"My lord, my master has sent me a letter!"
On the ninth day of the fog-shrouded river, before dawn, Chen Ying arrived at Chen Qing's study, but as soon as she entered, she saw a scene that made her blush.
Inside the study, Chen Qing and his alluring concubine were sitting together. The concubine was disheveled, her upper body completely naked except for a red bodice. Chen Ying was so shocked by the sight that she immediately retreated.
After leaving the room, Chen Ying's heart was pounding, and she couldn't help but curse inwardly, "How indecent!"
If you're going to do that kind of thing, can't you go to your room? It's ridiculous to do it in the study in broad daylight!
A few breaths later, the study door opened, A Li looked at Chen Ying, whose face was flushed, with a half-smile. Without saying anything, Chen Ying gritted her teeth, and then heard Chen Qing say from inside the study, "Come in."
Chen Ying took a breath, and finally went inside, her face dark. "My lord, you certainly have a good time."
Chen Qing coughed lightly and explained, "Well, it's not what you think. We were actually..."
"My lord, you don't need to explain to me." Chen Ying coldly interrupted, "I am merely your concubine and have no right to question you."
"Oh," Chen Qing nodded honestly, "Then let's get down to business. What did you just say? Your teacher wrote a letter?"
Chen Ying's face darkened further. You're really not going to explain?
After closing the door, Chen Ying tossed a wooden bird onto the desk. "The teacher discovered that the white mist couldn't seal away inanimate objects, so he tried contacting various prefectures along the river. I saw this wooden bird this morning while observing the movements of the living corpses along the river."
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Chen Qing took the wooden bird and thought to himself: Mu Hongqing reacted quickly. Back when a group of players were trapped in the fog, no one could discover this for a whole month. This illegitimate son of the Duke of Duke of Qin is not simple.
Upon opening the letter, the contents were quite plausible. It first inquired about the situation in Liuzhou and how the prefect was dealing with it, and then asked about his apprentice Chen Ying's recent situation, hoping for a prompt reply to inform them of the situation in Liuzhou so they could try to seek assistance from the imperial court.
The package also included a structural diagram of the wooden bird, clearly indicating that the owner was worried the bird might not be able to fly back and wanted his apprentice to repair it again.
Chen Qing glanced at the wooden bird, then handed it back. "You can take it back as you see fit."
Chen Ying narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you want me to reply, sir?"
"Why not?" Chen Qing laughed. "If you hadn't said anything, no one would have known that your master had sent you a message today. You could have replied privately anyway. Now that you've come to tell me, it means you know which side is more important."
Chen Ying gritted her teeth and finally said, "Sir, in this catastrophe, can you guarantee my teacher's safety?"
She was increasingly convinced that Chen Qing was the only person who could resolve this incident.
"I can't even guarantee I'll survive this incident. If I could, I'd naturally prioritize protecting you!" Chen Qing said solemnly. "As for your teacher, he's Above First Rank Grand Sorcerer. You should take better care of yourself!"
Chen Ying was taken aback, gave Chen Qing a deep look, and then nodded. "I understand."
"Hmm," Chen Qing nodded, looking down at the report on Liuzhou's political situation that the fat man had handed her. But when she looked up, she found Chen Ying still standing there, and frowned, "Is there anything else?"
Chen Ying stared straight at Chen Qing, and finally spoke up, "Sir, why don't you explain what you were doing with that woman just now?"
Chen Qing: "."
"Alright." Chen Qing thought for a moment, then closed the notebook in his hand. "There are some things I can't tell you right now. After all, that fox's condition isn't quite right, and I need a sorcerer to keep a close eye on her."
"Fox?" Chen Ying's heart skipped a beat. "Is this an adjective or..."
Shape my foot!
Chen Qing rolled her eyes. "The literal meaning? Didn't your master mention the Thousand-Faced Fox incident that almost wreaked havoc on the court?"
"You mean, sir?" Chen Ying's expression changed instantly, her heart pounding. "That woman is..."
"You don't need to worry for now. She's currently sealed and can't use her abilities. If she could, Liuzhou would have changed hands long ago."
"Why did you bring this up with me today, sir?"
"The baby in that fox's belly doesn't seem normal," Chen Qing frowned. "I just checked the fetal development."
They were looking at the fetal development.
Chen Ying immediately bit her lip. She said, "How could this guy be so absurd? He's in the study during the day..."
Are you listening to me?
"I'm listening!" Chen Ying quickly said, "But sir, you can also read fetal patterns?"
Chen Qing coughed lightly. Of course he wouldn't, but the Mirror Demon would, so it wasn't appropriate to tell this girl in front of him.
"That fetus has the countenance of an emperor."
"My lord!" Chen Ying quickly reminded him, "You can't say things like that lightly."
"You can say whatever you want," Chen Qing retorted softly. "Because that originally belonged to the Xiao Household's Golden Crow Bloodline."
Chen Qing's words were ambiguous; he only mentioned that it was the Golden Crow Bloodline of the Xiao Household, but he didn't say that it was a descendant of the Xiao Household.
But this startled Chen Ying so much that she jumped up again. She was also a clever person and immediately understood the situation!
The female fox demon was spared by His Majesty and even became pregnant with the royal child. Now she's being sent out under the guise of being Chen Qing's concubine. No wonder. Chen Qing is clearly married to a princess, yet he can bestow a beautiful concubine upon her before the wedding. It just doesn't seem right.
But if that's the case, what does Your Majesty mean?
Is the purpose of keeping this hybrid seed of demon and human to emulate the Kingdom of Guhuang, where humans and demons coexist?
Rumors are circulating in the capital that the emperor is dissatisfied with the crown prince's behavior.
"My lord... you... you want to get involved in this succession struggle?" Chen Ying asked solemnly after understanding the situation. "So, my lord, you're privately recruiting soldiers and building up momentum here to prepare for the future?"
You really know how to make connections.
Chen Qing smirked, but didn't elaborate. Instead, he shook his head and said, "It's too early. The key now is to get through this crisis. I'm telling you this so you can be prepared. His Majesty has most likely placed someone near that fox. I don't know who it is, but the fox seems to be acting strangely. It looks like she's about to give birth prematurely, so you need to be careful!"
"What should I be careful about?" Chen Ying asked, suppressing her wildly beating heart.
"The one who killed Shen Family's Lao'er was most likely someone close to Fox. As for why it did it, we don't know yet. Be careful, especially when Fox is about to give birth. That person in the shadows is very likely to make a move at that time."
"So, does the master want me to do this?" Chen Ying frowned. If she could kill Shen Er, what else could she do?
"How many chapters of Azure Dragon Inheritance have you read?"
"Chapter Three," Chen Ying hurriedly said, "Is too profound. I am of dull wit, please forgive me, sir."
"That's enough," Chen Qing took a breath. He had passed on the Azure Dragon Inheritance to Chen Ying as an extra layer of insurance, and now it was about time to put it into use.
"Come here, I'll teach you something."
--
"This place is dangerous; how can we allow His Highness the Crown Prince to come in person?"
Outside the fog, the Duke of Qin personally led a large group of dukes, marquises, and generals to come forward and greet them. Even as a high-ranking official of the state, the Duke of Qin adopted a very humble posture, taking the lead in performing the salute of a subject from a distance.
The Crown Prince quickly dismounted and helped the Duke of Qin to his feet. "Your Excellency, there's no need for such formalities. With Jiangnan suffering such a great calamity, it would be a waste for the Crown Prince, as he alone, not even to have the courage to personally go to the front lines."
The other military officers watched coldly in silence, while numerous civil and military officials rushed to the front lines immediately. You think you're so bold by arriving so leisurely now? You've already gathered almost all the intelligence, and you're here to reap the rewards? Why didn't you volunteer to come in the first place?
Duke of Qin patiently exchanged pleasantries with the other party before turning to the man in black beside him.
"Thank you for your help, Vice Minister Wang."
"Your Excellency is too kind," Wang Ye replied with a smile. "It is my duty to share your burdens since I am receiving your bounty. I will do my best to help you in any way you can."
"Alright!" Duke of Qin nodded with a smile, and without further ado, he opened the map and brought Wang Ye over to analyze it.
"The mist travels from the West Sea along the river into Jiangnan, first sealing off the seven prefectures along the river, including the capital Nanming and Nanyang Prefecture where the Shen Family is located. Currently, no living person can escape this mist."
Wang Ye nodded. "I already knew this before I came. Living things are allowed to enter but not leave. The adults think that because I am a puppet, I might be able to become a loophole in this fog, right?"
Duke of Qin nodded. "It is not my wish to put Duke of Song's only disciple at such a risk, but the entire Jiangnan region is currently under tight lockdown, and there is a risk that the fog will spread. The fate of the nation is of paramount importance, and I hope that you, Lord Shaoqing, will understand."
"It's alright," Wang Ye laughed. "If the experiment proves successful, I can indeed come and go freely. What does Your Excellency, the Duke, wish me to do?"
"Naturally, it's to gather detailed intelligence from within so we can coordinate an attack from the inside."
" Jiangnan is no small place," Wang Ye frowned. "I'm not my master, so I can't use the Flying Star Technique at will. Besides, whether this technique can be used properly in the mist is also a problem. Is it too much of a stretch for me to investigate the entire Jiangnan region by myself?"
"We've thought of that too," said Shen Yinian, the Ministry of War. "While the seven prefectures along the river are all important, from a strategic perspective, Nanming Prefecture and Nanyang City are of paramount importance. Both their geographical location and the forces stationed there make them the most likely places to coordinate with us from within. Therefore, Your Excellency should prioritize going to these two places to gather intelligence."
"I understand." Wang Ye nodded.
Those around Shen Yinian glanced at him and frowned. Nanming Prefecture was the capital and home to the strongest Black Dragon Navy, so it should have been the first place to contact. Yet Shen Yinian brought up Nanming as well, without any order of priority, clearly showing his selfishness.
However, no one said anything. The twelve branches of the Shen Family were all Above First Rank sorcerers, especially the first seven branches, whose strength was no less than that of the Nine Ministers. They were the world's top families of sorcerers. If they could make contact with them, it might be of great help to the situation.
"There's one more place," the Duke of Qin interjected at this moment.
Everyone was taken aback. Two directly administered prefectures were already troublesome enough; wasn't Old Lu worried about creating more chaos at this point?
But some of the great sorcerers' eyes gleamed, clearly knowing where the Duke of Qin was referring to.
Vice Minister Wang also smiled and asked, "Is Your Excellency referring to Liuzhou?"
Liuzhou
The crown prince's face was gloomy. On his way here, he had received a mysterious letter with unbelievable contents, but even the most absurd contents still stirred his emotions.
The letter said, "A member of the royal family is about to be born in Liuzhou!"