Tang Li came to send off Han Yunxi and the others. Unfortunately, Han Yunxi was already sitting in the carriage. She had already warned Long Fei Ye with her gaze that she didn't want to see anyone for the time being.
In fact, Tang Li wanted to secretly ask Han Yunxi for some medicine and poison. Unfortunately, he didn't dare to ask Han Yunxi to get off the carriage in front of Long Fei Ye.
As soon as Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi left, Tang Li rushed back to the mountain. On the first day of the wedding, the bride had to serve tea to her parents-in-law. He had already discussed it with his mother. His mother would play the bad cop and make things difficult for Ning Jing, while he would play the good cop and protect Ning Jing. After a year, even if Ning Jing wasn't subdued by him, she still couldn't leave his protection.
When the tea was served later, his mother would start making things difficult for him. He had to hurry and make preparations.
Although Han Yunxi and Long Fei Ye had left the Tang Sect, she still paid attention to Tang Li and Ning Jing's situation. She didn't want to gossip, but she needed a definite answer about the dowry.
Sure enough, at noon, Long Fei Ye's spy in the Tang Sect sent news that Ning Jing's dowry was indeed an arms trade.
Han Yunxi looked at the secret letter and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The secret letter described in detail how Ning Jing greeted the two elders of the Tang Sect this morning. In the morning, before Madam Tang could make things difficult for Ning Jing, Ning Jing took out the dowry and showed Madam Tang who was in charge. The dowry was the president's token of Cloud Realm's arms trade. Ning Jing said that she could support herself, but the Tang Sect might not be able to support her. Then, the two women started to argue.
Tang Li didn't have a chance to protect Ning Jing at all because … Madam Tang lost!
"What's wrong?" Long Fei Ye asked calmly.
"Tang Li may not be able to handle Ning Jing." Han Yunxi handed the secret letter over.
Long Fei Ye glanced at him and actually smiled. "Good loss."
"What do you mean?" Han Yunxi really didn't understand. "You lost on purpose?"
"If she loses, Tang Zijin will pay more attention to this matter, and Tang Li will be able to secure his position as the Sect Master."
With Long Fei Ye's explanation, Han Yunxi understood. She couldn't help but sigh. "How many times did Tang Li kowtow in front of Buddha in his previous life to have such a biological mother?"
If Mrs. Tang lost to Ning Jing, Tang Zijin would be anxious. He would give Tang Li more support, be it power, wealth, or even force, to deal with Ning Jing.
In this way, Tang Li, the new Sect Leader, would live up to his name. Everything that Mrs. Tang did was for the sake of her son.
Han Yunxi thought that with Mrs. Tang around, Tang Li wouldn't lose out.
Long Fei Ye remained silent and didn't speak again.
Tang Li was indeed lucky. Ever since he was young, no matter how big of a mistake Tang Li made or how big of a mess he made, his aunt would always clean up for him and cover for him. She would never let Tang Li fight for anything. She only wanted Tang Li to be safe and happy.
"What are you thinking about? Han Yunxi asked, puzzled. She didn't expect Long Fei Ye to be distracted.
"Nothing." Long Feiye gently pulled her into his arms, his hand patting her shoulder intermittently. It was obvious that he was still thinking about other things.
"What are you thinking about that you don't want me to know? Or are you thinking about someone that you don't want me to know? "Han Yunxi asked jokingly.
Long Fei Ye actually replied, "I'm thinking about someone."
"Who?!" Han Yunxi grew serious. She didn't think Long Fei Ye was the type to joke about something like this.
"Master Kenzō," Long Fei Ye intoned. "Summer is the time when he loses his mind."
Han Yunxi hesitated, then said, "Long Fei Ye, how about we bring Doctor Gu to Celestial Mountain so Senior Kenzō can take a look?"
"No." Long Fei Ye's tone made it clear that there was no room for discussion.
Han Yunxi had never been to Celestial Mountain before, so she wasn't clear on the situation. She didn't try to persuade him, but figured it wouldn't be too late to discuss the matter after seeing Senior Kenzō.
After leaving Reclining Dragon Range, the carriage headed south. Uncle Gao kept a low profile while Chu Xifeng and his guards followed them from the shadows. Neither the west nor the south knew of Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi's whereabouts.
It was April, but spring was still in the air in the north. Summer had already arrived in the south, and the green mountains and plains were covered in white. The rain fell like smoke in the wind.
Ignoring the flames of war behind them, Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi headed towards the picturesque south of Ning.
Ning Cheng probably couldn't keep an eye on Long Fei Ye's movements right now, but someone else was keeping an eye on Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi. It was none other than Jun Yi Xie's master, former head of the Hundred Poisons Sect, and heir to the Wind Clan of the Seven Noble Families, Bai Yanqing!
Currently, he and Jun Yi Xie were in the temporary imperial residence of the Northern Dynasties Emperors.
The Northern Dynasties Emperors were touring the east and personally inspecting the three major horse farms. Master and disciple accompanied them in secret. Although the three horse farms were under the jurisdiction of the crown prince and second imperial prince on the surface, they were all under Jun Yi Xie's control after the last horse plague.
More specifically, they were all under Bai Yanqing's control. Bai Yanqing had not only created the perfect medicine to control the horse plague, but also cultivated a special type of forage grass that could be mixed with medicine to make special fodder that shortened the normal growth time of war horses.
In the past, it took four years to raise a horse into a war horse, three years to raise it, and half a year to train it. With this fodder, even a newborn would only need two years. Thus, the Northern Dynasties Emperors sent people to secretly negotiate with the Yunnan Trade Consortium about the sale of war horses. At the same time, they secretly purchased two year old horses from herdsmen and used fodder to raise them for a few months before they could be used as war horses.
Currently, Cloud Realm Trade Consortium hadn't made any progress. They did buy some from the herdsmen, but it wasn't enough.
Even when the Northern Dynasties Emperors were out on patrol, they didn't forget to bring along a strategic map.
A large leather map was spread out on the table. The Northern Dynasties Emperors were currently pointing out the location of Fenglin Prefecture as they discussed the battle with Bai Yanqing.
"Heheh, after going around in circles, General Chu actually went back to Western Zhou," the Northern Dynasties Emperors sighed with emotion. "What a pity, what a pity!"
If the three horse carriages hadn't been so badly damaged, his cavalry would've long crossed the Three-Way Battlefield and attacked Western Zhou and Tianning. He never expected that Tianning would fall into civil strife after it was split in two and the situation in the west would turn out like this.
This time, Northern Li had truly missed a golden opportunity!
"Your Majesty, have you heard of a story from Tianning?" Bai Yanqing stroked his beard with a faint smile. He was dressed in long gray robes and looked calm and composed, like an otherworldly expert who was mysterious beneath his facade.
"What story?" the Northern Dynasties Emperors asked.
"Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise." After Bai Yanqing finished speaking, Jun Yi Xie explained to the Northern Dynasties Emperors in detail. "Your Majesty, the chaos between the three countries will last for a long time. Your Majesty still has a chance. Once the war horses are ready, you can send your troops south and reap the benefits."
"Hmph, with the number of war horses we have now, we might not even have a chance of victory in two years! Zhen won't fight a battle without confidence. Don't forget that the Duke of Qin's navy is still eyeing us from the Eastern Sea, "without a doubt, the Northern Dynasties Emperors' greatest enemy was Long Fei Ye.
"Your Majesty, is this because you don't trust the Old Man?" Bai Yanqing laughed coldly. Compared to Jun Yi Xie's respect, Bai Yanqing wasn't humble in front of the Northern Dynasties Emperors. Neither was his aura weak.
"Bai Yanqing, how do you expect Zhen to trust you? Cloud Realm Continent's most fertile lands are all in the Duke of Qin's hands. It's already summer in the south, so harvest season will arrive in a few months! The flames of war won't reach there. When the time comes, Western Zhou and Tian An will have no choice but to transfer grain from his hands. He won't miss out on Ning Cheng's lands! "the Northern Dynasties Emperors said Coldly.
Western Zhou and Tianning's lands were barren to begin with, so grain production was limited. Now that the flames of war had begun, almost all farming and animal husbandry had stopped. Although Tian An wasn't the main battlefield and its agriculture was well-developed, all of its men had gone to war. Fewer people were left to do farm work, which would greatly reduce grain production.
Once the grain reserves were used up, both sides would have to buy grain from outside. This was the perfect time for the south central regions' commander-in-chief's estate to reap the spoils of war.
Moreover, Long Fei Ye's style wasn't just for grain. It was very likely that he'd take advantage of the situation to send out his troops and divide up Tianning's lands with Western Zhou and Tian An.
The Northern Dynasties Emperors spoke the truth, but Bai Yanqing didn't take it to heart. Smiling, he said, "Your Majesty, please believe the Old Man. This autumn will be an eventful one for the Duke of Qin! As long as the crown prince can quickly increase the number of horses, the Old Man's promise to Your Majesty will come true very soon. "
Seeing the Northern Dynasties Emperors hesitate, Bai Yanqing added, "Your Majesty trusted the Old Man in the past. If you don't believe him now, the Old Man will be disappointed."
Bai Yanqing's eyes were like a mysterious lake that had lain dormant for thousands of years. Nothing could disturb it.
The Northern Dynasties Emperors recalled Bai Yanqing's promise. He'd said that the Seven Noble Families, the Wind and Black Clans, would swear fealty to the Northern Li imperial family and unite Cloud Realm Continent together. Because of this promise, the Northern Dynasties Emperors had conferred upon Jun Yi Xie the title of Duke of Kang and granted him unlimited power. Bai Yanqing was an honored guest of honor and treated him with limitless respect.
The Northern Dynasties Emperors stared at Bai Yanqing for a long time before coming to a decision. "Someone come, send orders to the second imperial prince to cross the snowy mountains and recruit soldiers and horses. Zhen will give him three months. If he doesn't bring back the horses, then he doesn't need to come back! "
Beyond Northern Li's lofty snowy mountains was the northernmost part of Cloud Realm Continent. It was also the last piece of undeveloped land, home to a tribe of primitive slaves called the Wintercrow Clan.
Three years ago, the Northern Dynasties Emperors had sent out envoys to bypass the snowy mountains and reach the Wintercrow Clan for the first time. There, they discovered the best breed of horses, the Wintercrow horses. Over the past three years, Northern Li had already built a winding mountain path that allowed them to reach the Wintercrow Clan in a short time.
However, the Wintercrow Clan was fierce and untrustworthy, making it difficult to communicate with them. Even a small business deal with them could put one's life in danger, much less a major horse trade. Northern Li had sent out ten envoys in total, but none of them had returned.
Thus, the Northern Dynasties Emperors hadn't held out much hope. But now that the three nations were at war, he had no choice but to try.
If Bai Yanqing was confident he could keep the Long Fei Ye in check, then he could catch them off guard when autumn came and the three nations ran out of food supplies. No matter what, he had to have enough war horses in reserve.
A crafty look flashed past Bai Yanqing's eyes before he crossed his arms and said, "I wish His Second Highness good luck!"
"Imperial Father, this son is willing to go as well to protect the second imperial prince," Jun Yi Xie volunteered himself.
The Northern Dynasties Emperors looked at him hesitantly …
… …
To the readers: Welcome to Jin Mo's public WeChat account: jiemomo2015. There's a small drama, character chronicles, and the Heavenly Concubine's sweet words to read.
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