Chapter 195 It turns out that the old friend is not dead
"What!"
Rong Qing stood up suddenly, his big eyes full of panic, "How could she--"
"Sit down first." Zhang Yuemei held her wrist and said soothingly, "Fortunately, the marriage is a big deal. The Queen Mother only cares about the harem and not the court. Now my father is in charge of the court, so the marriage is not so easy to finalize."
"How could the emperor have so many daughters?" Rong Qing felt cold all over, his face draining of all color. "Isn't sacrificing me enough?"
"Princess, you were raised by the people of the world, so you should sacrifice your life for your country when necessary. Although the Northwest suffered a crushing defeat, eight years have passed. Who knows if they will fight again?" Zhang Yuemei sighed, her brows knitted into a knot. "You know my father. He only cares about the people's feelings and has never advocated war."
"Although my father hasn't relented yet, if there's no reasonable solution, the marriage will probably be a done deal."
"There's one more thing." Su Cheng pursed her lips and spoke at the right time. "Prince Qin is colluding with the Northwestern Royal Family and is willing to sacrifice sixteen border cities in exchange for an alliance with Chubei. Ji Heng and Shuo Xi are just instigators. The real leader is a man named Suo Meng."
Rong Qing's face turned pale and he murmured softly, "Somong?"
Zhang Yue narrowed her eyes, her gaze searching. "Rongqing, do you know this Somon?"
"Young Khan Somon..." Rong Qing's forehead was covered with sweat, and his body began to tremble unconsciously. "He is the old Khan's most beloved son, an expert in martial arts and riding and archery. How could he actually come to Da Chu in person..."
"We still don't know what the alliance between the two of them is for." Su Cheng straightened his expression and said in a deep tone, "But Huo Beiting is willing to pay the price of sixteen cities. It can only be for the throne."
"I heard that this marriage is to select a concubine for this little Khan." Zhang Yue frowned, feeling annoyed. "The Queen Mother is a weakling who can't stand being intimidated. Xibei just threatened me in a letter, and then she hurriedly went to my father and told the little Khan to choose from the three remaining princesses."
Zhang Yuemei sighed and shook her head helplessly, "The Seventh Princess hasn't even had her coming-of-age ceremony yet."
Rong Qing's face was pale, and he sat in the chair blankly, unresponsive.
"Rongqing, you can't beat me. Even if I wanted to protect the princesses, I'd be powerless to fight against the Northwest." Zhang Yuemei looked troubled and whispered, "Most of the troops in Da Chu are controlled by Huo Beiting. Even if we want to fight, it won't happen unless Huo Beiting shows up."
"But the royal family doesn't have any daughters of the right age." Su Cheng stared, his face gloomy. "Someng has come to the capital now, just to be sure that the Great Chu can't hand over anyone, so that he has a reason to make trouble."
Rong Qing's hands, hanging by his sides, trembled slightly. After a long while, he slowly spoke, "I shouldn't have come back. If I had died in the northwest, they wouldn't have had any excuse to cause trouble..."
"Don't be so discouraged." Su Cheng supported her and soothed her softly, "Princess, you risked your life to bring back the strategic map. You've done a great deed. Suzhou has already solved the map, and the prince has already sent General Dou to lead troops to deploy at various important checkpoints."
"They have a plan, but we have a way out. Now that the old Khan is dead and Somon has come to the capital, the northwest is leaderless. For the Great Chu, aren't they a piece of fat meat?"
Rong Qing paused, exchanged glances with Zhang Yuemei, and then both looked at Su Cheng, "What do you mean by that?"
Su Cheng bit her lip and glanced at the two of them playfully, tears flickering in her eyes. "We have their plans, but they know nothing about us. If we don't take action now, when will we?"
Rong Qing lowered his eyes, thinking carefully about her words, with some hesitation on his face, "But...how can Ah Ci have so many available people?"
People from the northwest grew up on horseback, and they are all good at riding and shooting, and their fighting ability is truly terrifying.
"The prince only has a few thousand elite soldiers, so he can't really accomplish anything big. But what if he adds the soldiers from the Gu and Shangguan families? We can ambush them in advance and annihilate them in one fell swoop."
Rong Qing was stunned and completely dumbfounded.
Zhang Yuemei also widened her eyes and looked at her in disbelief.
Su Cheng curled his lips and smiled slyly, "According to my calculations, Huo Beiting will most likely start a rebellion in early autumn. Suzhou has already discussed this with the prince in advance. They want to cut off his retreat and then sow discord between him and the four great families, forcing him to fight alone."
"So..." Rong Qing looked at Zhang Yuemei cautiously, a look of surprise on his face, "Is this really possible?"
"As a woman, you don't know how to command a war. You'd better listen to Su Cheng. She has firsthand information." Zhang Yuemei invited the two to eat and smiled, "Su Cheng, this girl, she had a solution but didn't tell me earlier. Now I'm nervous."
Su Cheng shrugged and smiled endearingly.
Rong Qing pushed aside the dishes in front of him, stood up and said, "You guys eat first, I'm going to go to the bathroom."
When they reached the door, the Zhang family's maid came forward and said respectfully, "Master, this servant will take you there."
Rong Qing nodded and followed her slowly, going around to the backyard of Zuixianlou. With a glance, he saw a man squatting on a small stool, scrubbing clothes carefully.
The man rolled up his long sleeves, revealing his strong and muscular forearms. The blue veins on his arms were faintly visible. He was wearing a veil, so his appearance could not be seen clearly. Judging from his clothes, he looked like a waiter in Zuixianlou.
When he saw that person, Rong Qing stopped in his tracks and couldn't take another step forward.
The maidservant walking in front of her didn't hear the footsteps following her, so she turned around hastily and saw Rong Qing staring blankly at one spot. She asked in a low voice, "Master, what's wrong?"
Rong Qing was stunned for a long while before slowly shaking his head, "It's okay."
She said it was okay, but her body honestly walked towards the man.
A dark shadow suddenly appeared in front of him. The man slowly raised his eyes and met Rong Qing's dazed gaze.
Seeing that she was accompanied by a maid, the man hurriedly stood up, bent his waist, and asked in a low voice, "This distinguished guest, do you have any instructions?"
Rong Qing blinked lightly, his gaze fixed on his hunched back for a moment before turning his face away. "It's okay, just continue washing clothes."
The man lowered his head and said, "Yes."
Rong Qing turned around and was about to leave, but after taking half a step, he suddenly turned back and raised his hand to roll up the man's sleeves.
In an instant, the entire backyard became quiet.
Seeing the dark blue pattern on the man's arm, Rong Qing smiled bitterly and tears instantly fell.
No wonder it's so familiar...
Rong Qing slowly raised his eyes, tears rolling down his pale cheeks, and a broken sob escaped from his throat, "No wonder he looks like an old friend, it turns out he's not dead."
"Bai Moyan, you've caused me so much pain."
Hearing the name, the man shuddered and froze in place.
It has been a long time since anyone called me that.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
