After being exiled, I led my whole family to rebel.

Chapter 324 Old friends meet
When Xu Zhenying received Ming Xiaoshuang's secret report, he sighed slightly: "Is it still not working?"

Looking at the dozen or so anxious faces below, he smiled helplessly and said, "Ming Xiaoshuang failed to persuade Zhao Yi to surrender, and Zhao Yi specifically asked me to go to the North Border for talks."

"What?!" There was shock in the room.

Xu Zhenying continued slowly, "He said that he only allowed me to go to his military camp alone."

"Your Highness, you can't do that." Elder Lin immediately advised, "We still don't know what Zhao Yi is going to do. If he doesn't really surrender, then Your Highness will be in danger. Ming Xiaoshuang can't do it, so let me, an old man, go instead. I have some friendship with Zhao Yi, so I'm easier to talk to than him."

"Don't worry, there won't be any danger on this trip."

But all of Xu Zhenying's subordinates disagreed, especially Jiang Yongkang: "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Your Highness, now is a time of trouble and a critical moment for our Northern Expedition. You cannot make any mistakes."

Zhou Houfang thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, I will go with you."

Zhao Qiaonian also stood up immediately: "I'll go with you too!"

Elder Lin also said: "These people are not enough. No, why do we have to go? Now the situation is settled, we are strong and powerful. Since he wants to negotiate, let him come to Fengxiang Mansion!"

This voice immediately received the attention of everyone.

"That's right, let Zhao Yi come to our Fengxiang Prefecture! We have more than 100,000 people waiting for him here!"

"That's right, our own territory is still more secure!"

"Yes, it's not like we can't beat them, so why should we bow down? If it really doesn't work, let's just go for it! Fight to the north! We have people with firearms, so why are we afraid that we can't beat Zhao Yi?"

Zhou Houfang said, "We can't say such angry words. If we can really resolve the issue through peaceful negotiations, or even persuade Zhao Yi to surrender, then we can form a pincer attack with the northern border, and Bianjing will naturally fall without a fight. In other words, this time of persuading Zhao Yi to surrender is related to whether we have to continue fighting in the future."

"That's right. So this time, persuading Zhao Yi to surrender is of great importance. If we succeed, we can at least save hundreds of thousands of people from danger."

Everyone naturally knew that it was important to persuade Zhao Yi to surrender.

If Zhao Yi could really be persuaded to surrender, there would be no need to fight later. By then, Bianjing would become an isolated island, unable to retreat or advance, and completely in their hands.

What's more, there are Tatars in the north.

In this way, peace in the North can be maintained.

Elder Lin still shook his head. "Your Highness, the situation in the North is complicated. There are not only Zhao Yi's forces there, but also spies planted by Zhou Mian. If they have different political views, even if Zhao Yi wants to surrender, what if someone who supports Zhou Mian attacks you? It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

Qian Zhenniang nodded, but her tone was unquestionable. As a senior, she was naturally more confident than others. "Your Highness, you can't go. Even if you want to go, you can't go to their military camp. We can meet at a certain place. If you go to Zhao Yi's military camp, we will be passive."

Xu Zhenying smiled and glanced at everyone: "Don't you see that Zhao Yi is testing me?"

Everyone in the room looked at her in confusion.

Xu Zhenying smiled: "You have never thought that Bianjing City is in great danger right now, and Zhou Mian must have issued an order overnight to urge Zhao Yi to rescue the emperor. But Zhao Yi is waiting to discuss with me at this critical moment. It will take at least ten days for me to go to the northern border. Can Zhou Mian tolerate Zhao Yi delaying the golden time for rescue for a traitor like me? Isn't Zhao Yi afraid that Zhou Mian will accuse him of treason?"

When Elder Lin heard this, his eyes lit up and he said happily, "Zhao Yi is ready to surrender to us!"

Only then did everyone react.

Yes, if Zhao Yi did not surrender, why would he delay the rescue time and instead wait to negotiate with Xu Zhenying?

This is clearly a signal of surrender.

Qian Zhenniang said, "Since he intends to surrender, why does Your Highness have to go to the northern border alone?"

Xu Zhenying smiled, "It is said that a good time will bring good luck. He probably wanted to test whether I am qualified to sit in that position."

At this point, everyone was a little unsure.

Elder Lin asked: "Then Your Highness...are you still going?"

Xu Zhenying thought for a moment, "I think you are right. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall, especially at a time like this. He wants to have a secret talk with us, right? Then we should send newspapers to spread the news and let the people in Bianjing know that their reinforcements may not come! Zhao Yi has no way out and can only let me control him. Then we can choose a place that we both feel is safe for the talks."

The people in the house were shocked.

In terms of cruelty, he is still not as good as His Royal Highness Prince Zhao.

In this way, Zhao Yi has no way out at all.

This move of cutting off the source of the problem not only completely seized the initiative in the peace talks in the North, but also left Zhao Yi with no choice.

Elder Lin stroked his beard and laughed, "Your Highness, now I really understand why you insisted on publishing a newspaper. This newspaper is clearly a good knife for killing people! No wonder you always say that war is not only a struggle for resources, but also a struggle for the right to speak."

However, Xu Zhenying asked, "Will it be possible that he will be pushed too hard and become a trapped beast?"

Elder Lin shook his head. "Based on my understanding of Zhao Yi, he won't do that. He has been operating in the North for many years and has always had a good reputation for loving his people like his own children. For the sake of the hundreds of thousands of people under his command, he won't engage in a meaningless battle with us."

"We have to make preparations for both scenarios." Xu Zhenying stood up. "Mr. Lin, you will be the main editor and spread the news of our peace talks with the Northern Territory. The war will continue. I will set out directly from Fengxiang Prefecture. Jiang Yongkang, Zhao Qiaonian, Zhou Houfang, Chang Yuanshan, and select another 2,000 soldiers to go with me. Get ready and set off as soon as possible."

At this moment, in the waiting area of ​​Fengxiang Mansion, there were two people sitting and waiting quietly.

Mr. Wu and his beautiful concubine, Aunt Bai, were sitting here nervously at the moment. The previous receptionist told them that they needed to wait here until someone called them from inside the house, and then they could go in.

Aunt Bai was wearing a cotton-padded coat, and the fox fur cloak she wore outside was the Madam's most precious possession in the box. Madam usually didn't want to wear it, but when she heard that Aunt Bai and Xu Zhenying were old acquaintances, she immediately had it taken out of the box, ironed it neatly, and put it on her herself.

The lady was more friendly to her than ever before, and even personally sent her to the gate of the government office, but unfortunately she was stopped outside the gate.

Now the two of them were looking at the movements inside anxiously.

After the meeting, the soldier guarding the conference room told Zhou Houfang that there was someone outside who claimed to be an acquaintance of His Highness and wanted to see him. Zhou Houfang did not delay and passed the news to Xu Zhenying.

Xu Zhenying looked confused.

Her acquaintance?

Which acquaintance?

Seeing her frown, Zhou Houfang said, "It's a young woman. She doesn't look like she's here to cause trouble. She said she's an old friend of yours and is anxious to see you. Do you want me to send them away?"

Xu Zhenying took out his pocket watch and said, "Okay, there are still ten minutes left. Bring them in for a look."

Soon, people outside received the message.

Mr. Wu couldn't help but tremble at this moment. He subconsciously grabbed Aunt Bai's hand and repeatedly confirmed: "Ying Niang, do you really know His Royal Highness Prince Zhao? Could you have remembered it wrongly? This is the government office of Fengxiang Prefecture!"

Aunt Bai was only thinking about Xu Zhenying. At this moment, she had no time to care about the fat and big-eared Master Wu. Her chest kept rising and falling, and her feet walked quickly. She looked at everything around her, thinking about the scene when she left Lan County. Her eyes were already red before she saw anyone.

Xu Zhenying heard the noise outside. As soon as he raised his eyes, he heard a sad call: "Girl——"

The voice is so familiar!
Zhou Houfang clearly felt Xu Zhenying's face change!
She stood up suddenly, almost knocking over the teacup on the table, and walked quickly towards the young woman below.

"Zhao Di?!" Xu Zhenying's heart was pounding, as if he couldn't believe what he saw.

That face...is clearly Li Zhaodi who has been dead for many years!
Yes, that's her.

But now she looks a bit more mature than before, with some flesh on her cheeks and a hint of sadness between her brows.

Following behind her was a slightly fat middle-aged man with a flattering smile on his face.

As soon as the man entered the room, he kowtowed and said, "Your Highness... I, Wu Denggao, pay my respects to Your Highness!"

Xu Zhenying stood there in a daze, but Li Zhaodi had already grabbed her hand, calling her "girl" again and again, and then burst into tears.

Xu Zhenying's eyes also turned red.

Seeing this, Zhou Houfang immediately knew that the woman was probably an old friend of His Highness, so he said to the middle-aged man, "Mr. Wu, please go over to the side and have some tea. Let His Highness talk to this girl."

Mr. Wu obviously didn't want to leave, but seeing that Prince Zhao and Aunt Bai were just busy talking, he felt awkward staying here, so he had to obediently follow Zhou Houfang and leave.

"Zhao Di, you are still alive? Didn't the madam say that you jumped into the moat and died?" Xu Zhenying also held Li Zhao Di's hand, looking anxious, "Since you are alive, why don't you come to find me?"

After Li Zhaodi finally stopped crying, the two sat down to talk. It was obvious that Li Zhaodi didn't know what Xu Zhenying was talking about. "What madam?" Xu Zhenying said, "We entered the city on the third day after you were sold. I asked Jiang Yongkang to look for you everywhere, but he only found a madam. She said you jumped into the river and drowned!"

Li Zhaodi shook her head with red and swollen eyes, "There was an old brothel owner named Li. It was only after I was sold that I realized they were not looking for maids from wealthy families, but prostitutes. After I knew that, I naturally refused to obey them, so they tied me up in the cellar, where there were many other girls like me. Later, I passed out for some reason, and when I woke up, they were already on their way out."

Xu Zhenying asked, "That is to say, when we captured Lan County, you were already taken out of Lan County? Do you remember the time?"

Li Zhaodi shook her head. "That was six years ago. I just remember that after eating the steamed buns handed to me by the madam, I fainted. I have no idea what happened in Lan County during those days."

"Later, I fell into the hands of a trafficker named Yan Ma. She used to be a horse breeder, but now she is old, so she helps train girls and teaches them some music, chess, calligraphy and painting. In the future, she can sell the girls to wealthy families as concubines and get a higher price."

When talking about the hardships she had experienced before, Li Zhaodi's expression was calm, but Xu Zhenying felt uncomfortable.

Why did I miss it by accident?
If she had asked a few more questions and verified more information back then, could Li Zhaodi's tragedy have been avoided?
Soon, footsteps were heard outside the door. It turned out that Qian Zhenniang heard the news and immediately dropped everything and rushed over.

"Zhaodi!"

Li Zhaodi stood up, looked at Qian Zhenniang's face, and burst into tears again.

Qian Zhenniang and Li Zhaodi hugged each other and cried bitterly.

"I just heard Secretary Zhou talk about it, but I didn't believe it. I rushed over here and found out it's true! You're really not dead!"

"Yes, thanks to your Highness, I am alive and well. I have been sold twice over the years, and now I am the concubine of the Wu family master. In such a chaotic world, I am lucky to be healthy and free from disasters."

Qian Zhenniang looked Li Zhaodi up and down. Although she was thin, she was dressed in silk and satin, and her skin was delicate. The calluses on her fingers were slowly fading. It seemed that she had not suffered much in these years, just as she said.

But Qian Zhenniang still felt heartbroken when she looked at Li Zhaodi, who was dressed as a woman with smiling eyes.

If Li Zhaodi had not been sold back then, even if she could not be granted a title of nobility or become a prime minister and make great achievements, she would at least be able to support herself.

So that you won't become someone else's concubine.

Qian Zhenniang suddenly became frightened.

If she hadn't met Xu Zhenying, wouldn't Li Zhaodi's ending have been the same as hers?
Being able to be a concubine of a wealthy family, having no worries about food and clothing, not having to flee, not having to wander around, having a place to shelter from the wind and rain, this is the life that many girls in troubled times expect -

Qian Zhenniang's voice choked with sobs. "Since you are alive, why don't you come to us? Your Highness has become famous in recent years. Fengxiang Prefecture is not far from Jinzhou Prefecture. Don't you have ever heard of His Highness's name?"

"When I first escaped from Lan County, I didn't know I was going to be sold into a brothel. When I knew, I always wanted to escape. I wasn't very obedient during those two years. My mother locked me in the backyard and I never heard any news from the outside world. Later, I was bought by Mr. Wu as a concubine. I stayed in the backyard all day. I only heard that there was a very powerful king in Jinzhou Prefecture. I didn't even know that the king was a girl until two years ago. Everyone called the people there the Green Head Gang or the female king. As for their surnames and names, I really don't know."

Xu Zhenying also felt emotional.

They were only two states apart, and the distance added up to a few hundred miles. Unfortunately, Zhaodi had been in the backyard, and the news was delayed, so she was completely ignorant of all the news about Xu Zhenying.

When Qian Zhenniang heard that Li Zhaodi was sold as a concubine, she felt upset. With red eyes, she asked, "How did you get through these years? Was Master Wu good to you?"

Li Zhaodi smiled and said, "Of course it's good. At least I have enough food and clothing, and I have lived a peaceful life until now. I also have a daughter, who is only three months old now. I will bring her over to show her to the girl after some time."

Only then did Qian Zhenniang notice that Li Zhaodi was plump and looked like a woman who had just given birth.

Thinking about it, they are almost the same age, but one is already a mother and trapped in the backyard, while she has followed His Highness in his battles to broaden his horizons.

It's true that people have different fates.

Especially since Li Zhaodi downplayed her experiences in those years, but Qian Zhenniang knew very well that in such a turbulent time, how could she have a good life as a woman wandering alone?
However, Li Zhaodi didn't seem to think too deeply about it. She just looked at Qian Zhenniang and saw how much she had changed compared to before. Her smile was full of satisfaction. "Zhenniang, you've grown taller, fatter, and more majestic. I heard that on the day you entered the city, you rode a horse side by side with Minister Jiang. You looked so majestic and brought honor to us women. My girl kept talking about how powerful the girls who became female officials were when she came back. Now I see that they are really amazing."

Qian Zhenniang felt extremely bitter at what she said, but a smile appeared on her face. "How impressive! Since you have recognized His Highness, you can be like us in the future. Now that you have us as your backer, whether you want to come out and do something else, we will support you."

Li Zhaodi's eyes were full of light, but she did not answer the question. She looked many times calmer than before.

After so many years of wandering outside, she seemed to have become a more sensible girl.

"What about them? Fourth Miss Xu, Fifth Miss Xu, and the eldest and second young ladies of the Fang family, are they all okay? How about everyone else?"

"All good. Fourth Miss Xu is now the secretary of His Highness, stationed in Jinzhou Prefecture. First Miss Fang is finishing up the battle in the East Territory, and Second Miss Fang and Fifth Miss Xu are now in charge of education, with female students all over the world. The others are all good, and are now working for His Highness."

At this moment, Li Zhaodi seemed to suddenly realize the gap between herself and them.

This gap is invisible and intangible, but it is like an unbridgeable chasm between them.

Qian Zhenniang calls Xu Zhenying His Highness.

They used to call her girl.

Li Zhaodi knew that Xu Zhenying was no longer the same person as before. She could tell from the attitudes of the servants as they walked in. Otherwise, the master and the mistress would not have been in such a hurry to dress her up and personally escort her to the gate of the government office.

All this is because the person in front of him may ascend to the supreme throne.

But she quickly adjusted her mood, and then she asked as if she was hesitant to speak: "Then...then...where are my parents?"

The room was quiet for a moment.

Qian Zhenniang smiled bitterly: "Zhao Di, the past is over. Are you still thinking about them? Don't you forget why you were sold in the first place?"

Li Zhaodi lowered her head and remained silent, looking as restrained as a child who had done something wrong.

Xu Zhenying said, "They are all fine, healthy and well, and should be in Jinzhou Prefecture now. If you want to see them, I can send someone to escort you back."

Qian Zhenniang looked at Xu Zhenying with a little surprise.

Xu Zhenying never concealed his disgust for the Li family's adulterous couple.

Furthermore, it seems that Mrs. Cao has been divorced by Mr. Li?
But why did His Highness say that Li Zhaodi’s parents were fine?
Could it be that in His Highness's mind, as long as these two people are still alive, everything is fine?
Or did His Highness say this to comfort Li Zhaodi?
Li Zhaodi's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and her eyes curved. After hearing the news, she couldn't tell whether she felt relieved or something else.

She hesitated for a moment, then looked at the two of them timidly and said, "Forget it. I feel relieved to hear that they are doing well. My mother sold me to Lan County back then, so I have repaid them for their kindness in raising me. With my younger brother in the Li family, my parents won't have to worry about their retirement. Besides, I changed my last name a long time ago to Bai, not Li, and I am no longer a member of the Li family. I... don't need to meet them."

Only then did Qian Zhenniang breathe a sigh of relief.

Xu Zhenying also said: "That's fine. It's time to make a decision. You're living a pretty good life now, so why bother with the past?"

Xu Zhenying thought of the fat middle-aged man just now. He was about thirty years old, dressed in silk and satin, and spoke and acted quite smoothly. "Is that your husband?"

Li Zhaodi shook her head. "I am just a concubine of the Wu family. That is Master Wu, not my husband. Master Wu's first wife is still alive, so I dare not say that."

Xu Zhenying felt a pain in his heart again.

Xu Zhenying felt very upset that her former partner had now fallen to the point of becoming a concubine of a man who was a dozen years older than her.

Qian Zhenniang was the same. She asked tentatively, "Is Mrs. Wu good to you?"

Li Zhaodi smiled slightly, "It's hard to say whether she is good or bad. Madam Wu was impatient in her early years, and she was very concerned about her reputation. She also had a reputation for being jealous. It was not easy to live under her. Not to mention that we servants were afraid of her, even the master was afraid of her. But now that the eldest young lady is pregnant, she has no time to pay attention to us, so she can take a break. As the mistress of the house, who would like the beauties in her husband's room? It's enough to be acceptable for the sake of face."

Qian Zhenniang's eyes turned red and she almost cried again.

Seeing this, Li Zhaodi quickly handed over a handkerchief to wipe her tears. She was also touched in her heart, "Look at me, I made you cry all the time. I didn't catch up with the good times. Unlike you, you have always been with the girls and now you can be made a marquis and a prime minister like men. Even so, didn't I go through this? Besides, aren't all women in this world like this? In this chaotic world, it is a great blessing to be able to live without illness or disaster, and have enough food and clothing. I am very satisfied to be able to recognize you. I am open-minded. These are all my blessings."

Seeing that Li Zhaodi seemed to be really open-minded, Xu Zhenying thought that one should not be too ambitious. As Li Zhaodi herself did not feel the hardship, Xu Zhenying felt relieved.

She could not measure whether Li Zhaodi was happy by modern standards.

As Li Zhaodi herself said, in troubled times, being alive is better than anything else.

What's more, Li Zhaodi has never been a girl with big ambitions.

Maybe her current life is really the best ending for her.

But for some reason, Xu Zhenying's heart still hurt. She could only force a smile and said, "Yes, it's not easy to meet each other alive. Bring your daughter here next time and let us aunts take a look. You can get a lot of small gold bracelets by going around."

Li Zhaodi immediately smiled and said, "Miss, you are now rich enough to rival a country. I will not be polite to you. Your bracelet must be three points thicker than others, otherwise I will not accept it."

Xu Zhenying also laughed: "That's natural."

But Qian Zhenniang wanted to take Li Zhaodi to meet other people. When they went out, they found that Mr. Wu was still waiting next door in a state of anxiety.