Ning Cheng demanded angrily, "Who did it?!"
All of the officials in the room were stunned. Although they didn't know what was going on, they didn't dare to be curious. Without needing Ning Cheng to chase them away, they all retreated out of the room in an orderly fashion. The last one to leave even closed the door behind him.
The eunuch was scared out of his wits as well. He said timidly, "I'm not sure. There weren't any traces left behind."
It had to be said that Ning Cheng looked good even when he was angry. His handsome face was full of heroic spirit, but none of the servants around him dared to look at him.
Despite his anger, he was still able to keep his cool and asked Coldly, "Where's Chu Tianyin?"
"He's been in Fenglin Prefecture the entire time. He fought a battle with the Western Zhou army the day before yesterday and it's still ongoing," the eunuch reported.
"Summon Zhang Shihong from the Ministry of War."
He stood up and walked to the military map hanging on the wall. He stood tall and straight with his arms crossed, looking very domineering. Although he wasn't dressed in military uniform, he emanated the iron-blooded aura of a military man.
As soon as the Ministry of War's men entered, he ordered, "Mobilize 5,000 cavalrymen from Quanshan City to the northwest and 10,000 infantry from Yunlong Town to attack Fenglin Prefecture from the east! Pass on my orders, anyone who captures Chu Tianyin will be rewarded with 10,000 taels of gold! "
"Your Highness Duke of Ning, this …" Zhang Shihong had no choice but to gather his courage and ask, "Why is this so? The Chu Clan troops are the main force defending Fenglin Prefecture against Western Zhou's army. This … "
Before he could finish, Ning Cheng slowly turned around. Seeing his cold expression, Zhang Shihong didn't dare to continue. "Yes, this official will do it right away!"
With the two elders of the Chu Clan rescued, Ning Cheng wouldn't be able to control Chu Tianyin anymore. Chu Tianyin would definitely rebel!
As soon as Zhang Shihong left, Grand Concubine Ning, Ning An, hurried over. She'd received news from Cloud Realm Trade Consortium as well and asked as soon as she entered, "Does this matter have anything to do with the Tang Clan?"
Ning Cheng was thinking the same thing. "Not necessarily. Everyone knows that Tang Li married Ning Jing. It's possible that the rescuer used this chance."
"It's not easy to sneak into the canyon, find Wan Commerce Hall, and rescue them!" Ning An reminded.
"You mean …" Ning Cheng also became serious.
"Tang Li and Long Fei Ye have a close relationship!" Ning An said seriously.
Ning Cheng could no longer remain calm. If the Tang Sect was involved with the Long Fei Ye, then Ning Jing's marriage would not be simple.
"It's not too late to stop Ning Jing now! We can't let Ning Jing's sacrifice be in vain, "Ning An said anxiously.
Ning Jing was taking a risk by marrying over with her arms. Ning Jing was capable, but she was still a woman. How could she be a match for Long Fei Ye, that old fox?
"This is only a guess. If the Tang Clan has nothing to do with the Long Fei Ye, then Ning Jing's marriage won't be easy to deal with." Ning Cheng hesitated before adding, "Let's see if Chu Tianyin defers to Western Zhou or the Long Fei Ye. We'll have an answer soon enough. "
If the rescuer could use the time of Ning Jing's wedding to find Ten Thousand Commerce Hall, then Chu Tianyin must have provided them with clues. If he guessed correctly, Chu Tianyin had already revealed the relationship between Cloud Realm Trade Consortium and the Ning Clan.
Chu Tianyin had probably received the news by now, so he'd definitely rebel!
General Chu had suffered heavy losses in the last war and had no way to establish his own faction. Thus, Chu Tianyin only had two choices: surrender to Western Zhou or join the Long Fei Ye.
Soon enough, they'd find out who Chu Tianyin's accomplice was.
"Isn't it too risky for you to wait like this?" Ning An asked.
"At worst, we'll just lose Fenglin Prefecture. Your lordship can afford to lose," Ning Cheng was still calm as he asked, "Ning Jing should be here by now, right?"
"Tomorrow is the 28th. The auspicious hour is in the morning, so she should be here soon," Ning An replied honestly.
"Tell her that since she's given the weapons trade as her dowry, she can forget about coming back if she can't control the Tang Clan's assassination weapons within a year," Ning Cheng said Coldly.
Ning An doted on her little sister, but didn't dare to say a word. Leaving aside marriage, even if Ning Cheng wanted to sacrifice their lives, they could only obey. If necessary, Ning Cheng would even sacrifice his own life for the sake of it.
The Ning Clan's mission was its glory and honor, always above all else.
Ning Jing was completely unaware of all of this. She sat in the carriage the entire way. Aside from the necessary instructions to eat, drink, go to the toilet, and sleep, she didn't say a single word to Tang Li.
She originally thought that Tang Li would be chatty the entire way, but unexpectedly, he didn't even take the initiative to speak to her. He was so quiet the entire way that Ning Jing almost forgot that she was on her way to get married.
She couldn't ask for more when Tang Li didn't say anything. She could use this time to think about the Tang Clan and how to deal with all kinds of problems.
Although she was young, she didn't have the wishful thinking of a young girl. She knew that Madam Tang wouldn't let her off so easily for scheming against Tang Li.
It was probably Madam Tang's idea that the wedding procession was so shabby.
Thinking up to here, Ning Jing's lips curled into a disdainful sneer. Did Madam Tang think that she could hurt her and humiliate her just because of this? She was looking down on Ning Jing too much.
They didn't treat this as a wedding, and she didn't take it seriously either. She wanted to see who would be able to win!
On March 28, the wedding procession arrived at the foot of the Tang Clan's Crouching Dragon Mountain.
The carriage slowly stopped, and Ning Jing secretly looked out of the window. She saw that the magnificent mountain gate of the Tang Clan had no decorations, and there were no extra attendants to welcome them. There was no festive atmosphere.
Ning Jing snorted. She covered her head with the red veil and sat in the carriage. Soon, the wedding nanny came to help her out of the carriage and changed into a wedding sedan to go up the mountain.
Han Yunxi and Long Fei Ye stood on a cliff in the mountain and watched this scene.
Tang Li walked in front, the sedan followed behind, and the wedding nanny trotted beside him. That was all. There wasn't even any joy. Those who didn't know the situation wouldn't be able to tell that the bride was the young master's wife.
"I didn't expect there to be someone more miserable than me." Han Yunxi joked.
When she got married, at least the streets were bustling with noise and excitement.
Actually, Ning Jing wouldn't have fallen to Han Yunxi's hands. At the very least, Tang Li would be the one to pick her up. At least, everything had been suppressed first and then revealed later. Tang Li had spent a lot of effort on this. Han Yunxi, on the other hand, had walked into her husband's house all by herself.
Long Fei Ye stood behind her. It wasn't clear whether he heard her words, but his eyes were hooded. He was about to hug her when Han Yunxi turned around.
When he saw her look, Long Fei Ye averted his eyes and hands, seeming a little flustered. What did he want to do just then?
Soon enough, Chu Xifeng arrived and reported happily, "Your Highness, esteemed wangfei, the Chu Clan troops have been surrounded by Ning Cheng. Chu Tianyin has led his troops to seek refuge with Western Zhou."
Long Fei Ye was very satisfied. Everything was under his control. He believed that Emperor Kang Cheng wouldn't refuse Chu Tianyin's surrender when the time came. Even if the emperor didn't accept him wholeheartedly, he'd pretend to accept him for now.
In the end, Empress Xue's death would be pinned on Ning Cheng's head.
Once Chu Tianyin joined Western Zhou, Ning Cheng wouldn't suspect the Tang Clan. Of course, he wouldn't have time to suspect them either.
Chu Tianyin hadn't disappointed him this time.
A Shadow Guard followed closely behind Chu Xifeng to report, "Your Highness, esteemed wangfei, Lady Lianxin has already reported Ning Cheng's labor to the vice directors of Medical City. The news will spread very quickly!"
Long Fei Ye nodded, while Han Yunxi couldn't help but laugh. It had to be said that Long Fei Ye had made a brilliant move. Of course, Gu had helped them a lot as well!
Lady Lianxin's report would not only expose Head Elder Ling, but push the blame onto Chu Qingge and Ning Cheng as well.
The two elders of the Chu Clan were the ones who did it, but Ning Cheng had to bear the brunt of the blame!
Once news of this spread, more people would believe that Chu Qingge had colluded with Ning Cheng to commit regicide. Long Tianmo wouldn't let go of such an opportunity to recruit Emperor Tianhui's former subordinates.
Very soon, Ning Cheng would be faced with internal and external troubles. Meanwhile, Long Fei Ye wouldn't need to waste a single soldier to wait for Western Zhou, Tianning, and Tian An armies to fight while he reaped the benefits.
What did it mean to plan a strategy within a tent to determine victory from a thousand li away? This was it!
Ning Cheng might have won last time, but he'd lose miserably this time!
"Pass down orders to keep a close eye on Northern Li's movements. The Baili Navy is on standby," Long Fei Ye ordered.
"This subordinate understands!" Chu Xifeng immediately withdrew.
At this critical juncture, Northern Li was the biggest variable. Naturally, Long Fei Ye had to be on guard against it. As soon as Northern Li sent troops south to interfere with the war in the west, the Baili Navy would definitely head north from the Eastern Sea to pin down Northern Li's forces.
Long Fei Ye was already wrapping up the game of chess in the west. He wouldn't allow anyone else to interfere.
Of course, Northern Li's strength had yet to recover, so they were probably doing the same thing as Long Fei Ye. They could only wait and see what would happen.
Once everything was settled, Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi put on their human skin masks and snuck onto Reclining Dragon Peak to attend Tang Li's wedding.
Actually, Long Fei Ye wasn't interested in the wedding at all. He was purely there to accompany Han Yunxi.
Ning Jing had no idea that the Ning Clan was in deep trouble. Currently, she was bowing to Heaven and Earth with Tang Li.
Tang Zijin and Lady Tang sat high up in the great hall, flanked by the clan elders. The atmosphere was solemn, but not festive at all.
Ning Jing's red veil prevented her from seeing her surroundings, but she could still feel the atmosphere. She allowed the wedding nanny to lead her to the bridal chambers after three bows.
But Tang Zijin suddenly stood up. "Wait!"
Wait for what?
Was he going to make things difficult for her in front of everyone?
Ning Jing prepared herself mentally, but Tang Zijin only spoke with sincerity. "Tang Li is getting married today, so he's a man with a family. Old Man and Lady Tang have a big gift for him. "
Lady Tang was puzzled and glared at him unhappily. Did Tang Zijin really want to give a gift, or make things difficult for Ning Jing? No matter what he wanted, shouldn't he at least discuss it with her?
How dare he use her name without discussing it with her? Lady Tang was about to stop him, but Tang Zijin suddenly took off the ring that symbolized his status as the head of the Tang Sect and said seriously, "Today, Old Man hands over the position of head of the Tang Sect to Tang Li. From now on, Tang Li will take over the Old Man's position and take full control of the Tang Sect!"
His words caused an uproar in the hall. Lady Tang was dumbfounded. "Zijin, you …"
Tang Zijin smiled gently at her, but when he faced Tang Li, his expression was cold and solemn. He walked in front of Tang Li and personally put the ring on Tang Li's thumb.
"Tang Li, I'm entrusting the Tang Sect to you. You have to be worthy of the thousands of disciples." As he spoke, he patted Tang Li's shoulder. "In the future, don't throw a tantrum and run off the mountain for no reason."
Hearing this, the shocked crowd more or less understood. Sect Head Tang must be using this method to restrain Tang Li and keep him in the Tang Sect. He really had put in a lot of effort!
Lady Tang covered her mouth in agitation. She had always thought that Tang Zijin didn't care about his son, but now she realized that Tang Zijin cared more about his son than she did.
After learning the truth, Tang Li couldn't say anything. He looked at Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi, who were hidden in the crowd, with grief in his eyes. Actually, the one who had put in a lot of effort was Long Fei Ye. She didn't know if Tang Li would understand.
Ning Jing's hands turned cold when she heard all this.
If Tang Li became the head of the Tang Sect, didn't that mean she would become the wife of the head of the Tang Sect? Would she have to stay with Tang Li on Reclining Dragon Peak from now on?
Ning Jing was still in a daze. Soon, the crowd was filled with congratulations. Of course, the matchmaker's voice rang out again. "Send them to the bridal chamber!"
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