"Prime Minister, it is late. You should rest."
"No hurry, there is still time." Yao Ran's smile remained unchanged as he looked down, "Did you see those two people?"
The attendants followed Yao Ran's gaze and saw two men sitting alone at a table. The man in red was exceptionally handsome. In the dead of winter, he exposed a large portion of his chest. The man in black was wrapped up tightly, wearing a half-mask that only revealed an exquisite chin, suggesting his appearance was also striking.
"Prime Minister, are these two people suspicious?"
"The man in red is not ordinary due to his appearance, but the man in black is from the military," Yao Ran said slowly. "His clothes are unremarkable, but the boots he wears are the unique cowhide boots of the military. Such footwear is sturdy and durable. Look at his hands again; the calluses on his tiger's mouth indicate he has been a swordsman for many years."
"Could they be the ones tracking us?"
"They are likely not from the same group," Yao Ran said softly. "The other individuals have had no communication with them and are quite wary of them."
"As long as they are not enemies, it's fine. We should have reached the imperial capital of Yusheng long ago, but due to obstructions along the way, we haven't been able to enter it yet."
"We are merely here to watch the show and add a little chaos, so arriving a bit earlier or later makes no difference," Yao Ran said with a smile. "Besides, the Third Princess should be meeting us soon."
"The Third Princess has exposed her identity and has yet to find what the Empress desires. If she returns now, she will likely face severe punishment."
Yao Ran merely gave a sinister smile. "What is punishment? As long as one is alive, anything is possible. But if one loses their life, then nothing remains."
"Among the princesses now, the eldest is the most outstanding. Can the eldest princess become the Imperial Daughter?"
"Mere commoners, to be called princesses is out of consideration for their contributions to Lanyue. The position of Imperial Daughter is not something commoners can simply aspire to," Yao Ran sneered. "The Imperial Daughter of Lanyue has long been decided."
The attendant looked at their master, confused. The Imperial Daughter's candidate had already been decided, how was this possible? The five princesses were all orphans adopted by His Majesty. Was the Imperial Daughter not among the five princesses, or did His Majesty have an illegitimate daughter?
"Prime Minister, does His Majesty have an illegitimate daughter outside?"
"An illegitimate daughter?" Yao Ran thought carefully. "She cannot be called an illegitimate daughter."
"If not an illegitimate daughter, then perhaps a daughter of an Imperial Consort? But the Empress has no biological children."
Yao Ran shook his head. "No, this person, you should have heard of her."
The attendant thought carefully. "Could it be the one who escaped Lanyue seventeen years ago..."
The attendant swallowed hard, as this matter was a taboo in Lanyue, and everyone believed that person was dead.
"Seventeen years have passed, it is time for me to see what level she has reached, whether she is qualified to be Lanyue's Imperial Daughter," Yao Ran said softly. "If she does not have the capability, then she deserves to die."
The attendant quickly lowered their head. Is Prime Minister going to kill that person during this trip to Yusheng? But that person has been hidden for so many years, can they be found so easily?
"Prime Minister, is this what the Empress requires?"
"What the Empress requires are the Phoenix Seal and the Military Token," Yao Ran's eyes flashed with a deep light. After so many years, these two items should return to Lanyue.
"But didn't that person take these two items away?"
Yao Ran smiled. "They will eventually return to Lanyue, it's only a matter of time... They are here."
The attendant immediately gripped their sword hilt and looked warily towards the door. At this moment, the inn's main door was pushed open, and a cold wind howled in, causing everyone's clothes to flutter.
"Quick, close the door, it's freezing!" A wine bowl was thrown towards the entrance. The waiter quickly leaped up, blocking the bowl from hitting a customer. With agile movements, he landed and rushed to the door, closing it. "Welcome, honored guest. It's cold and freezing, how about a pot of our inn's specially made 'Fire Knife' wine? One cup will warm you up."
"Alright," Xiao Zhen threw a silver ingot to the waiter. "And two more dishes to go with the wine."
"Yes, sir. Please have a seat. Wait a moment, delicious wine and food will be here soon." The waiter quickly led Xiao Zhen to a table by the side, wiped the stool with his sleeve, and invited Xiao Zhen to sit. He then hurried to the kitchen and, in a short while, served a pot of hot wine, a hot pot, along with a plate of sliced beef and a plate of peanuts, precisely consuming the silver ingot Xiao Zhen had given him.
Everyone looked at Xiao Zhen in unison. Eating hot pot at this remote inn, was he serious? They all knew that the hot pot at this wilderness inn was particularly expensive; one pot cost five taels of silver!
Xiao Zhen sat aside, quietly eating hot pot. He was waiting outside. In this freezing weather, it was better to come in and eat something warm, and by chance, to chop up that traitor!
At this moment, the door to the private room upstairs opened, and a man in brocade robes walked down and sat directly at Xiao Zhen's table.
"The hot pot, is it delicious?"
Xiao Zhen didn't even look at him, continuing to eat meat and drink wine. The 'Fire Knife' was indeed potent. After one cup, his body, which had been stiffened by the cold, had recovered.
Seeing Xiao Zhen's silence, Yao Ran's smile remained unchanged. "Waiter, add another half a pound of fresh beef for this guest."
"Alright, sir, please wait." The waiter quickly brought a plate of fresh beef slices. However, Xiao Zhen put down his chopsticks at this very moment.
The instant Xiao Zhen put down his chopsticks, a killing aura spread out.
Everyone in the main hall forgot what they were supposed to be doing. The intense killing aura made them all shiver, and they didn't even dare to turn around, for fear of losing their heads if they did.
Yao Ran remained unfazed. "We are not young anymore, yet you are still so reckless."
Xiao Zhen instantly drew his saber and slashed at the person opposite him, but the saber was intercepted by Yao Ran's attendant, failing to strike Yao Ran.
"Back then, what was it about you that attracted her?" Yao Ran sighed. "Reckless, rude, unreasonable. A person like you, no matter how you look at it, is not worthy of her."
Xiao Zhen's expression was cold and unyielding, as if nothing could shake his resolve.
"Alas," Yao Ran sighed. "Ignorant and foolish."
Xiao Zhen launched consecutive attacks, all of which were deflected by Yao Ran's attendants, making it impossible to harm Yao Ran in the slightest. On the contrary, people nearby were blown away by Xiao Zhen's killing aura, hiding in corners and watching the fight with curiosity.
However, amidst this intense killing aura, two people remained motionless from beginning to end, unaffected by the battle.
"You should have brought more people," Yao Ran said with a smile. "To kill me, you alone are far from enough. You should have brought him along."
"To kill you, I alone am enough!"
Yao Ran chuckled softly. "Seeing how eager you are to kill me, could it be that the brute failed to raise a golden phoenix? Afraid I'll chop up the chicken you raised?"