Chapter 683: Crooked Thoughts
Editor: Atlas Studios

After confirming Duan Yuqing’s identity, Mu Yangling and Fan Zijin felt a huge weight lift off their shoulders. Although Dali was small and had always been very weak, the two of them did not dare to be negligent. They hurriedly wrote an urgent document and sent it to the capital.

After the document was sent out, Fan Zijin finally had the mood to have crooked thoughts.

If what Duan Yuqing said was true, Dali would definitely be in chaos. Considering the Gao family was powerful, it was only a matter of time before they calmed the chaos in the country. Previously, they had plotted against Qiannan. Once the Gao family gained power, even if the two countries did not go to war on a big scale, there would definitely be a lot of small friction.

Most importantly, Haoran had always had designs on Dali. Otherwise, he would not have personally gone to Dali this time. If he conflicted with the powerful Gao family, a war would happen sooner or later.

Now, Fan Zijin could already foresee a scene of war. He was not afraid of war, but he was a little worried about logistics. He did not have the ability to provide combat readiness for the army now, so it was best to resolve things peacefully.

Originally, Fan Zijin had wanted to use his identity as the eldest cousin of the royal family to expand his business further so that he could prepare the logistics for future battles. However, the arrival of the Dali Princess had opened up a path for him.

The princess of Dali was a double-edged sword. If they did not use it well, they would only give the Gao family the excuse of starting a war and bring the war between the two countries forward. However, if they used it well, they might be able to take down Dali without expending a single soldier and incorporate Dali into Great Qi, restoring the past glory of the Great Zhou during Emperor Shizong’s reign.

After all, these were just fleeting thoughts. Furthermore, this matter was confidential, so it was not appropriate for him to discuss it with his advisor. Thus, Fan Zijin looked for Mu Yangling to discuss it. “I want to propose that His Majesty takes the princess of Dali as a concubine. This way, she can show her identity openly and let the Gao family have no more excuses to question her. It will also let the world learn of the evil things that the Gao family has done.”

It sounded very righteous, but Mu Yangling only heard the first and most important point. She widened her eyes and asked, “What about the Empress and Little Treasure?”

Fan Zijin rolled his eyes and said, “There is room for 72 concubines in the Emperor’s harem and he has only conferred the Empress. Since Dali is just a small country, it’s enough to confer Princess Duan the title of concubine. The key is, what do you think the possibility of us peacefully taking Dali by marriage is?”

Fan Zijin did not hide his true motive from Mu Yangling.

“…” Mu Yangling was speechless for a long time before saying faintly, “Judging from the Duan family’s influence in Dali, if Duan Yuqing is willing and can command the Duan family’s power in Dali, it shouldn’t be a problem for Great Qi to conquer Dali.”

Dali had always been a vassal state of the Central Plains, so it had a sense of belonging to the Central Plains. It was not as hostile to the Central Plains as Nüzhen and the others. In addition, Emperor Shizong of the Great Zhou had previously merged Dali into the Great Zhou and turned it into a prefecture. In the former Tang Dynasty, Dali was only a prefecture of the Tang Dynasty. It was not until the Later Tang Dynasty that the Duan family separated Dali from Great Zhou to become an independent country.

It had only been more than 20 years since Dali was separated from the Great Zhou Dynasty. Now, there were definitely many people in Dali who remembered the unified Great Zhou Dynasty. Thus, integrating Dali into the Central Plains again was a very feasible idea.

After thinking for a moment, Mu Yangling also shared Fan Zijin’s sentiments. She said, “If it doesn’t work, we’ll ruin the reputation of the Gao family. Not only is the Duan family the royal family of Dali, but they’re also the pillar of the High Sage Temple. The High Sage Temple is the state religion of Dali and has countless devotees. If word gets out that the Gao family is hunting down the Princess of Dali, never mind those pragmatic politicians, I believe the common people won’t stand on the Gao family’s side.”

“That’s right.” Fan Zijin clenched his fists and said, “Although the Duan family is weak, there are advantages to being weak. Ever since the Duan family separated Dali from the Great Zhou, they have always imposed reasonable taxes thus making them very popular among the people. Although the Gao family is influential, their reputation is much worse. If we add fuel to the fire…”

Fan Zijin said with a smile, “After their princess marries His Majesty, we can send troops to the border. Even if Dali’s nobles were originally on the Gao family’s side, they would have to reconsider then. I’ll submit a memorial to His Majesty now and contact Haoran to ask him to come back quickly.”

Mu Yangling frowned slightly. “We haven’t asked Duan Yuqing for her opinion…”

Seeing that she was worried about Duan Yuqing, Fan Zijin said unhappily, “Ah Ling, don’t forget which country you’re from. Moreover, this is the best outcome for the princess of Dali. Otherwise, in our hands, she’ll either become a bargaining chip for us to trade with the Gao family or be sent back to Dali as a puppet to fight with the Gao family. No matter which it is, with her current injuries, she won’t be able to live long. It’s different if she enters Eldest Cousin’s harem. The Empress is virtuous. Just based on the fact that she’s a princess of Dali, she’ll treat her well. She’ll live in a good environment. At the very least, she won’t die young. Perhaps she’ll even be lucky enough to give birth to a grandson of the Duan family who has the royal bloodline. At the very least, she’ll be able to make sure the Duan family doesn’t become extinct.”

Mu Yangling was silent. Fan Zijin warned her, “Don’t send her away with a benevolent heart and ruin a good hand of cards.”

Mu Yangling glared at him angrily. “Am I such a person who disregards her country’s interests? However, don’t even think about passing down the Duan family’s bloodline. She’s seriously injured and injured her uterus. She won’t have a child in the future.”

Fan Zijin was shocked. “It’s that serious?”

Mu Yangling nodded slightly and said in a low voice, “Contact Haoran first and ask him about the situation on his side. I’ll persuade Duan Yuqing.”

At this moment, Qi Haoran, who had been missed by the two of them, had just followed the convoy of Bisha Miao stockade past Qiannan and entered Dali. The guide who came to pick up the convoy glanced at the convoy and asked Sanglin Ji in confusion, “Third Prince? Why are you here this time?”

Sanglin Zhong had always been the one in charge of the transactions between the two sides. Although he knew Sanglin Ji, most of the time, Sanglin Ji existed as a deputy. This was the first time he appeared as the person-in-charge.

Sanglin Ji explained without changing his expression, “My second brother is busy with work, so I’ll be in charge of all the transactions with Dali going forward.”

The guide rolled his eyes and asked, “How’s Chief Sanglin’s health recently?”

Sanglin Ji’s eyes darkened. “My father is still healthy. Thank you for your concern.”

However, the guide still noticed the change in Sanglin Ji’s gaze. With a smile, he turned around to get someone to ask the Miao stockade people about Chief Sanglin’s health.

Chief Sanglin’s health was indeed not very good. Ever since he met Qi Haoran, his vitality seemed to have been sucked out all of a sudden, and his health deteriorated rapidly. He was very dissatisfied with Sanglin Zhong’s arrogance and acting on his own. Recently, he had locked him in the main building where he worked and did not allow him to go out unnecessarily.

This news was naturally kept confidential, so the Miao stockade people only knew that the Second Prince had been living in the main building recently, and the chief’s health was getting worse. Recently, he had been visiting the Miao doctor frequently.

When the guide received the news, he came to the conclusion that Chief Sanglin’s health was probably not good and the position of chief might be passed to the Second Prince, Sanglin Zhong. That was why Sanglin Zhong moved into the main building, and Sanglin Ji was put in charge of the dealings with Dali.

Although the guide was just a guide, he was observant and knowledgeable. After coming to this conclusion, he did not neglect Sanglin Ji. After all, if Sanglin Zhong was to become the chief, he could not be in charge of this area personally in the future. Since Sanglin Ji had come personally this time, he would probably hand such matters to Sanglin Ji in the future. Considering they would be working more closely, he had to build a good relationship with Sanglin Ji.

Thinking of this, the guide became even more polite to Sanglin Ji.

Meanwhile, Qi Haoran blended in with the convoy and quietly memorized the route.