Chapter 870: Sudden situation at the military barracks (1/2)

Afraid to delay a second, the guards hastily opened the door for Tang Li. But although the outer lock was open, Ning Jing had also locked the room from the inside.

“Tell her to open the door!” he said icily without making a move himself.

The guards called out, waking Ning Jing up, but she ignored it. Turning over in her bed, she buried her head in the pillows and continued to doze.

“Clan head, something couldn’t have happened, right?” the guard asked worriedly.

Tang Li understood Ning Jing all too well. If she didn’t want to open up, then the guards could shout themselves hoarse for all she cared. Without a word, he crashed through the windows on the side! He had already jumped into the room, but Ning Jing was still curled up inside the covers without moving a muscle. She knew that he was the only possible person who had charged inside.

Tang Li rushed to Ning Jing’s bed like a man gone insane, but seeing her peacefully sleeping face turned him sane again. Even if he knew she was only pretending to sleep, he didn’t call her out. Why did he rush in here? He didn’t know either, but continued to stand here. After an hour had passed, Ning Jing finally turned around. “Do you need something?”

“I’m giving you one last chance. Hand over your stamp, or else I’ll send you to the dungeons right now,” Tang Li said coldly.

“Do as you like,” Ning Jing said again.

Tang Li suddenly took her hand and pulled her out of the covers. Ning Jing allowed him to pull her towards the door, but it wasn’t until the guards abruptly turned their heads away that he realized she was still improperly dressed and baring her skin.

His gloomy face turned even more sullen as he sent the guards flying with a kick and ran back to grab some clothes. Tossing them at Ning Jing, he cried, “Shameless!”

“This is all thanks to you!” Ning Jing retorted.

“Get dressed!” he demanded.

“I like it like this! What’s it to you?!” she snapped back. If Tang Li hadn’t been yielding to her constantly in the past few months, their personalities would have clashed and fought every single day by now!

“Don’t forget that you’re still this clan head’s proper consort! I married you and brought you back, so don’t disgrace me before you die!” Tang Li as he reached for Ning Jing again, but she stopped him with a shout.

“Let go, I agree!”

She was waiting for her chance and he’d delivered it right to her door. Of course she was going to seize the opportunity. Her “do as you like” was just for show in the end.

“At least you’re sensible!” Tang Li immediately extended his hand for the stamp.

Ning Jing looked at him from head to toe before chuckling. “Tang Li, I thought you were smart since you could act, but I never expected you to be such an idiot!”

“Stop with the nonsense and hand over the stamp!” Tang Li said coldly.

“Would I keep something as important as that on my person?” Ning Jing rebutted.

“After you married into the Tang Clan, you retained jurisdiction over everything related to the arms trade routes. If you didn’t have the stamp on you, then how could you maintain correspondence with the trade routes?” Tang Li challenged.

Members of the trade route would only recognize the officiating stamp before they did anything. Without it, Ning Jing’s letters would be useless to them.

“I only sent my letters to one person, who stamped them for me before delivering them to the arms trade routes! It’s up to you whether you believe me or now,” Ning Jing explained.

“Where are they?” Tang Li asked.

“Northern Li,” Ning Jing answered.

“Have him deliver the item here immediately!” Tang Li ordered.

“You really are stupid!” Ning Jing cursed him again. “The only reason the stamp is in his hands is because my big brother suspected relations between the Tang Clan and Long Feiye. Acting like this now will only make him even more suspicious.”

“Where in Northern Li is him? Who is he, and what does he look like?” Tang Li wanted to send someone to find him.

“His name is Ouyang Jing,[1] my big brother’s trusted aide. He oversees Cloud Realm Trade Consortium’s businesses in Northern Li,” Ning Jing feigned carelessness as she spoke. “The trade consortium doesn’t have much business in Northern Li to begin with, so although he’s a businessman, he’s more like my Di Clan’s agent in the country. His identity is the foster son of Northern Li Trade Consortium’s president.”

“Pack your things, I’ll take you down the mountain tomorrow so we can find him together. If you try anything, you’ll have to shoulder the consequences!” Tang Li got straight to the point.

Ning Jing played with her pretty fingernails as her voice turned cold. “I won’t go with you…”

“Tell me your terms! Whatever it is, I’ll fulfill them as long as it doesn’t include letting you go! That’s impossible!” Tang Li understood her all too well.

“After getting my stamp and gaining Cloud Realm Trade Consortium’s arms trade routes, you have to agree to save my life. And you have to supply me with all sorts of good food and drink!” Ning Jing said seriously. She didn’t notice the flash of joy that flitted past Tang Li’s eyes at her words.

He had been waiting for her to give way and compromise for far too long. As long as she was willing to yield a single step, he would protect her life--even if it meant earning the ire of all of the Tang Clan’s elders, or falling out with his father, or offending the entirety of the East Qin factions! He didn’t want her to leave, much less see her die.