Nangong Yu sat down beside her. "I think you are the one in danger. Murong Shengrui is probably targeting you. You are the one who should be careful."
Xiao Man nodded in agreement. "He shouldn't be able to guess my identity for a while, provided that Xiahou Ying doesn't betray me."
"Do you want to kill him?" Nangong Yu inquired.
Xiao Man shook her head. "If he wanted to betray me, he would have done so long ago instead of not telling Murong Shengrui until now. However, Murong Shengrui suffered such a great loss, and with his vindictive nature, he will surely find a way to dig me out."
Wen Mohan listened quietly to their conversation, not interjecting. He couldn't. He knew Xiao Man had many secrets and had never tried to uncover them. But from their conversation, Wen Mohan vaguely felt that he had overlooked something very important, and perhaps he should investigate it thoroughly.
After settling Ulana, Xiao Man escorted Wen Mohan to rest. They walked side by side, and the east was beginning to show signs of dawn, with daylight about to arrive.
Wen Mohan stopped and gazed at the eastern sky. "The sun is rising."
Xiao Man followed his gaze. "Yes, the sun is rising. After a night of fighting, who knows how many soldiers will perish on the battlefield, and when will these endless conflicts end."
"Only when there is peace under heaven can the people live and work in peace and contentment." Wen Mohan turned his head to look at Xiao Man. "Man'er, what do you want?"
A smile flickered across Xiao Man's lips, her eyes full of determination. "I want all people to live and work in peace and contentment, without war, without borders, regardless of race, to live in harmony with each other, and for everyone, regardless of gender or age, to be able to do what they like – engage in politics, business, teaching, or the military, without restrictions of gender or age, only based on their willingness and preference."
"This is a grand goal," Wen Mohan said with a smile. "I will work with you. I hope that within my lifetime, I can witness the world you have depicted. I believe it will be a prosperous and magnificent era."
The Northern Rong attacked the Wuyue Kingdom. In a short period, the great general Fei Mo was captured, and countless soldiers were killed and injured. They had intended to gain some advantage from the Wuyue Kingdom, but instead, they were robbed of three cities by the Wuyue Kingdom.
When the news spread, the Northern Rong was shocked. The third prince of the Northern Rong led a large army to exert pressure, intending to force the Wuyue Kingdom to return General Fei Mo and the three occupied cities.
However, faced with the pressure from the Northern Rong, the Wuyue Kingdom did not back down at all. They massacred ten thousand Northern Rong prisoners and demanded that the Northern Rong cede territory and pay reparations before returning Fei Mo. As for the three captured cities, they were compensation!
"This is too much!" Yelü Heng, the third prince of the Northern Rong, was furious. He considered launching a full-scale attack, but the lingering might of the Crimson Feather Iron Cavalry and the subsequent massacre of ten thousand prisoners made him hesitate. The Northern Rong had a sparse population and vast territory, and could not afford such losses!
They had thought the Wuyue Kingdom was as resource-poor as they were, but the Wuyue Kingdom had never lacked food or water. If the conflict dragged on, the Northern Rong would be the ones unable to bear it!
"Third Prince, why not agree to the Wuyue Kingdom's demands? If we continue to drag this out, we will be the ones to suffer," the strategist advised. "It is worth it to get back General Fei Mo and the people of two cities."
"I don't believe that if I don't agree, they will really kill the people of the other two cities as well."
"Your Highness, absolutely not," the strategist said urgently. "Have you forgotten that Empress Dowager Dugu led the Crimson Feather Iron Cavalry to massacre the people of many of our cities back then? To the point that Northern Rong soldiers shudder at the mere mention of the Crimson Feather Iron Cavalry. Before even fighting, we have already lost psychologically. If we forcibly engage in war, the final outcome will only be mutual destruction." Sudian Novel Network
"The small Wuyue Kingdom is nothing to fear!"
"Third Prince, the Wuyue Kingdom is nothing to fear, but the other three kingdoms have always been eyeing our Northern Rong's pastures and fine horses!" the strategist advised. "The other three kingdoms would be delighted if we were to clash with the Wuyue Kingdom to the death, so they could reap the benefits!"
Yelü Heng felt stifled. "Fine, we'll give up the three cities. One day, I will make the Wuyue Kingdom repay this hundredfold!"
"The Third Prince is wise," the strategist breathed a sigh of relief. It was supposed to be a minor matter. The Northern Rong had often offended the borders of other countries in recent years, but they had suffered losses at the hands of the same army repeatedly. If the Crimson Feather Iron Cavalry were still Yunqi's army, they might have pushed the issue, as Yunqi, like them, would worry about being backstabbed by the other two countries. But it wasn't, and they couldn't afford to neglect one for the other.
Yelü Heng immediately dispatched an envoy to negotiate peace, ceding the three cities occupied by the Wuyue Kingdom to them. This was probably the most humiliating event for the Northern Rong. They had intended to gain an advantage but ended up losing more than they gained!
Ulana's hands were bandaged like zongzi. While opening her mouth to be fed, she turned her head to talk to Xiao Man. "That Murong Shengrui is a pervert, do you know that?"
"I've learned that recently."
Ulana swallowed the food in her mouth and continued. "Do you know that he killed Duguman's entire family not to seize power, but to keep Duguman by his side? That brat actually disregarded all norms and fell in love with his own mother!"
Xiao Man's teacup slipped from her hand and smashed on the table, spilling tea that wet her clothes. Xiao Man frantically righted the teacup and used a handkerchief to wipe the tea from her clothes.
Wen Mohan frowned slightly. Xiao Man's uncharacteristic behavior puzzled him. Why would Xiao Man lose her composure over these words?
"Where did you hear that?" Xiao Man asked, feigning indifference.
"He said it himself." Ulana's resilience was remarkable. Despite being subjected to Murong Shengrui's torture, her ten fingers broken, she showed no psychological trauma.
Xiao Man was extremely confused. Murong Shengrui loved her? Impossible! He had massacred the Dugus in front of her, poisoned her, and ordered people to insult her, clearly wishing her dead!
"There is no truth in his words," Xiao Man said coldly. "If you love someone, would you poison her, would you kill her entire family in front of her? Would you send people to insult her?"
Wen Mohan's heart felt an increasingly strange sensation. There were only rumors about how Duguman died, but Xiao Man acted as if she had witnessed it herself.
Ulana thought carefully, bit into the meat handed to her by the maid, and chewed vigorously. "I would definitely not do such a thing, because I am a woman. You should ask Master Wen this question. Master Wen, if you love someone, what would you do?"
Wen Mohan looked at Xiao Man and then answered word by word. "Live for her, die for her, spare no effort for her."
Ulana nodded in agreement. "Yes, how could one hurt someone they love? Murong Shengrui must be lying to me!"