Chapter 1312 – Defeating Huang Song, Unifying Dongqing (54)
“Isn’t it odd? When will Lord Lan Ting be back?”
Ge Lin felt uneasy all over; he didn’t like being here, as if countless eyes were staring at him.
Wei Ci said, “Our Lord is out hunting; by my reckoning, he should be back soon. If you’re anxious, I can ask him for you.”
Han Yu was still busy, while Xie Ze and Nong Qin were practicing the troops, and Yang Si’s whereabouts were unknown.
As Wei Ci was about to send someone to relay the message, Ge Chun suddenly jolted, his eyes filled with trepidation as he stared fixedly at the entrance of the military tent.
Before he could grasp what was happening, he heard familiar footsteps approaching, accompanied by a lively energy that was invigorating.
“Zixiao, I heard there’s a visiting delegation?”
Before he saw anyone, he heard their voice—Ge Chun felt like a beast confronted with a formidable foe, cold sweat trickling down his spine.
“Greetings, my Lord.”
Wei Ci stood to welcome him with a bow, while Ge Chun also bowed, saying, “Greetings, Lord Lan Ting.”
Jiang Pengji knew immediately who it was; after all, the mental state of someone with a split personality was far too conspicuous for her to ignore.
“And who is this?”
Wei Ci took the initiative to make introductions, and Jiang Pengji then took her place at the top, casually asking Ge Chun, “What did An Huan send you for?”
Ge Chun froze in place; as a scion of a military family, he despised small talk.
This was something better suited for a professional.
Jiang Pengji could clearly “see” that Hua Yuan’s mental state had become lively again, with several personalities pressing against each other, again at risk of splitting.
After a while, Jiang Pengji realized that Hua Yuan’s personality had shifted.
His gaze was no longer as serious and authoritative as before, but instead had an air of flippancy, his posture also slouched compared to earlier.
He bowed to Jiang Pengji, delivering a long, formal spiel.
Jiang Pengji’s eyes lit up slightly.
This persona of Hua Yuan, the split personality snake, was rather amusing, seamlessly switching personalities!
And this current persona was the culprit behind Yuan Xin’s crying troubles—
Hua Yuan’s elder brother!
Ge Chun finally managed to push Hua Yuan’s second personality back out.
“No beating around the bush, what does An Huan want? Just say it directly.” Jiang Pengji listened for a while, bored, she waved her hand, staring at Hua Yuan, bluntly stating, “I’ve heard about your heroic deeds in Chenzhou. An Huan got a fortune without breaking a sweat; you can’t be still poor, can you?”
Hua Yuan wasn’t embarrassed at all, responding earnestly, “Lord Lan Ting, you misunderstand.”
Jiang Pengji asked, “What did I say that’s incorrect?”
Hua Yuan replied, “If it weren’t for a certain someone taking away Chenzhou’s million rations, how could Lord Lan Ting easily acquire them?”
“Ah, so An Huan thinks this deal was a loss and wants me to pay a little ‘maintenance fee’?” Jiang Pengji teased, “Mr. Hua Yuan traveled a long way just to indirectly assist me. If we’re counting favors, that’s definitely a gift. What does An Huan want, I wonder?”
Jiang Pengji was straightforward; she didn’t have the patience for lengthy rounds of conversation when simple words would suffice.
An Huan sending Hua Yuan wasn’t for casual chit-chat; there must be a purpose behind it.
If it were anyone else being questioned so bluntly by Jiang Pengji, their cheeks would already be steaming, ashamed to hide their faces.
But this wasn’t shyness; it was sheer awkwardness.
Yet Hua Yuan, this personality, was shameless enough to take pride in it; Jiang Pengji’s veiled jabs completely went over his head.
“Lord Lan Ting truly is as others say—refreshingly blunt.” Hua Yuan said, “My Lord and Lord Lan Ting have been old friends. My Lord has returned to his homeland for many years now but still remembers the assistance and life-saving grace from back in the day. Such favors cannot be repaid by mere matters in Chenzhou!”
Jiang Pengji listened silently.
When these scholars spoke, it sounded like a pig wearing a bra—such convoluted dialogues! If one didn’t know better, they’d think An Huan had a great bond with her. An Huan reminiscing about her life-saving grace? Nonsense! She’d rather believe Zixiao would offer to share a bed tonight than that!
Hua Yuan did have a knack for courting friendships, but unfortunately for him, Jiang Pengji wasn’t buying it.
She smiled, “So, you’re saying I’m getting help for free? No payback needed?”
Hua Yuan thought to himself, this Lord Lan Ting truly wasn’t an ordinary individual; her directness was trickier than most.
“Assisting an ally is a given, especially since Lord Lan Ting saved my Lord’s life.”
Jiang Pengji had somewhat unearthed Hua Yuan’s intentions; undoubtedly, it was about forging alliances and mutual support.
If it were truly uncalled for, why would Hua Yuan come all the way? Did he really think An Huan’s territory was so close to hers?
Going to such lengths, if they couldn’t even cover the travel expenses, what kind of fool would undertake such a venture?
Clearly, An Huan wasn’t some fool, and neither was Hua Yuan.
Jiang Pengji gave him a stepping stone, and Hua Yuan took the opportunity to reveal his genuine purpose.
Just as she had suspected, it was about forging alliances and mutual aid.
Jiang Pengji mocked, “An Huan really isn’t afraid, is he?”
Hua Yuan looked puzzled, “What do you mean by that, Lord Lan Ting?”
Jiang Pengji replied, “I’ve allied with Xin Zhao, I’ve allied with Bo Gao, and I’ve even allied with Zheng Ze; is it that you wish to ally with me too?”
Hua Yuan’s smile stiffened slightly.
Xin Zhao was Xu Pei, Jiang Pengji’s former ally, whom she had defeated and led to his self-immolation in Shanweng City.
Bo Gao was Huang Song, another former ally of Jiang Pengji, currently embroiled in conflict, likely not lasting through the winter.
Zheng Ze was Yang Tao, Jiang Pengji’s current ally; they hadn’t fallen to conflict yet, but once Huang Song knelt, she’d certainly aim to take the territory of Zhangzhou that Yang Tao controlled, and the countdown to conflict wouldn’t be far off. Now An Huan wanted to ally with her? Was he reserving a ticket for another looming showdown?
As a person with multiple split personalities, for the first time, Hua Yuan felt normal; Jiang Pengji seemed more like the eccentric one.
Feigning ignorance of Jiang Pengji’s hints, Hua Yuan laughed, “Those allied with Lord Lan Ting are undoubtedly remarkable figures. If my Lord has that kind of honor, it would be sought after! If the two families were to ally and mutually support each other, should my Lord drive out the South Barbarians one day, and Lord Lan Ting dwell in Dongqing while my Lord resides in Nan Sheng, the two nations would forever remain allied, sharing joint destinies, a legacy for the ages—”
Tsk, tsk—
This calculation was quite clever; An Huan was very confident in himself, thinking himself the ruler of Nan Sheng?
Sorry, that whole territory belongs to her, including Nan Sheng.
Jiang Pengji’s mind turned, while she responded to Hua Yuan, showing him the hope of alliance but without a concrete answer.
After all, this matter still needed discussions with her little royal entourage.
An Huan suddenly proposing an alliance made her feel that the power dynamics in Nan Sheng were about to change drastically.
If there were indeed significant changes in Nan Sheng, then it would be a golden opportunity for her!
The mantis stalks the cicada unaware of the oriole behind; she was merely the final player with a slingshot waiting to hit the unsuspecting oriole!
However, before eyeing Nan Sheng’s lands, she must first defeat Huang Song, becoming the only warlord in Dongqing!
At the same time, Huang Song suddenly sneezed.
Cheng Jing expressed concern, “The weather has been changeable lately; our Lord should take care.”
Huang Song rubbed his nose, saying, “It’s nothing, just someone probably gossiping about me.”
