Chapter 109

Tang Yan stepped forward, the moonlight illuminating her young yet not naive face: "Instead of letting Nanzhou take advantage of the chaos to grow stronger and threaten the southern border of Beidai, it would be better for Beidai to take the initiative to intervene and cooperate with my Shuo Dynasty."

"Cooperation?" Gui Luo seemed to chuckle lightly, his voice tinged with amusement: "You really think I'm a benevolent philanthropist? In the past, the trade was indeed useful to you, but now it's a civil war in the Shuo Dynasty, and the Northern Dynasty can't possibly benefit from it. Why should we get involved in your internal strife?"

“This is not a simple internal strife,” Tang Yan said, his tone becoming more serious. “This is about restoring order and legitimizing the former crown prince. If a new emperor is enthroned, he will surely reshape the court. Wouldn’t a stable Shuo Dynasty that maintains good relations with the Northern Dynasty be in the Northern Dynasty’s best interest?”

Her gaze sharpened as she continued, "Moreover, you don't need to do much. Just feign movement on the northern border to tie down some of the Southern Continent's forces and reduce the pressure on them to take control of Jingzhou. If necessary, allow some elite troops to pass through certain areas controlled by the Northern Dynasty and launch a surprise attack on Jingzhou's vitals. After the mission is accomplished, the new ruler is willing to form an alliance with the Northern Dynasty, open border trade, and jointly resist the Southern Continent. The Northern Dynasty will definitely profit from this deal."

Gui Luo remained silent for a moment, the air seemingly frozen. Suddenly, he moved, instantly closing in on Tang Yan, his cold iron mask almost touching her forehead, a powerful sense of oppression washing over her. Tang Yan could even feel the warmth of his breath, but instead of retreating, she looked up and stared at him.

“These empty words won’t get me to risk my life.” Gui Luo’s voice was close at hand: “I haven’t heard enough conditions to get Bei Dai involved. Besides, why should Bei Dai believe what you say? You’re neither the rebel leader nor the new emperor. Why should Bei Dai believe your promises? If the new emperor reneges on his promises after he ascends the throne, wouldn’t Bei Dai be doing all the work for Shuo Chao and offending Nan Zhou for nothing? Ayan, matters between two countries cannot be settled casually based on personal relationships.”

Tang Yan showed no fear and reasoned with him word by word: "As far as I know, the internal strife within the Northern Dynasty's royal family has only stabilized slightly in the past year. With the internal strife continuing and the country in turmoil, the Northern Dynasty's development has stagnated. Now that the three kingdoms are in opposition, the Northern Dynasty's military strength should be the weakest."

Gui Luo listened with his arms crossed as she continued, "Having just emerged from the turmoil, Bei Dai is the one that most needs to recuperate and develop its strength. Under the current circumstances, cooperating with Shuo Chao is the best choice. Otherwise, if Shuo Chao is destroyed, Nan Zhou will definitely march on Bei Dai. Even Shuo Chao cannot stop Nan Zhou's advance. How long do you think Bei Dai, which has just recovered from the storm, can hold out?"

She paused, then raised her chin: "I am confident that I can persuade the new king to give our ally, the Northern Dynasty, the treatment it deserves. Moreover, if this campaign succeeds and the new king ascends the throne, he will face the same situation as the Northern Dynasty. Both countries need peace, which is the only reason for us to become allies."

"General Guiluo, does Beidai intend to stand idly by and wait to face an even more powerful Nanzhou, or does it want to gamble now and win an ally for the next few decades?"

Gui Luo stared at her, as if weighing every word she spoke.

Finally, he slowly took a step back, and the suffocating sense of oppression lessened slightly.

“Interesting.” He said calmly, “I will pass on the message to the young lord exactly as it is. As for how the Northern Dynasty will ultimately decide… it depends on that person’s luck, and also on your own destiny.”

He suddenly changed the subject, with a hint of watching a show: "But aren't you afraid that the Northern Dynasty might suddenly turn against you and join forces with the Southern Continent to kill the Shuo Dynasty? At that time, you would be the eternal sinner of the Shuo Dynasty."

Tang Yan's heart tightened, but her face remained calm: "A sinner for all time? By the time I reach the end of time, I will have long since vanished without a trace. Why worry about such a ridiculous title? Besides, the King of Nanzhou is still alive. There is absolutely no way that Beidai can cooperate with him, is there?" Her tone was calm, but it carried an undeniable certainty.

Gui Luo gave her a deep look, but said nothing more.

She was right. As long as the King of Nanzhou lived, there was absolutely no way that Beidai would cooperate with Nanzhou. This was her mother's final consolation.

His mother was originally destined to be the Crown Princess of the Northern Dynasty, but she was framed by her own family. After escaping the Northern Dynasty palace with her younger sister, she encountered the King of the Southern Continent. The King of the Southern Continent was lustful, and in order to protect Li Jinglan, his mother was captured and taken back to the Southern Continent.

In the end, the King of Nanzhou learned that she was a princess of the Northern Dynasty. Under pressure, he bestowed upon her a title and made her a concubine of Nanzhou. If she had not been a princess, her fate would have been the same as those of ordinary women: straw mats and graves.

But no matter who she was, she eventually became nothing but bones.

Gui Luo's memories of his mother only extend to his childhood; he remembers her as very beautiful and gentle. He inherited his mother's stunning beauty, making him an androgynous boy, which became a source of ridicule in the eyes of the people of Nanzhou.

Gui Luo's first mask was made by his mother.

Carve a blue ghost on it to ward off evil spirits.

The blue demon mask is not an omen of misfortune; it is simply a mother's protection of her child.

"So what's your real name?" Tang Yan suddenly asked him. "We've known each other for so long, I should be qualified to know by now. Surely Gui Luo isn't really your name?"

The person opposite was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Who would have a name like that? It's so corny and boring."

He casually broke off a branch from a nearby tree and drew a few lines in the mud.

Tang Yan lowered his eyes, and after seeing the words on the ground, he laughed loudly: "You really are a rebel from head to toe. Not bad, this name suits you."

"I will have someone inform Juecheng. You can discuss the details with them." With that, she turned her horse around and left.

"etc."

Tang Yan turned around. The man on horseback was still holding his arms. Whether it was the moonlight or something else, Gui Luo's gaze was bright as he stared at her, as if something was flashing within it.

His mouth opened and closed, and Tang Yan listened quietly on horseback. After a long while, he finally spoke:

"What are you saying? Are you secretly cursing me?"

Gui Luo: "..."

“Huniaila, Pushipawo.” Guiluo looked at her very seriously and said, “The secret language of the Northern Kingdom.”

Tang Yan still looked down at him, and nodded after listening to him finish speaking. Then he also spoke a few words in his own language.

Gui Luo frowned: "Is this your Shuo Dynasty's secret language?"

Tang Yan grinned smugly: "No, I was just making things up."

Gui Luo: "..."

Before he could speak, Tang Yan turned his horse around, waved to him, and rode away.

After the negotiations ended, her tense nerves relaxed slightly. She took a few deep breaths of the cold air and prepared to return to the inn.

However, Tang Yan had only walked a short distance when his steps suddenly froze on the spot, as if nailed to the ground.

In the moonlight, Cheng Junshi stood under a withered tree not far away, his face as pale as paper, and his usually gentle and concerned eyes were now filled with great shock.

He had obviously been there for a while, witnessed the negotiations, and of course heard the remarks that could be described as "treason."

"Lord Cheng," the man on horseback said calmly, showing no embarrassment at being caught.

Cheng Junshi looked at Tang Yan, his lips trembling uncontrollably: "Do you know what you just did?"

The person opposite him remained calm, raised their chin, looked at him, and continued: "I'm helping him."

"Who are you helping? That's Gui Luo from the Southern Continent, a general from an enemy country! This is treason, a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family! Are you out of your mind?!"

"He's already plotting a rebellion, why would he be afraid of having his entire family executed?" Tang Yan suddenly couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's you! You should be afraid! He sent you back to Jingzhou because he was afraid of dragging you and the Tang family into this. Why did you go and make a deal with Gui Luo? Don't you know what kind of person he is? How many times have you made deals with him! This is treason, treason!" He almost roared the last sentence. He couldn't believe that in the years they didn't know, Tang Yan had already embarked on the path of treason. He couldn't imagine how desperate Tang Qi would feel if he knew.

Tang Yan remained expressionless. She dismounted and, meeting Cheng Junshi's pained gaze, walked forward step by step, without a trace of regret on her face.

"Treason? Collusion with the enemy? Treason?" She repeated these two words, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "Wasn't His Majesty himself the first to betray the country?"

Before Cheng Junshi could answer, her eyes were filled with resentment: "From my father's southern expedition to my brother's, how was the Wolf Strategy Army destroyed? Do you not understand or do I not understand?"

Her voice grew louder: "Soldiers can be abandoned, territory can be surrendered, and even one's own son cannot be spared! What kind of ruler is this? What kind of country is this!"

"So many soldiers of Juecheng risked their lives to defend the city, and what did they get in return? They got nothing but the betrayal of their comrades! He betrayed the people, he betrayed the hearts of the people!" Tang Yan stood before him, his hands trembling beneath his sleeves. "Are we to do nothing, like lambs to the slaughter, to be considered loyal to the emperor and patriotic? I refuse to accept this!"

"You can choose to continue upholding your loyalty to the emperor; that's your choice, and I won't interfere. But Brother Cheng, please don't try to stop me with those grand principles of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. You and I both know why my father and brothers died. He should have thought of this day when he attacked Lang Ce!"

Tang Yan stood stiffly in confrontation with Cheng Junshi, his chest heaving: "They alone can't reach Jingzhou. Bei Dai is the only possible ally. I must make sure we can bring that person down completely this time. This is the best opportunity, for my father and brothers, for Lang Ce, and for all those who have been betrayed and sacrificed. It's either keep going or fall to your death here. There is no other choice."

Cheng Junshi looked at her, all the words stuck in his throat, turning into a bitter blankness. Looking at the stubborn girl in front of him, he felt an unprecedented fear in his heart—not the fear of being implicated by her, but the fear that she would really fall and be shattered on this path.

“But you’re playing with fire!” Cheng Junshi’s voice was urgent, as if trying to seize the last chance: “Gui Luo roams the South and North, harboring wolfish ambitions. He’s not someone to be trifled with. If the alliance breaks down one day, you will be the one he pushes out to take the blame between the two countries. Ayan, don’t be fooled by him! He’s using you—”

"I don't care!" Tang Yan interrupted him sharply, her eyes cold and stubborn: "As long as he can help me, whether he's in the Southern Continent or the Northern Continent, as long as he can help me kill that person, I don't care if he uses me, I don't care about life or death, I don't care!"

Cheng Junshi looked incredulous, his eyes filled with hurt: "You may not care about your life, but someone else does. Have you ever thought about what your brother would think and say if he knew what you've done?"

"Then let him come!" Tang Yan suddenly shouted.

“Let him come to me, let him come and curse me,” her lips trembled uncontrollably, “I’ll stop as long as he says it. Let him come, come on!”

Cheng Junshi was stunned for a long time. It took Tang Yan a while to recover, and she composed herself. She gave Cheng Junshi one last deep look, her eyes filled with complex and unfathomable emotions, and even more so with a profound sadness.

Then, without lingering, she remounted her horse and disappeared into the night.

Cheng Junshi stood frozen in place, as if all his strength had been drained away. Everything seemed blurry and chaotic. He looked up at the moon and let out a long, painful, silent sigh.

"You two siblings are truly two stubborn people cut from the same cloth."