Liancheng chuckled, but the corner of his mouth twitched painfully, and he quickly stopped himself.
“Your Highness, ever since your beloved princess brought me here, I have instructed my subordinates that if my identity is ever discovered, they should send someone to check on me every five days.”
"If you refuse, it will prove that I am dead. They will spread the news, and then... Nan Yan will do everything in its power to attack Shuozhou. Whether they can win or not is not important. Destroying you and Shuozhou will be enough."
Then he turned back and raised an eyebrow at Wei Hong: "Both the Liang court and the Jin dynasty hate you to the bone. Do you think they would let this opportunity pass if they got the chance?"
Although Southern Yan is also sending troops to Shuozhou, it is only a portion of their forces. After all, they still have to guard their own territory and defend against the Great Jin, so they cannot mobilize all their troops.
If what Liancheng said is true, and they recklessly attack Shuozhou with the full force of the nation, then even the bravest and most skilled soldiers of Shuozhou will likely be unable to cope.
Wei Hong narrowed his eyes slightly: "But in this way, Southern Yan will be in chaos. The territory that was previously taken back from the Great Jin will fall back into the hands of others, and we may even lose more territory."
"I'm already dead, what does it have to do with me?"
Liancheng didn't take it seriously.
"Your Highness, we've known each other for so long, don't you understand me?"
"I am not the kind of person who has the world in his heart and would give up his own life for the stability of the country."
"I am willing to do everything I can to protect Nan Yan now because I know that Nan Yan is mine. If it is no longer mine one day, then I will... destroy it with my own hands."
His mouth hurt so he couldn't smile, but his eyes were curved, and he was definitely smiling as he said those words.
Wei Hong remained silent for a long time, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Liancheng turned around and continued to treat the wound on his face, carefully wiping it while looking at himself in the mirror.
"I have gone to great lengths to make Nanyan what it is today, and I used myself as bait to reclaim the territory that was taken from Da Jin thirty years ago. Naturally, I will not give it up easily."
"So I can make concessions, but Your Highness shouldn't be too greedy, otherwise we'll fight to the death and neither of us will get it."
"When I die, Shuozhou and Nanyan will be buried with me, and you, my good brother, will also come down to accompany me. That would be worthwhile."
He looked relaxed, as if he wasn't talking about a piece of land or a former friend, but rather an ornament, a gemstone, or anything precious and interesting that could be used as a burial object.
Nan Yan was important to him, but not so important that he would sacrifice himself for it.
Or rather, there was nothing in this world that would make him sacrifice himself.
Just like the name he gave himself, Liancheng, meaning priceless.
Only he himself is priceless; no matter how precious others may be, they cannot surpass him.
Wei Hong looked at him coldly and replied indifferently, "From the day you chose to fake your death, I no longer have a brother like you."
"Furthermore, even if a dead person had perfect plans while alive, they cannot control the overall situation."
Although he had made all the arrangements, people's hearts are fickle. If he really died, would all his subordinates really do as he said before he died and not have any disloyal thoughts?
If he had a descendant, things might be better, as their loyalty could still be entrusted to the young ruler.
But Liancheng, like him, has no children. Once he dies, these people will no longer have anyone to serve them, and they may part ways at any time.
Even if he were truly skilled at managing his subordinates and they were all willing to follow him to the death, not everyone among the hundreds of thousands of soldiers would be so.
He wants to drag Nan Yan down with him and have a large army avenge him, but that depends on whether they are willing.
Liancheng paused in his movements, his relaxed expression instantly freezing.
The fact that he's no longer a brother means that he truly considered him a brother before.
He snapped out of his daze and continued to slowly wipe his wound, but his quick wit from before vanished; his tongue felt like it was tied in a knot, and he couldn't untangle it for a long time.
Wei Hong didn't want to say anything more to him, so he turned around and left. As he walked to the door, he heard the person inside suddenly speak.
"I've always been jealous of you."
He stopped in his tracks at the doorway and turned back slightly.
Liancheng didn't turn to look at him, as if he were talking to himself.
"You are the youngest son of Emperor Gaozong of Liang. You have been pampered since childhood. Although Gaozong did not let you inherit the throne due to the opinions of the officials and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, he gave you everything he could. Even sending you to your fiefdom at the young age of eleven was to protect you and let you gain experience and military power early on. If a conflict between brothers really occurs in the future, at least you can protect yourself."
"Although Shangchuan was not considered wealthy at the time, it was located on the border of Daliang. As long as you established yourself firmly, you would not have to worry about being surrounded by troops after the new emperor ascended the throne. On the contrary, in order to ensure the stability of the border, he would treat you well."
“I think Emperor Gaozong must have trusted you a lot, otherwise he wouldn’t have entrusted you with guarding the gates of the Great Liang. If it weren’t for the fact that your brother and nephew are both mentally unstable, one of them killing your mother and the other taking your wife away, the Great Liang could have maintained peace for at least several more decades.”
"And the Imperial Concubine is so good to you. She knows that you are a prince and will never lack food or clothing here, but she still sends you a lot of clothes and food that is easy to preserve every year, for fear that you will be cold or hungry."
"When Emperor Gaozong celebrated his birthday, among the gifts we sent from Southern Yan was a batch of fruit. She actually sent you half a basket of it, not knowing that you had already eaten the fruit. It was brought to you by me."
“I am close to you, so the fruit I brought is still fresh. But those fruits were transported all the way from Nan Yan to the Liang Palace, and then from the palace to you. Even though they were chilled, many of them still spoiled. Only a few were edible when they arrived.”
"The person who delivered the fruit said that it was all given to Consort Yang by Emperor Gaozong. She received a lot, so he sent you half a basket. But do you know that in that year, our Southern Yan only sent two baskets in total?"
"Emperor Gaozong couldn't possibly reward only your mother. The other concubines in the palace, as well as the capable officials in the court, would all have to share some. In the end, it's uncertain whether Emperor Gaozong himself would even have half a basket left, let alone your mother."
"So that half basket of fruit was actually sent to you by your father and mother who didn't eat any themselves."
As Liancheng finished speaking, he closed his eyes, his hand resting on his dark eye socket trembling almost imperceptibly.
"The year the Consort passed away, you returned from the capital, looking much thinner. Once, after drinking too much, you held the wine jug and, with red eyes, told me that you had no parents and nothing left."
“But Your Highness, you may seem to have nothing, but you actually have everything.”
"Even the marriage that the late emperor forced upon you was not your own choice, you are now in love and living happily ever after."
"Sometimes I really don't understand. We're both princes of the same country, both born out of wedlock, so why is there such a big difference? Why do you have things that I don't? Why were you pampered and cherished growing up, while I..."
As if he had thought of something, his expression suddenly turned ferocious, and his hands trembled even more violently, but he quickly suppressed it and exhaled a long breath.
"You are so lucky, Your Highness, so lucky."
After saying that, he seemed to have no strength left. His tense shoulders slumped down, and he sat in front of the mirror, rubbing his forehead, not even bothering to care about the wounds on his face.
No one answered him at the door. The person who had been standing there had left at some point. Only the sunlight lazily streamed in, bathing the floor in golden light.
Chapter 123 Fool
"I never expected that Young Master Lian would be in our manor, and even be captured!"
"We really owe this to the Princess. If she hadn't suddenly decided to bring Liancheng along, where would we have found him?"
"Yes, it was thanks to the Princess that Liancheng's whereabouts were discovered today; otherwise, he might have gotten away!"
Wei Hong went to his study to discuss matters with several subordinates, and they all spoke at once.
They had just discovered the booklet that Liancheng carried with him, and naturally they had also seen the contents of his farewell message.
If Yao Youqing hadn't inadvertently revealed his true colors with a single remark, he might have already swaggered out of the city, and no one would have known that he had been in Shangchuan all along.
"The princess is truly the prince's lucky star."
Even Cui Hao couldn't help but say something.
He knew better than anyone what capturing Liancheng meant.
He had previously told the prince that their biggest enemy now was the Southern Yan, but with Liancheng in their hands, the Southern Yan was no longer a threat.
However, Wei Hong did not show any joy. His expression remained somber. Although he calmly discussed the next steps with them, he did not seem as happy as they were, as if he had encountered a great joy.
Cui Hao could understand to some extent that, for the prince, although the young master was an opponent, there was also a certain brotherly affection between them. After all, the two had gone through their most difficult times together.
Seeing that Wei Hong looked unwell, he took the initiative to call his colleagues away after finishing his business, preventing them from pestering Wei Hong to hold any banquet to celebrate today's unexpected joy.
Wei Hong was indeed feeling somewhat heavy-hearted because of Lian Cheng's betrayal and his words just now, but that wasn't the whole story.
He and Liancheng did have some affection for each other, but their positions were different after all. From the beginning, he was prepared to be betrayed by him one day. He had already guessed that Liancheng had betrayed him earlier. Now it was just that his guess had been confirmed. Although he was still somewhat disappointed, it did not have too much of an impact on him.
The reason he looked so pale was not only because he was certain that Liancheng had betrayed him, but also because of what Liancheng had been doing in Cangcheng these past few days.
On his way to the study, he carefully recalled how Liancheng entered the mansion and everything he had done since then, and was certain that it was really just a coincidence that Yao Youqing brought him in.
Otherwise, if he had any ulterior motives, he would have acted long ago and wouldn't have dragged it out for so long without taking any action.
The contents of the booklet found on him also indicated that he had planned to leave, but his identity was only exposed because of today's accident.
But Wei Hong knew Liancheng too well. Even if it was an accident that he was brought into the manor at first, and he was unable to escape because he was being watched closely, after so much time, he had gained the trust of those around him. No one in the manor had ever suspected him. He could even come and go freely and contact his subordinates. If he wanted to leave, he could have left long ago. Why did he stay until today?
Previously, it might have been because it was dark under the lamp that staying in Shangchuan made it less likely for him, the Southern Yan Emperor, and several princes to discover him. If Shangchuan fell into chaos, he could find an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
Ke Ning'er refuted Wei Chi in court, exposing his treason and collusion with the enemy. This news had already reached Lian Cheng long ago. From that time on, Lian Cheng should have known that the situation had completely reversed. The scheme he had secretly devised using Wei Chi and others had been completely ruined.
Staying in Kamikawa at this point would be too dangerous for him; he should leave immediately before Kamikawa returns.
But he didn't!
He stayed there until he and Ning'er returned this time, and only then did he slowly prepare to set off. Before leaving, he even came to say goodbye to Ning'er.
Wei Hong immediately thought of the important letter from Nan Yan that the servants had told him about on the way back to the mansion. He realized that Lian Cheng had probably let them get it on purpose, just to distract him and give him a chance to talk to her alone!
If it weren't for that egg, he would have really left. He could have taken the booklet to say goodbye to Ning'er and even left Ning'er's handwriting in the booklet.
That bastard not only betrayed him, but also coveted his wife!
It used to be Wei Chi, now it's Lian Cheng. One is his nephew, the other is his former brother, yet both openly and secretly covet his Ning'er!
Wei Hong was naturally unhappy about these thoughts, and his face remained ashen when he returned to the inner courtyard.
Yao Youqing had been uneasy ever since she learned of Ashu's true identity, and she quickly stood up when she saw him return.
"Your Highness, you're back? That person just now really was..."
Before she could finish speaking, Wei Hong pulled her into the inner room and slammed the door shut.
"What's wrong? Is... is the interrogation not going well? Or..."
"No."
Wei Hongdao, holding her as he sat down on the edge of the bed, looked at her with a serious expression.
"Don't bring anyone into the mansion anymore, especially don't let unfamiliar people follow you."
"If you come across someone who looks pitiful again, you can take them in and settle them elsewhere, but don't let them get too close to you, understand?"
Yao Youqing looked at him and nodded blankly.
Since they confessed their feelings to each other, he had rarely spoken to her like this. She became even more uneasy and whispered, "Have I... caused trouble for the Prince?"
Seeing her cautious expression, as if she were frightened, Wei Hong quickly put away his gloomy look and gently kissed her forehead.
"How could that be? Ning'er has helped me a lot. If it weren't for you, I don't know how long I would have been stuck with Nan Yan. Even if I hadn't lost to them, it would have been a waste of time, money, and energy."