Chapter 1030 – Each Person’s Calculation (Part Six)
Zhu Qing Ning suddenly realized the key; this was an outright scheme!
Knowing there was a pit ahead, Liu Xi had no choice but to leap in.
Nie Xun said, “Liu Xi was supposed to take control of the Northern Border over the course of two to three years, but unexpectedly, she defeated it in just eleven months. I’ve seen quite a bit of information from our Lord—one must admit, Liu Xi is definitely a major concern for our Lord, and if we want peace of mind, we must eliminate her sooner rather than later. If we do nothing and allow her to stabilize the Northern Border and train a large cavalry, she could sweep across Dongqing!”
Zhu Qing Ning was stunned. The moment she heard Liu Xi’s name, memories of that glorious Spring Flower Festival sprang to mind, where a boy in simple clothes and wooden sandals hid among the lush blossoms, looking carefree and languid—today, that vibrant scene remained as fresh as ever.
Nie Xun, unaware of Zhu Qing Ning’s thoughts, sighed, “To plot against Liu Xi is not something I desire. However, her position is too precarious; even if our Lord doesn’t provoke her, she won’t spare our Lord. Though she’s a woman, her ambitions are not just limited to a region or a state. If she wishes to expand her influence, she’ll inevitably collide with our Lord; it’s only a matter of time.”
Jiang Pengji had already taken control of the entire Northern Border, plus the two prefectures and a county within Dongqing. Her territory was comparable to that of a nation.
Meanwhile, Lord Huang Song only controlled Haozhou, making him no match for Jiang Pengji in any regard.
Thus, Nie Xun had to strategize for Huang Song, attempting to narrow their disparity as much as possible.
A glimmer of calculation flashed in his eyes.
Nie Xun advised Huang Song with intentions to annex Chenzhou and seize half of Cangzhou, leaving the other half to Jiang Pengji.
If he could stabilize those two prefectures along with half of Cangzhou, Huang Song wouldn’t be without the means to contest Liu Xi.
But—
Nie Xun looked down at his wife, who was gradually regaining her breath, and a gentle smile broke through.
Though he did not acknowledge Meng Zhan’s debt of life, what Meng Zhan owed him, he would reclaim come what may.
Why not use all of Cangzhou as compensation?
Nie Xun picked up Zhu Qing Ning in a horizontal embrace, carrying her back to their quarters, as thunder roared outside, and lightning flashed in the sky.
While Nie Xun cherished the sweet bliss of his wife, his sibling Meng Heng was far less fortunate.
Dressed in a gray scholar’s robe, Meng Heng bore scars of whip lacerations on his cuffs and back, blood seeping from his torn flesh. The rain poured down incessantly, washing his blood onto the ground. Despite his grievous condition, he still attempted to crawl towards Meng Zhan, who stood in the corridor.
“Father, I beg you not to make one wrong move after another!”
Meng Zhan held a long whip, its length adorned with barbs sprouting blood droplets.
This whip was meant for chastising the wayward descendants of the Meng Clan; according to family rules, only those who committed major infractions were subjected to its sting.
“Get lost! When have I ever had a disloyal and disrespectful son like you?”
Meng Zhan responded coldly, years had passed, and he appeared increasingly decrepit, cold light flickering in his eyes.
Meng Heng knelt in the downpour, his jade crown lost somewhere, his wet hair clinging to his face and back.
“Even if your younger brother Lang’er has died, the Meng Clan is not for you to inherit—I’m not dead yet!”
Meng Zhan was furious; Meng Heng had spent years studying abroad, constantly defying him. From that battle at the Huang River to the subsequent cooperation with the Northern Border, this son truly took after Gu Zhen in being an annoyance! Seeing him always filled Meng Zhan with a choking disgust.
Meng Heng’s lips were split open, icy rainwater soaking the wound and causing him to shiver in pain, yet he stubbornly declared, “Our ancestor Meng Jing slaughtered how many Qiang shaman tribesmen. As a descendant of Meng Jing, how can you betray your forebears by aiding outsiders? Now that Liu Xi has broken the Northern Border, she’s soon to turn around and reckon with this matter—Father, please relent, do not let the people of Cangzhou suffer alongside this!”
Because of Meng Zhan’s antics, the common folk of Cangzhou had not enjoyed a good life for nearly a decade.
However, as a favored son of the Meng Clan, Meng Heng was powerless to save them.
If Meng Zhan persisted foolishly in pitting all of Cangzhou’s strength against Liu Xi and Huang Song, it would only be the common folk who would bear the brunt of suffering.
Hearing Meng Heng’s words, Meng Zhan was both furious and amused, swinging the long whip and landing a blow straight across Meng Heng’s face.
As the whip cut through the air, a ghastly scar appeared on Meng Heng’s face, with blood flowing down and hitting half of it.
“Someone—drag this unfilial son away and have him kneel properly in the ancestral hall to reflect!”
If not for the elders of the clan advising restraint, Meng Zhan would have truly wanted to strike Meng Heng down.
Seething with pent-up rage, Meng Zhan smashed everything in his study.
The flickering candlelight cast shadows on his face, and a cruel smile crept at the corners of his mouth, resembling a ferocious ghost.
“Liu Xi—Liu Zhi!”
This father-daughter duo had tormented him relentlessly; he could not swallow this anger!
After being whipped by his father, drenched in the torrential rain, and kneeling in the ancestral hall all night in his wet clothes, even a body of iron would struggle to bear it. Unsurprisingly, Meng Heng developed a high fever that night, burning up terribly, his consciousness wavering on the brink of life and death.
Three days later, he finally awakened slowly.
Opening his eyes, he noticed something obscuring his left eye, a thick layer pressing uncomfortably against it.
“Young Master? Young Master is awake!”
Meng Heng’s wife, having stayed vigil for three days and nights, almost wept tears of joy upon seeing him awake.
“I—” Meng Heng’s throat was parched. After managing to say a word, he felt as though tiny knives were slicing his throat, “Water—”
His wife brought him water and helped him swallow it down.
“How’s my eye?” Meng Heng weakly raised his hand, touching the left side of his face only to feel the thick white cloth.
“No worries on your eye; this time, luckily, it’s just the eyelid that was injured. The doctor said if the blade had been deeper, your eyeball would’ve been ruined.” Meng Heng’s wife sighed, briskly cleaning up the dishes as Meng Heng sat dumbfounded, his right eye devoid of focus.
After a while, his wife brought him a bowl of thin porridge.
Meng Heng’s gaze fell upon her wrist, and he noticed the golden bracelet had vanished.
“Where’s your bracelet?”
Seeing him so attentive after his serious illness, all her rage diffused.
“Pawned it.”
“Pawned it?”
“If I didn’t pawn it, where would the silver come from to buy you medicine and hire a doctor?” His wife sighed, feeding him porridge, adding, “Ever since you disfigured your face and nearly lost your sight, no one from the Meng Clan has come to visit. They just tossed you back home to fend for yourself.”
Meng Heng’s hands trembled as tears filled his right eye, glistening.
After a while, he said, “You’ve suffered alongside me.”
His wife replied, “We are one family, what’s there to say about two families—eat up—just don’t plead with your father anymore.”
Meng Heng lowered his head, drinking the thin porridge, his gaze drifting to his wife’s slightly protruding belly.
Speaking of which, she was already five months pregnant; the child within needed nourishment, yet he felt useless, allowing them to suffer.
Taking a deep breath, his wife suppressed the impulse to cry.
She lowered her head, and above, Meng Heng’s voice rang out, calm as water.
“Zhao Di—how much silver do we have left at home?”
His wife hesitated, muttering, “Only thirty taels left.”
“Thirty taels?” Meng Heng repeated, “That should just barely suffice—”
“What do you plan to do?”
Meng Heng declared, “I will take you away—he might not recognize me as his son, but I cannot neglect my responsibility to you and our child.”
