Chapter 45: Xian Lianchen's Proposal

  Returning to the Jingbei Hou Mansion, looking at the busy servants and Tianyi, Xianliandu, and Luo Xiang, who were chatting idly in the main hall, a strange sense of relaxation suddenly welled up in Haotian's heart, accompanied by a faint smile on his face.

  "Master, why are you so happy?" Kuai Xiang asked with a smile, it was clear that he had just been chatting with Tian Yi and the two of them were getting along great, and the smile on his face was completely genuine.

  "Haha, nothing much, I just feel that this place has a homey flavor to it, so my heart feels especially at ease. For the Tian Du Sheng Jing, I've always been just a passing guest, my home is still in He Tao, my roots are still in Ding Zhou, but when I'm here, I feel particularly grounded."

  "One day, when Master becomes the true master of this place, he won't have such thoughts." Luo Xiang also laughed and said, while Xian Lianchen initially furrowed his brow upon hearing these words, but quickly broke into a smile.

  Haotian didn't delve deeper into the meaning of Lao Xiang's words, patted his head and asked: "I don't know what you were just talking about, sir, but why are you so happy?"

  "Sir, you don't know what's going on. Just now, my sister was talking about your youthful exploits, and had just reached the interesting part, so both I and Mr. were laughing heartily." Xian Lianchen replied with a smile.

  Hao Tian's face turned slightly red, and he said somewhat awkwardly: "Who doesn't have a time of youthful ignorance? Heaven's will, you're really something. How many years has it been since then, and you still bring it up?"

  Heavenly intention not to mind a smile: "Husband, you are wrong, since Lian Chen has married into the Hou Mansion, it is necessary to get familiar with your temperament and past, otherwise how can I serve you in the future?" As soon as this was said, Xian Lian Chen's face suddenly floated up with a faint redness, although everyone present was not an outsider, she also understood that this matter could not be hidden for long, but hearing this, she still felt a little shy.

  "Alright, Tianyi, stop teasing. Can't you see Lianchen's face is all red? Haotian chuckled and pinched Tianyi's small hand before turning to Lianchen and saying: "Lianchen, what brings you here today? Is there something on your mind?"

  Speaking of which, Xian Lianchen's expression also turned serious: "Last night, after the Sect Master agreed to your request, he immediately sent a message to all the sect members and the elders in the main altar took swift action. If nothing unexpected happens, most of the high-ranking officials in the sect will arrive in Dingzhou within five days, and our first batch of supplies will also arrive at the same time. I'm afraid you don't know, but among these supplies, there are 40,000 of the finest warhorses. These warhorses were bred from the Blood-colored Plateau on Qingning Road, with exceptional endurance and strength. Given that you don't have any outstanding experts by your side, and our sect's thousand elite disciples won't be able to gather for at least half a month, our Sect Master specially ordered me to come and protect your safety."

  Xian Lian Chen's words instantly delighted Huang Tian, especially the 40,000 war horses she mentioned, which made him so excited that he forgot about everything else. The quality of the Blood-colored Plateau's war horses has always been unparalleled in the world, and to ensure their absolute advantage in cavalry, the Blood-colored Clan on the plateau, apart from providing a certain number of war horses to the imperial court every year, Huang Tian had never heard of any precedent for large-scale sales of war horses. However, after his excitement subsided, Huang Tian quickly regained his composure as a superior and asked wisely: "The war horses of the Blood-colored Plateau have always been kept within, how did you obtain such a large batch of war horses?"

  Xian Lian dust smiled slightly: "The Holy Maiden of the Blood-colored Plateau, who is also the current clan leader Xue Qingcheng, is my only sister from childhood to adulthood. Her status on the Blood-colored Plateau is unmatched, and she is also the imperial-sealed Princess of Qingcheng. With her help, this matter will naturally go smoothly. However, the 40,000 war horses are not just given because of my face; they currently have the provocation of Rouran in the northwest, the threat of the Saishang Dynasty in the west, and the restless movement of the Luosuo Dynasty in the south, it can be said that they are facing enemies on three sides. And you, husband, now occupy a region, with over 200,000 armored soldiers under your command, they naturally hope to maintain a good relationship with you."

  "Hao Tian raised an eyebrow: 'She is actually a princess sealed by the imperial court, what's going on here?'"

  Luo Xiang smiled and said, "This is the imperial court's usual practice. Although Qingning Road is located in the western wilderness with a sparse population, they have been loyal to the Qingfeng royal family for 300 years, and they also possess the best war horses and most elite cavalry of Qingfeng. Moreover, the Taizu Emperor had a will, so in order to win them over, the imperial court would always grant the title of princess to the leader of each generation of their Holy Maidens."

  Haotian nodded: "So that's how it is, no wonder. By the way, Lianchen, you said they are now surrounded by enemies on three sides, can you elaborate? Aren't those kingdoms our Qingfeng's vassal states? Are they also going to rebel like Jinhua and Sanyue?"

  Xian Lianchen let out a bitter laugh, while Luo Xiang rolled his eyes and said: "In the past few decades, Qingfeng's national power has been declining. Especially after the fall of Hebei Wu Road and the failure of the Northern Expedition, the national power has fallen to its lowest point since the founding of the country. The surrounding vassal states had long had ulterior motives, with the Jin Hua and San Yue allied forces being the first to take action, followed by the Wuma Dynasty. Although Goryeo has not made any moves yet, no one knows what they will do next. As for the Lusuo Dynasty in the southwest, it is limited by the situation, although it has a thieving heart, it only dares to probe and test the waters of the Blood-colored Plateau."

  Haotian's eyebrows were tightly furrowed: "The Blood-colored Plateau is treacherous and has a harsh climate, except for the eastern part that borders Yizhou Road, where the slope is slightly gentler. The other three sides are all steep and difficult to attack. If another force occupies the Blood-colored Plateau, they will not only be able to look down on Yizhou Road from a high vantage point but also advance along the Great River to attack the three major families directly and strike at my Qingfeng's heartland. Moreover, south of the Great River, there are hardly any good horses. If Qingning is lost, then my Qingfeng cavalry will inevitably fall into a desperate situation, with unbearable consequences."

  "The words you spoke are extremely correct." Tian Yi nodded: "I believe the ministers in the court have already seen this point, but now Qingfeng has no troops to deploy and can only let them run amok. Moreover, the ministers may still hope that after other forces occupy the Blood-colored Plateau, they can restrain the power of the Song family of Yizhou Road, so as to alleviate the pressure on Qingfeng."

  Xian Lianchen looked around and saw that there were no outsiders in the great hall except for the four of them. He hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Husband, if our military strength is sufficient and we can defend the Blood-colored Plateau together, not only can we obtain the best warhorses in the world, but we can also plot to take Jia Yu Guan. Husband may not know that although Jia Yu Guan stands tall among the mountains and has a treacherous terrain, it is precisely located at the throat of the eternal trade route. However, Jia Yu Guan is not impenetrable. From the belly of the Blood-colored Plateau, heading northwest, there is a road that leads to the most majestic southern city wall of Jia Yu Guan. Although the Rouran cavalry occupies Jia Yu Guan, it's unlikely that these barbarians know about the existence of this road."

  "Oh, how did you know?" Haotian asked curiously.

  "This was told to me by Qing Cheng. This is one of the highest secrets of the Blood Red Plains, and apart from the Holy Maiden and the Four Great Elders, no one else knows about it. When Emperor Taizong was building Jia Yu Guan, he had already considered the possibility of Jia Yu Guan falling into enemy hands, so he specially prepared a secret route. It's just that over two hundred years have passed, this secret path has never been used, and as a result, everyone has forgotten its existence."

  Haotian sighed: "This news is useful to us, but now we are also helpless. With our current military strength, there is simply no way to take care of it. If they can delay for two or three years and let us accumulate some strength, we can help."

  Xian Lianchen smiled and said, "Husband, don't you have any thoughts about the Blood-colored Plateau? If husband can truly win the hearts of the million people on the Blood-colored Plateau, then Master will immediately be able to obtain an invincible cavalry that can roam the world. Moreover, there is also a beauty as lovely as a heavenly fairy, Xue Nu, if Master can capture her heart, perhaps the entire Blood-colored Plateau can become her dowry."

  "Hao Tian said with a bad temper: 'You'd better not stir up trouble here, I already have the will of heaven and this mischievous little girl. Who dares to have thoughts of seeking beauty? The reason why my heart is tied to the Blood-colored Plateau is because it's the land of my Qingfeng country. Although the Blood-colored tribe on the Blood-colored Plateau are not the direct descendants of my Shenzhou people, they have been deeply influenced by the culture of my Tianchao Dynasty and had already assimilated into my Shenzhou Dynasty in terms of culture and substance over a thousand years ago. Unlike neighboring vassal states, they have always been loyal subjects of my vast Tianchao Dynasty, it's not excessive to say that they are one branch of my Shenzhou people. If I were to send troops to assist, it would only be because of national affairs, because they are my Tianchao subjects, there are no other thoughts.'"

  Xian Lianchen's face suddenly turned red, she had no idea that Huang Tian was thinking this way in his heart, and she didn't expect Huang Tian to speak so directly. She had never been with Huang Tian before, nor had she ever encountered such a situation, and suddenly felt embarrassed and didn't know what to do.

  Heaven's Will hastily helped Xian Lianchen vent: "Hey, what are you getting angry about? Xian Lianchen is thinking of you, even if it doesn't meet your expectations, but she has good intentions. You're the one who didn't hesitate to scold her!" In the entire Hexi Six States, probably only she dared to speak to this truly powerful Emperor of Hexi in such a tone, and Huang Tian wouldn't get angry after hearing it. Lu Xiang and Xuanyuan, although they were people Huang Tian highly respected, would also carefully consider their tone when speaking with him. Only Heaven's Will didn't have any scruples or need to worry about the situation.

  As expected, Haotian immediately put on a smiling face and said with a smile to Xian Lianchen: "Lianchen, just now my tone was too heavy, it was my fault, you mustn't take it to heart."

  Xian Lian Chen was naturally delighted and surprised, with a look of panic on her face, but in her heart, she was secretly moved. She wasn't unaware of the position Tian Yi held in Huang Tian's heart, it's just that she hadn't expected Tian Yi's influence over Huang Tian to be so great. It seems that from now on, as long as Tian Yi is by his side, Huang Tian will definitely have nothing to worry about, unless he harbors other intentions. However, if anything were to happen to Tian Yi, Xian Lian Chen really couldn't bear to think of how Huang Tian would react.

  Although she thought so in her heart, Xian Lian Chen still said with a sincere and fearful tone: "Husband, why is this? As your concubine, I should naturally prioritize you. Just now was my mistake, and I hope you won't blame me."

  Tianyi heard this and also glared at Haotian: "Look, you've scared Lianchen into such a state! It's really a case of good intentions not being rewarded." Turning his head around, he then said to Xian Lianchen: "Lianchen, you don't have to be like this either. Actually, the longer you stay with him, the more you'll understand that your husband is just a straightforward person. He's only like this with people close to him. You wouldn't want your husband to treat you with distant respect, would you?"

  Highly recommended books: "The Little Prince", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "1984", "Pride and Prejudice", "Jane Eyre", "Wuthering Heights", "Great Expectations"

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