Chapter 196 - Darong Ka and the Empress’ Erotic Deal [1]
Chapter 196 Darong Ka and the Empress’ Erotic Deal [1]
Shangguan LingRan had heard Zi You talk about it along the way. So when he heard Old General Mu and Mu YingYi ask about it, he immediately replied in dissatisfaction. “Aiya! Her whatever great-grandmother goddess is old and cold-blooded! She banished her to the Blackwater Pool where the God Realm punishes their disciples at. What kind of place is Blackwater Pool? It’s like Hell. It’s dark……”
His vivid description made Old General Mu and Mu YingYi scared and distressed!
“You’er, my good granddaughter……” Old General Mu looked affectionately at her. He finally understood why his granddaughter was so capable now. She was forced to be like this!
Mu YingYi shook his head and looked distressed at her. “Why didn’t your mother plead for mercy for you?”
Zi You smiled sweetly and replied, “Actually, my great-grandmother is a very good goddess. A sharp sword comes from grinding and plum fragrance comes from the bitter cold. If she didn’t force me, I won’t have the achievements that I have today. I am very grateful to her!”
Indeed, this was something that she felt after she and Goddess Mari reconciled.
Goddess Mari treated Zi You like how a mother tiger treats its tiger cub. The cub followed its mother to roam at night, swim, hunt, and attack from birth. It quickly learned the skills to live independently.
Without the mother tiger’s ruthlessness, how could the cub leave its mother at the age of two and go as it wishes on the mountains? A mother and child separating seemed ruthless, but it was necessary.
Old General Mu smiled gratifyingly and nodded in praise.
They talked about what happened after they were separated. Finally, Wang Yiping and Mu YingRui were mentioned.
Old General Mu told Zi You apologetically, “I already let your stepmother out. It looks like she’s really repentant. She used her own blood to copy scriptures for me. I didn’t believe it at first. But I went to the ancestral hall one day and saw her praying for you to return soon.
“When your aunt was ill, she managed the house’s affairs very well. One wasted leg is enough for her to remember for a lifetime. Your father is also regretting what he did. He cried and lamented several times in front of me. Ai…… If they truly repent and don’t anything excessive, why would I be at odds with them? After all, blood is thicker than water!”
Sure enough. Zi You secretly sneered. She never believed that a poisonous snake would change its nature to become a kind and docile sheep that wouldn’t hurt people. How would that be possible?
But this woman’s tenacity and strength really made her have a whole new level of respect for her. She was really a cockroach that wouldn’t die!
However, her grandfather actually said this now. Zi You didn’t have anything that could be used against them, so she couldn’t say anything. She originally wanted to see if her grandfather and uncle’s sachets had been switched.
As a result, the medicinal herbs in the sachets were with the female medical team. During the march here, the female medical team had struggled with poisonous snakes and other creatures. And with the addition of rain, those medicinal herbs had long deteriorated and were discarded. Zi You had no way to check.
She had to return. She wasn’t afraid of Wang Yiping before. And she wouldn’t be afraid of Wang Yiping’s schemes with her current ability now.
They dared to make a move on her loved ones. She would certainly let them wish that they were dead!
Zi You and Shangguan LingRan looked at each other with understanding gazes. Obviously, Shangguan LingRan didn’t believe that the two people would really repent either.
Then they all talked about the rebellion. Nanjiang was currently ruled by the Nanzhao government. There were many ethnic groups in Nanjiang and each group was divided into a lot of tribes.
This rebellion was started by several large tribes in the southwest. They relied on their large numbers and burned and looted several other small tribes. The people who escaped from the small tribes went to Dali to find Nanzhao King Ge Luofeng to send troops to pacify the rebellion.
Who knew that Ge Luofeng was extremely wily and sent a letter to Xuanwu Emperor to ask him to pacify the rebellion? He had thought, ‘You want to annex my Nanjiang? You have to have the ability first. You think that we’re so easy to swallow? There is a price to pay for our Nanjiang to surrender.’
This was why Old General Mu and Xuanwu Emperor had a dispute.
Old General Mu had wanted the army to stay in Nanjiang and let the Nanzhao government become a puppet ruler.
But Xuanwu Emperor had said, “The situation is too complicated. What if the army colludes with the Nanzhao government? Then wouldn’t Zhen suffer losses on both sides? If they dare not obey, it’s not too late to send troops to take care of them.”
Bluntly speaking, Xuanwu Emperor just didn’t trust Great Yan’s soldiers. He was afraid that the soldiers would collude with the Nanzhao government and betray him.
As a result, there were only forty or fifty people left in Nanjiang to set up something similar to a Great Yan embassy. It was near Lijiang and the place where Old General Mu’s 40,000 soldiers were camped.
Zi You couldn’t help but ask, “Grandfather, why did the Emperor only give you 40,000 troops? This is less than half of the previous two times.”
Old General Mu sighed. “Ai…… After receiving the news about the rebellion in Nanjiang, the Emperor summoned me into the Palace. He talked to me for a long time. He said that the Xiongnus in the north were restless. The Emperor was really worried that the north would stir up trouble if all the troops were sent to Nanjiang……”
Speaking to here, Old General Mu looked at Shangguan LingRan. He was a little hesitant and thought for a while before speaking again. “Especially An Wang. If he has bad intentions, then the capital will be in a dangerous situation. Wasn’t he making things clear to me? He didn’t want me to bring more troops to Nanjiang.
“I had no other choice and could only say, ‘Emperor, then you should send fewer troops to Nanjiang. The safety of the capital is more important.’”
“The Emperor immediately said, “Okay. Zhen will give you 40,000 troops. They’re the soldiers who you took to Mount Yunmeng for training last time. They must be very capable and one person can defeat two enemies. Moreover, there aren’t many rebellious tribes this time and there is a good guide there. Zhen believes that you will be able to triumph soon, beloved official.’”
“He said it like this already, so what else could I say? I could only accept the imperial edict. Now that I think about it, this matter is a bit odd. The Emperor is probably suspicious of me now. LingRan, you should quickly tell your father to be more careful.”
Shangguan LingRan smiled coldly. “The Emperor has never trusted anyone. If I’m right, he’s trying to take the military power back.”
“That’s very possible.” Mu YingYi interjected, “The army in the five cities appointed a deputy general Zhao Kangwei half a year ago. He seems to be Duke Yongnan’s distant cousin. He is originally a subordinate of Yuan Chengjun.”
“Yuan Chengjun belongs to the Empress and Taizi’s camp.” Shangguan LingRan’s phoenix eyes slightly narrowed. “Does the Emperor really trust Taizi right now?”
“It doesn’t matter whom he trusts.” Zi You’s eyes gleamed ruthlessly. “I won’t let go of anyone who harms my grandfather and uncle. Now, we should find that Darong Ka. He made the Mu army sacrifice so many brothers. And he’s always been helping Taizi and the Empress to harm people. I won’t let him off.
“Imperial Doctor Qin’s death is related to him and the Empress. I asked my mother about that black and gold ring on the Empress’ finger. It is the Devil Ring. Darong Ka can receive the Empress’ orders immediately through the Devil Ring.
“I clearly saw the Empress touch that ring that day and Imperial Doctor Qin died soon after. Perhaps Taizi already had Darong Ka give a gu to the Emperor and is controlling him. Or perhaps Taizi used some other methods to gain the Emperor’s trust.”
Shangguan LingRan said mockingly, “You’re right. Taizi gave a beautiful woman to the Emperor on his birthday. They say that this beauty exuded a fragrance and could use her hands to dance. The Emperor had immediately praised, ‘Her hands tremble like flowers. Her body is as gentle as the breeze.’
“She took over the harem and the Emperor didn’t go to morning court for three days. Taizi gave him such a wonderful beauty. How can he not trust Taizi?”
A body that exuded fragrance? Zi You scoffed. Could her scent be as enticing as her five black mandara spirits? She wanted to see how beautiful this beauty was when she returned.
But now? They needed to first take care of Darong Ka and the tribesmen.
But where could Darong Ka be hiding now? Did he return to the capital or was he hiding in the mountains? These jungles were terrifyingly large. How could it be easy to find one person?
Zi You thought about it and said to Old General Mu, “Grandfather, you and uncle should first leave here with the army. After taking some rest, I will take the opportunity to go to Nanjiang.”
Old General Mu never thought that his granddaughter had such intentions. He couldn’t help but say worriedly, “But the Nanzhao government already signed an agreement to surrender to Great Yan. We can rush to attack Nanjiang. It’s fine it we beat them, but the Emperor will certainly blame us if we cannot beat them.
“Also, I’m worried that if we really attack Nanjiang, the Emperor will get rid of the people who were useful to him, so LingRan’s father will be in a more difficult situation.”
An Wang was alive because of the fear that Nanjiang would rebel. If Nanjiang really became a state or county of Great Yan, the Emperor would probably no longer keep An Wang alive.
Old General Mu didn’t think that the Emperor would be a wise monarch and spare An Wang’s life because of his loyalty.
It was good that her grandfather was no longer loyal to the Emperor. This way, Zi You’s following plans would be easier to put into action.
A gradually blooming smile appeared on Zi You’s face. It was as enticing as a sea of purple and black mandara flowers. “Beating Nanjiang isn’t a problem. If the Emperor wants to get rid of those useful to him, we’ll have to see if he has the ability to do so.”
Shangguan LingRan looked at Zi You’s almost evil smile and also smiled devilishly. “YouYou, I know what you’re thinking. You can attack Nanjiang and leave the 30,000 soldiers here? That way, we can say that we have attacked Nanjiang, but Nanjiang will fall into our hands. The Emperor will then be uneasy and won’t dare to target grandfather, right?”
Zi You glanced coyly at him. She nodded and said, “That way, the Emperor will send his confidant deputy general here. He will come here, but he won’t leave here.
“Also, when we attack Nanjiang, the hidden would come running out. At that time, that Darong Ka will send himself to our door. I can guarantee that he didn’t go back to the capital yet. How can he go back to report if he didn’t obtain grandfather and uncle’s heads yet?”
Zi You had really guessed correctly. Darong Ka was indeed hiding in the Yuesong tribe leader’s home. The reputation of this shaman wasn’t undeserved. He had some abilities.
He saw the powerful Qi that Zi You released that day and knew that things were bad. Someone more powerful than him had arrived. He flipped his magical wheel and calculated for a long time. He said to the leader Guoji Weiza, “It’s bad. Someone saved old man Mu and his son, but I can’t tell who they are. They should be one man and one woman. Can they be the granddaughter whom old man Mu said was taken away by some expert and the expert himself?”
He didn’t dare to say the following words out loud: “This is bad. I couldn’t calculate who Mu Zi You was rescued by back then. After more than two years, this person’s cultivation is probably higher than mine. Leader, you won’t be able to be Nanjiang’s King for any longer.”
Guoji Weiza was so angry that he anxiously stood up and slammed down on a chair. He asked incredulously, “Is there someone more powerful than you, shaman?”
Darong Ka didn’t dare to brag right now. He was embarrassed as he replied, “There is no one more powerful than me in Nanjiang. There aren’t many people more powerful than me in Great Yan. Otherwise, why would Great Yan’s Taizi invite me over to be a valued guest?
“But these two people……. They aren’t from Nanjiang or Great Yan. They’re probably foreigners, like that Dier from back then! My spirit snake that I raised for nearly a hundred years died in her hands just like that. I was depressed to death. I thought that without her here, that old man Mu and his son would die in this ‘Land of Death.’ But I didn’t expect……
“Alas, before I came here, I guaranteed to Taizi and the Empress that I will take their lives. But now……”
Darong Ka thought to here and couldn’t help but be frustrated. He thought of the erotic deal between him and the Empress before he came to Nanjiang. His body couldn’t help but stir.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen more beautiful women than the Empress She Fengrong, but none had her noble temperament and intelligence.
Taizi first introduced him to the Empress because she had a recurring illness. She Fengrong had a history of migraines. Many imperial doctors and commoner doctors couldn’t cure her.
Taizi knew that Darong Ka was lustful and didn’t want to introduce him to the Empress. But after Shangguan Lingluo’s death, the Empress had been very disappointed in Taizi and been indifferent to him for a very long time.
Taizi had no other choice and finally sent Darong Ka into the Palace to cure the Empress.
He had said to Darong Ka, “I’m sending you into the Palace to treat Muhou. If you can cure Muhou, I naturally won’t slight you. But please remember. She is my Muhou. I don’t want you to have any evil thoughts.”
When Darong Ka heard that, he had sneered. What evil thoughts? As long as the thoughts could become true in this world, then they weren’t “evil.”