1123 At the highest, I will find Zhezhe
Feng Qingchen's wish to have dinner with Sun Sixing was dashed, so he had to go to eat alone. As soon as he arrived at the dining room, the housekeeper came to report that the Ninth Prince had arrived.
Feng Qingchen immediately stood up to greet him, and when she saw the Ninth Prince, she smiled naturally.
“I’m back.”
It was a simple sentence, yet it was full of intimacy and naturalness, as if the Ninth Prince should return to the Feng Mansion.
Because of Feng Qingchen's words, the Ninth Prince's cold face showed a smile: "Well, I'm back."
This should be how ordinary couples are, the Ninth Prince thought.
He casually took the handkerchief handed to him by the servant, wiped the dust and sweat off his face, and handed it to Feng Qingchen. This action was extremely familiar, as if he had done it a thousand times.
But when Feng Qingchen caught the handkerchief, the Ninth Uncle's expression immediately changed. He stared at Feng Qingchen's neck and asked, "What's wrong with your neck?"
"Ah..." Feng Qingchen pressed it instinctively, then smiled and said, "It's just a minor injury, it's nothing serious."
Why is everyone staring at her neck? Really. If Uncle Nine hadn't mentioned it, she would have almost forgotten the injury on her neck.
"The wound is on the neck, how can it be a minor injury? Let me take a look." The Ninth Prince untied the bandage on Feng Qingchen's neck without saying a word. Seeing the thin but deep cut, the Ninth Prince's face became even uglier.
"This is considered a minor injury. It almost cost you your life." Indeed, if Doudou's hand had not been crooked by an inch, Feng Qingchen would have definitely died.
"It's okay. Don't take off my bandage. The wound is on my neck and it's difficult to bandage." Feng Qingchen slapped away the Ninth Prince's hand and stuck the bandage on.
Seeing the Ninth Prince standing there sulking, Feng Qingchen comforted him kindly, "It's really okay. It only bleeds a little bit. It doesn't hurt now, and it doesn't affect your meal."
It's much better than last time. Last time, she was ambushed by someone from the Cui family, who stabbed her in the neck and injured her esophagus.
"Who could do it? Where is the murderer?" If we don't care about the injuries, we can at least care about the person who did it, right? The Ninth Prince asked gloomily.
"Well...how about we talk about it after dinner?" Talking about such a serious topic before a meal can easily cause indigestion.
The Ninth Prince looked at Feng Qingchen steadily without saying anything. Feng Qingchen felt uneasy being looked at, and didn't know whether she should speak first. Just when Feng Qingchen couldn't stand the pressure from the Ninth Prince and was about to speak, the Ninth Prince let her go.
"Let's eat first."
These three words were like a magic spell. The servants who had been standing still immediately moved and served the meal at an unprecedented speed. In the blink of an eye, the people disappeared.
Sweat... The Ninth Prince is indeed domineering. When the servants of the Feng Mansion see him, they are like mice seeing a cat. If the Ninth Prince comes to the Feng Mansion more often, the servants of the Feng Mansion will definitely do their jobs more attentively.
Don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping. Although Feng Qingchen often doesn't follow this rule, she will follow it obediently when eating with the Ninth Prince.
There was no way. Facing the Ninth Prince’s face, which was so serious about eating, she really didn’t know how to start.
After finishing dinner, the two moved to the flower hall, where the servants had already prepared tea.
Drinking tea after meals is not a good habit, as it can easily lead to indigestion. Feng Qingchen has never liked drinking tea, but the Ninth Prince is different. He must drink a cup of tea after meals. Feng Qingchen has also advised him against it, but the Ninth Prince said nothing. He just glanced at Feng Qingchen and continued to do the same.
Seeing that the Ninth Uncle had finished his cup of tea, Feng Qingchen obediently told him what happened last night, emphasizing that it was Doudou's fault that Zhezhe was missing.
She also told them about her request for help from Yun Xiao and Wang Jinling.
The Ninth Prince went into the palace and did not come back for a whole day. The best time to look for him was within twelve hours after his disappearance, so she could not waste time.
"Idiot." The Ninth Prince only said two words after hearing what he said. Feng Qingchen was choked and didn't dare to speak for a long time, although she really wanted to know who was the idiot.
Zhezhe is missing, and Feng Qingchen has an unshirkable responsibility. Plus, she has to trouble the Ninth Prince to find someone, so she is not so confident and can only step forward and admit her mistake.
The Ninth Prince did not interrupt her. After Feng Qingchen made a profound self-examination, the Ninth Prince finally showed mercy and let her go: "Don't worry about Zhezhe. I will find Zhezhe back."
"How do you look for him? Is the city closed?" The Yun family searched the city for a whole day but couldn't find any news about Zhezhe. Feng Qingchen suspected that Zhezhe had already left the city.
With Zhezhe's ability and intelligence, it would be very easy for him to leave the city without being noticed.
The Ninth Prince shook his head and said, "A day and a night have passed. Zhezhe is definitely not in the Imperial City. We must go out of the city to look for him. Zhezhe is the young master of the Demon Cult. He was lost in the Dongling Imperial City. Dongling has an unshirkable responsibility. I will ask for permission to go out and look for Young Master Zhezhe."
For the Ninth Prince, Zhezhe is definitely a lucky star. Because of Zhezhe's arrival, he found out the location of the Demon Cult. Now because of Zhezhe's disappearance, he can leave the city openly.
The emperor would be happy to give him the thankless task of finding Zhezhe. If he fails to find him, he will bear all the responsibility. If he finds him, the demon cult will not thank him because the person was lost in their hands.
"You are leaving the imperial city again, what do you want to do?" Feng Qingchen would never believe that the Ninth Prince was looking for Zhezhe.
The Ninth Prince did not answer, but asked: "Do you know that Xiling Tianlei has rebelled?"
"I know. Jin Ling told me."
Wang Jinling is really nosy. The Ninth Prince cursed inwardly, but did not show it on his face. He just said: "Since you know about this, you should understand the attitudes of the four countries. Xiling let it go, Beiling did not want to fight, Nanling and Dongling could not swallow their anger and prepared to send troops to kill Xiling Tianlei."
The Ninth Prince simply stated the results of today's discussion.
"Dongling is going to send troops?" Feng Qingchen asked in surprise.
The Ninth Prince nodded and said, "We must fight this battle. If we don't, Xiling will think that Dongling and Nanling are bullying us. Dongling and Nanling will take Xiling Tianlei's head."
Beiling does not want to fight a war without benefits, while Dongling and Nanling must fight this war for the sake of their own prestige. Besides, it is not completely without benefits. At least the 300,000 people in Xiling Tianlei's hands are very good laborers.
"Jin Ling said before that this battle might not be fought. The land occupied by Xiling Tianlei is full of miasma, and the soldiers can't get close at all." Feng Qingchen thought that this kind of battle where killing one thousand enemies would result in eight hundred casualties would not be fought, but unexpectedly...
The Ninth Prince smiled evilly and said, "Originally this war could not have started, but I am determined to fight it."
"You? Why?" Feng Qingchen couldn't figure out what benefits the Ninth Prince could get from this war.
"Xiling Tianlei must die." This reason is enough.
As long as Xiling Tianlei is not dead, the political situation in Xiling will never be stable, and Tianyu will never have a chance to come forward. The most important thing is that he has not forgotten how Xiling Tianlei humiliated Feng Qingchen in the past. He would not be worthy of being a man if he does not avenge this.
"Even if we want to kill Xiling Tianlei, we must fight. The miasma forest is not an easy place to fight. This war will cost a lot of money and manpower, and there will be countless casualties." Feng Qingchen muttered to himself.
Feng Qingchen knew that war was necessary, but she really didn't like fighting. War meant casualties, and a large number of people would die on the battlefield, and a group of people would become disabled because of the war.
War would tear many families apart and leave people homeless, but she had no ability to stop those in power from starting wars.
If possible, the Ninth Prince did not want to fight. No matter which country the soldiers were from, to him, the dead were all citizens of the Kyushu Continent, but...
"We have to fight this battle to kill Xiling Tianlei. Xiling Tianlei has 300,000 people protecting him. No one can get close to him. If we want to kill him, we have to get rid of the bargaining chip in his hand."
With soldiers and power, plus a father who is the emperor, Xiling Tianlei may turn things around at any time. For both public and private reasons, the Ninth Prince will not allow Xiling Tianlei to live.
"The 300,000 people under Xiling Tianlei's command is not too many, but not too few either. If he can survive in the miasma forest, he will be a scourge after all. It will be beneficial to me to get rid of him as soon as possible."
The most important thing is, as long as he incites Dongling and Nanling to contribute, he can eliminate a powerful enemy without having to put in any effort himself. Why not do it?
If you don't cut the grass at its roots, it will grow again when the spring breeze blows. Xiling Tianlei is like a time bomb. He has soldiers and men at his disposal, as well as the Emperor of Xiling who secretly supports him. If he is not dead, he will stir up trouble at any time and stab the Ninth Uncle or Dongling and Nanling in the back.
Feng Qingchen understood the Ninth Prince's intention. She also wanted Xiling Tianlei to die. If Dongling and Nanling sent troops to eliminate the soldiers around Xiling Tianlei, it would also be a good opportunity for her.
Feng Qingchen suppressed the sadness brought by the war and asked, "Who is the commander in chief on Dongling's side?"
Since the Ninth Prince is going out of the city to find Zhezhe, he will definitely not be the one leading the troops.
Having said that, even if the Ninth Prince Uncle didn't go find Zhezhe, the Emperor would not let the Ninth Prince Uncle get involved in military power. The Ninth Prince Uncle is already very powerful, and if he holds military power again, the Emperor should just resign and give the throne to the Ninth Prince Uncle.
"Ziluo." After the Ninth Prince finished speaking, he added: "This king recommended him."
"Prince Luo? Can he lead troops?" As far as she knew, Prince Luo had probably never been to the battlefield before. This time in the Miasma Forest, he would most likely be defeated.
"It doesn't matter if he can't fight, as long as he has useful people under his command." As a prince, he only needs to know how to use people. Going to the war is just adding weight to himself.
"That's true. Anyway, as long as we win the battle, it will be King Luo's achievement. No matter who is in command." Feng Qingchen was used to the matter of snatching military merits.
No matter in which era, the battlefield is an excellent opportunity to make money. The descendants of those generals can be promoted as long as they go to the battlefield, even if they sleep in the tent.
"You are right. We will not lose this battle. Prince Luo needs this military achievement. The supporters behind him will help Dongling Ziluo win this war at all costs." It was for this reason that the Ninth Uncle spared no effort to recommend Prince Luo to go to war...