Chapter 541: Beiling "Old Customs", Father Dies and Sons Inherit
Xiao Yan didn't expect to hear news about the Lu family again, especially the Lu Zhinian who had been missing.
He frowned slightly. "Tu Bai said that Ji Rongqing saved the life of the Queen of Beiling and is very compatible with the new Emperor of Beiling. In addition, Beiling is not like the Wei Dynasty where the emperor's son-in-law does not have real power. Ji Rongqing now holds a very important position in the Beiling court."
Xiao Yan said this and looked at Tang Ning: "Do you know the composition of the Beiling court?"
Tang Ning nodded. "I've read some reports from Beiling before. Beiling is different from Wei. It's vast and sparsely populated, with scarce resources. It's mainly populated by scattered tribes, and the three largest tribes form the current Beiling Imperial Court."
"Among them, the Zongyan tribe was the tribe of the previous Khan of Beiling, and is also the power behind the new emperor of Beiling. They possess the strongest archers and horses and the bravest warriors in Beiling. Next in line are the Zongyu and Wanhu tribes. The combat power of these two tribes is slightly inferior to that of the Zongyan tribe. The leaders of these two tribes were once the most favorable candidates for the position of Khan of Beiling."
"Back when Dean Shi was in Beiling, he instigated conflict between the Wanhu and Zongyan tribes, using them to kill several successors of the Zongyan tribe and nearly taking the life of the former Khan. Beiling was in turmoil for quite a while because of this. Later, after Xiahou Ling helped the Zongyan tribe win, the Wanhu tribe was suppressed and its power was greatly reduced. Now it is the weakest of the three tribes in Beiling."
Seeing that Tang Ning was well-informed about the political situation in Beiling, Xiao Yan whispered, "Beiling's rules differ from those of Wei. Unless the successor is a direct descendant, he inherits not only the power of the previous Khan, but also the tribe, property, and women. The current Queen of Beiling was the legal wife of the previous Khan, so she should be the new emperor's aunt."
Tang Ning's eyes widened. It was the first time she knew this rule: "Then Princess Chuyun..."
Xiao Yan said, "She is the daughter of the previous Khan, the cousin of the new Beiling Emperor, and the legitimate daughter of the current Beiling Queen. Behind the Beiling Queen stands the entire Zong Yu tribe."
Xiao Yan's words made Tang Ning's mind feel confused for a moment. She frowned tightly and said with some difficulty after a while:
"In other words, Princess Chuyun's mother married her cousin, and her original cousin became her... stepfather?!"
Xiao Yan nodded: "Not bad."
Tang Ning: “…”
The little face was stiff.
Xiao Yan knew that it would be difficult for people who had been baptized with propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame since childhood to understand these "old customs" of Beiling. Not to mention Tang Ning, even he was shocked when he first learned about these.
He only mentioned it once and then skipped over it, talking about Ji Rongqing again.
"Ji Rongqing saved the Queen of Beiling and married Princess Chuyun. The entire Zongyu tribe became his backing. Although he wasn't completely at his mercy, this was enough to give him a good position in the Beiling court."
"He and Xiahou Ling seem to have a grudge against each other, like water and fire cannot get along. Xiahou Ling controls the Imperial Preceptor's Office and assisted the new emperor in ascending the throne, holding great power in the court. Ji Rongqing, however, has the Zong Yu tribe that can intervene in the military to check and balance him. Now, neither of them can do anything to the other."
Tang Ning asked, "What about the new emperor of Beiling?"
Xiao Yan said, "The new emperor of Beiling fears Xiahou Ling, but he doesn't necessarily trust Ji Rongqing either. He probably intends for the two of them to check each other, so he usually doesn't care about their fights."
After listening to Xiao Yan's words, Tang Ning roughly understood Ji Rongqing's status in the Beiling court. She pursed her lips and pinched her fingertips.
"But Lu Zhinian and I have known each other for many years, and I have never heard of him having any hidden illness. Moreover, it has been less than half a year since he disappeared. How could he have been able to do this, from Dawei to Beiling?"
“That’s what I’m confused about.”
Xiao Yan frowned slightly.
Lu Zhinian was trained by Lu Chongyuan as his successor, so he naturally had the abilities and means. His past failures were due to being too smooth and unprepared, and he had not experienced too much intrigue. It is not impossible for him to learn from his lessons and grow up, but no matter how capable he is, just half a year is not enough for a person to change so much.
Other people in Beiling may be barbaric and crude and lack strategy, but Xiahou Ling is not one of them. Neither is the new emperor Zong Yanzheng, who was supported by him to unify the tribes of Beiling. When Lu Zhinian disappeared, the Lu family could not find him, which means that even the Lu family probably did not know that he had gone to Beiling.
If that Ji Rongqing was really Lu Zhinian, then how could he have climbed to his current position right under the noses of Xiahou Ling and others in just half a year without any help?
Seeing Tang Ning's pale face, Xiao Yan reached out and held her cold hand: "Maybe they are just similar people. Ji Rongqing is not Lu Zhinian."
Tang Ning shook his head: "Brother, we can't be careless about this matter. Lu Zhinian disappeared because we forced him into a desperate situation. The Lu family was destroyed by us. He must hate us to the core."
"I know." Xiao Yan comforted him, "I've already asked Tu Bai to find a way to lead Song Jinxiu to meet Ji Rongqing. If he is really Lu Zhinian, others may not be able to tell him apart, but Song Jinxiu should be able to recognize him."
Before the two became enemies, they had been close friends for many years.
"And I will have someone leak this information to Xiahou Ling. Xiahou Ling will definitely want to find out more about Ji Rongqing than we do."
Xiao Yan looked at Tang Ning: "Don't worry, no matter who he is, we will find out sooner or later."
Tang Ning still felt uneasy. She pursed her lips and recalled the last time she saw Lu Zhinian. His eyes were full of madness. He held her tightly and refused to let go. He even said that he didn't care about the Lu family or anything else. She still remembered his scarlet and terrifying eyes clearly.
Memories that had not been thought of for a long time emerged, the tragic death in the previous life, and the torture during imprisonment made Tang Ning's face pale.
"Tang Ning, what's wrong with you?" Xiao Yan pulled her.
Tang Ning shook her head and leaned lightly on his shoulder: "Nothing, just a little tired."
Xiao Yan lowered his head to look at her hair and frowned slightly. Tang Ning seemed to be hiding something on her mind.
Is it because of Lu Zhinian?
Or something else?
He opened his mouth to ask her a question, but he could see that she was leaning on him with her eyelids slightly lowered, her eyelashes trembling as if revealing uneasiness. He swallowed the words back at the tip of his tongue and just held her quietly.
never mind.
When she wants to say something, she will say it naturally.
…
The news that Lu Zhinian might appear again was like a drop of water falling into hot oil, making Tang Ning uneasy. But no matter how uneasy she was, Ji Rongqing was far away in Beiling, and it would take a long time to find out the news. At the moment, the affairs in the Great Wei were more important.
After meeting Liang Guangyi, Xiao Yan went to the palace to meet the prince.
No one knew what the two of them said, but the prince, who was originally blood-thirsty, seemed to suddenly wake up and calm down.
Although the arrested people have not been released, there is no more bloodshed in Caishikou.
After the aristocratic families received the news brought back by Liang Guangyi, they argued for several times. They were both indignant and unwilling, and scolded Xiao Yan for being shameless, greedy, and vicious. But no matter how much they scolded and made a fuss, they finally gave in.
The Cui family was the first to agree to pay 260,000 gold to "ransom" Cui Lin, so that Xiao Yan would forgive him for the crime of framing him that night. The remaining 540,000 gold was to be raised by the other six families with each contributing 90,000 gold.
As for the matter of collecting books, the other families were reluctant at first, but the Feng, Li and Fan families were the first to give in. With the Liang and Cui families persuading them, and Xiao Yan and the prince putting pressure in the court, the remaining three families were simply powerless and could only agree reluctantly.
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