Chapter 825: Isll tell you two secrets (1/2)

Both sides became enemies in a civil war that led to two sides sticking to their version of the argument. Han Yunxi knew that Ning An’s account would differ from Long Feiye’s, but she never expected the changes to be so great.

In Ning An’s words, East and West Qin had marked differences over how to fix the flood, thus resulting in West Qin’s decision to start a war.

“Your Royal Highness, there was a large dam in the middle of the Sandy River back then that stopped the progress of the flood, thus preserving a large prefecture and its countless villages and fields downriver. That year, there were countless rainstorms and flash floods in the mountains upriver, submerging many villages and threatening an iron ore mine. That mine was under the jurisdiction of the East Qin crown prince. For the sake of protecting his assets, the prince destroyed the dam and redirected the water downriver, thus sacrificing the lives of the villagers there. At that time, the East Qin emperor was ill and his princes were vying for the throne. The crown prince was eager to forge military weapons with iron from his mine, so he had commanded the military to destroy the dam. Without a choice, West Qin had to send out its troops in defense. Yet East Qin accused our army of attacking them deliberately to steal their ore and raised a full army to retaliate. The Black Clan’s troops were sent to destroy our West Qin. If the Di Clan hadn’t pretended to turn traitor and leave the battle, it’s unlikely that princess would now…” Ning An’s tone was calm, but her eyes gave her feelings away.

Han Yunxi could see her indignation and wrath. They were very similar to Long Feiye’s own rage when he had narrated the same historical account from East Qin’s point of view. Both of them had been sincere with their emotions. It was natural for each side to stick to their argument, but it was strange for either side to have differing details. Long Feiye had mentioned the severe floods in the southern regions, but why did he never bring up the big dam or the iron ore mine? According to the East Qin account, it was West Qin’s conspiracy that started East Qin’s internal struggle for power, which allowed them to loot a burning house in its wake

According to the West Qin account, the struggle all began over the defense of the big dam and its subsequent destruction.

What was the truth?

Han Yunxi pondered briefly before she probed, “I remember Gu Beiyue telling me that during the chaos of war, rumors spread in the disaster areas about the East Qin crown prince being a reincarnated star of disaster? Did that ever happen?”

Silently, she apologized to Gu Beiyue for making him the scapegoat. If she said that Long Feiye had told her those words, Ning An would only get angry. She could only borrow Gu Beiyue’s namesake to keep the conversation going!

Ning An laughed coldly. “That was a rumor started by the East Qin imperial princes to vie for the throne. As things stand, that East Qin crown prince really was a star of disaster! If he hadn’t insisted on protecting the iron ore mine, then West Qin wouldn’t have sent out their troops so rashly.”

Han Yunxi nodded thoughtfully even as a frightening thought popped up in her head. Suppose everything in the past had resulted from a massive misunderstanding instead?

But she was quick to deny the idea. How could she trust any of Long Feiye’s explanations? The man had long known she was the West Qin princess, so why would he tell her the truth about the past? It was more likely Ning An that had no reason to hide the facts. Han Yunxi sat only a while longer before returning to her rooms. She had to take the time while Long Zun was still around to finish writing her letter. She already knew what to say, but since she couldn’t bear to use a pitiful child, she was going to wrong someone else instead.

Han Yunxi hadn’t left Ning An’s quarters long when Ning Cheng arrived. When he heard about her departure, he prepared to leave as well, but Ning An called him back.

“You’re leaving right after you came? So you didn’t come to see me,” Ning An intoned.

But Ning Cheng actually confirmed her statement with a simple “Mm,” and continued to leave. Ning An grabbed him and said, “Clan Head, you should know your place!”

In the past, Ning An followed court customs to call Ning Cheng the Duke of Ning; now she had switched to Clan Head to remind Ning Cheng of his status and responsibilities, as well as what he could and couldn’t do.

“Get out of the way.” Ning Cheng’s tone was devoid of feeling and filled with frost like a thousand li iceberg. It was impossible to see through the layers and find his heart within. He would only show joy, anger, or impatience in front of Han Yunxi. Everyone felt that the high and lofty Ning Cheng had no choice but to throw away his haughty airs in front of their respected princess, but Ning An knew better. Ning Cheng wasn’t submitting himself respectfully to his ruler, but simply disordered and lost.

Perhaps this was the reason why, unlike Chu Qingge, Han Yunxi saw no similarities between Ning Cheng and Long Feiye.

After finding their master, his ecstasy should have long died down and returned to his usual prudent, steady, and coolheaded self. He controlled everything in the Di Clan--it was his by mandate, while the West Qin princess was only a source of faith that couldn’t control anything. The last thing he needed to lose was his own self-control. All of Ning Cheng’s actions since his return had been noticed by a worried Ning An, who couldn’t help but remind him.

Ning Cheng’s icy face fell into a deep silence before he asked coldly, “Is there anything else?”

Ning An told him about Long Zun, but Ning Cheng highly approved of Han Yunxi’s argument. In a low voice, he added, “Arrange for two spies to go along. I haven’t heard from Ning Jing in many days, I need a clear report from her side.”

“Understood,” Ning An had some thoughts of her own. “Jing’er will...be alright, right?”

“She and Tang Li were still making a fuss when I left. Nothing serious will happen.” Compared to Ning An or Ning Nuo, Ning Cheng trusted Ning Jing more. “Urge Ning Nuo to hurry up with the army provisions. Don’t have him drop the ball at the critical moment!”

Although the south central regions controlled most of Cloud Realm Continent’s agricultural fields, Cloud Realm Trade Consortium was no easy foe. It too, had amassed a large quantity of grain. In this world, there were plenty of people without conscience who’d seek to make a profit from war. Moreover, more would be willing to cooperate with them after Cloud Realm Trade Consortium’s identity as the Di Clan had been revealed.

The hidden powers of the Tang Clan have never involved themselves in secular struggles, Ning An mused to herself. Moreover, this is a big fight between two imperial clans. Now that the Tang Clan elders know of Ning Jing’s Di Clan status, it’s unlikely they’ll agree to a weapons trade with her.

If Ning Jing couldn’t complete her mission within a year, it was unlikely Ning Cheng would give her another chance to return to Cloud Realm Trade Consortium. But neither she nor Ning Cheng knew that the youngest daughter of the Ning Clan and the Consortium’s sharpest president was currently suffering through her own torment.

Tang Li said he’d give her a night, but he actually gave her two days and two nights. During this time, all she got was water and no food. Ning Jing was left hanging from the rafters, making it impossible for her to sit down. Luckily, she was close enough to sit on a table. If not for that, she would have given out in half a day. She neither fussed nor fretted, but remained exceptionally calm with a stormy face. She looked fierce and not cute at all. Over the past two days, Tang Li had gone off doing something else and forgotten about her entirely.