Poison Genius Consort

s. 

How could they really start fighting now? That would waste all of their previous efforts.
It was enough that Long Feiye was willing to say that much.
But Long Feiye wasn’t a man who went though the motions.
Most of the time, he did what he said.
Currently, he was moving into action.
As Uncle Gao prepared to leave, Han Yunxi grew alarmed.

“Long Feiye, you dare!” Ning Cheng couldn’t believe it.
He was about to chase after the carriage when the shadow guards blocked his way.
Soon enough, a slaughter broke out between them.
Ning Cheng took out the Pear Blossom Teardrop Rain, which made Xu Donglin’s gaze turned complicated at the sight.
His group backed away as Ning Cheng ran in front of the carriage and aimed the weapon at its door.

“Long Feiye, hand over the princess!” Ning Cheng roared.

Long Feiye didn’t even get off the carriage, but remained sitting icily inside.
“Two months.
Two months is all this crown prince needs to step on Tianning and destroy your Ning Clan troops…”

“And what will be awaiting you is Jun Yixie’s 100,000 cavalrymen!” Ning Cheng shot back.

If Long Feiye truly destroyed the Ning Clan army, Northern Li’s emperor would grow guarded against him.
Two months was plenty of time for Jun Yixie to amass his forces. 

Long Feiye laughed coldly.
“Ning Cheng, you’re an intelligent man as well.
Do you think the Northern Li emperor will choose to trust Jun Yixie’s sincerity, or your lordship’s agreement to ceasefire?”

Ning Cheng seemed to have been struck by a heavy blow at those words.

That’s right!

Long Feiye still had a choice.
He could move his troops northward while subjugating Tianning and discussing an armistice with the Northern Li emperor at the same time.
This way, the Northern Li emperor wouldn’t have any lingering fears as he moved to crush Jun Yixie.
In other words, Long Feiye could stop fighting now and ally with the Ning Clan troops to deal with Jun Yixie, or cooperate with Northern Li directly while fighting against the Ning Clan and Jun Yixie.
But his Ning Clan troops were the completely passive party in this situation.
Long Feiye had tied them down utterly!

“Long Feiye, don’t forget.
If you can cooperate with Northern Li, then so can we West Qin!” Ning Cheng retorted.

Long Feiye laughed again.
“Ning Cheng, there’s no harm in making a bet on that.”

Ning Cheng had the guts to gamble, but he knew this was a losing bet.
Han Yunxi had long told him about Long Feiye’s multiple spies in Northern Li.
The horse plague from a few years ago was his doing as well.
In contrast, he had no superior edge in Northern Li.
Long Feiye had plenty of choices at his disposal, but he had nothing else besides a desperate gamble to join hands with the Wind Clan.
All other options had him submitting to Long Feiye. 

Ning Cheng finally hesitated.
“Long Feiye, I can’t decide such things.
I want to see the princess.” 

Here was the true discussion point.
When it came to official affairs, Long Feiye really should let the West Qin princess, Han Yunxi, show her face.
But when it came to private matters, he’d rather kill Ning Cheng than let Han Yunxi step in the limelight again.
But it wasn’t as if he’d never avenged personal wrongs in the face of public interest, either.

“This is the decision of your Di Clan, not Han Yunxi’s!” Long Feiye said frostily.
“Ning Cheng, you can renounce the West Qin princess and rely on the Wind Clan, or give a show of good faith by cooperating with this crown prince.”

Ning Cheng was a smart man.
No matter how Long Feiye explained, he understood his underlying reasons.
He still had the option of allying with the Wind Clan, but that would mean betraying West Qin just like them.
In that case, it wouldn’t matter where the princess ended up.
But if he chose to cooperate with Long Feiye and agreed to let the princess be a hostage, that would be the “good faith”–or rather restriction–that Long Feiye asked of him. 

Ning Cheng would never choose the first option, but he liked the second one even less.
He glared at the carriage as his right hand gripped the Pear Blossom Teardrop Rain needles.
If possible, he’d kill Long Feiye right this instant, but he didn’t have the guts to use the weapon when he knew Han Yunxi was in the carriage, too. 

In the end, Ning Cheng fell on one knee and shouted, “Princess, you’ve already made a choice.
Please tell this subordinate what to do?”

Han Yunxi didn’t have time to feel Long Feiye’s joy as her heart grew stifled.
Although he tried to stop her, she still got off the carriage.
Ning Cheng had no idea what had happened between her and Long Feiye, but since he’d said such words, she couldn’t keep silent anymore.
She needed to give him an explanation at least, a reason to make him stop worrying. 

Long Feiye quickly followed her off the cariage.
Ning Cheng’s dull eyes instantly brightened at the sight of he as he examined her from head to toe.
“Is Your Royal Highness well?”

“I’m fine.
Long Feiye saved me and I talked over things with him.
I’ll be a hostage while East and West Qin unite to deal with the Wind Clan and Northern Li!” Han Yunxi said seriously.

“Princess, can you trust Long Feiye’s words?” Ning Cheng said as his other knee bent towards the ground.
He bowed down the head that had looked up high for twenty proud years and declared, “Your Royal Highness, please think thrice!”

Seeing Ning Cheng like this, Han Yunxi couldn’t avoid her feelings of remorse, unease, and guilt.
Leaving aside right or wrong, yes or no, or even the future, at this moment her actions were simply crushing Ning Cheng’s loyalty underfoot.
Once again, Ning Jing’s words resounded in her ears. 

Han Yunxi, even you have no right to trample on the Di Clan’s loyalty and honor.

For a long time, Han Yunxi didn’t speak.
Long Feiye looked at her before tossing something towards Ning Cheng.

“Take this, this crown prince’s token of sincerity!”