Chapter 697: Meeting
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Luo Ningcha’s tears fell like pear blossoms blooming in the rain. She hadn’t cried this hard even when Big Head G.o.d had died.
Gu Shenwei did not want to meet this woman but she had preemptively delivered a message to him through her maid, saying that if she couldn’t meet the Dragon King in her tent then she would walk through the camp openly to see him.
Gu Shenwei went to visit her together with Counselor Fang, Long Fanyun, and Nie Zeng.
When they arrived, the screen in the tent had already been moved to the side, and Luo Ningcha could be plainly seen bent over a table, wailing. The visitors stood awkwardly for a while before she slightly looked up and said, “Tell me, how did he die?”
Fang Wens.h.i.+’s heart jolted, thinking that this was indeed the legendary fairy fox. ‘That woman’ of Jade City indeed deserved her reputation. He coughed and answered for the Dragon King. “King Riyao was shot dead by his own soldiers…”
Luo Ningcha stopped crying and was surprised to find that the Dragon King had brought three other men with him. “Who are you?”
“Me? I’m the counselor of the Dragon King, surnamed Fan…”
“I don’t care if your surname is Fang (square) or Yuan (round). Who let you in?”
Fang Wens.h.i.+ was caught off guard and became slightly fl.u.s.tered. So the rumors of ‘that woman’s’ temperament were also well-deserved. “I… The Dragon King…”
“Out!”
“He’s my counselor and he’s the captain of my guard. They may stay,” Gu Shenwei said. He knew how to deal with Luo Ningcha.
Luo Ningcha’s eyes, which were already big, widened even further. Although they were a bit red and swollen, that didn’t affect her enchanting charm at all. Fang Wens.h.i.+ bowed his head and no longer dared to continue looking at her. Deep in his heart, he kept telling himself to restrain his desire.
Luo Ningcha’s mien suddenly changed into a radiant smiled as if the person previously weeping her heart out was someone else. “All right, since the Dragon King trusts them, then I’ll also trust them. Dragon King, do you still remember? That one night…”
Fang Wens.h.i.+ coughed several times and said, “Dragon King, King Riying, Shulitu, is coming soon. I should go and prepare.”
As soon as Gu Shenwei nodded, the counselor left in a flurry. Long Fanyun also left with him without a word. Nie Zeng hesitated a bit before also following them out.
“What, are you afraid to be alone with me?” gloated Luo Ningcha triumphantly. This little victory was enough for her to forget the sadness of Tuosai’s death.
“Your backer is dead so your best strategy right now is to get to the point.”
“Humph, you are teaching me nonsense again. It’s all your fault that I’m in this miserable position.” Luo Ningcha stared into Gu Shenwei’s eyes and asked, “Tell me the truth. Did you know that Duosai wouldn’t last for long?”
“I think you knew it too. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have kept your distance from him.”
Luo Ningcha was slightly stunned and pondered his words for a while with her head tilted, and then chuckled, “You were always a sweet talker. It’s not that I knew it, but rather my superior presentiment and intuition avoiding a bad situation. Fortunately, I didn’t offer anything, or else I would have suffered a great loss.”
“You are always smart.”
“Humph, do you think I can’t recognize your sarcasm?” Luo Ningcha obviously didn’t care about his sarcastic tone at all. She suddenly softened her tone and said in a very gentle voice, “I know what’s on your mind. You don’t want another man to touch me so you ordered the a.s.sa.s.sination of Tuosai. Don’t try to hide it because I don’t blame you.”
Gu Shenwei was almost in admiration Luo Ningcha by now. She always thought of herself as the center of all attention and quite enjoyed it.
“I did arrange an a.s.sa.s.sination but the one who shot Tuosai to death in the camp of the Court Attendants Army was someone else, perhaps just a guard who was dissatisfied with the lord.”
Luo Ningcha still didn’t believe it but stopped asking about it. “Whatever. Either way, Tuosai is dead. What about his army? That’s over 10,000 people.”
“That’s a familial affair of King Riyao’s. Tuosai’s brothers can inherit it but not you or me.”
Luo Ningcha’s eyes gleamed eagerly. “There’s always a way. You know that, as long as it’s necessary, and as long as you say it, I’ll do anything for you.”
Gu Shenwei believed that Luo Ningcha was this kind of person, so he was even more unwilling to get her involved in important matters. “Not for now. I’ll certainly ask when necessary.”
Luo Ningcha stood up and walked a few steps closer to whisper, “You don’t believe me?”
“I believe you.”
“Do not lie to me. I’m not a fool. I know what’s true and what’s false. You are afraid that I’ll abandon you or even become your enemy when I become powerful, right?”
“I don’t think that I need to be afraid of that.” Gu Shenwei was not afraid of that scenario because this woman would never weild great power.
Luo Ningcha would become very stubborn once she settled on an viewpoint. She saw every word of the Dragon King as perfunctory so she decided to throw out her trump card. “Let me tell you a secret, and then you’ll know that I won’t betray you.”
“Oh?” Gu Shenwei was especially interested in secrets.
Luo Ningcha took two more steps forward, almost smiled but immediately held back, and put on a serious look. “This child is yours.”
Gu Shenwei thought that it was a waste of time and even didn’t bother to argue about her claim. He turned around and walked towards the exit.
Luo Ningcha didn’t expect the Dragon King to react this way, so she hastily said, “I lied to you at Jade City. Cheng’er is actually your son. It doesn’t matter if you don’t care about me, but you should care about him.”
“You really would do anything,” said Gu Shenwei at the doorway.
“Go ask Shangguan Ru. That girl always tells you the truth.” Luo Ningcha knew that she had to firmly grasp the Dragon King, who was her only backing in the prairie, at least for a while.
Gu Shenwei strode out of the tent. Fang Wens.h.i.+ and Long Fanyun were waiting outside. Not long after they got on the horses, Gu Shenwei said, “I have to find a way to send all these women away.”
Fang Wens.h.i.+ slapped his thigh and echoed, “Great minds think alike. But the prairie is too chaotic and dangerous right now. We can only wait for now and find a way later.”
“What is the army of King Riyao doing?” This is what Gu Shenwei was the most concerned about. Tuosai’s calvary had all withdrawn from the ruins of the Royal Court. The 13,000 or so people had then gathered near the camp of the Dragon Army and the Second Consort. Their status as ally or enemy was still up in the air at the moment.
“The new king has not been elected yet. Tuosai’s brothers are competing against each other and the generals also hold different opinions. Perhaps it will also fall into disorder just like what happened to the Court Attendants Army.”
“That must be avoided.”
“Hmm, the good news is that they’ve agreed to let the Dragon King enter the camp. I’ve canva.s.sed several important generals out and they seem willing to accept outsiders as a new king as long as he’s a descendant of the Khan.”
Gu Shenwei wasn’t surprised by this. Tuosai’s army was a melting pot that included the remnant troops of the old King Riyao and King Kuari. So there would not be many hindrances if one wanted to integrate it with the forces of a third lord.
The situation in the Royal Court had finally moved in the direction of Gu Shenwei’s expectations and he was no longer a mere spectator.
In the temporary tent provided by the Second Consort, Azheba brought back more news, “It’s going very well. King Riyao’s officers are willing to accept Shulitu as the new king. They are also willing to obey the Dragon King but they want the Dragon King to make a promise that this army will always belong to the Norland and that it will be returned in the same manner once the new Khan is chosen.”
This was also the wish of Azheba and Liman.
The two hundred or so officers who had pledged allegiance to the Dragon King were very useful. They came from various tribes and clans and had friends and acquaintances in almost every army. It was through their network that Azheba was able to meet directly with the ordinary officers of King Riyao’s army and convey the Dragon King’s message.
“I can a.s.sure you of that.” Gu Shenwei knew that he could never be the master of the gra.s.sland. His foundation was in the Western Regions and the Norland was just a strong backer.
“The soldiers of King Riyao’s army are very stable and disciplined. The Dragon King doesn’t have to worry about it.” Azheba had learned from the fiasco at the Court Attendants Army and thoroughly investigated the thoughts of the ordinary hors.e.m.e.n. “They will support the generals’ choice.”
King Riyao’s army was different from the Court Attendants Army. From the ordinary soldiers to the Commander-in-chief, they had all come from a large number of fixed tribes and were bound together by kins.h.i.+p and friends.h.i.+p. So far, there was no clear division among them.
As soon as Azheba left, Liman came in to report the situation in the ruins of the Royal Court. The scuffle in the Court Attendants Army camp had lasted for a whole day but a detailed accounting of the conclusion inside the camp was still unavailable. “The camp was sealed off. Even the 30,000 soldiers stationed outside were not allowed to enter. Several kings and generals were said to have died but King Shengri has been confirmed to have escaped, and Tuershan also seemed to still be alive. In short, the eastern side is in great disorder. Several armies have fortified their camps and will not be looking to fight for the foreseeable future.
“Are there any clues as to the reasons for the rioting in the Court Attendants Army camp?”
“Not much. There seems to be a rumor going around, saying that the Khan’s spirit is not at peace in Heaven and that he wants his head back along with more n.o.bles’ heads to accompany him.”
Gu Shenwei vaguely smelled the presence of the Waning Moon Hall, but looking back on the reaction of King Shengri, he obviously had not known anything about it. Had Lotus already tossed her puppet aside so soon? But King Shengri also happened to have escaped from the camp.
Fang Wens.h.i.+ hurried in and said that the new King Riying Shulitu had arrived. Gu Shenwei could only put aside the doubts in his mind.
Another batch of kings had died. Shulitu’s succession was the smoothest, though that wasn’t because he had no brothers. In fact, he had an elder brother who was three years older than him but his brother’s mother was a lowly female slave. Besides, Fang Wens.h.i.+ had come in time to declare the former King Riying’s last will which played an important role. In the eyes of many generals and officers, Shulitu’s kings.h.i.+p was indisputable.
Shulitu proved himself to be a qualified and obedient puppet. This was the education he had received for nearly two years. He moved his entire army from the east of the Royal Court to the west and set up camp about ten miles from the Dragon Army camp. Then he came to meet the Dragon King with only a few guards.
The meeting took place in the camp of the Second Consort. Shulitu first paid his respects to his great-grandmother as the new king. By doing this, it could help reduce any suspicion and criticism towards the Dragon King, which was hypocritical but very effective.
Gu Shenwei’s first impression of Shulitu was nothing exciting. Nothing stood out except for the mature eyes of the other side.
The Second Consort knew of Shulitu’s existence long ago but this was also her first time seeing him. She behaved very politely and fully showed the kindness and affability of an elder, and then left first with the excuse of not feeling too well.
“You are not only King Riying; soon you’ll acquire the t.i.tles of King Riyao and King Kuari.” Fang Wens.h.i.+ explained the general plan on behalf of the Dragon King, which was one of his tasks as a counselor.
Without speaking much, Shulitu nodded frequently and seemed quite satisfied with his current status.
There was not much thatShulitu needed to know. Fang Wens.h.i.+ soon finished talking, but Gu Shenwei felt he ought to say something so he walked over and began to open his mouth. Just then, the twelve years old boy launched an a.s.sa.s.sination attempt.
It was from that moment that Gu Shenwei understood one thing: This kid wasn’t simple.