Chapter 143 Li Xiuning's Little Thoughts
"Master Ni, you have come to visit us. I am sorry that Shimin failed to welcome you. Please forgive me for my neglect!"
In Yangzhi County, in front of the official residence, Li Shimin, accompanied by Yuchi Jingde, Ding Xiu, and three young men of impressive bearing, opened the main gate, personally came before Ni Kun, and bowed to the ground.
Ni Kun returned the half-salute and said with a smile:
"Mr. Li, you are too polite. I hope you will not think that we are a nuisance to you for coming here to bother you."
Li Shimin said solemnly:
"Mr. Ni, you really flatter me. Shimin is so happy that you are here, how dare I be disrespectful? Also, please don't be polite, just call Shimin by his name."
After a few pleasantries, Li Shimin introduced the three impressive young men behind him. They were Duan Zhixuan, Hou Junji, Li Shimin's capable generals, and his cousin Li Daoxuan.
Even though they failed to capture Chang'an, the Li family, as one of the four top families in the world, was still full of talented people.
In addition to the talents from other clans who served in Taiyuan, there were also a large number of talents from the Li clan, such as Li Shentong, Li Xiaogong, Li Xiaoji, Li Daozong, Li Daoxuan, etc., who all came to Taiyuan to serve Li Yuan after the Li clan started the rebellion.
Unfortunately, Chang'an, a treasure trove of talents, was taken away by the Qin Emperor first.
Li Jing and his wife, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xiao Yu, Qu Tutong and other famous ministers and generals have all been recruited by the Qin Emperor.
The twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion in the original world line can no longer be gathered together now.
Of course, Duan Zhixuan and Hou Junji are also among the Twenty-Four Heroes.
In addition, famous ministers and generals such as Yin Kaishan, Liu Hongji, Liu Zhenghui, and Tang Jian, who were either in Taiyuan or on good terms with Li Yuan, all joined the Li family after Li Yuan started the rebellion.
After Duan Zhixuan and the other two paid their respects to Ni Kun, Li Shimin respectfully invited Ni Kun and his party into the mansion and ordered his servants to prepare a banquet to welcome them.
While the banquet was being prepared, another personal soldier came to report that the third wife, Li Xiuning, had arrived, escorting military supplies.
Li Shimin, who was drinking tea and chatting with Ni Kun and others in the living room, quickly apologized to Ni Kun and went to greet Li Xiuning.
Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng were Li Xiuning's direct subordinates. When they heard that their superior had arrived, they also went out to greet him.
Ni Kun was also quite curious about Princess Pingyang in the original world line, who made Kou Zhong miss her so much that he wanted to dominate the world because of her.
What kind of extraordinary woman could make a man as open-minded as Kou Zhong worry about her for almost half his life?
Now you have to take a good look at it.
Of course, Li Xiuning himself is indeed a legendary figure.
If the Qin Emperor had not returned and the Qin Terracotta Army had not appeared, then according to the original world line, Li Xiuning would have made great contributions in the Li family's attack on Chang'an.
As a woman, she recruited countless heroes from the grassroots, recruited soldiers, gathered tens of thousands of troops, won victory after victory, captured cities and territories , and defeated the regular army of the Sui court several times. Even the famous general Qu Tutong suffered several defeats at her hands.
Unfortunately, the Emperor of Qin first captured Chang'an and then swept across Guanzhong. The Li family had no chance to attack Chang'an again, and Li Xiuning lost an opportunity to display his talents and become famous.
But even so, she also shouldered a lot of responsibilities after coming to Taiyuan.
When Chen Xuanfeng, Mei Chaofeng and Ni Kun talked about Li Xiuning, they all expressed respect and admiration for this third lady of the Li family who was only sixteen or seventeen years old.
soon.
Amidst a burst of laughter, Li Shimin walked into the living room accompanied by a beautiful girl who was wearing a Hu costume and a small hat, had bright eyes, and a graceful and agile figure, and was surrounded by his close generals such as Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng.
Seeing the girl, Ni Kun nodded secretly.
Needless to say, Li Xiuning's appearance, although slightly inferior to that of Xianxian, is not inferior to that of Bai Qing'er.
Especially her temperament. She is delicate, yet also a bit bold. Her every move unconsciously reveals a bit of grandeur and grace. She is worthy of being a noble lady raised by a top family. No wonder the fledgling Kou Zhong fell in love with her at first sight and was worried about her.
It was really Li Xiuning's beauty and temperament that were too lethal to Kou Zhong, a poor boy who had never seen such a noble girl.
"Mr. Ni, this is my younger sister Li Xiuning."
While reviewing the comments, Li Shimin led Li Xiuning to Ni Kun and introduced them to each other:
"Third sister, this is Master Ni Kun. Previously, my brother, Yuchi, and Ding Xiu accidentally fell into a Turkish trap in Xinzhou and were ambushed by hundreds of Turkish wolf riders. Thanks to Master Ni's help, we were able to escape. Master Ni really saved my life."
Upon hearing this, Li Xiuning smiled at Ni Kun, revealing her white teeth, and bowed gracefully, saying:
"My second brother is the best to Xiuning. He is the brother that Xiuning loves the most. Master Ni saved my second brother's life, which means he saved Xiuning's life as well. Xiuning would like to thank Master Ni for saving her life!"
Ni Kun did not stand up, but accepted her greeting generously without changing his expression, and then said with a smile:
"You are too polite, Madam San."
Li Xiuning said with a smile:
"Mr. Ni is so polite. Please call me Xiuning."
He then introduced his capable general Shi Wanbao to Ni Kun. After Shi Wanbao came forward to greet them, they each took a seat.
"Master Ni, my second brother told me that you went to the grassland to find out the truth about the living dead?"
"Yes, we went to the grasslands and reached as far as Yudujin Mountain, where the Turkic Khanate was located."
Li Xiuning blinked and asked curiously, "Are there really living dead everywhere on the grassland?"
Ni Kun said lightly:
"There are no more zombies. The grassland is just plagued by corpses, and all the people and animals have died..."
The two sides chatted about the "plague" on the grassland.
Li Xiuning behaved quite innocently, exclaiming once or twice from time to time. The look in her eyes when she looked at Ni Kun also revealed a bit of longing and admiration. Occasionally, she would subtly compliment him on his heroic spirit of going deep into the grassland and bravely entering the Yudujin Mountain, looking like a little fan girl who was attracted by his "heroic spirit".
But Ni Kun will not underestimate her.
This is a noble girl who was brought up by a top family. She is good at making alliances and intimidating heroes, and she is also good at leading troops to fight and capture cities. There are thousands of ravines in her heart, and she is definitely not as innocent and harmless as she appears to be.
Even if she really admired his bravery in venturing into the Yudujin Mountain where "corpse plague was rampant and corpses were everywhere" to personally investigate the inside story of the Turkic Khanate, she would never easily turn into a little fan girl.
Unless she saw with her own eyes how he killed the Night King in one fell swoop and wiped out the army of zombies in an instant.
After chatting with Li Shimin and Li Xiuning for a while, the banquet was ready. Li Shimin ordered the banquet to welcome Ni Kun and others.
It has to be said that Li Shimin and Li Xiuning, brother and sister, are indeed good at winning people's hearts.
Nowadays, the aristocratic families are high and mighty. If you don't have a good background, you are not qualified to drink at the same table with aristocratic children like Li Shimin and Li Xiuning, let alone stay in the same room with them.
However, these two siblings, perhaps out of their true nature, or perhaps out of practical interests, really do not have any aristocratic airs at all.
During the banquet, not only was Ni Kun, the guest of honor, treated attentively and comfortably, but their respective generals and family soldiers were also not neglected.
Not to mention Duan Zhixuan, Hou Junji and Shi Wanbao, who at least had some family background, even generals like Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng, who had no famous family background, were personally toasted by Li Shimin and Li Xiuning.
Look at their expressions. They are not just pretending to do this for Ni Kun's sake, but it has become a routine.
At least when Li Shimin and Li Xiuning toasted them, Chen Xuanfeng and Mei Chaofeng behaved very naturally, and it was obvious that they were used to such treatment.
When everyone was drunk, Li Xiuning even went on stage to perform the Hu Xuan dance to the accompaniment of banquet music.
Her agile and graceful dancing posture, rosy and tender face, and bright and lively eyes are truly charming.
He has a good background, a good character, is generous and capable.
No wonder there are always so many heroes around Li Shimin and Li Xiuning.
pity……
The world line has changed.
Li Xiuning lost the opportunity to become famous in Guanzhong. What about Li Shimin's future...
I guess there won’t be another Emperor Taizong of Tang.
After Li Xiuning finished her dance, she held up a wine glass and came to Ni Kun to toast him. Then she left the stage amid the cheers of the crowd.
Li Shimin also toasted Ni Kun with a glass of wine and suddenly asked:
"Master Ni, since the Turkic tribe has been wiped out by the plague, and even the Martial Master Bi Xuan died of the plague, can we take the initiative to attack the Shilifushe tribe that has seized Yanmen?"
Ni Kun smiled and said, "I don't understand military affairs, but the Turks who have occupied Mayi and Yanmen are indeed rootless and have no support. As for whether we can start a war, it is up to you, Shimin, to judge for yourself."
Li Shimin pondered for a while and said:
"With their reinforcements cut off, their people settled in Mayi and Yanmen... The Turks were no longer a threat."
"What about the Qin army in Guanzhong?" Li Xiuning suddenly asked:
"Master Ni, what do you think our Li family should do if we want to defeat the Qin army in Guanzhong?"
Although Li Xiuning's big, blinking eyes and rosy little face are very cute.
But Ni Kun still cruelly refused to answer:
"I am just an idler, a cultivator, how can I know anything about military and national affairs?"
Hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed across Li Shimin and Li Xiuning's eyes.
Li Xiuning's request to consult him on military and national affairs was false, and her real intention was to recruit Ni Kun.
Ni Kun killed hundreds of Turkic cavalry without bloodshed, causing hundreds of Turkic soldiers to flee. Moreover, she dared to go deep into the grassland and explore the Turkic Khanate with only four maids. This strength and courage were rare in her life.
If Ni Kun could be recruited to the Li family, even if he knew nothing about military and political affairs, with his personal bravery alone, he could become an unrivaled general on the battlefield, capable of breaking through enemy lines and even changing the situation of the war.
Unfortunately, looking at Ni Kun's appearance, it seems that he has no interest in fighting for supremacy in the world.
And now, the Li family can't come up with any good bargaining chips to win over a master like Ni Kun who has unfathomable strength.
But even if we cannot win over Ni Kun, at least we must prevent him from becoming an enemy.
So even though they were a little disappointed, Li Shimin and Li Xiuning continued to entertain them warmly and without any neglect.
After eating and drinking, he arranged a quiet and elegant house for Ni Kun and personally escorted Ni Kun and his party to move in.
By the time we settled down, it was already dark.
Li Shimin and Li Xiuning tactfully took their leave.
After they left, Kanan, who had been silent all along and had been playing the role of a maid, suddenly said with a smile:
"Sir, it seems that Li Xiuning has quite a crush on you."
The witch is here to disturb my mind again!
I don't believe that with your scheming, you couldn't see that the girl was acting the whole time, and it's hard to say whether she was sincere at all.
Ni Kun snorted coldly, glanced at the demon girl, and said lightly:
"It's getting late, let's all go and rest. Kankan stay."
Zhu Yuyan, Wen Caiting, and Bai Qing'er all left. For some reason, Qianqian left her alone, and she laughed to herself:
"Master, you left me here alone, are you planning to discuss with me how to take down Li Xiuning?
"I know this well. I promise to help you make a thorough plan..."
However, I have seen through your plot. Shi Feixuan was deliberately embarrassed and left by you!
Now you're planning to help me take down Li Xiuning. God knows to what extent you'll deliberately mess things up!
Ni Kun sneered in his heart, but smiled slightly on his face, looking at Qianqian with gentle eyes:
"Li Xiuning is indeed lovely, but I am not very interested in her. But you, Xianxian..."
Wan Wan was still unaware that punishment was imminent, and continued to say with a smile:
"Sir, I am very willing to serve you, but my Heavenly Demonic Law..."
"Don't worry." Ni Kun smiled very gently: "I have a kind heart like a bodhisattva, I won't ruin your practice... Come on, accompany me to take a bath first, and I'll teach you some interesting tricks..."
