NCCnovel Chapter 399
Chapter 399
[Master, although divining the weather is nothing to you, it's really not worth it for a useless reef.]"Little Zhu, don't you think this is a good excuse to go out? With this small island, I can openly go out to sea and have fun."
"System, are there any mines on this island?"
It was completely bare without a single plant, so it couldn't possibly be entirely devoid of minerals too!
[Host, stop dreaming. Gold and silver mines aren't like cabbages you can find on just any random island.]
Hearing the system's words, Yue Fuguang wasn't too disappointed. The main reason was that she genuinely wasn't short on money right now.
As a mission-taker, she didn't plan on establishing hegemony here anyway; the wealth she currently had on hand was more than enough for her to squander.
Yue Fuguang stood up, took two steps forward, and stopped about three meters away from the map. Her gaze landed on the map, seemingly looking at the Chrysanthemum Island that Yanji had mentioned.
But only she knew that she was actually looking further outwards, at a much larger reef not too far from Chrysanthemum Island.
"System, is that the reef where the gold and silver mines are located?"
[Host, that is the island. It is no more than forty nautical miles from Chrysanthemum Island.]
A look of disdain appeared on Yue Fuguang's face. Pointing her finger at the location of the gold and silver mines, she said, "There is a larger island right here, yet you choose not to offer it to me, instead specifically picking the smaller Chrysanthemum Island. Is Dongyi looking down on this Junior Preceptor?"
At this moment, Yue Fuguang's face was so cold it could drop ice shards. She exuded a chilling aura, making it seem like she was furious after sensing she had been slighted.
Before Yanji could even offer a few words of defense, Oshima was so frightened that he fell to his knees with a heavy thud.
He bowed his head to the floor and loudly proclaimed, "Please forgive me, Lord Junior Preceptor. The island you mentioned is named Yuexi, and it is the sacred land where our Dongyi ancestors first rose to power.
The land on Yuexi Island is barren. Although it has a larger area, it is highly mountainous, and the mountains are mostly covered in weeds and low shrubs. It is completely unsuitable for cultivation, and..."
Yue Fuguang impatiently waved her hand to cut off his remaining words. She sat back in her seat, coldly observing the two brothers—one standing, one kneeling. "You just need to tell me whether or not you can swap Chrysanthemum Island for Yuexi Island. This Junior Preceptor does not want to hear anything else, nor do I care."
Her domineering and ruthless demeanor made the surrounding people silently lower their heads and play dead, though Gan Tang and Lan Xuan'er couldn't help but steal a few glances at Yue Fuguang.
Oshima looked incredibly troubled, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead out of pure anxiety. Seeing his foolish state, Yanji had no choice but to take over and say, "Lord Junior Preceptor, it is not that we are unwilling to give it to you. It is truly because that place is the sacred land of our royal family's rise, considered our ancestral grounds, so..."
He didn't state what "so" meant, but the implication was glaringly obvious. In Great Yan, unless there was some deep-seated blood feud, a normal person would never forcefully demand someone else's ancestral land, especially a prosperous place with excellent feng shui. If Yue Fuguang insisted on taking it, it would be a grave breach of etiquette!
"Are all your ancestors buried there?" If it was the royal cemetery of Dongyi, she would feel rather disgusted by it too.
Yanji nodded, then shook his head. "Aside from the first few generations of ancestors, the rest are cenotaphs. Yuexi Island is quite far from the mainland, making it inconvenient for sacrificial rites. Therefore, after every generation of our late kings passes away, a cenotaph is erected on the island.
Yuexi Island holds a vastly different significance for our royal family. If you desire it, My Lord, the news will undoubtedly spark massive controversy once it reaches our clan. This... if it drags on for a long time, we might be able to wait, but the common people of Dongyi cannot!
Please show us mercy, Divine Maiden!"
Good heavens, this guy clearly didn't believe her claims of being a descended Divine Maiden, yet to achieve his goals at this moment, he was throwing all his pride and dignity out the window.
However, Yanji did make a valid point: time waited for no one. Calculating the days, the torrential rain in Dongyi would stop in just half a month. If the news of her wanting Yuexi Island was sent back and they started endlessly haggling over it, and too much time passed, wouldn't all her efforts end up being for nothing?
"Forget it, how unlucky!" Yue Fuguang leaned her body back against her chair, suddenly seeming to lose all interest in Yuexi Island. "Chrysanthemum Island it is, then."
She put away the gift registry. "This Junior Preceptor is kind-hearted and cannot bear to see the people of Dongyi suffer, so I will take the trouble to perform a divination for you."
Hearing Yue Fuguang finally relent, both Yanji and Oshima were overjoyed. Yanji put on a flattering, fawning expression. "Lord Junior Preceptor, I wonder if we need to prepare anything for this divination?"
Yue Fuguang waved her hand. "No need." At this moment, she appeared exceptionally generous and easy to talk to. "This Junior Preceptor will cast the hexagram at the beginning of the Chen hour tomorrow. You can just come wait for the news after the Chen hour."
Having said this, her patience was entirely spent. Ignoring all the empty formalities of serving tea and seeing guests out, she waved off the group. "Alright, if there is nothing else, you may all leave!"
Checking the time, it was already noon. No wonder she was feeling both hungry and sleepy.
Everyone stood up in unison, bowed respectfully, and then retreated together.
Only Bei Yue was still anxiously dwelling on the unresolved matter of his poisoning. As he left, he looked back three times with every step he took.
He desperately hoped that Yue Fuguang and that invisible 'Little Zhu' would bring the matter up again.
[Master, that Bei Yue is going to die. Bei Ji won't pin the blame for this on Great Yan, will he?]
Constant longing must yield an echo. Sure enough, the group had barely walked a few steps out of the flower hall, just as Bei Yue was on the verge of giving up, when he once again heard the news of his impending death.
He was already much calmer than he had been earlier. Aside from his face being slightly pale and his footsteps being a bit unsteady, he just walked slower and slower, making it look as though the physical discomfort from a hangover was still heavily affecting him.
"How much longer does Bei Yue have to live? The New Year has passed, and the diplomatic mission has been staying in Great Yan for almost half a year now. It's about time for them to head back.
Little Zhu, calculate the time. Will he die while still in Great Yan?"
A brief flash of embarrassment crossed Bei Yue's face. These two were discussing his life and death as simply and casually as if they were talking about another sunny day. It made it somewhat hard for him to maintain his composure.
However, with his life hanging in the balance, and fully aware of the capabilities of those two, he didn't dare harbor the slightest bit of resentment.
In order to hear a little more information, Bei Yue didn't even need to fake his awful complexion. He simply kept his hand clutched over his stomach and deliberately slowed his pace.
When the servants escorting them out of the estate saw Bei Yue's actions and pale face, they guessed that this esteemed guest might have eaten something bad. Given the statuses of the group, they didn't dare urge them to hurry up.
They merely continued to grumble endlessly in their hearts, thinking that a wild boar couldn't appreciate fine grains. One had to know that in their estate, the Seventh Miss enjoyed the absolute best treatment.
Especially after the Seventh Miss was granted a royal title, her provisions were entirely unique within the estate. The tea and pastries she used to entertain guests were all top-tier delicacies. To actually get an upset stomach from eating such things truly showed a total lack of fortune.
Feigning illness, Bei Yue had no idea that his actions were drawing the silent mockery of the Yu estate's servants. Right now, he only cared about who the poisoner was, what kind of poison he had been given, and whether he could still be saved.
From the corner of his eye, he glanced at Lan Xuan'er beside him. This woman was a peerless master of both medicine and poison. Now that the few of them shared a common secret, she would surely lend him a hand and save him, right!
[To avoid drawing suspicion, the poisoner gave him a slow-acting poison. This kind of slow-acting poison must be administered a total of five times. Last night was the third time.
I don't know when the diplomatic mission will set off to return home. If they delay by a few days, Bei Yue will probably end up a corpse in Great Yan.]
"What a hassle. Forget it, considering Emperor Mingxi has been relatively obedient, I'll help him out one more time."