Chapter 184 The Heart of a King

Chapter 184 The Heart of a King

Shen Nanzi's words did indeed leave Mo Lanxing silent for a moment.

How much can you sell to me?

"That depends on how much His Majesty needs."

"What arrogance!"

"I've gotten used to running a large business, Your Majesty, please don't mind."

Mo Lanxing stared at her, as if trying to discern the truth or falsehood in her words.

His gaze seemed to see right through Shen Nanzi.

“It seems that Your Majesty does not trust me. Doing business requires sincerity from both sides. I have already shown my sincerity and laid out our weaknesses to Your Majesty.”

"If Your Majesty still has any doubts, I will take my leave now. If Your Majesty has any further needs, I will be at your service at any time."

Shen Nanzi spoke in a tone completely like she was doing business, which made Mo Lanxing, who was seated, fall silent again.

Shen Nanzi was naturally confident that her goods were genuine and sold through Fangshuo.

If this matter is exposed, she will have truly cut off her own source of income and will have to seek opportunities far and wide from now on.

Mo Lanxing certainly wouldn't believe that a mere merchant could utter such a defiant statement.

The person behind her... he pondered for a moment, it should be the former Prince Jing.

Now that Prince Jing has been defeated and killed, she should now belong to the Second Imperial Consort, but things may change.

The throne of Yunhan is now vacant, and the court is unstable.

The Second Prince's wife, along with the Imperial Grandson, the Imperial Uncle Prince Ding, and Prince Xie Yu, along with the other princes, formed a three-way power struggle.

This situation is the most stable and extremely difficult to break.

No one wants to be the first to be eliminated, so in the end, all they can do is wait out the inevitable.

Their willingness to sell weapons indicates their urgent need for money.

What will the silver be used for? It will definitely be used to increase military strength. Whoever is the strongest will be the ultimate king.

Mo Lanxing was meticulous, yet she felt that something was amiss.

To uncover more details, Mo Lanxing looked at the sky outside the palace, which had darkened slightly.

He then said, "Madam Xue, let's have a meal together!"

He didn't discuss it; he gave an order.

Shen Nanzi knew he was still considering his options, or perhaps he wanted to ask her for more information.

He insisted on offering her food, so how could Shen Nanzi refuse?

And so, a food table was brought to Shen Nanzi, while Mo Lanxing sat at his table.

Shen Nanzi observed out of the corner of her eye that this person ate slowly and deliberately, eating silently without asking any questions.

Yunhan believed in not speaking while eating or sleeping, but Fangshuo did not follow these rules.

He must be thinking.

Shen Nanzi also ate her food silently.

The sky outside the palace had completely darkened, making the interior of the palace appear exceptionally bright.

Shen Nanzi ate dinner with unease.

"What? You don't like the food?" Mo Lanxing put down her chopsticks and suddenly spoke up.

"No, it's just that this is my first time dining like this, and I feel a little nervous."

Shen Nanzi ate with a calm expression, preoccupied with her meal. Even the best food couldn't help her appreciate its deliciousness.

The food on the table was removed, and Shen Nanzi stood up, looking at Mo Lanxing.

Two people who are exactly the same, yet completely different.

"Do you know why I'm buying weapons?" He took the wet wipe handed to him by a palace servant and gently wiped his fingers.

Is there even a need to guess? Fang Shuo wants to take this opportunity to reclaim the lost land.

What puzzled Shen Nanzi was that now was clearly the best time to take action, so why not use troops?

“I am just a merchant, and I am only responsible for selling. What the buyers do is not something I should think about.”

"You think I'm going to attack Yunhan?"

Shen Nanzi raised her eyes. "Isn't that right?"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

"Alright, you can go now!" Mo Lanxing suddenly said.

Shen Nanzi bowed and withdrew from the hall.

Ye Shuyin stood at the bottom of the steps, his voice sounding particularly desolate in the darkness.

The figure inexplicably overlapped with the figure of the person who had just been inside the hall.

Shen Nanzi walked to his side, and the two remained silent.

After leaving the palace and getting into the carriage, Shen Nanzi asked, "Are you hungry?"

Ye Shuyin shook his head, looking somewhat dejected.

Shen Nanzi knew that he was feeling sad because of the scene, so she comforted him, "Mo Lanxing will definitely want the weapons. In a few days, he will summon us to the palace again."

"However, he said the purpose of buying weapons was not to reclaim the land."

Why do you think so?

“Prince Jing is dead. He was afraid that the next emperor of Yunhan would kill him, so he was just trying to protect himself!” Ye Shuyin said, resting his head on Shen Nanzi’s shoulder.

"Tell me, is the throne really that good?"

Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Shen Nanzi let him lean on her. "I used to think that the throne didn't matter, but now I've changed my mind."

"When you are not strong enough, you can only become someone else's prey, and you can't even protect the people you want to protect."

"Yes! For those we hunt, even living has become a luxury." Ye Shuyin closed his eyes, but his voice was filled with sorrow.

Suddenly, with a "rip," the carriage curtain tore, and a flash of silver light slid across Shen Nanzi's cheek.

The icy chill, carrying the chilling intent of a sword, instantly jolted her awake.

Shen Nanzi dodged in time, and at the same time, Ye Shuyin also sensed something was wrong, grabbed Shen Nanzi and fell into the carriage.

Shen Nanzi was almost shielded by him, and the next moment, both of them felt the killing intent outside.

"You stay in the car, I'll go out and deal with this." As soon as Ye Shuyin left, swords came stabbing from both sides of the carriage.

Shen Nanzi knew that the carriage had become the target of everyone's hatred, and that they wanted to kill her.

They scrambled out of the carriage, and upon closer inspection, they saw that at least twenty people were surrounding and attacking them.

Qinghe and Ye Shuyin were already on either side of the carriage, preventing the assassin from killing her.

Outnumbered, Ye Shuyin was no longer a match for Ye Shuyin.

"Watch your back." Her warning was like a thunderclap.

Ye Shuyin relieved the crisis, but she became the target of the men in black.

Just when Shen Nanzi thought she was about to die at Fang Shuo's hands, a familiar figure descended from the sky in front of her, blocking her way and slicing through the flashing swords.

The hidden guard swiftly raised his blade and brutally killed the strongest assassin.

Then a few more hidden guards came over.

The crisis has been completely resolved.

Shen Nanzi hurriedly went to check on Ye Shuyin, whose three thousand soldiers were absolutely in danger.

Good things don't come true, but bad things do. As soon as he turned his head, Ye Shuyin was stabbed.

Shen Nanzi grabbed the leather whip beside her and lashed it at the assassin's arm, snapping it off.

Enraged, the assassin thrust his long sword straight at her. Shen Nanzi knelt in front of the carriage, sandwiched between the shadow guards who had blocked her path earlier, with no way to retreat.

Shen Nanzi was facing a life-or-death crisis once again. Just then, a strong arm grabbed her waist and pulled her back.

She watched as the long sword pierced towards her, only inches away, when someone held her in their arms.

Her arm was pressed against the guard's chest, and his heavy breathing made her feel for a moment as if it were an illusion.

She didn't want to be a burden to others; the life of a hidden guard was also a life, and doing so would only drag him down.

"Put me down!"

The hidden guard seemed not to hear, still holding her with one arm while using the other to defend himself.

Until all the assassins were driven away.

In the dark streets of Ticheng, only the sound of panting could be heard.

Amidst the intense fighting, Shen Nanzi sensed that the hidden guards holding her were also breathing rapidly.

"Thank you!"

Despite her persistent struggle, the hidden guard released her.

She ignored the shadow guard, walked around the horses, and went to the other side to look at Ye Shuyin.

"How are you? Are you hurt?"

Shen Nanzi was a little worried when he was hit.

Ye Shuyin shook his head. "It's nothing."

Shen Nanzi pointed to his arm, "There's an injury here."

"It doesn't hurt even though I'm injured."

Ye Shuyin was injured while saving her. Shen Nanzi apologized, "There's medicine in the carriage. Let's go and treat the wound first. I'll investigate these people."

Seeing Ye Shuyin's pale face, she knew he was worried that things would be exposed.

Ye Shuyin followed her into the carriage, and Shen Nanzi took out some medicine powder and applied it to the wound on his arm.

Fortunately, it wasn't deep; it was just a superficial scratch.

In the quiet of the night, Shen Nanzi's gentle voice came from the carriage of Ticheng.

"Don't get the wound wet, just clean the surrounding area."

"Don't exert yourself these next two days, the wound is a bit long."

"Does it hurt?"

"With you here, it doesn't hurt."

"Okay, I'm here."

"Zizi, you are so kind."

"you……"

"Just lean on me for a moment, okay?"

Ye Shuyin's soft and sweet voice drifted out gently.

In the darkness, the hidden guard clutched his abdominal wound, following the carriage blankly like a soulless puppet.

Thinking of how he had just saved her, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

He saved her, didn't he?

Everything seems worthwhile.

As long as she and Cheng'er are doing well.

*

The next day, Yunxiao lay in the hidden guard's room, leaning against the headboard.

There were many beds in the room, and his bed was right by the window.

He chose this location because he could see what was happening in the courtyard at any time.

Every time he saw Cheng'er appear, his eyes seemed glued to him, unable to look away.

This child is so diligent it's heartbreaking; he's either reading and writing or practicing with weapons.

He wanted to abandon all the things other children did for fun.

He was well aware of the worries in the heart of such a young child.

At a young age, having lost his father's support and seeing his mother's frail appearance, he forced himself to grow into a pillar who could shelter him from the wind and rain.

…

Sunlight streamed into the courtyard, passing over the flower bed in the center.

As the small figure emerged from Shen Nanzi's room, Nanzi followed behind him and appeared at the doorway.

I don't know what Shen Nanzi is saying, but she has a warm smile on her face. That smile is so beautiful in the sunlight that it makes people yearn for her.

Yunxiao's eyes were filled with burning passion. The people he cared about most had appeared at the same time, and he couldn't help but crane his neck to watch this scene with longing.

Then a scene that glared at him appeared.

Ye Shuyin appeared behind Shen Nanzi like a shadow.

Shen Nanzi was naturally beautiful, and Ye Shuyin behind her was also so handsome and elegant; they were clearly a perfect match.

But in Yunxiao's eyes, Ye Shuyin was like a thorn stuck in his heart.

He would set off fireworks for her and throw her a birthday party even under such difficult circumstances.

He can be affectionate and clingy, refusing to let go of her.

He doesn't seem to know any of these things.

Yunxiao's eyes were filled with frustration. He turned around in anguish and leaned against the wall.

The pain from the abdominal wound is far less than the pain in my heart.

He closed his eyes and rested his arm across his forehead.

Just then, there was a noise outside the door. "Yunxiao, are you there?"

His arm moved away quickly, his fingers gripping the edge of the bed, his eyes filled with unprecedented panic.

He quickly covered his mouth and nose with the scarf before speaking, "Yes, I'm here."

The door was pushed open, and a small figure walked in.

He looked around the room and saw him leaning against the headboard.

A hint of concern appeared on her small face as she walked to his side.

"We didn't see you today; they said you were injured."

A glint flashed in Yunxiao's eyes, and his hand unconsciously clutched his abdomen.

Xie Chengze saw this and handed him a light green porcelain bottle.

"I went to my mother's to get some medicine for my wounds. Remember to apply it."

Yunxiao took the medicine bottle, held it in her palm, and her eyes gleamed.

The bottle still held the warmth of his little hand, which warmed his heart.

"Can I see your wound?" Xie Chengze's brows were furrowed tightly; he was worried that Xie Chengze's injury was serious.

What a heartwarming child!

He shook his head. "The injury isn't serious."

Seeing his worried look in his eyes, she still took off her outer shirt, revealing her injured abdomen.

Xie Chengze looked at his exposed wound, which hadn't scabbed over yet, revealing bright red flesh. His face paled. "Does it hurt a lot?"

Yunxiao shook her head, "It doesn't hurt."

“You have so many scars on your body.” His eyes fell on his exposed abdomen, where new wounds were built on top of old ones.

His tiny fingers touched his old wound, his eyes filled with pity.

Yunxiao couldn't help but want to hold his little hand, but halfway through, she realized she had overstepped her bounds and withdrew it.

They were afraid that if they found out, they wouldn't even have the right to stay by their side.

*

Ten days later, Shen Nanzi received another imperial edict summoning her to the palace.

After seeing off the palace servant who delivered the imperial edict, Shen Nanzi stood under the eaves, looking at the early winter sky.

Despite the sunshine, it was excessively cold.

Ye Shuyin, dressed in a flamboyant floral robe, walked over with his arms crossed. "Looks like he really loves riding Ferghana horses!"

"All our preparations have been worthwhile." Shen Nanzi had a faint smile on her face.

Ye Shuyin: "Hmm, I was originally planning to spread the news about the Ferghana horse, but you directly had me fight someone. The effect is much better than before. Now the whole city of Di knows about it."

Shen Nanzi: "That person is a well-known horse fanatic, Mo Lanxing must know that. This makes our actions reasonable. We are not here specifically for Mo Lanxing, but to sell at a high price."

"Merchants are all driven by profit, their motives are so pure. Mo Lanxing doesn't trust us, but there's nothing we can do about it. If we want to get into the palace, we have to make him take notice."

Shen Nanzi smiled sweetly, her fair face radiating confidence.

That's the ease with which one has complete control over the whole situation.

Unlike before, she no longer always relied on her older brother.

Now that her brother is gone, she has taken over his responsibilities and is growing up rapidly.

"We'll enter the palace tomorrow, and we'll change our original plan a bit. Since someone is wary of us, it will be even more interesting to make our move."

Ye Shuyin suddenly rested his chin on her shoulder and said coquettishly, "Zizi, it's so good to have you. What should I do if I really start to like you?"

Shen Nanzi belatedly realized that the first time she let him get close, countless times followed.

She pushed him away with disgust, saying, "If Cheng'er sees this later..."

"So what if he sees? I'm his father." He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind even tighter. "Your sister-in-law doesn't have any objections and even told me to treat you better."