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There was another moment of silence...

Zhan Zhao coughed a few times, and when he felt the blush on his face fade, he said, "Little Qi, don't be silly. Your skills are still lacking. How can you protect the princess?"

"Then at least I can help her put on her clothes first, and then call you in," Mo Yan retorted, dissatisfied.

"..."

Zhan Zhao was speechless. What kind of villain would give her the time to slowly get dressed and call for help?

“Mr. Gongsun,” she turned to Gongsun Ce, her face beaming with a smile, “you’re the most sensible one. You’ll definitely agree that I should go too, right?”

Gongsun Ce responded with a smile: "This matter is truly beyond my control."

"Lord Bao!" She turned to Bao Zheng again, her smile growing even brighter.

Before she could finish speaking, Bao Zheng said, "I will consider this matter further. Don't be anxious. If it is truly necessary, even if you don't want to go, you will have no choice but to go." He omitted the second half of his sentence: If it is not necessary, even if you want to go, you cannot.

How could Mo Yan not understand the implication in his words? She bit her lip and thought to herself, "Do you think I can go or not?"

"If there is nothing else, sir, I shall take my leave."

Although Zhan Zhao also longed for her to accompany him on his journey, matters of state were not family matters, and he could not act on impulse. Being kind-hearted by nature, he wanted to leave with Mo Yan first to avoid troubling Bao Zheng.

Bao Zheng nodded and said, "You all go and rest first. Come back after dinner. I have something to tell you. ... Officer Mo, you don't need to come." He said this specifically.

Zhan Zhao did as he was told, and then left with Mo Yan, who was unwilling to leave.

Chapter Twenty-Three [VIP]

After the two men had walked away, Bao Zheng and Gongsun Ce exchanged a glance in the study, then shook their heads and smiled wryly in unison. But only for a moment, and Bao Zheng's smile vanished, his expression turning serious again…

Gongsun Ce had followed Bao Zheng for many years and could guess his thoughts pretty accurately.

"My lord, are you thinking about the gyrfalcon among the Liao people?"

Bao Zheng said gravely, “No one understands me better than you, sir. Hai Dongqing has endured humiliation and hidden in the Liao Kingdom for many years, all to get close to Yelü Chongguang and find out who is delivering messages for this Southern King of Liao within the Song Dynasty. Unfortunately, Yelü Chongguang is cautious and prudent. Although Hai Dongqing has tried his best to get close to him and become his confidant over the years, he has always fallen short. Although I am reluctant to see Guard Zhan accompany the princess to marry into the Liao Kingdom, perhaps he can help Hai Dongqing there. … If the traitors in the Song Dynasty are not eliminated, it will be like a thorn in our side. How can the Song and Liao Dynasties coexist peacefully for a long time?”

Gongsun Ce nodded in agreement: "One in the open, one in the shadows, complementing each other—it's indeed a good idea. So, did you summon Guard Zhan tonight to tell him everything about the gyrfalcon?" Very few people know about the affairs of the Liao people; the more people who know, the more danger the gyrfalcon faces.

What do you think, sir?

“Guard Zhan is calm, wise, and composed; he is a man who can be entrusted with important tasks,” Gongsun Ce said. “If even he is not suitable, I really can’t think of anyone else I can trust.”

Bao Zheng remained silent, pondered for a long time, and then sighed softly, "It's easy to find a thousand soldiers, but hard to find a general... It's just that he's suffered again."

"grown ups……"

Gongsun Ce, not wanting to upset him, changed the subject, saying, "By the way, Constable Mo is also clamoring to go. What are your plans, sir?"

Mentioning Mo Yan, Bao Zheng felt a mix of headache and helplessness, and couldn't help but look up at Gongsun Ce: "What do you think is the best course of action, sir?"

Gongsun Ce lowered his eyes and smiled, saying, "Actually, what she said is not without reason. Although Guard Zhan is highly skilled in martial arts, it is still inconvenient for him to personally guard the princess."

“Even so, it shouldn’t be her.” Bao Zheng was a little surprised to hear Gongsun Ce speak up for Mo Yan. “After all, she’s still young, and it’s one thing to have the habits of the Jianghu, but she also acts recklessly. How can we let her go?”

"My lord," Gongsun Ce smiled and shook his head, "Weren't you just feeling sorry for Guard Zhan?"

"What you mean, sir..."

"Can't you see that Constable Mo is quite fond of Guard Zhan?"

Bao Zheng was stunned upon hearing this. With his daily official duties piling up like mountains, he had no time to pay attention to matters of love and romance.

"What about Guard Zhan?"

"The student can only see that he does not reject Constable Mo and even takes good care of him, which is already quite an achievement for him," Gongsun Ce said with a smile. "Constable Mo is a lively person by nature. If he can stay with Guard Zhan in Khitan, he probably won't be too depressed."

Bao Zheng hesitated: "That girl and Guard Zhan... could they be together?"

Gongsun Ce smiled and said, "Although Constable Mo is a bit lively, she has her merits. If she goes to Liao, she might become a capable assistant to Guard Zhan."

Bao Zheng was still hesitating...

"Or perhaps we could let Guard Zhan decide this matter himself, what does Your Excellency think?"

After a moment's thought, Bao Zheng nodded: "That's fine too."

After dinner, Zhan Zhao came, and Bao Zheng told him in detail about the gyrfalcon from the Liao Kingdom and the important mission he was entrusted with.

Yelü Chongguang, the Southern King of Liao, had always been critical of the Song Dynasty's annual payment of only 300,000 taels of silver to Liao. He repeatedly suggested revising the Treaty of Chanyuan to Yelü Longxu, and he was also the one who facilitated the marriage alliance with Western Xia. Zhan Zhao had heard about all of this, but he was completely unaware that Hai Dongqing had been lurking in Yelü Chongguang's inner circle all along.

"Hai Dongqing once sent back a message that Yelü Chongguang had advised Yelü Longxu to send troops to the Song Dynasty, and even produced a map of the Song Dynasty's troop deployment on its northern border. There must be someone within the Song Dynasty who has betrayed the country and is secretly colluding with Yelü Chongguang, but Hai Dongqing has been unable to find out who this person is. You are accompanying the princess on her marriage to the Liao Dynasty, nominally as her bodyguard, but I hope you can lend Hai Dongqing a hand to find out the traitor and eliminate this threat to the Song Dynasty."

"I will inform Hai Dongqing about your trip to Liao. However, for Hai Dongqing's safety, even the slightest accident or oversight could undo all his hard work and humiliation over the past ten years. Therefore, I cannot tell you who he is right now. He will reveal his identity to you when the time is right."

Zhan Zhao respectfully accepted the order: "Rest assured, my lord, Zhan Zhao understands."

Bao Zheng looked at him for a long time, then said, "This journey will be fraught with danger. Do you have any other needs? Or any concerns? Please speak freely."

Zhan Zhao smiled and shook his head.

“Or,” Bao Zheng smiled helplessly at Zhan Zhao, knowing he wouldn’t make any requests, “you might need help. It’s alright to say so. I think that Miss Mo really wants to go with you. What do you think?”

Mo Yan, Mo Yan...

"You have me, and I have you, so neither of us will be bored, isn't that good?"

Her voice still echoes in my ears, cheerful and lively.