"The Dragon Vein has always been heavily guarded. Why would there be signs of instability?"
Hearing Duan Hongzhuo say this, Duan Ziqian felt as though a mountain were about to collapse before his eyes, and urgency crept into his voice.
Since ancient times, the Dragon Vein had been bound to the nation's fortunes. Although the Treasure hidden within it stirred covetous hearts, as the sovereign of a nation, what he valued most was naturally the everlasting stability of his realm.
Duan Hongxing did not hesitate. He immediately recounted everything he had uncovered to Duan Ziqian, whose brow furrowed as he listened.
"Are you saying, Imperial Uncle, that the Yijiang Kingdom has been far from obedient all these years?"
Duan Hongxing said, "Ever since the Grand Ancestor founded our dynasty, we have kept the people of the Yijiang Kingdom confined to the eastern wilderness, unable to stir. Yijiang, too, has known its place and dutifully presented itself to the world as a vassal state."
Although Yijiang lay in a desert, its land barren and its living conditions even harsher than Northern Liang's, under Northern Liang's iron grip, it had remained an obedient vassal for nearly a hundred years.
Had Northern Liang remained as powerful and peaceful as before, there would have been nothing to worry about. The people of Yijiang would never have dared harbor other ambitions.
But over the years, internal unrest had plagued Northern Liang, and conflicts among the imperial clan had never ceased. Moreover, Yijiang's current ruler had fathered several capable sons. Watching Northern Liang descend into turmoil, the little schemes they had once kept well hidden sprang up like bamboo shoots after the rain, growing beyond all restraint.
By now, they had even begun to dream of taking its place.
After speaking a little more, Duan Hongxing