flstandardbreds Chapter 162 Visitors from the Northern Barbarians
Chapter 162 Visitors from the Northern Barbarians
Deep inside the passage was a small, secret room.
The secret room was empty, except for the bookshelves that were full.
The desk was clean and tidy.
At first glance, apart from the lack of light, this secret room is no different from an ordinary study.
Having served the emperor for many years, Yingyi immediately knew that the secret hidden in this secret room was not simple—the cleaner it was, the more likely it was to conceal a great deal of filth.
He immediately looked toward the bookshelf.
The books on the bookshelf were not unusual, except for the text on them.
"This is the script of the Northern Barbarians," Shadow exclaimed in surprise. "There are quite a few letters written in the script of the Northern Barbarians here!"
Thinking of Prince Xin's mother, Ying blinked and asked in surprise, "His mother was a dancer from the Western Regions. Could it be... that she had connections with the Northern Di?"
The Western Regions and the Northern Di had very close ties, and the trade routes to and from Dali were firmly controlled by the Northern Di. In recent years, the Northern Di's expansion into the Western Regions has intensified, and most of the Western Regions have become nominal territory, effectively becoming the territory of the Northern Di.
With that thought in mind, Shadow One's expression turned serious.
"Consort Mei's background is unknown. She was only bought from the Western Regions by a royal merchant because of her beauty and presented to the late emperor," Xie Jinghan said calmly. "Consort Mei has a pair of azure eyes. It is said that only those with the bloodline of the Northern Di royal family can have such a pair of azure eyes."
"Many years ago, the eldest daughter of the Northern Di King disappeared while traveling and has not been heard from since."
These few words caused Yingyi's expression to change drastically.
He glanced tentatively at Xie Jinghan, and seeing that Xie Jinghan still had that indifferent expression, he said awkwardly, "Could it be... that Prince Xin has the blood of the Northern Di royal family flowing through his veins? Is Consort Mei the eldest daughter of the Northern Di king who went missing?"
Seeing the shocked look in Shang Yingyi's eyes, Xie Jinghan said quietly, "It's just a guess."
Even if it's just speculation, it's still relevant when considered in relation to Prince Xin's actions...
This is highly likely!
"Then I'll have to take a good look at these letters!" Ying Yi rubbed his hands together, his sharp eyes catching sight of several extremely thin silver lines on the cabinet door, which he would not have been able to see if he hadn't had exceptional eyesight.
"That was close," he muttered. "If I hadn't been careful, I probably would have been splattered with blood."
"It's a small matter if blood is spilled on the spot, but if Prince Xin finds out, all our efforts will be in vain."
They arrived at Prince Xin's residence discreetly, all to avoid being discovered.
While Shadow One was on the move, Xie Jinghan was also flipping through the letters on the table.
Two neat stacks of letters were piled on the desk. Even though they were all written in the Northern Barbarian script, Xie Jinghan still flipped through them very quickly. After reading them, he put the letters back in their original place without touching them, so that there was no trace that they had been tampered with.
Half an hour later, Shadow One also made a new discovery.
He looked up and met Xie Jinghan's gaze.
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know where to begin: "Your Highness, this matter is even more terrifying than we imagined. The massacre of hundreds of lives in Mo Family Village, Zhenmen Pass, fifteen years ago... was also committed by Prince Xin."
“Mo Family Village is on the border. I’m afraid they’ve discovered his dealings with the Northern Barbarians.” Yingyi stroked his chin, pondering to himself, what could possibly be so important that even illiterate villagers couldn’t escape the fate of being silenced?
“It must be smuggling,” Xie Jinghan said. “Over the years, I have reviewed many files and found that in the past twenty years, the amount of silver from the salt tax in Jiangnan that was turned over to the national treasury has only increased by 20%.”
“The salt fields in Jiangnan have increased by more than two or three times in the past twenty years. With so many salt fields, the salt tax has only increased by 20%…” Xie Jinghan scoffed. “Presumably, some of the salt has been smuggled to the Northern Barbarians.”
“What he exchanged with the Northern Di must have been iron and horses,” Xie Jinghan said coldly. “The Northern Di are rich in iron ore and have superior horse breeds. With these two powerful tools, the strength he has been secretly accumulating will only increase.”
"Coincidentally, Mojia Village is located at the foot of Yunshan Mountain."
“The Yunshan Mountains stretch for hundreds of miles, so it wouldn’t be difficult to hide 20,000 to 30,000 people inside.”
Hearing the number of twenty to thirty thousand people from Xie Jinghan, Yingyi was dumbfounded.
"Twenty or thirty thousand men?" He rubbed his arms. "Is he planning a rebellion?"
Xie Jinghan glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Ying Yi chuckled awkwardly: "I just didn't expect that an honest man like Prince Xin would be hiding such a big secret."
"The northern delegation will arrive in ten days."
"At that time, we should pay attention to the interactions between Prince Xin and the Northern Di."
A cold glint flashed in Xie Jinghan's eyes, and he said in a chilling tone, "He is not the only one in the court who has connections with the Northern Barbarians. Those who stand on his side are all traitors who collude with the enemy."
Yingyi's expression was extremely serious: "If His Majesty finds out, he will definitely deal with them all."
Those who collude with the enemy and betray their country will have their entire family, up to nine generations, executed!
Xie Jinghan tapped the table: "Let's start with the Duke of Su."
Upon hearing this, Yingyi's eyes darted around: "The Duke of Su is full of flaws, so it wouldn't be difficult to deal with him. But wouldn't doing this alert him?"
"He'll come to me of his own accord." Xie Jinghan said this casually, then got up and walked out.
Shadow One quickly followed, cleaning up all the dust on the ground along the way.
The secret room has returned to the way it was when we first arrived.
Even if Prince Xin himself came, he wouldn't know that anyone had been here.
……
In Prince Jing's Mansion.
As the night passed, the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
Wen Shuyao slept very restlessly that night. She seemed to feel something watching her. She opened her eyes uneasily and found Xie Jinghan standing by her bedside.
"Your Highness?" Wen Shuyao's eyes showed surprise, and she subconsciously pulled the blanket up to her chin.
Xie Jinghan looked away. He hadn't expected that Wen Shuyao, who was fast asleep, would wake up after he had only looked at her for a short while.
When he came in just now, he noticed that even though Wen Shuyao was asleep, her brows were furrowed, as if something was troubling her.
"Having a nightmare?"
Upon hearing these four words, Wen Shuyao was still somewhat dazed. She stared blankly at Xie Jinghan, unable to believe that these words came from his mouth.
But when she thought about the scenes in her dream... or rather, her past life, she couldn't help but feel worried.
"Will the envoys from the Northern Barbarians also attend the Thousand Autumns Gathering?"
She asked a question tentatively, which drew Xie Jinghan's attention.
Xie Jinghan's captivating eyes were too intimidating. Wen Shuyao suppressed her unease and tried to maintain a calm demeanor: "Not long ago, the Northern Di suffered a great defeat. They probably harbor resentment, especially towards you."
"Will they... use any underhanded methods against you during their visit to the capital?" After saying this, Wen Shuyao added, "Your Highness, one should always be wary of others, especially villains like the Northern Barbarians."