Zhongzhao, Song Zhou, Xiba City.
"Cough, cough, cough —"
Coughs spilled out from his throat. Nie Liang wanted to endure it, but a fishy smell surged up, causing him to feel nauseous.
He covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed heavily.
When he removed the handkerchief, the snow-white handkerchief was already stained with a glaring black-red blood.
He was staring at the pool of blood in a daze when he heard footsteps coming from the corridor. Someone was approaching him from afar.
Nie Liang subconsciously stuffed the handkerchief into his sleeve and lay back down.
"Come in."
Nie Liang secretly wiped the remaining blood from the corner of his mouth. The maids waiting respectfully outside the room filed in and helped him wash up and change his clothes.
After a simple breakfast, the maids brought up a dark medicinal concoction. The indescribable smell could be smelled from afar.
Nie Liang was a person who was afraid of bitterness, but he knew he had to rely on this medicine to keep him alive. He had to pinch his nose and gulp it down.
"Zishun has come to take the roll call?"
Nie Liang's complexion was not very good. His eyes were slightly sunken, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look very tired and listless.
The maid said, "Military Advisor Wei has been waiting outside since a quarter of an hour ago. In order not to disturb Master, he did not send anyone to inform you."
Nie Liang and Wei Dan not only had a master-servant relationship, but they were also close friends and had a close personal relationship.
Knowing that Nie Liang's situation was not good, Wei Dan wanted to pack a bed to take care of Nie Liang.
Nie Liang nodded and casually found an excuse to send the maid away.
After she left, Nie Liang got up and took a lamp from the side, using the flame to burn the blood-stained handkerchief.
He knew his body well. It looked fine on the surface, but it was weak on the inside. He did not know how much longer he could hold on.
But —
A cold light flashed across Nie Liang's eyes.
No matter how long he could hold on, he had to make Old Master Nie die.
If he died, this grandfather would not fully support Nie Liang's son and would most likely hand over Nie Liang's family business to his brothers of the same generation. Nie Liang was well aware of the Nie family's situation. If Nie Liang's son could not take power, the orphan and widow would only have a dead end.
"Greetings, Lord."
Wei Yong sat patiently and waited for a long time before Nie Liang arrived. Nie Liang's footsteps were unsteady and he still looked sickly.
"Is there a need to be so courteous between us?" Nie Liang smiled and said, "Why are you here so early today?"
"I received a few secret letters yesterday. I should have handed them to you earlier, but it was already late at night. I didn't dare to disturb you from your sweet dreams, so I could only come early this morning." With that, Wei Yong handed a few letters to Nie Liang. "One is from Dongqing, and one is from Old Master."
Dongqing?
"Could it be that Liu Xi is up to something again?"
As he spoke, he opened the seal with his slender fingers and took out the secret letter inside with two fingers.
"She really is a restless woman." After reading ten lines at a glance, Nie Liang sighed with emotion, "With such a daughter in the Liu family, why would they worry about not being able to prosper?"
Wei Yong reminded, "Liu Xi declared independence before the war with Huang Song."
In other words, Lady Liu would not be able to gain any advantage from Jiang Pengji.
If Liu Xi's heart was on Lady Liu's side, they would not have to worry about prosperity for the next hundred years.
"Liu Xi is an amazing woman, but Lady Liu's chicken nest can't keep her phoenix," Nie Liang said calmly. "She's used to looking for trouble. It's only been more than a year since the war with Huang Song, and she can't help but rub her palms together and make a move on Nansheng. She's not afraid of being choked."
Wei Yong was surprised. Was that the content of the secret letter?
If that was the case …
"Nansheng's alliance won?"
Nie Liang said, "According to the informant's report, Nansheng's alliance won a pyrrhic victory. Is there any news from Nansheng recently? "
Wei Yong replied, "There's a new batch of news recently."
Nie Liang's throat was a little itchy, and he suppressed the urge to cough for a while. He did not want to cough up blood in front of Wei Yong.
"Go and bring them over."
After sending Wei Yong away, Nie Liang covered his handkerchief and coughed twice. This time, there was no blood on it.
Not long after, Wei Yong came over with a stack of books. Nie Liang read them according to the time.
Because Nansheng and Zhongzhao were far apart, news would be sent once every half a month. There was a strong lag.
For example, the content in Nie Liang's hands was actually old news from more than a month ago.
Based on this old news and the news from Dongqing, Nie Liang had a rough understanding of Nansheng's situation.
After reading it, Nie Liang smiled and said, "She really picked a good time. Nansheng is determined to win …"
Nansheng's military strength was empty, but Jiang Pengji had been recuperating for more than a year. Their morale was high, so there was a lot to gain from going to Nansheng.
The two of them slowly walked to the Great Universal Geographical Map. Looking at the beautiful mountains and rivers on the map, Nie Liang felt a sense of desolation.
Wei Yong said, "Liu Xi's next target is Yang Tao."
After beating up Yang Tao, it would be An Cui's turn.
The longer Yang Tao held out, the more time An Cui would have to recuperate and recover his strength.
Nie Liang said, "Looking at Yang Tao's family history in Nansheng, he … or the people around him are not people who like to resign themselves to death. They most likely work hard to survive in a hopeless situation. Zishun, guess what Yang Tao will do to revive the entire chessboard? "
Wei Yong pondered for a while.
"I'm afraid Yang Tao's family alone is no match for Liu Xi. Not to mention a year, I'm afraid they won't even last half a year. The only way out is to form an alliance! " Wei Yong said, "Yang Tao has just finished working with An Cui. Looking at the latter's actions, he most likely won't get involved in this chaotic battle. It's possible that he'll hide behind the scenes and be the oriole. From the looks of it, if Yang Tao wants to deal with Liu Xi, he'll most likely choose to send someone to persuade the lord to form an alliance? "
After all, Jiang Pengji only had a few neighboring enemies.
Nie Liang said, "Most likely so."
Wei Yong said, "If Yang Tao really sends someone over, will the lord agree?"
Nie Liang sighed and said, "Do I still have a choice? If he allowed Liu Xi to grow, he would only be raising a mortal enemy for himself. It's better to think of a way to nip her in the bud before she fully matures. If Yang Tao sends someone over, the alliance must be agreed. "
Wei Yong nodded and agreed with Nie Liang's point of view.
However, Wei Yong would never have guessed that Nie Liang was also making arrangements for his death.
After finishing the first secret letter, Nie Liang opened the second secret letter. This was from his grandfather.
There weren't many words written on the letter. It could be read in one glance.
Wei Yong asked nervously, "What instructions does the old master have?"
Nie Liang said, "Grandfather still doesn't agree. He says that Dalang is still too young and isn't suitable to be appointed as the successor so early."
Wei Yong's face turned green when he heard this. He gritted his teeth and said, "Is the old master sincerely trying to make the lord unhappy?"
Nie Liang lowered his eyes and said, "Grandfather has been awe-inspiring all his life. If he's nearing his twilight years and his grandson seizes power and makes him a mere figurehead, he definitely won't feel comfortable."
The Nie family was second to none in Zhongzhao. Their heritage wasn't something that ordinary gentry families could compare to.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
