Chapter 245 The Golden Box Alliance
"A token?" Mu Xi still carried the imperial seal of Prince Jin Fang, but...
After thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and took off the half-moon gold lock from his neck, handing it to Peng Hai: "Let them pass this in; General Tu will recognize it."
Peng Hai dared not delay, and with both hands he took the bag and followed the guards to the central camp.
In less than a quarter of an hour, an exceptionally tall and robust old man followed Peng Hai out to greet them, without any personal guards.
The old man had white hair and beard, but was broad-shouldered and burly. He wore a worn-out suit of chainmail, yet walked with the imposing gait of a dragon and the stride of a tiger, like a moving mountain. His sculpted, resolute face was framed by piercing eyes that instantly locked onto Mu Xi.
He looked Mu Xi up and down from a distance, his expression a mixture of surprise and doubt.
Upon reaching him, he presented Mu Xi's crescent-shaped golden lock with trembling hands: "The Golden Box Alliance, the Golden Box Alliance, young master, could it be... could it be..."
Mu Xi was unsure whether the old man had misunderstood her identity, but this was clearly not the place to talk. She grabbed the half-moon gold lock back and said slowly, "Is this General Tu? Since you recognize this item, General, may we speak in private?"
"Ah...yes...yes...Young Master, please come in..." Tu Feng, still excited, finally came to his senses and personally led Mu Xi and her party to the center of the camp and into the main camp.
As Mu Xi entered the main tent, she was immediately enveloped in warmth.
Tu Feng, still in a state of emotional turmoil, stared at Mu Xi, unsure of what to do.
Mu Xi turned around and glanced at the several people following behind him: "General, could you please dismiss the others so that it's just the two of us talking privately?"
Tu Feng, though old, was still vigorous and strong, and was not worried that Mu Xi, who was of frail build, could easily dismiss the crowd with a wave of her hand.
Mu Xi also signaled Liang Shuo and Peng Hai, who were following behind him, to temporarily retreat outside the tent.
After everyone had left, Tu Feng did not offer them a seat, but cautiously asked, "Since you have this golden box in your possession, young master, you must know what is inside. Could you please open it so that I may have a look and ultimately prove your identity?"
Mu Xi didn't stand on ceremony: "Since the old general recognizes that this half-moon golden lock is the golden box from back then, he should also know that there are two golden boxes, and they can only be opened when they are put together."
"This..." Tu Feng remained expressionless; his words just now were indeed a deliberate test.
Mu Xi went even further: "It's understandable that the old general would try to test me out of caution, but when the old general saw this half-moon golden lock just now, he was surprised and uncertain, wondering who I was?"
Tu Feng was never sure, but as someone who had led troops for many years, and who understood the art of war, he didn't give a quick answer.
Mu Xi's heart sank. Didn't this prove that Tu Feng had never seen Mu Xun before?
But having come this far, there was no point in beating around the bush, so he sighed and said, "Alas, the old general just mentioned the 'Golden Box Alliance,' and I am Mu Zhen's daughter, Mu Xi, the heir of the Golden Chamber, who is part of this 'Golden Box Alliance.' If the general is still not convinced, I also have the seal of the heir of the Golden Chamber on my person, which can prove my identity."
As he spoke, Mu Xi put the half-moon gold lock back around his neck and took out the prince's gold seal from his bosom.
Tu Feng glanced at the golden seal, then took a deep breath and looked Mu Xi up and down again: "Young Master Mu...you are Miss Mu...then you are the Prince's..."
Mu Xi knew that Tu Feng wanted to say that she was the princess betrothed to the prince, but before he could finish, she interrupted him, saying, "Judging from the old general's expression, you have not yet met the prince? If so, how can you start a rebellion under the banner of the prince?"
"Ah? Prince?" Tu Feng was taken aback, then understood Mu Xi's question. "This humble general has never met the prince. The timing of the uprising is naturally arranged by Prime Minister Shen. Shouldn't the prince be with Prime Minister Shen as well? Why has Miss Mu come here?"
Mu Xi took a moment to process what Tu Feng meant when he said "Prime Minister Shen".
Shin Lun's father, Shin Mo, was originally the former Chancellor of Yeon. It is estimated that after Shin Mo's death, Shin Lun also inherited Shin Mo's position as Chancellor among the former Yeon officials.
This makes things a bit tricky...
Mu Xi carefully chose her words, speaking half-truthfully and half-liefully: "To tell you the truth, General Tu, ever since we parted ways at Yanshan, Wangsun and I have been separated for some reason, and we have lost touch with each other. Despite my inquiries, there has been no news. The reason I have risked coming north to find you is precisely to search for Wangsun... and my uncle's whereabouts."
Tu Feng had obviously heard about the matter of Prince Jin Fang marrying into Princess Qingyang's family: "Alas, regarding Miss Mu's previous affairs... I fear that if you stay in the East Sea for too long, you will be out of touch with the news, just like me. Prime Minister Shen has always been meticulous in his actions, appearing and disappearing like a dragon. In this chaotic situation, Prime Minister Shen will definitely keep the prince's whereabouts a secret and will not easily let others know. I'm afraid this is for the sake of safety. Miss, you don't need to worry too much. The young master will surely be well."
"What the general says is very true. Uncle is very insightful." Mu Xi followed up on the conversation, but her heart was filled with even more worry. It seemed that Tu Feng still listened to Shen Lun and trusted him completely.
Then she really couldn't say anything more.
After all, Shen Lun had never had any problem in restoring the former Yan Kingdom and clearing its name.
Unfortunately, despite finally finding Han Haijun, they couldn't get any information about Mu Xun.
Mu Xi suddenly remembered Liu Yang, whom she had encountered the other day: "Did the old general encounter General Yingyang, who was under Lord Xuanyou's command, the other day?"
"Oh? Miss Mu also knows this person? I've been dealing with him and his son for many years. Last time we met, he just made a quick bluff and passed by, so I didn't pursue him." Tu Feng seemed to enjoy talking about his opponent.
Upon hearing this answer, Mu Xi had a plan in mind: "Now the Northern Region is in a state of war and danger, and that scoundrel Liu Yang is rampant. General Tu has not been able to leave the Northern Border since he started his uprising. He is probably being held back by that scoundrel king. I wonder if the old general has any good ideas to deal with him?"
Upon hearing this, Tu Feng's eyes instantly blazed with fierce flames, and his booming voice carried a chilling killing intent: "Hmph, Liu Yang is a brat who relies on a few martial arts skills and is extremely cunning, but he has no talent as a general. If we want to capture him, we will probably have to deal with him for a long time and lose soldiers and generals, which would be a loss. It would be better to wait until we meet him on the battlefield one day and kill him on the spot. That is the right way."
Judging from these words, it seems that they don't want to waste their time on Liu Yang, but they probably think that Liu Yang is cunning and there's nothing they can do about him.
Even though Mu Xi only caught a glimpse of Liu Yang a few days ago, and nearly three years have passed, her hatred still lingers.
Unfortunately, she only had two thousand East Sea cavalry, which was not enough to contend with them. The Han Navy, on the other hand, was different. After twenty years of recuperation and quiet growth, it had more than 100,000 men.
Now that we can't find Mu Xun, but have encountered Liu Yang again, wouldn't it be best to take advantage of the situation to get rid of this guy?
Mu Xi immediately cupped his hands and said, "What the old general says is certainly reasonable, but if I have a clever plan that can help the old general capture this villain and eliminate a major threat in advance, would the old general be willing to act according to the plan?"
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