Princess Ni Ke looked up as if she had sensed something, and her eyes met with Hei Cha who was standing by the window of the inn. Hei Cha smiled innocently, and looked away as if he was a little shy.
Her large, exotic eyes narrowed slightly, feeling that something was not right. She immediately retracted her gaze and continued to accept the blessings from the people on both sides of the road.
Mu Lin just glanced at her and then looked away. She left the window and sat down to drink some water.
Yes, drink water.
The trip was planned in a hurry, so naturally we didn't bring delicate items like tea.
Mu Lin believed that they wouldn't be able to stay here for long.
She was thinking about the girl in red.
Ni Ke, Mu Lin doesn't like her name.
This woman also gave her a bad feeling, like some kind of variable.
"Where will the bonfire party be held tonight?" Mu Lin asked.
"The Dusk Moon Lake in the southwest of Luofeng City."
"Is that the water vein of Luofeng City?"
"Yes, the clean water we drink comes from there. All large gatherings in Luofeng City are held around the Dusk Moon Lake."
"I understand. Linglan, at noon, follow me to the southwest to look for it. Heicha, prepare the things I need, and then go and ask the city lord and the King of the Southern Territory about their movements. Be more detailed."
"yes."
Mu Lin was not unprepared before coming here. She read the information of the King of the Southern Region. King Jiang Ze of the Southern Region is now sixty years old. Twenty years ago, he took over the position of leader of the alliance directly from his grandfather, bypassing his father. He is not an ordinary person. The King of the Southern Region has many wives and concubines, four sons and one daughter. Only the youngest daughter, Ni Ke, is born to the wife and is extremely doted on.
The current city lord Zhang Ze'an is a close confidant of the King of the Southern Region. It is said that he is a Han Chinese, and when he was young, he was sponsored by the King of the Southern Region, so he was able to go to Baihu Academy to study. In fact, Zhang Ze'an is also her senior brother. He is well-known in Baihu Academy, which is full of talents, and is a brilliant person.
After graduating from Baihu Academy, Zhang Ze'an declined the recruitment of various countries and returned directly to Fengluo City to be loyal to the King of Southern Region. He repaid the kindness with a thousandfold gratitude and was praised by scholars as a man of affection and righteousness.
The King of the Southern Region did not treat him unfairly and made him the deputy city lord against all odds. Zhang Ze'an did not disappoint him either. Five years later, the city lord of Luofeng City rebelled and was killed. He succeeded to the position of city lord at a young age, but no one disobeyed him because it was he who exposed the conspiracy of the previous city lord and protected Fengluo City. Moreover, he was usually loved by the people of Fengluo City.
As a Han Chinese, Zhang Ze'an could become the lord of the largest city in the southern region. He must be killed.
Maybe he is beneficial to the city and the people, but a city lord who is close to the Tianlan Empire is not good for Jingsheng.
Mu Lin has always been a ruthless politician.
She knew that her father had always wanted to conquer the Southern Region, but her idea was different. There were too many foreign tribes in the Southern Region, cities and water resources were limited, and the nomadic and bloodthirsty nature of the Hu people meant that wars often broke out between tribes, making it very unstable.
Bandits were rampant in the sands, and merchants who dared to travel on this road would organize large caravans and be fully armed to avoid being killed and robbed. Mu Lin and his companions followed the caravan and did not separate until they were about to reach Fengluo City.
This is not a problem that the King of the Southern Territory can solve unless he truly conquers and unifies the entire Southern Territory. Obviously, the King of the Southern Territory cannot do it, and the two empires bordering it do not want him to do it either.
For Mu Lin, if he wants to take over the Southern Territory, fighting is a problem, and managing the garrison is an even bigger problem.
She didn't want to take over this mess.
But the emperor's idea was not a big problem, because the Tianlan Empire was eyeing Jingsheng to the east. If Tianlan took over the southern region first, whether it was stationed there or launched a surprise attack in the future, it would be a big threat to Jingsheng.
How troublesome it is...
Therefore, the best way is to completely disrupt the Southern Region.
Mu Lin chose to solve the hidden danger at the lowest cost, which was also one of the purposes of her trip.
She picked up the cup and took another sip of water. This time the spring water was no longer sweet, but rather a little bitter.
There is nothing else to it, just your stance.
After lunch, Mu Lin took a short nap and then went out with Linglan.
Linglan has a good sense of direction, especially after getting the Fengluo City map obtained by Heicha, she quickly took Mu Lin to find the most lively place in the southwest, one of the three major market areas in Fengluo City.
There were shops and restaurants on both sides of the street. The coolly dressed Hu Ji was waiting at the door of the restaurant, her eyes were as charming as silk. Mu Lin took a casual glance and saw Persian carpets, exotic musical instruments, bags of spices and gems... Of course, there were also their Jingsheng ceramics and medicinal materials, Tianlan's silk and tea, and even Daqin's lacquerware.
No matter how remote a place is, the first people to set foot there will definitely be businessmen.
There were both Han and Hu people doing business, and naturally, the buyers were also Hu and Han people. Their identities were easily distinguished without looking at their faces. Hu people mostly bought things like tea and porcelain from Han shops, while Han people went to Hu shops to buy spices, gemstones, and wool products in bulk, ready to be transported to various empires and sold at a good price.
It is said that the first thing Zhang Ze'an did after taking office was to build three market areas on a large scale. It was opposed at first, but it was soon proven to be a great thing that benefited the city and the people. No matter whether it was nobles, businessmen or ordinary people, they all benefited, and it also promoted the development of Fengluo City's commerce.
What Mu Lin admired most was the new business rules that came out. Without rules, there would be no order. Without the protection of business rules, a business activity that was obviously fragile at the beginning might not be able to proceed smoothly.
The city lord has great power, and Zhang Ze'an has lived up to it and governed the city very well. Mu Lin thought of another way, perhaps to divide and disperse the two or three powers to check and balance each other.
It’s not that countries haven’t tried this, but they haven’t been thorough enough.
Mu Lin seemed to be thinking about something, and when he turned his gaze back to the lively scene in front of him, he felt a little regretful.
Fortunately, she is not a soft-hearted person.
Mu Lin's purpose was not shopping, so she took Ling Lan along the commercial road and sat in a teahouse in the middle. The aroma of tea rose in the air, and it was very popular.
There were few people drinking tea in the afternoon, so Mu Lin found an open place. The waiter quickly brought her the tea she ordered. Mu Lin calmly took off her veil, lowered her eyes, and sipped the tea slowly.
The taste of Tieguanyin is quite authentic, and it is worth the price which is twice as high as that of Baihu Academy.
Linglan stood behind her, keeping her eyes and ears open, hoping that she could see the person her master was looking for.
In fact, Mu Lin didn’t have much hope. If he couldn’t find it in advance, then he couldn’t find it. It wasn’t a big problem.
It will never be too out of her control.
At this time, a bright red figure caught her attention. Mu Lin raised her eyes inadvertently and saw Princess Ni Ke walked into an inn across from the teahouse without any maids or guards.
The name of this inn is "Sword Immortal Inn". It is medium-sized in Fengluo City and doesn't look like anything special.
After a while, Ni Ke came out and went to the direction of the City Lord's Mansion. Mu Lin noticed that her face looked a little ugly, as if she had come with high hopes but returned with disappointment. What could make such a beautiful and proud girl return with disappointment
Mu Lin didn't notice that the tea was already half cold, and it didn't feel refreshing after entering her throat. She put down the teacup and felt that she was paying too much attention to this little girl. Although there was a "Ni" in her name, there was really no need to care about it.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but be absent-minded and began to guess.
What is that high god doing now
No matter how far apart they were now, she would go see her one day, but by then...it might be complicated, or it might be very simple.
Three days ago, two unusual guests came to Room No. 1. They were two men. The shopkeeper guessed that they might be brothers because they looked similar.
In short, they are two very handsome Han people, their manners and speech are different from those of ordinary Han people, and they have an indescribable nobleness. The biggest difference between the two is that the older one looks more sunny, while the younger one looks much calmer.
They didn't look like businessmen, but rather noblemen who had been traveling around the world and were temporarily staying here. It was a pity for the shopkeeper because neither of the two noble brothers showed any interest in his beautiful daughter, even though she had offered him tea five times.
The imperial nobles who came here were very welcome. If a girl was favored by them, they might take her back to be a concubine and enjoy wealth and glory. Their parents would also receive a large sum of wealth as compensation.
Until yesterday, when the two brothers returned to the inn, a woman in red followed them. The innkeeper was secretly surprised. As a citizen of Fengluo City, he certainly knew the little princess Ni Ke.
Has the princess also been deceived by their appearance
Soon the shopkeeper found that his guess was correct.
The Han people were right. That little girl loves to be pretty... Sir! Everyone loves beauty! It was so accurate, even the daughter of the King of the Southern Territory was no exception.
The princess was completely bewitched by the young master, and anyone with a discerning eye could see it. She came to the inn two or three times a day, and even came here on purpose when she rode an elephant through the streets. You know, there was no such custom before.
When a girl is in love, she definitely wants her best side to be seen by her lover.
It didn't matter if she was a princess or a peasant's daughter.
The reason why Ni Ke came here this time was actually to deliver an invitation, inviting the two young masters of the Xiao family to attend the bonfire dinner tonight. Yes, it was the coming-of-age dinner that her father held for her.
At this banquet, she can choose the man she likes and then confess her love to him. According to their local customs, the other party cannot refuse.
When she handed over the invitation with a red face under the half-smile of Brother Xiao, the Second Young Master Xiao... he actually refused it directly!
Ni Ke couldn't believe it. He actually rejected her
And it was a particularly calm and firm refusal.
She was stunned for a moment, threw the invitation on the table, and ran out without looking back.
Xiao Muran picked up the invitation on the table. It had beautiful gold-painted Chinese characters and an exotic scent. The girl must have put a lot of thought into it.
He patted his brother's shoulder and said playfully, "The girl is good. You are seventeen, so you can consider it."
Xiao Muyun said calmly: "I have a fiancée."
Regardless of whether he has feelings for his fiancée, her existence can help him clear away all the romantic troubles.
"But your fiancée is nowhere to be found, right? Father couldn't find out the details of the mother and daughter, and when he sent people over, they were killed in Qingyuan Town."
After all, Qingyuan Town was Jingsheng's territory, so they had no choice but to give up the search.
No one knew that this was all arranged by Emperor Jingming.
Emperor Jingming was not a bloodthirsty person, but the fact that the foreign royal palace was investigating his wife and daughter had to arouse his suspicion. Making them go without return was a warning.
Xiao Muyun looked out the window. The bright afternoon sunshine in the southern region made the contours of his face look extremely gentle, and his eyes seemed to soften a little.