The Duke of Duke of Qin were on their way to Nanming Prefecture. At this time, the morale of the entire group was extremely low, according to Mu Hongqing's intelligence.
Mu Hongqing contacted Chen Ying and obtained some intelligence. After learning that the imperial army had been defeated, Yuchi Peng had been captured, and the imperial army had decided to negotiate peace, Lu Ming was stunned.
He felt like his plan was about to end before it even started.
"Your Excellency, Duke of Duke of Qin, do you really wish to continue?"
As they approached the capital, it took Mu Hongqing a long time to recover from the shock of the giant bubble barrier before he looked at Lu Ming and asked.
The conversation between Chen Ying and him from a few days ago was still fresh in his mind.
" Chen Qing wants to invite all parties to a meeting? Has he gone mad?"
"My master once taught me not to jump to conclusions, but now he seems to have become restless."
"You silly girl, you're teasing me now."
"That's what my master taught me," Chen Ying, who was usually aloof, revealed a rare hint of girlish playfulness and even stuck out her tongue.
"Little girl."
"Um?"
" Chen Qing, can you be trusted?"
"Didn't my master tell me that once I've chosen someone, I have to stay with them forever?"
"Born with the air of a teacher?"
"No." Chen Ying shook her head. "Master wouldn't harm me. You made that judgment back then, so you must have thought that Chen Qing was the best choice."
"But now I'm not so sure." Mu Hongqing frowned and said, "His actions are far too risky!"
"Maybe it's not an adventure?"
Recalling this, Mu Hongqing came back to his senses. Looking at the huge barrier, he suddenly understood that the brat's words had a hidden meaning. That silly girl was playing riddles with him, making him worry for so many days for nothing.
He would not force his apprentice to give him real confidential information. He had entrusted the person to him in the first place, not to extract information now.
From the moment his apprentice first conveyed the message to him, he knew that Chen Qing would inevitably take the path of opposing the imperial court, so he decisively entrusted Chen Ying to him.
There are two reasons. First, he values Chen Ying highly. The fact that he so easily gave away the Azure Dragon Inheritance shows his boldness and his confidence in Chen Ying. Mu Hongqing greatly appreciates this. Those who are willing to invest heavily in people with high aptitude are bound to succeed.
Secondly, there's Chen Qing's internal system. Putting aside those miraculous deities, how could they guarantee such a vast channel for advancement? He'd never heard of such a thing. In such a place, given enough time, Mu Hongqing privately believes that Chen Qing will become the second King of Qin!
As for risks
Ying'er's foundation is shallow. Although he is currently the youngest academic official, he is like oil on a hot flame, a loyal subject of the emperor. If the emperor changes his mind and he loses the emperor's favor, that shrew in the Duke of Qin's mansion will definitely pounce on him immediately and devour him whole.
His own sister died so tragically back then, and he, as her older brother, was useless and couldn't protect her. Naturally, he didn't want Chen Ying to suffer the same fate.
So, very early on, he began looking for a suitable husband for Chen Ying, because he knew very well that the vicious woman in the Duke's mansion had long wanted to get rid of Chen Ying.
The more outstanding you are, the more vicious that jealous woman will be!
Now everyone knows that Chen Ying is her most valued apprentice, so of course she won't let her go.
But those aristocratic families were extremely shrewd. They didn't want to offend the Duke of Qin's family, yet they coveted their apprentice's talent. The conditions they offered were almost all concubines!
concubine?
What's the difference between this and having no guarantee at all?
With such conditions offered, how could he trust that those aristocratic families would ultimately protect their disciples?
So much so that over the years, he had become so anxious that he had to search for families in remote areas. The Shen Family was originally a place he had planned to target, but unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, Chen Qing had become his disciple.
Although she was a concubine, she was different from the concubines promised by noble families.
Chen Qing's legal wife is a princess, and whether he can marry her is a question. Even if he does, given Chen Qing's current situation, he either rebels or dies. The princess will be in a very awkward position. His own Chen Ying inherited the Azure Dragon Inheritance and will definitely be a great help to Chen Qing. Such assistance is definitely not something a weak woman with the title of princess can compare to. He has a lot of confidence in his disciple.
But Chen Qing's choice a few days ago made him somewhat unsettled.
In his view, Chen Qing should be taking advantage of the chaos in the Great Jin to bide his time, accumulate strength, instead of showing his face and inviting all sides to an alliance. Where did he get the audacity?
Who is that eldest princess? Who is the Duke of Wei?
If you invite such wolves and tigers in, and you can't control them, Mu Hongqing believes they will devour Chen Qing without hesitation, leaving not even bones behind!
He even began to wonder if letting Chen Ying choose Chen Qing was a mistake.
But right now.
"This is truly spectacular," Zhou Hanyang remarked, looking up at the sky from behind.
"It seems there's a reason why Chen the traitor could cause the court to suffer defeat," the Provincial Governor remarked.
He is now the person who most verbally hates Chen Qing, constantly calling him a traitor and frequently denouncing him in public for failing to live up to the Chen Qing's favor.
But the reason is actually known to most people: they don't want to get involved in any trouble. After all, the decision to allow Chen Qing to recruit soldiers on his own was stamped by him, the provincial governor.
"Fake!"
Lu Ming's voice broke the awkward atmosphere.
"Fake?" The group looked at each other in astonishment. Mu Hongqing also looked at him coldly. He wanted to see how this guy could boost morale under such circumstances.
"Master Xuezheng."
"Hmm?" Mu Hongqing, frowned in confusion, and, too lazy to bow, asked directly, "What are your orders, Duke?"
"I'm asking you, weren't you also involved in the construction of the magic array in the capital?"
"Hmm," Mu Hongqing looked at the other person coldly, roughly understanding what the other person wanted to say, but with everyone watching, he could only respond cooperatively, "It is my honor to participate in such a great project."
How long did it take?
"From the time the blueprints and concepts are drawn up, it will take nine years; if you start counting from the time construction begins, it will take four years!"
How much manpower was used?
"Fourteen ancient families with a history of over a thousand years, hundreds of families of sorcerers with a history of over a hundred years, and more than three thousand Fifth Rank sorcerers—they make up almost ninety percent of the entire sorcerer population in the Great Jin!"
Lu Ming nodded in satisfaction, pointing to the sky and saying, "This is just a decoy. The grand array in the capital city consumed enormous resources and manpower, almost emptying the national treasury at the time. In addition, several aristocratic families also contributed money. It took several years to barely complete, and in the following ten years, it was still being improved and supplemented. Every year, the grand array in the capital city costs millions of gold to maintain."
"And how long has it been since Chen Qing took over from the Eldest Princess? Less than a month, right?" Lu Ming looked at Mu Hongqing: "The Academic Commissioner is an expert; do you think it's possible?"
Mu Hongqing remained silent. He was a fair man, and even though his apprentice was with Chen Qing, he couldn't bring himself to lie and say that it was possible. In the end, he could only shake his head as Lu Ming had suggested.
"That's it." Lu Ming nodded. " Chen Qing's move is both bold and foolish. In my opinion, it's a losing proposition. Once exposed, he will be devoured by the surrounding wolves without a trace, and that's our opportunity!"
"Our opportunity?" Mu Hongqing chuckled. "How could it become the Duke's opportunity? Even if, as you say, Chen Qing is just a decoy, and his fate is to be devoured without a trace by the invited forces, what does that have to do with us?"
"Now, can you win over the Eldest Princess, or that monster from the West Sea? Or can you win the loyalty of the Duke of Duke of Wei? Or can you make the court put you at the head?"
The questions asked hit the nail on the head, and everyone around couldn't help but cover their foreheads in embarrassment.
How could they be so humiliated? They didn't even know how to offer any advice.
But even though what you said was harsh, it wasn't wrong.
Indeed, the Duke of Duke of Qin had not yet recovered, and his army numbered less than 30,000, fewer than Chen Qing's. How could they possibly compete with those few wolves for a share of the spoils?
"Of course there is a chance," Lu Ming said calmly, his expression unchanged, seemingly not taking Mu Hongqing's mockery seriously at all.
"Sir, what are your thoughts?" Not daring to let Mu Hongqing speak again, Zhou Hanyang quickly asked.
" Yuchi Peng, there are still 50,000 imperial troops!"
"Um?"
Everyone was taken aback, but Mu Hongqing's eyes flashed. This guy really doesn't let any loopholes go unnoticed.
Almost instantly, Mu Hongqing understood Lu Ming's plan.
Although Chen Qing defeated the imperial army, he did not inflict heavy losses but instead captured prisoners. While this achievement was impressive, it also left behind hidden dangers.
"What does the Duke mean?" Zhou Hanyang also became excited.
"That's exactly what I mean!" Lu Ming laughed. " Yuchi Peng's strength is among the best in the world. If we can save 50,000 troops, plus our own soldiers and the 80,000 troops of aristocratic families, and if Yuchi Peng joins forces with us, given the right timing, we might have a chance, right?"
Mu Hongqing: "."
" Chen Qing is no pushover, I know that better than any of you. After all, I've been in Yunzhou for quite some time. If the Princess and the others want to take down Chen Qing, they'll have to put in a lot of effort. It's like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. It's time to repay this princess of Great Jin!"