knife

Chapter 526 Conditions
A gentle breeze seemed to pass through the room, and Na Wei suddenly opened his eyes, only to find that there was another person in the room.

Dressed in black, masked, slender with long arms and legs, he slowly sat down on the empty platform in front of Na Wei.

An innate master!

Na Wei's heart trembled slightly.

He himself was a master of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan. He not only had his own guards outside, but also the people arranged by the Chu Kingdom's Tianluo. It was not exactly airtight, but it was still heavily guarded. Although he deliberately left a gap for people to come to see him, this gap was also guarded by his trusted subordinates.

But now, without any warning, they have arrived.

That can only mean one thing: this person's martial arts cultivation has reached an unbelievable level, far exceeding the imagination of his subordinates, which is why he was able to enter without anyone noticing.

"Your Excellency?" Na Wei asked in a deep voice.

The newcomer lifted the black cloth covering his face, and Na Wei jumped to his feet in shock, staring at the person opposite him in disbelief. He said in a trembling voice, "General Xiang, it's you? You've come in person?"

Xiang Ying reached out and pressed down, gesturing for Na Wei to sit down, and said, "There's no other way. Your place is being watched too closely. No one but me can get in. This is fine too. It shows my sincerity in talking to you, and it can make a final decision. Don't you think so?"

Na Wei slowly sat down and nodded, saying, "I really didn't expect it to be you. It's good that you came in person. We can speak more clearly and settle things on the spot without having to send messages back and forth."

"I suppose you already know my goal," Xiang Ying said. "What are your thoughts on this?"

Na Wei smiled and said, "General, you are well aware of the current predicament facing the Southwest. To use a common saying, it's an inevitable trend, and there's nothing we can do about it. The Empress Dowager is a formidable figure. Over the past few years, she has been relentlessly pressing us, employing multiple tactics, and has already caused signs of the Southwest falling apart. That's why I had no choice but to come this time. I believe that if I show my loyalty to the Empress Dowager, she will surely be able to give me a lot in return. So, General, can what you can give me be greater than what the Empress Dowager can give me?"

“Nawei, since you’ve gotten straight to the point, I won’t hold back either,” Xiang Ying said. “The Empress will definitely be very generous to you this time, because what she gives you is bound to be superficial, while what we can give you is real, something that can be passed down forever and will last as long as the nation.”

Na Wei looked at Xiang Ying with some surprise, shook his head and laughed, "General, the target is too vague and elusive, which makes it less believable!"

"Haven't you heard what I have to say yet?"

"Please speak frankly, General!" Na Wei said, bowing slightly.

"In the southwest, the policy of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials has been something our Great Chu has been planning for nearly a hundred years. Although progress has been slow, we are always moving forward. The Empress Dowager's methods have become even more ruthless in recent years, and you must have been under tremendous pressure. So this time, you had no choice but to answer the call, didn't you?"

"Yes!"

"No matter what you think, the conversion of native chieftains to centrally appointed officials in the southwest is an inevitable trend. The only difference is the length of time it will take. Do you agree with that?"

"admit!"

"So if that wicked empress promises you she will no longer travel to the southwest to abolish the native chieftain system, would you believe her?"

“The Empress Dowager wouldn’t be that stupid!” Na Wei shook his head and said, “I guess she’s summoning me to court for a high-ranking official position and real power.”

"Is this what you asked for?" "Since it's no longer possible to dominate a region and do whatever you want, then this is the best outcome." Na Wei said, "Even if the abolition of the native chieftain system in the southwest is successful, my family's prestige in that area will still be enough to make us prominent for several generations. After that, I can't and won't be able to manage it anymore; our descendants will take over the management."

“What if we offer you something even more secure?” Xiang Ying asked.

Na Wei laughed and said, "That's exactly what I'm wondering about. I really can't figure out what better bargaining chips the old general has."

Xiang Ying took a breath and said, "The Emperor is ten years old this year."

"He's just a child! He's still several years away from assuming full power!"

“Since last year, there have been calls in the court to arrange a marriage for the emperor, but they have all been suppressed by that wicked empress!” Xiang Ying said. “Because that wicked empress knows that once the emperor is arranged to marry, he will have strong support outside. Once the marriage is arranged, the court will urge the emperor to get married. According to the rules, once the emperor is married, the regent empress dowager will have to return power.”

Na Wei looked at Xiang Ying and said, "What does this have to do with me?"

Xiang Ying said, "Xiong Yi and I have heard that Na Wei, the Southwest Military Commissioner, has a granddaughter named Jiao. She is sixteen years old and has been taught by famous teachers since childhood. She is well-educated, knowledgeable in etiquette, and proficient in all arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She is also very graceful and elegant..."

Na Wei stared at Xiang Ying in disbelief, seemingly unable to believe his ears. "General Xiang, what... what do you mean?"

"Xiong Yi and I both want to facilitate a marriage alliance between the Emperor and that family," Xiang Ying said with a smile.

“I am a barbarian. Would the Emperor of Great Chu marry a barbarian woman as his empress?” Na Wei shook his head and said.

"Where do you mean barbarians? The Na clan has always been the mainstay of our Great Chu in the southwest, and has made great contributions over the past few hundred years." Xiang Ying said, "The marriage between the Xiong and Na clans is a match made in heaven. And didn't you just say that the abolition of the native chieftain system in the southwest is an inevitable trend? Why can't His Majesty and the Empress do it themselves? With the Na clan as Empress, it would seem natural to pacify the southwest, wouldn't it?"

Hearing Xiang Ying's words, Na Wei tried to remain calm, but he couldn't suppress his excitement, so much so that his body trembled slightly. "Is helping you overthrow the Empress Dowager a prerequisite for this matter?"

“If the wicked empress doesn’t fall, the emperor will find it difficult to even arrange marriages, let alone marry a woman from your Na clan as empress!” Xiang Ying said. “In the past two years, the wicked empress has become even more domineering and difficult to control. Xiong Yi and I have both concluded that the wicked empress clearly wants to emulate the story of Empress Wu of the Great Yong Dynasty. If we don’t make a decision now, once the opportunity is lost, it will be impossible to reverse the situation!”

“General, although the Empress Dowager is powerful, she is still the widow of the late emperor. She…” Na Wei looked at Xiang Ying with some confusion. He seemed puzzled by Xiang Ying’s hatred for Jiang Qian.

"The late emperor died at the hands of this wicked empress!" Xiang Ying exhaled a breath of turbid air, his face grave as he looked at Na Wei. His words stunned Na Wei once again. "Do you know who this wicked empress is?"

“Who else could she be?” Na Wei stared blankly at Xiang Ying.

"Jiang Qian is the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect." As expected, Xiang Ying did not disappoint Na Wei's hopes. This sentence almost made Na Wei jump up again: "She comes from the Blazing Flame Banner, specializes in Phoenix Flame, and although she is young, her cultivation has already reached the Innate Realm. Another He Qingqiu!"

Na Wei swallowed hard; this was just too bizarre.

"The old general wasn't lying to me?"

"If I really wanted to lie to you, would I have made up such a bizarre story?" Xiang Ying sighed. "When I first learned about this, I couldn't believe it either. It was Wang Jun who found out about this, and he paid the price with his life for it."

(End of this chapter)