Big Moon Ballad

Chapter 2668 Prince
"you……"

Ying Baoyue wondered if she had misheard. "Where are you going?"

"Go save Zhaohua."

“Let’s go to Xirong together and rescue him,” Ji Jiashu smiled, “just like we did back in Xiling Snow Mountain.”

"Do you remember what the three of us said in the cave back then?"

At that time, the three of them were being chased by a mythical beast in the mountains and could only hide in a cave, but they eventually managed to escape.

“No… Jia Shu,” Ying Baoyue said, somewhat confused, “this isn’t a high-level ceremony!”

"What's the difference?"

Ji Jiashu's eyes sparkled in the moonlight. "As long as the two of us go to rescue him, we will definitely be able to find him, just like when he and I went to Xirong to find you!"

Ying Baoyue didn't know where he got so many similarities from. She wanted to say that they seemed different, but suddenly a loud laugh came from beside her.

It is the Tengshe (a mythical serpent).

The woman in black leaned against the window and laughed heartily, "Kid, you're right, there really is no difference!"

"Teng Snake!"

Ying Baoyue frowned.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Tengshe wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes. "It's rare for this kid to be so courageous. On the contrary, you're so timid and hesitant."

“Baoyue, if it were before, you would have been in the North by now.”

When did Shao Siming become so hesitant and timid when saving someone?

"I am now..."

“It’s the king, isn’t it?” Tengshe yawned. “You’re right.”

"Did you think so much when you cleaved the Southern Chu State Preceptor's Mansion with your sword? Weren't you a princess of the Great Qin back then?"

Despite being a princess, she cleaved open the Southern Chu State Preceptor's mansion with a single sword strike, completely disregarding the dignity of a state preceptor and the potential conflict that might result.

This is quite...

Back then, she had just received news at the border that Ji Ange had almost been poisoned when she was already on her way to Southern Chu, crossing the entire continent overnight.

Ying Baoyue never expected that Tengshe would bring up this past event, especially in front of Ji Jiashu.

"Yes, I remember."

Ji Jiashu's eyes lit up even more upon hearing this, "I remember you from that time."

That was the first time in his life that he had truly remembered the appearance of the woman who would one day become Shao Siming.

“It’s normal for you, as the ruler, to think things through,” Tengshe yawned. “This isn’t the first time you’ve personally led a campaign, so what’s there to be afraid of? Did someone say something to you?”

Ji Mo did say some things to her, but more importantly, she herself agreed with them.

“My actions are primarily driven by personal motives,” Ying Baoyue said, lowering her gaze. “If a ruler acts out of personal motives, he will plunge the people into misery.”

"I see," Tengshe understood why Ying Baoyue was so hesitant this time.

She had fallen in love with Li Ji, which made her feel guilty.

Looking at the girl in front of him, who had lowered her head and was no longer angry, Tengshe realized for the first time that Baoyue had truly fallen in love with someone.

Shao Siming, who had never flinched in the face of danger, hesitated for the first time in her life.

"I ask you, if you and that Azure Dragon were complete strangers, and the Azure Dragon God was trapped by the White Dog God, would you save Him?"

“Yes,” Ying Baoyue was stunned, “then we must rescue Him.”

The Azure Dragon God is the head of the Four Heavenly Spirits and the only one capable of restraining the White Dog God, so of course he must be saved.

"Then what are you hesitating for? You must save him, both for the public good and for personal reasons," Tengshe said calmly.

"But what if..." Ying Baoyue pursed her lips, "...I die?"

She was never afraid of death in the past.

But now, she was truly terrified. If she died, what would happen to Ji Jiashu, Gui Chen, and the others who were left behind?
This time, Tengshe was stunned. She stared blankly into the depths of the Imperial Prayer Province and let out a long sigh.

"Yeah, what if you die?"

"In this respect, you have more conscience than your dead master."

When Lin Shubai faced death calmly, did she ever think about what would happen to the people and gods she left behind?
"Tengshe..."

Tengshe turned his head and said, "Hmph, anyway, you two are willing to die for each other without hesitation, completely disregarding those of us who were left behind."

Did Lin Shubai ever consider what would happen to the entire Shan Hai Continent after her death, with floods raging everywhere?

Tengshe felt that she had thought about it, but there was no way to do it.

“So what if he’s dead?” Tengshe tapped Ying Baoyue’s forehead with a finger. “What the world will become after that is for the living to consider.”

Ying Baoyue stood blankly by the bookshelf, feeling a gentle breeze and countless breaths wafting by.

"Figured out?"

Ying Baoyue nodded.

“You can only unleash your full potential when you’re doing what you want to do,” Tengshe laughed. “If you’re afraid of this and that, you’ll end up doing nothing well.”

He is not a proper deity like the Azure Dragon, otherwise he would not have chosen Lin Shubai as his divine son.

Ying Baoyue smiled.

"I see."

She gripped the Crimson Lotus Sword at her waist, as spirited as when she attended the high-level ceremony, "Jia Shu, let's go and rescue him."

Ji Jiashu nodded, "Okay!"

He still prefers Ying Baoyue as she is now.

"Wait, the boy is gone too. What should we do about the affairs of the state?" Tengshe asked. She was too lazy to worry about these troublesome matters between people, but she was now, after all, the guardian of this country.

Ying Baoyue was silent for a moment, then said, "Go to Hou Liao and bring Ying Xun back."

"Wait, Baoyue?"

Ji Jiashu was taken aback. If Ying Xun were brought back at this time, all of Ying Baoyue's efforts to ascend the throne would be meaningless.

Those former Qin officials who originally wanted to support Ying Xun's ascension to the throne would inevitably seize the opportunity to support his succession.

“Xun’er can only succeed to the throne after I’m dead,” Ying Baoyue smiled. “If I can seize the throne once, I can seize it a second time.”

"But if I die, he can only be the former King of Qin."

Ying Baoyue looked into Ji Jiashu's eyes, "Jiashu, you've had a tough time these past few days, haven't you?"

By processing the accumulated memorials over the past few days, Ying Baoyue deeply realized how difficult it was for Ji Jiashu to serve as regent.

He lacked a legitimate official status and was subjected to all sorts of difficulties by officials throughout the Former Qin Dynasty.

The king personally led the expedition, leaving no heir in the country. As the national advisor, Ji Jiashu was asked to take on the responsibility of overseeing the country, which was too heavy a burden for him.

This time, she was heading to the even more dangerous north. If she left Ji Jiashu alone in the Epang Palace to face the ministers of the Former Qin, as before, it would exhaust him.

"But if we bring Ying Xun back..."

Ying Baoyue smiled. "Jiashu, I don't have any children."

Ji Jiashu was stunned.

"But Ying Xun is indeed my child."

This was the only option to stabilize the domestic situation.

Ying Baoyue took a deep breath. "Tengshe, inform the White Tiger God and ask Him to send a divine beast to escort Ying Xun back."

"Have you made a decision?" Tengshe frowned. "This is no small matter. We went to so much trouble to send him away in the first place."

Ying Baoyue nodded, her gaze resolute. "Before I leave, I want to make Ying Xun the crown prince."

(End of this chapter)