northernbook Chapter 398 Evidence Points to the Sikong Mansion
Chapter 398 Evidence Points to the Sikong Mansion
"What about Lord Kosaki Ten and my eldest and second brothers?"
Sikong Jin picked up her wine, took a leisurely sip, and stared intently at Atai.
"My lord, His Highness Prince Duan has been temporarily dispatched by the Emperor to the northern border. It seems that the barbarians there are showing signs of moving south. Just in case, the Emperor has sent His Highness Prince Duan and his 150,000-strong army to the northern border... General Ji did not accompany him. Chief Tang is all well!"
"150,000 troops are heading to the northern border?"
Sikong Jin listened, a question rising in her mind: "Isn't the northern border always guarded by more than 100,000 troops under the Emperor's command? And even if the barbarians are powerful, there's no need to mobilize more than 200,000 troops, is there?"
"This subordinate is also very puzzled, but, sir, there have been some new developments at the Sikong Mansion recently!"
"what's the situation?"
Sikong Jin tilted her head back and drank the wine in her cup to the bottom, then squinted her starry eyes at Atai.
"Liu Changyue, the head of the Liu family, was suddenly assassinated while out. He managed to escape thanks to the desperate protection of his guards, but he returned home on the verge of death. Some suspect that the Sikong Mansion was behind it. My lord, you know that since the death of Prince Lie, Prince Ming has gained power, so Liu Xianxian... Now the Liu family is almost entirely on Prince Ming's side. With such a major incident, Prince Ming will naturally not stand idly by. Therefore, everyone advocates for an investigation into this matter, but the evidence obtained from the investigation almost all points to the Sikong Mansion..."
Atai paused here, subconsciously glancing at Sikong Jin. Seeing that her expression remained calm and without any ripples, he suddenly didn't know whether to continue.
"continue."
A moment later, Sikong Jin poured herself another glass of wine and casually uttered these two words.
"Yes! Your lord!"
Atai then responded and continued, "The head of the Sikong family may also be in danger, so he used the pretext of reorganizing the troops to transfer 100,000 troops from the vicinity of the Great Zhou back to the vicinity of the capital, probably to guard against some unforeseen event. This move displeased many ministers in the court, so..."
What was the Emperor's reaction?
Sikong Jin squinted and asked.
"His Majesty is observing the situation and hasn't made any moves yet. However, he has increased the guard on the Lady. There are countless secret guards in Jingyang Palace, and even I can't get close. News of the Lady can only be obtained from the Ninth Princess and others. Anyone from the Sikong Mansion who wants to see the Lady must obtain His Majesty's permission, otherwise..."
Atai replied with a somewhat serious tone.
Listen, Sikong Jin's beautiful face finally darkened—it was obvious that they were wary of her, Sikong Jin. If there were any unusual movements in the Sikong Mansion, then Sikong Jin, this key pawn, would have to play her role. This was exactly what Xing Qiyu was planning.
In this way, if Sikong Shu were to recall the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Sikong family to the capital, the emperor would certainly not dare to act rashly against Sikong Jin, otherwise it is hard to guarantee that Sikong Jin would not join forces with the people of the Sikong family.
This is likely why, after she disregarded the imperial edict and directly sent troops to Tiansheng, Xingqi Yu did not send her any further imperial edicts or secret decrees.
Could it be because of that bastard Di Beizun's help?
Sikong Jin naturally hadn't forgotten that she had previously written to Di Beizun for help.
Thinking of this, Sikong Jin didn't dwell on it. She took a sip of wine before saying to Atai, "Yes, I know about the situation in the capital. Things will probably remain calm there for a while, but I estimate that this peace won't last long. So, as soon as the fighting here is over, I will return to the capital immediately. You don't need to travel back and forth during this time. Just stay by my side for now, and we'll go back together after things are settled here."
It's been so long, it's time to go back!
Going back this time will be a good way to settle things. Besides, she should try her best to keep her promise to Di Beizun. Now that things have come to this point, she can only grit her teeth and keep going.
Atai listened and nodded obediently, "My lord, Grand Commander Tang assures you that he will take care of things in the capital. However, he and General Ji are both very concerned about your relationship with the Ninth Princess... Rumors about your affair with His Majesty the Northern Emperor are rampant in the capital, and the Ninth Princess is under a lot of pressure because of it. The Empress has also sought out the Ninth Princess several times..."
After thinking it over, Atai couldn't help but tell Sikong Jin about the situation. Although he could sense that the master always intentionally or unintentionally avoided the topic of the Ninth Princess, as a subordinate, he still felt it was necessary to remind him from time to time.
Upon hearing this, Sikong Jin paused slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then continued drinking the wine in her cup. She glanced at Atai indifferently, frowned, and said, "Is that so? What's going on in the capital about me?"
"They all say that the lord is with His Majesty the Northern Emperor..."
"You're calling me a pervert? And saying I'm gay with Emperor Bei Zun?"
Sikong Jin sneered.
Atai didn't dare to answer, and after a moment of silence, he continued, "Although the Ninth Princess has repeatedly stood up to defend you, sir, everyone is now very concerned about when you will be able to return to marry the Ninth Princess. Even Grand Commander Tang has asked me to remind you of this matter..."
Upon hearing this, Sikong Jin couldn't help but sigh. Xing Fuhua's bright and beautiful face immediately flashed into her mind again, and every time she thought of it, a dull ache would rise in her heart—she clearly knew Sikong Jin's identity, yet...
Sikong Jin ultimately owed this beautiful and kind princess far too much, a debt she didn't know how to repay, and she wondered if, after all this time, the princess had found her true love...
Hearing this, she suddenly felt a little irritated. She raised her hand slightly to stop Atai from continuing and said calmly, "I know about this. There's no need to say anything more."
"grown ups……"
Atai called out softly.
Sikong Jin suddenly lowered his head and poured wine. "I will take care of these matters as soon as the war here is over. Alright, have a few drinks with me..."
Hearing this, Atai naturally didn't dare to say anything more. Seeing that Sikong Jin's expression was somewhat gloomy, he could only silently keep her company.
As if they knew that Sikong Jin's army was about to attack, more and more troops were being sent to Ganzhou City in the past two days. Sikong Jin toured Ganzhou City twice and got a general idea of the situation in the city.
Late at night on April 17th of the 469th year of the Red Moon Calendar, the weather was still exceptionally cold. Although it was already springtime, a light drizzle was falling from the sky. Sikong Jin's army had also arrived in Ganzhou City.