Xue Zhen did not feign ignorance. He slowly lifted the sleeve of his left arm, placed the ginseng inside, and bowed in the Daoist style, saying:
"Lady Tuoba invited me here."
Tuoba Yan finally realized, "Oh..." drawing out a long, drawn-out sound of sudden comprehension.
"Ninth Sister, I'm here to tell you that I'm eating at the military camp tonight. The soldiers are very happy with the vegetables you grow."
Tuoba Yan bowed and flattered Jiu'er, making this trip specifically to curry favor.
"That's good. If King Qi Ming doesn't retreat within five days, we can directly attack."
A Jiu covered her nose and smiled. The people in their city could hold out, but how many days could the army stationed around Menghua City last?
"Alright, no problem." Tuoba Yan cheerfully patted his chest and turned to leave.
Xue Zhen gazed at Meng Jiu'er's retreating back for a few seconds. It seemed his calculations were entirely correct; these strategies were all devised by this girl.
To put it bluntly, Tuoba Yan was merely a pawn on the battlefield, while she was the mastermind behind the scenes.
Meng Jiu'er was completely unaware of his thoughts. She placed the stir-fried dishes directly where she had been cutting vegetables. A Jiu had never been particularly particular about daily necessities.
Sitting down, A Jiu handed him the chopsticks she had washed several times.
"Actually, the situation is very simple. Whoever wins the hearts of the people rules the world. This saying is not without reason. Even within a family, if parents beat their child every day, the child will develop a desire to escape. It's the same for a nation. Even if the parents (the ruler) have significant authority at home, it's difficult to win back the people's hearts."
Xue Zhen immediately understood her words: "Ninth Miss is saying that King Qi's political methods are to use violence to suppress violence, and ultimately, it has no future. Yes, many details reveal that King Nanming is closer to the people's hearts. However, in the eyes of military strategists, it's all just tactics."
Meng Jiu'er picked up a piece of tomato and put it in her mouth.
In reality, she just wanted to extract more information about King Qi from him.
"I rarely concern myself with military affairs, nor have I met King Nanming," Xue Zhen stated frankly.
He was solely focused on cultivating immortality. Aside from his path differing from that of the Wang family, his temperament and pursuits were identical.
Seeing that he wouldn't open up, A Jiu said while eating:
"Actually, the first time I met you, I knew you had visited me. The Golden Light Body Protection Spell was taught to me by you."
At the time, A Jiu didn't have time to explain to her grandmother, but a blurry shadow had indeed appeared, and she quickly heard the incantation in her ear.
Xue Zhen put down his chopsticks and looked at Meng Jiu'er: "You can see me?"
"I can, but not very clearly," A Jiu replied truthfully. The first person she saw in her nightmare was just a vague shadow.
But the sense of reality was too strong, so she was frightened.
However, Xue Zhen's expression was not good at this moment. Originally pale-haired, in white, and with a stern, unsmiling demeanor, his eyes were as calm as a white jade statue. Now, a look of awkwardness flickered at the corners of his mouth.
He had underestimated this girl. But what other extraordinary abilities did she possess? Even looking at her face-to-face, Xue Zhen dared not make any definitive judgments.
"That's right. I can enter a trance, primarily for divination. I taught you the Golden Light Body Protection Spell because someone was looking for you. If that person hired someone else to find you, this protective spell would come in handy."
Xue Zhen felt that this girl's frankness had led him down a different path of introspection, so he decided to tell the truth.
This included the fact that he had divined half of Meng Jiu'er's fate, followed by King Qi Ming's search for her.
A Jiu missed no detail, listening intently.
Xue Zhen finished speaking and calmly looked up at Meng Jiu'er, awaiting her reaction.
Jiu'er smiled faintly: "It's not as miraculous as you say. I grew up in Xinghua Village, a remote mountain village in a county south of Menghua City. King Qi Ming, based on your words, thinks I'm a very powerful person? Isn't that absurd?"
It certainly didn't sound particularly extraordinary, but Xue Zhen knew deep down that she was far more than that.
After finishing the meal, A Jiu took charge and arranged rooms. She closed her door but found herself unable to sleep.
She couldn't be sure if Xue Zhen would be willing to stay and sincerely help Tuoba Yan.
In the study within this pavilion, the bookshelves were covered in dust.
A Jiu blew on one, coughing from the dust.
A book titled "The Secret History of Consort Chang" caught A Jiu's eye.
Everyone knew that Consort Chang was the current emperor's favorite concubine, but she had only ever been a consort.
A Jiu had vaguely heard about her in her previous life, and it was said that this woman was also no ordinary woman.