Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 1191 - 1188_1

After wandering around the streets as an assassin, Shangguan Xuanyi began to arrange for his journey to the south.

After the incident in which the house had been robbed, Shangguan Xuanyi decided that it was necessary to bring Xiao’er and the children to the south, changing from a position of hesitation.

He would not allow a situation in which unfortunate circumstances were to befall his family and he were to be powerless to help!

Thus, it would be better to keep them close by!

Moreover, Xiao’er was highly skilled in martial arts, and having her around would not be burdensome at all; in fact, she would be of great assistance.

Of course, even if Xiao’er had no martial prowess, he would still be happy to have her by his side.

Upon finding out that Shangguan Xuanyi decided to head south with her and the children, Xiao’er started making preparations.

They didn’t know how long this journey would take, so it was important to arrange the affairs of the shop in advance.

She prepared a lot of exquisite food from the space, spent a whole day filling Commander Zhao’s spatial ring, set him the task of taking them out regularly to supply to the supermarket and restaurant.

In addition, she drew many designs for jewelry and clothing. She also prepared a lot of skincare products for the beauty salon, and similarly put them in Commander Zhao’s spatial ring.

Shangguan Xuanyi was busy arranging things in the Imperial Capital.

If Shangguan Xuanyi was to go south, he would naturally have to tell the emperor in advance and obtain his approval before setting out.

In the study room

Shangguan Xuanyi shared his plans to head south.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor refused instinctively: "No, Xuan Jun has already left. It’s important to attack Nangong Country, but it’s equally important to defend Minze Country. Are we to abandon our main base to attack Nangong Country?"

"Father, I have thought it through. General Di, still full of vim and vigor, can certainly guard Minze Country, and with the Duke of Zhen and the Zhao family in the Imperial City, we should have no concerns about safety. Either of the Zhao brothers can handle any situation thrown at them!

The northwest is as solid as a rock; the Eastern Jin Dynasty is to the east, and we are temporary allies, maintaining friendly relations!

Our most critical concern right now is the south! If I were to go to Nangong Country, I can guarantee that we can conquer the entire nation one to two years earlier!"

The Emperor hesitated upon hearing this.

He had originally planned the conquest of Nangong Country to take eight to ten years. This timeframe was indeed too long. If they could conquer Nangong Country one to two years earlier, it was not just about one or two years; it could save a lot of manpower and resources!

The most important factor is that the longer it takes to capture Nangong Country, the more likely this war could drag the entire Minze Country into the quagmire.

The longer things drag on, the more things could potentially go wrong, and this saying was not without reason.

Thus, the Emperor hesitated.

After weighing his options, he eventually agreed: "Alright, but can you bear to be away from Xiao’er and your children for so many years?"

Upon hearing this, Shangguan Xuanyi looked at the Emperor as if he were a fool: "The Princess and the children will naturally accompany me! Ever heard of an army being accompanied by its family?"

"Absolutely not! You’re going to war, not on a leisure trip. It’s far too dangerous to bring your family. What are you thinking?" The Emperor was adamant in his disagreement.

"Originally, I just wanted to eliminate Gong Zixuan and Master Gu Xuan before returning. But considering the circumstances, especially knowing that Nangong Country has trained a batch of killers, I had to change my mind!

If we don’t conquer Nangong Country soon, I fear complications might arise.

I received a confidential report yesterday that Zhuge Jinquan of Eastern Jin Dynasty is secretly selling food to Nangong Country, and the heir apparent of Eastern Jin even wrote a letter saying...."

"What, how could Eastern Jin do such a shameless thing?!" Eastern Jin and Minze Country were allies, bonded for the next thirty years.

"It’s not the work of the ruler of Eastern Jin, he has no need to take such risks. Moreover, the crown prince of Eastern Jin is already planning to attack Nangong Country, to gain a piece of the action. I suspect that Zhuge Jinquan is collaborating with Gong Qinghua.

Having lost the position of crown prince, Zhuge Jinquan must be harboring dissatisfaction. How could he willingly play second fiddle? Besides, because of the incident with Zhuge Meiyu, we’ve thoroughly offended Zhuge Jinquan. He has plenty of reasons to collaborate with Nangong."

"Regardless of the truth, in this world there are no permanent friends nor permanent enemies, just alliances based on mutual interest. We must stay vigilant for Eastern Jin, but you’re right, Nangong can’t offer Eastern Jin any significant benefits. The ruler of Eastern Jin would not be foolish enough to ally with Nangong while abandoning us, his allies. If the crown prince of Eastern Jin is keen on attacking Nangong, why not negotiate together? A pie as big as Nangong Country, we can afford to share a slice, as long as we conquer it as quickly as possible!" In a world where there were so many countries, the Emperor admitted that he did not have the power to unify them all! He was not that naive!

Annihilating Nangong Country was just for self-preservation; any city they could conquer from Nangong Country would be a gain for Minze!

Eastern Jin produces jade and ore, but their arable land was the smallest among the three countries. Of course, Xiyue Country used to have even less, but it was now defunct.

Nangong Country had the most fertile lands. If Eastern Jin could occupy one or two provinces of Nangong Country, it would benefit them greatly.

"I understand; I will watch closely. If there are no other matters, I will take my leave."

The Emperor nodded. Then he remembered that just now Shangguan Xuanyi had mentioned bringing the children to the south, but successfully diverted the conversation to Eastern Jin, causing him to overlook the main point!

The Emperor hurriedly stopped him: "Wait! You cannot bring my grandchildren to the battlefield, it’s too dangerous. If you want to go, you can go with your wife. I won’t stop you. Leave the children in the palace, let your mother look after them."

With the Fifth Princess married and the Seventh Prince grown up, he was busy with state affairs and the Empress spent all day complaining about having nothing to do in the palace. Having a few grandkids around would be good.

"No, the palace is too dangerous!"

"Nonsense, how can the palace be dangerous? The Imperial Palace is the most heavily guarded place in the entire Minze Country!"

"Did Father misspeak? My son was abducted in the palace, never has such a situation occurred elsewhere. Father, do you think I can trust the palace with my children after such an incident?" Initially, Xiao’er had wanted to accompany him to Nangong Country and Shangguan Xuanyi had indeed considered leaving the children with his mother. However, he knew Xiao’er wouldn’t agree so he hadn’t mentioned it.

Now, not just Xiao’er, even he himself disagreed.

"Wasn’t that just an accident?"

"Right, accidents do happen often, better let the matter rest!"

The Emperor: "...."