Chapter 62: I have seen that in just a few days, Mu Jingheng will soon...

In just a few days, Mu Jingheng rode his horse at full speed to the northern border. Since the border generals were captured and the camp was occupied, they had to set up camp in a dark place a few kilometers away.

The moonlight is like a hook, and frost forms on the tiles.

Prince Mu Jingheng of the Northern Territory stood before the moonlight, his hands behind his back, a secret letter pressed against his fingertips, the ink still fresh:

Princess Hua Nishang of the Southern Territory and Princess Song Youning of the Ganguo Kingdom had a secret meeting in a restaurant and talked for a long time.

His eyes were cold and there was a hint of suspicion between his brows.

The situation of the Three Kingdoms is as delicate as a thread, and now the princesses of two kingdoms are secretly colluding and meeting...

Beijing and Dagan are about to set off, and it is unknown what the two are plotting.

If the Northern Border were to confront the Dagan battlefield in this war, and if the Southern Border were to suddenly send out troops...it would be hard to say who would be the winner.

Mu Jingheng was shocked and walked quickly to the desk. He was planning to draft a secret letter to send to the northern border, asking the Khan of the northern border to increase the number of soldiers and horses to ensure that nothing could go wrong.

"Report!"

Suddenly, a eunuch came hurriedly outside the door and reported:

"Your Highness, the Crown Princess Song Youning of the Gan Kingdom... has come alone to request an audience and is now outside the tent."

Mu Jingheng paused with his fingertips holding the wolf-hair brush, his brows furrowed.

How could Song Youning be so bold as to come to his camp alone? Did she really think that he, the Northern Territory, couldn't do anything to her?

The servant in a long robe stood in the tent in a daze, at a dilemma. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at the prince, who had always been brave and decisive, and now he was in trouble.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince?"

Mu Jingheng straightened up, placed his pen on the inkstone, and turned around to sit at the desk. "Let her in."

He gazed outside the tent with a chilling look in his eyes: "I want to see what this princess has to say."

After a while

The curtain of the military tent opened slightly, and a slender figure walked over on the moon.

Song Youning was not wearing palace clothes tonight. She only wore a black long skirt, covered with a scarlet cloud-patterned gauze cape. Her black hair was loosely tied up, with only a white magnolia in her hairpin. She was so plain that she did not look like a crown prince, but rather like a girl from a noble family visiting an old friend at night.

She slowly entered the account and raised her eyebrows at Mu Jingheng who was sitting at the desk.

She broke into the enemy general's tent at night, but there was no sign of nervousness or fear on her pretty face.

But when she looked up, Mu Jingheng's heart suddenly tightened.

Those eyes were cunning and smart, but too quiet and deep, like a cold pool in an ancient well, reflecting no emotion at all.

"I hope Your Highness will forgive me for disturbing you so late at night."

Her voice was as clear as a jade chime as she stood at the table. "Youning came here to discuss a business deal with the Northern Territory."

"Business?"

Mu Jingheng raised his eyebrows. He didn't know what this Princess Gan was up to.

According to his spies, this guy is a man who plays with people. Why would he do business with him?

but.

He looked up at the person in front of him. How could he be such a simple person if he could trap a veteran from the northern border?

"You go down."

Mu Jingheng dismissed his attendants and waited until no one was around before he slowly spoke: "Isn't the 'business' that Her Royal Highness and the Princess of the Southern Territory secretly planning enough? They're actually doing business with our Northern Territory?"

Song Youning smiled sweetly, and a ray of moonlight shone on half of her beautiful face, which was both beautiful and dangerous.

She walked leisurely to Mu Jingheng's desk, her eyes passing over the secret letter that hadn't been sent yet, and the corners of her lips curled up slightly: "So His Royal Highness the Crown Prince already knows."

Her tone was as relaxed as if she was telling a funny story. "That would be even better. It would save Youning from having to waste time explaining."

Mu Jingheng's eyes suddenly turned cold, and he stared at the person in front of him with a vicious look: "Do you know that just based on this secret report, I suspect that you two are colluding to cause chaos and sending troops south?"

Song Youning pulled out the hastily written secret letter that was pressed under the inkstone and played with it in his hand.

"Your Highness won't!"

Song Youning suddenly looked up, met his gaze, and didn't shy away: "Because Your Highness knows better than anyone: right now, no one in the Three Kingdoms can afford to start a war."

The two men stared at each other, neither willing to give in.

Even though Song Youning was in a lower position, Mu Jingheng could feel the raging fire of war in her clear eyes, which was even more intense than his own.

It was as if he had planned it all out and was not afraid of anything.

Suddenly, she took a step forward and tapped the map on the table, her slender fingertips landing on the cedar forest that stretched across the border between the northern and southern borders.

"This forest has been guarded by the Northern Territory for seven years, and has also been left barren for seven years. The Northern Territory is bitterly cold, food and fodder are scarce, and military pay is tight year after year. Why not sell it to me?"

Mu Jingheng remained silent, with darkness surging in his eyes.

He had followed his father Khan since he was a child, meeting and knowing people, but he had never seen such an unpredictable woman.

As the crown prince of a country, he even went so far as to provoke a war among the three kingdoms just to gain a piece of land?

Could it be that he really was overthinking it?

Is this person just an uneducated and pleasure-seeking person?

"Youning came here today with a simple question for Your Highness: Can I trade General Borte for this barren forest? I promise to give 30% of the profits earned here to the Northern Territory... Is Your Highness willing to hand over the cedar forest to me for management?"

Mu Jingheng looked at the woman in front of him who suddenly became soft, his eyes suddenly began to avoid and his voice became softer.

"What... do you want it for?"

"Mining? Logging?"

Mu Jingheng said coldly: "Or..."

His eyes turned sinister, staring intently at Song Youning in front of him: "Training?"

Song Youning suddenly chuckled: "Don't be nervous, Your Highness."

"Your Highness, have you forgotten that I am a woman, and when a woman is in power, the first thing she must learn is how to spend money."

She took out a silk scroll from her sleeve and gently pushed it in front of him.

"Cedar wood is strong and beautifully grained, making it suitable for carving. If it could be made into musical instruments or wooden objects and sold to the nobles of the Three Kingdoms, the profit could be ten times that of jade. However, all I seek is to amass my personal fortune..."

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also knows..."

Song Youning lowered her eyes, the corners of her eyes faintly tinged with red, and she looked particularly pitiful under the light beside her: "Although I am the princess, in fact, none of the loyal ministers in the court recognize my identity..."

"I originally thought that I would be crowned the Crown Princess and would soon be able to help my father manage the affairs of the court, but I still haven't even held a single official position..."

She stared at him, her eyes flickering. "I'm just having a hard time making ends meet, so I want to make some money from the cedar forest. Although this cedar forest is precious and loved by the dignitaries of the Three Kingdoms, the wood in this forest is extremely special..."

"Although the Northern Territory has powerful soldiers and horses, it cannot match the exquisite craftsmanship of our country. Your Highness's phoenix-chariot and golden sword tread on the snow without leaving any trace. How could you care about my humble livelihood?"

"The balance among the three kingdoms cannot be broken, but the financial resources of the three kingdoms can be changed. I guarantee that for the North, this deal will only bring profits and no losses!"

Mu Jingheng opened the silk book and his pupils shrank slightly.

Among them were detailed drawings of cedar wood products, trade route plans for the Three Kingdoms, and even dividend accounts... every detail was astonishingly meticulous.

What shocked him even more was that she actually allocated 30% of the final profit directly to the North, with conditions so generous that they were almost a gesture of goodwill.

"Why are you looking for me?"

Mu Jingheng closed the booklet, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's. "You are secretly working with the Southern Territory to send troops to my Northern Territory. Why should I trust you?"

Her voice suddenly softened, like a feather brushing against the tip of my heart:

"What you seek is more than just this money. It's an opportunity to expand your power without resorting to war. The alliance between me and the Southern Territory is only a verbal one, as fragile as thin ice. Rather than a chaotic war between the three kingdoms, which would only increase the uncertainty, why don't you and I join forces and divide the Southern Territory first?"

"Then, we'll clear out those two-faced people, and you and I can have a fair fight. Wouldn't that be wonderful? It's better than you and I fighting each other, while the cunning fisherman reaps the benefits!

The candlelight in the hall crackled.

Mu Jingheng stared at her for a long time, then suddenly laughed: "Song Youning, you are truly the craziest gambler in the world."

He admitted that he was very moved by these words!

When Song Youning saw his frown melt away like ice, he knew that this matter was a done deal.

"I dare not."

She nodded slightly, but there was no fear in her eyes.

Her eyes met those inquiring eyes, "But compared to gambling, I believe in mutual benefit..."

Mu Jingheng suddenly stood up and walked to the window. The moonlight cast a silvery hue on his body.

"I can give you the cedar forest."

He said in a deep voice, "But there is one condition!"

Song Youning looked up.

"I want you to stay in the North and supervise the construction of this business."

He turned around, his gaze as cold as iron, "If I discover any unusual movement from you... even if you are the princess of Gan Country, you will never set foot outside the northern border."

She was silent for a moment, then smiled:

"nature......"

The palace door opened and closed, and the inky figure quietly blended into the night.

The dark figure paused, the corner of his mouth curled up cunningly: "Of course I have to stay here to supervise, otherwise how can I make this Three Kingdoms business a success?"

Mu Jingheng stood alone in front of the window, stroking the silk scroll with his fingertips for a long time without moving.

"Song Youning..." he whispered to himself.

"I hope you won't let me down..."

A cold wind suddenly blew outside the window, blowing through the cedar forest with a sound like waves.

It was as if a new storm was approaching silently.

The lights were bright in the Dagan tent.

Chuntao took the shawl from Song Youning and put it aside.

"Your Highness, you are finally back! I was so worried about you. If the Queen knew..."

"You broke into the Northern Territory Crown Prince's camp at night. I...I, your servant, will never escape punishment unless I die!"

Song Youning lay on the bed with his arms and legs spread out, feeling the warmth in the tent.

After feeling comfortable for a while, Chuntao started chattering.

She turned over, supported herself on her hands, and looked at Chuntao, who was trying to commit suicide under the collapse. She shook her head and said with regret, "If I had told you, how could I have gotten out?"

“Alright, alright!”

She suddenly got up from the bed, helped Chuntao up from her kneeling position, and warned her, "This matter is between you and me, and between heaven and earth. Don't let anyone else know!"

"Especially Father, Mother, and Li Funing, do you understand?"

“This…this!”

Chuntao stood up from the ground, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Song Youning looked at Chuntao, who was avoiding him, and asked inexplicably: "What's wrong with you? Are you scared silly?"

"Not only do I know..." a familiar voice came from outside the tent.

"I saw it with my own eyes!"