socalfunplaces Chapter 1225 Discussing Countermeasures
Chapter 1225 Discussing Countermeasures
In short, the situation in Liyue is that simple. Zhongli felt that Ningguang, who relied on Shao Yun, was a hidden danger, so he quietly pushed Keqing to take over and completely removed Ningguang from the center of power.
If Ningguang wants to return to Liyue Harbor and regain control of Liyue, there is only one path before her: rely on Shao Yun's power and use this sufficient bargaining chip to fight her way back.
But Shao Yun knew better than anyone else that he would never stir up trouble for Liyue for Ningguang's sake.
Therefore, the matter is now closed.
With Zhongli's tacit approval and under-the-table encouragement, Keqing secured her position as the ruler of Liyue and became the rightful "new queen".
Ningguang, having been defeated, fled to another place and took refuge in the home of Shao Yun in Nata.
The two experienced periods of prosperity and decline, and each found their own peace and happiness...
After Shao Yun returned to Nata's home through the abyss portal opened by Yuan Shang.
As soon as he stepped into the living room, he saw Ying sitting on the sofa waiting, with an unfinished book on her lap, clearly waiting for him to come back.
Hearing footsteps, Ying immediately stood up and hurried to meet them, asking anxiously, "How did it go? Did you see Zhongli and Keqing in Liyue?"
"Have you found a solution to Ningguang's problem?"
Shao Yun raised his hand and rubbed his chin, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over the stairs leading to the second floor.
Ningguang's room is on the second floor. She may still be resting, or she may be silently watching the commotion downstairs from the corner of the stairs.
He withdrew his gaze, his expression complex, and said, "I saw him. The mastermind behind the Liyue coup is Zhongli. With him around, Ningguang has no chance of going back to seize power."
"This……"
When Ying heard Shao Yun say that Zhong Li was the mastermind, she was stunned for a moment, and the expression on her face was one of utter disbelief.
"How could it be him? Didn't he always value the stability of Liyue? Ningguang has done so much for Liyue over the years, why would he suddenly turn against her..."
In her memory, Zhongli always puts Liyue's interests first and would never make such an extreme decision easily.
In her view, getting rid of Ningguang would be like cutting off her own arm!
Looking at Ying's incredulous expression, Shao Yun helplessly spread his hands and said self-deprecatingly:
"I didn't expect it either, but that's just how it is, there's no reasoning with it. Do you know what he said to me in the end?"
Seeing Shao Yun's solemn expression, Ying's heart skipped a beat, and she pressed for an answer: "What did he say? Did he impose any restrictions on Ningguang?"
Shao Yun took a deep breath and relayed Zhong Li's words to Ying, word by word.
“He said that if Ningguang dares to return to Liyue, he will kill her with his own hands, regardless of whether I protect her or not.”
He added an even colder remark as soon as he finished speaking, his tone displeased: "And you said that Ningguang is now under my control, that I can kill her or torture her as I please, and that Liyue will no longer care about her life or death..."
In fact, Ningguang's current situation is exactly as Zhongli said; she has become someone who needs to depend on Shaoyun to survive, like an "object" to be disposed of at will, a female slave belonging to him.
But... it was already 1899, and slavery had long been abolished...
After hearing this, Ying put her hands on her hips, her brows furrowed tightly, and her lips unconsciously pursed, her face full of trouble.
"How... how do we tell Ningguang?"
Ningguang had just suffered the blow of a failed coup attempt, and her physical health had not fully recovered, nor had her mental state been stable.
If she knew that she couldn't go back to Liyue, and that going back would bring her death, she probably wouldn't be able to bear such a blow.
Shao Yun was very clear-headed; he knew this matter couldn't be kept secret forever, so this was his plan.
“It seems Ningguang will never be able to return to Liyue in this lifetime. This matter cannot be rushed. Let’s discuss it with Yelan and Beidou first.”
"Once Ningguang's body has recovered somewhat and her mental state has stabilized, we'll find a suitable opportunity to tell her the truth."
After listening, Ying nodded slightly. This was indeed the only option at the moment…
"Okay, I'll go and inform Beidou and Yelan right now and have them come over as soon as possible. Why don't you two talk in the study?"
When Shao Yun heard Ying suggest going to the study to discuss the matter, he recalled what had happened the previous night and asked:
"I remember, didn't Beidou lock herself in her study last night? Has she come out now?"
Upon hearing this, Ying recounted in detail how Shao Yun had been away from home during his trip to Liyue.
"Not long after you left, the study door opened. When Beidou came out, his eyes were a little red."
“I asked her, but she didn’t say anything. She just went to Ningguang’s room on the second floor and then took care of Ningguang, bringing her water and medicine and talking to her. She was more attentive than before.”
After listening, Shao Yun roughly understood the situation.
Given Beidou's personality, upon learning of Ningguang's plight, he must have been both anxious and angry, yet unable to offer any significant help, and could only vent his emotions secretly in his study.
I guess he cried all night and realized that "crying and making a fuss won't change the situation," so he mustered up his energy to take care of Ningguang again.
He didn't press further, after all, everyone has their own way of venting their emotions, and the fact that Beidou was willing to pull himself together and take care of Ningguang was already the best outcome.
He changed the subject and casually asked about Ningguang's health.
"By the way, how is Ningguang? When I left, she could only speak softly. Is she feeling better now?"
Ying recalled bringing Ningguang breakfast that morning, a relieved smile appearing on her face as she replied:
"Much better! When I brought her porridge this morning, she was able to speak normally. Although her voice was still a little soft, it was much clearer than before."
"Moreover, she has a good appetite. She finished the porridge and two steamed buns that Shen He made. At this rate of recovery, she will be able to get out of bed and walk around in a few days."
Upon hearing "able to speak normally" and "good appetite," Shao Yun responded with a sound of agreement.
"Okay, that's fine then..."
……
Subsequently, Shao Yun and Ying Bing split into two groups.
Ying went to inform Ye Lan and Bei Dou, while Shao Yun went to the study, sat down behind the desk, and waited to tell Bei Dou and Ye Lan all the information.
Not long after, Ying entered with Beidou and Yelan. Ying then closed the door from the outside, leaving the three of them space to talk.
Upon seeing that people had arrived, Shao Yun got straight to the point and recounted everything he had seen and heard in Liyue.
However, when mentioning Zhongli, he deliberately avoided the name "Zhongli" and instead used the euphemism "immortal".
Of course, Zhongli is the ancestor of all the immortals in Liyue, so calling him an "immortal" is not wrong.
"Well... to put it simply, this coup was orchestrated by that immortal, with the aim of removing Ningguang from the center of power in Liyue."
"He also declared that if Ningguang dared to return to Liyue, he would take action against her regardless of whether she had anyone to protect her."
After listening, Ye Lan pinched her chin with her fingers and quickly analyzed the situation.
"It seems that the immortal... had planned this all along; Ningguang's downfall was not accidental."
Beidou remained silent for a long time, her eyes reddening as she struggled to hold back her tears.
She was indeed disappointed in Ningguang last night, but she still felt that all of this was unfair to Ningguang.
“Even if they didn’t achieve anything, they must have worked hard… This is just too disheartening,” Beidou said, speaking out for Ningguang.
Then, she took a deep breath, barely managing to compose herself, and reluctantly inquired about the details, saying:
"Immortal...which immortal is it that's targeting Ningguang like this?"
Seeing Beidou grieving for Ningguang, Shao Yun stood up, walked to her side, patted her shoulder, and comforted her with a hint of helplessness in his voice:
"That's all I can say. Some things are too complicated to explain, and you wouldn't understand even if I said more. Knowing too much wouldn't do us any good either."
He didn't want to reveal Zhongli's name, nor did he want to cause Beidou and the others any more trouble. Of course, it wouldn't make a difference anyway.
Do you, Beidou, know the truth? Do you really want to be able to kill Zhongli while still warming wine? Forget it...
But at this moment, Beidou had only one thought in her mind: she had to find out who that ruthless "immortal" who targeted Ningguang was.
A name flashed through her mind: Liu Yun Jie Feng Zhen Jun, who had once challenged Ning Guang and even publicly questioned Ning Guang's policies.
"Is it the True Lord Liuyun Borrowing Wind?" Beidou asked tentatively.
Looking at Beidou's eager and expectant eyes, Shao Yun slowly shook his head: "It's not True Lord Liuyun Borrowing the Wind."
He paused, then shifted the topic away from "immortals".
At this point, it's pointless to dwell on who it is; the most important thing to consider is how to settle Ningguang and deal with any potential problems that may arise.
"In short, names are no longer important. You just need to remember one sentence: The immortals of Liyue (Zhongli) have completely abandoned Ningguang. Ningguang will never set foot in Liyue again in this lifetime."
When Beidou heard Shao Yun say that Ningguang "can never go back in this lifetime," her last shred of hope vanished, and she couldn't help but curse under her breath.
"hateful……"
After I finished cursing, a deep sense of powerlessness welled up inside me.
Ningguang was once the glorious Tianquan Star, in charge of Liyue's commercial lifeline. She could make the merchants of Liyue Harbor tremble with a stomp of her foot. But now she has been abandoned by the Celestials and can no longer even return to her homeland.
She couldn't help but mutter to herself: Ningguang, Ningguang, how did your life of wealth and honor come to an end like this? Who on earth used some kind of "Five Ghosts Transporting Wealth" method to take away your wealth?
(Lan Yan: This has nothing to do with my family!)
(Barbara: Kids, it was actually me!)
"Forget it, getting angry and overthinking won't do any good; it won't solve anything."
"I'm going to take care of Ningguang first. Mr. Shao Yun, you can discuss Ningguang's next steps with Ye Lan. I'm very confused right now and can't think things through calmly."
After saying that, Beidou turned and walked out of the study.
After much thought, she decided that instead of racking her brains for a solution here, she should focus on taking care of Ningguang.
After all, health is the foundation of everything. As long as Ningguang recovers as soon as possible, we can discuss everything in the future after she recovers.