Chapter 793: Anger
The news of the crisis on the Southern Qi border shocked the Beiling royal court. When Ji Rongqing and Wu Ya hurried into the palace, almost all the elders of the various tribes had entered the palace overnight and stood in the hall. Even Xiahou Ling, who had just been ordered to be under house arrest and stripped of his power, was among them.
When Ji Rongqing saw Xiahou Ling, his expression changed.
Wu Ya was also feeling uneasy, but she still forced herself to remain calm and stepped forward.
"Greetings, King Khan..."
"Bang!!"
A stack of intelligence reports came crashing down on Wu Ya, who was saluting, and froze her in place.
Hu Yanmin stood on the high platform, furious. "Wu Ya, tell me, what's going on in Southern Qi?!"
Wu Ya lowered her eyes to look at the things on the ground, pursed her lips, and knelt on the ground. "I have never had any contact with Southern Qi, so how could I know about it? I only learned about the Emperor of Wei sending troops to attack the Southern Qi border before entering the palace. Why is the Khan blaming me?"
"you!"
"Khan, calm down."
Seeing that Huyan Min became even angrier because of Wu Ya's words, Ji Rongqing hurriedly stepped forward wearing a thick cloak.
"I know that King Gao Wei of the Southern Qi border is furious. However, the Emperor of Wei is extremely treacherous and cautious. He never even took the slightest risk in seizing power, and he remained patient for years until he was absolutely certain. No one could have imagined that he would dare to risk attacking Southern Qi when he knew that a war between Beiling and the Wei Dynasty was imminent."
"Princess, you've been preoccupied with the various tribes' military deployments lately, discussing with the elders of the Zong Yu tribe how to assist the Khan in his campaign against the Wei Dynasty. It's been difficult for you to devote the energy to inquiring about the situation in Southern Qi ahead of time. I beg the Khan to forgive you."
Ji Rongqing's voice was not loud, but what he said made Hu Yanmin's face freeze with anger.
He was reminding Hu Yanmin that Wu Ya was not someone Hu Yanmin could vent his anger on at will. She had the Queen and the entire Zong Yu tribe behind her. If Hu Yanmin wanted to send troops to Wei, he would have to rely on the soldiers of the Zong Yu tribe to help. At the same time, he was also telling other people.
Even the Khan Huyan Min found it difficult to obtain news about Southern Qi, and was unaware that the Emperor of Wei had suddenly sent troops to attack Qi.
Wu Ya is just a princess, why should she find out in advance!
Hu Yanmin's face turned dark.
Xiahou Ling spoke coldly, "Your Highness is eloquent, but I'm deeply curious. How could the princess have heard that the Wei Emperor had requisitioned merchant ships from all over the country, that Wei generals had marched to Munan Pass, and even that the Wei Emperor had sent 100,000 private soldiers and rations from the deposed emperor to the southern border? She even knew all about the private communications between me and the Southern Qi Emperor, yet she knew nothing about the Wei Emperor's sudden attack on Southern Qi?"
"The spy in the princess's hands is truly exceptionally capable."
Wu Ya turned around suddenly: "Xiahou Ling..."
"Princess, what advice do you have?" Xiahou Ling looked up at Wu Ya, his single eye filled with coldness.
A general under the Imperial Preceptor's command strode forward and said, "King Khan, the Imperial Preceptor previously joined forces with Southern Qi to help Beiling relieve the pressure of war. However, the princess and her husband got the news from somewhere and are now accusing the Imperial Preceptor of betraying Beiling."
"They swore they had other sources within the Wei Dynasty, saying the Wei Emperor was using Southern Qi to plot against Beiling, and that Southern Qi would threaten Beiling with war. They colluded with that scoundrel Song Jinxiu to instigate the elders of various departments, forcing Your Majesty to severely punish the Imperial Preceptor and subsequently delay the dispatch of troops."
"But now, the Emperor of Wei has seized the opportunity to attack Southern Qi, capturing two cities in a row. This has frightened Southern Qi to the point that they are almost ready to surrender."
"If the Emperor of Southern Qi had not sent a message to question the Imperial Master about why he had broken the alliance and delayed sending troops, allowing Wei to attack Qi without restraint, I'm afraid that by the time Southern Qi was conquered by Wei and became Wei's granary, all of us in Beiling would still be kept in the dark."
The man had a full beard and a fierce look with a hint of disgust.
"King Khan, if the princess and the people of Zong Yu's tribe hadn't been scheming against the Imperial Master's Office for the power of commander-in-chief, delaying military intelligence, our Beiling would have already marched south and joined forces with Southern Qi to balance the Wei Dynasty. How could the Emperor of Wei have taken advantage of this opportunity?"
"Fortunately, the princess is indeed a descendant of the Zong Yu tribe, otherwise this general would have suspected that she was a spy sent by the Emperor of Wei to destroy our Beiling cause."
These words are indeed serious.
Wu Ya raised her head in anger: "Huo Wei, how dare you slander this princess?!"
The elders of Zong Yu's tribe also looked unhappy.
Ji Rongqing saw that the situation was not right, and his face darkened a little: "King Khan, no one wants to know about the affairs of Southern Qi, and the treacherous behavior of the Emperor of Wei is even more unexpected, but what does this have to do with the princess?"
"Everything the princess did before was for Beiling. If Xiahou Ling hadn't secretly colluded with Southern Qi and even intended to conceal the news from the Wei Dynasty, why would the princess have warned the Khan? Furthermore, the princess didn't hide the fact that the Wei Emperor sent troops to Munan Pass from the elders, and the Khan heard it all that day."
"It was the Khan and the elders who decided to delay the military deployment, worried about the potential dangers in Southern Qi. Now they're blaming the princess. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?!"
Hu Yanmin looked at Ji Rongqing intently: "Are you blaming me?"
"I dare not."
Ji Rongqing did not dodge at all, but just looked back at Huyan Min, with a rare strong look on his handsome face that was pale and sickly.
"Rong Qing simply feels that the princess and the Khan are both concerned about Beiling. Instead of looking into who is at fault, it's better to think about how to deal with it."
He stood in the hall, looked at the elders of various tribes, and finally set his sights on Xiahou Ling.
"The Emperor of Wei always thinks three steps ahead. He was able to silently manipulate Beiling to delay sending troops, while secretly attacking Southern Qi. This time, he must have a very big plan."
"If Beiling continues to fight internally, the only one who will benefit is Wei Chao, which will harm Beiling's own interests and will also bring disaster to all the tribes. I believe that now is not the time to pursue faults, but to work together to discuss how to deal with Wei Chao."
"What does the Imperial Master think?"
Xiahou Ling looked at Ji Rongqing coldly. He resented Wu Ya and Ji Rongqing for forcing him before, and he also hated them for using the ungrateful Song Jinxiu to deal with the Imperial Master's Mansion. If he had the chance, he would never let these people go and would skin them alive.
But he also knew that the current situation was not suitable for breaking up with Wu Ya and the others.
He didn't care about Wu Ya, or even the Princess's Mansion and the Queen, but he had to care about Zong Yubu.
The Zong Yu tribe was originally one of the three major tribes in Beiling. Its combat power was second only to the Zong Yan tribe, and even far surpassed the Wan Hu tribe. Whether it was the next military expedition or the attack on Wei, the Zong Yu tribe would have to provide support. If he really did anything to Wu Ya at this time, the Zong Yu tribe would definitely rebel.
Xiahou Ling only took a moment to dispel the coldness in his eyes and said, "Prince Consort Ji is right. The princess has always been straightforward, never hiding her grudges, and even more so in her actions. How could she understand how to frame an old minister like this? Ultimately, she was just confused for a moment and was taken advantage of."
"I am devoted to Beiling, so how could I bother with her?"
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