“Zheng?”

Called so intimately, it seemed that the person indeed knew her.

Qin Zheng’s mind raced.

In the original story, the Crown Princess was only a minor character who appeared briefly in the sidelines, apart from her tragic love with Shen Yanzhi.

She had a thin character arc and minimal interaction with other characters.

However, the Crown Princess did have a brother.

So, the person in front of her was either Shen Yanzhi or the Crown Princess’s brother, Qin Jian.

But whether he was Shen Yanzhi or Qin Jian, it was extremely unfavorable for Qin Zheng.

After all, one was the childhood friend of the Crown Princess, and the other was the brother who watched the Crown Princess grow up.

They were both extremely familiar with the Crown Princess.

As someone who had transmigrated and didn’t possess the Crown Princess’s memories, it would be easy for them to notice something amiss.

In this era where people feared ghosts and spirits, Qin Zheng didn’t want to be treated as a demon and burned to death.

She steadied her mind and looked at the man with a mixture of aloofness and wariness. “Who are you? Why do you know my name?”

For now, the best course of action was to feign amnesia, which would explain why she didn’t know some of the things that happened to the Crown Princess before.

But to her surprise, each word seemed to be particularly difficult for the man to say, and his phoenix eyes turned even redder upon hearing her response.

The pale smile on his lips became even paler, and he seemed like a fragile shell made of thin snow, about to shatter at any moment.

“Forget… you don’t remember,” he said, each word seemingly painful for him to utter.

Seeing the aloofness and wariness in Qin Zheng’s eyes, he felt like a knife was twisting in his heart with every breath.

He struggled to maintain that gentle yet pale smile, but the pain in his eyes was palpable, making people’s hearts ache. “I’m sorry for being late and causing you suffering, Zheng.”

Seeing Qin Zheng’s face, which had been smeared with a lot of ash, he instinctively wanted to wipe it clean with his sleeve.

However, Qin Zheng stepped back warily.

Lin Zhao also stared at him with some hostility and said, “Show some respect!”

Shen Yanzhi’s throat felt bitter.

The person he had been thinking about day and night was now right in front of him, but she didn’t recognize him, and even looked at him with suspicion.

In these days of escape, from the bandits’ lair to the water bandits’ hideout, what exactly had she experienced?

His heart felt like it was being squeezed by a giant hand, making it hard for him to breathe.

He withdrew his hand behind his back, tightly clenched into a fist, gripping it so hard that his palm was dripping with blood.

He said in a strained voice, “If Zheng doesn’t remember me, Shen Yanzhi, could you remember this name, Zheng?”

Qin Zheng was surprised to hear him introduce himself, but she was bombarded with too many questions, causing her to forget to respond to Shen Yanzhi’s question.

In the distance, the sounds of fighting could be heard.

Qin Zheng glanced in that direction, but the night was too dark, and the buildings and trees obscured her view, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

Shen Yanzhi obviously heard it too, and his expression changed slightly. “The officials are hunting down bandits. This is not a place to stay for long. Zheng, come with me back to the boat. I’ll find a doctor for you.”

As soon as he mentioned the doctor, Qin Zheng remembered Lin Zhao’s injuries.

Lin Zhao’s wounds had only been hastily bandaged once, and she was weak now.

It would be a good idea to find a doctor to take a look at her.

Currently, they were in the bandits’ main stronghold in Panlong Gully.

If they wanted to avoid falling into the hands of the water bandits, going with Shen Yanzhi was the safest option.

Qin Zheng hesitated for a moment before nodding, but she held onto Lin Zhao tightly. “A Zhao was captured by the water bandits with me. I’ll take her with me.”

“Naturally, the girls captured by the water bandits will be taken back by the officials.”

The two soldiers disguised as water bandits led the way, and Qin Zheng helped Lin Zhao walk with them.

However, she couldn’t help but glance back in the direction of the fighting. “Are those the officials over there?”

The soldiers hesitated in their response. “It should be.”

They weren’t entirely sure.

After all, they hadn’t returned yet, and the soldiers on the ship didn’t dare to start a fight recklessly.

But if they weren’t officials, who else could be here in the water bandits’ stronghold at this time?

To be on the safe side, they decided to avoid that area and took a detour to leave the water bandits’ stronghold.

Shen Yanzhi and his personal guards walked at the back, away from Qin Zheng.

The gloom surrounding him could no longer be suppressed, and his voice was cold. “I don’t want to see a single bandit alive here. Level this place to the ground.”

There were siege weapons and explosives on the warship, so destroying Panlong Gully was not a difficult task.

Chen Qing bowed. “Understood.”

---

After entering the dungeon and observing the situation inside, Chu Chengji couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

No one was guarding it?

Torchlight flickered on the walls as he ventured deeper into the dungeon.

When he arrived at the cell, he only saw two water bandits lying unconscious on the ground, stripped of their outer robes.

They escaped on their own?

Chu Chengji picked up the teapot on the table and poured water on one of the water bandits to wake him up.

The water bandit groggily opened his eyes and immediately started shouting before even seeing who it was.

“Those two women ran away! Quickly, chase them!”

A cold sword pressed against his neck, and the owner’s voice was colder than the blade itself.

“When did they escape?”

The water bandit looked around in panic, realizing the situation.

Trembling, he said, “Please spare me, sir. I really don’t know. As soon as I entered, I saw the black-faced woman standing by the cell door, and the brother guarding the door fell to the ground. Before I could report, I was knocked unconscious…”

He had a large lump on his head, clearly visible even through his hair, which indicated that his words were not false.

Chu Chengji glanced behind the door and indeed saw a bench there.

It was indeed someone’s style.

He ignored the two water bandits who were locked in the cell and walked out of the dungeon with his sword in hand.

Seeing the bodies of the water bandits lying in front of the dungeon door again, Chu Chengji furrowed his brow.

The injuries on these people’s bodies were not consistent, clearly indicating that they were not killed by Lin Zhao.

Someone took them away?

Tonight, besides the people from Qi Yun Stronghold, the only others appearing in Panlong Gully were the officials.

Thinking of how Wu Xiao was captured because of the official’s warrant, Chu Chengji’s expression darkened.

The massive explosion heard in the distance was not unfamiliar to Chu Chengji.

It was the sound of siege explosives, which they had used to intimidate the water bandits on the ship in Qi Yun Stronghold before.

Two quarters had not passed yet, so it couldn’t be the people from Qi Yun Stronghold who were throwing the explosives.

After that loud explosion, countless fireballs were thrown towards the water bandit’s lair, exploding deafeningly upon impact.

The remaining water bandits all cried out in terror and scattered in all directions.

Now, going towards the riverbank would be even more dangerous.

That area was the focal point of the bombardment.

Chu Chengji directly used his light skills to leap towards the back mountain.

The terrain of the back mountain was extremely high.

Under the moonlight, he could see from afar that the water bandit’s lair was engulfed in flames, and a government ship was gradually moving away on the river.

There was a person standing on the deck with lanterns lit, but the ship was too far away for Chu Chengji to see who it was.

However, the bright red official robe was quite eye-catching.

---

The people of Qi Yun Stronghold didn’t listen to Chu Chengji.

Two quarters had passed, and they hadn’t seen him, but they heard the government bombarding the water bandits’ lair madly, causing them to feel nervous.

After the explosions ceased, they hurriedly moored the ship and went to look for Chu Chengji.

The once formidable stronghold was now a charred ruin, with burnt bodies scattered everywhere.

“This blasting was too fierce! Fortunately, our ship was fast, or else we would have been blown to pieces!” Wang Biao looked at the devastation of the bandit’s nest and couldn’t help but shudder, recalling the time when they were chased by the government ships on the river.

“Strategist!” Someone spotted Chu Chengji coming down from the back mountain and shouted with joy.

Wang Biao looked up and also showed joy. “Fortunately, Strategist, you’re fine. You scared us all!”

Looking left and right, he didn’t see Qin Zheng and Lin Zhao, and the smile on his face involuntarily faded.

“What about Miss and Miss Lin?”

Others also thought that Qin Zheng and Lin Zhao had encountered something unfortunate, their expressions solemn.

Chu Chengji said, “They were taken away by the officials before us.”

With this statement, the people of Qi Yun Stronghold finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing the wounds on Chu Chengji’s body, Wang Biao hurriedly said, “Strategist, let’s go back to the ship first. You need to treat your injuries.”

“It’s not a problem. Get me a map of the inner city of Qingzhou.” Chu Chengji obviously didn’t take those wounds on his body seriously.

Regardless of the situation, his voice was always steady, making people involuntarily trust him.

Wang Biao knew that he wanted the map of Qingzhou City to understand the city’s layout and defenses, making it easier to rescue Qin Zheng and Lin Zhao.

Considering the ferocity of the government’s attack today, the difficulty of storming the prison could be imagined.

He said, “I heard that the one surnamed Shen is like a mad dog in the court. Anyone who offends him meets a bad end.

It’s just the bad luck of the water bandits in Panlong Gully. They stole weapons from the court, so the Emperor sent him to Qingzhou to eliminate the bandits.

This is a warning to the others. But the government already knows that the batch of weapons is now in our hands.

I’m afraid the government will soon deal with Liangshan Mountain…”

Walking ahead, Chu Chengji suddenly paused, turning his head slightly to ask, “Is Shen Yanzhi leading the troops today?”

The moonlight cut through his profile, half of his handsome face bathed in the pale moonlight, the other half shrouded in darkness.

Perhaps the mask blocked the light, and his eyes seemed darker than usual.

Wang Biao was startled by this moment of Chu Chengji and scratched his head. “I only learned these things from cursing at them while dealing with the government ships.

I don’t know what that dog official’s name is, but everyone on the government ship calls him the prince.”

There was only one prince surnamed Shen under the sky, undoubtedly.

“Let’s return to the stronghold first and send someone to inquire about the whereabouts of this Shen official in the city.” Chu Chengji said this before continuing to walk forward.

Wang Biao glanced suspiciously at his back.

Was it his imagination? Why did the strategist’s aura seem to condense after hearing that the government leader was surnamed Shen?

---

After getting off the ship, there was still some distance from the dock to Qingzhou City.

Qin Zheng and Lin Zhao were arranged into a carriage.

Perhaps it was her imagination, but it seemed that Shen Yanzhi deliberately kept them away from the other officials on the government ship.

This carriage should have been prepared for Shen Yanzhi originally.

After Qin Zheng and Lin Zhao got in, Shen Yanzhi rode ahead.

It was already night, and the gates of Qingzhou City were closed long ago.

After Shen Yanzhi’s guards called out and presented their token, the soldiers guarding the city gate opened it.

Accompanying the soldier who came out to welcome Shen Yanzhi was the magistrate of Qingzhou.

“I congratulate Master Shen on his great victory over the bandits!” The magistrate of Qingzhou smiled, “Master Shen is truly capable of pacifying the world with his martial prowess and stabilizing the world with his literary talents.

You have solved the banditry problem that has plagued Qingzhou for more than ten years, truly benefiting the people of Qingzhou!”

Shen Yanzhi was eager to take Qin Zheng back home to find a doctor for her.

He had no interest in listening to the flattery of the Qingzhou magistrate. He impatiently said, “Why is Magistrate Zhou here?”

“Master Shen has ventured into the bandits’ lair. Although I am an old man, I am still a local official of Qingzhou. How can I rest easy? I’ll only feel at ease when Master Shen returns victorious.”

The Qingzhou magistrate’s words were full of insincerity.

Shen Yanzhi’s impatience grew. “Magistrate Zhou, thank you for your concern, but it’s late. You should go back and rest.”

However, the Qingzhou magistrate did not give up.

His gaze shifted to the carriage behind Shen Yanzhi. “I wonder if Master Shen has captured the criminals wanted on the warrant?”

“Not yet. It was a trap set by the bandits for the bounty. I have already ordered someone to escort those two women back to the yamen.” Although Shen Yanzhi said this, his eyes had already turned cold.

When he interrogated the water bandit who came to report, he deliberately avoided the Qingzhou magistrate, not wanting more people to know about Qin Zheng’s whereabouts.

However, it seemed that this Qingzhou magistrate was someone with many thoughts.

Fortunately, those water bandits were also clever, tying up two women to deceive the government and the other bandits.

He could use this incident to gloss over the matter of finding Qin Zheng.

After all, the fake ones on the ship were seen by all the officials on the entire government ship.

And bringing back Qin Zheng, he did it quietly, not to mention that Qin Zheng and the two others had also disguised themselves.

“These bandits are too bold!” Although the Qingzhou magistrate said so, he still didn’t give up. “It’s a cold night. Why doesn’t Master Shen take the carriage back to the mansion?”

Shen Yanzhi glanced coldly at the Qingzhou magistrate, not even bothering to pretend to be polite this time. “Magistrate Zhou has been guarding the city gate in the middle of the night just to ask whether I want to take the carriage or not?”

His icy phoenix eyes narrowed, exuding an aura of intimidation even without anger.

The Qingzhou magistrate was so scared that he knelt down on the ground. “I have been wronged! I am only concerned about Master Shen’s well-being.”

With a cold snort, Shen Yanzhi didn’t say another word, directly riding into the city.

The carriage and his ten or so personal guards followed suit, entering the city in an orderly manner.

The Qingzhou magistrate remained kneeling on the ground, his head against the cold ground, until they all entered the city.

Only then was he helped up by his attendants.

Staring at the direction Shen Yanzhi and his party departed, the Qingzhou magistrate spat out disdainfully, “There must be something fishy in his carriage. Keep an eye on his residence these days!

He’s not kind to me, so don’t blame me for being unrighteous to him.

He wants to protect the former prince’s consort.

Once I catch him with this handle, I won’t be afraid even if he finds out about my dealings with the water bandits in my early years.”