After rebirth, I became a treacherous minister Black Moonlight

What does Father need?

What will it be?
Meng Qianqian was puzzled, and her expression appropriately reflected this puzzlement.

Gongsun Yanming had already guessed her identity, but it seems that he did not tell Ayimulan.

What is most lacking between people is trust.

Prime Minister Xun, Gongsun Yanming, King of Loulan, Ayimuran...

These people colluded and conspired to exploit the merchants, while secretly wanting to get a piece of the pie more than the others.

It would be best if they weren't united, so that it would be easier for them to exploit loopholes.

Shan Cheng pointed to the empty bowl on the table and laughed, "Since you guessed it was me, you still dare to drink the pregnancy-preserving medicine I gave you? Aren't you afraid I'll tamper with it?"

Meng Qianqian calmly said, "The person is already in your hands. If you want to tamper with things, do you think you'd be short a bowl of medicine to prevent miscarriage?"

Shan Cheng's smile deepened: "You are truly an extraordinary woman. I am almost reluctant to hand you over to the Princess."

Meng Qianqian said, "Alright, you can keep me as a mistress in a golden house, how about that?"

"Ha ha!"

Shan Cheng looked up and laughed.

The two maids standing guard outside the house looked at each other in bewilderment.

Clearly, they had never seen Lord Shan laugh so heartily before.

Shan Cheng stood up and said to Meng Qianqian, "You should rest well. We will see the Princess soon."

He left the house.

"Ah, right."

He turned around and said, "Just tell them what you want to eat, and feel free to ask them for anything you need. Don't be shy."

"Humph."

Meng Qianqian indifferently shifted her gaze away.

After Shan Cheng left, she began to ponder his last words.

We will soon be able to see Aymulan.

So, she's already on her way to Loulan?
Loulan is not far from Xicheng. If I had been unconscious for long enough, I might already be in Loulan.

"You guys come in."

She said to the two of them.

Two maids entered.

Meng Qianqian asked, "What are your names?"

"This servant is Ya'er."

"This servant is Mo'er."

The two answered one after the other.

Meng Qianqian then realized that the two were twin sisters.

"Who is the older sister?"

she asked again.

Ya'er stepped forward: "This servant is the elder sister."

Meng Qianqian asked, "What were Shan Cheng's instructions to you?"

Ya'er replied, "Lord Shan instructed the two of us to obey the orders of the Tiger Guard and not to make any mistakes."

Meng Qianqian sized up the two of them: "So, you'll just do whatever I tell you to do?"

Ya'er replied, "Yes."

Meng Qianqian then said, "What if I ask you to release me?"

Without hesitation, Ya'er replied, "Then this servant will have no choice but to obey."

Meng Qianqian isn't that stupid.

But Shan Cheng is a rather interesting person. The fact that he dared to give such instructions to Ya'er and her sister shows that he is very confident in his own vigilance.

Even if the door were wide open, she probably wouldn't be able to get out.

"I'm hungry."

She said.

Ya'er's expression relaxed, and she asked softly, "What would the Tiger Guards like to eat?"

Meng Qianqian took in her expression and said calmly, "You can make the arrangements."

"Yes."

Ya'er went to instruct the kitchen to prepare food.

Mo'er stayed in the room to serve.

Meng Qianqian asked her where she was and how many days she had been asleep, and Mo'er answered her questions one by one.

Mo'er replied, "The Tiger Guards have been asleep for several days. We are on our way to Shanshan City. We will set off early tomorrow morning and enter the city in seven or eight days."

Shanshan was the capital of Loulan.

Unexpectedly, when he opened his eyes, he found himself deep in the heart of Loulan.

That saves me the trouble of finding a place myself.

Aside from supervising her, Shan Cheng never neglected her in terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation. The fabric of her clothes was of the highest quality, the medicine for preventing miscarriage was top-grade, and even the meals prepared for her by the kitchen were very much to her liking.

After she had eaten and drunk her fill, she took a walk in the courtyard to digest her food and asked two maids to find her some books to pass the time.

Ya'er took some storybooks.

"Your young master seems to know me quite well."

They even found out exactly what she liked to read in storybooks and actually prepared some for her.

"Young master is very thoughtful."

Ya'er said.

"Indeed, meticulous."

Meng Qianqian had to admit, "Is your young master working for the Queen Consort or the King of Loulan?"

Neither of them answered.

Meng Qianqian smiled faintly: "So you don't listen to me completely after all."

Ya'er said, "Please forgive me, Tiger Guard."

Meng Qianqian opened the storybook: "You can all leave now. There's no need for you to serve me anymore. I want to be alone."

"Yes."

Ya'er led her younger sister out of the house.

study.

Shan Cheng looked at Ya'er, who had come to report: "What did she ask?"

Ya'er asked, "Are you the Queen's man or the King of Loulan's man?"

Dan Cheng smiled thoughtfully: "She's a cunning woman. I almost fell for her trick. You may leave now. From now on, just answer her questions truthfully."

Ya'er replied, "Yes."

Shan Cheng toyed with the wind chime in his hand: "Tiger Guard, I hope you won't disappoint me."
-
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan and Chen Long's group also entered Loulan.

The group dressed as merchants, selling tea and silk from the Great Zhou Dynasty.

After Shan Cheng was shot, the curse on Chen Long and Si She was lifted, and after a few days of recuperation, the two recovered completely.

Meng Lang rode on horseback, his skin cracked and his lips chapped from the scorching sun.

Looking at the endless queue, he stretched out his hand and said weakly, "Hey, should we stop and find a place to get some water?"

No one ignored him.

Even Tan'er, who is usually very talkative, has become silent these past few days.

After Meng Qianqian left, it seemed as if her heart had been stolen along with her.

She wore a serious face all day long, and her former mischievousness was gone.

Meng Lang looked at her, hesitated, and sighed.

"Take a break."

Lu Yuan said.

Chenlong said, "I haven't found my sister yet."

Lu Yuan said, "The horse is about to give out; we need to change horses."

Yu Chenglou also said, "Chenlong Guard, I understand your feelings, but without horses, our journey will be delayed, and besides—"

Chenlong interrupted him: "I know the way to Shanshan City better than you do."

Yu Chenglou said no more.

His younger sister, Yu Ruyan, followed behind him on horseback.

He planned to drop her off in the next town and find a trusted confidant to settle her in, so that she would not have to suffer the hardships of travel again.

Meng Lang rode his horse between Chen Long and Lu Yuan: "Are we really going to that Shanshan City? There's no evidence that she's in Shan Cheng's hands. What if we're wrong, and she's been captured by someone else, or she's escaped?"

"Isn't it too hasty to conclude that she is about to be taken to Shanshan City based solely on a note from who-knows-who?

"We've been tricked quite a few times along the way..."

After he finished speaking, he immediately covered his head to avoid being beaten up by both his master and brother-in-law.

Unexpectedly, the beating I had imagined did not happen.

"What do you think?" Chenlong asked Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan said, "What he said makes sense."

Meng Lang was dumbfounded.

What did he hear?

His brother-in-law praised him, saying he made a good point!

On the third day after Meng Qianqian disappeared, they received a note from a little beggar with only one sentence on it: "She has been taken to Shanshan City."

He always felt it was a trap.

My master and brother-in-law also had their doubts.

However, after careful analysis, the two agreed that there was a very high probability that Meng Qianqian would fall into Shan Cheng's hands.

Shan Cheng will take her to the capital of Loulan and hand her over to the Loulan Queen for disposal.

"So, what's our plan next?"

"Go to Shanshan City."

Lu Yuan and Chen Long spoke in unison.

Meng Lang: "..."
-
After traveling for several more days, the scenery along the way became desolate, vast and endless.

Meng Qianqian could occasionally see the vast grasslands and flocks of sheep, like flowing clouds.

"Do the Tiger Guards like Loulan?"

Inside the carriage, Ya'er asked Meng Qianqian a question.

Meng Qianqian nodded: "I like it, Loulan is so beautiful."

Ya'er asked with a smile, "Can the Tiger Guards stay in Loulan?"

Meng Qianqian shook her head.

Ya'er asked, puzzled, "Don't the Tiger Guards like Loulan?"

Meng Qianqian said, "Once I conquer Loulan, I can travel to Loulan anytime."

Ya'er was stunned.

Night falls.

They stopped on a grassland in the middle of nowhere.

After much difficulty, we found a herder's family and borrowed two tents from them.

Meng Qianqian asked for a large seat.

Shan Cheng didn't mind.

At night, Meng Qianqian was sleeping soundly when she suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats.

She woke up with a start, opened her eyes, and sat up.

Ya'er and Mo'er were sleeping on the ground and were not woken up.

The sound of horses' hooves rapidly approached and stopped outside the tent.

The two sisters were still fast asleep when Meng Qianqian realized that something was amiss.

"Were you drugged?"

Meng Qianqian withdrew her gaze from the two of them. "I'm really curious, what kind of powerful figure has arrived that makes Shan Cheng so cautious?"

She lay back down, turned over, and went back to sleep.

About half an hour later, she was gently shaken awake by Ya'er.

"Tiger Guard, Tiger Guard."

Ya'er said, "Lord Shan said that a distinguished guest has arrived and invited you to sit in his tent."

Meng Qianqian stood up.

Ya'er took out her outer robe: "It's windy at night, be careful not to catch a cold."

Meng Qianqian put on a thick robe and went to Shan Cheng's tent.

Surprisingly, the first person she met was Mo Yi, who had a Tang sword at his waist.

She greeted him casually, "Long time no see, how have you been, Lord Mo?"

Mo Yi remained expressionless and did not reply.

Meng Qianqian looked at the woman sitting in the tent: "Is the Loulan Princess too ashamed to show her face? Is she putting on a mask?"

Aymulan raised her hand, removed the ghost mask from her face, and calmly looked at Meng Qianqian.

Meng Qianqian said, "Princess Loulan, how have you been? Lord Shan, this is not right of you. The princess is coming in person, but you didn't give me any advance notice so that I could go out to greet her. It makes me seem so negligent and impolite."

Standing on the other side of Aymulan, Shan Cheng twirled the jade flute in his hand upon hearing this: "What do you have?"

Meng Qianqian: "If I pretend, I still have some."

Shan Cheng chuckled.

Meng Qianqian looked at Ayimulan again: "Your Highness, you're not staying in Shanshan City, could it be that you came here specifically to see me, the hostage? I'm truly flattered."

Aymulan said, "I know you sent them a message, telling them to go to Shanshan City."

Meng Qianqian's eyes flickered: "Ah, I see."

She never sent a message to Lu Yuan or Chen Long.

If Aymulan says so, it seems that Lu Yuan and her brother are already on their way to Shanshan City.

No, given Aymuran's cautious nature, she wouldn't make a conclusion easily without being absolutely certain.

Could someone have actually sent a message to Lu Yuan and her brother?
Who is it?
Aymulan said, "Your plan is going to fail because you will never go to Shanshan City!"

Meng Qianqian raised an eyebrow: "Oh."

Aymulan: "Aren't you curious about where I'm taking you?"

Meng Qianqian said, "I'm not curious."

Aymulan gave her a deep look: "You Central Plains people are always so hypocritical."

Meng Qianqian smiled and said, "This is called retreating to advance. I bet you're eager to tell me our real destination."

"It doesn't hurt to tell you."

Aymulan said, "Anyway, you're not going to be able to pass on any more messages to them."

Meng Qianqian thought to herself that she hadn't actually handed it over.

"We're going to Liuli Island."

Aymuran said.

Meng Qianqian was secretly alarmed.

It's actually Liuli Island?

The homeland of the Snake (巳蛇)?
Why did you go there?

Could it be——

Is it because of the rumor of the seven stars aligning?

The Holy Maiden of the Western Night will descend upon Glass Island once more on the night of the alignment of the seven stars, bringing with her a great secret.

Zishu wants the secret of the Holy Maiden of the West Night, and does Ayimuran want it too?
What exactly is this secret?
It has attracted so many people to follow in its footsteps.

Seeing that Meng Qianqian remained silent, Aymulan asked Shan Cheng, "Didn't you mention the rumor of the Seven Stars Alignment to her?"

Shan Cheng said, "She didn't mention it, but I think she must have known about it a long time ago."

Aymulan said, "In that case, I'll be frank. Meng Qianqian, are you willing to assist me in becoming the King of the Western Regions?"

"Me? To assist you?"

Meng Qianqian blinked. "Don't you think it's ridiculous of you to ask that question? There's an irreconcilable feud between us."

Aymulan said, "You don't need to worry about Amushan's matter."

Meng Qianqian gave a cold smile.

Amushan?
One of him is not even enough to pay off the interest on the blood feud between my entire family and my business!

"I will ask you only one question: are you willing to assist me?"

Aymuran's gaze was firm. "You don't have to answer me now. I'll give you time to think it over."

Meng Qianqian asked, "What if I don't agree?"

Aymulan said, "Then I have no choice but to kill you."

Meng Qianqian sneered: "You won't kill me. If you wanted to, you would have done it already. You know perfectly well that I can't assist you. You're just stalling for time, trying to take me to Liuli Island."

Aymuran's fingertips twitched.

She said without changing her expression, "You are very smart, Meng Qianqian. My admiration for you is genuine. If you are willing to assist me, all past grievances will be forgiven. I will also grant you the highest position. In fact, it is not impossible for you to become the High Priestess of Loulan."

"I am not interested."

After saying that, Meng Qianqian got up and left the tent without looking back.

Mo Yi gripped the hilt of the knife: "Ungrateful woman!"

Shan Cheng laughed and said, "She's just too sensible, that's why she's unwilling to associate with the Loulan people."

Mo Yi frowned: "Why not just kill her?"

"She can't die."

Shan Cheng smiled and said, "She's more important than you think."

Mo Yi scoffed, "Isn't she just someone Lu Yuan and Chen Long care about? We can still keep them in check with her corpse."

Shan Cheng said meaningfully, "You think the only people we need to control are Lu Yuan and Chen Long? She's the key to the Seven Stars Alignment. Whether we can get our hands on the secret of the Western Night Saintess depends on how we use her to make a deal with her." (End of Chapter)