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

When Meng Jincheng heard that Ling Yan actually proposed to go to Nanjiang City, his originally calm face suddenly became rippled, as if a stone had been thrown into a lake.

He thought to himself, "Why did Ling Yan take the initiative to ask to go to Nanjiang City? Could it be that he has learned about Xue Jinhua's news? Or does he have other ulterior motives?"

However, no matter what the reason was, Meng Jincheng at this moment did not want to see Ling Yan set foot on this land.

But the reality is like a sharp double-edged sword, piercing Meng Jincheng's heart.

If he decisively refused, then Xue Jinhua would miss out on the angelica that she desperately needed.

Although if they told the other party directly that the purpose of obtaining angelica was to save Xue Jinhua's life, the Jin State would certainly not be stingy with the medicine, but in this case, Xue Jinhua's true identity would be difficult to conceal any longer.

Therefore, the plan to keep her in Nanjiang City will definitely come to nothing.

Thinking of this, Meng Jincheng couldn't help but frowned, stared at the person in front of him, and said in a deep voice: "What if I say no?"

Zhang Junan, who was standing aside, obviously had not expected that Meng Jincheng would choose to refuse in this way.

His brows couldn't help but slightly frown, and he looked at Meng Jincheng sharply, and said slowly: "Lord City Lord, if you insist on not agreeing, not only will you not be able to get these precious herbs, but you may not even be able to return to Nanjiang City safely. Everything depends on the sincerity shown by your city."

Meng Jincheng frowned tightly, with a hint of anger flashing in his eyes. He stared straight at Zhang Junan in front of him and said sternly, "Master Zhang, what exactly do you mean by this? Are you really going to bully me and force me? If so, it means that your Jin State has officially declared war on Southern Xinjiang!"

After hearing this, Zhang Junan raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a seemingly kind smile, and gently waved his hand and said, "City Lord Meng, please don't be angry, you are really joking."

"Our Southern Xinjiang and Dajin have always been friendly neighbors, and the relationship between us can be considered harmonious. We have been friends for many years."

"This time, our emperor heard that City Lord Meng was famous and admired him, so he wanted to meet this heroic figure."

"But seeing that City Lord Meng seems reluctant, this really makes me feel a little embarrassed. But since you have come here, you should go to Kyoto anyway and be a good guest. Otherwise, if the news gets out, others may accuse us of not knowing how to entertain guests and being impolite."

These words sounded reasonable and flawless, but how could Meng Jincheng not know the mystery and calculation hidden in them?

He pondered for a moment, various thoughts flashed through his mind quickly, and he soon understood the other party's true intentions.

His expression became more and more solemn. After a long silence, he finally said slowly, "Forget it, Master Zhang. Since things have come to this, I will agree to your request."

"After this city lord returns to Southern Xinjiang, he will immediately start preparing for the reception of His Majesty the Emperor of your country."

When Zhang Junan saw him finally nod in agreement, a happy smile suddenly appeared on his face like a blooming spring flower, and he said cheerfully: "City Lord Meng, if you could agree to this earlier, wouldn't there be fewer misunderstandings between us!"

However, at this moment, Meng Jincheng couldn't laugh no matter what, because he knew clearly in his heart that Ling Yan had a big purpose in going there.

Meng Jincheng forced a bitter smile and responded, "Master Zhang really loves to joke."

All in all, it was difficult for Meng Jincheng to feel relaxed at this moment.

Zhang Junan didn't care. He still smiled and said, "Come here, escort City Lord Meng back home."

So, Meng Jincheng embarked on the journey home.

During his stay in Jin State, he always had a stern face and looked extremely solemn, as if everyone owed him eight hundred strings of cash.

Only after he completely left the border of Jin State did he feel relieved and his mood gradually improved.

But whenever he recalled what happened today, a deep feeling of humiliation would surge into his heart like a tide, quickly covering his once handsome face.

Just as Meng Jincheng was immersed in his own thoughts, the guard's cautious questioning suddenly brought him back to reality: "Lord City Lord, what should we do when we return?"

Meng Jincheng was slightly startled, then slowly retracted his gaze and turned to look at the sparkling water below him. After a moment of silence, he replied in a heavy tone: "Let's go back and make preparations to welcome the Emperor of Jin."

After saying this, he fell into deep thought again, secretly thinking about the various situations he might face next and how to deal with them.

For some of the accounts, if you count them carefully, it has been more than ten years. Now, it is indeed time to settle the accounts.

He has been avoiding it and waiting for a long, long time, but now, the time has finally come when he has to face it.

"So about those medicinal herbs..."

The guard at the side seemed cautious and asked softly, "Are you going to give up so easily?"

When Meng Jincheng heard this, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a faint smile: "Don't worry, don't worry, he will definitely take the initiative to come to our door to find us."

After saying this, his deep eyes stared at the boats slowly moving on the river outside the window, but the emotions in his heart became increasingly heavy and severe, just like the turbulent river water.

On the other side, after Zhang Junan personally sent Meng Jincheng safely to the boat, the smile on his face gradually disappeared with the flow of water, just like the ripples on the river.

Afterwards, he turned around and left in a hurry to meet Ling Yan.

When he saw Ling Yan, Zhang Junan bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I have arranged all matters according to your wishes. The Lord of Southern Xinjiang has agreed to your trip to Southern Xinjiang."

At this time, Ling Yan was sitting quietly by the window in the house, looking up at the bright moon hanging high in the night sky. Hearing this, he turned his head gently, his eyes fell on Zhang Junan, and said slowly: "Thank you, Master Zhang, for running around for this matter."

However, Zhang Junan quickly responded by bowing, saying that he would not take credit for himself.

Despite this, his expression still looked very solemn, as if something important was weighing on his mind.

"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, City Lord Meng looked gloomy this time, and he was obviously dissatisfied and extremely angry about my trick to force him. If Your Majesty goes to Southern Xinjiang in person this time, I'm afraid that City Lord Meng will vent all his resentment on Your Majesty."

"In this case, the situation may become quite tricky, so..."

Zhang Junan carefully raised his eyes and observed the emperor's expression, feeling secretly uneasy.

"Humph! Lord Zhang, do you think I should run away like a rat, so that the whole world can laugh at me?"

Emperor Ling Yan's eyes were wide open as he stared at Zhang Junan who was standing in front of him with his head bowed, his tone full of majesty and displeasure.

Zhang Junan was so frightened when he heard this that he trembled all over. He quickly bent down, almost sticking his whole body to the ground, and explained tremblingly: "Your Majesty, please calm down. I have no such intention! I am just worried that Your Majesty will go to Southern Xinjiang this time. What if something unexpected happens? I am loyal to Your Majesty, and my sincerity is evident to all the world!"

Ling Yan snorted coldly, his eyes as sharp as a knife, piercing Zhang Junan, and said sternly: "Master Zhang, think about the soldiers of our Great Jin. When they were fighting with the enemy in Mobei, they knew that they would die, but did anyone escape from the battlefield? They fought bloody battles and died on horseback, just to defend their country and our country! Now, I am just going to the southern border, how could I retreat and escape? If I really act like this, wouldn't the world laugh at my Great Jin for having no one?"

After saying this, Ling Yan put his hands behind his back, held his head high and puffed out his chest, showing the majesty of an emperor.

His powerful words hit Zhang Junan's heart like a thousand-pound rock, making him sweat profusely.

Zhang Junan looked at the tall and majestic figure of Emperor Ling Yan reflected on the window, and suddenly seemed to understand something.

In an instant, he suddenly understood as if he had been enlightened.

So he hurriedly bowed his head deeply again, bowed respectfully, and said in a firm voice: "I am stupid and failed to understand the emperor's intention just now. I deserve death! Now I understand. I just hope that the emperor's trip to southern Xinjiang will be smooth and return safely!"

The emperor stared at Zhang Junan in front of him with a sharp gaze. Seeing a flash of clarity in his eyes, it was obvious that he had fully understood the profound meaning. The slight hesitation that remained in his heart disappeared in an instant.

Then the emperor turned his head slightly and winked at the eunuch serving beside him.

The eunuch understood what the emperor meant and hurriedly stepped forward, respectfully took an exquisite token from the emperor's hand, and then walked down carefully.

"Master Zhang, take this token." The emperor's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable majesty.

Zhang Junan hurried forward and took the token respectfully with both hands.

However, when he looked closely at the symbol on the token, his face suddenly changed, his whole body trembled, and he cried out in surprise: "Your Majesty, this is a military token! You are..."

Halfway through his words, he suddenly seemed to remember something and swallowed the rest of his words back.

The words that Runanji had said to him not long ago quickly emerged in his mind, and Zhang Junan's heart suddenly became as clear as a mirror.

It turns out that the emperor's trip to southern Xinjiang was not just to bring back the queen.

"If I encounter any misfortune during this trip, no matter how great the cost, I must destroy Nanjiang City!" The emperor's tone was as cold as the chilly wind in the cold winter, without any emotion.

As soon as these words came out, Zhang Junan felt a chill running up his spine and his whole body shuddered involuntarily.

He did not dare to delay for a moment. His knees softened and he fell to the ground with a thud. He knocked his forehead heavily on the ground and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty! Long live the emperor!"

At this time, Ling Yan slowly turned around, walked to the window, and looked up at the vast sky outside the window.

His eyes were deep and distant, as if he could see the distant southern Xinjiang through the layers of clouds.

After a long silence, he murmured to himself: "Painting, be patient and wait for me for a while."

At the same time, Meng Jincheng rushed back to Nanjiang City without stopping.

As soon as he entered the city, without even having time to rest, he immediately summoned his confidants to discuss the matter of the Jin emperor entering the city the next day.

"My Lord City Lord, in my opinion, the Jin Emperor's sudden visit to our southern border may have ulterior motives!" said a subordinate with a serious expression.

At this moment, everyone in the audience knew nothing about Meng Jincheng bringing Xue Jinhua here, so they only speculated from the surface that the Emperor of Jin's visit might have other meanings.

However, Meng Jincheng knew the situation clearly.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, secretly pondering the reason.

"My Lord City Lord, there must be something wrong when things are out of the ordinary. In our humble opinion, we should prepare for a rainy day as soon as possible!" Another person bowed and spoke, his face full of worry.

Meng Jincheng sat quietly on the high seat, listening to the discussions of the people below.

These people talked for a long time but still failed to get to the core of the problem, which made him gradually lose his patience.

Finally, he waved his hand and said loudly: "Alright, stop talking nonsense! Go and prepare the relevant matters quickly, and be sure to receive us with the highest standards of Nanjiang City. As for other aspects... Let's take it one step at a time!"

After all, when Ling Yan steps into Nanjiang City, no matter what he thinks, Nanjiang is his, Meng Jincheng's, home court.

What does he have to fear on his own turf?

Seeing that the city lord had already made the decision and deployment, the ministers dared not say another word and immediately bowed and accepted the order, and began to take care of the various affairs.

After everything was arranged, Meng Jincheng breathed a sigh of relief, stood up and left the lobby, and walked straight towards the courtyard where the city lord's wife lived. He walked hurriedly along the way.

As soon as Tracy saw the person coming, the joy that was originally overflowing on her face instantly blossomed. She walked forward with joy and called out in a tender voice, "Lord City Lord! Here he comes!" The voice was clear and pleasant, as beautiful as the sound of a yellow oriole leaving a valley.

Meng Jincheng nodded slightly in response, and then asked, "Where is your wife?" His tone was calm, but there was a hint of anxiety in his eyes.

Tracy quickly replied, "Madam is inside. I will go and inform you right away."

Having said that, she turned around and walked towards the house. Her steps were so light as if she was walking on clouds, and she felt particularly happy.

However, at this moment, Meng Jincheng suddenly raised his hand to stop him and said, "No need, you go down first, I can go in by myself."

His expression had become extremely serious at some point, like a dark cloud, which made people feel awe.

Seeing this, although Tracy was somewhat puzzled, she did not dare to ask any more questions after seeing the gloomy expression of the city lord, and could only respond obediently: "Yes, Lord City Lord."

Then he lowered his head and retreated, but he kept looking back from time to time as he left, as if trying to figure out what had happened.

Meng Jincheng stepped into the room and saw the city lord's wife sitting quietly beside the bed.

He coughed lightly to get the other person's attention.

When the city lord's wife heard the noise, she was startled and hurriedly stood up to greet him. She bowed to Meng Jincheng and said softly, "Lord City Lord..."