El paisaje es como una pintura

Capítulo 131

"Impossible! They would never do this without my personal order!"

"You don't know?" With a sinister laugh, Tuoba Jie pulled a human skin mask from his sleeve and waved it in front of Rongyue's eyes: "Look at this, what is it?"

His expression immediately changed: "What did you do to the Murong family?"

"Don't worry, that old guy is still useful, so I won't take his life for now. As for that Crown Prince's concubine—" Tuoba Jie raised his eyebrows wildly, "As long as she obediently does as I say, I won't make things difficult for her."

Do as you instruct?

Rongyue and Tuoba Chen exchanged a glance, both sensing an ominous premonition in each other's eyes.

"Tuoba Jie, if I'm not mistaken, Loulan is just a stepping stone for you, isn't it?"

"Oh? How do you know?" A glint flashed in his blood-red eyes, unpredictable and enigmatic.

"When I attacked Louxi back then, you laid out your plan, placing a pawn beside me with a gamble in mind. Perhaps you didn't have high hopes when you placed that pawn, but to your surprise, this move was right, and the placement of that pawn was perfect! You didn't expect me to conquer the entire Louxi because your ambitions weren't limited to Loulan; you had greater aspirations. You were waiting for an opportunity, a golden opportunity to satisfy your appetite! Why did you act when the Eastern envoy arrived? Your purpose was simply to have Dongfang Yao die in the Loulan palace, inciting war between the two countries, so you could reap the benefits! As for this 'reap the benefits,' if I'm not mistaken, you wanted to use this opportunity to persuade the old emperor of Nancha to hand over military power to you, and once you had military power, you would be ready to rebel. That's one reason. Secondly, by controlling the Loulan palace, you..." You could issue a forged edict, allowing the 300,000-plus Loulan soldiers to fight the Eastern Dynasty's soldiers. When both sides are exhausted, you could seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. Even if you can't wipe them out, you could severely cripple their forces. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, with your only brother's tragic death in the Loulan palace, Dongfang Lie must be in turmoil and enraged. He might even lose his reason and launch a full-scale attack on Loulan. At that time, if you send another force to secretly infiltrate the Eastern Dynasty's palace and use the same method to subdue Dongfang Lie, wouldn't the entire Eastern Dynasty be yours, Tuoba Jie? Loulan, Nansha Kingdom, the Eastern Dynasty—all would be yours to conquer. You, Tuoba Jie, would become the overlord of this continent! Perhaps you wouldn't be satisfied yet; you would continue to conquer the world and unify the entire continent—that might be your true goal! Tuoba Jie, have I spoken wrongly?

The emotion in Tuoba Jie's eyes was enough to show his shock at that moment.

Embarrassed by being exposed, he made no attempt to conceal his ambition, addressing Rongyue with earnestness and domineering confidence: "In this world, the capable reign supreme! Only the capable can control the rise and fall of a vast empire! The victor is king, the loser is a bandit. Your defeat means you are inferior in skill, and you cannot blame me!"

As he spoke, he scrutinized Rongyue from head to toe. After a moment, he wickedly lifted Rongyue's chin: "As for your appearance, it's so-so. What I admire most is your astonishing wisdom! Perhaps, heeding the Left Envoy's advice to spare your life is not a bad choice. Are you interested in ruling this world with me? I believe that with your assistance, my time to unify the world will not be too long."

Holding down the furious Tuoba Chen, Rongyue coldly slapped Tuoba Jie's hand away, her tone devoid of any warmth: "Sorry, as the saying goes, those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. We will not have such a cooperation. Besides, this game is not over yet, and it is too early to say who will emerge victorious."

"Yeah?"

"Isn't that so? Tuoba Jie, are you so sure that the old emperor of Nancha Kingdom will hand over military power to you? And almost the entire army of the whole country?"

"You are, after all, an outsider."

"An outsider?" Tuoba Jie's tone rose in an eerie way, then he gave a cold laugh: "If he doesn't hand it over to me, an outsider, who else could he hand it over to?"

Rongyue's eyes flickered: "Crown Prince."

Tuoba Jie laughed wickedly: "That good-for-nothing, in a few days he'll probably be a dead man..."

"What did you say?!" Tuoba Chen exclaimed in shock.

As expected, something bad happened.

She gently patted Tuoba Chen's hand to signal him not to rush, and Rong Yue said without changing her expression, "Don't try to fool us. You should know that after Yu Yan came along, His Highness the Crown Prince is full of energy!"

"Hmph, full of energy? You still fell for a woman's tricks..." Suddenly stopping in his tracks, Tuoba Jie's face darkened, and he looked at Rong Yue with a sinister gaze: "You tricked me! Trying to trick me into talking?!"

"What, you dare to do it but not to say it?"

"Dare not say? What a joke! It's fine to tell you, anyway you're all trapped like turtles in a jar, you can't amount to anything! Speaking of which, ha, it's all thanks to your good concubine!" Tuoba Jie looked at Tuoba Chen with a mocking expression.

A concubine? Tuoba Chen's eyes narrowed. Shi Yuchou?!

"Just as you suspected. Your concubine appears virtuous and dignified on the outside, but deep down she's restless and has tried to seduce me time and time again. If she weren't useful, I, who never touches what others have used, would never have paid her any attention! The reason she's useful is that she has an infuriatingly stupid older sister, and this sister happens to be the Crown Prince's woman. If I were to stir things up, well, it would be done without anyone noticing, wouldn't it?"

"That vile woman, how dare she plot against my imperial brother! When I get back, I'll skin her alive!"

Tuo Chen glared and gritted his teeth, while Rong Yue beside him sank lower and lower. It seemed things were far worse than she had imagined…

He glanced subtly at the two who were circulating their internal energy to expel the poison, his eyes filled with worry. Dongfang Yao, you absolutely cannot be harmed…

"Tuoba Jie, do you intend to wipe us all out today?"

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Jie paused, then raised his eyes and smiled wickedly: "If they die, you can live."

His hands clenched tightly beneath his sleeves, yet his face remained calm and composed: "Oh? Do you really think I'll obediently listen to you and become a puppet emperor? Tuoba Jie, don't forget, the calligraphy of Loulan is unique, and as their emperor, they are very familiar with my handwriting. Without my personal edict, Tuoba Jie, you will ultimately lose control of Loulan!"

His eyes suddenly turned sinister: "Believe it or not, I have a million ways to deal with you!"

"What if I die? Wouldn't all your efforts be in vain? Tuoba Jie, don't you think the best way to deal with me is right in front of you?"

"Um?"

Rongyue swept her gaze across them: "Them! As long as you use them to threaten me, I'll be helpless and obediently follow your orders, won't I?"

He snorted coldly: "In the end, it's all about saving their lives in a roundabout way!"

"It's also about protecting your interests, isn't it?"

His bloodshot eyes narrowed, coldly fixed on Rongyue, trying to find the slightest trace in her almond-shaped eyes. Rongyue, however, raised her eyes, looking at him calmly and openly, accepting his gaze without hesitation.

A smile of admiration flashed in his blood-red eyes, and Tuoba raised an eyebrow at Rongyue: "Alright, I accept this suggestion."

Secretly relieved, Rongyue pressed her advantage, extending her hand towards him: "The antidote."

"What?"

"Dongfang Yao's antidote."

The smile that had just appeared in his bloodshot eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a violent killing intent: "He must die!"

Rongyue narrowed her eyes: "No! He can't die! You just want to use Dongfang Yao's death to provoke a conflict between the two countries, right? That's easy. Take the token from him, have someone take it to the Eastern Dynasty's palace. Once he sees Dongfang Yao's personal token, he'll believe the messenger's story. So, since Dongfang Yao's life or death doesn't affect your plan, why don't you do me a favor?"

"Since your life or death won't affect my plans, why should I do you a favor?"

"So that I can serve you better!"

Seeing that Tuoba Jie strongly disagreed but did not reject the proposal, Rongyue walked towards the two people behind her.

At this moment, Chu Xuyao had finished his work, but Dongfang Yao was still unconscious. However, his complexion had improved slightly, and he seemed a little more alive than before, which calmed Rongyue's heart down a bit.