Outside of the pavilion, Marquis Xueyi and the three officers waited patiently with a placid look on each of their faces. Both sides knew that this was going to be a long confrontation. Right now, those two were engaged in a negotiation that could affect the future of the two dynasties.
It was Fan Lingyue who single handedly pushed Grand Xia into the dire state it was in right now and with the sudden death of the Xia Emperor, that situation was about to get a lot worse.
With regards to that death, Ning Chen had no doubt in his mind that this woman had a hand in it. Truth be told, it was a vicious stab from the dark, one that couldn’t have come at a worse time.
If the Xia Emperor had died atop that mountain that day, Grand Xia wouldn’t have been thrown into the rotten state it found itself in right now.
Back then, the wings of the two princes hadn’t hardened yet and because the Emperor was merely missing and not dead, none of the officials dared to rashly pick a side.
Now however, their factions had matured and had spread their roots throughout the court. Trying to snip them off now would only hurt the health of Grand Xia.
Human nature was one of greed; for a dragon throne, there was nothing a person wouldn’t do.
Fan Lingyue was a master at manipulating a person’s heart, that was how she pushed Grand Xia into this sea of fire step by step. With no way to avoid her machinations, all Grand Xia could do was suffer one sidedly.
Within the pavilion, both parties had their own plans in mind but their expressions were still one of calmness. Brewing tea, tasting tea, truly it was a scene of serenity.
Before being enemies, the two were once friends.
“How’s the tea?”
“It has a bitter taste but a fragrant aftertaste. It’s a good tea.”
“This tea comes from Mount Yunwu in the Mongolian Steppes. Because of the biting coldness in that region, the tea harvested from that region has a unique flavor as well.” She filled his teacup once more and pushed it before him.
“I never expected you to be so accomplished in the tea arts of the Central Plains.”
Tea arts weren’t something one could master easily, they required vast amounts of time and effort to practise. However, it seemed like that rule didn’t apply to her. Truly, what he wanted to know was whether there was anything this woman couldn’t do.
Hearing his praise, she merely smiled back in return. The reason why she researched the culture of the Central Plains was none other than to gain a better understanding of this beautiful land. Only by understanding one’s enemy could one win a hundred battles.
“Is Ming Yue alright?” She asked, head lowered while brewing her tea.
“There’s food, there’s lodging, honestly, she couldn’t be in a better position even if she tried.
“That’s good then.” Was her simple response after which she continued: “I truly didn’t expect you to barge into the Mongolian palace and abduct her. Thankfully, the Xia Emperor died as well so we’re even.”
“Concubine Wan was one of your spies?”
“Mhm.”
“Who is she?” That was the question he harbored all this while but wasn’t able to verify.
“The eldest daughter of the Qing family, Qing Wuheng.”
“As I had suspected.” He sighed in his heart as he said that. Back in the Mongolian capital, he heard that the eldest daughter of the Qing family hadn’t been seen for nine years but he didn’t take that to heart then. It was only when the Xia Emperor was assassinated that he suddenly recalled this matter.
After all, the timing of Qing Wuheng’s disappearance coincided too well with the appearance for Concubine Wan for it to be a simple coincidence. No matter how one looked at it, it was a suspicious happenstance.
“That grand army behind you is too close to Beichui City. Ming Yue is afraid of loud noises so how about you retreat a little.” Sipping his tea, he stated that in the most natural tone possible.
“How far?” She refilled his teacup once more.
“Just like before, 200 li.” He answered after giving it some thought.
“Alright but I wish to see her.”
At that, he didn’t agree to her terms immediately but instead tried to stall for time: “That matter is slightly troublesome, I need some time to consider.”
Regarding this woman, every offer she made had to be treated with utmost caution. As of right now, little Ming Yue was the only advantage he held over her and mustn’t be squandered lightly.
“Whenever you’re done considering, the Mongolian grand army will be ready to withdraw as well. Of course, that offer is only valid for the next three days.”
Ning Chen nodded his head at that; he needed whatever time he could eek out to prepare for any potential surprise.
“Just a reminder though, those old monks in the southwest aren’t going to be so passive for long. I’m sure you know as well I do that once they aren’t so busy chanting sutras all day, things would get even worse for Grand Xia.”
Hearing that, the teacup in his hand violent jerked as he froze on the spot. That was an earth-shattering piece of news piece she just threw out like that! Should those old monks make a move, the southwestern region would most likely fall. While Marquis Wangchuan’s prowess was comparable to Marquis Kaixuan’s, it wasn’t enough to stand against a Xiantian of the Third Calamity Realm.
Despite its name, the Western Doya Temple wasn’t just some simple temple, it was a buddhist nation with tens of thousands of martial disciples. Without a doubt, they were a very huge thorn in Grand Xia’s side.
“Fan Lingyue, the way you command a tiger to consume the wolf aren’t you afraid that you will one day invite disaster upon yourself as well.” His expression darkened as he warned her.
“You don’t have to concern yourself with that. Since I have the ability to command a tiger, I have the ability to kill it as well. Maybe you should worry about how you are going to relay that bit of news to that Empress of yours.”
As she said that, the concern in Ning Chen’s eyes were in full display for all to see. Just handling those matters in the Imperial City was hard enough for Zhang Sun, should a new problem arise in the southwest as well, she would most likely collapse from exhaustion.
“Fan Lingyue, have you ever considered the consequences of your actions? Having scorched the world with the flames of war, so what if you win this war? At the end of the day, the ones who suffer are the civilians of both dynasties.” Said Ning Chen was a soft sigh.
“Life has a hundred forms, first comes the bitterness then the sweetness. How can you treasure the fruits of your labor without first laboring. It’s just like that cup of tea, if its initial taste was taste, that aftertaste would have amounted to nothing.” She explained in the calmest of tones.
“But life isn’t a cup of tea. Just because you’ve tasted the bitterness doesn’t mean that the sweetness is sure to follow. You can’t just dictate their lives like that.”
Fan Lingyue turned and gazed the teen in his eyes, a mocking glint flashing through her eyes as she did so. “In this world, it has always been the strong who dictated the terms for the weak, don’t tell me you are truly naive enough to believe that everyone is able to decide their fate?”
At that, Ning Chen had no response to give.
Standing up, she then gazed at the distant south. “The weak serve the strong and the strong serve those who are stronger. This is the true nature of humanity. There is no such thing as absolute fairness and that’s not what the weak need either. What they need is a strong person to lead them and since they are the ones making the request, they have to pay a price for it.”
Having said all that, Fan Lingyue turned around and looked at Ning Chen. “Marquis Zhiming, why do you think the Xia Emperor conferred the title of Zhiming onto you? He wants you to know your place. In his eyes, you are nothing but a servant, no matter how talented you are, you will never be able to escape from the identity of a servant. The Xia Emperor is one of the strong so he has the authority to do so and you merely have to accept it.”
Ning Chen sighed. There was nothing to refute there, all she said were facts after all.
She had seen through it all and that’s why she had such a cold attitude as well. All she was saw was the outcome. As for the process, that didn’t matter to her at all.
Nowhere was this more apparent than in Yan Gui City; millions of civilians died simply because she didn’t want to waste any manpower holding that city. Thus, massacring the city was merely the most effective means to an end.
Such methods weren’t without precedent either. In the long history of China, there were records of such incidents as well. During the era of the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols had massacred the cities of the Central Plains multiple times simply because they didn’t have the manpower to spare.
In light of that, he couldn’t refute her methods and yet that didn’t mean he accepted them either.
With no way to reconcile their differing principles, that ended up being the main reason for their growing distance.
“Fan Lingyue, I’ll admit I’m unable to persuade you. There’s one thing I wish to say however, I’ll do my best to stop you.” Standing up, Ning Chen turned to face her beautiful yet emotionless face and stated so.
“Let’s hope you can do that then.”
Having entered a stalemate, there was no longer a point in negotiating further. Cupping his hands, he turned around to leave.
Thus ended today’s meeting. Though it was merely the start of negotiations, he managed to learn a piece of news that would undoubtedly cause Zhang Sun another headache.
Back then, he found it weird that he encountered that little stubborn mule in the Mongolian Steppes. To think that she actually managed to drag the Western Doya Temple in this war as well.
Soon after the teen’s departure…
Fan Lingyue was in the midst of brewing another cup of tea. However, just as she brought the steaming teacup to her lips, her chest suddenly heaved followed by a violent cough of blood that stained her tea red in an instant.
Seeing that, she couldn’t help but sigh. If it was possible, she truly wanted another ten years to live. As long as she had that much time, she could definitely forge a vast empire for the Mongols.
Back in Beichui City, Ning Chen immediately sent a letter detailing the incidents of today to the Imperial City right after returning. Especially with regards to the matter of Western Doya, he took care to caution Zhang Sun of the need to be careful.
With the trained messenger hawks of the military, this letter would reach the Imperial City within a day thanks to their impressive speed.
While he wasn’t sure if there was even enough time anymore, that was still a matter he had to report to Zhang Sun.
After all, it wasn’t like Grand Xia was bereft of people who could stop that head abbot. At the very least, he knew of two people who could do so. However, whether or not they could be persuaded to help depended on Zhang Sun’s abilities entirely.
Regarding those monsters known as Xiantian, no one could force them to act unless they were willing to do so in the first place. Yes, those at the ninth-grade could be killed just by using numbers but the Xiantian were a different matter entirely. In order to stop the Xiantian, one needed a Xiantian as well.
At his side, little Ming Yue quietly waited for him to finish his work. Only after seeing that he was done did she finally walk up to him and tug on his sleeves.
It was then that Ning Chen finally realized that this little girl was still waiting for him to tell the results as well. Thus, he gave her an apologetic smile after which he recounted the details of today’s negotiations.
“Do you want to see her?” He ruffled her hair as he asked.
“Yes.” Having grown up in Fan Lingyue’s care, her answer wasn’t too much of a surprise for Ning Chen. Unfortunately for the little girl, ever since the start of the war, the two of them weren’t able to meet anymore.
“Well, I need to make some preparations. That Big Sister of yours is just too formidable, I’m afraid if I bring you out like this, she might just snatch you away from me before I even realize it.” As he said that, there was noticeable trace of helplessness in his voice. Having suffered at her hands enough times, he knew he had to be extra cautious when dealing with her.
Hearing that, Ming Yue didn’t answer right away. Right now, she was in an extreme dilemma: should she or should she not hope that her big sister was able to rescue her?
Even though she was a hostage, the bad man truly treated her well. He even risked his life to protect her multiple times. Furthermore, she was to starting feel that this war wasn’t one that should be fought at all.
She didn’t pray that the Mongols would be able to defeat Grand Xia, all she wanted was for those troops to be able to return to their homeland safely.
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