Chapter 367 Life and Death Depend on Fate

The emperor had something on his mind and was a little distracted while drinking with the ministers.

The palace banquet that was originally prepared to be extremely grand did not last long.

When the queen sent word that the hairpin ceremony was over, the emperor left first and went to Qinzheng Hall surrounded by Prime Minister Ji, General Xuan and the three princes.

Before leaving, Emperor Wen invited Mu Cang over.

When he arrived at Qinzheng Hall, he wanted to call the postman to ask again, but Prime Minister Ji said: "He is probably very tired from traveling all the way. The emperor should let him rest first."

"The matter is urgent. Is it so important whether we take a break at this time?" Yan Chen frowned, "The top priority should be to figure out the cause and effect of the matter. The more we know -"

"The more we know, will the second prince be able to solve the case immediately?" Prime Minister Ji interrupted, "Her Royal Highness the Princess has decided to leave for Fenglu early tomorrow morning. At this time, the post soldiers should have a good rest, otherwise they will be considered ironclad. My body couldn’t hold on and I continued on my way back.”

Yan Chen choked slightly and couldn't refute for a moment.

"The incident happened in Fenglu, which is more than 1,400 miles away from Shengjing. We have received very few clues. I just feel uneasy." Emperor Wen sat on the dragon chair, frowning, "General Xuan, what do you think? Was this really done by bandits? "

"According to common sense, Dugu Qingyun should not go through the Red Yao Valley." General Xuan's expression was solemn, "Even if they themselves did not know that the Red Yao Valley was dangerous, it was impossible for the local post office officials not to remind him when the team passed Fenglu. "

"That's right." Emperor Wen nodded slowly, "That's why this matter is particularly strange."

General Xuan continued: "So there are two possibilities. One is that the local officials neglected their duties or had ulterior motives and deliberately led them there; the other is that the local officials informed them of the danger, but Dugu Qingyun insisted on going his own way and had to go there."

Prime Minister Ji frowned: "No matter what the reason is, it may eventually cause the Jin State and the Yan State to turn against each other, and then raise an army to investigate the crime."

General Xuan shook his head: "Probably not——"

"If Emperor Yan knew that something happened to his son in Jin, he would never let it go." Yan Yun made a decision immediately, "Should we have made preparations earlier?"

General Xuan was silent, his brows slightly darkened: "What are you preparing for?"

Yan Yun frowned: "Of course we will dispatch troops to the border and be ready for battle at any time."

General Xuan sneered: "Originally, we had a clear conscience and investigated the truth thoroughly. Once we mobilize our troops to the border, everything will turn into trouble."

Yan Yun was speechless and hesitated for a while: "If the Yan Kingdom indiscriminately decides that we are deliberately provoking, then it will be too late to mobilize troops."

"War is not a trivial matter. Once a war breaks out, the biggest losses will be the imperial court's military strength and economy." General Xuan said indifferently, "The Emperor Yan is not a fool. They know the strength of the Yan Kingdom's troops stationed at the border. Don't talk about Dugu Qing. Yun is not dead yet, even if he does die in the Jin Kingdom, their princes will try their best to prevent the war from happening. "

Do you really think that fighting is just a matter of playing house, and you just fight when you say it?

It doesn’t take time to deploy troops, or does it take time to raise food and fodder?

If you really want to prepare for war, you must ensure sufficient troops in advance to ensure nothing goes wrong.

So recruiting troops is definitely necessary.

Weapons, armor, war horses, military equipment, what can be done without it?

Unless a strong country is facing a weak country, it will send troops to suppress it if it is slightly dissatisfied.

Or some countries whose climate and environment are so bad that it is difficult to survive will plunder other countries' property through war. At any other time, kings and dignitaries are the people who least want to go to war.

In a situation like the Jin State, the Yan State would at most send envoys to ask for an explanation from the Jin State, or a compensation plan to the maximum extent possible.

The words spoken by the two princes at this time had already revealed their knowledge and attitude towards important matters of home and country.

Emperor Wen was a little disappointed.

Before Yan Li didn't come back, he never felt that his four sons were that bad. However, before, it was because there was no comparison. Now, compared with Yan Li, his daughter, the princes are all so mediocre that it makes people feel tired.

"Ninth Prince." Emperor Wen turned to look at Mu Cang, "What do you think of this matter?"

Mu Cang raised his eyebrows slightly and was about to speak.

However, Emperor Wen suddenly noticed that Mu Cang was still standing and said quickly: "Here comes! Set up a seat for the Ninth Prince and serve tea."

"yes."

The two eunuchs hurriedly brought the chair over and placed it behind Mu Cang.

Mu Cang nodded, calmly sat down on the chair, and then said: "This matter will not cause the two countries to turn against each other, and it cannot be the assassination of the prince by the prince of Yan country. The emperor does not need to worry too much."

"How can the Ninth Prince be sure?" Prime Minister Ji said in a gentle tone. After asking, he explained, "I have no other intention. I just want to know what clues the Ninth Prince used to determine this result?"

Mu Cang said calmly: "The fact that nothing happened to Prince Yan is the best explanation."

If the prince of the Yan Kingdom were assassinated, it would be impossible to leave Dugu Qingyun alive; if it was a conspiracy set up by Fenglu officials, then they would be seeking their own death.

Because this kind of behavior can be regarded as treason, and regardless of whether they did it or not, as long as there is a little suspicion, it will be a major crime to punish the Nine Clan.

Besides, framing Prince Yan will not bring any benefits to the local officials.

At present, Dugu Qingyun was recovering from his injuries in Fenglu. The bandits kidnapped the two princesses and ran away. They did not kill Dugu Qingyun. Obviously, they did not want to make the matter a big deal and were worried about endless troubles.

It is obvious which is more serious, kidnapping two women or killing a prince.

"Mu Cang is right." Yan Li walked in from outside, slender and elegant, "The best explanation is that Dugu Qingyun is not dead."

Everyone turned to look.

Yan Li's coming-of-age ceremony has been completed. Her black hair is tied up with a hairpin. The gold hairpins inlaid with rubies on her bun are noble and eye-catching, bright and dazzling.

When Emperor Wen saw her come in, he couldn't help but feel better, but he couldn't help feeling a little regretful: "Originally, a grand birthday banquet and coming-of-age ceremony were held for you today, but something unexpected happened..."

"I am now a married woman and I have great power in my hands. There is no need to be too grand about these etiquettes of young girls in the boudoir." Yan Li didn't care.

Especially since her real age has long been over 20, she agreed to the coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 15 just to meet the queen's expectations for her daughter. She herself really didn't care much.

"Let's get back to the point." Yan Li walked to Mu Cang's side and sat down. The couple sitting together was really pleasing to the eye. "What happened to the Crown Prince of Yan Country is very serious. No matter what the purpose of the bandits is, no matter where they come from, we must deal with it carefully."

"What does the imperial sister think?" Yan Chen asked.

"Of course, we must find out the truth first." Yan Li glanced at him, "We must ensure that the Crown Prince of Yan Country is safe and sound, and then find out the truth behind it. Whether it is a human or a ghost, we must find it out and take a look."

"What should we do with the two kidnapped princesses?" Yan Jin looked worried, "The reputation of a girl is more important than her life. This time she was kidnapped and her innocence is lost. I'm afraid-"

"Whether the two princesses live or die, it probably depends on fate." Yan Li said calmly and truthfully.

"It depends on fate?" Yan Yun looked at her in disbelief, as if he had finally caught her with something, "How could the imperial sister say such a cold-blooded thing?"

"What else?" Yan Li glared at him with a mocking look in his eyes, "You go and rescue them now?"

Yan Yun was speechless: "I-"

"I really doubt it, how can you ask such a stupid question?" Yan Li sneered, "It has been at least three days since the 600-mile urgent information arrived in Shengjing. What happened in these three days, can you calculate?"

"I..."

"Even if you calculated it, how can you save it?" Yan Li said in a cold voice, "If they were insulted or killed yesterday, tell me, what can you do to bring them back to life?"

Yan Yun's face turned red little by little: "Even if there is no way to save it, the emperor sister can change the way of speaking to make herself appear less cold-blooded."

"If they are still fine now, whether they are on the way to transfer or hidden in a dangerous place, as long as they are still alive and can hold on until I rescue them, then this is their good fortune." Yan Li said calmly, "What's wrong with what I said?"

Yan Yun's face turned pale and he was completely speechless.