AWB Chapter 444: Relieve Boredom
Chapter 444: Relieve Boredom
He glared at Su Rou fiercely, his eyes sweeping across her cracked lips and pale face. Finally, he turned his face away and said sternly, "Humph! Who cares whether you live or die! You'd better behave yourself! Don't cause trouble for A Lie!"
Su Rou looked at her back as she almost fled in panic and breathed a sigh of relief.
Dealing with this princess is more exhausting than dealing with the sand bandits.
But she confirmed some information again from Princess Nineteen's reaction.
Andre thought she had lost her memory, but he did not reveal the reasons for her memory loss and voice to anyone, and may even have kept it a secret from Princess Nineteen.
After a short rest and bandaging, the team set off again.
After experiencing the attack by the sand bandits, the guards became more vigilant and the atmosphere became more solemn.
Princess Nineteen had indeed become much more obedient. Although she still cast inquiring and unfriendly glances from time to time, she no longer tried to get close to provoke him.
Su Rou found a rare moment of peace and tranquility.
She leaned against the car wall, endured the pain, and began to calmly sort out the current situation and plan the next step.
The leader of the eastern rebels, Wumuhan, is more powerful than imagined and can even threaten the surrounding areas of the royal court.
Andre's main force is working with the third brother to clear out the South Country?
Su Rou felt that Andre might not try his best at all, and he might be happy to see Wumuhan consume Su Chi's strength.
Even... is there some kind of tacit understanding between the two?
After all, a chaotic East sometimes benefits the king in control more than a unified East.
Andre brought her to the desert, maybe he wanted to exchange her with the third brother...
There are too many possibilities.
Too little information.
She needed more information.
The only possible source of information at the moment, apart from the unyielding female guard, is... the Nineteenth Princess, whose emotions are almost written on her face.
For the rest of the journey, Su Rou changed her strategy.
When the Nineteenth Princess couldn't help but ride her horse closer to the carriage again, pretending to look around but actually secretly looking inside the carriage, Su Rou did not ignore her or choke her with words as before, but raised her eyes and gave her a look that asked for help.
Princess Nineteen suddenly pulled the reins of her horse and was stunned.
This woman...has changed her gender?
Su Rou raised her hand with difficulty, pointed at the water bag on the small table, then pointed at her own cracked lips, her eyes looking pitiful.
Princess Nineteen narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but seeing Su Rou's fragile appearance as if she would faint at any time, she hesitated for a moment and signaled the maid next to her to take out the water bag and hand it in.
Su Rou took a sip of the water and then gave Princess Nineteen a grateful smile.
He wrote again with his finger: [Thank you. Did I scare the princess just now?]
The tone is gentle.
Princess Nineteen snorted uncomfortably, "What kind of scenes have I not seen? Can a mere bandit scare me?"
The two people obviously calmed down a lot.
Su Rou continued writing: [The princess is brave. Those sand bandits are… terrifying. Is the Wumuhan they're talking about a very powerful person? More powerful than… Andrei?]
The mention of Wumuhan and Andrei really caught Princess Nineteen's attention. Her sense of superiority and desire to confide immediately surfaced. "Humph! That traitor Wumuhan? He's just a bug hiding in the sea of sand! He relies on his familiarity with the terrain and a bit of brute force! How can he be compared with my Alie!"
His tone was full of disdain, but the flash of fear in the depths of his eyes did not escape Su Rou's eyes.
"If it weren't for the fact that those eastern tribes were so indecisive and independent, Ali would have sent his army to crush him to death long ago!"
Princess Nineteen couldn't help but add a few more words, as if to prove Andre's strength and Wumuhan's weakness. "Those tribal elders are greedy and cowardly. They're afraid that Alie will take back their power, and they're also afraid that Wumuhan will become powerful and swallow them up... Humph, a bunch of fence-sitters!"
Su Rou listened quietly, occasionally showing an expression of surprise or realization, encouraging Princess Nineteen to continue speaking.
From the princess's biased and resentful narration, she gradually pieced together the general pattern of the eastern desert:
Wumuhan was not a traditional tribal leader, but more like a grassroots hero. With his powerful military force and familiarity with the desert, he attracted many desperate criminals and small tribes dissatisfied with the royal court. He specialized in robbing caravans, attacking marginal oases, and even dared to confront the tax collectors and troops sent by the royal court.
The larger tribes in the east were in an ambiguous wait-and-see state, unwilling to submit to the brutal Umuhan, nor willing to completely obey the orders of the royal court, and internal disputes continued.
Andrei previously focused his main energy on the southern direction and consolidating the royal power. He had always adopted a strategy of suppression and appeasement towards the east, and did not make a full-scale sweep, which allowed Umuhan to become so powerful.
now…
"When Alie comes back from the South this time, he will definitely take care of them!" Princess Nineteen concluded with a firm tone and blind confidence in Andre.
Su Rou lowered her eyes, her fingertips unconsciously moving across the sand.
So, Andrei did not want to get rid of Wumuhan, but the time was not right or the cost was too high.
Now that he has returned with the power to "pacify the South", perhaps it is time to completely resolve the hidden dangers in the East.
And as for me... this "collaborator" who knows the intelligence of the South Country and may be able to provide help in some aspects, my value is highlighted to him.
But judging from Andre's expression, it seems that taking her to the desert is not that easy.
A few days later, the team finally arrived at the oasis where the Andrei court was located.
Red Tooth City.
This is a city built on a huge oasis. The city walls are made of rammed earth and reddish-brown rocks, reflecting dazzling light under the scorching sun.
The buildings in the city are full of exotic style, the market is bustling with people coming and going, and camel caravans are endless.
But unlike the prosperous and exquisite south, everything here seems rough and full of wild vitality.
Su Rou's carriage drove directly into the heavily guarded palace.
She was placed in a remote but well-equipped palace. The guards at the door were doubled, and the cold-faced female guard took care of her closely and never left her side.
Su Rou is very skilled in martial arts, so they are afraid that she will run away.
Her treatment changed from a prisoner to... a high-ranking prisoner.
Andre has not returned yet.
However, the news that he was about to return triumphantly and bring back an important woman from the South had already spread within the royal court, triggering all kinds of speculation and undercurrents.
The Nineteenth Princess disappeared as soon as she came back. She must have been busy trying to get some information or complain to her mother.
Su Rou was not impatient.
She focused on recuperating, cooperating with the medical officer's treatment, and taking medicine on time.
The female guard remained silent, but Su Rou could feel that her scrutinizing gaze had eased slightly.
A few days later, when Su Rou was able to walk, the female guard, while delivering medicine, took the initiative to speak, her voice still calm, "A letter from the king."
Su Rou paused slightly while holding the pen, and looked up at her.
The female guard continued, "Wang Wen, does the young lady need anything else?"
"?" Su Rou was confused. Andre knew that she had not lost her memory, so why did he write such a light-hearted letter in reply?
Su Rou lowered her eyes to hide the glimmer that flashed across her eyes.
Instead of rejecting it completely, I delayed and continued to observe.
She picked up her pen and slowly wrote on the paper: "Thank you, Andre, for your concern. I do have a few things I need. Could you find some ancient books or travelogues that record the geography and tribal origins of the East? They might help me pass the time when I'm bored, or perhaps... I could gain some insight."
She packaged her purpose as to relieve boredom and perhaps find a solution by chance, and she kept a low profile.
The female guard took a look, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then nodded, "I will report it."
The books were delivered quickly. There weren't many of them, but they were of various types, some of which were even parallel versions of the desert language and the southern language.
Su Rou felt like she had found a treasure. She no longer tried to get any information from the female guards or the Nineteenth Princess, but instead immersed herself in the books that exuded a stale smell.
She read about the topography, climate change, and water distribution of the Chiyan Sand Sea.
Study the heritage, beliefs, and mutual grievances of the major eastern tribes.
Even carefully examining the few fragments of information about Wumuhan's rise...
She read very slowly, these were all desert characters.
Frequently need to stop and think or consult a dictionary.
To outsiders, this really looks like a weak woman trapped in the deep palace with nothing to do trying to relieve her loneliness.
Occasionally, the Nineteenth Princess would come to "inspect" her, and when she saw her buried in books, she would make a few sarcastic remarks: "Oh, you really think you are a female scholar? Do you understand? Stop pretending!"
Su Rou would often just raise her head from the book, give her a faint and vague smile, and then continue to read with her head down.
This made Princess Nineteen feel inexplicably unhappy and frustrated, and she eventually left in anger.
Time passes day by day.
Su Rou's injuries gradually improved. Although she was still weak and voiceless, she was able to move freely.
Her intelligence collection and analysis in the east also became more in-depth.