The mistress is reborn, no one who bullies me can escape

"Oh my! City Lord Meng actually came to our Nanling area in person. I am so honored. I am so sorry for the disrespect!"

Zhang Junan came forward with a smile on his face. Although his official position was not low, it was still inferior to Meng Jincheng's noble status.

After all, Southern Xinjiang was just a small vassal state under the powerful Jin State.

Therefore, even though he was facing a powerful person like Meng Jincheng, Zhang Junan would never deliberately perform the complicated etiquette.

At this moment, Meng Jincheng was staring intently at Zhang Junan, the prefect in front of him who was known as the youngest and most promising prefect in Jin State.

Upon hearing that this man was a minister that the new emperor of Jin State particularly favored and valued, Meng Jincheng couldn't help but reveal a hint of admiration in his eyes.

However, when his thoughts turned back to the real purpose of coming here, Meng Jincheng's face, which originally had a slight smile on it, suddenly became serious, and even added a bit of coldness.

He asked in a low voice, "Master Zhang, since you already know that the city lord is here in person, then may I ask why you are stopping me from buying your country's angelica?"

There was a hint of dissatisfaction and questioning in the words.

Faced with Meng Jincheng's sudden questioning, Zhang Junan did not show any panic.

On the contrary, he still had a smile on his face and responded calmly: "Lord Meng, you are joking. I am just a small prefect. How can I be so omnipotent that I can arbitrarily block the normal trading of medicinal materials?" His words were sincere, as if everything he said came from his heart.

Meng Jincheng looked at Zhang Junan with suspicion, secretly wondering the truth of his words.

However, Zhang Junan was extremely calm and showed no fear. He responded casually, "Lord Meng, to be honest, I had no idea that you were looking for the herb Angelica sinensis. Even if you can't buy it now... it's probably just a coincidence."

"You know, all the medicinal materials in Nanling area have been sent to Kyoto recently. It's not just the angelica that is out of stock! If City Lord Meng needs medicine urgently, I'm afraid he will have to find other ways to solve the problem."

Hearing this explanation, Meng Jincheng couldn't help but frown, his heart still full of doubts.

Could it be that all this was just a coincidence? In any case, he still couldn't be completely convinced of this.

"Of course!" Zhang Junan nodded without hesitation, his tone firm and decisive.

Meng Jincheng sighed helplessly, his brows tightly furrowed.

If the situation is really as Zhang Junan said, then there is little hope of obtaining the required medicinal materials.

When he thought that Xue Jinhua's illness had not yet received effective treatment, his mood suddenly became heavy, as if a huge rock was pressing on his heart.

After a moment of silence, Meng Jincheng slowly said, "In that case, Master Zhang, I will take my leave now."

Although he was unwilling to give up easily, it seemed that there was nothing he could do in Lingnan at the moment. He had to go to other places to continue searching for Angelica's whereabouts.

Now that this incident had happened a long time ago, although he knew nothing about Xue Jinhua's condition, he was well aware that time was pressing and there was no room for delay.

If we go to other places to explore now, there may be a glimmer of hope of finding useful clues.

Zhang Junan saw that he was about to leave, but he did not try to stop him. After a short pause, he slowly said, "City Lord Meng, if you encounter any difficult problems on the way, you can come to me directly. Although I cannot guarantee that I can solve all your worries, I will do my best to help you."

However, Meng Jincheng did not feel too much about Zhang Junan's words, and just thought they were just polite remarks.

Therefore, he did not respond much, but turned around quickly and walked towards the surrounding towns with big strides.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived at the Nanling Pass, they were stopped abruptly.

The people beside Meng Jincheng were furious when they saw this, and shouted sternly: "Do you know who is standing in front of you? How dare you stop us so brazenly!"

However, the guard didn't even look at him. He raised a sneer and hit back mercilessly: "Humph, no matter who you are, no one can take a single step out of here without the express permission of Lord Zhang!"

Meng Jincheng frowned, thinking secretly about the order issued by Master Zhang...

At this moment, the words Zhang Junan had just said suddenly flooded into his mind like a tide, and his face instantly became extremely solemn.

It was obvious that Zhang Junan's move was clearly intended to prevent him from passing through this place smoothly.

The guards beside him were also at a loss at the moment, not knowing how to deal with the difficult situation. After hesitating for a moment, they finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Lord City Lord, what should we do now?"

After all, the road ahead is no longer passable and is now completely impassable.

But this is the territory of the State of Jin. If we force our way through here regardless of the consequences, it will inevitably lead to fierce conflicts and disputes.

Meng Jincheng had also considered this. His face was as gloomy as water, and he said solemnly, "Let's go back first."

Hearing this, the guard was startled, and then asked carefully: "Lord City Lord, do you mean to return to Southern Xinjiang?"

Meng Jincheng glared at him angrily and shouted, "Idiot! Lord Zhang summoned this city lord to meet him. If we disobey his order and don't go to the appointment, I'm afraid it will be difficult to get these crucial medicinal materials!"

After this scolding, the guard suddenly realized the seriousness of the matter. His confused face suddenly became serious and he quickly responded, "I understand, Lord City Lord, please rest assured, I will take you to see Lord Zhang as soon as possible."

At the same time, Lord Zhang was playing chess with Runanji leisurely.

Lord Zhang smiled and confidently made a move. He looked up at Run Nanji and said slowly, "Brother Run, do you think City Lord Meng will turn back this time?"

"If he cannot get what he desires, he will definitely choose to turn back."

At this moment, Runanji gently placed a chess piece on the chessboard, but his face looked particularly solemn and dignified.

He slowly said, "So, it seems that we can set off for Southern Xinjiang tomorrow, right?"

Zhang Junan, who was sitting opposite him, also had a stern expression and did not smile. He responded, "This trip to Southern Xinjiang is bound to be full of dangers and dangers! Lord Run, have you thought it through?"

For Zhang Junan, who is cautious and conservative by nature, he sincerely hopes that everyone's safety can be guaranteed... especially when it comes to the extremely special and sensitive region of Southern Xinjiang.

If conflicts and disputes arise here, then the surrounding small countries that are eyeing it covetously will certainly take the opportunity to rush in and attack together... By then, it will probably turn into a major event that concerns the fate of the entire Jin State.

Runanji replied calmly, "Do you think the emperor went south just to rescue the queen?"

Hearing this, Zhang Junan couldn't help but look surprised, and asked anxiously: "Master Run, what exactly do you mean by this?"

Runanji did not answer immediately, but once again calmly put down the chess piece he was holding tightly in his hand.

He stared at the chessboard in front of him, his eyes focused on the intricate chess moves on it, and his expression became slightly tense.

Because the chess game at this moment is like a life-and-death contest, the traps set by the enemy are stacked one after another, and they are surrounded from all directions. It can be said that every step is thrilling and full of murderous intentions.

Just the slightest mistake or wrong move can very likely lead to a total loss.

"The land of Southern Xinjiang has always been a stubborn problem in the heart of the late emperor! Long ago, the late emperor wanted to recover it, but what is puzzling is that despite such an urgent desire, the action has been delayed again and again, and no substantial progress has been seen. Tell me, why is this?"

In fact, the number of soldiers in the southern Xinjiang region is relatively limited and not numerous.

But they cleverly took advantage of the geographical location, built impregnable cities along the rivers, and formed a natural barrier, making the attack extremely difficult.

Not only that, there is also a mysterious witchcraft technique circulating in southern Xinjiang. This strange and powerful spell has made many neighboring countries fearful and stay away from it.

"Is there some unknown secret hidden in this?"

When Zhang Junan heard this, he finally realized that things were much more complicated than he had originally thought, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Indeed, for some other smaller countries with weaker power, southern Xinjiang is like an insurmountable mountain, full of challenges and dangers.

Especially when launching an attack on southern Xinjiang, we must always be on guard to guard against other countries taking advantage of the situation and launching sneak attacks from behind.

It is for this reason that southern Xinjiang has been able to maintain the current stability in the long term.

However, this situation only applies to weak countries.

For a powerful country like Jin with strong national strength and powerful military forces, the above-mentioned problems are actually nothing to be afraid of.

If this is the case, there is only one other possibility left - there must be some special concerns or considerations within the Jin royal family.

"Sir Zhang, you and I are both officials in the same court, and both are subjects of His Majesty. You should know that there are some things that it is better not to know. This is what is meant by 'it is bliss to be ignorant'!" He patted Zhang Junan's shoulder meaningfully.

Zhang Junan's face seemed to be covered by a layer of dark clouds, and he looked particularly solemn. He slowly said, "Although I am older than Lord Run, I am far less intelligent than Lord Run! I am extremely ashamed, extremely ashamed!"

Upon hearing this, Runanji just smiled slightly and responded softly: "Master Zhang, you lost this game." As soon as he finished speaking, the last chess piece in his hand fell steadily on the chessboard.

Zhang Junan quickly cast his gaze towards the settled chess game on the table, and his face turned pale for a moment - all of his white pieces were wiped out!

He sighed deeply and praised sincerely: "As the saying goes, 'One careless move can lead to a complete loss'. Lord Run's chess skills are indeed superior. I admire him so much!"

At this moment, Runanji was secretly proud in his heart, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose slightly, outlining a faint smile.

He straightened his sleeves a little, then stood up and bowed, saying, "Master Zhang, the person you are waiting for has arrived, so I will take my leave first."

After saying this, he turned and left, leaving Zhang Junan alone to ponder the endgame in silence.

Not long after, Zhang Junan's guards came hurriedly to report: "Sir, the Lord of Nanjiang City is here to see you."

Zhang Junan didn't look up when he heard this, still staring at the chess game in front of him. After a pause, he smiled slowly and said, "Well, let him in."

A moment later, Meng Jincheng strode into the room. When he saw Zhang Junan, his expression immediately became extremely serious, and he asked directly: "Master Zhang, what do you mean? If you have something to say, just say it!"

Zhang Junan raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a faint smile, and said softly: "City Lord Meng is too polite. I really don't have anything important to do. I wonder why the City Lord came to see me today?"

Things have come to this, and this guy is still trying to play dumb and play tricks on me, trying to get rid of me so easily?

Thinking of this, Meng Jincheng couldn't help but feel extremely anxious, and his face became gloomy in an instant.

He stared at Zhang Junan and responded in an urgent and serious tone: "Master Zhang, we are both open-minded people, so let's stop hiding things! Since you deliberately blocked my way, you must have some ulterior motive. Instead of beating around the bush, it's better to speak out directly so as not to waste each other's precious time!"

Faced with Meng Jincheng's merciless questioning, Zhang Junan was stunned for a moment at first, but soon returned to his smiling look.

He coughed twice and then slowly explained, "Don't be angry, City Lord Meng. Actually, it's not a big deal. I just heard that the City Lord likes Angelica dahurica very much. It just so happens that our emperor plans to go to Nanjiang City for a private visit in a few days. So he will definitely prepare enough Angelica dahurica for the City Lord in advance, no matter how much, it will definitely be enough!"

"Lord City Lord, do you think this arrangement is satisfactory?"