Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

Chapter 232 Quan Yuyuan and Shen Lanzhou

Seeing Pei Wenzhao leave, the two continued the game of chess they hadn't finished.

He Jinyu placed a white piece and spoke slowly, "My lord, now that General Pei has passed away and the Emperor has taken back his military power, the Prince of Huainan has become the main force in the border war, and the heir apparent is also returning to Huainan! What should we do next?"

"Quan Yuyuan has grown up quite a bit now. I heard he's getting married to that young general from the Shen family, right?" Zheng Luoqi said casually with a smile and great interest.

The marriage between Quan Yuyuan and Shen Lanzhou was arranged by the Prince of Huainan himself. Back then, when the Prince of Huainan was sent to the frontier to provide support, he often saw Quan Yuyuan and Shen Lanzhou arguing over trivial matters.

These two people seemed to be irreconcilable enemies, and while everyone else thought they couldn't get along, the perceptive Prince of Huainan keenly sensed something amiss.

Hey, who would have thought that his precious son's trip would bring him such good fortune in love! The Prince of Huainan made a quick decision and immediately sent someone to the Shen family to propose marriage on behalf of Quan Yuyuan.

When Quan Yuyuan learned of this, he was furious and immediately rushed to the Prince of Huainan to argue with him, insisting that he cancel the marriage.

At first, the Prince of Huainan was just making excuses to decline. But after Quan Yuyuan bothered him more and more, and he pretended to actually go and cancel the marriage for him, Quan Yuyuan suddenly changed his mind. He said that canceling it directly would not be good for her reputation, and that they should find a solution that would satisfy both parties before discussing the annulment of the engagement.

Now things were really messed up. The Prince of Huainan was both amused and exasperated. He thought to himself, "This brat is as stubborn as a dead duck. I don't know who he took after. He clearly likes the Shen family's daughter, but he won't admit it. He keeps provoking her every few days, and only behaves after being beaten up."

Zheng Luoqi knew more or less about the situation between Quan Yuyuan and Shen Lanzhou.

It was mentioned in the letters that Quan Yuyuan usually sent. In those letters, he hoped that Zheng Luoqi could transfer Shen Lanzhou away from the border. He also said that he was fully capable of handling everything on his own and complained that he felt upset whenever he saw Shen Lanzhou.

The letter repeatedly emphasized that the battlefield was no place for child's play, and that a girl like Shen Lanzhou should not venture into such a dangerous place as the frontier, and so on.

At first, Zheng Luoqi ignored what Quan Yuyuan said. After all, he was the one who sent the person there, and he wouldn't easily replace him unless there were major problems. Moreover, Shen Lanzhou was capable of doing so; she had been to the frontier for so long and had managed to keep her troops completely under control.

Zheng Luoqi initially thought that the two of them didn't get along well, which was why they often had conflicts.

Afterwards, when Quan Yuyuan saw that Zheng Luoqi didn't reply to him, he kept writing letters to bother her. Zheng Luoqi was annoyed by the constant nagging, since Quan Yuyuan was no less capable than her, and she didn't want to give up either of them.

On one occasion, when Shen Lanzhou led his team to fight against the Beirong soldiers, they were ambushed. Fortunately, Shen Lanzhou had a quick wit and managed to escape with the surviving soldiers.

After that, Quan Yuyuan wrote letters even more frequently, which annoyed Zheng Luoqi a lot. When she actually considered whether to transfer Shen Lanzhou, Quan Yuyuan suddenly changed his attitude and said something like, "How could Shen Lanzhou possibly adapt to going to another place by herself? Anyway, I've tolerated her here in Xinjiang for so long, it's no big deal to tolerate her a little longer."

Zheng Luoqi finally understood that Quan Yuyuan was a typical hypocrite!

On the surface, he was dissatisfied with Shen Lanzhou and eager to get rid of her, but in reality, he was worried that Shen Lanzhou would be in danger if she stayed on the frontier and wanted her to leave. At the same time, he was also afraid that she would be bullied by others if she went to other military camps.

In response, Zheng Luoqi could only say that Quan Yuyuan was overthinking things. He didn't think Shen Lanzhou would be bullied. She had the strength to back her up, and she also had Shen Jin as her father. Who would dare to cause her trouble?

Nowadays, the frequency of wars in border regions has decreased significantly compared to the past. When the Great Xia Kingdom and the Northern Rong Kingdom first went to war, both sides invested a great deal of manpower and financial resources in the battlefield.

After several years of fierce fighting, both countries are exhausted. If they were to continue launching large-scale battles as before, neither side could withstand such enormous losses.

Compared to the first two years of the war, the current situation has indeed eased considerably. However, small-scale battles still occur from time to time, but fortunately, with the reduction in fighting, the lives of ordinary people have improved somewhat compared to the previous two years.

With fewer border wars, the marriage between the prince and Miss Shen was naturally put on the agenda.

"Yes, sir, the wedding date for His Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Shen has been set for the sixth day of next month!" He Jinyu narrowed his eyes slightly, gently pinched a chess piece with his fingers, and calmly placed it on the chessboard. With the placement of this piece, the entire situation instantly became delicate.

"The sixth day of next month? It seems that the Empress's birthday is not far away!" Zheng Luoqi calculated the time and realized that Chen Xianlin's birthday was coming soon. This year is Chen Xianlin's first birthday as Empress.

Zheng Luoqi stared at the movement of the white pieces on the chessboard. Holding a black piece, he gently placed it down, cleverly neutralizing He Jinyu's attack and instantly turning the tables.

Looking at the situation that had been reversed because of this one move, He Jinyu had a barely perceptible smile on his lips: "Your move was brilliant, sir!"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to attend Quan Yuyuan's wedding in person, so please deliver this blessing on my behalf!" Zheng Luoqi had just finished speaking when a servant rushed in to report.

Just then, a guard came running in, looking flustered and rushing towards them. His face was full of anxiety, and before he could even stand properly, he breathlessly shouted, "Your Excellency! The Prime Minister needs your help!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Luoqi, who was playing chess with He Jinyu, suddenly changed her expression and stood up abruptly. The chessboard shook slightly because of her sudden movement, and several chess pieces rolled off the board.

But Zheng Luoqi had no time to worry about any of that. His brows were furrowed, and his eyes revealed a hint of seriousness and doubt as he pondered why his father had summoned him in such a hurry.

Only in extremely urgent matters would Zheng Yuxiang send someone to summon him back for a meeting when Zheng Luoqi was out. For important matters, he would wait until Zheng Luoqi returned home before summoning him to the study.

Prime Minister's Mansion

After getting off the carriage, Zheng Luoqi went straight to the study, where Zheng Yuxiang had been waiting for a long time. Upon seeing Zheng Luoqi arrive, without much small talk, Zheng Yuxiang handed the letter to her without saying a word.

Zheng Luoqi took the letter and read it carefully, word by word. The more she read, the more serious her expression became...