Chapter 307: The Secret of Celestial Dragon
Chapter 307: The Secret of Celestial Dragon
In the darkness of night, Celestial Dragon halted his steps and turned to face Si She, his voice cold as he asked, "What exactly do you know?"
Si She replied, "More than twenty years ago, General Shang, who guarded the Western Regions, fought a decisive battle against the Kingdom of Loulan. After defeating Loulan, the King of Loulan sent his youngest son as a hostage to General Shang's residence. Although the Crown Prince of Loulan was young, he was the only legitimate heir of the King, which clearly demonstrated the King's loyalty."
"However, less than a year later, the King of Loulan rebelled. The Queen of Loulan tried to dissuade him, but she was killed by one of his concubines."
"Later, the King of Loulan escaped after his defeat. According to the rules, the Crown Prince of Loulan, who was a hostage, should have been executed. But General Shang did not do so. Since then, the world has lost a Crown Prince of Loulan and gained a young master of the Shang family."
At this point, Si She's gaze fell on Celestial Dragon's face. "Am I right? Crown Prince of Loulan."
Celestial Dragon stared at Si She without blinking, and Si She also met his gaze with a sharp and cold scrutiny.
Their gazes intersected in the silent night, and under the seemingly calm stare, it was as if they had already engaged in a hundred intense exchanges.
The street was eerily quiet, and even the wind seemed to have stopped.
After a long while, Celestial Dragon spoke, "Who told you?"
Si She replied truthfully, "Xun Qi."
Celestial Dragon's lips moved slightly, about to say something, but Si She continued, "Whether he lied to me, I can judge. However, whether Chancellor Xun deceived you, you may not be able to tell. Admit it, Celestial Dragon, in terms of martial arts, you are the strongest among the Shier Wei, but in terms of understanding people's hearts, you are lacking."
Celestial Dragon said, "Even if he didn't lie to me, what he said may not necessarily be true."
Si She asked, "Then, were any of the things I just said not in line with the facts?"
Celestial Dragon fell silent.
Si She glanced at him and said, "Whether you are the Crown Prince of Loulan or the young master of the Shang family, it's none of my business. I just want to remind you that when the Shang family and the entire clan were massacred by Qianji Pavilion, you were by the Chancellor's side. You should know very well who everything of the Shang family eventually fell into the hands of."
"Celestial Dragon, the Chancellor cannot be trusted."
"I've said all I have to say. You should do what you think is best."
Si She had said what she wanted to say and left without hesitation.
As they passed each other, Celestial Dragon stopped her, "Have you told anyone else?"
Si She understood and said, "You mean Meng Xiaojiu? Not yet."
Celestial Dragon spoke softly, "Don't tell her."
Si She replied calmly, "I can't promise that. Although we are both members of the Shier Wei, there is no friendship between us."
Si She left, leaving Celestial Dragon alone, standing in the boundless darkness of the night.
---
The Hunting Grounds
After sending off the grand presence of Princess Wanping, the Imperial Guards, Embroidered Robe Guards, and Capital Guards finally engaged in round after round of intense battles.
Unlike theoretical discussions, this was a real confrontation between the three armies.
Han Ci had just fought a battle not long ago and had multiple experienced generals personally guiding her. She had also learned some unusual strategies from Lu Yuan, which made her command of the battle as natural as a fish in water. She employed ingenious tactics, causing the Embroidered Robe Guards and Imperial Guards to retreat repeatedly.
The two armies decided to temporarily ally and first eliminate Han Ci.
Little did they know that their alliance would end in failure in less than a day.
The reason was simple—Han Ci had fled, abandoning the occupied mountain. The two armies retreated overnight.
Damn!
What's going on here?
Shangguan Ling and the commander of the Imperial Guards exchanged glances.
They had agreed to attack Han Ci together, but with Han Ci gone, they...
Shangguan Ling drew her Spring Saber, "Let's fight!"
The Imperial Guards were startled, "What the heck!"
Then, the two armies clashed, resulting in mutual heavy losses. After a long and difficult struggle, both sides managed to occupy some of the mountain peaks, intending to investigate the tiger's den.
Upon discovering the tiger den, it was empty.
What happened to the Golden-Eyed Tiger?
Where did it go?!
In the woods to the south, another mountain forest.
Princess Wanping's confusion grew as she walked, "Did you lead this princess astray? I've been following you all night, and not only did we not find the Golden-Eyed Tiger, but we haven't even seen a trace of a little tiger cub."
Ji Li looked at the feng shui compass in her hand, "The needle is pointing in this direction, no mistake."
Princess Wanping furrowed her brows, "Didn't you say your feng shui compass was broken?"
Ji Li replied, "I fixed it!"
Princess Wanping eyed the needle on the compass, constantly spinning as if trying to escape, with suspicion, "Are you sure?"
Ji Li held the battered compass with utmost confidence, "My divination skills are unparalleled in the world. Continuing south, we will definitely find it!"
The sky was just beginning to brighten.
The first rays of dawn bathed the mountain forest in a golden glow, enhancing the autumn scenery's beauty.
Lu Yuan was woken up early by the little tiger cub.
Bao Shu didn't want to disturb Meng Qianqian's sleep, so she went to her father's room and woke Lu Yuan up with a little fat palm.
She wanted to use the chamber pot.
Lu Yuan: "..."
Little tiger cub! You must be itching for a beating after a day without one!
After using the chamber pot and washing her hands, Bao Shu crawled back into bed, snuggling up to Meng Qianqian to continue her sleep.
Just as Lu Yuan thought he'd finally have some peace, the Majestic King returned, making a grand entrance.
Riding a ferocious beast, he leaped into the courtyard with an imposing aura.
"Grandson, I'm back!"
Lu Yuan's eyelids twitched, "What are you riding?"
The Majestic King made a sudden stop in front of Lu Yuan, patting the beast's head, "Oh, to save you, your grandfather got separated from his horse. But the hunting ground is so far, I couldn't possibly walk back. At my age, I can't be too tired, so I just found a random mount to ride."
You know you're at an age where you should be thinking about your age when you're jumping off cliffs!
And if you're going to find a random mount, it shouldn't be the Golden-Eyed Tiger!
With the three armies fighting on the mountain, you went and stole the Golden-Eyed Tiger, the key to victory! Lu Yuan's lips twitched, not knowing what to say.
The Majestic King's eyes spun, and he jumped off the Golden-Eyed Tiger's back.
Then, amidst Lu Yuan's unreadable gaze, the Majestic King swiftly picked up the fierce Golden-Eyed Tiger and presented it to Lu Yuan, "Here, a gift for you."
Lu Yuan: "..."
Prince Zong Zhengxi's first autumn hunt after his ascension ended.
In the past, autumn hunts would last at least ten days to half a month before a winner emerged. This time, it only took three days.
Han Ci employed the Empty City Strategy, turning the Embroidered Robe Guard and the Imperial Guard from allies into enemies. When both sides were weakened, Han Ci led his troops to defeat them.
Although they didn't capture the Golden-Eyed Tiger, the Capital Guard's performance during the military exercises earned unanimous praise from Minister Hu, General Han, and various military ministers.
Han Ci also demonstrated initial signs of a capable general, impressing everyone.
As for Martial General—
The Majestic King sat outside the hunting ground, with a docile Golden-Eyed Tiger by his side.
As ministers came out, the Majestic King stopped each one, patting the tiger on the ground, "Tiger King, my grandson hunted this. Just five taels of silver to touch it."
The ministers were so scared they kept shaking their hands, "No, no touching!"
The Majestic King: "If you don't touch it, then ten taels."
The ministers, suddenly held at ransom: "..."
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(End of Chapter)
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