectant.

Suddenly, Zheng Xun raised his hand and grasped a dark arrow.

After observing for a moment, she exclaimed, "Is it poisonous?"

After saying that, she turned around and thrust the arrow at Murong Ze.

Murong Ze was prepared and nimbly dodged.

Zheng Xun flicked his wrist and plunged the arrow into the abdomen of a man next to him.

The wound was not actually fatal, but the person died quickly from the poison.

When he died, he clutched his throat, his face was bluish-purple, and he twisted and struggled to breathe.

Zheng Xun glanced at the corpse expressionlessly: "You're in a good mood right now, aren't you? So you can't worry about anything else for the time being. But you'll remember it all and get your revenge later."

Murong Ze clapped his hands: "Good! You do have some skill. But, Your Highness, how come you only figured out my identity now? Your Highness's calculations aren't without limitations, are they?"

Zheng Xun said quietly, "Yes..."

It turns out that people from Brown Country can use certain methods to deceive the system.

Indeed, this was provided by the Great Yong Dragon Vein, so it's normal that its control over the Brown Kingdom is slightly inferior.

Fortunately, she didn't completely trust the system.

Although there is currently only one exception, Murong Ze, no one knows if there will be another.

She looked at Murong Ze thoughtfully.

Why is this person an exception?

What kind of person would be an exception?

The sample size is too small to be used as a reference at this time.

She said quietly, "Are you curious about what the restrictions are?"

Why be curious about things you already know?

Zheng Xun scoffed.

Murong Ze said confidently, "It seems that Your Highness is also unaware that Ding Cheng's death was also a test."

Zheng Xun: Now I know.

While maintaining a calm demeanor, she casually launched another sneak attack.

Of course, it was unsuccessful as well.

However, her nonchalance fooled Murong Ze.

He continued, "Ding Cheng was testing what His Highness's abilities were, while I was testing how to counter His Highness's methods."

Zheng Xun never expected him to be so cooperative, telling her everything she wanted to know.

She was secretly overjoyed, but outwardly she had to maintain a calm demeanor: "So what if I know?"

Seeing the sincerity on her face, Murong Ze felt a chill run down his spine.

“What are you trying to say?” Zheng Xun stepped forward, mimicking Murong Ze’s tone. “Are you saying ‘Now, the He family army dares not advance any further outside the pass,’ or ‘It’s too late’?”

Murong Ze: These are all my lyrics!

"Or perhaps you're trying to say that there's no gunpowder down there at all, and that you're fabricating this lie to delay the He family army's attack?"

"Since you already know, why..."

Zheng Xun raised his hand: "Shh! Listen."

In the distance, an explosion was heard.

Surprisingly, Murong Ze did not become angry or embarrassed; instead, he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! What a fine Crown Princess Yuanjia! Since you knew all along, why did you cooperate with me in this charade?"

Zheng Xun said with a serious expression, "It's fun."

In fact, I only guessed it not long ago.

"What a pity, someone with your personality should have been born to be from the Brown Country."

"Stop patting yourself on the back."

Murong Ze ignored her cold words: "Actually, I'm very curious, how exactly do you know I'm not Xiao Si?"

Xiao Si is a real person.

To replace Xiao Si, he made many preparations, imitating his words, actions, habits, and even learning to think like Xiao Si.

Of course, to avoid any mistakes, he killed Xiao Si.

"Because that Dingyou had never been in contact with gunpowder at all."

Murong Ze's performance kept most people, including those inside Chongyan Pass, in the dark.

Therefore, Zheng Xun did not find anything unusual about them.

Murong Ze said with great interest, "I didn't expect that even someone as skilled as Ding You couldn't hide it from Your Highness."

Not only Ding You, but even Ding Chengdu almost couldn't keep it from her.

In fact, he had arranged for many people to be behind him, just to test when Zheng Xun would notice the abnormality.

Who knew those people wouldn't even have a chance to show up?

It seems that in the future, only those with intelligence and willpower surpassing Ding Cheng will be able to stop Zheng Xun's divination.

Among the people Murong Ze knew, there were only a handful who fit the description.

Zheng Xun knew that regardless of whether Murong Ze had any unspoken secrets, this matter ended here for today.

If she continues to probe, it will definitely arouse his suspicion.

Murong Ze was still in a state of excitement: "I lost slightly this time, but next time..."

“There won’t be a next time,” Zheng Xun said impatiently, taking a few steps back. “Your opponent won’t be me. But since we’ve fought once, I’ll give you a gift.”

Seeing that Zheng Xun was about to leave, the people surrounding her were caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to move aside or not.

They dared not give way, yet they dared not refuse.

Zheng Xun didn't care; killing these people was effortless.

It was Murong Ze who spoke up: "Let her leave."

Zheng Xun walked away at a leisurely pace.

The roaring sounds from all around continued, partly from the attack of Dayong and partly from inside Chongyan Pass.

Ding Cheng did not bury gunpowder under the city walls, but Zheng Xun, being kind-hearted, did not want Murong Ze to have made preparations for so long only to come up empty-handed.

So, she thoughtfully buried some for him—not much, but just enough to destroy a few defensive fortifications.

She returned to the He family army's camp, and Zheng Jiao quickly approached: "Are you injured?"

"Don't worry, not at all," Zheng Xun smiled and nodded to He Wuyu, who was standing next to Zheng Jiao. "General He cooperated very well this time."

She recounted what had just happened.

Zheng Jiao slammed his fist on the table: "Those really are Xiao Si and the others..."

"Sacrificed."

Zheng Jiao took a deep breath: "Murong Ze is so cunning, the upcoming battle will not be easy."

So much time has passed, and it's now a fact that they've clashed with Murong Ze's main force.

Fortunately, we broke through the first two obstacles.

"It's just facing the enemy head-on, we'll just fight."

He Wuyu stood up: "Your Highness, please go and rest first. Jiaojiao and I will go back first."

It wasn't that she didn't want to say more, but the fighting at the front was really intense.

Zheng Xun suddenly said, "After we take Chongyan Pass, no matter which direction we go, we must investigate the underground situation."

He Wuyu's brows furrowed slightly: "Your Highness means..."

"Ding Cheng and Murong Ze are not of one mind. He might... really have a plan."