Chapter 1143: Latest Plan (1/2)
Go over and watch.
This was Empress Li’s wish. The words were fairly simple, but it forced Song Zining to ponder repeatedly. What did she want to see? Thinking deeper, what must he show her and what must he not?
What kind of role did the Empress and the Li family play in this war? The Empress’ family and the powerful ministers were archenemies in certain areas. There had been very little news of Marshal Lin since the Great Maelstrom—was he well and safe? The Imperial Guard had mobilized a large part of its forces, which meant that the Longevity Monarch had to have approved, and greater numbers from the Imperial clan were also joining the fight. The Minister of the Right was indeed quite skilled to be able to coordinate all these powers and keep them in balance, so much so that it seemed rather strange.
If Qianye and Song Zining had refused to take charge of this route, the next candidate would’ve been Gaoyi. Why was it her? Qianye had commented that the military was trying to target the Zhao clan, but after careful thought, the deputy commander was the Emperor’s adult son. And Lan Xincheng’s supply of military arms was all too generous... on whose side was he on?
Thinking on, Song Zining gradually became distracted and lost in complicated thoughts. During his contemplation, he felt a sudden pain from his forehead, almost as though he had been pierced by a needle. It was so intense that his vision went blank and he reflexively covered his forehead with his palm.
Only then did he realize that he had subconsciously utilized his divination powers. This could be considered a shortcoming of divination specialists, a careless reaction.
The mysteries of heaven were surely in chaos during the war. There were also countless soldiers, generals, and powerful characters paying attention to the fight. In addition, various powers were playing a tug o'war in the dark, their divination masters and prophets disrupting one another from time to time. It was never a good idea to activate divination powers without proper skill and preparation.
Song Zining was dazed from the backlash, and he still had no idea which party he had bumped into. He suddenly recalled an old saying as he retracted his divination powers.
Those who divine much, die young.
On the surface, these words seemed to explain the dangers of divination, but on the other hand, it was hinting that the art itself was playing with fire. Those who were accomplished in the field would always want to take part in every major event. These people were smart, to begin with—how could they be willing to be left out after grasping a powerful ability?
Now that was playing with fire.
When Song Zining looked up again, there were no longer any ripples in his eyes or any emotions on his face. He gazed at the man dressed like an attendant and asked, “Where do you plan to watch? You want to be here with me or with Qianye?”
The attendant said with a smile, “I have a choice? Of course, I pick Qianye.”
Song Zining nodded. “That’s true, anyone would want to have a look at the Martyr’s Palace. This airship might be a rare sight, but it’s not one of a kind.”
The attendant said, “It’s mainly because I heard that Qianye is very handsome!”
Frowning, Song Zining’s mouth fell open as he glanced at the attendant. Doubtlessly, this person had disguised himself so well that ordinary experts would never see through him. Song Zining had been feigning ignorance—his plan was to avoid alerting the proverbial snake and observe their intentions.
“Who exactly are you?”
“Now you remember to ask. It seems the seventh young master isn’t as smart as they say!” With that, the attendant reached out to wipe his face. His body structure started to change, and his hair grew a bit longer until it reached his ears. In the blink of an eye, a beautiful and petite girl with short hair appeared before Song Zining.
Song Zining’s expression was already strange when he saw the fantastic disguise-art. He was even more shocked when he saw the other party’s face. “Nineteenth Princess!?”
The girl revealed a charming smile. “You still remember me?”
Song Zining put away his frivolity and said, “I had the honor of meeting you in the Imperial gardens seven years ago. I wouldn’t dare forget.”
“You actually recognize me? I was only ten seven years ago, and I looked very different back then. But then again, you study those divination arts. Who knows how many tricks you have up your sleeve? Just looking at you annoys me.”
Song Zining said, “The Empress and the Li family are big in the divination field. You should be careful when talking to outsiders.”
Princess Nineteen yawned. “You speak as if we’re so close!”
“What I mean is, I’m also an outsider.”
Princess Nineteen waved her hand. “Enough of that, I’m heading to the Martyr’s Palace anyway. Also, arrange a position close to Qianye for me. I’ve long since heard that he’s even more good looking than Zhao Jundu. This is a rare opportunity for me to observe him to my heart’s content!”
This nineteenth princess became more and more excited. She was like a little girl about to get her favorite toy, wanting nothing more than to go immediately.
Song Zining’s brows knitted together slightly. He didn’t give this princess too much face and stared at her for a good while. Not to mention seventeen, there weren’t any innocent seven-year-olds in the palace. His actions were so exaggerated that it actually became difficult to pick a quarrel.
He went through everything he knew about the palace but couldn’t recall much information related to this nineteenth princess. From what he remembered, this princess’ maternal family wasn’t very prominent, and her mother wasn’t well known among the Imperial concubines. She was an open follower of Empress Li from a young age, but recently, it became known that she possessed great talent in cultivation. Reportedly, she had been gaining status even before the Emperor.
Who would’ve thought Empress Li would actually send her here for such an important war? It was a clear law that the rear palace could not participate in politics. Even princes who hadn’t been conferred a title wouldn't be assigned to a formal combat unit in battle. What was the meaning of a princess running over to the front lines?
Each of Empress Li’s actions and words involved deep meaning and should be analyzed carefully.
The more Song Zining thought about it, the more of a headache he felt. The current Emperor of the Great Qin stayed within the Unending Palace most of the time and rarely made public appearances. He was never known for doting on his children, so the princes and princesses didn’t enjoy that much of a presence. Without a prominent maternal family, they would hardly be recognized. And Song Zining couldn’t quite divine the Nineteenth Princess since she was still of royal blood.
Since there was no point in too much thought, Song Zining simply decided to let things be. He summoned his attendants and ordered them to arrange a shuttle, on which the two of them headed toward the Martyr’s Palace.