Xiao Yan let out a soft “mm” and briefly recounted how he had tracked down Di Tao and his mother and sister, saved them by chance, befriended them, and escorted them to Fengcheng.
Xiao Yan’s voice was low, whispering close to Tang Ning’s ear: “I originally planned to use his identity to infiltrate the Zhen’an Army, leveraging the gratitude for saving their lives to gain Di Shuangcheng’s trust. But who would’ve thought that Di Shuangcheng, rumored to be a reckless, hot-tempered brute with no cunning, was actually incredibly sharp? He saw through my intentions the moment he laid eyes on me, so I had to change my approach.”
The affairs of Fengcheng could not be explained in a few words, so Xiao Yan only talked about the important ones.
Tang Ning listened quietly, and when she heard that Di Shuangcheng was actually an old acquaintance of the He family, her eyes widened instantly.
Xiao Yan chuckled, "I was also very surprised at the time. At first I thought he was using me as bait to deceive me, until I was convinced that he was truly loyal to the He family, and that he himself had a grudge against the Lu family and Emperor An for killing his father, so I changed my mind."
"The Zhen'an Army and the Dragon Court Guards seem to be under the command of the royal family, but in fact they are obeying the orders of the person holding the Dragon Jade Token, and that Dragon Jade Token is the dragon-patterned pendant in your and my hands."
Tang Ning was shocked, it was actually a dragon pattern pendant? !
Xiao Yan stroked her waist and said, "The Dragon Jade Token was left by Emperor Taizu. The Zhen'an Army and the Dragon Court Guard were also the last resort for the royal family. But after so many years, the royal family has changed several emperors, and even the commander of the Zhen'an Army and the leader of the Dragon Court Guard have changed a lot. They may not recognize the token."
Tang Ning couldn't help but said: "Then brother..."
"I didn't use the token, and Di Shuangcheng just thought I was from the He family."
Xiao Yan said calmly, "Di Shuangcheng is willing to help me take down the Lu family. I tested him a few times and he is indeed willing to help the He family overturn the case. And with Di Tao in my hands, I am not afraid that he will turn against me."
"Di Shuangcheng has been guarding Luoyan Pass with the Zhen'an Army to defend Beiling over the years and has been doing his duty diligently. He has not had many other thoughts. However, the new emperor of Beiling has ascended the throne and may intend to move south. The Zhen'an Army cannot move."
"But the Dragon Court Guards have long forgotten their duties. Shang Zhonglin, who was by Taizu's side, was loyal to the royal family. Taizu formed the Dragon Court Guards and sent them to the northwest. They were used to contain the Zhen'an Army and leave a retreat for the royal family. They were also used to resist the war in Beiling."
"After Shang Zhonglin died, the Dragon Court Guard was passed down to his descendants. The current leader is named Shang Qin. Over the years, he has led the Dragon Court Guard to occupy Linping without being dispatched or governed by anyone."
"The original 50,000 Dragon Court Guards have also grown to 100,000 people with their secret development. Moreover, Shang Qin knew that Beiling had frequently invaded the border, but he sat back and watched. When they fought Beiling two years ago, the Dragon Court Guards did not move at all."
Tang Ning couldn't help but frown when listening to Xiao Yan's words, with a bit of disgust on his face: "Does he think that the Dragon Court Guards are the private army of his Shang family?"
It is not surprising that he wants to seize power, and it is understandable that he recruits soldiers privately. She doesn't think it's a big deal that he holds great power and cannot be deployed in the capital for a long time, so he may be selfish and swell up for a while. However, Beiling has been fighting with Wei for many years, and there will be countless casualties every time there is friction.
The Shang family is also in the northwest, so it is impossible for them not to know how the Beiling people brutally killed border residents. This is not just a matter of one or two people, but Shang Qin ignored the border war. His selfish desires crossed the bottom line and he even lost his humanity.
Is this kind of person qualified to lead the army?!
Xiao Yan's eyes were equally cold. Thinking of the arrogant and conceited Shang Qin he had met when he went to Linping, he sneered and said:
“He doesn’t just treat the Dragon Court Guards as his private army—he’s long coveted the Zhen’an Army as well. If Di Shuangcheng weren’t strong enough, and if the past two years in Beiling hadn’t been unusually quiet due to the chaos in their imperial succession, Shang Qin would’ve made a move on the Zhen’an Army. Di Shuangcheng caught him in the act and nearly severed his claws, or the northwest would’ve descended into chaos long ago.”
Tang Ning frowned and said, "Brother, do you want to use Shang Qin to cause chaos in the capital?"
Xiao Yan: “Shang Qin is ambitious and restless in the northwest. The Dragon Court Guards, on the surface, only obey those of the imperial family holding the Dragon Jade Token, but Emperor An doesn’t have it.”
Tang Ning tilted her head slightly: “Brother, you want to stoke Shang Qin’s ambitions, use him to expose the old case from twenty years ago, and force Emperor An’s side to hesitate before suppressing it?”
Xiao Yan gave a soft “mm,” marveling at his little girl’s sharp intellect. He said quietly, “I’ll return to handle matters in the capital first. Shang Qin will start making moves from the south. In ten days at most, news of the twenty-year-old case will erupt. By the time it reaches the capital, no one will be able to suppress it.”
“When will he enter the capital?”
"When the capital is in complete chaos and the old case is uncovered, he will bring people to the capital to investigate the truth for his old master and force Emperor An. At that time, the people I left in the northwest will work with Di Shuangcheng to uncover his old nest."
The Longting Guard cannot be left in the hands of the Shang family, and that was the private army that Emperor Taizu left to my father. Even if the Shang family does not recognize the Dragon Jade Token, there must be someone in the Dragon Court Guards who recognizes it.
Besides, Shang Qin is not the only one with ambitions in this world. I think there are many people who are willing to replace the Shang family and become the head of the Dragon Court Guards
For someone like Shang Qin who puts selfish interests first, his children will naturally not be too loyal and selfless.
Xiao Yan whispered to Tang Ning about his next plan. After listening, Tang Ning said:
"During the time that my brother was away from the capital, a lot of things happened in the capital. Lu Chongyuan noticed that you were not in the capital and made some moves. In order to delay time, I could only make moves on the Queen's side. Will it affect your plan?"
She highlighted the key points of Lingyun Temple and explained the arrangements of the Zhao and Lu families.
"Someone from the Lu family went to the Southland. It should be that Lu Jiu’an. They probably already know that you are investigating the old events from 20 years ago. These past few days I have tried my best to have people stop Lu Chongyuan from seeing Emperor An, but after what happened tonight I guess I can't stop him."
"Once Emperor An summons him, Lu Chongyuan will definitely mention this matter, and this matter concerns Emperor An's reputation and the throne. I'm afraid he will turn against my brother and take action directly..."
By then, Shang Qin won’t be able to come to Beijing.
Xiao Yan pinched her cheek lightly: "Don't worry, it's okay. After entering the palace, Emperor An will not care about Lu Chongyuan."
That huge green hat, plus the Lu family's raising of assassins, the burning of the Forbidden Palace and the chaos in the capital, as well as the Zhao family and what happened in Jiyun Lane tonight, are enough to send Lu Chongyuan to hell.
It is not easy to kill him directly, but it is very easy to just prevent Emperor An from seeing him.
There were footsteps approaching outside and stopped in front of Yueli Hall.
There was a sound like knocking on the door frame.
"Master, Marquis Wenxin asked if you can enter the palace?"
“Here I come.”
Xiao Yan lowered his head and kissed Tang Ning on the lips: "I will go to the palace to see the emperor first, you can rest first, you don't have to wait for me."
Tang Ning nodded "Okay."
Their lips were rubbing against each other. When Xiao Yan let her go, Tang Ning got off his lap with a red face. When she stood firm and was about to leave, Xiao Yan suddenly reached out and grabbed her: "Little Haitang..."
"Um?"
"You don't ask me anything?"
He mentioned Dragon Jade Token, Prince Li, and the He family. Xiao Yan didn't believe that she couldn't guess his identity with her intelligence.
Tang Ning was stunned for a moment before she realized what he said. Her eyes softened and she leaned over to Xiao Yan and kissed him on the cheek.
"I told you before, no matter who you are or whether you have a disability, you are my brother, and that is enough."
"I like you, not the others behind you. Whatever you want to do, I will help you."
Xiao Yan's mind was shaken, and he suddenly pulled her back, grabbed her slender waist and kissed her hard.
Tang Ning...
Little Begonia...
His little girl.
You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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