After Rebirth, She Becomes the Revenge Queen
Chapter 170 - 169: Such a Skinny Female Thief...

Chapter 170: Chapter 169: Such a Skinny Female Thief...

Although the main royal ceremony lasts only one day, the preparations actually start the day before, and the defense begins ten days in advance.

No matter how grand the royal ceremony is, defense is the top priority, which means mobilizing a large number of soldiers.

The heavy responsibilities naturally bring high rewards. After each ceremony, the emperor rewards the generals responsible for each area.

The few words Princess Rong said earlier hinted at something. The appointment of Prince Rong as Grand Ceremony Defense Commander in the afternoon instantly became a bone of contention between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Zhang and Yang Zhan have intercepted Prince Rong into their courtyard. What else could it be other than to profit from it?

Logically, Princess Rong and Yang Zhan, being mother and son, should stand together in unity, but because of the Zhang family, signs of rivalry have emerged.

The residences of people in Prince Manor aren’t easily accessible; Fu Zhen had no way to move forward after reaching the periphery of the Spiritual Spring Pavilion.

But Fu Zhen still has a way. She has a strainer and can find a nearby tree to climb up and watch. Although the effect might not be great, it’s better than nothing.

Just as she was about to look for a tree, someone yanked on the collar of her clothes!

She turned around ready to fight, but a voice sounded, neither warm nor cold, from above: "Where are you going?"

Fu Zhen looked up, then quickly pulled down her face mask: "How did you know it was me?"

Pei Zhan leisurely said, "Not many female thieves are as skinny as you."

Fu Zhen felt mocked, but she thought again: "How did you know I was here?"

Pei Zhan lay on the stone, squinting into the distance: "I heard Zhang Shicheng came this way, thought I’d listen to what they’re saying. And this is the only hiding spot."

Having entered the monastery with Xu Yin, they had exchanged a few serious words on the way up. But as Xu Yin hurried off to find Yongping with a show of eagerness, Pei Zhan and Liang Chen found a chance to slip away.

They had not reached the Zen temple when they encountered Cheng Chili, who was looking for Fu Zhen, prompting Pei Zhan to come over.

Fu Zhen’s eyes lit up, and before she could speak, Pei Zhan had already stepped into the bushes below: "Follow me!"

Fu Zhen was overjoyed at heart!

Her current skills were barely enough to be a Scout, and she was worried about not having anyone to act as a ladder, and here the ladder came!

She quickly followed, and quietly they reached under the courtyard wall, where Fu Zhen finally looked up, and Pei Zhan said, "Wait for me here."

Fu Zhen didn’t want to be a follower. Seeing that he planned to climb the wall, she quickly said, "I’ll go too, take me with you!"

She gestured, indicating for him to lift her.

Pei Zhan turned his head to think for a moment, then reached out and encircled her waist.

Both belonged to military families, so there weren’t so many formalities. However, Pei Zhan’s hand, which encircled her waist, felt like it was holding a fiery coal, extremely hot.

The people of Prince Rong’s Mansion weren’t proper martial artists, and the guards were at the periphery, so the few who were guarding couldn’t stop Pei Zhan.

Pei Zhan put her down and walked ahead without looking back.

The two successfully approached the terrace, where, if they held their breath, they could not only see but also hear the people speaking on the terrace.

A pot of tea was brewing on the terrace, and Prince Rong, the princess, and their son and daughter-in-law sat around the tea table, engaging in small talk mixed with the day’s duties in the palace. It was mainly Prince Rong and his son speaking, while Princess Rong seemed reluctant.

This was Pei Zhan’s first time working with Fu Zhen — if this could be considered a task. Although his eyes were on the terrace, his attention and thoughts lingered more on the person beside him.

She was pressed against the tree trunk in a listening posture, her expression so solemn it seemed even her hair was cooperating with her.

People he knew before said she was no less capable than a man, and he believed it, but it was far more profound to witness it firsthand.

In the past, he had taken care of young ladies from relatives’ families as per the elders’ instructions, and each of them was so fragile that apart from walking and eating, they seemed to do nothing else, forcing him to operate with utmost caution.

She was different — she indeed was different.

They had never worked together before, yet they were as in sync as if they had been comrades for a long time. A glance, a gesture was enough to complete communication.

Pei Zhan’s thin lips curled slightly; at this point, he didn’t mind the people on the terrace chatting a bit longer. Unfortunately, just as he had this thought, he heard Yang Zhan say, "Rumor is this grand ceremony will be modeled after the grand royal ceremony used for conferring the three dukes and nine ministers. So, it’s said that each side of the palace will have a General as the defense commander; naturally, there must be an Imperial Army Commander among the four commanders, along with three Deputy Commanders to assist father. Does father already have candidates for these three positions?"

Upon hearing these words, Princess Rong straightened her back: "At such a critical moment, the position of Deputy Commander can’t just go to anyone.

"In this grand ceremony defense, the actual command resides with the Pei and Liang families; your father only bears the title of chief commander through the courtesy of his role as director of the clan office.

"So, they already have two positions, and your father has promised the remaining one to Zhe Yu."

Yang Zhan looked toward Prince Rong, saying, "Is that so," then lowered his head to drink tea.

Fu Zhen glanced at Pei Zhan.

Pei Zhan nodded slightly.

Prince Rong was not actually involved in commanding affairs; the task was mainly carried out by him and Liang Chen. In other words, Prince Rong indeed could only appoint one Deputy Commander.

"Zhe Yu is good, but nothing is decided yet. We’ll discuss it when we return to the mansion tomorrow."

Prince Rong slowly uttered these words.

Princess Rong immediately said, "Your Highness..."

"Enough," Prince Rong interjected, "We’re here to pray, not to discuss politics; let’s just drink tea!"

He, who usually seemed kind, showed a bit of sternness at this moment.

Fu Zhen frowned and gestured Pei Zhan to retreat to a slightly distant place.

Pei Zhan led her to a corner and asked, "How about it?"

"This old man is different from how I remember him," Fu Zhen frowned, "He never used to have such authority."

Pei Zhan, two years younger than her, had a slightly fainter impression of Prince Rong but did not disagree with her. "It seems like he has some plans not agreeing to give Zhe Yu."

Fu Zhen inhaled: "Never mind that! While both father and son are here, let’s find out if they are involved in the alley murder case!"

Pei Zhan looked at her: "What do you plan to do?"

Fu Zhen extended her palm: "Where’s that dagger?"

Pei Zhan took it out and handed it to her.

Fu Zhen, twirling it in her palm and flipping it twice, then said, "I’ll let Prince Rong and his son see it."

With that, she returned to the wall and gestured for Pei Zhan to take her outside.

Pei Zhan came back, lifted her over the wall in the same way, and carried her outside.

Once Fu Zhen landed on the ground, she headed toward the pathway between the two courtyards and then hid in the cover of the bushes.

She said, "When the dagger reaches their hands, as soon as they see it, I’ll immediately put out the nearby palace lanterns, and then you’ll seize the dagger in the darkness! After succeeding, we divide and retreat, meeting up in the Zen temple!"

Pei Zhan raised his eyes to look around and then, without another word, followed her instructions, taking up his position opposite.

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