Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 1235 - 1232_1

"Master, have you found a way?" Gong Zixuan was delighted when he heard this.

"Hmm! But we’ll have to wait for a few more days!"

Gu Xuan was thinking about the soul he was taming, and it was almost ready to be taken. Once it was successful, he would switch it with the soul of the person who had followed them before, and then let that person go back and assassinate Shangguan Xuanyi.

He had no idea what Prince Rui had done or what kind of poison he had given to his subordinates. His men were all loyal to the core; no matter what means were used, they wouldn’t spill a single word!

He probably never imagined that one day his men would assassinate him, too!

"What is your method, Master?" Gong Zixuan couldn’t help but ask.

"You will find out in a few days! But we must hurry back to the imperial mausoleum."

He doesn’t plan to reveal it until it’s successfully achieved since its success rate is too low!

"Alright, I’ll head to the Li Clan immediately to acquire a stalk of the Immortal Grass Jelly!" Gong Zixuan responded immediately after hearing this.

He came to Li County to get an Immortal Grass Jelly for the baby that Princess Ling’er is expecting to prolong its life, but unfortunately, the two men he had sent out had failed to become the elders and bring back the Immortal Grass Jelly. He had hoped to get the Immortal Grass Jelly easily since the elders of the Li Clan had the right to use the clan’s pharmacy.

To his surprise, the duo he had sent claimed to be skilled in poison but were no match for a mere maid!

Gu Xuan is uninterested in the matter of getting the medicine. He came to Li County to meet the dazzling war star and luck star. Now that he met them — indeed, they were very strong! He would ignore other matters after meeting his objective!

So he turned around and returned to his room.

He walked into a dark room and went over to a round table. On the table was a jade bottle which contained a small grass. The grass was twinkling and emitting a faint green light, making it look incredibly lively.

Gu Xuan bit his index finger and let a drop of blood fall onto the grass. The grass immediately turned red from green and danced more joyously. The green light wrapped around it became more dazzling as well.

Soon the red colour faded, and it turned back to green. The faint green light was now visibly brighter than before, and the small grass jumped even more joyously!

After seeing the grass return to its original colour, Gu Xuan left the round table and went over to the desk. He picked up an anciently textured wooden box and opened it. From it, he took out cinnabar and a yellow talisman paper. He dripped a drop of blood on the cinnabar and then began to draw talismans.

.....

In the palace of Nangong Country,

Gong Qinghua summoned Prime Minister Qin of Nangong Country to his study room for a consultation.

Gong Qinghua had just received a secret letter from Zhuge Jinquan of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It said that his secret sales of grain had been exposed and Zhuge Wenri was secretly gathering evidence. Therefore, Zhuge Jinquan could not sell them grain temporarily. Also, Zhuge Xin had lately been secretly training soldiers, possibly planning an alliance with Minze Country to attack Nangong Country.

"Hmph! Clearly they just want to kick us while we’re down and take a share of the spoils!" Prime Minister Qin angrily said after reading the secret letter.

"It’s always been easier to oppress than to help. If Eastern Jin does indeed intend to march upon our Nangong Country, what does the Prime Minister suggest we do?"

"If Eastern Jin and Minze decide to attack Nangong simultaneously, our situation would grow even more precarious!" Prime Minister Qin frowned in deep thought.

Isn’t that obvious? Surely he knew that if we were attacked by two countries at once, our situation would grow worse! Gong Qinghua was already irritable, and these words made him even more so.

Gong Qinghua suppressed his irritation and asked, "Has the Prime Minister thought of any way to prevent Eastern Jin from sending their troops?"

"Originally my plan was to suggest that Your Majesty form an alliance with Eastern Jin to attack Minze. Our troops have been engaged with Minze for months now, and we have lost tens of thousands of soldiers. Many have even surrendered! I planned to ask Eastern Jin for reinforcements. When Minze attacks Jiangzhong County, Eastern Jin’s troops could march through Bijiang County starting from Shanghe County in Eastern Jin, and catch Minze off guard! I didn’t expect Eastern Jin to want to take advantage of our situation and attack Nangong as well!" Prime Minister Qin replied.

"Jiangzhong County? Bijiang County is adjacent to Jiangzhong County, and one side of Bijiang County is next to the Shanghe County of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. If the Eastern Jin Dynasty launched a military expedition, their soldiers could cross the river, pass through Yan Zi Ridge in Bijiang County, and suddenly attack the soldiers of Minze Country in Jiangzhong County. This is actually a good plan! However, the Eastern Jin Dynasty and Minze Country have always been allies, and now Minze Country has given many benefits to the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Persuading the Eastern Jin Dynasty to send troops could be difficult!" Gong Qinghua thought of the relationship between several counties and said this.

"Difficult, but not impossible. I heard that the wife of the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s Crown Prince is pregnant? If we kidnap her, the Eastern Jin Dynasty will have no choice but to cooperate with us!"

Gong Qinghua’s eyes lit up when he heard this; indeed, resistance would be fruitless!

The royal bloodline of the Eastern Jin Dynasty has always been scant!

Although the Eastern Jin emperor had many wives and concubines, most of them bore only daughters, and he had only two sons, Zhuge Xin and Zhuge Jinquan. For some reason, Zhuge Jinquan still hasn’t had a son until now.

Because the wife of the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s Crown Prince is pregnant now, the position of the Crown Prince has become even more stable.

Wait! Gong Qinghua suddenly thought of something and asked:

"The wife of the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s Crown Prince is the younger sister of Princess Rui, right!"

Zhuge Wenri is Princess Rui’s brother-in-law, and Zhuge Jinquan had long reminded him that Zhuge Wenri might conspire with Shangguan Xuanyi to tackle Nangong Country.

Zhuge Wenri grew up with Princess Rui in Minze Country’s Marquis Shengping Mansion! Zhuge Wenri has always had an excellent relationship with Princess Rui and her siblings!

Knowing that Zhuge Wenri grew up with Princess Rui, Gong Qinghua felt that he was indeed very fortunate!

"Exactly! If we kidnap the wife of the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s Crown Prince, not only will the Eastern Jin Dynasty have to agree to our terms, but it will also put Minze Country in a difficult position! Princess Rui would never abandon her sister! And Prince Rui loves her dearly! At that time, he will have no choice but to submit to our control! In other words, if we kidnap the wife of the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s Crown Prince, it would be like killing two birds with one stone!" Prime Minister Qin stroked his beard as he spoke.

"Haha! You’re absolutely right!" The wife of the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s Crown Prince, Princess Rui’s sister, must be kidnapped!

Gong Qinghua’s gloomy mood of recent days suddenly lightened!

At this moment, a eunuch entered the room and announced, "Your Majesty, Vice General Zhang asks for an audience."

"Summon him!" Gong Qinghua, in high spirits, ordered.

The vice general then came in and relayed in detail the unsuccessful attempt by Gong Zixuan’s men to assassinate Shangguan Xuanyi and his companions.

"What a bunch of incompetents!" Gong Qinghua’s good mood evaporated. He gritted his teeth in anger at the news.

He had sent so many people to assassinate six individuals, yet none of them succeeded. Instead, they were all killed by the enemy!

If word of this got out, everyone would consider Nangong Country’s imperial forces to be easy to bully!

"Prince Rui of Minze Country seems to be getting more and more powerful. If he is not eliminated, he will eventually become a great threat!" said the Prime Minister.

Having such a powerful individual in an enemy country is a constant headache!

"I am aware of that, but he’s as resilient as a cockroach!" This is becoming more and more annoying!

Most importantly: according to the information sent back, Shangguan Xuanyi had grown much stronger than when he had faced him in combat years ago. He could even accomplish the feat of bringing two individuals over the city walls! Gong Qinghua was somewhat at a loss as to how proficient his martial arts skills had become!

But this matter is not the most crucial one on hand now!

The most important thing is the matter of the Eastern Jin Dynasty’s Crown Prince’s wife.