The princess regretted it.

Chapter 204: Grain Transport Team, Mountain Road

Minister Zhang and Zhang Hengrui nodded in agreement after hearing the old Grand Tutor's words. Zhang Hengrui hurriedly said, "Grandfather, I'll make arrangements right away. I'll see if I can contact the Second Prince through one of his closest associates." He then turned to leave.

"Wait!" The old master raised his hand slightly, signaling him to stop. "We must be cautious in this matter. We must not alarm the emperor, otherwise it will cause trouble for Ji'er."

"Yes, Grandfather, I understand." Zhang Hengrui responded quickly.

The old Grand Tutor frowned slightly, turned to his son, Minister Zhang, and instructed: "You should take care to comfort the female members of the family, and make sure they can't help but don't make trouble. The affairs of the harem are closely related, and the situation is unclear now. We can't let those women act recklessly and ruin our plans." He knew very well that the female members of the family would easily do impulsive things once they panicked. If this affected the operation to rescue Concubine Zhang and Princess Jiaoyu, it would be a loss.

"Father, don't worry. I will tell them to stay calm when I go back. But father, what if things are difficult to handle?" Minister Zhang responded.

"At worst, I can sacrifice my old reputation and go to the palace in person to beg the emperor. Okay? Go back and deal with it as soon as possible. Report to me immediately if there is any news." The old master waved his hand, signaling the two to leave.

After receiving the order, Zhang Shangshu and Zhang Hengrui quickly left the study. Father and son split up and made their arrangements. Zhang Shangshu went to the inner courtyard to appease his wife and daughter-in-law, and asked them to warn and discipline the other concubines and illegitimate children.

Zhang Hengrui was busy trying to find his confidants to see if he could contact the second prince.

Soon, the capital was abuzz with the affair between Concubine Zhang and Princess Jiaoyu. Citizens in the streets and alleys were abuzz with the shocking harem upheaval. In teahouses, storytellers embellished the news with vivid detail, leaving their audiences alternately amazed and sighing. Even in the residences of high-ranking officials, discussions of the potential impact on the court were abuzz, each with their own thoughts.

The grain transport team heading north also faced danger. Led by Wu Anshuo, the grain transport team slowly moved forward along the winding official road, the neighing of mules and horses intertwined with the shouts of the drivers.

The official road ahead passed through a narrow mountain path, flanked by dense forests. The trees were lush and verdant, their branches intertwined. The peaks on either side towered into the clouds, their peaks steep and rugged, with jagged rocks. Some rocks jutted out abruptly, like the fangs and claws of a ferocious beast, adding a somewhat eerie and terrifying atmosphere to the path. A whistling mountain wind blew through the forest, rustling the leaves.

Wu Anshuo looked at the mountain path ahead and also sent scouts to explore the way. The scouts rode their horses to a section of the table mountain at the entrance of the forest and observed for a while, then returned quickly, saying that there was nothing unusual.

The grain transport team drove their carts towards the forest. When the team had advanced halfway, the leader Wu Anshuo looked at the particularly quiet woods on both sides, and his heart tightened. He keenly sensed something was wrong, and he immediately ordered the team to stop and signaled to be on guard. Most of the soldiers quickly grasped their weapons and stood ready. Some soldiers, however, cursed and lazily approached the grain carts with their weapons. Wu Changfeng, who was walking in the middle of the team, saw the team stop and rode over, "Dad, what's wrong?"

Wu Anshuo looked at the forest ahead vigilantly, "Something is wrong." He said in a low voice.

Wu Changfeng looked at the unusually quiet forest ahead. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, but other than that, there seemed to be nothing unusual going on. He said, somewhat puzzled, "There's nothing unusual going on. Didn't the scouts check it out?"

Wu Anshuo shook his head. "No, don't you think this is too quiet?"

"Dad, what should we do now? Just wait here?" He asked anxiously. After all, the task of transporting grain was urgent. They had fallen behind a lot in the beginning. As the delivery date was approaching, he didn't know if he could catch up.

Wu Anshuo pondered for a moment, then turned to look at the soldiers behind him who were standing ready for battle, then looked at the carts of food and fodder piled high like mountains, and slowly said, "We'll go through in batches. You stay behind to guard, and I'll take some people through first. If there's no problem, you can take the rest through."

"That won't do. Dad, you are the commander and you can't take risks easily. If something happens to you, the team will lose its backbone, and that will be a real chaos. My son is young and strong. Even if he encounters danger, his chances of escaping are greater than yours. Just let your son go first. If we delay any longer and there really is an enemy, it will be even more disadvantageous to us." Wu Changfeng immediately argued.

It wasn't that they were particularly brave, or that they had to risk their lives. Along the way, they encountered numerous problems, leaving them feeling overwhelmed. Most problematic of all, they discovered that many members of the team were beyond their control. They acted arrogantly and did as they pleased, ignoring the orders given by Wu Anshuo and his son and showing no regard for the grain transport team's discipline.