Chapter 914: Noble Lords, Rolling Yellow Sand (6)

Xu Fengnian, expressionless, pointed at the corpse of Yelü Canglang lying in a pool of blood. "To put it bluntly, his presence here, his ability to speak and act on behalf of Yelü Dongchuang, means that regardless of whether Yelü Dongchuang truly intended to harm me, doing business with your incapable Crown Prince is completely unreliable. If the Princess were in my shoes, how would she feel?"

She bit her lip so hard that blood seeped out, though she seemed unaware of it.

The young regional king's question left the intelligent Princess of North Mang speechless.

No one present was a fool, and she was unwilling and disdained to utter insincere words.

Even if Yelü Dongchuang initially harbored sinister intentions to use others to kill and achieve two goals at once, he was still a more suitable business partner than the incompetent North Mang Crown Prince, whose own confidantes had been successfully swayed by his archenemy.

After all, this business deal wasn't about mere millions of gold and silver, or hundreds of official positions, or even the military command of hundreds of thousands of troops.

It concerned the very fate of Beiliang, North Mang, and Liyang—the entire realm divided into two major powers.

The entire world in its truest sense.

Without a charismatic temperament, true power, shrewd tactics, and even destiny on one's side, any involvement would simply be a joke.

Throughout history, only those with fierce ambition were truly qualified to contend for the world!

In fact, her sitting there now was already a huge joke.

Yelü Canglang's blade, and the tea-serving maid's assassination attempt—

Weren't these precisely Yelü Dongchuang, that ambitious young man, demonstrating his immense power on the grasslands to all of Beiliang and to Xu Fengnian?

As for her, a mere pawn manipulated by powerful figures, what right did she have to stand as an equal to the young man named Xu before her?

She pulled at the corners of her mouth, a bitter smile forming.

For years, she had firmly believed that the Beiliang Iron Cavalry, which had inflicted so much hardship on the entire North Mang Empire, had been handed over to this young man by Chen Zhibao, a condescending act of charity from the White-Clad Military Saint.

Now, as she looked at this young man, who had been conversing cheerfully throughout, that hidden notion in her heart was no longer as steadfast as before.

Just then, a pitiable figure, even more awkwardly situated than the Princess of North Mang in the pavilion, stirred.

Song Yu appeared stealthily beside the lone remaining Kheshig guard, who immediately raised his hands high, keeping them as far as possible from the battle saber at his waist, a clear sign of his honesty and submission.

When he met the King of Beiliang's gaze, the young Kheshig guard swallowed hard and stammered, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked me to deliver a message to Your Royal Highness."

Xu Fengnian nodded.

The Kheshig guard then spoke a puzzling message. Upon hearing it, Master Bai Lian in the pavilion tilted his head and smiled, looking towards the young regional king. As for the others, they were completely bewildered.

The message was indeed absurd and demeaning.

"His Royal Highness wishes to ask Your Royal Highness whether there are more phoenix trees or purple bamboo in your Wutong Courtyard?"

Although many in North Mang, from both the Northern Court and the Southern Dynasty, were curious about Xu Fengnian, the new King of Beiliang, it was still utterly trivial for a Crown Prince, who was at the very least nominally the second most important figure in North Mang, to show such keen interest in a small Wutong Courtyard.

The Princess of North Mang was torn between laughter and tears, but mostly she felt disheartened.

Her reason for leading this southern expedition, beyond her familiarity with Beiliang, was largely due to her family's high hopes for the Crown Prince, or rather, their view of him as a valuable commodity.

After bravely delivering the message, the young Kheshig guard felt as if he had been fighting on the battlefield for a day and a night; his legs were weak and his body limp.

Xu Fengnian paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Tell your Crown Prince this: if he ever gets the chance, I invite him to come and count them himself at Wutong Courtyard."

He thought to himself that if he truly made it back to North Mang alive, he would definitely tell everyone he knew.

That young regional king of the Xu family, just like his father, the Human Butcher, was truly awe-inspiring.

He was indeed a martial arts grandmaster, on par with Tuoba Pusa, the God of War of the Grasslands! He was indeed the King of Beiliang who had caused General Yang Yuanzan to die a resentful death at Hulu Pass!

Their grassland warriors never showed mercy to weak enemies, but they never stinted on showing respect to those they truly recognized as strong.

His family elders once told him, "The biggest difference between us on the grasslands and the scholars of the Liyang Central Plains is that they never show respect to anyone they consider an opponent, but that doesn't stop them from wagging their tails and begging for scraps when they are dependent on others. We grassland men are different; our ancestors, generation after generation, no matter how displaced they were, no matter what powerful enemies pursued them, always traveled a thousand li like wolves!"

This young man from North Mang, with the blood of martial reverence flowing through his veins, felt both awe and a touch of excitement.

In the most esteemed Kheshig Guard of the grasslands, who didn't have some imperial connection, and everyone looked down on others. But who among them, like him, had personally witnessed the demeanor of this legendary figure?

If he hadn't been afraid of being cut down, the young Kheshig guard would have wanted to step forward a few paces.

In the lakeside pavilion, the Princess of North Mang, who had almost given up hope, suddenly had her eyes light up. Suppressing her excitement, she blurted out, "Your Royal Highness?!"

Xu Fengnian nodded again and said, "I have not agreed to form an alliance with your Crown Prince. However, I can give him another chance, provided he can offer something with more sincerity than Yelü Dongchuang."

Her eyes gleaming, she confidently said, "There's no problem with what I have on hand. Would Your Royal Highness like to take a look first? I'm sure Your Royal Highness will not be disappointed."

Xu Fengnian joked, "I've already had quite enough 'disappointment' for one day. Princess, there's no need to rush. Let Steward Song escort you to a quiet and elegant courtyard in General Yang's residence for now. Some matters cannot be fully explained in just a few words, and I also need to weigh things carefully with others."

She put away her dagger, stood up, and replaced her veiled hat, then left the pavilion—a place that might one day be recorded in history with a significant entry.

Less than an hour later, she was walking alongside the seemingly gentle and refined Song Yu once more.

This time, the mindset of Princess Qingluan of North Mang was worlds apart.

Song Yu still offered no pleasantries and maintained his gentle demeanor.

After escorting the Princess to a residence, Song Yu turned and departed.

She gently pushed open the door, while the young Kheshig guard stood outside, about to move towards the side room.

She suddenly asked, "What did His Royal Highness's message mean?"

The Kheshig guard, the only one remaining alive, hesitated. Perhaps having truly come to view the Princess as a companion in adversity, he overstepped propriety and replied, "Princess, I, your subordinate, also do not know His Royal Highness's deeper meaning. This is not an excuse; truthfully, during this trip to Beiliang, I have privately pondered that message countless times, yet I cannot fathom its mystery."

She said nothing more, pushing the door open, then closing it.

She removed her veiled hat, leaned her back against the door, and almost collapsed onto the floor.

The events of the day, in the lakeside pavilion, were a convoluted maze of overt and covert schemes.

After all, she was merely a woman far removed from the central court of North Mang. After Yelü Canglang made his move, her entire being had been under immense tension, and it was truly difficult for her to maintain her composure and endure until she reached this room.

For some reason, at that moment, faces flashed through Princess Qingluan's mind.

First, there was the grandfather and grandson pair.

The dark face of the thin Yelü Dongchuang, whose mouth, when he spoke, revealed a full set of gleaming white teeth.

And his grandfather Yelü Hongcai's smiling face, lined with wrinkles. The old man always smiled at everyone, and when he smiled, he would reveal his sparse, yellow teeth.

Then came a handsome face she couldn't forget.

It was the white-clad man who, in her memory, was always taciturn, no matter the time or place.

Finally, there was the pale face of the North Mang Crown Prince, filled with excitement and fervent ambition, when he had earnestly cautioned her to be careful before her departure.

She breathed rapidly, gasping for air.

She closed her eyes in pain.

Unconsciously, she vaguely recalled the face she had seen in the lakeside pavilion.

She opened her eyes and ground her teeth, muttering, "If that blade hadn't been plunged into Yelü Canglang's neck, but rather into your eye, *that* would have been satisfying!"

The uneasy Vice-Jiedushi Yang Shenxing walked around the small table, glanced at the female assassin's corpse lying on it, then cupped his fists, bowed his head, and said in a heavy tone, "Your Royal Highness, I, Yang Shenxing, am undeniably guilty of negligence. I am willing to accept any punishment without complaint!"

Xu Fengnian waved his hand and chuckled, "It's not your concern, General. Ultimately, her initial entry into this residence was the responsibility of our Liangzhou's Eagle Cultivation and Water Flicking divisions. It's just that for the two heads of those divisions—my second sister, I wouldn't dare scold, and as for Chu Lushan, that fellow probably has thick skin and wouldn't mind a few curses from me—so, in truth, you and I, General, are the most innocent ones here."

Yang Shenxing was unwilling to raise his head.

Yang Huchen, who had first surveyed the western parts of the territory as the Deputy General of Jizhou and then secretly entered Liangzhou with the assistance of spies from Beiliang's Eagle Cultivation division, now spoke up, "Father, we both know what kind of person His Royal Highness is. There's no need for you to feign humility."

The veteran general, described as "feigning humility" by his own son, immediately looked up at Yang Huchen, huffing and glaring, his face filled with anger.

Yang Huchen naturally avoided his father's wrath, quickly raising his wine cup and clinking it against Master Bai Lian's tea cup next to him.

The bodies of the Kheshig guards in the pavilion and those who had fallen into the lake, as well as the female assassin's corpse from the Princess's Tomb, were quickly disposed of by several nimble-handed maids from the residence. Especially one young maid, who usually appeared delicate and frail, seemingly unable to withstand a breeze, handled the tea-serving maid's corpse with surprising ease, as if folding a few pounds of silk.

Yang Shenxing returned to his seat, seemingly oblivious to this.

As for whether the maid was a spy from Beiliang's Eagle Cultivation or Water Flicking division, and how many others were secretly hidden within the residence besides her, the old general, who had spent half his life on battlefields and half in officialdom, had no interest and felt no unease. On the contrary, it was only natural for people like her to be rooted in a Jiedushi's residence.

Once one enters the Marquis's gate, it's as deep as the sea.

Which prominent household in this world wasn't like this?

Yang Shenxing seemed to want to speak but held back.

There was no more Green Ant wine left, so Xu Fengnian directly took to brewing tea, performing the task no less skillfully than the mysterious female assassin who had done so earlier.

This left Yang Huchen utterly amazed.

As Xu Fengnian poured tea for Yang Shenxing, he smiled and said, "General, please speak your mind. The Xu and Yang families are now allies, sharing both honor and disgrace, and Master Bai Lian here is our witness."

Yang Shenxing gave a knowing smile. "Then I'll speak plainly. Judging from today's situation, that North Mang Crown Prince, who has been undistinguished for so many years, doesn't seem like someone who can be supported. Those 'dragon-supporting' officials around him will surely have their hands full."

Xu Fengnian chuckled self-deprecatingly, "In my early years, I was even worse off than this Crown Prince. Back then, I, as the Heir Apparent, didn't seem to have even a single 'dragon-supporting official' sincerely helping me."

Yang Shenxing's expression inevitably became a little awkward.

Yang Huchen, who rarely saw his father suffer a setback in front of outsiders, made no effort to hide his schadenfreude.

Xu Fengnian calmly sipped his Chunshun Lake tea and said softly, "Of course, while the North Mang Crown Prince and I appear to be in similar situations, we are actually very different. I have been far, far more fortunate."

After a brief thought, Yang Shenxing understood and said, "Indeed!"

Yang Huchen also curbed his smile and remarked sincerely, "Most people only know of Master Yishan's reputation as a 'poisonous scholar' and shallowly consider him merely an aide to the Xu family. They don't truly understand his exceptional attainments in military strategy!"

Bai Yu also nodded gently, looked up at the lake outside the pavilion, and squinted with a smile. "Master Yishan, I too greatly admire him."

Xu Fengnian looked at the gently flickering stove fire and remained silent.

He stood up and took a few steps, then pulled the White Rainbow Blade with its golden peach-skin sheath from the vermilion-lacquered pillar. He then bent down, picked up the scabbard from the ground, and slowly returned the blade to it.

He naturally thought of the Listening Tide Pavilion, which housed martial arts manuals from all over the world.

He mumbled to himself in his heart.

Master, how wonderful it would be if you could live for another ten years.

I would definitely contend for that seat for you, exchanging python robes for dragon robes.