She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 524 Garrisoning Troops

Surrounded by her parents and brothers, Shen Qingtan felt the warmth of family love.

Only in their presence could she not hide her true personality, nor follow etiquette and rules, and be herself as she pleased.

Even if she says or does something wrong, she doesn't have to worry about being gossiped about.

Shen Qingtan lifted the curtain of the carriage window and watched her parents and brothers standing in the sunset, seeing her off. The evening wind carried swirling yellow sand, blurring their figures. She subconsciously leaned out, wanting to see them more clearly.

The next moment, the heavy city gate slammed shut in front of her with a muffled thud.

Shen Qingtan stared blankly at the tightly closed city gate, unable to come back to her senses for a long time.

Because their love for her was so abundant and intense, once they separated, it was as if she had returned from the hustle and bustle to silence. The huge sense of loss made it difficult for her to adapt in a short period of time.

"Manman." Zhao Yi sat down next to Shen Qingtan and pulled her into the carriage: "There are many carriages in the city. It's dangerous for you to stick your head out of the carriage."

Shen Qingtan turned to face Zhao Yi, hugged his waist tightly, drawing warmth from his embrace, and said dejectedly, "It seems that no matter what we do, we will never be able to reunite with our relatives who are far away in Da Zhou."

They stayed together and relied on each other in Northern Qi, with no other relatives around them.

Zhao Yi raised his hand to brush away the strands of hair that had fallen onto her face, and whispered a promise to her: "One day, when you want to see your family, you can go see them."

Every word felt like a thousand pounds weighing on Shen Qingtan's heart.

Shen Qingtan suddenly sat up and covered his mouth: "Since ancient times, it has been common for women to marry far away. Even if both the husband's family and the wife's family are in the capital, according to etiquette and rules, women do not have much time to return to their parents' home."

She said somewhat helplessly, "I'm just feeling sentimental because I saw my family today. You don't have to take it to heart."

Zhao Yi knew that Shen Qingtan was someone who valued blood ties and family affection, especially since everyone in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion treated her like a precious jewel. How could she not miss them?

She said that simply because she didn't want him to feel burdened.

Zhao Yi smiled, held her wrist, and gently kissed her palm: "I understand."

Shen Qingtan withdrew her hand, composed herself, and changed the subject: "I've been in Yuncheng for several days, but I haven't even left the manor yet."

As she spoke, she lifted the carriage curtain again, wanting to see the lives of the people of Yuncheng, but saw a group of people walking past the carriage.

However, the commander-in-chief Wang Qiaoxin and the provincial governor Lin Youwei, who were riding behind the carriage, did not order their soldiers to stop the group of people and prevent them from approaching the carriage.

Shen Qingtan vaguely felt something was strange, because today soldiers were escorting them to the border to meet the Zhenbei King's family. Such a large-scale operation would make ordinary people avoid them.

Even without giving way, Wang Qiaoxin and Lin Youwei would order their soldiers to stop them.

With tensions between the two countries now high and suspicious individuals appearing in Yuncheng, Shen Qingtan is on high alert.

She carefully observed the group and indeed discovered some clues.

They stood tall and straight, their steps firm and powerful; they didn't look like ordinary people at all, but rather like well-trained soldiers.

If they were soldiers, why weren't they wearing armor?

Instead, were they dressed in ordinary cloth clothes?

Thinking of this, she pulled Zhao Yi over and pointed to the group of people: "Look."

Zhao Yi looked in the direction Shen Qingtan pointed and saw a group of people dressed in plain clothes, some of whom went up to the corner tower. As for the other group, due to the angle of view, it was unclear where they went.

The corner towers are located at the four corners of the city wall. In the event of war, they are used to observe the enemy situation and command the battle.

Zhao Yi frowned slightly, a guess forming in her mind.

The Northern Qi emperor stationed troops in Yuncheng.

This group of people were clearly soldiers in disguise.

Why disguise yourself?

It's probably to cover up the truth.

Zhao Yi, seemingly lost in thought, tapped on the carriage wall.

The carriage stopped.

Wang Qiaoxin rode over and asked, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"

"The princess is reluctant to leave her parents and wishes to see them again." Zhao Yi got off the carriage himself, and then helped Shen Qingtan down as well.

Wang Qiaoxin said with difficulty, "Your Highness, the city gates are already closed, and we can no longer leave the city." After a pause, he added, "I'm afraid the Princess's relatives have already returned home."

“What you say makes sense.” Zhao Yi frowned slightly, about to comfort Shen Qingtan, but saw that her eyes were moist, and she looked heartbroken and on the verge of tears. He sighed, unable to bear to make Shen Qingtan sad, and said helplessly to Wang Qiaoxin, “I will take the Princess to the city tower to see your father-in-law’s family off.”

Before Wang Qiaoxin could say anything more, Zhao Yi led Shen Qingtan to the enemy tower.

"Lord Wang, why didn't you stop His Highness?" Lin Youwei asked urgently. "Could it be that His Highness discovered something and is deliberately looking for an excuse to go to the city tower?"

“From the moment the princess got into the carriage, she leaned out the window and kept looking at her relatives until they were no longer visible after entering the city. It is perfectly reasonable for her to want to see her relatives one last time.” Wang Qiaoxin instead rebuked Lin Youwei: “Why is Lord Lin making such a fuss? Even if His Highness discovered it, what could he do? Even if he wanted to send a message to the Prince of Zhenbei, it would be too late.”

Lin Youwei opened his mouth, but could not refute it, so he could only hurriedly follow to the enemy tower.

The watchtower was used for shooting, observation, and troop deployment. When Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan walked up the hollow watchtower, they saw that there was not only a crossbow, but also a lot of soldiers.

At this moment, several soldiers placed long arrows on the crossbow's arrowheads, aimed at the direction of the camp, and were about to pull the trigger.