In past conflicts between nations, there were instances of cities and territories being seized, but usually, after capturing one or two cities, the invaders would not push further due to various reasons, instead waiting for the defeated side to sue for peace by offering concessions.
But this war between Dayan and Nanyue was clearly different. By rights, capturing two cities in succession should have achieved Dayan’s intended objectives, yet even though they accepted Nanyue’s peace talks—and the two countries were about to form a marriage alliance—the fighting at the front showed no sign of stopping.
Dayan clearly did not fear being attacked from behind by other nations while they were engaged on this front.
“What do you all think Dayan is really up to? Could they actually be planning to wipe out Nanyue?”
Bei Ye held his teacup without drinking, merely swirling the liquid to watch the emerald-green tea leaves rise and fall.
When Nanyue was mentioned, he raised his eyebrows and glanced at Gan Tang, who had remained silent the whole time. To be honest, he was finding it increasingly difficult to understand what she was thinking.
Did she truly want to marry the Sixth Prince of Dayan? How could she hesitate between becoming a princess consort and claiming the throne of a queen?
Among those present, Bei Ye was the one most desperate for the supreme seat. Even knowing that his father treated his brothers like pawns and already had a chosen heir, he had never fully given up.
How could he know he wasn’t capable without fighting for it?
Thinking of the agents he had planted in the harem, it was time to set them in motion!
“Isn’t it obvious now? Dayan really intends to swallow Nanyue this time.” Xi Ling slammed his teacup heavily onto the table, producing a loud bang.
The others were puzzled by his sudden outburst. What did Nanyue and Dayan’s affairs have to do with him, a prince of Xiqiang? Why was he so agitated?
Xi Ling realized his lapse and flushed with embarrassment. “Forgive me, everyone. I was just reading the military dispatches. I have to admit, Dayan’s campaign was… was…”
He glanced cautiously at the composed Gan Tang, but did not finish his sentence.
“I understand your meaning, Cousin,” Gan Tang said, seeing his discomfort. She knew he was sparing her pride as a princess of Nanyue by refraining from praising Dayan outright.
“Dayan’s new weapons are indeed formidable. Conquering cities and seizing territory… Nanyue’s defeat is already a foregone conclusion.”
She shook her head, letting out a bitter laugh. “They say these things are also related to the Divine One.”
She pointed vaguely in the direction of the Yu residence. Even a scrap of power leaked from the fingers of a celestial being was beyond what mortals like them could withstand.
Her spirit had been worn down by one incident after another.
Her single statement—“Nanyue cannot resist”—silenced everyone in the room. If Nanyue could not hold out, could Nanzhao, Xiqiang, Beili, and Dongyi?
They had never seen the mysterious weapons, rumored to be louder than thunder.
From intelligence secretly sent by spies, those devices killed swaths of people with each explosion. Storming a city no longer required feeding human lives to the meat grinder.
All it took was tossing that thing at the city gates, and after a rumbling chaos lasting the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, any gate would be blasted wide open!
“What do you think the Divine One is thinking? It’s said that immortals value life and show mercy to the world, and what she does now seems to align with that—but handing out such a devastating weapon…”
This was what Xi Yuanshan could not understand. He even suspected that the intel he had obtained from the black market was somehow connected to the Divine One.
Lan Xuan’er’s beautiful eyes trembled slightly. Though reluctant to admit it, they all had to face reality. “Mercy to the world? If it exists at all, it’s only for Dayan, isn’t it?”
In the end, they were all outsiders. Even if the Divine One had descended as a goddess, her first blessing would always be for the people of Dayan.
Lan Xuan’er was now deeply worried about Nanzhao. The war between Nanyue and Dayan might seem like a conflict between two states, but anyone with eyes knew that Nanyue had Nanzhao’s support behind the scenes.
If Dayan truly intended to swallow Nanyue, would they simply overlook Nanzhao—a piece of fat that had offended them many times and was now covertly backing Nanyue?
She raised her eyes to Gan Tang, her gaze filled with concern. “Sister Tang, what are you thinking? If… if Nanyue truly falls, how will you… will you be treated in Dayan?” Her position would become awkward.
Strangely, when Lan Xuan’er said Nanyue might fall, no one found her words questionable. Instead, they all looked at Gan Tang—the future consort of the Sixth Prince of Dayan, a princess of a fallen nation. Even as a prince’s consort, life would not be easy!
Seeing the worry in Lan Xuan’er’s eyes, Gan Tang patted her hand gently and forced a light smile. “What’s there to worry about? As long as the Divine One is there, even if I become a princess of a fallen state, no one will dare do anything to me.”
What she did not say was that she might well be a precedent for the others. For the sake of their future plans, Dayan would not treat her poorly.
As for what Dayan was planning, she had been observing clearly these days, and a vague guess had formed in her mind. That was why, after weighing the pros and cons, she had ultimately agreed to remain in Dayan for marriage.
If Dayan was truly determined to swallow Nanyue, how long could she sit on the throne even if she fought for it?
It was better to preserve her strength, secure a path of survival for those loyal to her, and add another layer of protection for her own future.
Otherwise, with the men her brother had left her for self-defense—too few for major undertakings—she could still manage a successful return to Nanyue.
Killing off the useless spies Gan Sheng had sent to prevent her return would not be difficult for her.
But now she had found her place. The same could not be said for her good sister, Xuan’er… Gan Tang sighed inwardly, and eventually could not resist reminding her, “Xuan’er, when will you return to your country? If you have the chance, it might be better to make plans early.”
Some things were merely her speculation, and she could not speak them openly. But if Nanyue fell, could the weaker, entangled Nanzhao survive?
If she were Dayan, wielding such sharp weapons, her appetite would only grow. With that thought, she swept her eyes over Bei Ye, Beiyue, Xi Yuanshan, and Xi Ling, before finally landing on Yanji and Oshima, the two brothers from Dongyi, who had remained silent throughout.
Dongyi was still plagued by plague, with many dead—even members of the royal family had not been spared. If Nanyue fell, Nanzhao would be next, and after Nanzhao, Dongyi!
Gan Tang had, after all, been the only one among them in her past life to ascend the throne. Her vision was sharp—just from these guesses, she had hit on seven or eight tenths of the harvesting plans being drawn up by Dayan’s ministers and Yue Fuguang.
“I… I follow my mother’s orders. Until she issues her decree, I can only remain in Dayan,” Lan Xuan’er said, her face full of bitterness.
Her current situation in Nanzhao was no better than Gan Tang’s—perhaps even worse.
Gan Tang might have lost her parents, but she still had her own people and a strong fist.
Lan Xuan’er’s mother, the empress, was still alive, but over the past two years, Nanzhao’s court had been controlled by her elder siblings and their supporters. Much of the support for Nanyue came from behind their backs.
She could not return home. This might partly be her mother’s intent, but at the root, it was that her siblings were guarding against her.