Chapter 369: Plan Abandoned (Two in One)
Gong Juren, oh no, Gong Tuotuo, because she loved and advocated naturalness, and her daily clothes were too cool and revealing, the eldest princess gave her such a nickname. She felt it was very appropriate and nice to hear, at least much nicer than her real name, so she often called herself by this name.
Gong Tuotuo pondered for a moment, raised her soft and boneless little hand, gently patted her smooth and white thigh, and shook her head.
"I can't explain it. If I have to force an explanation, I guess it's probably because His Majesty likes him."
The fact that a paragraph was embellished with so many uncertain words was enough to show that she also felt that this reason was too forced and unreliable.
The eldest princess burst into laughter and shook her fingers left and right.
"Your Majesty, he... well... maybe he likes her a little now. After all, the boy's poetry talent is really amazing. But at the beginning, he probably just wanted to use him to mess up the situation in Kyoto. But Chen Pingping, that old dog, has always been very caring towards the boy. Could it be that it's just because... he has a good relationship with that stubborn Fan Jian?"
Thinking of this, she frowned slightly, then relaxed her brows.
"Speaking of which, that child is indeed likable. Not to mention his talent, everyone has seen that his martial arts, mind, wisdom, and methods are all top-notch..."
She paused for a moment, but another figure inexplicably emerged in her mind, and she began to compare the two of them unconsciously based on the things she mentioned. In terms of talent, the two were equally matched. In terms of martial arts, that guy crushed her son-in-law. As for his mind, he was always low-key and modest, and he was much better than her son-in-law. As for his intelligence and tactics, he didn't see anything else, but he was a master at climbing over the wall to be a rapist and play tricks on people...
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but recall the absurd and charming night before returning to Xinyang. Her pretty face flushed immediately, and she spat at that guy in her heart, "Bah! Bad bastard!"
Gong Tuotuo on the opposite side opened his mouth wide.
"No way, Your Highness, you are even more eager for your son-in-law than I am. How about finding a concubine for him?"
The eldest princess' face turned even redder. She was so angry that she raised her hand, picked up a chess piece and threw it directly at the other side, biting her teeth and saying shyly.
"Gong Tuotuo, if you dare to talk nonsense again, I will tear your mouth apart!"
Gong Tuotuo dodged with a sweet smile, and her body moved very quickly. Yes, she also knew martial arts, and was not much weaker than her cousin in the palace. It was just a matter of dodging a chess piece, and it was easy for her.
"It's just a joke, Your Highness. Don't be so impatient. If you're so impatient, it's easy for me to think that I've hit the nail on the head."
"you!"
The eldest princess raised her finger and pointed at her. She was shaking with anger, and her pulse was rising and falling obviously, almost bursting through her clothes.
Seeing that the princess was furious, Gong Tuotuo hurried to comfort her, raised her hand and patted her red lips, then walked back to her original seat and sat down.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. Look at how outspoken I am. I said the wrong thing and angered Your Highness. To express my apology, I will not hide this time. Your Highness, please hit me with your chess pieces as much as you want."
After saying that, she raised her little face and closed her eyes. Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and there was obviously a gap below, indicating that her eyes were not completely closed!
The eldest princess was still furious, and she really raised her hand to grab the chess basket and prepared to throw all the chess pieces in it at her. But when she saw that she was obviously playing tricks and squinting her eyes to watch her actions, she paused and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then she thought it was inappropriate to laugh at this moment, and quickly put on a stern face. After thinking for a while, she put down the chess basket with a snap.
Gong Tuotuo secretly saw it, immediately opened his eyes and laughed.
"I knew Your Highness would be reluctant to do so."
The eldest princess rolled her eyes at her in annoyance.
"You think too much. I'm just afraid that you'll feel good!"
"?"
Gong Tuotuo's mouth twitched, and after looking up and down at the multifaceted princess with a resentful look, she spoke softly.
"Who? Who is it? Your Highness, you were not like this before. Who taught you to be worse while I was away?"
The eldest princess paused, rolled her eyes again, quickly calmed herself down, and spoke calmly.
"Okay, stop talking nonsense and get down to business."
Upon hearing this, Gong Tuotuo immediately became obedient. His expression instantly returned to its previous indifferent look. He also adjusted his sitting posture to be the same as before, as if nothing had happened. After looking at the chessboard, he raised his index finger, picked up a chess piece and tapped it.
"Your Highness has not yet finished what he said."
The princess recalled for a moment and then continued speaking.
"That kid is smart, but when he's too smart, he becomes too smart. For example, when planning the route for this trip, he made a bad move. The delegation took a detour around those small vassal states. It seemed much safer, but in fact, the vast grasslands and the vast lakes are really good places to escape. His cleverness backfired."
After saying that, he chuckled, shook his head, and raised his hand to place a chess piece.
Gong Tuotuo thought about it and filled in a piece, then said softly.
"According to the news from over there, Chen Pingping's Black Cavalry is there, and they are following us very closely. It's probably not going to be easy to escape."
"I know."
The eldest princess smiled slightly and stared at the chessboard.
"I'm just giving him an opportunity. The rest depends on Sean's ability. How's the negotiation going with Uesugi Tiger?"
Gong Tuotuo sighed.
"The agreement has been finalized, but I feel that his attitude is somewhat ambiguous. I'm afraid he is planning to wait and see after we rescue his adoptive father. I am furious to think that His Highness has sacrificed his reputation for such an idiot."
The eldest princess smiled.
"That's normal. He hasn't fully understood the Northern Qi royal family's attitude towards him yet. After all, cooperating with us to overthrow the Northern Qi royal family is no small matter. It's probably difficult to get him to be firm at this moment."
Gong Tuotuo picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"Since he still can't see through it, let's help him. As for the idiots of the Zhan family, as long as Your Highness makes a move, even if Uesugi Tora doesn't want to rebel, the mother and son will force him to do so."
After a pause, she spoke again hesitantly.
"It's just that this kind of warrior is usually very stubborn. After all, he is a general of Northern Qi and has been loyal to Northern Qi all his life. I'm afraid that even if he sees the truth, he won't be able to make up his mind and will tear up the agreement..."
The eldest princess waved her hand and smiled.
"It doesn't matter. If he can't figure it out, someone will help him figure it out. Sean is not a loyal and patriotic person. Maybe he was before, but since the Northern Wei Dynasty was gone, he has no home and country. The current Northern Qi Dynasty... I'm afraid he still doesn't take it to heart."
Gong Tuotuo nodded, paused for a moment, and suddenly smiled.
"Your Highness has a perfect plan, no one can defeat him!"
The eldest princess looked at her with a smile and sneered.
"You're flattering the wrong person. If I were truly invincible, would I have suffered heavy casualties and been driven out of Kyoto?"
Gong Tuotuo said with a smile.
"That's because I'm not here."
The eldest princess rolled her eyes and didn't bother to pay attention to her. She was just trying to flatter her after all this fuss. How shameless!
Passing over the matter in her mind, she suddenly sighed and looked through the heavy white curtains, not knowing where to look.
There was a hint of trance on her flawless and beautiful face, her eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, and her expression was like a fairy banished to the mortal world, with a hint of remoteness.
Gong Tuotuo suppressed her smile, and quietly admired the beautiful picture for a long time before she came out of it and spoke lightly.
"I've heard about what happened before. The culprit that caused all of this was the flyers scattered all over the streets."
The eldest princess came to her senses, looked at her and smiled.
"That was the work of my good son-in-law."
Upon hearing this, Gong Tuotuo raised her eyebrows, but she was not surprised. However, she was surprised by another point.
"After that incident, we investigated for a long time but found no results. Even the news sent back by the Ye family, the garrison of Kyoto, only said that the assassin of Changxin Palace was closely related to the Supervisory Council."
After a pause, she asked with a smile.
"How did Your Highness know and be so sure?"
Mei Chengan told her, can she tell him this? Obviously not!
The eldest princess still held up her chin and stared at the sky blankly, as if she didn't hear what she said. After a long while, she waved her hand and opened her red lips softly.
"Don't worry about these little things. The most important thing now is to get Uesugi Tiger aboard our ship."
Gong Tuotuo nodded.
"I see. Seeing how secretive His Highness is and how he's trying to change the subject, it's obvious that he's feeling guilty. Who is it? The lover that His Highness secretly kept while I was away?"
"..."
"That should be the case. He is so well-informed, so his status and position must be extraordinary. But there is no need to hide it from me. There is only one explanation. That person has a special relationship with Your Highness, which makes Your Highness feel a little embarrassed to talk about it."
She said this with some excitement.
"Who is it? Old or young? Are you good in bed?"
The eldest princess couldn't stand it any longer, so she grabbed a handful of chess pieces and threw them over, shouting with her pretty face flushed.
"Get out of here!!!"
Gong Tuotuo had been prepared and dodged it successfully again with a quick move of her body.
She stood in the distance and laughed for a long time, then she walked back, twisting her slender waist and walking as smoothly as a lotus, laughing sweetly.
"Don't be so stingy, Your Highness. We are all family. Let's share a good man together. Seriously, is that man good at sex? How many times can he let Your Highness fly in one night? Can he make Your Highness happy?"
Listening to the string of ridiculous, obscene words coming out of her mouth, the eldest princess' ears turned red with shame, not to mention her pretty face, which had already turned as red as a monkey's butt. Her red lips opened and closed, and it took her a long time to grit her teeth and utter a critical word.
"Okay, I'll call him over some other day and let him take your virginity and you'll understand. You can't even imagine it if I just tell you with my mouth!"
As expected, Gong Tuotuo's face turned dark instantly after hearing this.
Yes, despite her top-notch looks and figure, her dissolute and lewd behavior, and her not young age, she is still a virgin. This really hit the nail on the head, and she was so angry that she couldn't speak, because she had no words to say.
When she is unhappy, it is the eldest princess' turn to be happy.
"Haha, it's settled. I'll arrange it for you later. Don't worry, I promise you'll have an ecstatic first night!"
"..."
The situation was reversed unknowingly, and it was the eldest princess Kuku who took the lead. When she got serious, the talkative king Gong Tuotuo was the first to blush and couldn't stand it anymore, and kept waving his hands.
"Stop, stop, stop, Your Highness! I was wrong!"
The eldest princess glanced at her with contempt and snorted coldly, but she didn't continue the conversation on this topic. Of course, she didn't say whether she was really planning to arrange it or was joking.
This made Gong Tuotuo a little uneasy, but she didn't have the courage to ask for a definite answer, in case she ended up making things worse.
Under the gentle warm summer breeze, the field became quiet for a moment. The setting sun seemed to be startled by the fierce words of the two men, and it shyly hid in the ground slowly, and the sky gradually darkened.
The eldest princess, who had been in a daze for a long time, suddenly spoke.
"We have our own plans, His Majesty has his own plans, and Chen Pingping should also have his own plans."
As she spoke, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly and she smiled.
"I believe that Fan Xian has... they all have their own plans. Actually, their external goals are similar, but they are slightly different internally..."
After a pause and a little thought, she turned her head and whispered instructions to Gong Tuotuo opposite her.
"If Sean fails to escape this time, then after they arrive in Shangjing, we will have our people contact the diplomatic corps and have Fan Xian cooperate with us."
Hearing this, Gong Tuotuo frowned. She didn't mind joining forces with the enemy. Whether to fight to the death or to cooperate sincerely depended on whether there were common interests. She naturally had a sense of the overall situation, but...
"Your Highness understands some principles, but Fan Xian may not understand them. It would be bad if he gets angry and refuses to cooperate, and ends up ruining our plans."
The eldest princess smiled and waved her hand.
"You worry too much. The kid is in a foreign country, so he must be deeply conscious of his country and his family. Even if he doesn't want to cooperate, he will definitely not cause trouble. We have fought him so many times, and it's not without gain. At least we have figured out his temper and personality. Don't worry."
Gong Tuotuo nodded and said no more.
"Should Yan Xiaoyi inform him to temporarily suspend his plan to kill Fan Xian? Judging from the schedule, he should be here soon."
The eldest princess had a smile on her face, but her eyes were full of coldness.
"Terminate? Why terminate? Although I really admire that child, and that child has given me many surprises, he has also brought me many failures. How can I not take revenge if I am such a vengeful and vindictive person? What should I do if I am so frustrated?"
After a pause, she smiled brightly. "Besides, that kid... is probably waiting for my revenge. If I don't take revenge, he will be disappointed. I can't bear that."
Gong Tuotuo clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Your Highness is indeed the most ruthless and soft-hearted woman in Qing Kingdom. I still have a lot to learn from you."
The eldest princess burst out laughing and pointed at the chessboard with her bare hands.
"Tuo, it's your turn now."
Gong Tuotuo smiled sweetly and glanced at the chessboard. Seeing that the game was hopeless and she could do nothing to reverse it, she slashed the chessboard with her arm like a sword, sweeping all the chess pieces on the board to the ground. The crackling sound of the chess pieces falling to the ground continued. She let out a cry and smiled embarrassedly.
"I didn't mean to do that, Your Highness, let's start over."
The eldest princess was stunned upon hearing this and immediately had a black line in her head.
……
Kyoto, Supervisory Commission, President's Office.
Chen Pingping, who was in a wheelchair, raised his hand to take the last burning candle from the candlestick and gently blew it out. The whole room instantly became much darker. Only the faint moonlight shone through the window sashes on the top of the wall onto his face, making his features appear gloomy and uncertain.
Chen Pingping had just gently placed the extinguished candle back into the candlestick when a shadow walked in from outside.
"Why put out the candle?"
Chen Pingping withdrew his hand, sat down, turned his head and glanced at him.
"I can't sleep with the light on. I asked you to help me turn it off but none of you cared. I have no choice but to do it myself."
Shadow was stunned for a moment.
"Us? Has anyone else rejected you?"
He clicked his tongue, crossed his arms and began to taunt.
"Chen Pingping, ah Chen Pingping, you are unpopular. If I were the only one doing this, it might be my problem, but now it's obviously not just me, so it must be your problem. Tsk, I suggest you reflect on yourself."
Chen Pingping rolled her eyes, leaned back in her chair, and didn't even look at him.
"Have you finished what I told you to do?"
Shadow shrugged.
"According to your instructions, the black cavalry on the mission side has all been dispersed, and no alarm has been raised."
Chen Pingping nodded.
"I know, go ahead."
But the shadow showed no intention of leaving.
"A few days ago, news came from Northern Qi that Shangshan Hu led his personal guards on the way back to Shangjing and suddenly changed his route and headed south. He disappeared without a trace. He must have gone to rescue Sean."
Chen Pingping raised his head and looked quietly through the gap in the sky window at the crescent moon hanging diagonally in the sky without responding.
Shadow didn't care and continued talking.
"If he wants to save Sean, he will definitely confront Fan Xian who is escorting Sean. If you order the Black Cavalry to leave now, it will be tantamount to pushing Fan Xian to his death. Shangshan Hu is the God of War of Northern Qi!"
Chen Pingping's expression did not change at all, as if he hadn't heard anything. He was still quietly admiring the moonlight without responding.
There was a hint of seriousness and sarcasm in Shadow's tone.
"Haven't you always treated Fan Xian as your son or nephew? Aren't you going to let him take over the Supervisory Council? Aren't you going to support him to become the most important official in the Qing Kingdom? Is this how you support him?"
Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Chen Pingping's eyes. He tilted his head to look at him and moved his lips.
"Fan Xian is not Mei Cheng'an. I haven't heard that you have a close relationship with him before. Why are you suddenly speaking up for him in a sarcastic way?"
Shadow snorted and said with his arms folded.
"I just can't stand you saying one thing to my face and another behind my back, playing with others in your hands and making them spin around! Because you're not only playing with him, you're playing with us too!"
Chen Pingping smiled, slowly retracted his gaze, did not explain anything, paused and spoke softly.
"Don't tell Fei Jie about Uesugi Tiger for now."
Seeing that he kept avoiding the question, Shadow spoke in a harsher tone.
"What exactly do you want to do to Fan Xian?"
Chen Pingping reacted this time. He suddenly turned his head to look at him, his mouth opened, his expression half-smiled, and his tone a little excited.
"He's a smart man. I spent so much time and effort planning this day to make him believe. Finally, it's almost there."
His voice was very soft, but the pauses in his tone were very strange, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, which showed how uneasy he was inside.
……
At night, on a high ground a little further away from the lake, the delegation's carriages were arranged in a semicircle to guard the camp in the middle.
Around the camp, a mixed formation of Tiger Guards and secret agents from the Inspectorate who came along were patrolling and on guard. In the darkness in the distance, if nothing unexpected happened, there should be hidden Black Cavalry scouts secretly conducting reconnaissance.
In the camp, most of the tents had their lights off, but a few were still brightly lit, including the tent in the center.
In the tent, Mei Cheng'an and Fan Xian were about to announce tomorrow's action plan to the newly arrived Wang Qinian, Gao Da, and Teng Zijing.
The speaker was naturally Fan Xian. After taking a quick look around, he didn't waste time but went straight to the point and spoke concisely.
"We are going to kidnap Sean from the delegation tomorrow!"
When these words were spoken, the three people who were listening were stunned, and then they subconsciously turned their heads to look at Mei Chengan.
Mei Chengan smiled and nodded slightly.
When they saw that the two heads of the delegation had reached an agreement, they looked at each other and Wang Qinian extended his hand and spoke first.
"Wait, I don't quite understand what you mean. You just said that we kidnap Sean from the diplomatic corps?"
Fan Xian nodded.
"Yes."
"this…"
Wang Qinian scratched his head, not understanding.
"No, sir, Sean is in our hands. Why should we take Sean away from ourselves?"
Teng Zijing shrugged upon hearing this.
"Yeah, what's the point?"
Gundam followed closely behind.
"Yes, sir, why is that?"
Wang Qinian hadn't finished asking.
"Also, didn't the lord and the young master keep saying that Sean would try to escape? Now that he's been behaving himself, he obviously realizes that there's no hope of escape. Isn't this a good thing? We only have a few days left to hand him over to the Northern Qi people. Why would we go to the trouble of kidnapping him now? Isn't this just asking for trouble?"
Mei Chengan smiled and answered the latter question first.
"It's precisely because Sean hasn't taken any action in the past few days that we need to help him escape. As for why..."
As he said this he glanced at Fan Xian.
Fan Xian immediately took over the conversation.
"I have something to ask him. I may have to use some tricks. It's not convenient to ask him in the delegation. As for what to ask, don't ask. I can only tell you that it is related to the secret mission of this delegation. I know this is a bit risky, but the opportunity is rare, so I still want to give it a try."
After hearing this, they looked at each other and fell silent.
It turned out to be a secret mission. What else is there to say? As long as it is reasonable and not a rash decision, they naturally have nothing to say. They just have to follow orders and do their job.
Gundam spoke.
"In that case, we understand. Please give your orders, sir."
Wang Qinian and Teng Zijing nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Fan Xian nodded and spoke to Gundam first.
“Lao Gao, you are the most important part of tomorrow’s operation. I need you to pretend to be… this and that, this and that… Remember, it was Northern Qi who kidnapped Sean. Northern Qi is in the wrong and will not delay us from bringing Yan Bingyun back.”
At first, Gundam was wondering why he was asked to pretend to be a subordinate of Sean's adopted son Uesugi Tora. But after hearing Fan Xian's last sentence, he suddenly understood, and patted his chest with a look of joy.
"Don't worry, sir. I promise to complete the task!"
Fan Xian nodded and turned to look at Wang Qinian.
"Lao Wang, you are good at light work and tracking. Your task tomorrow is to follow Sean all the way after he leaves and leave marks for us along the way so that we can track him."
Wang Qinian was about to nod when he suddenly thought of a question.
"Then how long do I need to follow him? I can't just let him run away forever, right?"
Mei Cheng was happy.
"Of course we can't let him run away. We can try to intercept him when we get to the stone forest. You just need to do this and that to delay him a little. We will be there soon."
Wang Qinian no longer had any doubts, so he nodded and said nothing.
Fan Xian finally looked at Teng Zijing. His main task was to stay behind to comfort the other members of the delegation and organize their protection.
Fan Xian told him some precautions.
After listening for a while, Wang Qinian felt a little thirsty, so he reached out and picked up the teapot to pour a cup of tea. Unexpectedly, when he picked it up, he found that the teapot was very light. He shook it gently to feel it, and it was obviously empty.
He didn't think much about it. He whispered something to Mei Cheng'an and then quietly got up and went out with the teapot. The logistics department always had hot tea ready, so he went to get a new pot.
The camp was not large, and soon Wang Qinian came back with a pot of hot tea. Mei Chengan glanced at him and took the initiative to help open the upside-down teacups on the table one by one.
Fan Xian was still explaining things to Teng Zijing, and Gaoda was listening very carefully. Even though it had nothing to do with him, Wang Qinian poured the first cup of tea and pushed it in front of Mei Chengan first.
"Master, drink first."
Mei Cheng'an nodded, picked up the teacup and raised it to his lips. Just as he was about to take a sip, he suddenly stopped and gently sniffed the white mist condensed from the hot tea. He frowned, moved the teacup slightly away, and observed the hot tea in the cup.
Wang Qinian, who was pouring tea for others, noticed this scene and was stunned for a moment, then asked.
"What's wrong, Master? Is there...something wrong?"
Upon hearing this, the tent suddenly became quiet. Several people first looked at Wang Qinian, and then followed his gaze to look at Mei Chengan.
Fan Xian followed up with a question.
"What's wrong?"
Mei Chengan, who seemed to be thinking about something, suddenly smiled, gently put down the teacup, and nodded.
"Maybe... we can't wait until tomorrow."
……
(End of this chapter)
