Upon hearing this, the Northern Zhou envoy's heart skipped a beat: "What is the princess going to Northern Zhou for?"
Shang Shaoyan seemed to be in a bad mood. He waved his hand and said dejectedly, "What can I do? It's all His Majesty's fault... Never mind, it's not a big deal. I'll be going now."
Upon seeing this, the Northern Zhou envoy grew even more curious, and at the same time, a chill ran down his spine—it seemed the Emperor Chen was about to make a move. Who didn't know that the Northwest Merchant Army was a ferocious force? And this Princess of Heyang happened to be of Shang blood…
In an instant, the Northern Zhou envoy's mind was filled with all sorts of conspiracy theories, feeling that the Southern Chen dynasty was about to rise to power.
He quickly called out to Shang Shaoyan, "Princess, I remember now, you must be the lady that the Seventh Young Master admires! My name is Cheng Qing, and I am the Seventh Young Master's cousin."
Shang Shaoyan's lips curled slightly, then he turned around, his face full of surprise: "Qilang mentioned me to you? I knew it, he... he has feelings for me."
Cheng Qing smiled and said, "Seventh Young Master naturally has feelings for the County Princess... How about we talk as we walk?"
Shang Shaoyan naturally agreed.
The two walked towards the palace gates, exchanging a few casual words before Cheng Qing tentatively asked, "I see that the county princess seems to have something on her mind. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Upon hearing this, Shang Shaoyan's eyes dimmed considerably. She glanced at Cheng Qing several times before sighing dejectedly, "Since you are Qilang's cousin, there's nothing I can't say... His Majesty intends to make me a concubine. I've been living in constant fear since I learned of this. I want to stay with Qilang! So, I came up with a plan to go to the Northwest to avoid this. Maybe things will be better once His Majesty's interest has subsided."
With a few words, Shang Shaoyan reversed the order of events, immediately placing herself in the position of the victim; she didn't expect Cheng Qing, who was clearly smarter than Qiao Xiuyu, to show any pity, she just wanted to get this Northern Zhou envoy...
"I think His Majesty clearly wants the Shang army..." Shang Shaoyan muttered softly, pretending that Cheng Qing couldn't hear him.
Cheng Qing's heart skipped a beat. While pretending to comfort Shang Shaoyan, her mind raced as she pondered—the reason why Northern Zhou had been holding back from Southern Chen was precisely because they were wary of Shang Jiajun. Judging from He Yang's words, it seemed that the Tiger Tally was in her hands.
Hey, Princess Heyang is completely in love with the prince of Northern Zhou. It looks like she's deeply in love. If Princess Heyang could bring the tiger tally that commands the Shang army to Northern Zhou as her dowry, then their unification of the world would be just around the corner!
Thinking this, Cheng Qing perked up and, believing he had subtly probed, asked, "Why does the county princess want to go to the northwest? Is it because the Shang army is there, and His Majesty can't easily make a move?"
Shang Shaoyan pursed his lips, his tone not very good: "How can I ask Shang Jun for protection? I only have half of the Tiger Tally, the other half is with His Majesty. The Northwest is far from Shengjing, but I can only hide for a year or two at most, no more than that."
As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she looked incredibly aggrieved: "If all else fails, I'll abandon everything in Southern Chen and go to Northern Zhou. I have to find a way to stay with Qilang for the rest of my life."
She paused, then recited with profound sorrow: "Until the mountains crumble, the rivers run dry, winter thunder roars, summer snow falls, and heaven and earth unite, only then will I part from you..."
After reading it aloud, Shang Shaoyan said: "Ugh."
Seeing this, Cheng Qing pretended to be moved by Shang Shaoyan's deep affection, pinched her waist hard, and then her eyes reddened: "I am deeply moved by the county princess's deep affection for the seventh young master!"
He seemed to struggle for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said solemnly, "Princess, I will find a way to get the other half of the Tiger Tally to His Majesty. You should go to the Northwest to hide. It's always better to have the Tiger Tally than to have nothing at all. If, if His Majesty insists on going his own way, you can just go to Northern Zhou to find the Seventh Prince!"
Shang Shaoyan was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed with delight, "You're going to help me escape to the Northwest?"
Her eyes reddened again, seemingly moved by Cheng Qing's righteous act: "Heyang thanks Lord Cheng very much!"
Cheng Qing naturally offered another round of comforting words, and when they reached the palace gate, the two parted ways.
Cheng, a fantasistant merchant, defected to the Northern Zhou Dynasty: "Princess, please take care."
Shang, having obtained the Tiger Tally and filled out a guarantee, said seldom, "Lord Cheng, please take care."
The two exchanged a smile, both quite satisfied, and the air was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.
...
After returning to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Shang Shaoyan went straight to the training ground and threw a huge tantrum, smashing more than a dozen wooden training posts. Lin Jing and Shang Yunlan, who had come over after hearing the commotion, were terrified.
With a dark expression, Shang Shaoyan threw the third broken broadsword on the ground and sneered, "Damn it, Lu Zhi is going to die!"
Lu Zhi is Emperor Chen's name. Shang Yunlan's eyelids twitched. She glanced at Lin Jing out of the corner of her eye and saw that the latter looked somewhat blank. She immediately felt relieved. Fortunately, Lin Jing didn't know that Emperor Chen was called Lu Zhi. An'an hadn't been exposed...
"You dare call me a concubine? Bah, call me your mother's concubine!" Shang Shaoyan cursed as she picked up a brand-new broadsword. "I'll cripple you, you idiot, sooner or later!"
Shang Yunlan: "..."
Okay, it's completely exposed.
Seeing Lin Jing's expression change drastically, he felt a sense of despair—damn it, what if Lin Jing complains? He dared not touch this doctor who held his life in her hands!
After Shang Shaoyan finished venting his anger, he looked at Lin Jing with a very unpleasant expression, which made Shang Yunlan feel uneasy.
Could Shang Shaoyan be planning to kill someone to cover his tracks?!
He thought for a moment, then cautiously began, "Um, An'an..."
"Lin Wuchen." Shang Shaoyan looked at him coldly, "Someone wants to take your white moonlight's daughter as a concubine. You don't want to stop me from taking revenge, do you?"
Shang Yunlan: "...?"
Lin Jing frowned, her face grim: "Emperor Chen?"
Shang Shaoyan forced a smile: "Yeah, you're scared? Going to tell on me?"
Lin Jing's eyes widened slightly, her anger reaching its peak: "Emperor Chen dares?!"
Shang Shaoyan nimbly jumped off the training platform and snorted coldly: "Why wouldn't he dare? Ha, men."
Shang Yunlan snapped out of her daze and looked at the two of them with some confusion: "White what? What moonlight?"
Shang Shaoyan waved his hand impatiently: "Mind your own business."
Shang Yunlan and Lin Jing: "..."
Then she stormed off, still cursing under her breath.
Shang Yunlan turned to Lin Jing, her face still showing the confusion from before: "You know my parents?"
Lin Jing remained silent for a moment before lowering her eyes and smiling bitterly: "To be precise, I know your mother."
Shang Yunlan was still somewhat confused. In a moment of impulsiveness, he asked, "Are you my mother's godson?"
Lin Jing: "..."
He twitched his lips, somewhat speechless: "I'm almost thirty-six this year. Without me, how would your cousin have come to be?"
That's true. He cured the Cheng family's infertility back then. Without him, there really wouldn't be Yan Xuening.
To everyone's surprise, Shang Yunlan was still in a daze. Upon hearing this, he was shocked: "You're my cousin's biological father?!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
