Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

Gu Mingli's gossip-loving spirit was instantly ignited.

He immediately became interested, leaned forward, and whispered a follow-up question:

"What could be more interesting than rebellion?"

Xiao Ye looked up at him and leaned forward slightly.

He lowered his voice, as if sharing a shocking secret.

"The Northern Barbarians wouldn't dare to even consider raiding the horse trail."

The two leaned closer across the desk and stared at each other for a moment.

"Zhongyi said in the letter that even if we did not intercept it, and even if the letter was delivered safely to the Northern Di king's tent, the usually brave Northern Di king would absolutely not dare to send troops to fight near the bandit route."

Gu Mingli looked puzzled and scratched his head in confusion.

"Why? Aren't those barbarians from the North supposed to be fearless, conquering the world on horseback?"

"They used to dare to openly plunder even heavily guarded border cities. Why would they be afraid of some desolate, godforsaken mountain pass?"

Xiao Ye shook his head, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

A rare look of doubt appeared on his face.

"They are not afraid of the border troops of Dayong. But what they fear... is that isolated city deep in the bandit route."

"A lonely city?"

Gu Mingli frowned even more deeply.

"Why? It's just an isolated city, with no money, no food, no army stationed there, and not even a state to rely on. Even if we manage to get in, what wouldn't we dare to offend?"

"I am also very curious."

Xiao Ye frowned in thought, his slender fingers unconsciously stroking the jade thumb ring on his thumb.

"But Zhongyi captured several Northern Di stragglers who had crossed the border. According to their confessions, the Northern Di royal court had some kind of agreement with the Jianghu forces in that isolated city."

"For the Northern Di cavalry, that was a forbidden zone bound by an oath. The Northern Di army never attacked that place."

Gu Mingli stroked his chin, muttering to himself.

"To be able to stand firm at the border between two countries, and to have such power that even a barbarian king trembles in fear... just how powerful must that be?"

The two exchanged a glance.

Xiao Ye's eyes were bright, showing a rare youthful curiosity.

"So, what secrets are hidden in that isolated city that make the Northern Di King so wary? I really want to go and find out for myself."

Gu Mingli nodded.

"Alright. Then I will accompany you."

Xiao Ye chuckled softly.

"You're quite bold. In that case, go and make preparations. Tomorrow morning, we'll take a squad of Dragonscale Guards to investigate."

"Wait a minute," Gu Mingli suddenly remembered something.

"And what about the traitorous Cui family and Jia Zhengjing? The governor is colluding with local powerful figures; aren't you going to deal with them immediately?"

"No rush."

A cold glint flashed in Xiao Ye's eyes, but his tone returned to the coldness and composure of an emperor.

"Let's deal with it after we finish the disaster relief work in Jizhou. It's too lenient to just deal with the Cui family and Jia Zhengjing."

"I will keep this evidence to force the Cui family of Lingbo to act together."

"...At that time, I will uproot the Cui family and their cronies, eradicating them completely."

The next morning.

Gu Mingli rubbed his sleepy eyes as he came out of the side room and yawned.

He was walking towards the front yard in a daze when he was suddenly pulled aside to the corner of the corridor.

"Oh my god!"

Gu Mingli stumbled, and upon closer inspection, he saw it was his sister.

"Mingyue? What are you doing? You look like a thief."

Gu Mingyue blinked her big, bright eyes and gossiped:

"Brother, I heard you're going to that isolated city with Huang Jiaojiao?"

Gu Mingli stretched and casually hummed in agreement.

"I want to go too!" Gu Mingyue excitedly requested.

"Where are you going?"

Gu Mingli frowned.

"That's dangerous! That's a perilous border area between two countries. What if something happens..."

"elder brother!"

Gu Mingyue glared at him angrily.

"What if something happens to you? Won't I worry?"

The brother and sister faced off for a moment.

Gu Mingli sighed, raised his hand and touched the top of his sister's head, his attitude softening.

"I'll take good care of myself. Besides, the Dragon Scale Guards are with me..."

"No! I want to go too."

"Brother, don't you find it strange?"

"The Northern Di people dare not approach the Xiangma Road, and the border troops of the Dayong Dynasty do not easily get close either. The forces that can establish themselves in such a place must be incredibly complex."

She paused, lowered her voice, and her eyes became much calmer.

"Furthermore, the appearance of chemical pesticides in Jizhou, do you think it might be related to the previous dynasty?"

Gu Mingli's eyes widened suddenly.

"You suspect that there are relics left behind by the previous dynasty in that isolated city?"

Gu Mingyue nodded.

Gu Mingli was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Alright, let's go together then."

The two walked through the corridor and had just reached the front yard when they saw Xiao Ye standing tall and imposing in the hall, dressed in a black outfit.

Fifty elite Dragon Scale Guards stood in neat formation, fully armed, ready to depart.

Xiao Ye turned around and glanced at the faces of the brother and sister.

Finally, the gaze fell on Gu Mingyue, who raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Is Mr. Gu also going along?"

"Yes," Gu Mingyue replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"The disaster relief arrangements in Anyang have been made. The Pujitang branch has an accounting team and Magistrate Zhao overseeing things. The ducks will arrive in two days."

"Therefore, I would like to accompany Your Majesty to broaden my horizons."

Xiao Ye exchanged a glance with Gu Mingli and finally nodded.

"That's good. Master Gu is clever; having more people means having more eyes."

The team set off quickly.

The sound of horses' hooves shattered the silence deep within the bandit's path.

The further you go in, the more dangerous the terrain becomes.

The mounds on both sides gradually turned into towering mountain walls, and the road in the middle became narrower and narrower, only wide enough for five or six people to walk side by side.

Gu Mingli looked up at the narrow patch of sky above him and swallowed.

If you encounter an ambush in this terrain, you'll have no chance of escape.

After walking for about half an hour, the view suddenly opened up ahead.

A wide valley appeared before them, and a city stood in the center of the valley.

Two weathered characters can still be faintly seen on the city gate: Longmen.

Gu Mingli squinted, thinking to himself, "This name... seems familiar."

The procession stopped outside the city gate.

Three people were standing at the city gate.

They were all dressed like江湖客 (jianghu kè kè, wandering swordsmen), in coarse cloth short clothes, with long knives hanging at their waists.

The person closest to the city gate wore a straw hat, leaned against the city wall with his arms crossed, and looked from the front of the cavalry to the back.

The man's gaze paused for a moment as he passed the jade pendant at Gu Mingli's waist.

Gu Mingli was completely unaware of the scrutinizing gaze.

He was busy helping his sister down from the carriage and handing the water bag to Taozhi behind him.

Xiao Ye walked beside him, subtly glancing at the scarred man once more.

The other person had already leaned back against the wall, the shadow of their straw hat obscuring most of their face.

Geng Zhi leaned closer to Xiao Ye and reported in a low voice.

"They are swordsmen from the martial arts world. It seems this city is a place where people from all walks of life from the martial arts world mingle, and they probably have to abide by the rules of the martial arts world."

Xiao Ye nodded slightly, without saying anything.

He turned to look at Gu Mingli, who was still explaining the precautions to his younger sister.

"Mingli, come here."

"Oh? What is it, Your Majesty?"

Gu Mingli trotted over excitedly and approached the emperor with a bewildered look on his face.

Xiao Ye glanced at him from head to toe.

After confirming that there was nothing particularly noteworthy about Gu Mingli, he whispered:

"Stay close and don't go beyond the protection zone."

After saying that, he made eye contact with Gu Mingyue again.

Gu Mingyue understood and immediately followed with Taozhi.

The shadow guards who followed him skillfully spread out their positions, consciously protecting His Majesty and the Gu siblings in the safest central area.