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Глава 144

Xiao Xin was taken aback: "Zhan Zhao? Who is Zhan Zhao?" He turned his head to ask the guard beside him. The guard hurriedly stepped forward and whispered in his ear. He gradually narrowed his eyes and stared at Zhan Zhao with an unfriendly gaze.

"You say you're Zhan Zhao? But do you know that the real Zhan Zhao should be in the Iron Cavalry Camp right now?" Xiao Xin sneered. "Who exactly are you, and what are your intentions? Quickly confess honestly."

At this moment, Zhan Zhao and Mo Yan were both extremely puzzled. They had both met Xiao Xin before, and even if Xiao Xin didn't remember them, he should recognize Zhao Yu in the carriage. However, Xiao Xin acted as if he didn't know them at all. Naturally, they couldn't imagine that Xiao Xin would suffer from amnesia, and they thought that something strange had happened.

Despite his many doubts, Zhan Zhao still politely replied, "I have returned from the Iron Cavalry Camp and am now escorting the princess back to the main camp."

Xiao Xin snorted coldly: "You think I'm stupid for believing everything you say?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yu, who was inside the car, couldn't help but whisper and call Mo Yan inside, instructing her to help him up and then lift the curtain.

“Prince Qi, Guard Zhan has indeed returned from the Iron Cavalry Camp and met us on the way,” Zhao Yu said slowly, looking at Xiao Xin.

Xiao Xin narrowed his eyes suspiciously: "You...are you really a princess of the Great Song Dynasty? What proof do you have?"

Zhao Yu was stunned and speechless for a moment, thinking that Xiao Xin was doing it on purpose. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said, "You mean, I tried to impersonate the princess?"

Xiao Xin pulled on the reins and took a few steps closer. Zhao Yu looked sickly and was dressed in the clothes of an ordinary person. Even though she was a beauty, she looked haggard and had no trace of her princess-like grace. Xiao Xin frowned and said, "How can I listen to only your one-sided story? You must provide evidence."

Mo Yan, standing nearby, couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Prince Qi, do you really not recognize the princess? We were hunting together in the mountains just a few days ago, how come you seem to have forgotten us?"

Xiao Xin felt it would be too embarrassing to reveal his amnesia, and he wouldn't allow his guards to interrupt. He stubbornly raised his head and said, "Who said I don't recognize her? It's just that the princess disappeared in the mountains, while you came from the main road. Who knows if someone took the opportunity to disguise themselves and try to impersonate the Song princess and infiltrate the camp?"

Zhao Yu thought he was deliberately making things difficult for her, and her anger rose. She called to Mo Yan and said, "Xiao Qi, show him my pair of jade pendants. They are royal items from the Song Dynasty and cannot be faked."

Mo Yan took out the jade pendant from her bundle as instructed and handed it to Xiao Xin. Xiao Xin took it in his hand, but he usually only focused on horseback riding and hunting, so he didn't know whether the jade pendant was a royal item or not. After playing with it for a while, he returned it.

"There are still several maids and guards in the camp who came with us from the Song Dynasty. Once they meet us, they will be able to distinguish the real from the fake." Zhan Zhao said gently to Xiao Xin. He watched as Mo Yan angrily put the jade pendant back into her bundle, and gently pressed her hand, signaling her not to get angry.

Xiao Xin hesitated slightly, but since he couldn't think of any other way, he could only nod and say, "I'll go with you. Don't try anything funny."

Upon hearing this, Mo Yan rolled her eyes but still helped Zhao Yu lie down. Zhan Zhao, however, did not get into the carriage. He did not want these people to see that he was injured, so he sat on the carriage shaft with Mo Yan. Mo Yan carefully looked at his hand on the carriage shaft. His knuckles were slightly white, and she knew that he must be in pain from the wound on his chest due to the bumpy ride. She felt sorry for him but was helpless, and could only make the carriage move as slowly as possible.

Xiao Xin and the others followed closely behind the carriage. Seeing how slowly it was moving, they couldn't help but feel suspicious. A guard whispered in their ear, "I've heard that Zhan Zhao is also known as the Southern Hero in the Song Dynasty. He has superb martial arts skills. In my humble opinion, you... might as well give him a try."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xin's heart stirred. He was fond of playing and martial arts, and his nature was such that he would kick a tree if he saw it, and stir up trouble even without wind. What the guard said was exactly what he wanted to hear. Without thinking too much, he immediately ordered in a low voice, "You two split up and go up from both sides to test his skills. That little girl seems to know some martial arts as well. Make sure the people in the carriage don't move. It wouldn't be good if she really was some kind of princess."

"yes."

Author's Note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!!!

Chapter Seventy-Six

Having received Xiao Xin's order, the Liao guards were all eager to fight. They had long heard of Zhan Zhao's name, but thought it was just an exaggeration by the Central Plains people. They wanted to show him their power, but had never had the chance. Today was truly a godsend.

Hearing the sudden increase in the speed of the horses' hooves behind him, Zhan Zhao's heart tightened, and he had a bad premonition. Just as he was about to speak to Mo Yan, he heard Mo Yan grab his arm tightly and say urgently, "Brother, no matter what happens later, you must not use your strength."

Before Zhan Zhao could answer, the Liao guards who had rushed forward from both sides of the carriage suddenly attacked simultaneously, drawing their swords and slashing at the two of them. In a flash of silver light, Mo Yan had already drawn her sword, blocking one of the blows for him and ducking to avoid the blade aimed at her.

"Shameless!" Mo Yan cursed angrily as the Liao people calmed down, whipping his horse and urging it to gallop away.

While the Liao people were chasing after them on horseback, Mo Yan quickly pushed Zhan Zhao into the carriage: "Brother, you go in first, I have my own way of dealing with them!"

"Xiao Qi! Be careful!" Although Zhan Zhao was worried, he knew that being outside would only get in her way and distract her, so he got into the carriage, but held tightly to the curtain, ready to jump out if Mo Yan encountered any danger.

The carriage was far more cumbersome than horses, and in no time, the Liao people caught up. There were five or six men on each side, brandishing gleaming swords as they attacked. Mo Yan gritted her teeth inwardly. Although these Liao people were not particularly skilled, they would be a match for her in a one-on-one fight. However, she had to drive the carriage with one hand and wield her sword with the other to fight off the Liao people on both sides, which was quite strenuous.

She had just boasted to Zhan Zhao that she had a plan, but it was all empty talk. The current situation was truly difficult to handle. Mo Yan's mind raced, and suddenly she remembered something in her bosom. Overjoyed, she immediately sheathed her sword and took the item out…

Swish, swish, swish... Dozens of embroidery needles flew from her hand and struck the Liao people.

"The needles are poisoned!" she shouted, reining in her horse. She didn't know much about using needles as concealed weapons. Although she threw out many embroidery needles, they had little force, let alone hitting acupoints. Most of the needles would fall to the ground upon contact with a person, pricking the skin and causing a mosquito bite-like pain. If it weren't for the fact that they were poisoned, it wouldn't be enough to scare anyone.

Upon hearing the word "poison," the Liao people were indeed frightened. They had only wanted to test Zhan Zhao's skills, but losing their lives was not worth it. Some of them stopped their horses and pulled out the embroidery needles still stuck in their clothes to examine them closely.

Seeing their expressions, Mo Yan quickly continued, "This poison is colorless and odorless, and people will not feel pain after being poisoned. However, after three days, red rashes will appear all over the body, after another three days, pus will ooze out, and after another three days, the whole body will ulcerate until the person dies. Therefore, this poison is called Peach Blossom Three Days."

Making up stories was one of Mo Yan's specialties; she could rattle off names and names of poisons without even thinking. The Liao people, seeing how fluently she spoke, naturally had no doubts and immediately believed her. They hurriedly dismounted, clasped their hands in a fist and pleaded with Mo Yan, "Please, young lady, have mercy and give us the antidote. This is all a misunderstanding."

"You ambushed us, slashing us with your swords, and you still dare to say it was a misunderstanding!" Mo Yan said angrily.

Xiao Xin caught up from behind, and the guards hurriedly told him about the matter. Only then did he realize that he had shot himself in the foot.

They were now not far from the main camp. Some of the guards noticed the commotion and rushed over. Mo Yan immediately recognized one of them as a guard who had come with them from the Song Dynasty and shouted, "The princess is injured! Quickly, go and fetch someone!"

The man recognized Mo Yan and then caught sight of Zhan Zhao and Zhao Yu inside the carriage. Without further hesitation, he turned around and called for help. In no time, the maids and guards that Zhao Yu had left in the camp arrived.

"Prince Qi, these people were originally in the camp. Why don't you ask them if they recognize who we are?" Mo Yan still thought Xiao Xin was deliberately making things difficult for them, and persisted.

When questioned by such a young girl, Xiao Xin originally wanted to put on the airs of a prince to intimidate her, but several of his guards were poisoned, so he had no choice but to say, "I was just being cautious. I heard that Zhan Zhao is very skilled in martial arts, so I wanted to test him to see if he was real. I had no intention of harming anyone."

Seeing that he showed no remorse, Mo Yan glared at him angrily. Fortunately, her elder brother did not make a move, otherwise, if the poison had entered his heart meridian, there would have been no way to save him. Could he possibly pay with his life then?

"Xiao Qi, it seems to be a misunderstanding. Let's not pursue it any further. It's more important to send the princess back to camp to rest first," Zhan Zhao said softly, leaning out of the carriage, knowing she was still resentful.

Mo Yan turned around and saw that his face was pale and sweat was rolling down his forehead. Her heart tightened. She knew that the carriage speeding earlier must have aggravated his wound. She couldn't care about anything else. She quickly turned around and wanted to take him back to the camp.

"...Young lady, the antidote we've been waiting for..."

Mo Yan kept her eyes fixed on Zhan Zhao, not even bothering to turn her head: "What's the rush? I'll prepare it for you when we get back to the camp."

Hearing her say that, the Liao guards secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Since there was an antidote, they could endure it sooner or later, since Mo Yan was in the camp and couldn't escape anyway.

While the maidservant brought the Liao imperial physician to treat Zhao Yu, Mo Yan was carefully re-bandaging Zhan Zhao's wounds inside another tent.

Someone had just told them about Xiao Xin's amnesia. Upon hearing this, the two were both amused and annoyed, and their previous suspicions about Xiao Xin vanished instantly.

"So that's why he was completely unharmed after being slapped by a tiger. Turns out he has amnesia." Mo Yan carefully tied the strips of cloth and draped a robe over Zhan Zhao, laughing, "If he had been turned into an idiot, we wouldn't have been able to do anything about him."