The crescent moon hanging in the night sky was like a hook, embellished by the scattering stars that flickered.
On the top of the mountain peak, three people sat together. They were covered in bright moonlight and emitted a mysterious aura.
Tang Jinghong’s eyes were deeper than usual, revealing a strong scrutiny. “Young Master Tong, as an assassin from the northern border, you surrendered before you even made a move…”
Tong Yujie smiled awkwardly. “1 wanted to do it, but Miss Chu refused to accept my challenges time and time again.”
He thought to himself that this was a village under the jurisdiction of the capital. Chu Qingzhi was a baroness. Assassinating her would be provoking the Imperial Court.
Moreover, although he was an assassin, he also had the country in his heart. Now, the imperial court was calm on the surface, but in fact, there were undercurrents. Outside the country, there were enemies waiting for an opportunity to make a move. Tang Jinghong and Chu Qingzhi were rare people who could contribute to the stability of the county. Why would he want to kill them?
Moreover, he knew very well that he was not Chu Qingzhi’s match.
Chu Qingzhi glanced at Tong Yujie. At first, she thought that Tong Yujie was a ranger. She did not expect him to be an assassin sent by the northern border. It was quite surprising.
Tang Jinghong trusted Qingzhi’s judgment. Moreover, no one could fool Qingzhi. Hence, he went straight to the point and asked, “Tell me, how do you want to cooperate?”
Tong Yujie said seriously, “I want the freedom of my sister and me.”
Tang Jinghong asked, “Where is your sister now?”
Tong Yujie lowered his eyes slightly and said worriedly, “She’s hidden by Wan Zhilin. If I don’t kill you in a month, they’ll kill me and my sister.”
Tang Jinghong was silent for a moment. “Now, tell me what you can do for us.”
Tong Yujie raised his long eyelashes and offered Tang Jinghong the bargaining chip that could tempt him the most. “1 can give you information about the northern border, and I know that you want to know about the maker of the enhanced crossbow. Coincidentally, I’ve seen that person.”
Tang Jinghong was slightly surprised. “You’ve seen that person?”
Tong Yujie nodded. “Yes, but I’ve only seen him once. He’s a middle-aged man in green with a scar on his face. He looks very gloomy.”
Tang Jinghong stared at Tong Yujie. His men had almost turned the northern border upside down, but they couldn’t find that person. “Then do you know where he is?”
Tong Yujie shook his head slowly. “I don’t know. The Lord of the Northern Border hid him very well. I think only the Lord of the Northern Border knows. I can make you a portrait of this person, provided that you help me find my sister’s location.”
“Deal.” Tang Jinghong agreed without hesitation. Then, he looked at Chu Qingzhi. “Qingzhi, do you want to go to the northern border too?”
“Yes, the Lord of the Northern Border has been trying to kill me time and time again. I have to see what my enemy looks like!” Chu Qingzhi planned to wipe out the Lord of the Northern Border. How could she not go?
Tang Jinghong said in a negotiating tone, “Can we set off in three days?”
Chu Qingzhi nodded. “Sure.”
Tang Jinghong turned to Tong Yujie and said, “Go back to the northern border first and pave the way for us.”
Tong Yujie agreed readily. “Alright, I’ll wait for you guys to arrive.”
After discussing, Tong Yujie left, leaving Tang Jinghong and Chu Qingzhi at the peak.
Tang Jinghong had not seen Chu Qingzhi for two days and missed her very much. He immediately carried Chu Qingzhi over to express his love.
Chu Qingzhi also missed Tang Jinghong very much. She wrapped her arms around Tang Jinghong’s thin waist and rubbed her head against his neck, showing her dependence on him. “Jinghong, you didn’t come to look for me in the past two days.”
Tang Jinghong’s heart softened when he heard Chu Qingzhi’s coquettish words. He said gently, “I’ll try my best to see you every day in the future.”
“That’s not what I mean. Focus on work.” She liked men who were hard-working. Such men were charming to her.
“You are also important.” Tang Jinghong kissed Chu Qingzhi’s hair lovingly.
Chu Qingzhi smiled. Although they were not together at all times, she knew that Jinghong had her in his heart. “Jinghong, tell me about the situation on the northern border. I’m considering whether to kill the Lord of the Northern Border or not. He’s causing too much trouble.”
“Okay.” Tang Jinghong hugged Chu Qingzhi and slowly told her about the northern border.
There were a total of four lords in the Daling Dynasty, who were situated on the four borders. One was the northern border, one was the southern border, one was the eastern border, and the other was the western border.
The Lord of the Northern Border was the most powerful and had 100,000 soldiers under him. He might have more in secret and was the most ambitious. At the same time, he was the most disobedient to the imperial court.
The southern border was next to the sea. The shipping and transportation industries were the most developed. There were a lot of merchants, so it was the richest among the four. The Lord of the Southern Border liked to do some strange things, such as raising Gu worms and practicing sorcery.
The eastern border was extremely poor. It was vast and sparsely populated. Even if the Lord of the Eastern Border was left to his own devices, he wouldn’t be able to recruit many troops, so it worried the Imperial Court the least.
The land in the western border was fertile, and the Lord of the Western Border was a weird person. He liked to farm, and his favorite thing to do was to lead his troops to explore the land. After exploring the land, he would distribute it to the commoners to farm. He did not show any ambition and would enter the capital to report his work on time.
Of course, a lord who could escape unscathed from the competition for the throne could not be underestimated.
The Lord of the Northern Border was 50 years old this year and was the third brother of the late emperor. He had countless wives and concubines. He had ten sons and more than ten daughters. He was very reproductive.
He doted on his eldest son the most and hated his seventh son the most.
Currently, he respected his first wife the most and doted on Concubine Yun the most.
As far as Tang Jinghong knew, the Lord of the Northern Border had dealings with the An Huai Kingdom, and perhaps many more.
The people of the Northern Border were fierce by nature. There were bandits at the border, and they were all suppressed by the troops sent by the Lord of the Northern Border. The troops sent by the Imperial Court couldn’t deal with them at all. Now that the bandits were intimidated by the Lord of the Northern Border, they did not dare to cause trouble. Therefore, the Lord of the Northern Border could not be removed for the time being unless they found someone to replace him.
The soldiers in the northern border obeyed their lord. If the replacement could not control the soldiers, the northern border might fall into a state of chaos, and the tributary countries at the border might take advantage of this situation.
This was also the reason why the Imperial Court had not taken action.
Tang Jinghong’s low and deep voice lingered in Chu Qingzhi’s ears. After hearing it, Chu Qingzhi had a rough idea. “Jinghong, I’ll help you find the person who made the crossbow.”
Tang Jinghong tidied Chu Qingzhi’s hair that was blown by the mountain wind. “Sure, but you have to prioritize your own safety. Don’t take risks and don’t do anything rash. No matter what, you have to protect yourself well.”
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