Chapter 733: The Relationship Between the Ling Empire and the Lu Empire

Nan Qiao chuckled and shook her head, “Sister-in-law, you are still too naïve.”

Wang Jinhe looked puzzled, “What do you mean?”

“Do you know who Ling Xiaoye’s mother is?” Nan Qiao suddenly became intrigued, looking at Wang Jinhe with interest.

“It can’t be someone from the Lu Empire, can it?” Wang Jinhe’s eyes lit up with surprise as she posed the question.

Nan Qiao nodded, “Exactly. Ling Xiaoye’s mother is a princess from the Lu Empire, and quite a favored one at that.”

Upon realizing this, Wang Jinhe felt something was amiss, “This doesn’t seem right.”

“Why do you think it’s not right?”

“I remember Su Yu mentioning that Ling Xiaochen became the Crown Prince of the Ling Empire due to the strength of his maternal lineage. But if Ling Xiaoye’s mother is a favored princess from the Lu Empire, wouldn’t it be simple for Ling Xiaoye to become the Crown Prince of the Ling Empire? Why did Ling Xiaochen end up becoming the Crown Prince instead?” Wang Jinhe asked, perplexed.

The relationship between the Ling Empire and the Lu Empire seemed incredibly puzzling to her, leaving her feeling bewildered.

“What if Ling Xiaoye’s mother concealed her true identity?” Nan Qiao suggested.

Surprised, Wang Jinhe looked at Nan Qiao, “Conceal her identity?”

“Yes, Ling Xiaoye’s mother was encountered by the Emperor of the Ling Empire during his travels. At that time, he believed she had no significant status, so he brought her back to the palace, showered her with the highest honors and made her his concubine. Could it be that the Lu Empire is truly unaware of this?” Nan Qiao elaborated.

Deep in thought, Wang Jinhe furrowed her brows slightly, unsure of how to respond. The intricacies of these relationships were truly complex.

Rubbing her forehead, Wang Jinhe remarked, “This is all too complicated.”

“It’s normal to find these matters complex when you’re not accustomed to them. The competition between Ling Xiaochen and Ling Xiaoye for the throne should be reaching its conclusion. Several formidable individuals have appeared by Ling Xiaoye’s side, all of whom are from the Lu Empire. The Emperor of Lu secretly sent them over. Additionally, when Ling Xiaochen came requesting high-yield crops, a significant portion of the one million catties of crops was for the Lu Empire,” Nan Qiao explained, sharing all the information she knew with Wang Jinhe to keep her informed.

Wang Jinhe’s mouth twitched as she looked at Nan Qiao. Could things really have unfolded in such a way?

She realized she had been too naïve.

“I really was too naïve. This situation is just absurd,” Wang Jinhe expressed, surprised to learn that representatives from the Lu Empire had indeed come, albeit covertly.

“What benefits did the Lu Empire provide to the Ling Empire to make Ling Xiaochen willing to assist them?” Wang Jinhe questioned, doubting that Ling Xiaochen would be foolish enough to agree to such terms.

Clearing her throat, Nan Qiao replied, “It’s simple – they offered an invisible pie.”

Upon understanding, Wang Jinhe realized that the Lu Empire had promised Ling Xiaochen numerous benefits in exchange for aiding them in obtaining high-yield crops, allowing him to make audacious demands upon arriving in the Xuan Empire.

Ling Xiaochen likely arrived with great confidence, considering the matter to be inconsequential.

Who would have anticipated that he would end up entangling himself in such a situation?

“Perhaps Ling Xiaoye will secretly curse him for being foolish behind his back,” Wang Jinhe speculated, recognizing that only someone as greedy as Ling Xiaochen would engage in such a scheme.

Nan Qiao chuckled, “Sister-in-law, you hit the nail on the head.”

“Sister-in-law, news has just arrived from the border – the Qi Empire is currently facing threats from all directions,” Nan Qiao added, sharing the recent update with Wang Jinhe.

“Has the Lu Empire taken action?” Wang Jinhe asked instinctively.

“Yes, those sanctimonious individuals wouldn’t hesitate to openly annex other countries. How could they resist such an opportunity?” Nan Qiao responded.

Wang Jinhe suddenly felt concerned. Would Su Yu be safe on the battlefield?

At the border, Su Yu stood in front of a sand table, deep in thought, contemplating unknown thoughts.

Su Jiu and several other generals stood by his side, with Su Jiu asking, “Su Yu, what are you thinking?”

“Lu Empire is playing a clever game,” Su Yu stated coldly, revealing his thoughts on the situation.

“Su Yu, are you saying…”

Su Yu nodded and walked over to the defense map, observing certain areas within the Qi Empire. Suddenly, he pointed to a specific location.

“We must secure this place,” he stated firmly.

Frowning, everyone questioned, “But isn’t that location easily attacked and hard to defend? What’s the use of taking it?”

“No, you’re mistaken. While this place may seem easy to attack and difficult to defend once we hold it, this specific location is actually the opposite – it’s easy to defend and hard to attack. Especially for the Lu Empire, their unexpected move against the Qi Empire caught us off guard. However, if they capture this place, we might lose sleep over it,” Su Yu explained coldly.

The location in question was a mountain range spanning the entire continent, conveniently dividing the Qi Empire in half. For the Lu Empire, gaining control of this city would make it easy to defend and challenging to attack. If the Lu Empire were to acquire it, they would indeed become even more formidable.

This was not a scenario Su Yu wished to witness. After all, he didn’t want to see the Qi Empire defeated only to face constant threats from the Lu Empire afterward.

“Lu has already made a move. With most of the Qi Empire’s forces concentrated here, Lu might find capturing this city relatively easier than us,” Su Jiu expressed his concerns.

“Brother, rest assured, once those troublesome individuals are eliminated, our siege will become much simpler,” Su Yu remarked cryptically.

They were likely putting the previously disseminated information to good use.

Su Jiu suddenly burst into laughter, pointing at Su Yu and shaking his head in amusement, saying, “You, you’ve planned everything out so well. Here I was, worrying unnecessarily.”

Su Yu innocently looked at him – this was his own doing, so what did he have to worry about?

“Brother, I’ll go make the necessary arrangements. When you receive my signal, that’s the cue to launch the siege,” Su Yu instructed.

“Understood.”

Su Yu sought out the individuals from the Forget Sorrow City who had come with him.

Upon seeing Su Yu looking to assign tasks, Luo Yan’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm. Observing Luo Yan’s eagerness, Su Yu’s mouth twitched slightly, “Now is not the time for you to act.”

Luo Yan’s demeanor instantly drooped, resembling a neglected puppy.

“Don’t worry. When it’s your time to act, you’ll likely be facing the Lu Empire,” Su Yu hinted, intending to instill fear in the Lu Empire and deter them from easily engaging with the Xuan Empire.

Luo Yan’s gaze turned slightly cold, “I don’t like the Lu Empire.”

Among all the countries, his favorite was the Xuan Empire.

This preference stemmed not only from Su Yu being part of the Xuan Empire but also because the Emperor of Xuan was exceptionally kind. He treated them well, always offering them delicious treats exclusive to the palace whenever they accompanied Su Yu to the palace.

Su Yu also mentioned that if they wanted something to eat, they could ask Su Yu, who would arrange for it to be delivered to them.

Apart from Su Yu, their other favorite was Xuan Feiran. They were resolute in not letting anyone harm the Xuan Empire. Those individuals had no authority to meddle with the affairs of the Xuan Empire.

“I don’t like them either,” Bai Qi nodded in agreement.

Su Yu sighed and rubbed his forehead, looking helplessly at Bai Qi, “Don’t forget, you are from the Lu Empire.”

“Just a bunch of sanctimonious individuals,” Bai Qi remarked dismissively.