Chapter 328: The Reckless Daily Life of the Demon Lord's Princess, Chapter 328: Lin Shu

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

At dawn the next day, before the sky had broken, An Wang had already readied his horses and set out on the journey to Yuzhou. The steed beneath him was like an arrow off the string, galloping swiftly, kicking up dust along the way.

By comparison, the army led by Yan Wang marched far more slowly. However, after several days of arduous travel, they finally reached an open space outside Yuzhou City.

Yan Wang ordered them to set up camp there, allowing the soldiers to rest briefly and recuperate.

After one night passed, the soldiers had rested fully and were spirited. Yan Wang then led Ai Jiao, changed into plain clothes, and entered the city together.

That very night they entered the city, An Wang arrived at Yuzhou silently like a ghost.

For this trip, An Wang brought only Yue Yi alone. This was not arrogance, but because both possessed peerless skills and profound martial arts; even concealing their tracks, they could not be detected by ordinary people.

Yan Wang and Ai Jiao arrived at the city gate, and Yan Wang calmly took out his waist token from his bosom. That waist token was issued by the Chao Ting, representing his identity and authority.

The guards defending the city, seeing this, naturally did not dare to be the slightest bit negligent, hurriedly welcoming the two into the city and quickly sending someone to notify the Inspector of Yuzhou.

Upon hearing this news, the Inspector of Yuzhou felt joy beyond words, as if a ray of dawn had suddenly appeared in the darkness, giving him hope.

Without hesitation, he instructed his subordinates to immediately prepare a carriage and rush to the city gate to receive this important personage.

At the same time, Yan Wang and Ai Jiao were leisurely sitting at the entrance of a teahouse beside the city gate, sipping fragrant tea and chatting idly.

They did not pay much attention to the surroundings, simply quietly enjoying this moment of peace.

Not long after, a carriage slowly drove toward the city gate. The carriage looked unremarkable, without excessive decoration, just an ordinary carriage.

When the carriage stopped steadily, a man got down from it. He was about fifty years old, short in stature, wearing a black robe.

Because the distance was considerable, Yan Wang and Ai Jiao did not clearly see his face. The two merely glanced at him casually, then continued drinking tea and discussing other topics.

However, this man in the black robe did not linger at the city gate, but walked straight toward the teahouse stall. His steps were somewhat hurried, as if he had something important to do.

When he reached the teahouse stall, he plopped down in the seat beside Yan Wang, then quickly leaned over and lowered his voice to ask: "General Yan?"

Hearing the voice, Yan Wang turned his head to look at him, nodded slightly to indicate confirmation. Then he curiously asked in return: "Are you the Inspector of Yuzhou?"

The man hurriedly nodded, a hint of excitement appearing on his face. The man said softly: "General Yan, this place is not suitable for conversation. How about we move to the Jiu Lou next door, find an elegant room, and let this old man show a little landlord's courtesy to the two of you, counting it as a welcome feast to wash off the dust."

Yan Wang naturally understood that there were many people and mixed mouths here, inconvenient to speak much. He was stationed outside the city precisely to give the enemy a surprise attack, and naturally would not expose his identity here. At that moment, he nodded slightly, agreeing.

Thus, the old man led the way in front, with Yan Wang and Ai Jiao closely following behind. On the way, Yan Wang suddenly noticed that the old man before him wore a black robe, and at the lower hem there was actually a patch. The patch was of one color with the robe itself; if not carefully examined, it was truly hard to detect.

Not long after, the three arrived at the Jiu Lou. The shop attendant, face full of smiles, hurried forward to greet them enthusiastically: "Yo, Adult Lin, you are a rare guest!"

Hearing this, the old man's face turned slightly red, and he hurriedly explained: "Today my distant relative came to visit, and I need to treat them well. I trouble you to arrange a private room for us."

Hearing these words, the shop attendant immediately led the three upstairs and found a private room with a broad view and elegant environment.

After the three were seated, the shop attendant handed the menu to Adult Lin, then nimbly poured tea for the three. The old man looked at the menu, his eyes somewhat bewildered, and seeing the prices marked beside the dishes, he couldn't help but secretly click his tongue.

He remained silent for a while, then slowly said: "Let's have stir-fried cucumber with eggs, a portion of chive-flower eggplant, and stir-fried bean sprouts. Finally, a bowl of yam and white fungus soup."

After ordering, he seemed a bit embarrassed, rubbed his hands, and said with a hint of apology: "Four dishes for three people, that should be about it. Also, three bowls of rice."

The attendant, hearing this, readily agreed: "Alright!" Then he held the menu, turned and left, going downstairs to prepare the dishes.

Yan Wang and Ai Jiao exchanged glances, neither speaking. After all, the guest follows the host's convenience; regarding the dishes the old man ordered, they naturally had no objections.

At this moment, the old man finally broke the silence. He slowly opened his mouth to say: "General Yan, this old man's surname is Lin, with a single given name Shu. You can call me by my name directly."

Yan Wang hurriedly waved his hand, smiling and saying: "How can that be? Calling by name is too impolite. After all, you are older than me. Why don't we, like the attendant, call you Adult Lin?"

Adult Lin, hearing this, nodded and smiled in agreement: "That works too."

Seeing this, Yan Wang continued to ask: "Adult Lin, I heard that people from Nanliang Guo often come here to burn, kill, and plunder. Is that true?"

Hearing Yan Wang's question, Adult Lin couldn't help but frown, secretly calling it bitter in his heart.

Said: "Not hiding it from you, I also feel deeply troubled by this matter, because quite a few villages have already been plundered, and even some families' daughters have been abducted. However, after these villagers reported to the authorities, they found it was of no avail."

Although there are not a few soldiers on the border defense, compared with the number of people from Nan Liang, they only play a role of checks and balances. If some troops are divided to resist Nan Liang's harassment, then the border defense will have a gap, which will undoubtedly give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage.

Before this, both sides had always lived in peace, but in recent years, the guards of Nan Liang have been gradually increasing, which makes me feel great pressure.

I have memorialized the throne many times requesting more soldiers, but these requests have all been like stones sinking into the sea, with no news at all.

Facing Nan Liang's increasingly rampant harassment, from initial petty skirmishes to the current burning, killing, and plundering, I feel very helpless and angry. Only a few days ago did I finally receive a reply letter.

Yan Wang asked with a puzzled expression: "I don't know, Adult Lin, to whom did you previously submit your memorials?"

Adult Lin answered without hesitation: "This old man is merely an insignificant Inspector. Naturally, I must first submit the memorial to the Prefect, and then the Prefect forwards it upward."

After listening, Yan Wang fell into thoughtful silence for a moment, then continued to press: "Then the previous memorials all sank like stones into the sea, with no news at all. Adult Lin, didn't you go ask the Prefect what the reason was?"