699 The Secre (1/2)

Feeling aggrieved, Old Man Mu spread his hands and complained to the Dragon King, ”The good girl doesn't believe in me at all now. She doesn't tell me anything anymore. When we were back in the Land of Fragrance, I… Forget it, I can't blame her. It's all my fault. After all, I'm whole-heartedly loyal to the Dragon King, and it's right that the good girl is guarded against me.”

Gu Shenwei wanted to find out what Shangguan Ru was hiding from him but Old Man Mu said that he didn't know anything. It was hard to tell whether he was telling the truth or not. His old wrinkled face concealed too many things.

”The good girl would never do anything to harm the Dragon King. I can assure you of that.” Old Man Mu confidently patted his chest and added, ”I guess she was trying to surprise the Dragon King. Just wait patiently; why do you have to get to the root of it now?”

Gu Shenwei had never liked surprises.

Red Bat and other female officers might know something but Gu Shenwei didn't ask because he didn't want them to have a conflict of loyalty.

This was also a chance for Old Man Mu to finally talk to the Dragon King alone, and he did not forget what he wanted to say. ”Be careful of Han Wuxian, she is truly mad down to the bone. I heard that she was collecting all kinds of medicinal materials, and the Dragon King agreed to it?”

”Yes.”

”Tsk, tsk. 'If you doubt a person, do not use him'. The Dragon King is really a king. But you must be well-prepared, aren't you? A disciple of Waning Moon Hall with drugs is very different from one without drugs. When she thinks she's able to properly protect herself, heh heh…”

”With you around, I have nothing to be afraid of.”

”The Dragon King may rest assured. I promise to keep an eye trained on that crazy old woman for you. And I'll act without mercy when necessary.” Old Man Mu took the casual word of the Dragon King as a task and left happily.

Tomorrow would be the day when King Riyao's army elected a new king. Gu Shenwei had lots of work at hand and spent an especially busy afternoon persuading the Second Consort to hand over control of the army. He did a lot of talking but wasn't able to get a clear reply.

The quietness of the Royal Court was only temporary, and all parties were closely watching the movements of the Court Attendants Army. Once the situation grew clearer, the war would immediately resume. Tuosai was dead so the camps of the Dragon Army and the Second Consort had lost their safety barrier and would have to face the enemy directly.

This was a crucial battle but the Second Consort refused to give up command and control of her army. She had lent a thousand horsemen to the Dragon King and agreed to lend four thousand more but was firmly holding onto the remaining five thousand men.

Gu Shenwei and Fang Wenshi took turns explaining the importance of grouping their troops, but the Second Consort was not moved. Instead of flatly refusing the two, she used all kinds of means to show her unwillingness like acting coquettish, wearing a cold face, sighing, and finally even shedding a few tears. In short, she refused to fully give up her military command. ”Tuosai and King Riying's troops will soon be under the command of the Dragon King. There are almost 20,000 people in total, which should be the most powerful force in the Norland besides the Court Attendants Army. The Dragon King should not be too greedy or impatient. I am a woman and I need your protection after all. Nominally these five thousand men belong to me but as long as the Dragon King says a word, they will go to war anyway. Alas, please be considerate of a widow's difficulties…”

Similar words rambled on and on. The two weren't able to convince the Second Consort.

It was already evening when they walked out of the tent. Fang Wenshi sighed and said, ”I thought that the Second Consort was reasonable and easy to talk with but I didn't expect that she would also be so full of whimsical ideas. The Dragon King is her closest ally but you still can't fully gain her trust. Women are really hard to deal with.”

”There's always a way.” Gu Shenwei had to try his hardest to unite all the troops. The 20,000 horsemen were indeed considerable but they did not have an absolute advantage and their loyalty was also questionable. The Second Consort's army could play a huge role. ”Let Azheba and Liman have a try, especially Liman. He's from the Naihang Tribe and perhaps he can win her trust.”

”That seems to be the only way.” Fang Wenshi helplessly shook his head as he glanced at the Dragon King. Then he turned to look at the busy soldiers and servants in the camp and said, ”If that also fails… Does the Dragon King already have another way in mind?”

The counselor was more liberal with using coercive violence than before. Simple and effective methods were always addictive.

”It's not the right time yet.” Gu Shenwei became conservative instead. He had said this many times and would probably repeat it many more times in the future.

Gu Shenwei then casually asked, ”Has Instructor Shangguan come back yet?”

If it had been in the past, Fang Wenshi would have tried very hard to persuade the Dragon King to sever the thread of love between them by explaining the contradiction between struggling for hegemony and struggling for love. But now that he knew the Dragon King better, he took the initiative to say, ”It is right for the Dragon King to find out the truth of the matter. Of course, Instructor Shangguan will not intentionally harm the Dragon King. I'm just afraid that something bad might happen to her again.”

Fang Wenshi didn't want Shangguan Ru to be held hostage again, as that would disturb the Dragon King's mind at this critical moment.

As soon as the Dragon King set out, Fang Wenshi found Azheba and Liman, hoping that they could persuade the Second Consort. The two of them also felt that it was necessary to unite the forces so they agreed to help out right away.

Fang Wenshi had a feeling that the two would not achieve anything more than the Dragon King and he had. The Second Consort actually understood the whole situation; she was just afraid that she would become irrelevant after handing over her entire army. To convince her, he had to find a way to dispel her worries.

And he also had to find a way to stop the Dragon King from completely focusing on the Unique King's daughter.

Fang Wenshi was suddenly by a bold idea. The Dragon King might not like it but he would accept that when it came.

'As a counselor, I am responsible for guiding the Dragon King back onto the path after a detour,' thought Fang Wenshi, trying to exculpate himself from possible guilt.

As Fang Wenshi was thinking up plans, Gu Shenwei was galloping down the grasslands with Shangguan Fei and Long Fanyun.

Earlier in the day, Shangguan Ru had left the camp with fifty guards and a female officer and patrolled for a while before heading north. Three miles later, they had turned northeast. That was all the information that Fang Wenshi had.