In the palace, envoys from the Kushan Dynasty, with blonde hair and blue eyes, spoke broken Great Gan language, scolding the King of Qiuci.
"King of Qiuci! Your Qiuci Kingdom survives under the oppression of the barbarians thanks to our Kushan Dynasty's mercenaries. Now, instead of showing gratitude, you intend to seek favor with the Great Gan Kingdom thousands of miles away, and even arrange a marriage alliance with them?"
The King of Qiuci, prepared for this, quickly explained, "The marriage alliance is a necessary evil. The Great Gan Kingdom's military might is at its peak. Facing their western frontier army, our kingdom must ensure its own survival. The princess I sent to your Kushan Dynasty is merely an insignificant adopted daughter, while the one sent to the Great Gan Kingdom is my own flesh and blood!"
The envoy snorted coldly, pointed to the map beside him, and said, "See clearly, who is closer to your Qiuci Kingdom! Our Emperor demands that your Qiuci Kingdom immediately sever ties with the Great Gan Kingdom and be ready to accept our nation's command at any time, or face the consequences!"
Without waiting for the King of Qiuci's response, the envoy left the palace on his own accord, leaving the King of Qiuci fuming but afraid to speak.
The King of Qiuci summoned a trusted guard beside him and whispered, "If we continue to allow the Kushan Dynasty to extort us endlessly, our nation will collapse even without the barbarians invading! As my most trusted minister, you will immediately travel to the capital of the Great Gan Kingdom, inform Klisti and the Great Gan Emperor of the situation truthfully, and request that the Great Gan western frontier army maintain constant cooperation with our kingdom..."
After the guard departed, the King of Qiuci returned to his chambers, gazing at a portrait of Lisi on the wall, who bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Klisti, and sighed in resignation.
"The Kushan Dynasty is too greedy. Qiuci may be on the brink of destruction..."
The ancient Xiongnu royal treasure found by Qiuci in the past had all been used to trade with the Kushan Dynasty for goods and mercenaries.
The Kushan Dynasty had certainly noticed the suddenly wealthy Qiuci Kingdom. Through coercion and enticement, they continuously demanded tribute from Qiuci, virtually plundering half of the treasure.
Buti, a former envoy of Qiuci, was now arranged by Xiao Qing to serve as Klisti's chief guard, responsible for all her daily needs and safety.
One day, Buti, confirming that the time was ripe, met with Klisti at the Liang mansion to inform her of Qiuci's current predicament.
"You mean, our Qiuci Kingdom is merely maintaining a facade of strength and could be annihilated by the Kushan Dynasty at any moment?" Klisti was shocked and frightened, lowering her head and blaming herself, "So, my father sent me to the Great Gan Kingdom to protect me from persecution by the Kushan people?"
"Was my mother also pursued by people from the Kushan Dynasty?"
Upon receiving Buti's affirmative reply, Klisti, flustered and confused, immediately went to the imperial palace to seek an audience with Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing looked at Liang Xiao and Wang Canghai.
Wang Canghai, understanding, said, "Your Majesty, Princess Klisti has brought immense wealth to the Great Gan Kingdom, and the Great Gan Kingdom should reciprocate."
Xiao Qing nodded gravely, "We cannot stand idly by. Perhaps the deterrence of the Great Gan western frontier army will make the Kushan Dynasty hesitant."
Liang Xiao reminded, "It has been half a year since Klisti came to Great Gan. Qiuci may already be facing oppression, and perhaps a new envoy is already on their way to seek help from Great Gan. To avoid delays, I propose we immediately dispatch an envoy with credentials to the western frontier, ordering the western frontier commander to accelerate conscription and training, while also sending people to contact Qiuci for mutual support!"
Klisti finally breathed a sigh of relief and expressed her gratitude repeatedly.
In the Imperial Study of the Daliang Kingdom, Emperor Mu Cheng coughed violently.
Princess Zhirou and Qin Feng, who was reviewing official documents for Mu Cheng, came over with concern and patted his back.
"Father Emperor, please take care of your health!"
After recovering slightly, Mu Cheng said, still coughing, "I'm getting old, and I'm naturally unable to do what I want. It's just that my sons are not promising!"
"The Crown Prince is benevolent, and he surely wishes for Your Majesty's longevity," Qin Feng comforted him.
Mu Cheng sighed helplessly, "He is not chosen to be a wise ruler and cannot compete with his brothers. However, to depose the elder and establish the younger is to invite disaster. I can only choose him. If I should pass away prematurely, assist the new emperor if you can; if not, then take matters into your own hands."
Qin Feng's expression immediately changed, and he said in panic, "How dare I! I will do my utmost to assist Your Majesty and the Crown Prince!"
Mu Cheng merely smiled and closed his eyes to rest. At this moment, he seemed ten years younger.
He only worried about what would happen to Daliang without him. Would it be retaliated against by the southern tribes suppressed by territorial expansion, or would it be annexed by Great Gan or the Peacock Dynasty?
"I don't know why, but Marquis Zhenbei strongly opposes inviting Liang Xiao to Daliang. Has he joined forces with those families?" Mu Cheng sighed again.
Qin Feng mused, "I have already dispatched people to inquire about the situation. Marquis Zhenbei has always supported Your Majesty. He might be concerned that Liang Xiao's presence in Great Gan would overshadow him, or he might have personal grievances with Liang Xiao or other people from Great Gan!"
"Liang Xiao, Liang Xiao, always Liang Xiao! For the past six months, I've heard this name so much my ears are about to go numb!" Mu Cheng laughed heartily, then opened his eyes, a look of melancholy filling them. "However, I still wish to meet this young man in my lifetime and, with you, learn from him... Cough, cough, cough!"
Mu Cheng covered his mouth with his hand. After coughing, he looked at the bloodstains on his palm with confusion.
"Could I have contracted consumption? My body is clearly fine, how could this be..."
Qin Feng and his wife were startled and rushed forward, their faces filled with anxiety.
"Please order an immediate investigation of the palace eunuchs and imperial physicians, Your Majesty, to ascertain who is responsible!"
After Mu Cheng sent people to investigate, State Envoy Su Wencheng requested an audience.
Su Wencheng took out a stack of intelligence reports from his sleeve and handed them to Mu Cheng, saying with great sorrow, "Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but our Marquis Anguo's rectification of the court is too hasty and autocratic, promoting favoritism. This has already incurred the wrath of various factions, and the Great Gan Kingdom is destined to disintegrate... I implore Your Majesty to make preparations early."
Mu Cheng was stunned, "Envoy Su, are you suggesting that I should take control of the Central Plains?"
Su Wencheng sighed, "The two countries share the same origin. In my eyes, there are no national boundaries. I only wish for the people to live and work in peace."
After Su Wencheng left, Mu Cheng and Qin Feng looked at each other, "Envoy Su is such an amiable person, how could he think Liang Xiao is harming Great Gan? Is it not true that the Great Gan Kingdom is being set right under Liang Xiao's leadership?"
Qin Feng shook his head, "The intelligence Your Majesty and I received will not be wrong! The problem must lie with Envoy Su. This matter is peculiar, Your Majesty must be wary!"
"Then what should be done? I cannot report Envoy Su to the Great Gan Emperor. This intelligence is indeed useful..." Mu Cheng pondered, flipping through the reports with hesitation.
Each country had one state envoy, all dedicating themselves to fostering good relations between the two nations. This was the first time he had encountered someone like Su Wencheng who encouraged Daliang to plot against his own country.
"Over a hundred of Your Majesty's personal guards have been dispatched. It's impossible for them to deceive Your Majesty simultaneously. I trust them more! How about this, let Marquis Zhenbei also send people to gather information on Liang Xiao and the Great Gan Kingdom. We can see how Marquis Zhenbei responds in the future, and use this to gauge whether he also stands opposed to Your Majesty."
Without a word, Mu Cheng immediately prepared a written order and sent it to the western frontier of Daliang.
Two days later, in a secret chamber, Zuo Jing and eight Yun Tian Guards knelt below, listening to Zuo Wuji's orders from behind a screen.
"You eight will accompany 'Yu' to Great Gan to collect the intelligence required by the written order. It would be best if you captured a few people. If Yu 'makes a mistake' along the way, you will immediately send her back and ensure she never sets foot in Great Gan again for eternity!"
Zuo Jing, masked below, was taken aback.