"Guo Yunfei of Yuzhou pays respects to His Majesty the Prince of Huai. Long live His Majesty the Prince of Huai."
Guo Yunfei couldn't help but kneel down. Under Ling Qi's gaze, he felt an invisible pressure, a pressure he had never felt even from Li Jun, who strongly advocated for democratization.
"No need for formalities. You are not a subject of my Huai Kingdom, so there is no need for such formalities," Ling Qi said calmly. "I have long admired Mr. Guo's name."
"Your Majesty the Prince of Huai summoned me. What are your orders?" Guo Yunfei stood up as instructed, which surprised Ling Qi. Few people could regain their composure so quickly in front of him.
"Having heard that Mr. Guo has come, I would like to know what Commander Li Jun's purpose is in ordering Mr. Guo to make this trip." Ling Qi went straight to the point without any tact.
"Commander Li sent me here with no ill intentions, merely to learn Your Majesty's strategies for governing the country." Guo Yunfei dared not look Ling Qi in the eye, but his words contained a subtle trick. His visit was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he only informed Li Jun afterward. Under anyone else, this would be considered acting on his own initiative, but under Li Jun, such behavior was permissible.
"I understand now. It turns out that Commander Li also aspires to rule the world."
Ling Qi gave a half-mocking, half-sarcastic smile, as if recalling something. After a moment, he said, "I remember when I first met Commander Li, he said that everyone around him was a friend, not a subordinate. I wonder if Mr. Guo is Commander Li's friend or subordinate?"
The sharp words made Guo Yunfei's heart tremble. Logically speaking, Li Jun and Ling Qi had joined forces to eliminate the Dongming Jiao Jing in the past. At that time, Ling Qi had even used her skillful hands to save Meng Yuan's life. Now, they were facing a formidable enemy like Liu Guang. Ling Qi should not have used such sharp words to ridicule him.
"Whatever Your Majesty thinks, then so be it." Unable to fathom Ling Qi's intentions, Guo Yunfei replied calmly and respectfully.
Ling Qi said calmly, "Mr. Guo probably doesn't know that no sooner had you left Luoying than Gongsun Ming went to Yuzhou. You might as well guess what Gongsun Ming's purpose was in this trip."
Guo Yunfei gasped. Ling Qi not only knew that he was in the Peace Army, but also knew his whereabouts perfectly. It seemed that Ling Qi's intelligence system was far more effective than that of the Peace Army, and Ling Qi had been observing the Peace Army for quite some time.
"Your Majesty is wise; this matter is beyond my knowledge." Guo Yunfei had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but dared not say it aloud.
Ling Qi frowned slightly and said, "If that's the case, then I'll be frank. News from the palace of the Prince of Luoying indicates that Gongsun Ming brought the title of 'Earl Yu' to Li Jun this time."
Guo Yunfei quietly raised his head but did not respond. Ling Qi's eyes were piercing as he said, "I expect Commander Li will accept Liu Guang's goodwill and submit a memorial to Prince Chen to pledge allegiance. If so, I will have no choice but to forget the time when I fought alongside Commander Li and regard him as an enemy. You can imagine the result, Mr. Guo. If you return to Yuzhou, please convey this message to Commander Li Jun for me."
Beads of sweat appeared on Guo Yunfei's forehead. Ling Qi's words were nothing short of a stern warning to the Peace Army. Guo Yunfei suddenly looked up and retorted, "If Your Majesty were in Commander Li's position, what choice would you make?"
Ling Qi stared at Guo Yunfei for a moment, noticing the sweat beading on his forehead, and then smiled slightly: "If I were in Commander Li's position, I would also accept Liu Guang's bestowal of a title."
"If that's the case, why does Your Majesty blame the Peace Army? The world is in chaos right now, and heroes from all sides are eager to conquer. Your Majesty and Commander Li are among those who are fortunate enough to succeed. If the two heroes can unite, they will be invincible. But if the two tigers fight each other, they will surely suffer losses. Liu Guang, a hero of our time, is only afraid of Your Majesty and Commander Li joining forces. That's why he sent Gongsun Ming to carry out this divisive tactic. If Your Majesty rashly unleashes your wrath and suddenly raises an unjust army, I fear that this will be exactly what is meant by 'the enemy rejoices while your friends grieve'!"
Ling Qi slowly walked from the main hall to a window. The large side hall was completely silent except for the sound of his footsteps. After a moment, Ling Qi said, "Mr. Guo, it seems that Commander Li Jun intends to join forces with me to contend for the world?"
Guo Yunfei said, "That's right. The small countries of Shenzhou have all been destroyed, and the competition among the great powers has only just begun. If Your Majesty and Commander Li can work together to rid the world of evil and filth, it will not be too late for them to compete for merit after the world is settled."
“What you say makes sense, sir.” Ling Qi didn’t turn around, but stared at the wind chimes under the eaves of the house. Guo Yunfei didn’t think he was being impolite. He was silent for a moment, then said, “In that case, I will send someone with you to Yuzhou to convey my regards to Commander Li. What do you think, sir?”
Guo Yunfei's face showed a much more relaxed expression. Li Jun had promised him that he could act as he saw fit. Although the alliance with Ling Qi was of great importance and extremely beneficial to the Peace Army's strategy, he thought Li Jun would definitely make the promise.
As he bowed his head and left the hall, he did not see a trace of coldness flash in Ling Qi's eyes.
"What? Ji Su is injured?" Upon hearing this news, Mo Rong was so shocked that she dropped what she was doing, gently patted her chest, and widened her bright eyes.
"Yes, he was hit by a stray arrow during the melee." The messenger also looked alarmed. As a Rong person, he knew the importance of Ji Su to the relationship between the Rong people and the Peace Army. Without Ji Su, the most important bond between the two would be broken.
"Where is the injury?" Mo Rong was afraid that she would hear even worse news from the envoy, so she did not dare to ask about Ji Su's injuries, but instead asked where the injury was.
The Rong man gestured with his hand under his right rib and said, "Here, it's stuck on the ribcage, but it hasn't damaged any internal organs."
Mo Rong breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the messenger's hesitant expression made her relaxed heart tighten again: "What, is there something strange about that arrow?"
"That was a poisoned arrow. Although the poison wasn't very potent, it's still dangerous because it wasn't treated in time." The messenger dared not hesitate any longer. "The Khan sent me to request that Li Jun accompany the best physician..."
"I understand..." Mo Rong finally understood why the messenger hadn't gone to find Li Jun first, but instead sought her out first. She composed herself; Mo Rong's poison injury must be severe. Hulei Khan was worried she wouldn't recover, which was why he had asked Li Jun to go. If anything happened, Li Jun would only be able to see Ji Su one last time on the grasslands. Not long ago, Ren Qian returned severely wounded by an arrow. Although Lei Hun used his miraculous powers to help him heal, he was only barely recovered. Now, Ji Su was struggling on the brink of death. If Li Jun suddenly received this news, he might be furious, even blaming the Rong people for not protecting Ji Su. If that happened, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Having settled the Rong messenger, Mo Rong lost all interest in continuing her research. As the head of the Peace Army's Bureau of Natural Resources, she never paid attention to ordinary etiquette when receiving guests, usually meeting them at her workplace. After wandering around for a long time, she finally calmed down and returned home.
After marrying Li Jun, she found a house near the training ground and settled down. Through their efforts, they decorated the small courtyard with a unique charm. Mo Rong also hoped that after marriage, Li Jun could experience more of the warmth of home, in order to make up for his unhappy childhood.
When Li Jun heard Mo Rong telling him to go home while he was in the training ground, he was extremely surprised. He knew that something serious must have happened, otherwise Mo Rong would never have interrupted his training. However, he did not go home immediately. Instead, he finished all the training in the morning before returning home.
"What happened?" Upon entering the house, Mo Rong took the armor he had removed, her expression as usual. Li Jun felt relieved and smiled, "When I am training my troops, you never send anyone to look for me."
Mo Rong knelt on the straw mat and smiled gently: "My lord, there is something I need to tell you. Please don't get agitated after you hear it."
"What is it... I know!" Li Jun was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized, a happy smile appearing on his face. His gaze stopped on Mo Rong's lower abdomen, and he asked impatiently, "Are you pregnant?"
Mo Rong's face flushed red from the rush of blood, and she couldn't help but spit out, "Nonsense!" Several months had passed since their wedding, and although Mo Rong had gotten used to calling Li Jun "my husband" in private, she still called him by his name in public. She was still shy when others talked about the two of them, but now Li Jun said that she was pregnant, which made her heart pound wildly again.
"To get down to business, a messenger has arrived from the Qionglu Grassland. After the messenger arrives, I will have Lü Tian invite you to come home at noon."
"You want me to go home at noon? I knew it. You know that once I give a military order, there is no reason to interrupt it. How can you expect me to come back immediately?" Li Jun snorted. "That little girl Lü Tian is ignorant. Remember to teach her in the future, and make sure she does nothing that violates military law, otherwise I won't be able to save her."
Hearing Li Jun change the subject again, Mo Rong couldn't help but widen her eyes: "Do you already know?"
"Are you referring to the Rong people's rebellion?" Li Jun said calmly. "I learned about it yesterday."
"So you also know about Ji Su's injury!" Mo Rong angrily rose from the straw mat. She had painstakingly planned to subtly inform Li Jun of this news, but unexpectedly, Li Jun already knew. Li Jun's silence could be explained by the need to keep military secrets confidential, but his complete indifference after Ji Su's serious injury only proved that Li Jun never cared about Ji Su. If he didn't love her, why marry her in the first place?
Li Jun reached out and grasped Mo Rong's hand, but Mo Rong pushed his hand away, her eyebrows furrowing as she said, "Ji Su's life is hanging by a thread, yet you still have the heart to joke with me here. You...you man..." After thinking it over, she couldn't bring herself to scold him, and instead, crystal tears welled up in her eyes first.
"Alright, alright, don't cry, don't cry. Your crying makes my heart pound." Although Mo Rong had cried sometimes when they were deeply in love, Li Jun understood that Mo Rong was truly heartbroken this time. He reached out to hold Mo Rong's hand again and said softly, "Don't worry, Ji Su will be alright. After I heard the news yesterday, I immediately asked Immortal Master Chu Qingfeng from the Imperial Academy to go to the constellation land. He is well-versed in pharmacology and is especially skilled in detoxification. As soon as he arrives, Ji Su will be fine."
Mo Rong wiped away her tears after hearing this, but still pulled away from Li Jun's hand: "Why didn't you tell me?"
“I was afraid you would worry.” Li Jun hesitated for a moment and said, “I originally wanted to tell you after Sister Ji Su’s injuries had improved, but I didn’t expect that Hulei Khan would send an envoy to find you.”
"Hmph, hypocrite..." Although Mo Rong was unconvinced, she understood Li Jun's intentions. She paused, then asked, "When are you planning to go see Sister Ji Su?"
Li Jun trembled and said with a wry smile, "Don't be angry when I tell you, even if I go to the grasslands, it won't help. I can't get rid of myself here yet, and Ren Qian's injury hasn't healed. I don't plan to go to the grasslands."
two,
The heavy iron gate slammed shut, followed by the sound of the lock being locked.