Chapter 1609 – Taking Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (Twenty-Three)
“I understand, you may go.”
Upon receiving news that Xichang Princess and the Prince were not content to return to Xichang and instead rerouted to Nan Sheng, Jiang Pengji knew their plans.
While she had a hand in guiding events, their cooperation was beyond her expectations.
“Logically, given the long-standing chaos of the Xichang conflict, shouldn’t they have suffered enough to realize what’s at stake?”
Jiang Pengji was quite perplexed by this. Who didn’t know that she was about to clash with An Huan?
In this situation, whether Jiang Pengji had the upper hand or An Huan did, they needed more troops as bargaining chips; it would be impossible for them to spare any effort to assist Xichang from afar. With their own survival at stake, how could they afford to play the Good Samaritan?
Let’s be realistic, what benefit would helping Xichang even bring?
Don’t be fooled by Xichang’s Emperor’s sexy promises of benefits—they’re just words that need delivering once he regains power. What good are verbal reassurances across mountains and rivers? The desire to fulfill those promises is as reliable as the wind. In the face of great interests, any talk of trust—especially between nations—is just nonsense. No matter how sweetly the Emperor of Xichang promises, to Jiang Pengji, a worthless promise isn’t worth a single soldier.
Wei Ci was busy grinding ink for Jiang Pengji when he observed the inkwell blooming with suitable shades. Finally, he said, “Food and lust, that’s human nature. Even sages are subject to it; how much more so the average man? There are plenty of people who would take risks for beauty; nothing surprising about that.”
“Are you saying those two from Xichang are confident in their looks, believing that they are worth tens of thousands of soldiers in the eyes of the lords?” Jiang Pengji expressed her disbelief. “Xichang is in such a weak state now, even with tens of thousands of soldiers, let alone a princess and a prince, they could easily overpower the entire royal family. Why bother with fake marriages? Do they really think they hold any value?”
Wei Ci: “…”
Though Jiang Pengji’s words were sharp, they struck at the heart of the matter.
Without armies, one’s fists are weak. Who would regard the Xichang royal family as anything significant?
It’s one thing to rely on beauty, but it depends heavily on how strong your backing is. Those two clearly overestimate their looks and worth.
Unbeknownst to them, in the eyes of the warlords amidst chaos, they are merely two objects devoid of extra value aside from their pretty faces.
Jiang Pengji was certain, “An Huan is not me! If they reroute to Nan Sheng, they will likely end up as nothing but bones.”
“If they return to Xichang, their outcome won’t be any better. It might be better to draw An Huan’s attention; at least they could enjoy a touch of luxury before their demise,” Wei Ci sighed. “Of course, everyone has their fate; I won’t waste sympathy on them.”
In her previous life, Xichang was the nation with the most warlords, suffering the heaviest losses in battle. Often, a warlord would rise to power only to be replaced months later. The royal family initially became the prime target, frequently seen as the ideal practice and reputation-boosting target for other warlords.
By incomplete statistics, from the beginning to the end of this chaotic era, there were no less than three hundred uprisings within Xichang.
The largest warlord controlled only half a state, while the smallest ruled just a village, with a few hundred followers enough to call themselves a warlord.
The Xichang royal family was repeatedly oppressed, their already limited survival space further constricted, eventually retreating to a barren mountain village, where other warlords looked down upon them and lost interest in attacking. To earn a living, the Emperor would farm while the Empress wove and sewed for a little pocket money, even the concubines sold themselves in brothels to survive. With too much free time, the Emperor even took to procreating, resulting in countless children over the years.
The more they gave birth, the poorer they became. To make matters worse, all the children were beautiful ones.
Ultimately, they ended up selling children for food.
Today, though the Xichang royal family still had some loyal old ministers aiding them, their conditions weren’t as dire, but who can say what will happen in two years?
While the children born of the Xichang royal family suffered greatly, Wei Ci felt no sympathy.
He still remembered how in his previous life, the Emperor of Xichang offered three of his eligible sons as tributes to the Emperor as male pets.
What a joke!
The Emperor’s well-being is precious, and those three beautiful boys also dared to dream?
He thought such a scene wouldn’t repeat in this life, but here the Xichang Emperor was sending his children all this way for a “marriage alliance.”
Hadn’t he checked whether he had the qualifications first?
Wei Ci had predicted the outcome for the Xichang siblings, but he didn’t expect their ending to be even more wretched.
Ultimately, they brought it upon themselves.
An Huan wasn’t Jiang Pengji; despite having lost a bit of strength due to their tumultuous years and being unable to produce heirs, all his other faculties were intact. Naturally, he had normal male needs. The beauty of the Xichang Princess truly was rare in the world. In prosperous times, she would be the object of admiration for scholars; in chaotic times, she’d become a coveted prize in the struggle for power.
Little did the Xichang Princess know; thinking that offering herself could earn an alliance for troops was purely wishful thinking. In reality, they wouldn’t have to pay even a dime to capture their bodies. The entourage from Xichang numbered merely twenty-two people, and if they encountered a larger bandit group, they wouldn’t escape, let alone face Nan Sheng’s strongest warlord, An Huan. This was something the princess learned later.
“An Duoxi, you’ve betrayed my trust!”
The next day, the emptied Princess noticed An Huan’s change in demeanor, her face turned pale.
To An Huan, this so-called Xichang Princess was nothing more than a pretty flower vase without power, influence, or backing—how could he allow her to call him by name? With a cold expression, An Huan gripped her throat, as if he would crush her under his force. After a moment, he released her, and she coughed violently, gasping for air.
“Know your place,” An Huan said indifferently. “Having faced rejection from Liu Xi, you show no signs of learning.”
The biggest mistake for the party from Xichang was their inflated sense of royal identity.
They forgot that their weight didn’t come from the term “royalty,” but from the power held by the “royalty.”
The Xichang royal family had enough issues of their own; who would stand up for a pair of children suffering thousands of miles away in Nan Sheng?
Clueless.
An Huan had no particular interest in handsome men, so he casually gifted the prince to Hua Yuan.
“Didn’t expect you to like this kind of thing.”
It’s not a big deal to enjoy beautiful men; however, An Huan had not previously noticed Hua Yuan showing any interest in men.
Hua Yuan smiled, “That person’s looks are quite good.”
Everyone chuckled ambiguously at Hua Yuan’s comment, except Lü Zheng, who nearly spat blood upon hearing the news.
What kind of guy did Hua Yuan, this charming creature, imagine “Liu Xi” to be anyway?
He was even imitating the typical “face-con” behavior of the actual character!
Jiang Pengji’s obsession with beauty was no secret; any small investigation would reveal it.
During her time at Langya, she had unraveled many outrageous incidents.
