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Kapitel 21

"Your Majesty, Minister Gu is absolutely right. We are now facing not just Wangyue, but very likely Wangyue, Tianqing, and Hanxing, the three neighboring countries. If it were only Wangyue, I would certainly lead my troops to attack Wangyue directly and catch them off guard. But if the three countries join forces, we cannot afford to make the first move; we can only defend and not attack." Mu Qinglin stepped to my side and bowed as he replied.

The hint of resentment in the fox's eyes was so obvious yet fleeting, before his eyes returned to their deep, unfathomable depths. Yes, how could he be willing to accept this? As Mu Qinglin said, the situation was clear: if the centuries-old legacy of the Longyao Kingdom were truly to be destroyed in the fox's hands, then all his more than twenty years of painstaking effort would ultimately amount to nothing more than the title of a fallen monarch. How would the fox then feel?

I looked up at everyone; their faces were all grave, their heads slightly bowed, and no one spoke. Four of them were not only young, but had also been in office for less than three months. Even a veteran like Gu Wenxiu, who had served three emperors, had no better solution, so how could I expect them to turn the tide? I looked at the fox again. He was still sitting in my chair, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes deep, but he exuded a strong aura of dominance, anger, and killing intent.

"Your Majesty, I have a plan."

"Speak." I could feel the expectant gazes of everyone, not just the fox.

"If Your Majesty deems my plan feasible, please grant me permission to undertake this task." Oh dear, what a wonderful opportunity to travel abroad and experience the life of those strategists during the pre-Qin period! I must seize this chance.

The fox raised its beautiful eyebrows slightly, and said in a soft but authoritative voice, "My dear minister, please tell me your plan first!"

"Your Majesty, as you have said, the alliance treaty from Wangyue Kingdom has not yet reached the rulers of Tianqing and Hanxing. This means that Tianqing and Hanxing have not yet agreed to an alliance with Wangyue Kingdom. I request Your Majesty to quickly draft a formal letter and secretly send it to the rulers of Tianqing and Hanxing. It must be swift. Our letter is also an alliance treaty, and the benefits listed in it must be more attractive than the conditions offered by Wangyue Kingdom. Furthermore, I request Your Majesty to secretly send me to Tianqing Kingdom to persuade its ruler, thus demonstrating our country's sincerity..."

The fox suddenly shouted "No!", abruptly interrupting me as I was speaking.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to finish speaking." I looked at the fox. This emperor, who was always cold and profound in front of his ministers, was so agitated at this moment. Was he worried about my safety on this journey? The corners of my mouth curved slightly, and my eyes were incredibly firm. The fox stared at me, his handsome eyebrows furrowing again.

"Your Majesty, Tianqing and Hanxing have always maintained a close alliance through marriage. Tianqing's national strength surpasses that of Hanxing, and Qizhou is far more difficult to defend than He and Yuzhou. Therefore, Tianqing's attitude is of utmost importance. If we can persuade Tianqing to form an alliance with us, then Hanxing should likely do the same. At that time, Wangyue will be isolated, and the situation will be very different." I finished speaking in a deep voice, and unsurprisingly, I saw everyone's faces filled with admiration and respect. The fox's eyes shone like stars, and his previous anger and resentment had been replaced by surprise and worry.

Sigh, am I really that gifted and exceptionally intelligent? Or is it just that the history I studied and the novels I read before are particularly useful here? But one thing is certain: the analysis of the current world situation in Yunyue's study materials that I read before has truly come in handy now.

"Your plan is brilliant, but I will send someone else to Tianqing Kingdom," the fox said resolutely.

I frowned slightly, mimicking the fox, and insisted, "Your Majesty, I believe there is no one more suitable than me. I understand the significance of this matter and have a better way of persuading the King of Tianqing. I believe that if I go, not only can our country safely overcome this crisis, but we can also take this opportunity to expand our territory and make us stronger."

"Your Majesty, if Prime Minister Yun is to travel to the Azure Kingdom, please allow me to accompany him to ensure his safety." Er Linzi's voice rang out, making my face contort in pain. I wanted nothing more than to pounce on him and slap him twice. What kind of time is this? How can this fox and he be so childish?

"Your Majesty, although I have a good chance of persuading the rulers of Tianqing and Hanxing, to ensure everything goes smoothly, we must prepare for the worst. The three prefectures of Qi, He, and Yu still need to be heavily guarded. At this time, General Mu will definitely stay at the front to command the entire army. Furthermore, to stabilize morale, this matter should not be publicized except to everyone present today. My mission to persuade them and the deployment of troops to reinforce the three prefectures should be carried out in secret. Your Majesty, time is of the essence, and I must depart as soon as possible."

I met the fox's gaze calmly. He stared at me, his eyes filled with contemplation, hesitation, worry, contradiction, and many other messages I couldn't decipher. He pursed his lips, remaining silent, his gaze fixed on me, serious, his brows slightly furrowed. I looked back at him, my eyes filled with an unprecedented resolve.

a long time.

"My beloved ministers, please go out and wait. I have something to say to Prime Minister Yun in private." His expression relaxed slightly, but he seemed to feel helpless as he spoke to the crowd in a deep voice.

For a moment, only the fox and I remained in the Hall of State Affairs. We stared at each other, and my heart suddenly began to race for no reason. The atmosphere felt strange and awkward, as if something was about to be revealed or exposed at any moment.

Just as I was about to say something to break the strange atmosphere, I suddenly saw a figure flash before my eyes. The fox was instantly standing in front of me, reaching out to pull me into his arms. Then, for some reason, his figure swayed a few times and sat back down in the chair. I was sitting sideways on his lap. This position made me feel hot all over. I felt that not only my face, but probably even my toes were red.

I struggled uncomfortably for a few moments, but the fox held me gently yet firmly. I couldn't break free, so I turned my face away. He took the opportunity to bury his head in the crook of my shoulder. After a while, a muffled voice came from there: "It's too dangerous. Don't go."

Oh my god! Although this trip might be somewhat dangerous, we can't just not go because of the potential dangers.

"Brother, believe me, there really is no one more suitable than me. And what I didn't say earlier, I'm not only going to persuade Tianqing and Hanxing to form an alliance with us, but I also have a way to take this opportunity to unite with their two countries and completely eliminate Wangyue." "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Wangyue, when you're using others as luncheon meat, you should also be prepared to be used as luncheon meat yourself."

"Qianqian." The fox suddenly looked up at me, her face serious and earnest like I'd never seen before. "This news came from my informant in Wangyue Kingdom. Remember the black pigeon from yesterday? It takes at least a few days to fly here from Wangyue Kingdom. By then, Wangyue Kingdom's alliance letter might have already reached Tianqing and Hanxing Kingdoms. If we send the letter now, it'll be too late. If you go now, Tianqing and Wangyue might have already formed an alliance. Wouldn't that be like walking into a trap? I won't let you take that risk."

The fox's words touched me. He must have genuinely worried about me and didn't want me to put myself in danger. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have been happy to help me volunteer to go to the Azure Kingdom to persuade them? Thinking of this, my heart warmed, and I looked at the fox with even greater determination: "It would be even better if we were already allied. Victory is found in danger, and this is exactly the kind of opportunity I've been waiting for."

Compared to persuading Ye Cang and Xiu Ruo to aid Long Yao, a secret mission to Tian Qing to convince Han Xing and Wang Yue to form a feigned alliance, while actually joining forces with Long Yao, and then defecting before the war to attack Wang Yue, would have a much higher chance of success. After all, given the situation of the six kingdoms, from their perspective, Ye Cang and Xiu Ruo are more likely to participate in the war and fight against Long Yao than to aid him. As for Tian Qing and Ye Cang, I smile; I think the success rate of persuading those two kingdoms is much higher than persuading Ye Cang and Xiu Ruo.

A sharp glint flashed in the fox's eyes, and in an instant, he looked at me with knowing admiration. I knew that in that instant, he understood all my plans.

Before he could speak, I continued, "Brother, you don't need to worry about my safety. I have my own ways to protect myself and I'm confident I can help Longyao Kingdom overcome this crisis. Brother, at this point, you have no other choice, do you? Do you really want to watch thousands of people of Longyao Kingdom die under the hooves of invaders and become slaves of a conquered nation?"

“Qianqian,” the fox sighed softly, gently stroking my cheek, “this is a matter of great importance; how can you convince someone with just a few words?”

I slapped the fox's hand away and said seriously, "Brother, I'm not trying to persuade them with words, but with real benefits to entice them. So, not only should you immediately draft the alliance agreement and send it to the two kingdoms of Tianqing Hanxing, but you also need to prepare something for me before I set off."

Seeing that the fox was about to refuse again, I had no choice but to use my trump card: "Brother, aren't you worried about my safety on this trip? But if we can't secure an alliance between Tianqing and Hanxing, do you think I'll be safe staying in the capital? Will Longyao Kingdom even have a place to stay then?"

Taking advantage of the fox's deep thought, I slid off its leg and darted back several feet, watching the fox's conflicted and hesitant expression. Ah, so foxes can be this sentimental and indecisive? If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.

After a long while, the fox slowly stood up, its dark, clear eyes fixed on me as if making a vow: "Qianqian, nothing is more important than your life, you know? Get through this ordeal, and no matter where you are, I will bring you back." With that, it solemnly kissed my forehead.

Clouds Drunk and Moon Slightly Sleeping (Revised Edition) Volume One: When We Met, We Were All Joyful on Our Departure

Chapter word count: 3842 Update time: 08-12-20 15:54

travel

I decided to set off for the Azure Kingdom early the next morning.

I asked for sick leave. Fox gave the order that the six ministers would take turns going to Qianzui Residence to report to me while I was recuperating after court each day. Cui'er stayed at Qianzui Residence to take care of me. In this way, apart from Fox, the six ministers, Zhang De, Cui'er, Hong'er, Yun Hui and Yun Yao, everyone thought that I was just sick and recuperating in another courtyard.

Erlinzi prepared a carriage for me that looked ordinary on the outside but was splendid on the inside. Most importantly, it was said that the horses pulling the carriage were not ordinary horses, but could travel a thousand miles a day. However, looking at their unremarkable appearance, they couldn't match the image of a long-legged, long-backed, long-maned, and dashing steed in my mind. Could Erlinzi be secretly resentful that I went to Tianqing Kingdom alone and deliberately brought two useless horses to mess with me? Fox also sent the letter of state to Tianqing and Hanxing Kingdoms in a great hurry. The things I needed have also been prepared for me.

After leaving the government office, I made an excuse to tidy up my things and arrange some family matters and immediately slipped home. I automatically ignored the faces of Fox and Erlinzi who were about to go crazy. Then, I humbly accepted the endless admonitions and boundless respect and admiration from an old man with a white beard and four young men. Their expressions made it seem as if I were a great hero who stood tall and unparalleled throughout history, or as if I were a brave warrior who would never return. They all held my hands and wouldn't let go. If there were cameras in this era, they would definitely take a few pictures with me and ask me to sign the back of the photos.

I rolled my eyes inwardly, but my face remained extremely sincere and humble. Sigh, it's just going abroad to lobby. When our ancestors in the pre-Qin period did this, if they succeeded, they returned home in glory; if they failed, they slunk back home and endured hardship and humiliation. I really don't understand why these four young men and old men are making it sound like I'm going to sacrifice myself for my country.

It was noon when I returned to the Yun residence. I packed my things quickly, mainly asking Cui'er to pack a few changes of clothes and some money. In the evening, I took Cui'er, Hong'er, Yunhui, and Yunyao and prepared to head to Qianzui Residence.

The people in the Yun residence simply assumed I wanted to stay at my villa again and didn't suspect anything. I only reported my whereabouts to Zhang De, telling him I was going on a long trip to handle a secret mission for Long Huli, and would be back in a month or two. Because it was a secret mission, I would announce to the outside world that I was sick and recuperating at the villa. I also instructed him to cover for me if Yun Feng asked, so as not to worry him. As for old man Yun, I doubt he'd even think of me by the time I returned from Tianqing Kingdom. I don't care, humph. With Zhang De covering for me at the Yun residence, there shouldn't be any problems there.

Now all I need to do is get a good night's sleep at my little retreat before my long journey, and maybe even say goodbye to all that gold and jewels. Ah, if only Fatty were here, I could entrust those priceless treasures to him for safekeeping, and I could rest easy.

Well, actually, it was also to say goodbye to Fox and Linzi. I made an excuse to pack my things this morning and shook them off. If I don't see them tonight, they'll definitely go crazy. Besides, I'll be gone for at least two months, so it's only right that I say goodbye properly. We're brothers, it's only right.

When I arrived at Qianzuiju, I found Fox and Fly already there, having prepared a table of fine wine and food for me. Resigned, I sat down at the table. Fox sat to my left, and Erlinzi to my right. Less than two minutes into the meal, I couldn't help but want to explode! Well, it wasn't that I wanted to be angry, but those two were just too much. Fox kept piling food into my bowl, and Erlinzi kept piling food onto my plate. Soon, my bowl and plate were overflowing with all sorts of dishes, forming a small mountain. When Fox and Erlinzi each placed a piece of pigeon meat in front of me, I finally lost my temper. With a loud "bang," I slammed my chopsticks on the table and roared, "Don't you know I hate pigeon meat the most?"

The fox looked aggrieved and said, "You didn't tell me."

Erlinzi's lips twitched a few times as he said sheepishly, "I've never heard you mention it."