Ming Dynasty: pacifying the rebellion and defending the border, dominating the world

Chapter 506 A futile lament, recounting familiar details

In the Qianqing Palace.

The Xu siblings' hearts skipped a beat.

They weren't stupid; they could hear the warning in Zhu Jinzhen's words.

Those who are family know their own situation, and they naturally understand that Zhu Jinzhen's warning was not unfounded. Rather, the Northern Liang army indeed had too many loyal followers of Xu Xiao and the Xu family, and all the major armies of the Northern Liang army were under the control of Xu Xiao and his adopted sons.

No emperor would stand idly by while his subordinates amassed military power.

This is true for Emperor Li Yang, Zhu Jinzhen, and all the emperors of the various countries under heaven.

Xu Fengnian and Xu Weixiong were naturally prepared for this.

The siblings exchanged a glance, and Xu Weixiong spoke for the first time, replying, "My father is old and frail, no longer the butcher of Beiliang, Xu Xiao. After this surrender, Xu Xiao will not return to the mountains. My good-for-nothing brother's heart is in the Jianghu, his mind is on being carefree, he is not in the army, and he has no ambition."

As he spoke, Xu Weixiong glared at Xu Fengnian with a look of disappointment.

Originally, as Xu Fengnian's loyal follower, along with Xu Xiao and the forces of Beiliang, she was more than capable of clearing away all obstacles for Xu Fengnian to ascend to the position of Emperor of Liyang.

As a result, Xu Fengnian told her and Xu Xiao with a firm attitude that what he, Xu Fengnian, longed for most was to be a playboy who fought cocks and walked dogs, and to be a carefree person in the martial arts world.

He never even considered becoming emperor.

This is also the fundamental reason why Xu Xiao's attitude changed drastically, and he agreed to Xu Fengnian's request to submit to the Ming Dynasty.

If it were for Xu Fengnian's sake, Xu Xiao might still be willing to take a gamble.

He clearly saw the general trend. If Xu Fengnian was willing, Beiliang was not without the power to fight back. He could bring in Liyang, the neighboring Beili and Beimang, and the Central Plains countries' fear of the Ming Dynasty.

With the alliance formed, Xu Xiao was quite confident that he could fight to the death.

Even if it meant rivers of blood and millions of corpses, Xu Xiao was not unprepared for that. At worst, he could shatter the mountains and rivers, rebuild them, and restore order to the world.

Xu Xiao once did the same thing.

Unfortunately, Xu Fengnian had no intention of taking any further steps. He only wanted to live a carefree life and had no desire to become emperor or to serve the people.

Xu Xiao had no choice but to agree to submit to the Ming Dynasty.

With Xu Fengnian proving incompetent, his stubbornness will only make things worse and he will only end up pleasing neither side. If the Ming Dynasty attacks Liyang, Beiliang will still be the first to suffer the consequences.

Faced with the iron hooves of the Ming cavalry, Xu Xiao saw no hope whatsoever with the strength of Beiliang alone.

Since that's the case, it's better to make a decision sooner rather than later and give Xu Fengnian and Bei Liangbo a different path, at least enough to leave Xu Fengnian with wealth for several generations.

After listening to Xu Weixiong's explanation, Zhu Jinzhen nodded noncommittally.

He believes Xu Xiao has the skill and courage to do so.

As for whether Xu Fengnian truly had no ambition, or whether Beiliang had other schemes, Zhu Jinzhen didn't really care. Once Xu Fengnian was in his grasp, even if Sun Wukong came, he couldn't cause any trouble.

He accepted the offer without hesitation, considering it merely a matter of Beiliang.

"anything else?"

"Xu Xiao, please state any other conditions you have."

“This…” Xu Fengnian and Xu Weixiong exchanged a glance, and a blush appeared on the latter’s cool and handsome face.

Seeing this, Xu Fengnian inwardly cried out in disbelief. He had never seen Xu Weixiong with such an expression in his entire life. On the surface, however, he could only remain serious and bow, saying, "My father intends to send my second sister to serve in the palace, as a last bit of protection for the Xu family. I wonder if His Majesty would agree?"

Xu Fengnian knew very well that there was no point in hiding his true thoughts from the emperor in front of him, so he might as well just speak frankly.

"she?"

Zhu Jinzhen looked Xu Weixiong up and down. His appearance was not outstanding. Among the many beautiful women around him, he could only be considered average-looking, but he was still better than most women.

Zhu Jinzhen understood Xu Xiao's meaning; this was a political marriage.

Xu Weixiong's entry into the palace to serve was a way out for the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion, and a way out for Xu Fengnian's future. No matter how things change in the future, as long as Xu Fengnian doesn't make any huge mistakes, Zhu Jinzhen and the Ming Dynasty won't treat him too badly because of his status as Xu Weixiong's brother.

Imperial relatives.

The value of these four words is universal.

As long as Xu Fengnian doesn't have any other delusions and only thinks about a carefree and happy life, with this identity alone, he can live quite comfortably even if Xu Xiao is no longer around.

Zhu Jinzhen pondered for a moment, then looked at Yan Yimei, who had been standing silently in the hall since arriving with Xu Fengnian and the others to pay their respects.

"The Second Princess of Beiliang, the top-ranked deputy judge of the Li Yang Rouge Ranking, a talented woman renowned throughout the Li Yang kingdoms."

"She was exceptionally intelligent, skilled in swordsmanship, and her poetry was also remarkable. She possessed profound knowledge and wisdom. At the age of sixteen, she entered the Shangyin Academy to study under Han Guzi, learning the art of warp and weft. Her nineteen-style hand techniques were unparalleled in the world, and there was a saying that she was "Xu Shi and Thirteen Shi." She was unpredictable and was the undisputed master of Liyang. Her strategies and calculations were unmatched in the world."

Yan Yimei recounted Xu Weixiong's various intelligence reports as if they were her own treasures, leaving Xu Fengnian, Xu Weixiong, Xu Yanbing, Chen Zhibao, and others dumbfounded and feeling extremely heavy-hearted.

They had long known that the Ming Dynasty's Xuanjia Secret Guard was known for its ability to investigate everything under heaven, leaving no place undetected.

Unexpectedly, Yan Yimei was able to grasp the intelligence about Liyang, which was thousands of miles away from the Ming Dynasty, with such accuracy, and could even recount all the information about Xu Weixiong in great detail.

However, their shock came too early.

"This is just Xu Weixiong's superficial intelligence."

"Her true identity is the daughter of Ye Baikui, the military strategist of the Great Chu who was destroyed by Xu Xiao. When she was young, she was brought to Xu Xiao and Wu Su by Madam Song. She has a blood feud with Xu Xiao for killing her father."

"Although she is the second princess of the Northern Liang royal family, her true identity is Xu Fengnian's assassin."

Upon hearing the final words, Xu Fengnian was horrified and looked incredulously at Xu Weixiong, who was equally dumbfounded and incredulous. His second sister was actually one of the assassins trained by Xu Xiao, whom he had been searching for all along.

Xu Yanbing remained silent, while Chen Zhibao was still quite shocked.

"As expected of His Majesty's most loyal secret guard, known as the all-knowing intelligence body of the world, meeting you today is truly an eye-opening experience, and one can't help but marvel at your abilities." Xu Weixiong bowed and cupped his hands, a bitter smile on his face, but he did not feel embarrassed by having his identity and secrets exposed.

"Ah."

"You are very good."

Zhu Jinzhen nodded calmly without much reaction. He was quite familiar with the various characters in the snow, and he already knew these things. The reason why Yan Yimei pointed out Xu Weixiong's identity in front of Xu Fengnian and the others was simply to tell them.

Don't try any dirty tricks or schemes under his nose.

If he wanted to, he could find out everything, even things you yourselves had forgotten.

(End of this chapter)