CHAPTER 535: CHAPTER 286: ALREADY KNEW_3

"Zuo Da Dang Household, what do you plan to do next? Are you going to stay in Great Zhou to gather information?"

At this moment, Hu Yanping was in a state of panic and didn’t know what to do for a while.

"What do you think?"

"I think there is no need for us to stay in Great Zhou to gather information." Wuwei said, "Even if we stay, we probably won’t find out anything."

Hu Yanping furrowed his brows and, after hesitating for a moment, said, "Do you mean we should return to the grasslands immediately?"

"The sooner, the better." Wuwei said seriously, "If we stay in Great Zhou any longer, it will only be dangerous, and we might not be able to return to the grasslands at all."

Hu Yanping’s face changed dramatically after hearing this.

"Do you mean if we continue to stay in Great Zhou, the people of Great Zhou will harm us?"

"Zuo Da Dang Household, haven’t you noticed that the people of Great Zhou are full of hostility towards us? They’re eager to start a war with us." Wuwei speculated, "If we die, the Chanyu will be extremely angry and will surely march southward, which would be exactly what Great Zhou desires."

"Are you saying Great Zhou wants to attack us?"

Wuwei nodded, "That’s right."

Hu Yanping looked shocked, "How dare they..."

"Zuo Da Dang Household, the Emperor of Great Zhou is a capable and ambitious ruler; he cannot possibly stay indifferent to us." Wuwei said, "The Emperor of Great Zhou clearly knows that the disturbances in the northern border are not caused by mere bandits but by the Royal Court. Do you think the Great Zhou Emperor would act as if nothing happened?"

He asked, "If it were the Chanyu, what do you think the Chanyu would do?"

Without any hesitation, Hu Yanping said, "The Chanyu would seek revenge against Great Zhou." He sighed lightly, "Great Zhou will also seek revenge against us."

"So, we must leave Great Zhou quickly."

Hu Yanping felt that Wuwei’s words were quite right and nodded in agreement, "Fine, we’ll go back in two days." After speaking, he waved his hand at Yitu and the others, gesturing for them to withdraw.

Yitu and the others left like defeated roosters, dejectedly returning to their rooms.

Seeing Hu Yanping dismiss Yitu and the others, Wuwei knew Hu Yanping had something important to tell him.

"Wuwei, I have to go out and meet someone tonight. Please cover for me at the hostel." Hu Yanping said with a solemn face, "This person is under the Right Virtuous King’s influence and is extremely important; I must meet him."

Hearing this, Wuwei was surprised, but he showed no sign of it on his face. He pretended not to care and said, "Zuo Da Dang Household, just go with peace of mind; I will cover for you."

"Thank you." Seeing that Wuwei did not ask who this person was, Hu Yanping sighed with relief in his heart.

At night, under Wuwei’s cover, Hu Yanping sneaked out of the hostel.

Marquis Jingyang was not surprised at all to see Hu Yanping. The two exchanged pleasantries briefly before getting to the main point.

Hu Yanping directly asked Marquis Jingyang what the odds of success would be if the Xiongnu marched south to attack Great Zhou.

Without any hesitation, Marquis Jingyang told Hu Yanping, at most thirty percent.

"With your Yuan Family’s secret assistance, what are the odds?"

Marquis Jingyang said, "The thirty percent I just mentioned includes the Yuan Family’s secret assistance to you."

"Only thirty percent..." Hu Yanping couldn’t believe that their chances of winning were so low.

"The Right Virtuous King wrote to me, and I told him that Great Zhou is not Da Xia; it is not so easy to deal with." Marquis Jingyang strongly disapproved of the Xiongnu coming to Great Zhou, and he was also dissatisfied with Hu Yanping coming to find him, but he could not refuse to meet him. "The current Emperor of Great Zhou is extremely formidable and clever, not someone your Chanyu can contend with."

Upon hearing Marquis Jingyang belittle the Chanyu so much, Hu Yanping did not feel displeased. From the first encounter with the Great Zhou Emperor, he sensed that the Emperor was more powerful than the Chanyu.

"Is Great Zhou intending to attack the Xiongnu?"

"If you don’t provoke Great Zhou, there will be no trouble, but you did provoke them and even came challenging to Great Zhou." Marquis Jingyang said mockingly, "Before you came, I warned you several times not to come, but you ignored it and provoked the wrong people."

Hu Yanping’s expression stiffened for a moment before revealing a bitter smile, "We didn’t expect Great Zhou..."

"I advise you, when you return, to sincerely persuade the Chanyu not to treat Great Zhou as Da Xia." Marquis Jingyang spoke coldly, "If you don’t want to go to war with Great Zhou, then apologize and send gifts obediently. Otherwise, if it really comes to a fight, your fate..." Marquis Jingyang said nothing more, but the ridicule in his tone said it all.

"Sigh, I didn’t expect it to be like this..."

"Also, don’t easily contact me if there’s nothing urgent." Marquis Jingyang frowned, "The current emperor is too smart, and nothing escapes his notice. If he detects any connection between me and you, the entire Yuan Family will be executed."

"Tonight, I took a risk to meet you, but I don’t wish to see you again in the future."

Hu Yanping smiled, "Marquis Jingyang, you won’t be able to see me even if you wish; I probably won’t come to Great Zhou again."

Marquis Jingyang snorted coldly, "It better be so."

"I will pass on your words to the Chanyu."

"Anything else? If not, I’ll return."

"Nothing else. Sorry to bother you tonight, Marquis Jingyang."

Marquis Jingyang stood up and reminded Hu Yanping again, "If the Chanyu still wants to remain Chanyu, he’d better heed my advice and not attack Great Zhou, or his reign will end." With those words, he turned and left.

Although Hu Yanping belonged to the New Modun Chanyu, he did not blindly trust him. After seeing the Emperor of Great Zhou and witnessing Great Zhou’s strength, he believed that Marquis Jingyang was not deliberately trying to intimidate him.

After Marquis Jingyang left for a while, Hu Yanping finally left.

By this time, the news of the meeting between Hu Yanping and Marquis Jingyang had already reached the Imperial Study.

The Emperor had long known about the collusion between the Yuan Family and the Xiongnu. He had not taken action against the Yuan Family yet, partly because there was no evidence and partly because he was waiting to catch a big fish.