Chapter 1867

If Xue Shengjing finds Hu Buwei to cooperate, then the situation will develop towards the worst aspect; Hu Buwei's formidable aspect is not only that he is the actual holder of the Heavenly Fragrance State's authority, but behind him also has the support of the Xu family, the richest under heaven, and more importantly, he possesses a skull, and that skull is precisely the one Hu Xiaotian personally handed over to him. The skull possessed by Hu Buwei is one of the two Heaven's Mandate persons captured by Dakang back then; its importance may even be above that of other Heaven's Mandate persons.

Ji Feihua once understood the secret of that Skull, while Qiqi understood another Skull; Hu Xiaotian, based on the relationship between Qiqi and Ji Feihua, has already made a preliminary inference that the two Heaven's Mandate persons captured and beheaded by Dakang back then were very likely a married couple, and Ji Feihua and Qiqi are both descendants of those two Heaven's Mandate persons.

Hu Xiaotian's recent words to Hong Beimo about the Ten Thousand Phenomena of Heaven and Man diagram were absolutely not baseless speculation; Qin Yutong had once told him about the Ten Thousand Phenomena of Heaven and Man diagram.

Anything is possible; Hu Xiaotian and Hong Beimo stared at each other, over the years they have openly and secretly fought, each having once harbored the thought of killing the other, yet the present reality forces them to discard past grudges and choose cooperation.

Baobao gazed at Hu Xiaotian with affectionate eyes; although she still could not speak, from her gradually recovering spirited gaze one could already perceive that her body was recovering. Hu Xiaotian came to her side, sat down, reached out, took her delicate hand, and softly said: 'How do you feel today?'

A hint of a smile appeared at Baobao's lips; she blinked her bright eyes, her long, curled lashes opening and closing like butterfly wings in the wind.

Hu Xiaotian laughed, playing with Baobao's hand as delicate as fine white porcelain, and said softly: 'Have you ever thought that I and Hong Beimo could also form an offensive-defensive alliance, standing on the same side?'

Baobao's beautiful eyes could not hide her surprise; the corner of her mouth still bore a faint smile. No matter what, to her this was hardly bad news, after all she did not wish to see Hu Xiaotian and Hong Beimo turn against each other.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'The matter is far more complicated than I imagined…' After a pause he added: 'Have you ever been deceived by someone you trusted?'

Baobao's hand moved slightly in Hu Xiaotian's palm, weakly gripping his thumb.

Hu Xiaotian laughed, then realized it was inappropriate to say such things in front of Baobao, and gently comforted her: 'Rest well, be patient; full recovery to normal still requires some time.'

Xia Zhangming was the first to return; he had completed the task Hu Xiaotian assigned him, escorting Princess Xima and handing her over to the Black Hu envoy.

Hu Xiaotian listened to his report, nodded slowly, and said: 'Good, did Wanyan Liexin say anything?'

Xia Zhangming said: 'He asked nothing, said nothing, not even a word of thanks.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed; Wanyan Liexin is a perceptive person, he had long known that Princess Xima's abduction was his own doing, so he would naturally not thank him; given Wanyan Liexin's wit, he should be able to deduce what happened, even speculate that Bu Bu Ma and the others met with misfortune, and even if he did not participate in the plot to besiege him, he surely knows what Bu Bu Ma intends to do.

Xia Zhangming also said: 'I also conveyed the lord's meaning to Elder Brother Zong and the little rascal, telling them they need not continue following the Black Hu envoy; they should be back by roughly tonight's dusk.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Help me check what's been happening lately at Fengyi Shan Zhuang, and also find out everything Liang Da Zhuang has been doing recently, then report back to me.'

Xia Zhangming nodded and said: 'I'll go check right away.'

After making arrangements, Hu Xiaotian rose to head for the palace; he needed to report the past two days' events to Qiqi, but just as he had finished changing clothes, he heard the announcement that the Yongyang Princess's elder sister, Xue Lingjun of Da Yong, had arrived for a visit.

Hu Xiaotian thought and had someone invite Xue Lingjun to the flower hall; although he had not yet seen her, he guessed she could no longer stay calm, given the many events of the past two days—the Black Hu envoy had already left Kangdu, while the Da Yong envoy remained under their surveillance; Xue Lingjun would certainly not be willing to let this situation persist, and to overturn her current passive position she must clarify the situation, and the only way to do so is to start with him.

During her time in Kangdu, Xue Lingjun had already seen the situation clearly; Li Chen Zhou had previously specially instructed her that the Grand Preceptor of Dakang, Wen Chenghuan, was a pacifist faction, always relatively mild toward Da Yong, and moreover this man had an irreconcilable enmity with Hu Xiaotian and had also had several contacts with her, so if she encountered anything puzzling she could go consult Wen Chenghuan.

At first, Xue Lingjun indeed acted according to Li Chen Zhou's instructions; Wen Chenghuan indeed, as she said, gathered a group of officials to go before the Yongyang Princess to impeach Hu Xiaotian, but although the matter started with great fanfare, it quickly fizzled out, and Wen Chenghuan failed to move Hu Xiaotian; after this, Xue Lingjun was inevitably disappointed, yet she also saw from it Hu Xiaotian's lofty position in Dakang.

Although Wen Chenghuan had promised to help arrange a meeting with the Yongyang Princess, three days later—though three days is not long—given the rapidly changing recent situation, no one knows what will happen in this interval; since the Black Hu envoy left Kangdu, Xue Lingjun has become increasingly restless; after consideration, she abandoned the idea of going to Wen Chenghuan to learn the situation, and instead steeled herself to go to the Zhenhai Wang Fu, believing that breaking the deadlock still required starting from Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian entered the flower hall with graceful poise; this time he did not keep Xue Lingjun waiting long, smiling: 'Elder sister, you've come at just the right moment; if you had arrived a moment later I would already have gone to the palace.'

Xue Lingjun did not know whether his words were true or false; her clear eyes shone with a myriad of charm, and she coquettishly said: 'Do you dislike me so much in your heart? As soon as I arrive you want to leave?'

Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing: 'Elder sister, you've misunderstood my meaning.' He greeted Xue Lingjun to sit down; although he already understood her purpose, he still feigned ignorance and said: 'Elder sister, what brings you here today?'

Xue Lingjun said: 'Could it be that one cannot come over for a casual visit and a chat when there's nothing wrong? Must one, upon coming to Da Yong on an envoy mission, stay confined like a prisoner in the inn, not stepping out the front gate nor the second door?'

Hu Xiaotian sensed her implication, smiled: 'Elder sister, you harbor great resentment; my stationing troops outside your embassy is also for the safety of your delegation, after all the Black Hu princess was abducted earlier; whether comparing looks, charm, or status in my heart, you are clearly far more important than that little Black Hu princess, so I strengthened security measures; elder sister, you won't mistake my good intentions because of this, will you?'

Xue Lingjun secretly sighed at his silver tongue, able to make the dead sound alive; whatever his reasoning, she let out a faint sigh and said: 'If you truly thought that, you wouldn't have searched my embassy.' She leaned closer to Hu Xiaotian and whispered: 'What exactly is the matter with that dry well?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'Elder sister asks me, I also want to ask you, but I simply don't believe you would seize the Black Hu princess to sabotage the negotiations.'

Xue Lingjun sat upright, the smile on her face suddenly fading: 'I would naturally not do such a thing; certainly someone is trying to frame me.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I also trust your character; this time someone is surely trying to put a feces-filled chamber pot on your head.'

Hearing this, Xue Lingjun felt it somewhat unpleasant, frowned with distaste, took out a silk handkerchief to wipe her forehead, and said: 'Everyone says the autumn tiger is fierce; today I have indeed experienced it. By the way, I heard the Black Hu princess has already been rescued?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and nodded: 'Your information is indeed well-informed; if she had not been rescued, how could the Black Hu envoy have willingly left?'

Xue Lingjun said: 'So Wanyan Liexin and the Yongyang Princess never got a chance to meet, then?'

Hu Xiaotian knew she was probing him indirectly for information, smiled and nodded: 'No need to hide it from you, elder sister; the Black Hu side blames our side for Princess Xima's disappearance, thinking we lack sincerity in cooperation, and thus left in anger; now you are satisfied.'

Xue Lingjun chuckled: 'That's not right; what does the affair between your two countries have to do with me?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'If Black Hu truly formed an offensive-defensive alliance with Dakang, the one who would suffer most would be Da Yong, wouldn't it?'

Xue Lingjun bit her lip; the facts laid out before her could not be denied, she said calmly: 'Anyone with a bit of foresight would not ally with the Hu peoples; throughout history, the Hu have always acted treacherously, breaking promises, outwardly compliant but inwardly opposed; if Dakang truly chose to ally with Black Hu, it would be turning its back on the Central Plains states, and even if they joined forces to destroy Da Yong, Black Hu's next annexation would surely be you.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'This is hard to say; when the snipe and clam grapple, the fisherman benefits; as long as one seizes the opportunity, who knows Dakang might not be able to take both of your countries in one fell swoop?'

Xue Lingjun sneered: 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; don't forget that behind you lies the Tianxiang State.' Now nobody's situation is optimistic, which is also why Xue Lingjun dares to bargain and argue with Hu Xiaotian on principle.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and nodded: 'So it is said that harmony is precious; you well, I well, everyone well—why contend and fight, must we break our heads and bleed?'

Xue Lingjun said softly: 'Have you forgotten that my purpose in coming on this envoy mission is for peace, and I have brought full sincerity?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Do you know who exactly abducted the Black Hu princess?'

Xue Lingjun shook her head, yet secretly thought: 'Isn't it you? Everyone knows the truth; why keep shouting "catch the thief"?' (To be continued~^~)