Chapter 1355

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "Prince Fu, Your Highness, the Dakang Court will certainly be very interested in these matters you mentioned."

Yang Longyue heard from Hu Xiaotian's words his doubt about his motives, and he laughed: "I don't think highly of the current Dakang Court; they're preoccupied and could offer me no help. If Sir Hu is willing to join forces with me, we can thwart the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's plan to use the marriage‑recruitment to form an alliance."

Hu Xiaotian said: "But I still don't see what benefit this would bring me."

Yang Longyue said: "Sir Hu should be a perceptive person; you should be familiar with Princess Yingyue's appearance."

Hu Xiaotian was certainly not unfamiliar with her; Princess Yingyue is Long Xi Yue. Back then, Xiao Tianmu and Zhou Mo schemed to send her to the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom. According to Hu Xiaotian's knowledge, the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's empress dowager, Long Xuanjiao, had always treated her well, yet for some reason she suddenly decided to stage this marriage‑recruitment scene—why must Long Xi Yue be used? This once again proves the fact that royal family affection is thin; Long Xuanjiao truly lives up to being Laohuangdi's younger sister—just as ruthless and cruel, just as cold‑hearted.

Yang Longyue said: "I recall that Sir Hu personally escorted Princess Anping to Da Yong for a marriage alliance; later, Princess Anping met with misfortune in Yongdu, and Da Yong, to compensate, specially ceded Dongliang Jun to Dakang—this Dongliang Jun is exactly where Sir Hu now bases his development."

Hu Xiaotian smiled at Yang Longyue; this Prince Fu of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom is indeed extraordinary—he already fully knows Long Xi Yue's identity, making it easy to infer what happened back then in Da Yong.

Yang Longyue said: "I harbor no ill will toward Sir Hu; my ancestors, since founding the state over three hundred years ago, have never had an ambitious ruler, always staying put in the southeastern borderlands, never attempting to advance into the Central Plains. Sir Hu might think my actions today... The ultimate purpose is purely for my own private gain; Longyue dares to stake his life on it—Longyue only wishes to preserve this ancestral legacy, with no other extravagant hopes." His words meant to show he had no intention of contending for the Central Plains, but rather did not want the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's realm to fall into Long Xuanjiao's hands.

Hu Xiaotian, however, never gave a direct reply to Yang Longyue's request; he lifted his cup before him and said: "Prince Fu, Your Highness, please drink."

Yang Longyue and Hu Xiaotian drank together for over an hour, yet Yang Longyue did not obtain the answer he wanted from Hu Xiaotian; throughout, Hu Xiaotian treated him with courtesy, specially providing the best post‑station in Dongliang Jun for Yang Longyue to stay temporarily.

After seeing Yang Longyue off, Hu Xiaotian had Liang Da Zhuang invite Yu Tianxing over, then briefly related their earlier conversation to him.

Yu Tianxing said: "Yang Longyue is seeking to ally with our lord."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "His situation in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom is perilous; Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao regards him as a thorn in the flesh, a splinter in the eye. He is determined to eliminate him to clear the way for the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's king, Yang Longjing." Thinking of Yang Longjing, the biological son of Hu Buwei, Hu Xiaotian felt a vague discomfort. As sons, the treatment their father gave them was worlds apart, especially when recalling Xu Fengyi's ordeal. Hu Xiaotian felt even more indignant for his mother; Hu Buwei cherished his old lover and illegitimate son without comment, yet he could not abandon his family in Dakang merely for that old lover.

What could possibly be the meaning of the gift that Hu Buwei entrusted Yang Longyue to send? The letter clearly conveys a friendly gesture; as for that map, it likely indicates there are secrets hidden in his Secretary's residence in Kangdu, but this map is probably meaningless now. Hong Beimo, while having him build a wedding chamber, has already sounded out the Secretary's residence thoroughly—any secrets likely have been uncovered by him—and Hu Buwei is only now telling himself that any remaining secrets in his household are already too late to disclose.

Yu Tianxing said: "My lord, have you ever considered that the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom might seek an alliance with you?"

Hu Xiaotian's heart skipped a beat.

Yu Tianxing said: "If what Yang Longyue said is true, then the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom must have the ambition to advance into the Central Plains; this public marriage‑recruitment for Princess Yingyue aims to find the most advantageous alliance for them. The Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom wants to push into the Central Plains, targeting Dakang's territory, so Dakang must first be excluded. The small state of Nan Yue is negligible, and moreover Nan Yue itself lies in the southwestern borderlands, of no use to the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's future development. Although Da Yong is the strongest, its northern front is currently urgent, being held fast by the Black Hu peoples, leaving it no spare energy to attend to Dakang—precisely for this reason the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom chooses this moment to try to seize the Central Plains. Furthermore, there is Xichuan, located in western Dakang; Li Tianheng, after two years of painstaking management, has solidified his rule, and an alliance with Xichuan would naturally yield a coordinated inside‑outside effect."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head: "Xichuan is the least likely of all." Initially, Hu Buwei and Li Tianheng secretly plotted rebellion, but before their plan could be launched, Long Yelin's sudden court coup threw everything into disarray—Hu Buwei was in the capital, caught up in the turmoil, while Li Tianheng, as a regional governor, escaped disaster, raised the banner, and proclaimed himself king. The rift between him and Hu Buwei dates from then; now Hu Buwei, under the alias Mr. Lan, has entered the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, leveraging his relationship with Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao to pull strings behind the scenes of its court, and the present Hu Buwei may not be willing to cooperate again with Li Tianheng.

Yu Tianxing said: "Therefore, my lord is the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom's ideal partner; Yang Longyue saw through this, which is why he moved first to ally with our lord."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Even if the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom cooperated with me, it would lack sincerity."

Yu Tianxing said: "It's nothing more than wanting to use our lord as a stepping stone—first join hands with our lord to pinch Dakang, then perhaps ally with Da Yong to deal with our lord. But that's how things often go in this world: you use me, I use you; if our lord wants to contend with Dakang, this is not a bad opportunity at all."

Hu Xiaotian said: "What do you think of Yang Longyue?"

Yu Tianxing said: "He likely has some influence in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, but it seems he cannot match the empress dowager; otherwise he would not have traveled thousands of miles to seek our lord's aid."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Yang Longyue's greatest advantage is his sincere willingness to cooperate with me."

Yu Tianxing said: "My lord, are you still not planning to treat Dakang as an enemy?"

Hu Xiaotian shook his head, secretly thinking that Dakang had moreover revealed its true strength; if Hong Beimo held some powerful weapon in his hands, a pincer attack on Dakang now would likely incur heavy losses, and the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, harboring the notion of "strike while the victim is ill," would almost certainly be committing the grave error of underestimating the enemy.

Since leaving Dakang, the Dakang side has done nothing substantive beyond listing my crimes; perhaps Qiqi does not want to drive me to desperation, lest it provoke a mutually damaging outcome. For Hu Xiaotian, the current state of peaceful non‑interference is actually a good thing—Dakang does not provoke him, and he can quietly develop.

In fact, Hu Xiaotian has already ruled out the possibility of cooperating with the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom in his heart—first, because of his father who abandoned wife and child; second, because of the two sworn brothers who betrayed him. Although he is open‑minded by nature, after all there are things he cannot let go of, and he will not forget Long Xi Yue and Murong Feiyan, who longed for him day and night while he was in the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom.

Yu Tianxing waited silently at Hu Xiaotian's side, but Hu Xiaotian had already fallen into a prolonged silence, staring blankly, seemingly forgetting that Yu Tianxing was still there; finally Yu Tianxing could not help but cough and ask: "My lord, what exactly are you planning in your heart?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled apologetically and said: "Everything has its priorities; if we bring the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom into the Central Plains, it's like inviting a wolf into the house, and we would also gain another opponent."

Yu Tianxing smiled and said: "My lord, it seems you have already made a decision."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Just take care of yourself; we need not worry about others' affairs." As for the internal affairs of the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom, he had no intention of interfering, and his ideal partner for cooperation was not the Heavenly Fragrance Kingdom either. The urgent matter before him was to resolve the Yunyang situation, and Su Yuchi, this nail hidden in his own back, was his greatest hidden danger.

At dusk that day, a piece of news that overjoyed Hu Xiaotian arrived: Huo Shengnan returned safely from Kangdu. Originally, Huo Shengnan had been sent ahead to Kangdu by Qiqi, and she should have already arrived in Dongliang Jun, but on her way from Kangdu to Dongliang Jun she heard news of the upheaval at Kangdu Palace. Out of concern for Hu Xiaotian, Huo Shengnan risked returning to Kangdu, and only when she reached Fengyi Shan Zhuang did she discover that the former Fengyi Shan Zhuang had been burned to ashes, leaving only a scorched wasteland of rubble.

Huo Shengnan inquired around and gradually learned that the Yongyang Princess had released news concerning Hu Xiaotian's subordinates, confirming that Hu Xiaotian had safely escaped from Kangdu, whereupon she finally left Kangdu. She constantly worried about Hu Xiaotian's safety, wishing she could grow wings to fly to him, but as the saying goes, haste makes waste. While traveling through Heavenly Wave City, she fell ill from days of hard travel and constant fear, and was kindly cared for by the innkeeper couple at the Heavenly Wave City Inn, recovering after half a month. As soon as she healed, she bade farewell to her benefactors and set off on her return journey. After several twists and turns, she arrived in Dongliang Jun nearly a month later than Hu Xiaotian.

After enduring these trials, upon seeing Hu Xiaotian appear safe and sound before her once again, Huo Shengnan was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, setting aside her former strength and decisiveness, and threw herself into Hu Xiaotian's embrace.

Hu Xiaotian tightly held her in his arms and said: "You've lost weight! You must have suffered a lot of grievances during this time."

Huo Shengnan, hearing his concerned words, could not help but let tears fall.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: "How come? Even General Huo, who is usually stronger than any man, would shed tears?"

Huo Shengnan, feeling embarrassed, wiped her tears on his shoulder and said: "Except for you, I would never shed tears in front of anyone."

At that moment, Weisa's voice came from outside; Huo Shengnan prepared to retreat behind the screen and put on a mask, but Hu Xiaotian laughed and said: "No need to hide your identity any longer; this is Dongliang Jun, you can openly be yourself."

Just after returning home from the annual meeting, I finished writing this chapter on the high-speed train and sent the update; today is the last day of the Double Monthly Ticket, so I ask everyone who has a Monthly Ticket to please vote for Zhangyu in time—after tonight, its effect will be halved. (To be continued~^~)