Cen Shuning, Cen Shuning. Anyway, you've never been fond of King Xia Jie. I, this marquis, shall borrow your name. You won't mind, right?
Lu Yan murmured to himself. Seeing King Xia Jie's expression soften, he continued, "Mount Yu borders Li Xia. Marquis Wen of Cen has always been at odds with Your Majesty. What if he finds out that there are no garrison troops in Lige City and decides to rebel on the spur of the moment and march westward?"
Qi Shuhuan shot Lu Yan a glare and said, "Ridiculous! Even if Mount Yu wants to march westward, there are still so many towns on the way to Lige City to stop them. Can't they even stop that tiny Mount Yu?"
"Does the Assistant Prime Minister know how many troops Mount Yu has now?" Lu Yan said coldly.
Qi Shuhuan was taken aback.
Lu Yan turned to look at him and pressed on word by word, "Does the Assistant Prime Minister also know how much grain and grass reserves Mount Yu has now? How many able - bodied men? How many horses? How many bows and arrows?"
Qi Shuhuan opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.
Lu Yan's expression softened. Seemingly, Qi Shuhuan's reaction was entirely within his expectation. He then began to explain, "It's normal that the Assistant Prime Minister doesn't know, because I, this marquis, don't know either. Marquis Wen of Cen never participates in the tributes and doesn't provide any territorial statistics to Li Xia. Apart from trade, Mount Yu and Li Xia have almost cut off all other exchanges. Since we know nothing, by what standard does the Assistant Prime Minister judge that Mount Yu won't break through the passes all the way and invade Lige?"
Qi Shuhuan broke out in a cold sweat. "This... this..."
"Stop talking." King Xia Jie interrupted them. He glanced at Lu Yan and said, "Let Li Yanqing still garrison Lige City. My dear minister, I'll give you another ten thousand troops. The Assistant Prime Minister also recommended Xing Zhiyuan, the inspector, to me. It is said that this man is extremely learned. How about making him your military advisor?"
Extremely learned? Damn it. Even Lu Yan, who had been away from Lige for a long time, knew that Xing Zhiyuan was a useless good - for - nothing. Before, Shen Qingfeng even prepared to threaten Xia Yonglin with Xing Zhiyuan's dereliction of duty. How could he be extremely learned in King Xia Jie's eyes? And even become a military advisor?
Did King Xia Jie really believe whatever Qi Shuhuan said?
Lu Yan's face darkened. He bowed and said, "In reply to Your Majesty, I've been in battles for over twenty years, and my subordinates are all battle - hardened. Although Lord Xing is... extremely learned, he has never been on the battlefield. The situation on the battlefield is ever - changing. I'm afraid I won't be able to protect Lord Xing."
King Xia Jie glanced at Lu Yan. He paused for a moment, then slowly tapped the table with his finger and said in a deep voice, "My dear minister, why have you been rejecting me today? Do you think my arrangement is wrong?"
Lu Yan was startled. He quickly knelt on the ground and said, "I wouldn't dare! All I've said comes from the bottom of my heart. Your Majesty, please make a fair judgment."
"Then take Xing Zhiyuan with you." King Xia Jie propped his head with his hand and said, "Since he has no battlefield experience, let him learn. He's just a scholar. I believe my dear minister can protect him."
Lu Yan remained in a bowed position, sweating profusely on his back. Since King Xia Jie had said so, it seemed he couldn't avoid it. Lu Yan gritted his teeth and could only reply, "Yes, I... I obey the order."
King Xia Jie nodded in satisfaction. Then he looked at Qi Shuhuan standing aside and said, "Assistant Prime Minister, is my arrangement good?"
Qi Shuhuan clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty is wise. I'm sure that with the help of Lord Xing, Marquis Dingbei will surely achieve success immediately and defeat those Donghu people."
Damn it. What did this mean? You, bastard, are putting a useless military advisor on me. If I win the battle, will the credit still go to that Xing Zhiyuan?
Lu Yan stared at Qi Shuhuan, grinding his teeth. He forced a smile and said, "Thank you very much, Assistant Prime Minister."
Qi Shuhuan glanced at Lu Yan askance. "Where, where. Marquis Dingbei is really being polite."
King Xia Jie was too lazy to care about the sparks in the eye contact between the two. He continued to say to Qi Shuhuan, "Assistant Prime Minister, before Marquis Dingbei came, what else did you want to tell me?"
Qi Shuhuan clasped his fists and said, "I want to ask Your Majesty to grant a marriage."
King Xia Jie stroked his chin. Seemingly in a good mood, he said, "Coincidentally, Lu Yan is also about to get married. Who are you asking for?"
Qi Shuhuan bowed and said, "My youngest son has been secretly in love with Li Yanqing for a long time. I hope Your Majesty, seeing my dedication over the years, can help my youngest son fulfill his wish!"
-
"Who? He's asking for a marriage for Qi Siyu? And he's in love with Li Yanqing?" Shen Qingfeng suddenly sat up and said angrily, "Qi Shuhuan is really crazy!"
Lu Yan put his arm around Shen Qingfeng, reached out to pour him a cup of tea and handed it to him, saying, "Qi Shuhuan wants Qi Siyu to marry Li Yanqing. His purpose should not be simple. Li Yanqing is a first - rank military general in charge of the military flags. Even the imperial guards are under his jurisdiction. Although he is already on Prince Cheng's side, does Qi Shuhuan want his son to marry him because Li Yanqing has had a conflict with Prince Cheng's faction and needs a marriage alliance to stabilize the situation?"
Shen Qingfeng picked up the teacup and took a sip. Frowning, he said, "It's possible... but I always feel it's not that simple."
"Xu Ruhui didn't find any news about Prince Cheng and Li Yanqing falling out." Lu Yan said, "They even went to the brothel for fun together last night."
Shen Qingfeng couldn't help laughing and said, "Was it again when Xu Ruhui went to the brothel that he saw them?"
Lu Yan also laughed and said, "Most likely. He has been going to the brothel very often recently, two or three times a day. I saw him looking absent - minded yesterday. I don't know what stimulated him."
"Did he fall in love with a girl in the brothel?" Shen Qingfeng asked.
"I don't know. I'm too lazy to care about him. He'll tell me if he wants to." Lu Yan said.
"You're such a senior brother..." Shen Qingfeng shook his head and sighed, "Then in that case, why did Qi Shuhuan suddenly ask for a marriage for Qi Siyu..."
"Qi Siyu is a couple with that young man from the Mo family, right?" Lu Yan asked.
"Yes."
"His Majesty has already agreed to this marriage, and the date is set for the end of this month. Do you think that young man from the Mo family will be so angry that he'll go and kill Li Yanqing? His martial arts skills are not low." Lu Yan said.
Shen Qingfeng shook his head and said, "Killing Li Yanqing is not good for anyone. Although Li Yanqing is on Prince Cheng's side, he is also a rare military talent in Li Xia. Mo Yunchen is a sensible person. He won't kill him."
"Then elope?"
"Yes." Shen Qingfeng nodded affirmatively. After all, in the previous life, Qi Siyu also left the Qi family because he wanted to elope with Mo Yunchen, although the reason was not that he was granted to marry Li Yanqing.
But anyway, Qi Shuhuan's sudden request for a marriage grant also made Shen Qingfeng smell a hint of conspiracy. It's just that he had too little information in hand and couldn't figure it out for the moment.
"Alas, I don't have many sources of information. Otherwise, I should be able to analyze what Qi Shuhuan wants to do." Shen Qingfeng sighed.
Lu Yan hugged his waist and buried his head in his neck, rubbing for a while. He said, "How's that Wind - Listening Pavilion of yours being set up?"
Shen Qingfeng said, "Yu Shuang is helping to set it up. It will still take some time for it to fully operate."