reputation

In the spring days of Weizhou, the wind was still filled with the lingering smell of gunpowder. On the city wall, a black Pearl Flag and several Beishuo Canglang Flags were planted side by side, fluttering in the wind.

This was the scene that Ning Lingyi and his entourage saw when they rushed into the Weizhou city gate.

Behind her were not only Nong Zishi, Su Qingfan and other confidants, but also Xue Cheng. Xue Cheng brought nearly 10,000 soldiers with him, showing his sincerity and intending to provide assistance.

As we traveled along, we saw that the people of Weizhou had pale faces and frightened eyes. The streets had returned to order, but the patrolling Beishuo cavalry reminded people that this newly liberated city was still under the sword.

As soon as they settled down, Ning Lingyi took Nong Zishi, Xue Cheng and others and went straight to the former Weizhou Governor's Mansion, which was now Tuoba Hong's headquarters.

Outside the mansion, there were many soldiers standing guard, all of them were the elite soldiers of Beishuo. After the announcement, the group was led into the main hall.

The atmosphere in the hall was solemn. Tuoba Hong sat high in the main seat, his face calm and expressionless.

On both sides of the lower room, the civil and military officials of Beishuo sat separately, all of them arrogant.

Ning Lingyi walked calmly and just stepped into the hall.

“Snap!”

A cup fell in front of her feet, and the milky white wine mixed with porcelain fragments splashed everywhere, staining the hem of her skirt, as if her face was being stepped on.

A Beishuo general suddenly stood up, pointed at Ning Lingyi and shouted, "Princess Mingzhu! What do you mean by this?"

"Xue Cheng is a rebel general from the Southern Dynasty. How dare you bring him into Weizhou? And with his troops! Are you planning to take advantage of our army, exhausted from the bloody battle, to take advantage of us?"

As soon as this rebuke was uttered, all the Beishuo people looked unhappy, and their hands unconsciously pressed on the hilts of their swords. If anything went wrong, they would immediately use swords and axes.

Xue Cheng's face darkened, and he subconsciously took a half step sideways to protect Ning Lingyi in front of him.

At a time of tension.

Tuoba Hong's deep voice rang out: "□□, don't be rude."

The general named □□ snorted in frustration and sat back down in his original seat, but his gaze on Ning Lingyi and the others was still fierce, and the atmosphere did not relax at all.

There was no fear on Ning Lingyi's face, and she didn't even frown.

She lowered her head slightly, her eyes calmly sweeping over the stains on her skirt, then she raised her foot and stepped steadily on the sharp porcelain pieces, making a slight creaking sound, and walked towards the hall step by step.

She walked to a place not far from Tuoba Hong's desk and stood still, looking around at the Beishuo rulers and ministers. A calm smile appeared on the corners of her lips, as if the conflict just now had never happened.

"Congratulations, Khan, and congratulations to all the generals," she said in a clear voice, breaking the deadlock. "Weizhou has been recovered, and the Western Qiang have been defeated. This is an unprecedented victory! I have come here today to report this good news to the Khan and celebrate with you all."

When everyone in the hall heard this, their expressions varied, a mixture of confusion and vigilance.

They naturally knew that Ning Lingyi's purpose in coming was not just to congratulate them. Weizhou had been taken, and Beishu had all the advantages. They had already regarded Weizhou as something in their pocket, waiting to be digested slowly.

But Ning Lingyi suddenly appeared with Xue Cheng's troops at this moment. Her identity as a princess of the Southern Dynasty and the reputation she had just accumulated from rescuing Youzhou undoubtedly became a huge variable. If she really wanted to rely on her identity and this small number of troops to fight for Weizhou, a fight between the two sides would be inevitable. This was a situation they did not want to see but had to guard against.

Tuoba Hong looked at her with deep eyes: "Oh? I wonder what good news it is?"

Ning Lingyi continued to smile and clapped her hands lightly.

Su Qingfan, who was waiting outside the hall, heard the sound and immediately ordered his men to carry in more than dozens of heavy boxes. The box lids were opened, and inside were white silver ingots that were dazzling to the eyes.

"Weizhou has just been settled, and there is a lot of work to be done. However, the Khan and the generals have worked hard and made great contributions, so how can they not be rewarded?" Ning Lingyi said.

"I have specially prepared three million taels of silver to present to the Khan as a token of gratitude and reward for the army!"

Three million taels!

Even if Beishuo's soldiers were allowed to plunder, they might not be able to collect such a huge amount of cash in one go!

Without waiting for them to come back to their senses, Ning Lingyi signaled his followers to deliver the gift lists that had been prepared in advance to the Beishuo generals.

The generals took it subconsciously and opened it. They saw that it clearly stated that the gift ranged from 5,000 to 100,000 taels of silver, which was quite a lot depending on the rank of the official!

The tense atmosphere just now was instantly diluted by the real money. Many generals looked at the numbers on the gift list, and then looked at Ning Lingyi with less hostility. This man is the God of Wealth.

Nong Zishi stepped forward at the right moment, bowed to Tuoba Hong and the others, and said in a loud voice: "Khan, generals, the Southern Dynasty and Beishuo have long had an alliance and are even closer relatives. Her Royal Highness Princess Mingzhu is the Khan's fiancée. Now, Her Royal Highness has sorted out these captured items and, as the future Beishuo Consort, presents them to the Khan and all the warriors. This is not only a reward for your heroic deeds, but also a token of your future mistress's care, hoping that the two countries will forever forge a close relationship and jointly resist foreign aggression!"

These words sound very reasonable. If you accept such a generous gift and then turn against him, it would be unjustifiable both morally and logically.

The people of Beishuo were not ungrateful. The atmosphere in the hall relaxed further, and some people began to talk in low voices with smiles on their faces.

But Tuoba Hong remained silent, and was not at all shaken by the silver in front of him or Nong Zishi's words.

What he wanted was not just gold and silver, but Heshuo. Ning Lingyi's actions seemed generous, but in fact she was buying his way with money, trying to keep him stable and fight for this land for herself. How could he give in so easily?

Ning Lingyi met his gaze and understood.

She walked slowly forward, around the table, and came to Tuoba Hong.

A waiter tactfully brought a freshly poured glass of wine. Ning Lingyi took the silver cup and, with her slender fingers like jade, personally presented the wine cup to Tuoba Hong.

She leaned very close, and the light, refreshing scent of her body brushed against Tuoba Hong's nose. Her voice was low and soft: "Khan, you know, in our Southern Dynasty, when a woman gets married, her family will always prepare a generous dowry to show their respect. The woman's future status in her husband's family is also related to the size of the dowry."

Tuoba Hong's eyes moved slightly, and he looked at her face so close to him without saying a word.

Ning Lingyi continued to whisper, her voice soft and gentle, "I am a princess of the Southern Dynasty. If I marry into the Northern Shuo, this land of Heshuo will be my dowry. With this as a betrothal gift, I will marry you. Is that okay?"

She tilted her head slightly, gazing at him with eyes full of affection. "This way, Heshuo will still be governed by me in name only, and the Khan will avoid resistance and loss. When I marry into Beishuo, Heshuo and Beishuo will become one, inseparable. Isn't that the best of both worlds? For me, I'll have a lifelong support, and for you, your ambitions will be strengthened."

Tuoba Hong's expression remained impassive. He stared into Ning Lingyi's seemingly tender eyes and suddenly sneered, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "Dowry? Such a generous gift! But I wonder when the princess plans to marry me? Are you going to wait until you're fully grown?"

Ning Lingyi bowed her head again and said, "Of course, it will be when the entire Heshuo region is recovered and the overall situation is settled. At that time, I will wear a phoenix crown and a red robe, and marry in a grand ceremony, allowing everyone in the world to witness the Khan's bravery."

She paused, a hint of just the right amount of pleading flashing in her eyes, and her voice softened. "Khan, I'm in a difficult situation now. The Southern Emperor sees me as a thorn in his side and wants to get rid of me as soon as possible. Even if I'm lucky enough to get Heshuo, without a strong supporter, it will ultimately be a castle in the air, and my future will be uncertain. Only the Khan can protect me, right?"

These words were half a promise and half a plea.

Tuoba Hong stared into her eyes, trying to find any trace of calculation in them.

What he saw was honesty, helplessness, and even a hint of dependence. Could it be that she really had feelings for him? Tuoba Hong felt a little strange.

No, she must be harboring ambitions at this moment.

He felt extremely complicated. He was annoyed by her calculations, but also marveled at her courage. There was also an indescribable throbbing in his heart - this woman always surprised him.

Although the Wei territory was recovered, his cavalry also suffered losses. Even if the hall was now full of his Beishuo soldiers, it was expected that the hall was already full of her people. If she was captured now, she would definitely not fear death and would capture all of them in one fell swoop.

If I don't agree to her, both of us will suffer. If I agree to her, she will take advantage of me.

These three million taels of silver could feed his soldiers and generals, but how could they satisfy his ambition? He was truly unwilling to give up.

After a long silence and repeated deliberation, under the gaze of everyone in the room, Tuoba Hong finally reached out and took the glass of wine from Ning Lingyi's hand.

His fingertips inevitably touched her hand, which was slightly cool and soft.

He raised his glass, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in the glass.

The wine was spicy and rolled down my throat.

The tense atmosphere in the hall finally dissipated completely. Upon seeing this, the generals of Beishuo raised their glasses to congratulate, and some of them called Ning Lingyi the Grand Concubine.

The tense string in Ning Lingyi's heart relaxed slightly, and the smile on her face became more charming. She stood beside Tuoba Hong, as if she was the hostess here.

The agreement between them was reached over this glass of wine.

Ning Lingyi's people began to take over Weizhou's civil defense affairs step by step with full legitimacy.

Late one night, when Ning Lingyi was handling government affairs, she vaguely remembered hearing rumors that insulted her, saying that she used her beauty to serve the thief, that she was plotting to seize the city and commit treason, and that she was cunning and treacherous.

Ning Lingyi wrote the word "reputation" on the paper.

He pondered for a few more breaths, crossed out the two words, and continued to work at his desk.

The lights in the night flickered on and off, but Weizhou was finally defended.

*

The news spread back to the capital of the Southern Dynasty as if it had wings.

Inside the Purple Palace, Emperor Guangqi Ning Yanli looked at the secret report and trembled with anger.

"Shameless! Bitch! Traitor!" His face twisted. "You're using our Southern Dynasty's territory as a dowry for the barbarians. Ning Lingyi, you're unworthy of being a descendant of the Ning family! You're the greatest traitor our dynasty has ever seen!"

At the court meeting the next day, Emperor Guangqi was heartbroken and enumerated Ning Lingyi's "crimes" in front of all the civil and military officials. He finally issued an edict to inform the world that Ning Lingyi "took the land of the Southern Dynasty to please the alien race, recognized the enemy as his father, lost power and humiliated the country, and his crimes were unforgivable"!

At the same time, he ordered tens of thousands of elite troops on standby in the capital to set out immediately and head north to Heshuo in the name of "helping Beishuo to pacify the Qiang and declare the alliance."

As soon as these words were spoken, silence fell in the court.

After a moment, the Minister of Revenue stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, calm down! The treasury is empty, and the cost of food and supplies is enormous. The Ministry of Revenue simply cannot afford to support this large-scale military expedition and its subsequent needs!"

Emperor Guangqi's gaze was like a knife, sweeping across the entire court. He sternly demanded, "Are we just going to watch that bitch hand over Heshuo to the barbarians and let me open the north gate?"

At this time, the Minister of Revenue bowed and said, "Your Majesty, although national finances are difficult, this matter concerns the national system and must not be compromised. I boldly suggest that we temporarily request support from the Imperial Treasury to alleviate the immediate crisis. We can return the funds when the national treasury is more abundant in the future."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers in the court agreed.

Emperor Guangqi was secretly resentful. The tax revenue raised in one year was only a few million taels, which was allocated to the soldiers who were suppressing the rebellion of domestic rebels. The Ministry of Revenue had no money to spend every year, and now it was setting its sights on the inner treasury!

He didn't know that they had embezzled four or five cents out of ten cents of the tax silver!

The emperor's treasury is the accumulation of successive generations and the income from the imperial farm's mineral resources. If they dare to force him to bleed today, they will target the treasury again if something happens tomorrow.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Guangqi was silent for a long time.

The hall was completely silent, and all the ministers held their breath.

The relationship between the emperor and his subjects was like this. He finally understood the pain the retired emperor had gone through. But the situation was urgent. If he did not send troops, Heshuo would fall into the hands of Beishuo forever, and Ning Lingyi's power would become even more difficult to contain.

Finally, he took a deep breath and made up his mind. His voice was heavy and resolute: "Approved. Two million taels of silver will be allocated from the inner treasury as military funds. The army will march north immediately!"

When this decree was issued, the whole country was shocked and the whole country was in an uproar.

Everyone knew that the offer of aid was fake. The real purpose was that the emperor would use the treasury to send troops to intervene in the situation in Heshuo and prevent Ning Lingyi from further colluding with Beishuo.

The sky in Heshuo had just cleared up briefly, but was covered by thicker dark clouds again.