The host and the guest were sizing each other up.
The man took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and opened it. It was a portrait of Niu Youdao. He compared it to Niu Youdao, then nodded respectfully to the woman beside him. "It's him."
Niu Youdao could tell from the shadow on the back that it was a portrait. He couldn't help but reveal a look of interest. "Who are the two of you? What business do you have here?"
The woman's voice was crisp as she introduced herself. "I am Zhou Qing."
Niu Youdao and Guan Fangyi looked at each other and couldn't help sizing up the woman again. Niu Youdao hesitated. "I? Zhou Qing? Forgive me for being ignorant, but could you elaborate? "
The man introduced, "This is the Imperial Consort."
The woman added, "The Provincial Governor of Nanzhou, Zhou Shouxian, is my father."
"Oh!" Niu Youdao finally reacted. It turned out to be the emperor's concubine, Zhou Shouxian's daughter, who had come. He roughly guessed what this meant. His gaze landed on the man and he asked, "What about you?"
The man replied, "The Prefectural Magistrate, Gamiao Shui!"
"Oh!" Niu Youdao nodded. He had never seen this person before, but he had heard of him. He was the personal eunuch of the Yan Emperor, Shang Jianxiong. When Shang Chaozong attacked Qingshan County, it was this person who came to negotiate on behalf of the imperial court. He asked, "You are the disciple of the Minister of the Imperial Household, Tian Yu?"
"That's right!" Gamiao Shui answered.
Niu Youdao asked, "How do I know if you are real?"
Gamiao Shui threw out a token. Niu Youdao caught it and looked at it, then threw it back. He then stretched out his hand and said, "Esteemed guests, please take a seat!"
Only Zhou Qing sat down. Gamiao Shui scrupulously stood by Zhou Qing's side.
Zhou Qing took out a jade pendant, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Niu Youdao. "Someone asked me to send my regards to Venerable One, saying that Venerable One will know who it is when he sees this."
Niu Youdao's gaze paused on this woman's slender hands. He realized that this woman's hands were really beautiful. This was the first time he had seen a beautiful woman with such beautiful hands. Just one look was enough to leave a deep impression on him. After that, his attention fell on the jade pendant. He took it in his hand and looked at it. He smiled and shook his head.
He had a jade pendant that was exactly the same as this one. If they were put together, it would be a pair.
Just as the other party had said, when he saw the jade pendant, he had indeed guessed who the person who had greeted him was. He nodded and said, "I'll have to trouble Imperial Consort Niangniang to send my regards to Imperial Consort Liu." He then pushed the jade pendant back.
The Imperial Concubine Liu he was talking about was the mother of the Jade Princess of Qi, Shang Xue. When he was in the Qi Kingdom, Shang Xue gave him a token to facilitate his contact with Yan Jing. It was the matching jade pendant.
Upon seeing the jade pendant, Zhang Xuan was even more certain of the other party's intentions.
Zhou Qing said, "I'm sure Venerable Master already knows why I'm here."
Niu Youdao said, "I've roughly guessed a little."
Zhou Qing said, "The Princess has sent a message here. She said that Venerable Master promised her in the Qi Kingdom that you would do your best to promote peace between His Majesty and Prince Yongping, and try your best to avoid conflict between uncle and nephew. Is this true?"
Niu Youdao rubbed his chin. He realized that this matter was both complicated and simple. Imperial Consort Liu did not come for the token of Imperial Consort Liu. Instead, Imperial Consort Zhou came. It was obvious that the war involved Imperial Consort Zhou's father, Zhou Shouxian. It was also understandable. If Zhou Shouxian was defeated, Shang Jianxiong and the imperial court would not be able to bear the responsibility. Someone had to bear the responsibility, and it could only be the defeated Zhou Shouxian. It could be imagined that once Imperial Consort Zhou became the daughter of a guilty official, Imperial Consort Zhou's days in the palace would not be easy. The relationship between father and daughter was one of interdependence.
However, from the looks of it, Zhou Shouxian, who had the backing of a nation, did not seem to have much confidence in the war.
Shang Xue frequently sent him letters asking for help, and Imperial Consort Zhou also came. It was obvious that the two women needed to promote peace.
He believed that Imperial Consort Zhou had the permission of Emperor Shang Jianxiong to come. Otherwise, how could a dignified Imperial Consort leave the palace so easily, not to mention that Imperial Consort Zhou was accompanied by the Commander of the Palace Chariot Office. It would be strange if Shang Jianxiong did not agree.
Niu Youdao nodded, "Indeed."
Zhou Qing smiled, "It's good that you remember."
Niu Youdao said, "I remember. I can't forget. But I can't do anything about it."
Zhou Qing said, "You don't have to be modest to be favored by Emperor Qi. The imperial court has been paying close attention to the situation here. According to the judgment of the imperial court, Venerable Master has enough influence on Prince Yongping. As long as Venerable Master is willing to exert his influence, it will be difficult for this war to happen. Putting aside the fact that the people will be plunged into misery and suffering, His Majesty and Prince Yongping are uncle and nephew. Moreover, the biggest winner of this war is not Prince Yongping, but the Heavenly Jade School. Why do you have to do something so stupid as to kill your own kin? "
Niu Youdao was secretly amused. Now that Venerable Master knows about their blood relationship, who was it that forced Shang Chaozong into a corner?
He shook his head and said, "Since Imperial Consort Zhou knows about the Heavenly Jade School, you should know that the Prince doesn't have the final say in the five counties of the Southern State. The Prince only controls two counties out of the five, and the Prince only controls two hundred thousand men."
Zhou Qing said, "As long as the Prince avoids the war, the Heavenly Jade School, Mei Linsheng, Wu Tiandang, and Zhao Xingfeng, the three traitors, are nothing to worry about!"
Niu Youdao asked with interest, "Does Prince Yongping have such a strong deterrent?"
Zhou Qing said, "My father once served under Meng Shanming, and he knows that Meng Shanming's reputation as a famous general is not undeserved. King Ning's prestige was built with Meng Shanming's help. I thought that Meng Shanming had passed away long ago, but I didn't expect him to live in seclusion and come out to serve Prince Yongping once again. Let's not talk about this. In terms of military strength, if the three traitors insist on fighting, the pressure on my father will be greatly reduced if Prince Yongping's two hundred thousand men are gone. "
Niu Youdao sighed inwardly. In just a few short years, Shang Chaozong, who had fled from Yan Capital like a stray dog, had already gained the strength to force Shang Jianxiong to put down his pride.
Of course, it wasn't that Shang Jianxiong was afraid of the military strength of the five counties. It was because Shang Jianxiong didn't dare to fight a war with the strength of the entire country when faced with internal and external troubles. Otherwise, Shang Chaozong wouldn't have dared to fight this war, and the Heavenly Jade Gate was purely taking advantage of this loophole.
The reason why Shang Jianxiong could put down his pride was because if the Southern Province was lost, how would the Yan people view it? How would the Emperor, Shang Jianxiong, feel? Others would first think that Shang Jianxiong was incompetent.
Zhou Qing continued, "You don't have to worry about the Heavenly Jade Gate. As long as Prince Yongping avoids the war, it will be the end of the Heavenly Jade Gate if the war goes against the Heavenly Jade Gate. His Majesty will mobilize the three major sects to wipe the Heavenly Jade Gate from the Yan territory!"
Niu Youdao believed this. If the Heavenly Jade Gate were to lose the war, it would mean that it would be difficult for them to control the Southern Province. Without the strength to control the Southern Province, no matter what the negotiations between the Heavenly Jade Gate and the three major sects were, they would still have to face the three major sects' purge.
"And His Majesty will not mistreat Prince Yongping. Prince Yongping will be promoted to a Prince, and the five prefectures of the Southern Province will become Prince Yongping's fief!"
Niu Youdao shook his head with a bitter smile, "There's really nothing I can do about this."
Gamiao Shui spoke up from the side, "His Majesty has said that the Southern Province would rather be with its own people than outsiders. If Prince Yongping still holds a grudge for what happened in the past, His Majesty can make another concession and make the entire Southern Province the Prince's fief!"
What he meant was that as long as Shang Chaozong avoids the war, Shang Chaozong would not have to fight the war, and the Southern Province would still belong to Shang Chaozong.
However, Niu Youdao could hear the sinister intentions behind it. His brows twitched, "Your Ladyship, Eunuch, after all this talk, the Imperial Court still doesn't seem to understand the situation. It's not what you think it is."
Zhou Qing leaned forward slightly, "I'd like to hear the details."
Niu Youdao said, "Prince Yongping is already under the control of the Heavenly Jade Sect. His military power has also been cut off. The only person who can directly mobilize the troops of the five prefectures is Feng Lingbo."
At this point, he finally understood why the Heavenly Jade Sect did not hesitate to cause internal strife in the five prefectures. They had already made preparations to prevent any future troubles. It was clear that in order to take down the Southern Province, the Heavenly Jade Sect had really put in a lot of effort.
"What?" Zhou Qing was shocked.
Gamiao Shui said in a low voice, "How is that possible? Even if Prince Yongping does not understand, how can Meng Shanming allow the Prince to be cut off from military power so easily? How can the great General Meng not know the importance of military power? "
"Things have already come to this!" Niu Youdao nodded with certainty. He naturally would not say that he was the one who suggested this. One was willing to fight, while the other was willing to suffer!
Zhou Qing was instantly alarmed.
Gamiao Shui's expression also changed. He knew that if this was really the case, this battle could not be avoided. Considering the internal and external factors, the possibility of the Heavenly Jade Sect supporting Feng Lingbo was indeed very high.
Niu Youdao suddenly said, "If something happens to Prince Yongping, I will not be able to live well either. I have a plan to discuss with the two of you. Perhaps there is still a chance to turn things around."
Guan Fangyi glanced at him, not knowing what this fellow was up to.
Zhou Qing lost his composure and rushed to say, "Please speak!"
After a round of secret discussion, Gamiao Shui and Imperial Concubine Zhou did not stay for long and left in a hurry.
They did not come empty-handed. At the very least, they found out about Shang Chaozong's situation and who the enemy's general was …
All the disciples of the Lingxian Sect, Fuyun Sect, and Lingxiu Mountain left on the same day.
Not long after the three sects left, Niu Youdao also led his people and quietly disappeared into the forest …
At the Heavenly Jade Sect's headquarters, Mei Linsheng, Wu Tiandang, and Zhao Xingfeng hurriedly left the command center that had yet to be moved. Under the escort of the Heavenly Jade Sect's disciples, they secretly went to their respective divisions.
Peng Youzai also led a group of Heavenly Jade Sect's higher-ups out of the courtyard of the command center.
As they walked up the mountain steps, a disciple hurried over to report, "Princess, Shang Shuqing and the others, as well as the disciples of the Lingxian Sect, Fuyun Sect, and Lingxiu Mountain, are already on their way."
"Good!" Peng Youzai stopped and turned to face the elders. He said in a low voice, "Don't alert the enemy for now. When they arrive, we don't care about the others. As long as Niu Youdao arrives, we will immediately capture them in secret! This brat is the most cunning and the one I am most worried about. Before the battle begins, we must first control him and not allow him to cause any trouble. "
Everyone nodded. As long as the overall situation was under control, would there still be a need to talk to Niu Youdao about drinks and benefits? Capture him as well. Let's see how he would negotiate.
Feng Entai's expression was solemn. He sighed softly, feeling helpless.
However, when the group arrived at the main hall, another disciple ran over to report, "Reporting to Sect Master, Niu Youdao has disappeared!"
Peng Youzai, who had yet to sit down, was shocked. He angrily rebuked, "Disappeared? What do you mean? "
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