Chapter 678: Tang Li’s wedding 3 (1/2)
Chapter 678: Tang Li’s wedding (3)
“Who was it?!” Ning Cheng demanded.
The entire room was dumbstruck by his outburst. Although they had no idea what was going on, they didn’t dare harbor any curiosity. Without prompting, they all left the room, and the last man even closed the door behind him.
The eunuch was scared stiff as well. “It’s unclear. They say the culprit left no traces.”
Even when angry, Ning Cheng looked immensely handsome. His eminent features turned even more impressive beneath his rage, but the people around him were too afraid to face him directly.
Still, he managed to calm down and ask, “Where’s Chu Tianyin?”
“He’s been in Fenglin Prefecture this whole time. The day before yesterday, he entered battle with Western Zhou and has yet to stop,” the eunuch reported.
“Summon Zhang Shihong1 from the Board of War.” Ning Cheng rose to his ft and walked to the battle map spread over the table. He stood straight with arms crossed, looking every inch the domineering, steel-blooded general despite his lack of armor.
Once the Board of War’s representative arrived, Ning Cheng immediately gave orders. “Transfer 5,000 calvary units from Quanshan City in the northwest towards the south. Then move 10,000 infantry units from the Yunlong garrison post in the east to Mt. Taining. We’re going to besiege Fenglin Prefecture! Issue orders that anyone who captures Chu Tianyin will be awarded 10,000 gold taels!”
“Your Highness Ning, this…” Zhang Shihong mustered up courage to ask, “Why this? General Chu is resisting the Western Zhou forces at Fenglin, this…”
Before he could finish, Ning Cheng slowly turned to glare at him. His cold expression scared Zhang Shihong into silence. “Yes, this official will do it right away!”
With the two Chu elders gone, Ning Cheng had lost control over Fenglin Prefecture. Chu Tianyin would revolt for sure! Once Zhang Shihong was gone, Grand Concubine Ning hurried over. She had just received the same news from Cloud Realm Trade Consortium. “Could the Tang Clan be involved in this?” she asked.
Ning Cheng considerd it briefly. “Not necessarily. Everyone in the world knows that Tang Li is marrying Ning Jing. The rescuers might have seized the opportunity to do the deed.”
“But it’s not easy to slip in and out of Ten Thousand Commerce Hall in the canyon and whisk them away!” Ning An reminded him.
“You’re saying…” Ning Cheng grew serious.
“Tang Li and Long Feiye aren’t just acquaintances!” Ning An declared.
Ning Cheng finally grew restless. If the Tang Clan and Long Feiye are connected, then Ning Jing’s marriage just got more complicated.
“There’s still time to stop Ning Jing now! We can’t just sacrifice her in vain,” Ning An said urgently. It was already a risk for Ning Jing to bring along her arms trade rights as part of her dowry. She was a capable woman, but still female in the end. How was she supposed to deal with an old fox like Long Feiye?
“This is only speculation at this point. If the Tang Clan has no connection with Long Feiye, then it’ll be hard to withdraw Ning Jing’s wedding,” Ning Cheng hesitated, before adding, “For now, we’ll see if Chu Tianyin seeks refuge with Western Zhou or Long Feiye. The answer will become apparent soon enough.”
If the rescuers could seize the chance during Ning Jing’s wedding day to find Ten Thousand Commerce Hall, then Chu Tianyin must have fed them clues ahead of time. Most likely, the man had already exposed the relationship between the Ning Clan and Cloud Realm Trade Consortium.
By now, Chu Tianyin must have heard the latest news as well. He’d be getting ready to rebel next! Last time, General Chu had suffered grievous losses from the previous battle. It would be impossible for him to head the Chu Clan, which meant Chu Tianyin had two possibilities before him: either surrender to Western Zhou or join up with Long Feiye.
It’d be apparent which side was Chu Tianyin’s ally soon enough.
“Isn’t it too much of a risk to wait and see?” Ning An asked.
“At most, we’ll lose Fenglin Prefecture. Your lordship can afford the loss,” Ning Cheng was still calm. “Ning Jing should have arrived by now, right?”
“Tomorrow is the 28th. The auspicious hour is in the morning, so she should almost be there,” Ning An replied.
“Tell her that since she’s used the arms trade to make up her dowry, she should find a way to gain control over the Tang Clan’s assassination weapons within one year. Otherwise, she can forget about ever coming back.” Ning Cheng’s voice was cold.
Ning An’s heart ached for their little sister, but she didn’t dare object. Forget about the greatest event of her life. If Ning Cheng wanted them to sacrifice their lives for the cause, then they had no choice but to obey. At the same time, he’d give up his own life for their goals if necessary. The mission of the Ning Clan was their pride and more important than anything else.
The unrest of the western regions was about to escalate into a storm, but Ning Jing was ignorant to it all. She sat in her sedan chair and remained mute during the entire trip besides the bare necessities like eating, sleeping, and bathroom breaks. She assumed that Tang Li would chatter away the entire time, but he didn’t talk to her at all. The whole trip was so quiet that Ning Jing almost forgot she was part of a wedding procession. Still, she was all too glad that he was keeping quiet. She could use this time to study the Tang Clan and figure out how to deal with all sorts of obstacles. Despite being at the bloom of her youth, she lacked the typical maiden’s heart. She knew that Lady Tang wouldn’t forgive her easily for scheming against her son.
The wedding procession that had come to pick her up was quite chilly. Undoubtedly, they reflected Lady Tang’s attitude as well. Thinking up to here, a cold smile crept upon Ning Jing’s features. Does Lady Tang think this will hurt my feelings? Or humiliate me? She’s underestimating me, then.
Since they weren’t treating this as a wedding, she’d care about it even less. She’d like to see who’d come out the victor by the end!