Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1302 The Golden Cicada Sheds Its Shell

Miao Changfeng and Feng Li turned their gazes back to Lin Feng, implying that Miao Yong was right and there was nothing wrong with what he said.

Lin Feng picked up a side dish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, then leaned closer to Miao Changfeng.

"Your Excellency, have you ever heard of the cicada shedding its shell?"

Miao Changfeng squinted at Lin Feng, then his eyes suddenly lit up.

Feng Li was quick-witted, and upon hearing this, he immediately lowered his voice nervously.

"My lord, this is a crime of deceiving the emperor."

Lin Feng scoffed, "Nonsense! The Emperor's decree is for you to arrive in Fu'an Prefecture on time to negotiate with the pirates, but you're instead spending your time sightseeing with the princess."

"But what about the princess..."

"Your Highness is a spoiled child. If you let her have her way, we will face a crisis. Once the pirates launch another war, that will be our death day."

Feng Li's face flushed red: "Mu Chuan, how dare you speak ill of Her Highness the Princess..."

Lin Feng looked at Feng Li: "Lord Feng, have you ever considered why Her Highness the Princess is so frail?"

Feng Li stammered, "Your Highness is of noble birth; how could you endure the arduous journey?"

Lin Feng sneered: "The carriages are the most luxurious and comfortable. The caravan has only traveled less than fifty li, and you're already asking to set up camp in broad daylight? Is that reasonable?"

Miao Changfeng frowned and asked, "Mu Chuan, you mean...?"

Lin Feng nodded and smiled, "Yes, Your Excellency, the princess is not willing to marry a pirate."

Feng Li immediately jumped up: "How dare you, how dare you, Mu Chuan! How dare you speak ill of Her Highness the Princess! I...I..."

Lin Feng simply ignored him. Such a pedantic official was fine within the palace, but if he were to go out and carry out a mission independently, he would be utterly worthless.

Miao Changfeng suddenly poured a glass of wine into his mouth, wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth with his hand, and looked up at the sky.

"As expected, you lived up to my expectations, Muchuan, well done."

It wasn't that Miao Yong and Feng Li were at a loss; their minds had been imprisoned by imperial power, and they dared not even consider such a strategy.

Even if they could tell that the princess was deliberately stalling for time, they wouldn't dare to deceive her about it, as that would be a grave offense.

Even Miao Changfeng never considered the possibility that the act was a deception of imperial authority.

His heart was filled with his own fantasies: to regain Zhao Zheng's trust, return to the position he deserved as prime minister, and return to the center of power in the Dazheng Dynasty.

Feng Li said urgently, "Prime Minister, this method is absolutely unacceptable. If Her Highness the Princess finds out, we'll be in serious trouble..."

Lin Feng interrupted him: "How could Her Highness know?"

Miao Yong couldn't help but ask, "What if the princess wants to see the prime minister after such a long journey?"

How about pretending to be sick?

Lin Feng chewed the vegetables in his mouth and replied casually.

"What if Her Highness insists on seeing me?"

In order to oppose Lin Feng's plan, Feng Li began to argue.

Lin Feng waved his hand: "You can think about the consequences yourself."

The three of them fell silent, pondering the consequences of carrying out this plan.

After a while.

Miao Changfeng smiled and nodded repeatedly at Lin Feng, his eyes full of appreciation.

Feng Li and Miao Yong remained silent with their heads down.

"Muchuan, you can answer their questions."

Miao Changfeng's mood began to improve.

Lin Feng continued eating and drinking, only speaking occasionally.

"Even if Her Highness the Princess discovers that the Prime Minister is not here, can she disobey the Emperor's decree and turn back?"

Feng Li frowned: "The princess will naturally not turn back, but she can file a complaint against the prime minister."

"But by then, the Prime Minister had already reached an agreement with the pirates, and the situation was irreversible. Would the Emperor be angered by such trivial matters?"

Miao Changfeng laughed and said, "Well, there may be a reprimand, but it's no longer important."

Seeing the Prime Minister's attitude, Feng Li felt somewhat desperate. In his heart, this matter was too outrageous, how could he dare to deceive the Princess?

This is a heinous crime against the heavens.

After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Feng strolled back to his campsite.

He didn't want to waste too much time with Miao Changfeng; he had many things to do and couldn't afford to waste his time here indefinitely.

If there is enough time, we can simply watch them fight it out, delaying the trip and ultimately causing the peace talks to fail.

However, the pirates also urgently needed to unite with the Taisho government, because they had no other choice.

He ruined Miao Changfeng's peace talks simply because it delayed his schedule; the Taisho Dynasty and the pirates would arrange another peace talks.

Therefore, Lin Feng decided to go to Fu'an Prefecture with Miao Changfeng as soon as possible to sabotage the peace talks between the two sides, and to do so thoroughly, in a way that would make it impossible for either side to salvage the situation.

The next day, Miao Changfeng went to see the princess again and presented the imperial edict to prove that the emperor had set a deadline.

He then repeatedly assured that he, Miao Changfeng, would resolutely accompany the princess, but would send Inspector Feng Li with eight hundred cavalry as the vanguard to Fu'an Prefecture to negotiate peace with the pirates.

This time, the princess didn't insist. She only wanted Miao Changfeng in the group and didn't care about how to negotiate with the pirates.

Miao Changfeng brought the gifts with him and left Miao Yong behind because he was afraid the gifts would ruin his important plans.

Although this fellow is somewhat intelligent, he is extremely pedantic and fears imperial power from the bottom of his heart. If I am not around, he will definitely run to the princess to report on me.

We've only just left Kyoto, less than two hundred miles away. If the princess gets carried away with her princess syndrome, she could very well turn back to the capital.

His plans once again fell through.

The marriage alliance with the pirates was an important part of this peace talks. Without the Taisho princess marrying the pirates, they would not have been sure of the Taisho Dynasty's sincerity.

Finally, Miao Changfeng changed into a suit of armor, mounted his horse and followed the eight hundred cavalrymen. In high spirits, he galloped away, full of vigor and ambition.

It's as if they've forgotten that the road ahead is still difficult and fraught with danger.

Without the princess's hindrance, the eight hundred warhorses moved at breakneck speed, covering nearly three hundred miles in just one day. If it weren't for waiting for the cultivators' carriages behind them, Miao Changfeng would have loved to reach Jingdong Prefecture City in a single day.

The cultivator's small carriage did not disappoint him; it traveled day and night and did not fall far behind the war cavalry.

Miao Yong was left behind to deal with the princess and coordinate the marching speed of the troops.

Lin Feng became Miao Changfeng's personal bodyguard, replacing Miao Yong, and served the Prime Minister on either side of him, along with Feng Li.

On the afternoon of the third day, the eight hundred cavalry replenished their supplies in the capital city of Jingdong and once again left through the east gate of the city, heading east.

A day later, eight hundred cavalrymen arrived at the west bank of the Ling River.

Beyond the Ling River lies Meijin County, where General Jing Zhaoheng is stationed.

On the wide Ling River, pirate warships frequently sailed by.

This same river once held off the Taisho Imperial Guard on the west bank for a month.

Although the Taisho army was stationed on both sides of the river, they were powerless against the pirate warships in the river and could only let them drift around arrogantly.

Upon seeing nearly a thousand Taisho cavalry approaching the riverbank, along with several pirate warships, they anchored in the middle of the river, vigilantly observing the movements on the riverbank.

Feng Li was somewhat stunned, staring at the surging river and the vast waterway, speechless for a moment.

"Your Excellency, what... what should we do?"