Chapter 201 The Shocking Secret

If Yun Shang and Prince Jing traveled to Mount Kirin by horse and carriage, it would take them half a month. That would be too long for Yun Shang, as her wedding with Prince Jing was a month away. If she and Prince Jing weren't in the Palace at that time, it would be troublesome.

So Yun Shang decided not to take the horse and carriage. She chose the Ferghana horse that Prince Jing had found for her. Together, the Prince and Princess rode day and night to reach Mount Kirin as quickly as possible. It took them five days to arrive at the village at the foot of Mount Kirin.

It was a small village with a population of only several hundred people. It was called Peach Stream Village, and the villagers were said to be honest and friendly. Seeing Yun Shang and Prince Jing, the villagers became agitated and defensive.

"This is the twelfth time that strangers have come to our village. Is something wrong?" The villagers pointed to Yun Shang and Prince Jing as they whispered amongst themselves. Yun Shang and Prince Jing were both good at Kung Fu, so they had good hearing. They heard what the villagers had said.

Yun Shang couldn't help but become suspicious. In such a small village, any strangers' arrival was big news for the villagers. If the secret army of one hundred thousand soldiers stationed themselves in Mount Kirin, why hadn't they been noticed by the villagers? And given the fact that the villagers were so suspicious and gossiped a lot about strangers, Yun Shang was afraid that many people were aware of her and Prince Jing's arrival, even before they reached Mount Kirin. This meant that Xia Houjing must know of their arrival, too.

Yun Shang glanced up and exchanged a look with Prince Jing. They both noticed the worry reflected in the other person's eyes. Yun Shang kept silent for a while. Then she approached a woman and started talking, "Madam, I come from Xiyi Town with my husband. We came here to visit my brother and his family. But my brother only told me that he lives near Mount Kirin. This is the only village near Mount Kirin that I could find, but I don't think my brother lives here. I wonder if there are any other major cities around Mount Kirin."

The woman examined Yun Shang and Prince Jing, and found that they looked quite elegant, which made her respect them. But the woman couldn't understand why Yun Shang and Prince Jing rode horses to the village. 'Who would ride horses to visit their relatives? Not to mention there are only two of them.' Upon hearing Yun Shang's explanation that they came from Xiyi Town, the woman stopped questioning their story. Xiyi Town was located at the border. The Town's folk were known for their emboldened outlook, and every person in Xiyi Town knew how to ride a horse and shoot an arrow.

"There are no other major cities around Mount Kirin......" The woman quickly answered.

Yun Shang frowned. She thanked the woman and turned to look at Prince Jing. Prince Jing pondered before he said, "Since our brother doesn't live here, we can leave now. I'll send someone to ask about his address later."

Yun Shang nodded and mounted the horse in preparation to ride away from the village with Prince Jing.

"If grandfather is right about the army of one hundred thousand soldiers, then how do they support themselves without the basic living facilities of a big city?" Yun Shang frowned. She felt that they must have missed something.

Troubled by doubt, Yun Shang gave her secret signal. After a while, as she and Prince Jing walked to a quiet place, a man in black knelt before Yun Shang. "My Lady, " he said respectfully.

Yun Shang nodded before speaking, "People in the Peach Stream Village seem hostile to strangers. Where have you been staying these days? Have you been noticed by someone? You've reported to me that Xia Houjing has arrived here. Where is he now?"

"My Lady, I've been living in the dense forest behind Peach Stream Village. Peach Stream Village is smal

inking. "How is that possible?"

Prince Jing looked at Mount Kirin. His eyes were still filled with coldness. "I was shocked too when I came to know about this. But this secret was found out by my most trusted intelligence specialists. It can't be fake. The ancestor to the Li Clan was a descendant of the State of Xia. But he was the child of a maid and failed to be the heir of his Clan. To save himself from being persecuted by others, he voluntarily asked to come to the State of Ning. Upon arrival, he changed his name, and asked his descendants to promise that they would work for the State of Xia. Together, they schemed to secure important positions in the State of Ning. Slowly but steadily, their power and influence has grown so much that they now intend to rule the State of Ning.

As you know, even though the State of Xia is a large country and is rich in resources, it is scarcely populated and lacks weapons. They have a foothold among all their surrounding countries only due to the protection offered by their natural terrain. People of the State of Xia have their ambitions. They just don't have the chance. But they are smart enough to think of this plan. They are trying to occupy our state in a bloodless way. I suspect that with the Li Clan's high position in the State of Ning, the State of Xia must think this is the best time for them to implement their final plan. The soldiers in Mount Kirin are probably deployed by the State of Xia for this purpose."

It took Yun Shang a long time to accept what Prince Jing had said. She was struck by the news. If Prince Jing was right, then the ruler of the State of Xia must be alarmingly scheming and had shocking foresight.

And if Li Clan were really spies placed by the State of Xia a long time ago, then it would make things more complicated.

"So father must be...... in great danger." Worry filled Yun Shang's eyes. "Xia Houjing and Lord Hua Guo are both in the State of Ning right now. These soldiers will follow their orders. Should we arrest Xia Houjing and Lord Hua Guo? In that way, those soldiers can't act effectively."

Prince Jing shook his head. "We don't have evidence to prove that the State of Xia deployed a hundred thousand soldiers here. Even if we did have the evidence, we should still be prudent. If we arrest Xia Houjing and Lord Hua Guo, I'm afraid the Emperor of the State of Xia will take it as an excuse to declare war on us."

Yun Shang kept silent for a long time. She bit her lip and said, "I need to make some arrangements for mother. I will also need to see to other things in the Imperial City. After that, I'll go into Mount Kirin with you."