051
The Fourth Princess lowered her eyes, staring at the dagger in front of her without taking it. She then looked up at her warily: "A dagger, what does Miss Song mean by this?"
Just as Song Ling drew her dagger, the eldest princess drew her longsword.
Seeing that Song Ling remained calm and did not have any ulterior motives, he pressed his hand down again.
"The finest daggers in our school can cut through iron like mud."
Song Ling looked around, then turned her interest toward the guards who were standing by in full guard: "The Marquis of Wu'an is still in the Northwest, and he must be worried about the princess's safety. I dare to offer the princess a dagger for self-defense."
"The two princesses need not be so nervous."
Is it really just an ordinary dagger?
Zhou Zihe stopped the maid beside her, lowered her eyes, took the dagger, examined it, and then drew it again... Its cold surface gleamed; it was indeed a fine dagger.
But at the hilt of this sword...
Zhou Zihe: "This pattern is quite novel. I have never seen anything like it in Luoyang before."
Song Ling did not ignore her probing, but smiled slightly: "It was carved casually, nothing to mention."
She explained very naturally, "Our Huailai sect is a small, insignificant sect. Has the princess ever heard of it?"
The fourth princess looked at her eldest sister with a puzzled expression, who shook her head slightly, equally confused, to indicate that she did not know.
"I've never heard of it."
Upon hearing this, Song Ling did not offer any further explanation. Instead, she stepped forward and, before Zhou Zihe could react, asked her in a voice only the two of them could hear: "If Marquis Wu'an is dead, will the Fourth Princess still be alive?"
Nonsensical, like a ghost.
Zhou Zihe was stunned and didn't react for a moment.
He frowned and asked, "What...what do you mean by this?"
"Do you know anything? Why are you playing tricks here?"
But Song Ling had already curled her lips into a smile, put on her bamboo hat, glanced at the eldest princess beside her, and said meaningfully, "The provisions will arrive outside the capital soon. At that time, please send someone with a token to the Banyue Trading Company in Luoyang."
"The necessary guards for transporting the grain should be kept secret from the Second Prince. This should not be difficult for the two princesses."
Zhou Zihe, disregarding the meaning behind her earlier words, hurriedly asked, "What is it for?"
"I don't believe in free lunches."
Upon hearing this, Song Ling gave her a deep look, then smiled and said, "I would never do a losing business, but the Northwest is in dire need of supplies, isn't it?"
"Consider it... my doing a good deed for the day."
After saying that, Song Ling walked out of the mansion with her hands behind her back in a low-key manner.
Zhou Zihe frowned and ordered the guards, "Follow her and see where she went."
pity……
"Disappeared?" Zhou Zihe gripped the dagger in her hand tightly. "How could such a living person disappear without a trace?"
At this moment, the eldest princess stepped forward, put her hand on her shoulder, and comforted her: "This person's martial arts are quite good. He probably doesn't want to leave any trace. We won't be able to find him no matter what."
"But the dagger... may I show it to my elder sister?"
Zhou Zihe lowered her eyes and handed it to her: "If you like it, Royal Sister, then take it. I don't need it anyway."
The eldest princess looked at it over and over several times, but apart from the intricate patterns, there was nothing particularly special about it.
"This is a variation of the peach blossom and bamboo pattern, isn't it? It's really strange. How could anyone think of putting twisted peach blossoms on straight bamboo..."
The eldest princess gave a sarcastic smile: "Forget it, since it's a gift for my fourth sister, how can I force her to do something against her will?"
"Fourth Sister should indeed be more careful now, so keep it on your person for protection."
"As for whether what she said is true or false, we will know in a few days when I send someone to that trading company to check it out."
Meanwhile, Song Ling, whom the two women had mentioned, had already appeared in a secluded residence in Luoyang.
“Girl, all the grain we’ve bought over the years is here.”
One of the men handed her the accounts, looking troubled: "But... if seven or eight out of ten of these are shipped to the Northwest, isn't that a bit too much..."
"A waste?" Song Ling looked up and asked him, "Or do you think it's unnecessary?"
The disciple, Kaker, shook his head after a moment's thought: "I just think it would be better to ship it to the southwest."
After all, isn't that the one who should be supporting us?
"Yin Lu, we need to look further ahead," Song Ling said in a low voice. "Whether it's the southwest or the northwest, they are all people of the world. In war, there is no distinction between more and less casualties."
"Currently, the southwest still has a surplus of grain, but the northwest is in dire need of it. If Marquis Wu'an cannot hold out tomorrow, order Wulesu to capture the northern border."
“Then…” Song Ling sighed, “it will be even more difficult.”
Life has become even harder for ordinary people.
The process of creating God has become even more difficult.
"Yin Lu is just afraid that this move will embolden the Marquis of Wu'an." Yin Lu lowered his head slightly to show his concern: "After all, there are many uprisings in various places now, and the governors of each state have no shortage of troops. But only the Marquis of Wu'an can contend with the King of Qi and General Yu."
"If things go wrong, there is a high possibility that a three-way balance of power will reappear, and it will be difficult to break the deadlock then."
Song Ling had also considered this, but for now, this was the path they had to take. Before the war in the south ended, the Southwest Army had no spare strength to deal with the Northwest.
Only with the help of Marquis Wu'an can the situation be kept under control within the country, preventing further intervention from foreign tribes.
Marquis Wu'an controlled the Northwest, while General Yu controlled the Southwest. The two men came from different backgrounds and were always compared, but no one could definitively say which was better.
The late emperor did indeed devise a clever plan of checks and balances, making it difficult to break the current deadlock.
At least... Song Ling thought, the grain convoy was having a difficult journey. This batch of grain was expected to take 28 days to reach the Northwest. Even if the journey was shortened, it would still take at least 25 or 26 days.
It just so happened that the Northwest was in dire need of help.
Marquis Wu'an was not one to sit idly by and wait for death. If he could rely on this grain to sustain himself for another two or three months, he would surely be able to obtain new provisions.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, this war in the Northwest will likely last three to five months, leaving little time to consider matters in the central government or the Southwest.
Song Ling couldn't help but sigh. This Marquis of Wu'an prided himself on being loyal to the emperor and loving his country, and was a pure minister.
It's both good and bad.
Perhaps military generals are all more straightforward and pure in nature.
Unconsciously, Song Ling thought of the people from the Southwest. She smiled helplessly and shook the image out of her mind. It was truly an obsession.
"Sect Master, are you feeling unwell?" Yin Lu asked worriedly. "Perhaps I should go and fetch a doctor."
"Never mind," Song Ling shook her head slightly, "I wasn't well rested and just got distracted for a moment."
"Go and make the arrangements."
*
Since Shi Yu disappeared in the southwest, Song Ling thought that he might leave in anger, or go into hiding in the world, or practice medicine to help the world...
But I never expected to run into him in Luoyang.
Even if I had some guesses in my heart, they were just wishful thinking.
What's more, he quietly walked out of the Marquis of Wu'an's residence.
Song Ling withdrew the foot she was about to step out and stared at the cautious person not far away.
Shi Yu's medical skills are good, but his martial arts are not good enough. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been injured by Chu Yan so easily.
Just like now, as long as Song Ling doesn't speak or make any moves, he naturally won't notice anything.
Why would a physician like him have any dealings with Marquis Wu'an? He was once from Huailai, so what is his purpose now?
Song Ling had to think it over carefully, and used her light-footed skill to follow.
Until he saw him mysteriously meeting a man in a white robe at a street corner.
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