Chapter 1928

Hu Xiaotian gazed at the stunningly beautiful Huo Xiaoru before him, his heart filled with bewilderment. In his impression, Huo Xiaoru had always been a woman of exceptional clarity, with a distinct personality, gentle outside but strong within. Yet he did not know what could drive her to so wholeheartedly defend Xue Shengjing. Could it be merely filial affection? He did not believe familial ties could sway her sense of right and wrong. Or perhaps for profit? He really did not want to keep thinking about it, for he feared that the more he pondered, the easier it would be to shatter the beautiful image of Huo Xiaoru in his mind.

Huo Xiaoru's gaze shifted from confusion to calm, and she said softly, "My father does not wish to be your enemy!"

Hu Xiaotian silently sighed; she had finally admitted face-to-face that Xue Shengjing was her father. He involuntarily thought of the four words "acknowledging a thief as father," almost blurting them out, but when the words reached his lips he could not bring himself to say them, nor did he want to be too harsh with Huo Xiaoru. He nodded and said, "His being able to think that way shows he's not addled; I couldn't care less about Da Yong's affairs, and whatever the Heaven-Man Myriad Phenomena Diagram is not **** thing, but that diagram is not mine—I still need to consult its true owner."

Huo Xiaoru said, "I can wait!"

Hu Xiaotian's scorching gaze locked onto her eyes as he asked, "You really can wait?"

Huo Xiaoru's usually still-as-water eyes rippled, and a hint of panic stirred in her heart.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Better not wait; the longer you wait, the greater the disappointment. How about this: I'll answer on their behalf and agree to hand over the Heaven-Man Myriad Phenomena Diagram to you, provided you accept three conditions."

Ren Tianqing

Weichi Chong

Huo Xiaoru nodded: "No problem!"

"Second, after Weichi Chong's suicide, he left behind 300,000 troops of Bei Jiang. I intend to take them in; please grant a northwestern passage so they can enter the Ankang Grasslands, and for those unwilling to leave, you must also promise not to pursue their responsibility."

Huo Xiaoru sighed, "Three hundred thousand soldiers—do you really think a single Heaven-Man Myriad Phenomena Diagram can buy an army? Who would hand over their own troops to the enemy?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "First, I am not an opponent of Prince Yan; second, those 300,000 troops will never obey his command, given the Weichi Chong incident, the Da Yong court has long been regarded as a mortal enemy."

Huo Xiaoru said, "Don't forget, they are now in the bitter cold of Bei Jiang, lacking clothes and food; if they dare rebel, the court can let them fend for themselves without effort."

Hu Xiaotian said, "Although they lack clothes and food, they are not devoid of fighting strength. Though Prince Yan is on good terms with the Black Hu, this season the Black Hu will hardly risk sending troops to aid you. If these 300,000 troops choose to march south in a desperate gamble, even if they fail, Da Yong will inevitably pay a heavy price. Moreover, I will not stand idly by; I will surely coordinate with them from inside and out, and perhaps Da Yong's fall is not far off." He spoke these words with unyielding firmness.

The two stared at each other in silence; though there was no tension in their gazes, each held firm to their position. After a long while, Huo Xiaoru sighed, "Very well, you may let them go to the Ankang Grasslands, but you must sign an agreement: during your lifetime, Dakang shall not use troops against Da Yong!"

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, "Miss Huo, I am not the Dakang emperor—what authority do I have to sign such an agreement?"

Huo Xiaoru said, "I believe you can influence the Dakang court; if you refuse to sign, then let Rong Shi and these 300,000 troops fend for themselves!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "Signing is fine, but I can only promise that as long as Xue Shengjing lives, Dakang will not use troops against Da Yong."

Huo Xiaoru furrowed her brows; Hu Xiaotian was indeed unwilling to suffer a loss. Carefully parsing his words, it was clear he meant: as long as his father lives, Da Yong is fine, but if anything happens to his father, he will no longer honor the agreement. Upon closer scrutiny, there are too many loopholes. After thinking, she still nodded and said, "All right! Tell me your third condition!"

Ankang Grassland

Huo Xiaoru's beautiful eyes widened in shock, then her pretty face flushed crimson, and she spat, "Nonsense!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "It's clear you are a filial daughter; for Prince Yan you would do anything. Actually, you should feel fortunate—I have not made any excessive demands."

Huo Xiaoru's beautiful eyes turned as cold as an icy pool: "Hu Xiaotian, you are utterly shameless!"

Always been like that, just a bit regretful—I haven't done enough yet.

Huo Xiaoru walked over, suddenly cupped Hu Xiaotian's face with both hands, and kissed him without hesitation. Evidently Hu Xiaotian's intention had been to embarrass Huo Xiaoru, to tear off her aloof façade and humiliate her pride, but he had not expected her to act so decisively; even the initiative he had planned turned into passivity in reality. He was overwhelmed by her kiss, blood rushing to his head, his mind going blank. Just as he decided to turn the passivity into initiative and enjoy it, Huo Xiaoru had already released him and floated away.

Hu Xiaotian slapped his somewhat dazed head, watching Huo Xiaoru's retreating silhouette, and muttered, "Damn, I seem to have lost out..."

The harsh winter finally passed; the Ankang Grasslands' yellowed grass, tormented by cold winds and frost, began to sprout green again. A large-scale campaign led by Commander Huo Shengnan and strategist Yu Tianxing unfolded across the entire western front of the Ankang Grasslands.

The purpose of this war was to seize and control Lan Kingdom, which is merely an oasis in the vast Haihai Desert; its territory and strength cannot rival the surrounding powers, yet it has endured for centuries thanks to its unique geography, with the endless Haihai Desert forming a natural barrier around Lan Kingdom.

Hu Xiaotian had prepared extensively for this campaign; in the war, the former troops of Weichi Chong served as the main force, coordinating with the soldiers Hu Xiaotian had previously sent to infiltrate Lan Kingdom, and within three days they fully controlled the desert oasis comparable in area to Wuxing Commandery.

Hu Xiaotian's reason for not sparing military and financial resources, undertaking a long journey to fight this battle, is mainly because of the important strategic position of Lan Country; after controlling Lan Country, he can cut off the expansion routes of Shajia and Heihu, simultaneously eliminating the western front crisis, and can turn the entire Hanhai Desert into his western barrier, which is of extraordinary significance.

Even when Dakang was at its most glorious, its sphere of influence had not expanded here; Hu Xiaotian's victory shocked the world, and before this war, he had also secretly informed Qiqi; the relationship he and Qiqi had painstakingly mended still needed trust to be nurtured, and Hu Xiaotian did not want Qiqi to regain wariness of him at this sensitive moment; following the successive suggestions of Long Xi Yue and Ji Feihua, Hu Xiaotian used Lan Country as a betrothal gift and formally proposed to Qiqi.

Da Yong did not return to the proper course just because Xue Shengjing seized power; Xue Shengjing also did not show excessive urgency regarding the throne, but instead temporarily supported Xue Daohong's son, under six years old, as emperor. The benefits of this are: first, it can silence the criticisms of the world; second, it can firmly keep control of the court's authority in his hands, avoiding a repeat of Li Chen Zhou's mistakes—this is what is meant by 'holding the emperor hostage to command the princes.' Over the past six months, internal rebellions have continued within Da Yong's territory.

The people consider food as heaven; once the common folk's food and clothing encounter problems, the whole society will fall into continuous turmoil. The matter of Hu Xiaotian trading the Ten Thousand Images of Heaven and Man is not suitable for public disclosure; Xue Shengjing outwardly claimed to have reached a long‑term peace agreement with Dakang, and therefore he gave a way out to the former troops of Weichi Chong, but not long after, the facts gave him a resounding slap—it was precisely the former troops of Weichi Chong whom he had let go with one eye closed, who, after a brief period of rest and recuperation, soon captured Lan Country and presented a letter of surrender to Hu Xiaotian.

The strategic importance of Lan Country is secondary; what troubles Xue Shengjing most is that he has major interests in Lan Country, even moving the headquarters of Ju Bao Zhai and Yan Xi Tang there; with Lan Country's fall, his interests are the first to be threatened.

What troubles Xue Shengjing even more than these matters is that he and the Black Hu had long ago reached a private agreement: if the Black Hu helped him seize control of Da Yong's power, he would cede the seven northern cities to them. Now, as spring approaches, the Black Hu people have massed troops at the border, posing a threat of a comeback, and on the other hand, their envoys have already arrived in Yongdu, meeting Xue Shengjing and urging him to fulfill his former promise.

It is lonely at the top, and only when one truly ascends the pinnacle of power can one grasp the true meaning of this saying.

When Ren Tianqing entered the Imperial Study, Xue Shengjing was staring at the map with a furrowed brow; even when Ren Tianqing came up behind him, he still did not turn his head, his eyes fixed on the map as he said, 'Didn't you once promise me that you could get the Black Hu to cease fighting and rest their troops?'

Where Ren Tianqing's right shoulder had once been empty, an arm had now grown, though the hand exposed outside was entirely cast of steel; he gave a faint smile and said, 'Those seven northern cities were something you personally promised to give to them.'

Xue Shengjing sighed. 'Times have changed; back then I shouldn't have casually agreed to this, but at that time Li Chen Zhou was in charge, and now it's my turn—giving away my own things really hurts, and on top of that, I'd invite criticism from all sides.'

Ren Tianqing said, 'Actually, Your Highness ought not to have released Weichi Chong's subordinates.'

Xue Shengjing looked somewhat dissatisfied at Ren Tianqing and said, 'If I hadn't let them go, how could you have obtained the Ten Thousand Images of Heaven and Man?' After a pause he added, 'You once said that if we found the Ten Thousand Images of Heaven and Man, we could pacify the world; now, I have found both maps and handed them all to you—it's time for you to fulfill your promise.'