Chapter 793: Night Trial (Part )

"Your Majesty, Commander Wang is here!"

With a notification, the curtain was lifted high. Then, Wang Dechen, wearing a cloak, rubbed his sleepy eyes, breathed heavily and stretched his limbs, and walked into the central army tent accompanied by Yin Zhan.

Unlike Long Yu, Su He and others who were solemn and serious, Wang Dechen was very casual in his dress, expression and behavior. He was only wearing a loose single garment under his cloak, and when he saw Hu Lie, he just bowed slightly, then sat down on the chair, looking drowsy and lazy.

However, facing Wang Dechen's laziness, Hu Lie was not displeased at all. Instead, he personally poured tea and water for him to help him get rid of his sleepiness.

Although it was a trivial matter, it was enough to show that Wang Dechen was much more important in Hu Lie's heart than Long Yu, Su He and others.

"As the saying goes, 'It is better to leave your mother at the age of three than to leave her bed at the dawn.' Dechen, I am sorry to have you here so late."

The tone in which Hu Lie spoke to Wang Dechen was very different from when he was talking to Long Yu and Su He just now. It didn't feel like they were a king and his subjects with a distinction of hierarchy, but more like friends who supported each other. Their words were relaxed and not without a hint of humor.

"I'm always in the army, so it's common to get out of bed at three o'clock, not to mention five o'clock." After two sips of tea, Wang Dechen gradually became more alert. He waved his hand absentmindedly and asked curiously, "Looking at the prince's posture, could it be that he hasn't slept all night again?"

"If some things are not arranged properly at night, how can they be carried out step by step after dawn?" Hu Lie said self-deprecatingly, "In order to avoid chaos tomorrow, I have to stay awake tonight."

"It's really strange." Wang Dechen curled his lips and said, "Your Highness usually works early and sleeps late, but why is he still here tonight?"

"How's it like on weekdays? How's it like tonight?"

"Normally, the prince is alone and has nothing to do, so he works day and night. But it's different now. Isn't Zhao Xin... already here?" Wang Dechen said with a sly smile, "There are many beautiful women in the Central Plains, and women in the south of the Yangtze River are even more charming. There is a saying that 'a moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold, flowers have fragrance and the moon has shadow'. Although the prince is busy with military affairs, there are some things... no matter how busy you are, you can't delay them."

"What a joke! Who do you think I am?" Hu Lie's face darkened, pretending to be unhappy. "Do you think I am one of those mediocre people who are greedy for pleasure and indulge in lust? Besides, I have Yin Zhan and others serving me day and night, how can I be considered alone?"

"People like Yin Zhan don't count!" Wang Dechen said with a meaningful smile, "Even if they accompany the prince for a hundred years, we will never see the 'little prince'. Haha..."

After these words were spoken, Yin Zhan, who was standing aside, couldn't help but look embarrassed. He didn't know how to respond for a moment and could only laugh along with them.

"Your words hit the nail on the head, Dechen." Hu Lie's expression changed, his tone intriguing, "The more I look at Zhao Xin, the more I like her."

"Oh?" Wang Dechen raised his eyebrows and asked tentatively, "Your Highness...you don't want her to sit firmly in the East Palace in the future, do you?"

"Why not?" Hu Lie said with a smile, "I have met at least eight hundred women in my life, but none of them made me take a second look. But this princess of the Song Dynasty has said something shocking time and time again, which has made me look at her with new eyes."

“This…” Wang Dechen gradually stopped joking after realizing that Hu Lie was not joking. “But she is Han Chinese after all…”

"So what if they are Han Chinese?" Hu Lie waved his hand nonchalantly. "Although the world is vast, it will sooner or later belong to the Mongols. The Han Chinese have an old saying, 'All land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people in the world are the king's subjects.' Whether they are Mongolians or Han Chinese, they will sooner or later become subjects of the Mongols."

"Your Highness' words are very painful." Wang Dechen murmured thoughtfully, "If I think about it carefully, if a Han princess is your principal wife... when our army marches south to conquer Han territory in the future... it may be easier to win the hearts of those Han people."

"There is no need to wait until the future. From the moment Zhao Xin steps into my camp, the Han people with lofty ideals and talents in both civil and military affairs will come to me in an endless stream." Hu Lie's eyes sparkled, and he spoke with confidence, "De Chen, please remember what I said tonight. The Mongolian cavalry is invincible in the world, and we will be victorious in conquering cities and territories. One day, we will unify the world. However, after the world is settled, we will no longer need iron hooves and curved swords to conquer everywhere. By then, the ones who can truly 'govern the country and bring peace to the world'... are still the learned scholars and the culture of the Han people that has been passed down for thousands of years. It is far from enough to rule a great country by relying solely on arrogant soldiers, brave generals, bows, horses, swords and arrows."

"Your Highness' words are like enlightenment to me. I admire you wholeheartedly!" Wang Dechen straightened his expression and bowed to Hu Lie. "I originally thought that Your Highness's marriage to the Princess of the Song Dynasty was just a delaying tactic. But today I know that Your Highness's vision is much longer-term than a delaying tactic. What you really want is not a beautiful woman, but the submission of thousands of Han people."

Yin Zhan said proudly: "The delaying tactic is only a short-term plan. Your Highness can use the opportunity of the marriage with the princess of the Song Dynasty to recruit talents from all over the world and reduce the hatred of the Han people towards Mongolia. This will be of great benefit in the future, whether it is conquering the world or ruling the world. This is the true foresight and foresight."

"What do you mean by enlightenment? What do you mean by foresight? What I said is only the situation of the world and the future trend. Anyone with a little vision can see the way of prosperity and decline, survival and destruction. It is far from being as unfathomable as you boast." "Your Highness is so humble, doesn't it make us feel ashamed?"

"Alright, stop trying to fool me. Even if it's unfathomable, it's not your turn to flatter me." Hu Lie waved his hands impatiently, "In short, whether it's for long-term considerations or for my own selfishness, I will make Zhao Xin my principal wife. Even if...some things are not as I imagined."

"This..." Wang Dechen seemed to hear something strange in Hu Lie's words, and asked suspiciously, "Did the prince encounter something unpleasant? You called me here overnight, could it be... related to this matter?"

"It is said that family disgrace should not be made public, but you and I are brothers who share life and death, so I don't need to hide my family disgrace from you. In fact..."

Hu Lie sighed to the sky, and then told Wang Dechen everything about the relationship between Liu Xunyi and Zhao Xin, as well as everything that happened tonight.

After hearing this, Wang Dechen felt mixed emotions. His expression became inexplicably complicated, like shock, anger, and sadness.

"boom!"

Suddenly, Wang Dechen slammed his right hand on the table, knocking over the teacup. The tea that had not yet been finished flowed everywhere, wetting his sleeves.

He seemed to get angrier and angrier as he thought about it. He said angrily, "These Han people are really despicable and hateful! Liu Xunyi actually coveted the princess. He is just like a lazy toad wanting to eat swan meat. He should be cut into pieces and his bones should be crushed to dust to relieve the hatred in my heart. As for Ding Qinghong, he is a eunuch with ulterior motives. He actually plotted against the prince with a trick of 'killing with a borrowed knife'. He is simply asking for his own death. For this kind of traitor, he is even more despicable, more mean, and more shameless than Liu Xunyi."

"It's not a bad thing for us to have someone like Ding Qinghong stay with the Emperor of the Great Song Dynasty." Hu Lie's eyes darkened and he said sadly, "These Han people have always liked to fight among themselves, and I am no longer surprised. In fact, the people who surprised me the most in this matter... were Long Yu and Su He. Their two completely different reactions to the same thing completely changed their positions in my heart."

"Yes!" Wang Dechen sighed, "Long Yu is usually cold and ruthless, and he always looks indifferent to everyone. But when it comes to major issues, his loyalty is firmer than anyone else. It is really commendable that he is so selfless in defending the face of the prince. As for Su He... He has amazing martial arts, but unfortunately, the sense of brotherhood is deeply rooted in his bones, even to the point of being hopeless. He is just a commoner and it is difficult for him to achieve great things."

"Alas!" Hu Lie said with regret, "The Khan and I had high hopes for him, but the result is... It seems that from now on, I should cultivate Long Yu well, so that he can become a talent as soon as possible and take charge of the affairs for the Khan."

"Your Highness is right." Wang Dechen thought about it again and again, still feeling depressed, and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, for the sake of the overall situation and your own face, it is understandable that you covered up this matter, but why did you let Liu Xunyi go so easily?"

"What do you mean?" Hu Lie hesitated. "In your opinion, how should I treat Liu Xunyi?"

Wang Dechen's eyes flashed with coldness, and he said fiercely: "Remember this in one word: 'kill'."

"kill?"

"That's right! If this person is not removed, he will always be a thorn in the prince's heart." Wang Dechen sneered, "Besides, as long as Liu Xunyi is alive, the princess will always be worried. I think... the prince should not want the princess to sleep with him but have different dreams."

When Wang Dechen said the last sentence, Hu Lie's eyes changed quietly, but then returned to normal in an instant. After a moment's silence, he shook his head slowly: "I promised Zhao Xin that I would not embarrass Liu Xunyi."

"It is said that Liu Xunyi killed Luo Tianjin, the leader of the martial arts world, and is now being hunted down by various sects. He has no place to stand in the Central Plains, so he had no choice but to come to Mobei. He came here to send his bride, but in fact he was trying to avoid danger." Wang Dechen recalled Liu Xunyi's "legendary past" and encouraged thoughtfully, "Therefore, there is no need for the prince to take action personally to deal with him. As long as the news is released and he is ordered to return to the Central Plains as soon as possible, Liu Xunyi's life will certainly be in danger. In this way, the prince can both grant Zhao Xin a grace and put Liu Xunyi in a desperate situation. It's the best of both worlds, why not do it?"

"The ruffians' clamor is often exaggerated, and their actions often end in failure." Yin Zhan seemed to agree with Wang Dechen's proposal, but he was a little worried. He stammered, "Those so-called 'heroes' are only halfway through their journey, and are not enough to kill them."

"If the Jianghu is not enough to take his life, there is still the 'Tong Dynasty', right?" Wang Dechen smiled, "If the Song Dynasty court and the Central Plains martial arts world do not tolerate him, even if Liu Xunyi has three heads and six arms, how many days can he survive?"

……

(End of this chapter)