Chapter 200: Night Walker

Liu Zheng felt his hair stand on end, his eyes widening.

The Feudatory King chuckled and said, "Young Master Liu, very few people in the Longyan Dynasty know of this matter. Surely it is worth two Yinzhou Ships, haha!"

Liu Zheng's mouth twitched.

He had to admit that his curiosity had indeed been piqued by the Feudatory King, so he said, "Feudatory King, please do not keep me in suspense any longer; I am all ears!"

This Feudatory King, having had a few cups of wine, seemed quite fond of gossip. He chuckled and said, "Young man, do you know why the Emperor still allows the existence of the Qingzhou Army despite the Prince of Wei being so powerful?"

Liu Zheng was also very curious.

Could it be that the old Emperor was not afraid of the Prince of Wei rebelling?

The Feudatory King shook his head: "Back then in Jinghua, the struggle for the throne involved a vast range of people, and all the Feudatory Kings of the world participated. Come to think of it, it was not much different from the current situation. At that time, the Emperor was the Second Prince, always biding his time. It was the struggle between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince that people were most concerned with."

"When the Emperor suddenly made his move, he was dealing with not just the Crown Prince, but also the Third Prince."

"Therefore, the reason the Prince of Wei has accumulated so many military merits today is that he helped the Emperor hold off the Qiang army back then!"

Although Liu Zheng found it complicated, he immediately spotted the inconsistency and his eyes lit up: "Does the Feudatory King mean that the Third Prince of that time colluded with the Qiang?"

The Feudatory King nodded and laughed: "Haha, Prefect Liu is truly a dragon among men, understanding things at a single hint."

"The Prince of Wei's Qingzhou Army eventually succeeded in driving away the Qiang, but the Third Prince disappeared without a trace. The Emperor searched for this matter for many years. Only later did he discover that his third younger brother had done more than just collude with the Qiang; he had even been the benefactor to the Xiongnu and many in the Western Regions, often providing money and grain to prepare for seizing the throne."

Liu Zheng took a deep breath, shocked.

If that were the case...

Then one could imagine where this Third Prince of that time had fled to.

The Feudatory King laughed heartily: "So, for all these years, the Emperor has sent out countless secret agents with the goal of finding this Third Prince—the Emperor calls him Xie Lao'er. Eventually, the target was locked onto the Western Regions, but by then, the Western Regions Protectorate had already become a mere formality. The Emperor rose in anger to wage war, and finally confirmed that the Dayuan Kingdom is now under the rule of Xie Lao'er."

"However..."

The Feudatory King chuckled.

Liu Zheng gave a wry smile: "The Emperor lost."

The Feudatory King nodded: "Not only did he lose, but he lost quite miserably. An army of five hundred thousand was completely wiped out. Because of the wager on the battle, he has not stepped out of the Imperial Palace for fifty years."

Liu Zheng was dumbfounded.

This piece of history was definitely not circulating in the Longyan Dynasty. And rightly so; as it concerned the defeat of the current Emperor, the Historians probably dared not record it.

The Feudatory King sighed: "So, Young Master Liu, this position of Western Regions Commissioner is definitely not something one can take up lightly. If these countries in the Western Regions are truly all under the behind-the-scenes manipulation of Xie Lao'er..."

Liu Zheng gave a wry smile: "It seems it is not just the countries of the Western Regions, but also the Xiongnu and the Qiang."

The two looked at each other, silent and speechless.

Only then did Liu Zheng realize what a difficult problem the current Emperor had set for him.

This was such a massive trap!

One must know that the Dayuan Kingdom was the place where Emperor Wu of Han's army once met its doom. Under the governance of this Xie Lao'er, he had no idea what it had become today.

And...

From the fact that he had traveled through Loulan without ever hearing of this Dayuan Kingdom, it was clear that the influence of Xie Lao'er, Xie Xuan, over the Western Regions was entirely behind the scenes.

What was this?

A confrontation between the Han people and the foreign tribes of the Longyan Dynasty?

Liu Zheng did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He had actually been dragged into such a massive conflict.

The Feudatory King reminded him again: "Young Master Liu, the Dayuan Kingdom has produced two things since ancient times: first, War Horses; second, Night Walkers! Prefect Liu, you must be careful! These years, the Emperor not leaving the palace is also one of the reasons for this."

"He is waiting..."

"He worries every day about who will go first, himself or Xie Lao'er, who is only one year his junior..."

Night Walkers!

Which meant assassins!

Liu Zheng bowed deeply: "Thank you for your guidance, Feudatory King!"

The Feudatory King laughed heartily: "Yinzhou and Hanzhong are already in-laws, why be so polite? Besides, if there were no Prefect Liu in this world in the future, how lonely and cold it would be, don't you think, Prefect Liu?"

The two looked at each other and laughed.

Seven days later.

The Three Books and Six Betrothals were finally completed.

On this day, the Great General of Yinzhou, Qin Zhangfeng, officially married the daughter of the Hanzhong Sima, Sikong Jing.

Yinzhou had long since transported countless fine wines, and once again the whole city drank for free, with the common people sharing in the joy.

The Feudatory King's side, naturally, was not stingy either.

This counted as Hanzhong marrying off a daughter, so the display could not be small.

The fireworks and firecrackers never stopped from beginning to end. The jubilant wedding procession, with an eight-horse carriage, took Sikong Jing away from the Sima Mansion and from the reluctance of Sikong Zhen and his wife.

Qin Zhangfeng rode on his horse, dressed in red, looking majestic.

It took a full half-day to circle the city of Hanzhong before arriving at the Hanshui Port. At this time, for the sake of this wedding, a Yinzhou Ship had been completely decorated with red silk and flowers, filled with festive cheer.

Along the way, with gongs and drums, the Yinzhou navy, led by Jiang Xuan, kept up the rowdy atmosphere as they welcomed the bride onto the Yinzhou Ship.

A long horn sounded.

This Yinzhou Ship, named "Hanzhong Number," began to set sail.

The old man, Sikong Zhen, could not help but wipe away tears.

"Sima, your daughter is going to enjoy a life of happiness, what is there to be unhappy about?"

The Feudatory King laughed heartily.

Sikong Zhen and his wife then broke into tears and smiles, but in their eyes, there was still deep reluctance. After all, their daughter was only sixteen years old...

Prince Yong looked at the departing Yinzhou Ship and said indifferently, "What does the Sima think of this person, Governor Liu?"

Sikong Zhen did not dare to speak.

Prince Yong laughed heartily: "Great talent and bold strategy, with grand ambitions in his chest."

He turned his head and gave Sikong Zhen a deep look, implying something: "Sima, in the days to come, I may have to rely on you."

Sikong Zhen's expression changed drastically: "Prince Yong, this, this..."

Prince Yong looked up to the sky and laughed, then turned and left; in that laughter, there was nothing but desolation.

It seemed he was lamenting the aging of his own generation.

And also lamenting that among his own children, not a single one was capable of showing promise.

As if...

Also lamenting.

The disputes of this world, it seemed, had become a chessboard for the new generation as Governor Liu looked east from Shangcheng Port.

Did you not see that Governor Liu...

Is already on the path of expelling the old chess pieces?

One day later.

This "wedding ship" arrived at Kezhou Port—this was a port newly opened by Yinzhou; although small, it set a precedent for opening ports in Liangzhou.

The Great General getting married was naturally a major event for Yinzhou, and the journey along the way was exceptionally lively.

From the moment the bridal sedan chair came off the ship, it had not stopped for a moment.

Today, Qin Zhangfeng was also in a good mood; no matter how you teased him, he remained cheerful. How could a groom be angry on his big day? Therefore, the soldiers played freely, as they usually wouldn't dare to bully Qin Zhangfeng like this.

"Alright, settle down a bit, you've been playing the whole way!"

Liu Zheng was riding his horse, his thoughts numerous, and seeing Jiang Xuan running off to bully Qin Zhangfeng again, he couldn't help but say with a smile.

Jiang Xuan laughed loudly: "Young Master, that won't do; you don't know, if Jiang Xuan gets married in the future, who knows how he might take revenge on me!"

Once these words were spoken, the crowd laughed in agreement.

Qin Zhangfeng wore a threatening smile.

Having left the Waterway, they naturally traveled by land.

This Kezhou was still three days' journey from Yinzhou.

The soldiers responsible for guarding Kezhou escorted this wedding procession to the far outskirts before returning to continue their duties.

It was finally a bit quieter.

Liu Zheng let out a sigh of relief in his heart.

At this moment, half a day's journey had passed once again.

Returning from that land of Four Seasons Like Spring to the dry and hot Yinzhou, Liu Zheng was still a little unaccustomed to it.

At midday.

The procession stopped to eat.

Jiang Xuan went off to tease the "best friend group" of Sikong Jing, who were responsible for the escort. These young women were all daughters of Powerful Clans from Hanzhong, well-read and outstanding in appearance; it was no wonder that Jiang Xuan and his pack of lions were all desperately trying to show off, as if courting.

Liu Zheng watched and chuckled.

Who hasn't been young?

One of the women in green had been looking at Liu Zheng with burning eyes since they set out from Hanzhong, casting peeking glances from time to time, only to be teased by her sisters, causing the group of women to burst into laughter again. One had to admit, these women were also a unique piece of scenery along this journey.

"Hey, Governor Liu, my Ying'er asks you, since you won't even marry Shen Manqing, the world's number one zither player, do you want to marry a Princess?"

The woman in green blushed, causing another burst of laughter among the women. Yet she still secretly looked at Liu Zheng, seemingly very eager to know Liu Zheng's answer.

Liu Zheng smiled and shook his head; he knew this girl was named Lin Yingying, the daughter of a Powerful Clan in Hanzhong, with no lack of beauty, and her father also served in the Hanzhong Prince's Mansion.

While eating, he looked into the distance and chuckled: "The love between men and women is not yet what Liu Zheng contemplates."

Lin Yingying couldn't help but ask: "To establish a family and a career has been the way since ancient times; establishing a family comes first, and a career follows. Has the Young Master written too much poetry and become muddled?"

After saying this, she covered her mouth and giggled.

Liu Zheng smiled without a word and said leisurely: "There is a small river ahead, you can go over and play."

Upon hearing this, the women were overjoyed.

The women of Hanzhong had come to Yinzhou and also couldn't stand the weather; these past few days had been consistently sunny and exceptionally dry. The women hummed at Liu Zheng before humming little tunes and walking toward the riverside.

Jiang Xuan let out a shout and followed them over.

However, at this very moment.

Liu Zheng's thoughts had just been interrupted, and he was preparing to reorganize his ideas to ponder the matter of the Dayuan Kingdom. War Horses, Night Walkers...

Suddenly, his whole body jolted, his face changed drastically, and he shouted: "Come back!"

The crowd was startled.

However, it was already too late.

They saw dozens of men in black suddenly emerge from the thorn bushes by the river, holding Curved Sabers; it appeared they had been lying in wait, and their strike now was with the force of a thunderbolt.

"Ah!"

Several girls were directly hacked down into a pool of blood.

This sudden change made even Liu Zheng's face turn dark.

"Assassins!"

"Watch out for assassins!"

Fortunately, Jiang Xuan was beside that group of girls; he drew his sword and managed to protect a few of them.

Qin Zhangfeng roared as he rushed over, engaging in a melee with those assassins. Pei Qianyun also immediately moved to protect Liu Zheng.

Qin Zhangfeng fought with increasing vigor, yet his brows were deeply furrowed: "Pei Qianyun, the assassins are not weak, protect the Viscount well!"

Pei Qianyun had just wanted to join the fray, but upon hearing these words, he remained inseparable from Liu Zheng.

This group of assassins possessed remarkable skills, and their coordination with one another was tacit; even someone as strong as Qin Zhangfeng was, for a time, caught in the thick of the slaughter.

The accompanying soldiers also joined the battle.

Suddenly, Liu Zheng cried out that it was bad and looked back.

He saw that at this moment, several more stealthy assassins had arrived at the bridal sedan chair in the rear.

"Pei Qianyun, go protect Miss Sikong!"

Liu Zheng's mind was thrown into chaos, and he let out a roar.

However, those few assassins had already leaped up, and under the clash of blades, the Horse Carriage shattered and scattered; along the way, Sikong Jing, who was wearing a red bridal veil, had a look of horror on her face.

A short sword stabbed into her from behind.

It left her expression of horror, astonishment, and confusion.

Completely frozen in time.

"Miss Sikong!"

"Sikong Jing!"

"Jing'er!"

Everyone was heartbroken and distraught.