"She has already taken refuge with the Great Prince of Yue Kingdom. Will the Emperor of Yue Kingdom agree to hand her over?" Xu Dali asked.
Jian Ning's eyes darkened: "Whether he agrees or not, this person cannot be kept!"
Jane Ning didn't know if the Moon Country wizards were invulnerable, but Grandma Ma was. If she taught that magic for fame and fortune, or if the Moon Country people forced her to do so, it would surely cause trouble in the future.
"We can't keep this person alive. It's better..." Jian Ning's gaze passed through the bamboo house window and fell on Song Qinglian, who was cooking at the stove outside the window. Her heart moved, and she turned to Huo Jincheng and said, "I have an idea. Instead of wasting time negotiating with the Yue people, why not just kill her!"
Huo Jincheng followed her gaze out the window, still wondering why she was so afraid of Grandma Ma, but Xu Dali understood. "Madam, are you planning to have the Song family father and daughter sneak into the palace to sing, waiting for an opportunity to poison them?"
"It's not the Song father and daughter, it's me and Old Man Song." Jian Ning can also sing. Xu Dali knows this. Jian Ning likes to hum a little tune while cooking. She learned it from Grandma Wu.
"No! You can't go." Huo Jincheng knew a little about the Song family father and daughter. That year, the people from the Dingzihao in Yancheng helped find them. But he didn't know Jian Ning could sing ditties, and Ma Lao and Jian Ning had fought and met in Yancheng. "She recognizes you, so she won't give you the opportunity to attack. This is not appropriate. Don't act rashly."
"I can't disguise myself? Miss Qinglian and I are about the same height. I can just learn a song from her."
After she said that, Huo Jincheng recalled the scene in the farm outside Jin County that year, when Jian Ning disguised herself as an old woman and stood back to back with Ma Fuquan, holding hidden weapons to fight off the enemy.
For some reason, whenever he thought of that scene, especially the scene where the two of them rushed up the stairs in a serpentine manner, apart from being shocked, he always felt that the relationship between Jian Ning and Ma Fuquan was not that simple.
The calmness and tacit understanding between the two when they faced the enemy together, he thought, would be impossible to achieve such a perfect combination without years of cooperation!
But he also knew Ding Youtian's character, and he could see the affection between Ding Youtian and Jian Ning. That kind of affection between you and me could not be deceived, so he was extremely confused. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. What was going on between them was like a fog.
No matter what, after some consideration, he still opposed Jane Ning's plan.
"You can't go. If anything goes wrong, you'll still have to take care of Old Man Song. It's almost impossible to protect him and escape unscathed. If we rush in, the Shiyue Kingdom will have an excuse and will think we're causing trouble. They'll definitely send envoys to the capital to demand an explanation from the Emperor. In my opinion, it's safer to take the long view and wait until Brother Tong and the others arrive before looking for Pei's important person."
Xu Dali agreed with Huo Jincheng's approach. He didn't dare let his wife take the risk. How would he explain to his parents if something bad happened?
But no one expected that Song Qinglian and her father agreed. After the father and daughter knew about Jian Ning's proposal, they both expressed that they were willing to go.
Song Qinglian said, "If I hadn't met Brother Xu, how could I still have my innocence? Forget about my innocence, I'm afraid my father and I would have lost our lives long ago. Living these extra years is a blessing. We're not afraid. Let us go. The worst that can happen is death! If this thing succeeds, it will be considered a repayment for the kindness that Brother Xu and the princess showed us father and daughter in the past."
"Yes, my daughter is right." Old Man Song also said, "To be honest, we are neither from Yanchao nor Yueguo, and I am not Qinglian's biological father. We are originally from Shanbei Country, but now there is no Shanbei Country in the world. At my age, I have lived enough! If I can do something useful for my benefactor before I die, I will die without regrets!"
Huo Jincheng knew that Shanbei was a very small country with a population smaller than that of two large counties in Yanchao. It was destroyed by Yue Kingdom ten years ago.
In fact, the Yue Kingdom had grown to its current size by constantly conquering and annexing neighboring small countries. Unlike the Yan Dynasty, although the previous emperor destroyed the Five Kingdoms, these Five Kingdoms were originally from the Central Plains, not invaded and annexed from other countries outside the Central Plains.
He understood the feelings of the people of a fallen country, but he also disagreed with them taking risks. Letting them go would be like walking into a tiger's mouth. He still felt that it would be safer to ask Moon Emperor Pei Xiyuan for people.
If Pei Xiyuan disagrees to hand over the person, then he has his own reasons for disagreeing to hand over the person. In that case, Yue Kingdom will be the first to abandon the friendly alliance, and Emperor Yongkang will make the decision at that time.
Jian Ning also disagreed with the father and daughter going to the palace. She said, "Father, Miss Qinglian, this is none of your business. Don't feel any burden just because Brother Xu saved you. Everyone is willing to intervene when they see injustice. But this matter right now is between Yue Kingdom and Yan Dynasty. Don't get involved. Just live your life here peacefully."
"My wife is right." Xu Dali also said, "Even if you and your daughter don't know martial arts, there's no reason to involve you in this for no reason."
Several people were against him and his daughter going to the palace. Xu Dali even refused to stay for dinner. On the way back with Jian Ning and the others, Jian Ning asked him, "Did you arrive in the capital today? Did you run into him and his daughter right after you arrived, or on the way here?"
"I arrived in the capital around three quarters after noon today. I didn't know Madam and Master Huo were here, so I followed Ma and the others all the way to the palace. Later, when I was looking for a place to have dinner, I ran into him and his daughter."
"By the way, you haven't eaten yet, right? Let's go back to the inn and eat."
When Jian Ning and his companions returned to the inn, the waiter, who had been paying them a tip every day, ran up to greet them. He bowed and smiled, saying, "You're finally back! General Mighty has been waiting for you for quite a while, and just left. Before he left, he told me to inform him when you return."
After the waiter finished speaking, he still hunched his back, looking as if he was waiting for a reward. Huo Jincheng was not used to this habit of his and replied, "I know. Go and do your own thing!"
He was about to leave when Jian Ning stopped him and nodded at Xu Dali, "We still need to get a room. What's the point of you running away?"
Huo Jincheng spent a lot of money without blinking an eye, but plucking each hair was painful. However, after a moment of hesitation, he took out two pieces of silver from his pocket and gave them to the waiter, "A room upstairs, and dinner for one person. No need to change."
"Thank you for the reward, sir. Take care." The waiter's smile quickly returned to his face. He had thought there was no hope, but unexpectedly, the situation took a turn for the better. He turned around and bowed several times to Jian Ning and Xu Dali, then went to arrange the room and meals quickly.
The food was served. While Xu Dali was wolfing down his food in the lobby downstairs, Song Qinglian came out of a pharmacy and nodded slightly to Old Man Song who was waiting outside with a Ruan (Yueqin). The two of them walked towards the Grand Prince's mansion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
