Chapter 1851

Wen Chenghuan's love of calligraphy is common knowledge, so to Xue Lingjun, Li Chen Zhou's gift seemed tailored to his taste, yet she neither knew of Wen Chenghuan's relation to Li Chen Zhou nor imagined that Jingguo Gong Li Xuan Gan was Wen Chenghuan's father; the significance of this calligraphy for Wen Chenghuan goes far beyond merely obtaining a treasure.

No matter how stirred Wen Chenghuan felt inside, he showed no sign before others, his expression remaining calm and composed as he smiled, "Thank you, Elder Princess, and please ask Your Highness to convey my thanks to Governor Li."

Xue Lingjun said, "Grand Tutor, rest assured, I will certainly convey your words." She gently set down the chazan in her hand: "Grand Tutor, speaking of which, our envoy has already been in Kangdu for several days, yet we have had no opportunity to see the Yongyang Princess; I wonder what keeps the Princess so busy lately? In the midst of her many duties, could she not spare a moment to meet me?" According to her status, Xue Lingjun is qualified to say this; on this mission to Dakang, the other side indeed shows a lack of proper etiquette.

Wen Chenghuan said, "Elder Princess, there's no need to be anxious; recently the palace has encountered some matters, and the Princess is handling them, so she has no time to spare, but she has already entrusted the reception of you entirely to the King of Zhenhai. How is it? Have you not yet met the King of Zhenhai?"

Xue Lingjun let out a faint sigh and said, "We have met once."

Wen Chenghuan said, "Have you made your purpose for this visit clear?"

Xue Lingjun said, "What good would it do to say it? I came here to foster friendship between our two states, but the King of Zhenhai seems hardly interested in this matter, and furthermore, the party discussing the alliance is not only Da Yong."

Wen Chenghuan naturally understood the reason for Xue Lingjun's complaint, and he smiled, "The King of Zhenhai is highly regarded by the court, young and capable; I believe he can handle the relations between our two states."

Xue Lingjun said, "Grand Tutor, have you heard that the Black Hu side has proposed to marry the Xima Princess to the King of Zhenhai in exchange for an alliance between the two states?"

Wen Chenghuan furrowed his brows; he had not heard of this, but since Xue Lingjun is the Elder Princess of Da Yong, he believed she would not speak without basis; if true, then Black Hu would indeed be spending dearly for an alliance with Dakang, and he smiled, "Your Highness, where did you hear this news?"

Xue Lingjun said, "Without solid evidence I would not make things up; in this mission to Dakang I strive to balance the interests of both states, handle affairs impartially, and always look at the bigger picture. Now it is clear that we cannot compare to the Black Hu people—how cunning they are, knowing how to cater to preferences, privately currying favor with the King of Zhenhai to achieve their ulterior motives."

Wen Chenghuan, old and scheming, though his heart leaned toward Da Yong, showed nothing on the surface, and said calmly, "Elder Princess, you speak too soon; although the Black Hu people offer generous terms, the King of Zhenhai may not accept them; since the court has chosen him, there must be reasons for that choice, and I believe he will uphold fairness in these matters, and should not do anything that harms Dakang's interests or damages foreign relations."

Xue Lingjun said, "I have some understanding of the King of Zhenhai's character; over the years his relationship with the Dakang court is known to all under heaven. To speak out of turn, his heart is simply too great—perhaps even Dakang's territory cannot contain him."

Wen Chenghuan said nothing, stroking his beard in silence.

Xue Lingjun said, "Those in the midst are confused while onlookers see clearly; I have also witnessed cases of subordinates bullying their superiors."

Wen Chenghuan chuckled and said, "Elder Princess, you overpraise me!"

Xue Lingjun sighed and said, "I am merely offering a friendly reminder; although Dakang and Da Yong are two states, they both belong to the Central Plains, share the same breath and branches, drink from the Yong River, and their myriad connections cannot be severed. If the Black Hu people succeed, or even join forces with them for immediate gain, the inevitable result will be when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold—drawing fire upon oneself. I am confident that your state's upper and lower levels see this clearly."

Wen Chenghuan nodded and said, "I understand the Elder Princess's meaning."

Xue Lingjun said, "Over these years, everyone has seen the King of Zhenhai's actions; he has profited from the conflicts between Da Yong and Dakang, and I am not speaking ill of him, but I hope your lord can see the situation clearly, distinguish loyalty from treachery, and by no means let villains take advantage, lest you make a choice you will regret."

Wen Chenghuan said, "Elder Princess, rest assured, I will certainly convey your words to the Yongyang Princess."

Xue Lingjun let out another sigh and said, "There's nothing to be done; if the Grand Tutor could arrange a meeting with the Princess, perhaps I could better convey Da Yong's intentions to her."

Wen Chenghuan said, "I will do my best to arrange it."

After seeing Xue Lingjun off, Wen Chenghuan stood before the door with a heavy heart, not returning to his quarters for a long time; the matters Xue Lingjun mentioned were also his greatest concern—Dakang's choice between Da Yong and Black Hu could even decide the ultimate fate of both states, and yet such an important matter had been entrusted by the Yongyang Princess to Hu Xiaotian, who, though young, is full of scheming and likely to exploit this to gain the utmost benefit from both sides.

Unfolding his father's handwritten Bodhisattva Man from years ago, Wen Chenghuan's eyes involuntarily grew moist as he recalled his father's earnest teachings, the loyalty of the Li clan to Da Yong, and how he himself had left home, changed his name, and forsaken wife and child to lurk in enemy lands for decades in pursuit of the dream of unifying the Central Plains under Da Yong; yet the efforts of two generations have now come to nothing, and though he has not personally witnessed his son's deeds in Da Yong, he fully understands that the Li family's two generations of devotion have turned into his son's ambitious scheming—he has orchestrated this upheaval in Da Yong's political arena, shaken the rule of the Xue clan, joined forces with Elder Princess Xue Lingjun, and taken control of Da Yong's court.

It is precisely Li Chen Zhou's actions that have caused Da Yong to fall from prosperity to decline in such a short time, turning once-united Da Yong into a people divided in heart; each time he thinks of this, Wen Chenghuan feels immense shame, his decades of covert effort and devotion now meaningless; even after a hundred years, what face would he have to meet his father, or to face the past rulers of Da Yong? Chen Zhou, Chen Zhou, do you know your father's bewilderment?

As Hu Xiaotian stepped out of the makeshift operating room, the sky was already filled with evening clouds; he removed his bloodstained gloves, took off his surgical gown, tossed them into the bronze basin, and then walked toward the observation platform.

Standing on the observation platform, gazing at the western sunset as splendid as brocade, his gaze was calm and relieved; although Baobao had once been at the brink of life and death, she was destined not to die, and he had personally snatched his beloved from the hands of death; Baobao's life was now unharmed, and it was time to find the murderer—he would surely make the killer pay with blood, and let the world know the consequences of provoking his woman.

Behind him, footsteps approached slowly; though slow, each step was precisely controlled, with consistent stride and force, and Hu Xiaotian guessed the other's identity without turning around.

From behind came Hong Beimo's plain voice: "Prince, how is Baobao's condition?"

Hu Xiaotian said, "It's fine."

Hong Beimo came to Hu Xiaotian's side, looking at him with admiration, and said softly, "Prince, your medical skill is truly unrivaled under heaven; in my life I have seen only one person who can be compared to you in this regard."

"Ghost Doctor Fu Luo?"

Hong Beimo nodded and sighed again, saying, "It's a pity this person died young; otherwise the Prince could certainly have sparred with him in person."

Hu Xiaotian thought that Ghost Doctor Fu Luo was still alive and well, and moreover this person had been a core member of the Yuekong operation years ago; Hong Beimo had always hidden himself deeply, and it was hard to say whether he knew anything about Ghost Doctor Fu Luo, so Hu Xiaotian decided not to reveal this to him, and said in a low voice, "I would like to ask a favor of you, Mr. Hong."

Hong Beimo smiled and said, "Prince, speak freely; there's no need for ceremony between us," though he guessed in his heart that what Hu Xiaotian mentioned was most likely related to Baobao.

As expected, Hu Xiaotian said, "I would like to take Baobao back to the prince's residence for care; I wonder if Mr. Hong would agree?"

Hong Beimo nodded and said, "That works; the Prince has countless duties and cannot come to the Heavenly Mechanism Bureau every day, and since Baobao's condition is not yet stable, it is naturally best for the Prince to care for her at his side, but this will surely be a burden on the Prince."

Hu Xiaotian privately thought, given Baobao's affection for him, what harm would a little extra hardship do? He thanked, "Many thanks, Mr. Hong."

Hong Beimo said, "Actually, it should be me thanking you; Baobao is my adopted daughter, but in my heart I have always regarded her as my own, and to see her safe and sound makes me truly overjoyed."

Hu Xiaotian said, "I recall Fu Yu Hong saying that Baobao was injured by the Black Hu state preceptor Gang Ba Duo?"

Hong Beimo said, "What one sees with one's own eyes is not necessarily true; this matter still needs careful investigation, after all it concerns the relations between the two states, and as the Black Hu state preceptor Gang Ba Duo should not be so rash; perhaps someone disguised themselves as him, which we cannot rule out."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, finding Hong Beimo's words reasonable, and said in a low voice, "No matter what, I will investigate thoroughly."

Hong Beimo said, "I will immediately arrange for Baobao to be safely sent to your residence."

Hu Xiaotian said, "For now it's not possible; she has just finished surgery and needs to stabilize, so let her stay at the residence for observation tonight, and tomorrow morning I will arrange personnel to come fetch her."

Hong Beimo said, "Then I will follow the Prince's arrangements."

Prince, Thousand Years!

Hu Xiaotian turned to see the young eunuch Yin Zheng approaching; he nodded and asked, "What is the matter?"

Yin Zheng said, "The Princess has an urgent matter summoning the Prince to the palace."

Hu Xiaotian said, "What urgent matter?"

Yin Zheng said, "Extremely urgent!"

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