Fan Xian looked at her and couldn't say a single word. He finally gradually understood a principle of the world. Perhaps everything was predestined and predestined. Duoduo's background appeared strange. Thinking about it closely, it was nothing more than Master Ku He's occasional thought decades ago. However, this thought had floated into the future, landed in front of him, and landed on the grasslands in front of him.
There was no need to consider how Haitang was able to make the people of the northern tribes believe her identity as a princess. There was no need to consider how she had done all of this two years ago. Since Ku He had thrown out this variable before his death, he had long made preparations. Ku He had deceived his brother and left behind a bloodline of the Ka 'erna court. How could he not have left behind some sort of keepsake or something similar?
More importantly …
"Your parents?" Fan Xian asked quietly as he looked at Haitang's rarely seen dazed face.
Haitang hugged her knees and didn't move. She felt this man's affection in her heart. He didn't ask about the grasslands and didn't press her. Instead, he immediately thought of the thing she cared about the most.
"They passed away when I was very young." The girl's face under the hat appeared somewhat lonely.
Fan Xian didn't continue asking this question. As for Haitang's parents, how the last of the Ka 'erna nobles left this world, and whether or not it was Ku He's doing, it was no longer important. Presumably, Haitang also didn't want to connect her teacher to that kind of character. However, she must have some guesses in her heart.
"Teacher said these words to me before he died and let me choose for myself what I should do." Haitang looked at the ducks on the surface of the lake. Her brows gradually furrowed together. For some reason, the ducks no longer splashed in the dusk. Instead, they timidly hid in the few water plants by the side of the lake.
"Your choice was to listen to his suggestion and return to the tribe. Then, you came to the grasslands." Fan Xian lowered his head and thought. Songzhi was the Ka 'erna surname. However, this tribe had been wiped out by Commander Zhan Qingfeng decades ago, so no one in the world would think that the name Songzhi Xianling had anything to do with the Hu people. A glimmer of pity flashed through his eyes. Looking at Haitang, he said, "If you want to take revenge for your mother's tribe, you should take revenge on Northern Qi. Why target the Qing Kingdom?"
"Revenge? I rarely think about things that happened decades ago. " Haitang combed the strands of hair poking out from under the brim of her hat and glanced at Fan Xian. In a quiet voice, she said, "Just like you, we all know that things like hatred often can't be washed clean. I just want to see how the people who share the same roots as me live … An Zhi, the Hu are actually also people. They also have the right to live. Who knows how many people have died along the way during this long journey to the south. Don't tell me the women and children in the tribe don't have the right to live? "
"As for the Great Qi Kingdom …" She lowered her head and laughed self-mockingly. "Although Master revealed my past, he gave me the Tianyi Dao. I am still the Holy Maiden of the Great Qi Kingdom. If I really wanted to bring disaster to the Great Qi Kingdom, why would I need to come to the grasslands?"
"I just want the people in these tribes to have a stable country to live in." Haitang stared into Fan Xian's eyes. "Thus, I want to help Su Bida unify the grasslands, end the endless internal strife, and bring peace to the grasslands."
"Peace?" Fan Xian's voice immediately became cold. "The unification and peace of the grasslands will certainly lead to an all-out war with the Qing Kingdom. Is this the future you hope for?"
"I will keep Su Bida in check." Haitang lowered her head.
"Childish," Fan Xian said quietly. The taste in his words was very similar to the mockery Li Hongcheng had used to berate him in Dingzhou. "The ambition of a ruler is never something you and I can keep in check."
"Then, what do you think I should do? Should I just watch as the Qing army invades west day by day and one day take over the entire grasslands and slaughter all the people of the Hu tribe? " Haitang furrowed her brows. "Everyone has the right to live. Do you still think there is a difference in value between the lives of the Hu people and those of the Central Plain?"
"Of course there is a difference. The lives of those close to me are precious," Fan Xian did not back down. "You only think about how the Hu people will survive. Have you ever thought about the soldiers and people the Qing Kingdom has stationed on Xiliang Road? Traveling west, I don't know how many houses have been burned or how many women and children have been killed. "
"If this is the peace you want, then I will destroy all of this." Fan Xian's eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at Haitang's face. "This is a hatred formed over a thousand years. Our generation has no way of erasing it. You stand in the position of the court of the grasslands and hope the Qing Kingdom will back down. I stand in the position of the Qing Kingdom and hope the grasslands will continue to be chaotic."
Haitang rose and raised her head slightly to look at Fan Xian. "You've already been on the grasslands for a dozen days. Presumably, you have investigated some things. Why haven't you gone back? What are you waiting for me here for?"
"I want to confirm your role," Fan Xian's face was slightly pale. "Perhaps you haven't even thought about it, but you actually still see yourself as a Northern Qi citizen and have never seen yourself as the princess of Ka 'erna. In the name of finding a place to live for the grasslands, it is actually for the safety of Northern Qi's rear and to help Northern Qi slow down my Emperor's footsteps. "
Without waiting for Haitang to speak, Fan Xian raised his brows and stopped her from speaking. "This is a subconscious action. Speaking of this, I have to admire Master Ku He."
He looked at Haitang with pity. "You are a saint girl. You are the most outstanding figure after Ku He in Tianyi Dao. However, your entire life seems to be the same as mine. You have been controlled by a lofty figure. Every step you make is within his calculations. Regardless of whether it is actively or passively, Ku He is using you to protect his Qi dynasty."
Ku He had raised Haitang for nearly 20 years and understood his female disciple too well. He had long calculated clearly what Haitang's decision would be after she learned of her past. He knew that no matter how Haitang chose her path, it would follow his plans and give the Qing Kingdom a painful blow.
Haitang's expression became more and more desolate. These two years of assisting Chief Su Bida on the grasslands had truly used up too much of her energy. Now, by the lakeside, Fan Xian had directly exposed the thoughts hidden under her leather robe. It was only now that she discovered the sliver of thoughts she herself had been avoiding.
"None of us are saints. It is impossible for us to view the people of the world as equals. If you say I am sinister, then you are also selfish," Fan Xian said with a slight smile. Fan Xian smiled slightly mockingly and said, "You used the lives of the West Bearded people to delay the Iron Riders of the Qing Kingdom. It is to Northern Qi's advantage, but have you ever thought … do these people of the grasslands really need a powerful court and need to march east?"
"Ku He is truly powerful," Fan Xian closed his eyes and slowly said. Fan Xian closed his eyes and slowly said, "Although he lost to the Emperor in the end, even though he died, he brought the Qing Kingdom a great deal of trouble. It has to be said that the two brothers of the Zhan family are truly the best in the world."
The Qing Emperor had fought South and North all his life and rarely lost. The only time he had lost completely was at the hands of the Wei Kingdom's Commander, Zhan Qingfeng.
Unexpectedly, decades after Zhan Qingfeng's death, before Ku He died, he had buried another landmine to the west of the Qing Kingdom.
"You know I am not that kind of person." Haitang did not get angry. She stood quietly by Fan Xian's side and said, "However, among the many choices, I chose the best path for the grasslands and Qi."
Fan Xian knew that Haitang was not that kind of person. He was purposely trying to anger her. His gaze gradually grew cold. "What about me?"
Haitang turned her head to glance at him and said, "You said earlier that we are not saints. It is impossible for us to consider the people of the world as equals. Presently, it is the Qing Kingdom pointing its sword at the world. Northern Qi and Dongyi are both swaying in the wind and rain. If you expect me to consider the Qing Kingdom's interests, is that not absurd?"
"Absurd?" Fan Xian stared into Haitang's eyes as if he wanted to see into the depths of her heart. Faintly, he said, "A few years ago in a restaurant in Shangjing, as the Commissioner of the Qing Kingdom's Overwatch Council, I made that agreement with you. Is that not absurd?"
He smiled self-mockingly. "That's right. I was a Qing noble, yet I had to raise my face to let you slap it. The Iron Riders of the Qing Kingdom were about to trample the world, yet I had to make an agreement with the saint girl of a foreign country … peace? Goddamn peace. It is indeed absurd. My existence in this world has always been an absurd thing. "
Farming, drinking, and chatting had set the world for 20 years. Thinking back to when the two of them had walked arm in arm in Shangjing, drunk together in a building, and chatted together under the melon trellis in the garden, in a place no one knew about, the two most outstanding young people in Northern Qi and the Qing Kingdom had set a goal that was childish in the eyes of the common people but particularly beautiful in their eyes — no war under heaven.
Because of the two people who participated in this agreement, such a childish agreement seemed to be within reach, and could become a reality at any time. This was because these two young people had great influence in their respective countries. If the situation did not change, the old people would gradually leave, and the future of the country would be in the hands of these two young people.
A number of years had passed in the blink of an eye. The situation in the world had changed drastically because of the explosion of the Dong Mountain incident. The world was changing, and people were also changing. It had not even been 20 years, yet it seemed that Fan Xian and Haitang could no longer farm, drink, and chat.
"I can't accept this." Fan Xian's face was pale, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter. "I've already left Danzhou for five years. During these five years, no one knows what I want to do. Only you know how much danger I've taken for this agreement, how much I've suffered, and how much I've helped Northern Qi."
He stared into Haitang's eyes and said in a raspy voice, "You know all of this very well. I did not hesitate to take the risk of being accused of being a traitor a thousand years later. Why … And you, you ran off without a sound, came to the grasslands, and began to stab me in the back."
"I can't accept this." Fan Xian's eyes gradually grew cold.
Haitang looked at Fan Xian's face and listened to his faint words. For some reason, it was like her heart had been stabbed with a knife and began to ache. It was so painful that her face turned white.
"I had not thought that this matter would implicate you." Haitang stared at him in a daze. She felt that the pain of the man in front of her seemed to have landed on her body. "I also don't know where those knives came from. After learning of this matter, I made a trip to Qingzhou. However, one of them was stolen by someone."
Although Fan Xian had long guessed that it was Haitang's doing to have a ninth-level ace sneak into Qingzhou to help him destroy the evidence, hearing her personally admit it now made his mood slightly better. However, his expression was still very ugly. "You're still hiding it from me. The appearance of these knives has always been a strange matter."
He grabbed the front of Haitang's clothes and gritted his teeth. "Your contact with the little Emperor of Northern Qi has never been broken. This time, it is clear that he is tricking me. What else do you want to hide for him?"
Haitang placed her hand on his. She didn't use any force. Looking into his eyes with pity and guilt, she said, "I truly don't know about this matter. I also don't know what problems have occurred in Shangjing. Why would the Emperor do such a stupid thing?"
It was indeed stupid. In the Qing Kingdom, Northern Qi's greatest support was Fan Xian. Although after the Dong Mountain incident, Fan Xian had gradually severed his relationship with Northern Qi. If the Northern Qi Emperor truly wanted to have a future, it would be difficult without Fan Xian's help.
Fan Xian knew very well what the little Emperor of Northern Qi was thinking.
He moved closer to Haitang's slightly red face and said quietly into her ear, "Not stupid at all. He wants to force me to rebel? Impossible. Two years ago in Jingdou, he wanted to use the Eldest Princess's hand to kill me and help the Emperor ascend. I haven't settled this debt with him yet. How could I rebel? "
There was a glimmer of mockery in his words, but Haitang's heart grew cold. This was the first time she knew that there was a shadow of Northern Qi in the rebellion in Jingdou two years ago. Thinking of it this way, the context of this matter became clear. The Northern Qi Emperor knew that Fan Xian was a very vengeful person. He didn't continue to place his hopes on him. Additionally, Haitang had been on the grasslands for two years and was unable to act as a bridge between the Northern Qi Emperor and Fan Xian. The two sides gradually drifted apart. For the sake of Northern Qi's safety, the Northern Qi Emperor would certainly choose to destroy the relationship between Fan Xian and the Qing Emperor.
"The Emperor had no other choice." The posture between Haitang and Fan Xian was very warm, but the words the two of them spoke were shocking. Faintly, she said, "These two years, you've helped the Qing Emperor organize his governance, govern the people, and manage the palace treasury. A great battle is about to break out at any moment. How could he trust you?"
"I don't care if he trusts me or not. Right now, I don't even need your trust." Fan Xian shook his head and rubbed his cheek against Haitang's slightly cold face. He took a deep breath and said, "Take a message to the Northern Qi Emperor. Tell him that I, Fan Xian, will repay him with a lesson he will never forget for the two gifts he has given me."
Haitang's body trembled. She looked at Fan Xian in surprise, not knowing what he would do. In this world, other than a Great Grandmaster, probably only Fan Xian would dare to be so arrogant as to say that he would teach the ruler of a country a lesson.
"Don't forget, you are a person of the Qing Kingdom. You are the son of the Qing Emperor," Haitang sighed. Haitang sighed and said, "Who would believe that you would consider problems from the standpoint of Northern Qi or Dongyi? It is normal for the Emperor not to believe you. "
"I consider problems from the standpoint of the Qing Kingdom. I also don't want the people of the Qing Kingdom to sink into the endless blood and fire of war."
…
…
"You will certainly not tell me exactly what you have set up on the grasslands," Haitang's hands passed naturally under Fan Xian's armpits. "But, I will do my best to stop you."
"Other than my Emperor, no one in this world can stop me, not even you." Fan Xian took off her hat and stroked her hair.
Fan Xian held Haitang tightly, but his gaze gradually calmed. Holding her in his arms, he looked at the sky with narrowed eyes. An eagle was flying in the dusk. The ducks in the lake were frightened by this eagle and hid among the water plants.
Haitang had actually also noticed the eagle and knew why Fan Xian was holding her like this. She sighed in her heart and knew that she and the Emperor had truly let down the young man holding her. Complicated emotions rose in her mind, so she didn't point out Fan Xian's thoughts.
"Stay with me for three days," Fan Xian said by her ear.
…
…
On the grasslands about ten li away from the lake, hundreds of Western Hu riders were surrounding and protecting their king, the master of this grasslands. Chief Su Bida looked coldly into the distance, looking at the traces of eagles streaking through the air.
Songzhi Xianling had left. The Chief was worried that she would never come back, so he had brought the riders to follow. For some reason, the Chief had this worry in his heart. It was as if someone was about to take away the most important woman in his life.
This woman was not beautiful. She could not compare at all to the beauties contributed by the tribes. However, the Chief saw her as more important than anyone else. This woman had brought him the loyalty of tens of thousands of riders, strategies to govern a country he had never thought of, and a new atmosphere on the grasslands. Most importantly, this woman had brought the Chief peace, a rare peace.
Each time he was with this Ka'erna princess, Chief Su Bida felt it was the happiest moment of his life. Even if they were just sitting face to face and looking at each other, he was still incomparably happy.
He knew she was the Northern Qi saint girl, the last disciple of the Great Grandmaster Ku He, and a traveler of the mysterious Longevity Heaven. He also knew that Songzhi Xianling was a Hu person and of the same race as him.
If, in the future, he could sweep through the world and invade the grasslands, with her sitting by the side of the horse, the world would certainly be much more beautiful.
The eagle gradually descended. Chief Su Bida's eyes narrowed. Like an eagle's, they flashed with an intimidating light.
The girl had gone after a man. Who was that man?
The eagle could not report to the Chief that the man was abominably taking advantage of his treasure, so the Chief could still maintain his current calm. In other words, Fan Xian's deliberate actions did not have the effect he had imagined.
"Charge over and kill him." The Great Danghu looked at the Chief's stormy expression and said in a loud voice, "Kill him!"
Su Bida did not reply. When Songzhi Xianling left, she had said she would come back, so she would certainly come back. He respected this woman with a strange background. Although he did not mind using a sword to announce his power, he did not want to use this method to win a woman's heart.
"Follow them. Don't disturb them." Chief Su Bida closed his eyes and spoke gently, but his words concealed a heart-palpitating coldness.
There were many aces in the court by the Chief's side. If these hundreds of riders charged over, no matter how powerful Fan Xian was, it would be difficult for him to escape death on this boundless grasslands. He was curious as to who could move Songzhi Xianling so much. Was it the Qing Kingdom pretty boy from a few years ago?
The Master of the grasslands' grip on the reins grew tighter and tighter, but his expression remained calm. He was destined to become the master of the world. He would not lose his composure because of a powerful official in the Qing Kingdom. However, he would not allow the young man to come to the grasslands and return alive.
The eagle sent a message. The western Hu riders near the court began to gather. As soon as Songzhi Xianling and the young man separated, they would begin to attack.
They followed for three days.
…
…
During these three days, Fan Xian and Haitang wandered on the grasslands. They bought two good horses in a tribe and galloped to their hearts' content. They then went to the ocean to catch two nets of small silver fish to roast and eat. On the last night, they stopped at a relatively large tribe. Surrounding a fire, they ate beef and mutton with the Hu people and drank Shaodazi wine.
Haitang knew what these three days meant. After three days, perhaps the two of them would tear apart this complicated relationship and become irreconcilable enemies. Thus, these three days had to be treasured.
Fan Xian also knew what these three days meant. Haitang's identity as a princess had not resounded through the grasslands, but she could take him to move about as she pleased on the grasslands. She wanted to use this fresh reality to tell him that the Hu people and the people of the Central Plain could coexist peacefully and that the Hu people were not naturally savage and bloodthirsty.
Because of her guilt, Haitang stayed with Fan Xian for three days and didn't ask anything else. She had no idea of Fan Xian's true goal.
The light from the fire shone on their faces. Their faces were bright red, just like two playful children in the winter. Haitang handed two items to Fan Xian and said, "These are for your child."
Fan Xian accepted them and found that it was a string of ruby beads and a small knife that the Hu children liked to play with. It was very cute.
"The beads are for Xiaohua'er and the knife is for Liangzi?" He raised his brows. "Xiaohua'er will probably like it. Liangzi is still young. I'm afraid he won't like it. However, thank you for your thoughtfulness."
"Teacher once said that it would be difficult for Lady Fan's body to have children. Now that Fan Liang has been born, it can be said that one of her wishes has been fulfilled." Haitang smiled faintly. "Presumably, you've put in a lot of effort."
Three months ago, Lin Wan'er, who had been pregnant for 10 months, finally gave birth to a son. Before the Palace randomly bestowed names, Fan Xian had hurriedly given the name Fan Liang and added it to the family tree. This matter angered the Qing Emperor greatly. Fortunately, Fan Xian had left the Emperor the right to choose a name. Only then did he manage to bluff this matter over.
Hearing Haitang's words, Fan Xian smiled bitterly. During these two years, other than helping the Emperor deal with national affairs, most of his energy had been focused on treating Wan'er's illness. In order to have children, Wan'er had paid a great price. In order to develop the medicine, he had also suffered greatly. Fortunately, the path that teacher Fei Jie had set in advance was right. Only then did he successfully get Wan'er pregnant.
"Why was he named Fan Liang?" Haitang asked curiously. She knew that after tonight, it would probably be difficult for her to see this young man again. Thus, she asked endlessly. She wanted to know how he had lived these two years and what the people by his side were like.
"An idle wife is a good mother," Fan Xian smiled slightly. "Isn't it interesting?"
The people in the tribe gradually fell asleep. Only Fan Xian and Haitang remained by the fire. Both of them seemed to have sensed something. Neither of them felt sleepy. They quietly waited for the arrival of dawn.
"It's almost dawn." Haitang leaned against Fan Xian's shoulder and spoke faintly. This woman had reached the time of parting and finally revealed the emotions a girl should have.
Fan Xian was silent for a moment. He then suddenly said, "After daybreak, once you leave, that passionate Chief will tear me to pieces."
After three days, given their cultivation, they knew that not far behind them, the master of the grasslands was forcefully suppressing his anger and waiting to give Fan Xian the fatal blow.
Haitang closed her eyes and said lazily, "Don't worry about these things. I'll take care of it."
"I'm a man. I'm not used to letting women handle things." Fan Xian smiled. The firelight shone on his smile. It appeared particularly friendly and confident. "You are very strong, and so is the Chief. But I will prove that I am stronger than you."
Haitang sat up straight and looked at him quietly, not knowing what he wanted to say.
Fan Xian looked at her calmly and said, "I have never liked the stories of lovers separated by their tribes in novels. Duoduo, you plotted on the grasslands for two years, and I prepared for four months. I will completely defeat you and sever all of the thoughts Ku He left behind. I like the peace and happiness on the grasslands. For the peace and happiness of the Qing people, for my peace and happiness, and for the Chief's unhappiness and happiness, I must destroy all of this. "
"I kept you for three days because I want to keep you for a lifetime."
The young man from the Qing Kingdom stood up and looked at the dark grasslands before dawn.
…
…
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