Tantai Qingyue frowned faintly. She didn't like what Ning Chen had said about Xiliang one bit.

Still, the Xiliang royal family really was behaving strangely this time.

By rights, the reply should have come long ago, and yet there had been no word at all.

Could they really have other ideas, the way Ning Chen said?

Beside them, Feng Qizheng muttered, "Maybe Xiliang's the one behind Leng Wenyan rebelling and crowning himself king. That'd explain why Xiliang doesn't want to hit Leng Wenyan from both sides with us."

Ning Chen's eyes narrowed slightly.

Old Feng, that simpleton, was usually hopeless, but this one remark woke the dreamer. (TL Note: From the saying "one word wakes the dreamer": a single remark that suddenly opens someone's eyes.)

It had never once crossed his mind.

But now that Feng Qizheng had said it, it wasn't impossible.

Xiliang had broken Xiguan City, and Leng Wenyan had fallen back from there to Bianzhou... Feng Qizheng might really have guessed right.

If Xiliang could think of looting Xiguan City's grain to lend to Ning Chen, it could just as easily back Leng Wenyan for its own profit.

Ning Chen turned to Tantai Qingyue. "Old Feng didn't guess right, did he?"

Tantai Qingyue said nothing.

After a while she said, "How would I know? I have been at your side the whole time, and I have kept nothing about Xiliang from you."

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes at her.

"Little Tanzi, I may lust after your body, but next to the good of the nation, my little bit of lechery doesn't count for anything... If your Xiliang really is using this chance to back Leng Wenyan and carve up the Great Xuan's land, don't blame me for getting nasty!"

Tantai Qingyue stayed silent.

Right now even she couldn't say for certain whether Xiliang was backing Leng Wenyan.

When the army halted to rest along the way, Ning Chen dashed off an urgent letter and had it sent back to Prince Wu, warning him to watch out for Xiliang.

Xiliang still hadn't answered, but Leng Wenyan had to…