As soon as Han Yunxi arrived, Long Tianmo and Mu Qingwu both rose to their feet.
It had been a long time since they'd seen this woman, so they naturally missed her. Long Tianmo could tell at a glance that she'd … gained some weight.
Disaster relief was a laborious task, but Imperial Uncle Qin was the one who brought her here. How could he allow her to suffer?
Even though Long Tianmo was a thousand times unwilling, he still called out, "Imperial Aunt."
Han Yunxi didn't speak, but nodded and gestured for Long Tianmo to sit down.
"Good luck to esteemed wangfei," Mu Qingwu bowed his head in greeting.
"Young General, you may rise," Han Yunxi's polite tone was distant.
"Thanks to esteemed wangfei!" Mu Qingwu's attitude was the same as before. He rose to his knees and returned to Long Tianmo's right.
Han Yunxi sat next to Long Fei Ye without asking any questions. She was very quiet.
Long Tianmo was about to speak about Northern Li, but Han Yunxi's presence stopped him from speaking.
Although he didn't like war, he still felt a bellyful of anger whenever he thought of that bastard Jun Yi Xie harboring designs on Han Yunxi.
If he had a chance to express his opinion, he'd definitely support the Duke of Qin's actions. Even if he didn't kill Jun Yi Xie, he'd trap him on Fishery Island until he died!
Unfortunately, the emperor had entrusted him with this task. As the heir apparent of a nation, he had a responsibility to the people of Tianning Country as well. Once war broke out, the people would suffer the most.
Compared to Long Tianmo, the military man Mu Qingwu was much more decisive.
After hiding all the emotions in his heart, Mu Qingwu rose to his feet and got down on one knee. He cupped his fists and bowed. "Your Highness Duke of Qin, Your Highness and this general have been entrusted by the Emperor and the millions of civilians in the three cities bordering the Three-Way Battlefield. We have come to invite you and General Baili back to the imperial capital to discuss military and political matters!"
As soon as Mu Qingwu said this, Long Tianmo came back to his senses. He felt guilty for letting Mu Qingwu speak first.
He hurriedly said, "Imperial Uncle Qin, Imperial Father had me prepare an eight-horse carriage to specially invite you and Imperial Aunt back. Jun Yi Xie has gone too far. Everyone is still waiting for you and Imperial Aunt to discuss the war in Northern Li. "
"What is there to discuss?" Long Fei Ye asked.
"To discuss battle strategy!" Long Tianmo quickly replied.
However, Long Fei Ye said, "This Prince has never been involved in the affairs of the imperial court, much less the military. Leave it to His Majesty to make the decision. "
Han Yunxi sat on one side without a word, but her heart was secretly laughing. Even she was often left speechless by Long Fei Ye's words, to say nothing of the two men before her.
Emperor Tianhui should've invited a professional lobbyist instead!
Long Tianmo hesitated for a long time before he spoke again. "Imperial Uncle Qin, then General Baili …"
Before he could finish, Long Fei Ye retorted Cold. "Crown Prince means to say that it was your lordship who ordered the Baili Navy to surround Fishery Island?"
Long Tianmo wasn't at a loss for words, but his heart was stifled!
That was the truth. How would General Baili dare to move without the Duke of Qin's orders?
Still, he had to deny it. "No, that's not what Tianmo meant! I just wanted to ask Imperial Uncle Qin for advice on how to deal with General Baili. "
"Your lordship has already said that I don't involve myself in military affairs. You should go back and ask your imperial father, "Long Fei Ye said simply as he waved a hand to send him off.
Long Tianmo had run into an extraordinarily large wall! Fortunately, he had a good temper and patience. If he was like his father, he'd probably flip out on the spot.
Mu Qingwu, who was still kneeling on one side, had an impatient temper. "Your Highness, the people at the border are innocent. Tianning's soldiers are innocent as well! We're running out of supplies and provisions. Moreover, the weather at the Three-Way Battlefield is still cold. If we start fighting now, the casualties will be incalculable. Your Highness, please reconsider! "
Despite Mu Qingwu's agitation, Long Fei Ye only shot him a Cold glance. "Young General, you should say those words to General Baili instead."
"Your Highness!" Mu Qingwu was starting to get angry. "Your Highness, this soldier doesn't advocate sparing Jun Yi Xie. Killing a beast like Jun Yi Xie with a single blow would be letting him off too easily. This soldier only hopes that Your Highness can go back and discuss a countermeasure! "
They should be able to come up with a countermeasure that wouldn't release Jun Yi Xie without starting a war!
That was his true goal in traveling with the crown prince.
As Mu Qingwu spoke, he snuck a peek at Han Yunxi. Unfortunately, Han Yunxi remained silent.
Mu Qingwu was both agitated and furious, his chest heaving up and down. Unfortunately, Long Fei Ye retorted, "Your lordship doesn't involve himself in military affairs. Don't you understand?"
Han Yunxi counted silently on the side. Long Fei Ye had already said the same thing three times. He was already quite patient with these two men.
Mu Qingwu stared blankly for a while before finally giving up. "This soldier understands."
It wasn't until the two men left that Han Yunxi spoke up. "Your Highness, the young general did remind chenqie of something just then. The Three-Way Battlefield is still freezing cold, so we'll be at a disadvantage if we start fighting. But Northern Li might not be able to gain the upper hand! "
In this season, there was still a lot of snow in the north that hadn't melted yet. The weather was still cold, and it would occasionally snow in some places.
Northern Li mainly relied on animal husbandry and hunting. In the winter, the warhorses and other livestock could only eat the grass that was stored last year. In fact, Northern Li's war supplies might not be abundant in this season. Moreover, if they started fighting at this time, it would affect a major event in Northern Li, the Spring Hunt!
Long Fei Ye looked at Han Yunxi with interest. "Continue."
"Chenqie was just guessing." Han Yunxi wasn't being modest, but she really didn't know much about Northern Li. Perhaps they had ample reserves!
"Then just say it casually." Long Fei Ye was very interested.
Since he said so, Han Yunxi really said whatever came to mind. "Your Highness, the young general has fought with Northern Li several times, so he should be very familiar with Northern Li's situation. The young general didn't consider that Northern Li would have a shortage of provisions, so I'm sure Northern Li has always been prepared. "
Han Yunxi hesitated for a moment before continuing, "But Your Highness is certain that Northern Li won't go to war. So chenqie boldly guessed that Your Highness might have a way to tamper with Northern Li's provisions! "
Tampering with a country's war supplies was easier said than done! Not to mention getting close to these things, even knowing the whereabouts of these things was difficult.
Han Yunxi felt that she was thinking too much. She looked at Long Fei Ye, waiting for his answer.
However, Long Fei Ye only patted her shoulder and said indifferently, "It's getting late, go rest."
So … she guessed wrong?
Han Yunxi shrugged and didn't ask any more questions. In any case, she knew that he wouldn't say anything and was deliberately whetting her appetite. Who told her to win the bet?
Just wait, she'd have an answer soon enough.
In any case, she knew that Long Fei Ye would go back eventually. Emperor Tianhui had urged him repeatedly, but he still hadn't moved. It was probably time for him to beg for help.
When begging for help, one had to show their sincerity.
Although Han Yunxi wasn't the person who understood Long Fei Ye best in the world, her guesses were always spot on.
A few days later, Northern Li's southern borders really did show signs of reinforcements. Emperor Tianhui grew anxious. Thus, he gave Long Fei Ye a list of memorials from the Ministry of Appointments, as well as a few recommendations from other officials.
These memorials were all about filling the vacant position of South Ning Prefecture's provincial governor.
Some of these memorials recommended Long Feiye's side, while others recommended Emperor Tianhui's. Two or three of them were from the neutral faction.
Emperor Tianhui had said that the Duke of Qin had personally visited the disaster regions and understood South Ning Prefecture's situation the best. It was up to the Duke of Qin to decide who was qualified for the position.
This seemed perfectly justified and proper, but anyone who understood the situation would know that Emperor Tianhui was yielding! To put it bluntly, this was already a sincere plea for the Duke of Qin to return.
All of the memorials were spread out on the desk. Han Yunxi walked around in a circle and looked through them all. She recognized some of them, but didn't recognize others.
She asked them one by one and familiarized herself with them before politely dividing the memorials into three piles: those from the Duke of Qin's faction, those from the royalist faction, and those from the neutral faction.
"Your Highness, please pick one that's pleasing to the eye." Han Yunxi copied the servant's words and spoke respectfully. Even she felt like she was asking Long Fei Ye to choose a consort.
Unexpectedly, Long Fei Ye casually picked one from the royalist faction. Seeing this, Han Yunxi and Chu Xifeng both grew alarmed.
"Master, you made a mistake!" Chu Xifeng blurted out.
But Long Fei Ye only glanced at the name on the memorial before tossing it over. "He's the one, report it up!"
What did His Highness Duke of Qin mean by this? He didn't want a free advantage?
Chu Xifeng stood rooted to the spot, a habit of his that made him shoot a questioning glance at Han Yunxi whenever he was at a loss.
Han Yunxi burst into laughter. "Your Highness, I heard His Majesty is ill and can't be provoked. Is it really alright for you to do this? "
The intelligent Han Yunxi immediately understood that no matter what Long Feiye's original stance was, the person he chose would definitely surrender to him as soon as he picked them.
The Duke of Qin had stayed in South Ning Prefecture for a few months and had also stayed in the Prefectural Governor's Mansion for a long time. He had already set up quite a number of forces. Who wouldn't be afraid of the Duke of Qin's remaining power after being sent here to be the prefectural governor?
Thus, even if Emperor Tianhui's men came, they'd have to surrender to the Duke of Qin.
Han Yunxi finally understood as well. She looked at Long Feiye and couldn't help but rejoice at the fact that she hadn't made an enemy out of him. Otherwise, it was very possible that she'd be killed without even realizing it!
But there was one thing that Han Yunxi couldn't figure out.
If not for the position of senior provincial official, what else was Long Fei Ye doing all this for? After delaying for so long, it was time to go back.
"Chu Xifeng, send the memorial back. Just say esteemed wangfei isn't in a good mood, so your lordship wants to keep her company for a few more days," Long Fei Ye instructed.
Chu Xifeng didn't understand, so he could only do as he was told.
Han Yunxi's heart was filled with warmth. She understood.
A few days later, the empress dowager sent a letter to comfort Han Yunxi instead of using the carrot and stick. She also made it clear that the matter of the chastity mark was their own business and wouldn't look into it.
With this proof, there was no need to worry about the empress dowager digging up old debts in the future. Han Yunxi knew she was completely safe.
For the first time, she realized that this man could be so meticulous and perfect with his work.
Finally, His Highness Duke of Qin and esteemed wangfei set out for the capital!
The war in Northern Li, the battle on Fishery Island, and the impending marriage alliance. All of these events had been squeezed together to make Tianning's capital city lively again!
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