"What good news?"
The situation had to be extraordinary for His Majesty to call something "good news." Qin Li racked his brain but could not think of anything. His Majesty was deliberately keeping him in suspense, gesturing with his eyes for him to keep guessing. But he was no Gu Chi—how could he possibly guess? Still, unwilling to spoil the fun, he could only indulge the other man's little hobby.
"Could it be that Uncle Qian and the others have made further progress?"
They had opened the sluice gates and flooded the battlefield, smashing the enemy until they could not tell north from south. The elites had either been lost on the rivers or scattered in flight. Qian Yong had been so delighted lately that his swagger practically surged through the lines of his reports, making one worry that he might become complacent and eventually capsize in a ditch. Of course, Qin Li was not worried that would happen. Someone was keeping an eye on Qian Yong.
Qian Yong was unreliable, but Ning Yan and the others were dependable.
"Nope. Gongsu, guess again?"
"Forgive my stupidity, but I truly cannot guess."
Qin Li gave up and begged for mercy, directly asking Shen Tang for the answer.
Shen Tang said, "There's news from Shan Xiao."
At the words "Shan Xiao," Qin Li, who had been Cui Xiao's old friend for many years, strangely froze for a moment, as if searching his mind for the name and its owner. When the two finally clicked together, Qin Li pressed his brow with considerable headache, his smile turning bitter.
"Shan Xiao. It should indeed be Shan Xiao."
When he had been guessing just now, he had thought of everyone except Cui Xiao. That both horrified and embarrassed Qin Li. Others could be excused, but