Ning Que did not answer because he did not know how to. However, Xian Zhilang's mention of Chao Xiaoshu and Lee Yu made him feel less awkward when he asked the following question.
"His Majesty must know that you once held the horse for Empress Renxiao. I don't believe the rumors in the court, so I want to know why His Majesty wants you to go to the Lanke Temple."
Xian Zhilang looked at him and said, "All the countries gathered in Lanke, of course, not just for the Yue Laan Hungry Ghost Festival … They also want to discuss the war with the Desolate Man next year."
Ning Que frowned slightly and thought of the continuous battles in the Wilderness over the past two years. He said confusedly, "The Left King's Palace was plowed by the Desolate Man and then weakened by the Divine Hall Coalition Army and Hou Xiahou. Now they have no power to take back the grasslands from the Desolate Man … I can't think of any reason for the Tang Empire and the South Jin Kingdom to fight for the Left King's Palace. Wouldn't it be better to let the Desolate Man live peacefully in the Wilderness?"
If it did not involve the old story between the West-Hill Divine Palace and the Devil's Doctrine, there was no problem with what he said. As the saying goes, it is better for the Taoist to die than for the Left King's Palace. No matter how miserable the Left King's Palace was, as long as the Desolate Man did not continue to move south and affect the Central Plains countries, who would be willing to face such a powerful enemy?
"For the West-Hill Divine Palace, they don't want to see the Desolate Man tribe have rich grasslands and live there. That would mean the resurrection of the Devil's Doctrine. For the Central Plains countries, we are also afraid of the Desolate Man's reproduction. Without the control of the weather in the Far North, the Desolate Man will have a large number of children. Their children will continue to have children, so they will need more and more grasslands. They will drive the herdsmen of the Left King's Palace to the south, and then they may even have a war with the Golden Palace. What will happen in the end? Just like a thousand years ago, the Desolate Man will become strong again and fight with the Tang Empire. "
Xian Zhilang looked at him and said with a smile, "Since there will be a war sooner or later, why not make them weaker while they are still weak?"
From an emotional point of view, Ning Que had no reason to be hostile to the Desolate Man because his only niece was a Desolate Man. He had already joined the Devil, so it was even less possible for him to be wary of the Devil's Doctrine like the Haotian Taoism.
He said, "This may be decades or even centuries later."
Xian Zhilang said, "Even if it's thousands of years, it still starts from this moment."
Ning Que had to admit that this sentence was very convincing, but he still did not intend to change his opinion. He had been to the Wilderness before and knew that the seemingly barren land was actually quite fertile. It was enough to support many people. Earlier, Xian Zhilang had mentioned the bloody war between the Tang Empire and the Desolate Man a thousand years ago. In fact, that war was not because the two sides needed to fight for living space, but because the continent needed to establish a new overlord. Therefore, in his opinion, unless something changed, the Desolate Man had no reason to continue moving south.
As soon as the word "change" appeared in his mind, he suddenly thought of the dreams he had and the two conversations he had with the Headmaster. He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
Xian Zhilang noticed his strange behavior.
The cabin was quiet, and only the faint sound of the lake water hitting the side of the ship could be heard.
Ning Que suddenly asked, "Do you believe in the Underworld Invasion?"
Xian Zhilang's expression froze slightly, then he laughed at himself and said, "Of course I don't believe it."
Ning Que looked into his eyes and said, "In recent years, Chang 'an has become colder than before."
Xian Zhilang said, "The winters where I fed the horses when I was young were colder."
Ning Que said, "You know that's not what I mean."
Xian Zhilang said, "I have been in the west all these years."
Ning Que said, "Then why did the Desolate Man move south?"
Xian Zhilang was silent. After a long time, he suddenly laughed and said, "Perhaps a legend will always be a legend. Even if it becomes true, it should be something that the legendary places like the Second floor of the Academy have to worry about. As soldiers of the empire, we don't need to think too much. If the Underworld Invasion really comes one day, as long as His Majesty gives the order, the Tang Empire's cavalry will naturally respond."
This was the standard answer of a Tang soldier. Ning Que was not surprised. However, he was one of the few people in the world who had heard the Headmaster say that the night came from the north, so he had to think more.
Especially when he thought about how the Lanke Temple Conference involved the use of troops against the Desolate Man. In the next few years, the Wilderness in the north would be flooded with blood. It was becoming more and more like the dream he had once had. The coldness that lingered in his body and could not be dispelled became stronger and stronger.
Xian Zhilang obviously wanted to have a long talk with him, but Ning Que was in a bad mood. Because of his inexplicable vigilance, he directly refused and walked out of the cabin.
Xian Zhilang walked to the window and watched Ning Que get off the warship and walk along the lake shore to another warship. Xian Zhilang raised his eyebrows and his eyes revealed a complicated emotion.
…
…
The House of Red Sleeves Song and Dance Troupe traveled with the Tang Empire's official delegation, so it was naturally convenient. Especially after Ning Que showed his attitude, the girls were treated even better. They were arranged to have their own warship.
Where there were girls, there would be liveliness. But today, the ship was extremely quiet. The beautiful girls were sitting obediently in their chairs. They seemed to be looking down, but in fact, they could not suppress the curiosity in their hearts. They kept glancing at the two girls who were talking with the corner of their eyes.
Xiaocao held Sangsang's hand and pouted. She looked like a duckling looking for fish in the reeds. She said pitifully, "This is the first time I left Chang 'an, and you did not accompany me. Do you still treat me as a friend?"
Sangsang only had three friends in Chang 'an. They were Li Yu, the princess of the Tang Empire, Tang Xiaotang, a girl from the Devil's Doctrine, and Xiaocao. These three friends were very different in status, but she had never considered these things and treated each of them sincerely. She felt sorry for being complained by Xiaocao and explained helplessly, "Young master likes peace and quiet. I can't do anything about it."
"You are already engaged. How can there be a young master?"
Xiaocao looked at her and said angrily, "You have to understand your current status. If you keep calling him young master, that guy will really order you around like a handmaiden."
Sangsang thought to herself that although they were engaged, there was no difference between life and the past. She was used to calling him young master over the past few years. She was not used to calling him by his name.
The girls in the cabin finally confirmed their guesses and confirmed Sangsang's identity. They also guessed who the guy Xiaocao was talking about was. They were shocked and could not suppress their excitement.
As the saying goes, there are always beauties in every generation. The girls in the House of Red Sleeves had a good income and it was easy for them to get out of the registry. Hence, they changed quickly. Lu Xue's group had already married or entered into business. The girls who went to the Lanke Temple this time were all very young.
They had heard of the legendary stories of the House of Red Sleeves, but they had never seen it with their own eyes. It was not until they saw how intimate Xiaocao was with the dark-skinned girl that they were shocked to confirm that the rumors were true.
Sangsang was no longer the inconspicuous handmaiden in the Old Brush Pen Shop. Even if the people in Chang 'an did not know that she was the successor of the Divine Priest of Light, they knew that she was the closest to the Princess. They also knew that she was the missing daughter of Zeng Jing, the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Library. Of course, the most famous identity for Sangsang was her relationship with Ning Que.
The engagement between Ning Que and Sangsang was undoubtedly the most sensational event in Chang 'an in the past six months. One was a student of the Second floor of the Academy, the core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy, and also a great calligrapher who was favored by His Majesty. The other was the daughter of Zeng Jing, the Grand Secretary of the Princess, and also the successor of the Divine Priest. Although it was a simple engagement, it still caused a stir.
His Majesty gave them countless gold, silver, and jewelry, and countless ministers came in person. For some people who did not know the inside story, the most shocking scene of the day happened when the West-Hill Divine Palace specially sent a senior divine priest to congratulate them and presented them with countless makeup boxes.
The Senior Brothers and Sisters in the back of the mountain of the Academy naturally had gifts, but in Ning Que's eyes, those extremely poor things were not worth mentioning. However, he did not expect that the Headmaster of the Academy would be the poorest one. He did not even bother to write any words like "beautiful girl" and only gave a box of sweet pastries!
"That guy? Which guy? "
Ning Que walked into the cabin and looked at Xiaocao. He said, "Aunt Jian treats you well and even let you be the foreman. But don't think that you can climb over my head just because you have her support."
Xiaocao snorted and did not want to talk to him. She just held Sangsang's hand tightly.
The girls in the cabin guessed his identity and hurriedly stood up and bowed to him. For a moment, the flowers were slightly fluttering, and the fragrance was floating. Thinking of the identity and status of this young man, especially the reputation of the Great Calligrapher, the beautiful girls' eyes gradually became misty and passionate, and they were quite eager to give it a try.
Xiaocao looked at the somewhat chaotic scene and slightly frowned. She said, "Don't think too much. Go back and ask the sisters in the brothel who can really get close to Ning Que. All the girls in Chang 'an are not allowed to receive him. This is the iron rule set by Mistress Jian. "
This iron rule had long become a joke in the House of Red Sleeves and even in the brothel industry in Chang 'an. How could the girls not know this reason? But thinking that they were already out of Chang' an and would spend many days in the same boat with Ning Que on the Great Lake, how could they bear to miss such an opportunity? So their eyes were still blazing.
Xiaocao looked at Ning Que and said helplessly, "You are a man with a wife. Can't you be more low-key?"
"So please don't always hold my wife's hand."
Ning Que walked forward with a smile, grabbed Sangsang's hand, and took her out of the cabin.
The sound of the lake waves gradually stopped, the oil lamp in the cabin dimmed, and the ink on the table swayed gently. The warship left the dock and slowly sailed to the vast Great Lake.
Ning Que looked at the thin letter on the table, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Sangsang looked at the letter in his hand and said seriously, "This is ours."
That letter was left by Cui Shi in the inn in Yangguan City before he left a few days ago.
The letter was very thin, and there were only two pieces of paper in it.
A few simple words were written on one piece of paper, and a banknote of 500,000 taels of silver on the other piece of paper.
…
…
(I know there will be a double payment tomorrow, starting from the early morning. Please vote for me, just like you voted for Sangsang. However, there will be no outbreak tomorrow, and there will be no outbreak during the double payment period, and there may even be a break in chapters. I have been sitting from morning to night to write a chapter, and it is really uncomfortable. I will try my best to write. Thank you.) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for me and vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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