xymnovel Chapter 527 Xu Longxiang's Excitement: Finally, an Alliance with Northern Mang Has Been Formed
Chapter 527 Xu Longxiang's Excitement: Finally, an Alliance with Northern Mang Has Been Formed
When Fan Li returned to the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, it was already late at night.
The lights in Zhenyue Hall were still on, and candlelight leaked through the carved window frames, casting a small patch of dim yellow light on the bluestone slabs.
Xu Longxiang did not sleep.
He sat behind a long table, holding a military book in his hands, but his gaze was not on the book, but on the deep night outside the window.
He is waiting.
Footsteps came from the end of the corridor, steady yet hurried.
Xu Longxiang put down his book, looked up, and his gaze fell on the tightly closed door.
A moment later, the door was pushed open, and the night wind rushed in, carrying the chill of early winter, and ruffled the stray hairs at his temples.
Fan Li stood at the door, his dark blue scholar's robe fluttering slightly in the night wind, the hem of which was covered with dust and bits of withered grass.
His face was somewhat pale, and his lips were slightly purple, as if he were quite cold.
Xu Longxiang suddenly stood up, walked around the long table, and quickly walked to Fan Li, reaching out to support his arm.
The movement was hurried and forceful, carrying a suppressed urgency, a longing for someone's return. "Sir, you're back."
Fan Li nodded slightly, a smile playing on his lips. "Your Highness, I'm back."
His voice was a little hoarse, carrying the weariness of a long journey, but beneath that weariness was a sense of relief and ease.
Xu Longxiang helped him to a chair, sat him down, and personally poured him a cup of hot tea, handing it to him. "Sir, have some tea first to warm yourself up."
Fan Li took the teacup, held it with both hands, lowered his head, and took a small sip.
The hot tea slid down his throat, and warmth spread from his chest, gradually dispelling the chill he had brought back from the wilderness.
He put down his teacup, raised his head, and looked at Xu Longxiang with a calm and composed gaze.
"Your Highness, I have seen the people from Northern Mang."
Xu Longxiang sat down in the chair opposite him, his back straight, hands on his knees, his gaze fixed on his face. "Sir, what did she say?"
Fan Li remained silent for a moment.
His gaze fell on the steaming tea in his hand, watching the thin, gently rippling surface of the tea.
His fingers gently traced the rim of the glass, the sound steady.
"Her name is Yin Sutang, and she is an elder of the Xuan Yin Sect of Northern Mang. She said that the Khan of Northern Mang wants to form an alliance with the Northern Border to jointly conquer the Great Qin. After the success, the area north of the Yellow River will belong to the Northern Border, and the area south of the Yellow River will belong to Northern Mang. From then on, the two countries will be on good terms and never invade each other again."
Xu Longxiang's eyes flickered slightly, and a light welled up from the depths of his pupils, as if he had suddenly seen a ray of light in the darkness.
A slight upturn to his lips, a faint smile, yet carrying an barely suppressed, almost excited anticipation. "The area north of the Yellow River belongs to the Northern Border…did she really say that?"
Fan Li nodded. "Yes. I heard it clearly. She said those were the Khan's exact words."
Xu Longxiang stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.
The night wind rushed in, blowing his dark black python robe, making it flutter loudly.
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the deep night outside the window. His voice drifted from ahead, soft and faint, yet carrying the excitement of finally finding an outlet after being suppressed for so long.
"The land north of the Yellow River belongs to the Northern Frontier... and the land south of the Yellow River belongs to the Northern Barbarians. Qin Mu's Great Qin will be divided in two, caught in the middle, attacked from both sides. What chance will he have then?"
Fan Li stood up, walked behind him, and stopped.
His gaze fell on Xu Longxiang's back, his lips parted slightly, then closed, then parted again, then closed again.
The words rolled around in his throat countless times before finally being squeezed out.
"Your Highness, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."
Xu Longxiang didn't turn around; his voice drifted from ahead. "Please speak freely, sir."
Fan Li took a deep breath, the air filling his lungs with the cool, stagnant air of the hall, making him feel several degrees colder.
His voice was hoarse, yet carried an undeniable weight.
"Your Highness, the Northern Barbarians cannot be trusted. They can form an alliance with the Northern Border today, but they can turn their backs on you tomorrow. I find something suspicious about what Elder Yin said."
Xu Longxiang turned around, looked at him, and frowned slightly. "Strange? What's strange about it?"
Fan Li's gaze fell on his face, her voice steady, each word seemingly dug out from the depths of her heart with all her might. "Her hand. Her right hand was severed at the wrist, supposedly by someone chasing her on her way to the appointment. But who exactly were those who chased her?"
He paused, his voice even softer. "Your Highness, only we and Northern Mang knew about this meeting. If someone truly sabotaged it, how did the news leak out? Was there a mole within Northern Mang, or... was this all deliberately orchestrated?"
Xu Longxiang's brows furrowed even more, the "川" character between his eyebrows looking as if it had been carved with a knife.
His fingers slowly clenched and unclenched inside his sleeve, then clenched again and unclenched again.
He remained silent for a long time, his gaze fixed on Fan Li's face, his voice hoarse. "Does the gentleman mean there's more to this than meets the eye?"
Fan Li shook his head, his voice soft. "This subordinate dares not draw any conclusions. It's just that Elder Yin's injury came too coincidentally. The Northern Barbarian's suggestion also came too timely. It seems... someone arranged everything."
Xu Longxiang leaned against the window frame, propping his chin up with one hand, his gaze fixed on the deep night outside the window.
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, each one like a lightning bolt, cleaving through the chaos within him.
He knew that Fan Li was right.
But he had no other choice.
He has come this far, and there is no turning back.
He turned to look at Fan Li, his voice soft. "Sir, even if there's something strange about this matter, I have to take this step. Qin Mu's power is growing stronger and stronger. If we don't act now, once he completely assimilates Li Yang, the Northern Territory will have no chance left."
Fan Li stared at him for a long time.
His eyes were filled with a complex light, a mixture of worry, helplessness, and an indescribable, almost desperate weariness.
He lowered his head, remained silent for a moment, and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness, I understand. Since Your Highness has made up your mind, I will not try to persuade you any further."
He raised his head and looked at Xu Longxiang. "However, Your Highness, I have a request."
Xu Longxiang looked at him. "Please speak, sir."
Fan Li's voice was soft, yet every word was clear. "Your Highness, if Northern Mang and the Northern Border truly form an alliance in the future, please be sure to leave yourself a way out. The Northern Mang people are wolves, wolves that cannot be tamed. Your Highness can cooperate with them, but you must never completely trust them."
Xu Longxiang stared at him for a long time.
Then he reached out and gently patted Fan Li's shoulder. The movement was light, yet carried an indescribable weight. "Rest assured, sir, I know what I'm doing."
Fan Li clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, his voice hoarse. "Then this subordinate will take his leave. Your Highness should also rest early."
He turned around and walked towards the door.
He took two steps, then stopped without looking back.
His voice drifted over from the front, very soft and faint, as if seen through a thin veil, indistinct.
"Your Highness, every word I spoke tonight came from the bottom of my heart. The 300,000 soldiers in the Northern Frontier have followed you for so many years. They are not afraid of fighting, they are not afraid of dying, but they are afraid of being used as pawns. Your Highness, you must think carefully about what you really want."
He stepped across the threshold and disappeared into the night outside.
The dark blue scholar's robe fluttered in the night wind and then disappeared.
Xu Longxiang stood there, staring at the empty door and the deep night outside, his fingers slowly clenching in his sleeve.
His gaze fell on the cup of tea that Fan Li had only drunk half of; the tea was still emitting wisps of white steam, which looked like a very light wisp of smoke in the candlelight.
He walked to the long table, sat down, picked up the cup of tea, and took a small sip.
The tea had gone cold and had a slightly bitter taste.
He put down his teacup, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.
The breath was long and heavy, like a stone falling from a height and hitting the ground with a dull thud.
Outside the window, the night wind was still blowing, and withered leaves were still falling.
The lights in Zhenyue Hall were still on, casting a long, long shadow of the person sitting behind the long table onto the mottled wall, like an old tree standing alone in the wind.
He opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the deep night outside the window. His voice was very soft, almost as if he were talking to himself. "Qin Mu, you wait. I will make you pay the price."
Length of night.
When Yin Sutang returned to the inn, it was already dawn.
The morning light seeped out from the eastern horizon, like a thin, pale blue veil, dyeing the streets and alleys of Huaiyuan City a hazy gray-blue.
She was dressed in a dark gray cloth robe, with her right sleeve hanging loosely at her side, and in her left hand she was holding the lantern that had already gone out.
Her face was even paler than the night before, her lips were bloodless, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked like a crumpled piece of paper that had been barely unfolded, so fragile that she seemed like she would break at the slightest touch.
She stood at the entrance of the inn, looked up at the window on the second floor where the candlelight was still burning, and took a deep breath.
The breath she inhaled, carrying the cool morning air, made her feel more awake.
She stepped over the threshold and went up the stairs.
Qin Mu's room door was ajar, and candlelight leaked through the crack, casting a small patch of dim yellow light on the corridor floor.
Yin Sutang walked to the door, stopped, raised her left hand, and gently knocked. "Come in."
Qin Mu's voice came from inside, very soft, with a hint of laziness.
Yin Sutang pushed open the door and went inside.
Inside the room, the candlelight burned quietly in the lampshade, illuminating the room with a dim and warm glow.
Qin Mu leaned against the soft couch by the window, one hand supporting his chin, his moon-white robe loosely draped over his body, the collar slightly open.
His gaze fell on the gradually brightening horizon outside the window, a half-smile playing on his lips.
Jiang Zhaoyue sat on an embroidered stool to the side, holding a book in her hands, but her gaze was fixed on Yin Sutang.
Yunluan stood at the door, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her back ramrod straight, her gaze sharp as a knife.
Xu Fenghua sat in the corner with a cup of tea in front of her. The tea had gone cold, but she didn't drink it.
Her hands were folded on her knees, her fingertips were white, and her face was calm as still water, but her eyes betrayed her.
Those eyes were red and swollen, with slightly red rims, as if they had been crying or hadn't slept all night.
Qin Mu sent her.
He said, "Consort Hua, Elder Yin should be back tonight. Come and listen to who she met and what she said."
She didn't refuse, nor could she refuse.
She could only sit there, like a lifeless porcelain statue, waiting for judgment.
Yin Sutang walked to the center of the room, stopped, knelt on one knee, bowed her head, and said in a hoarse voice, "Young master, I have returned."