thefictionvixens Chapter 1206 The Heavens of Liyue Have Changed
Chapter 1206 The Heavens of Liyue Have Changed
Just as Keqing and Ningguang both fell into a coma, Barbara, seeing that the time was almost up, immediately took the "hairpin" that Keqing had given her as a token, summoned several patrolling Thousand Rock Army soldiers, and ascended the Jade Pavilion.
"Halt!" As soon as they arrived at the entrance of Qunyu Pavilion, the Qianyan Army guards immediately stepped forward to stop them.
The two Thousand Rock soldiers looked at their patrol uniformed comrades behind Barbara and asked in confusion, "Wait a minute, it's not time for the midnight shift change yet, what are you doing here?"
Barbara remained calm and immediately took out Keqing's "hairpin" and held it up in front of the gatekeeper, Qianyan Army.
"I am here on orders from Yuheng Star to handle an urgent matter! This is Miss Keqing's keepsake. Please make way, or we will all be held responsible for any delays!"
The guard, Chiyan, recognized it immediately; it was indeed Keqing's "Survival Hairpin".
The token of Yuheng Star is known to almost everyone of note in Liyue.
But then they thought about it again and had second thoughts.
Didn't Lady Keqing just enter the Qunyu Pavilion to see Lord Tianquanxing half an hour ago? Why would she suddenly send this unfamiliar young lady with the Qianyan Army to "handle urgent matters"?
“This…this is indeed Lord Yuheng Star’s hairpin…” A knowledgeable Qianyan soldier scratched his head.
"But Lady Keqing just went in and didn't mention mobilizing troops. Should we inform her first and confirm?"
"A notification?" Barbara frowned, her tone becoming even more forceful.
"Miss Keqing said that this matter is extremely urgent and cannot be delayed in the slightest! If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "responsibility," her gaze sweeping over the two goalkeepers, Qianyan Jun.
Qian Yanjun, who was asking the question, exchanged a glance with his companion, and instantly began to calculate in his mind: "A few hundred yuan a month, why are you risking your life?"
It's not worth going against the orders of "Yuheng Star" over such a trivial matter.
In case of a real emergency, if you block people from entering, you'll be held accountable and losing your job would be the least of your worries.
……
Barbara, upon entering the Jade Pavilion, immediately led her Thousand Rock Army to find the location of Keqing and Ningguang.
"Hurry up, keep up!" Barbara urged, turning around, her usual gentleness completely absent.
The soldiers of Qianyan dared not slack off and quickened their pace, but they were very puzzled.
What exactly is this strange young lady taking them to see? And what exactly is Lady Keqing's urgent matter?
Soon, the group arrived at Ningguang's master bedroom door.
Barbara took a deep breath and pushed open the door.
The scene inside the door instantly came into view: the carpet was stained with blood, and Keqing and Ningguang lay in a pool of blood, their faces pale, their eyes closed, unconscious.
A faint aroma of tea lingered in the air, sending chills down one's spine.
The Thousand Rock Army soldiers gasped in shock at the sight.
What... what happened?
Barbara's gaze swept over the two unconscious people, she simply waved her hand calmly, and said in a cold tone:
"Guards, take Ningguang to the General Affairs Department's cell and lock her up. Keep her under strict guard and forbid anyone from visiting her!"
"Carefully lift Miss Keqing onto the stretcher and immediately send her to Bubu Cottage. Please ask Mr. Baishu to do everything in his power to save her!"
"Huh?" The Thousand Rock Army soldiers who followed were stunned when they heard this. They looked at each other, and they could see disbelief in each other's eyes.
One of the bolder soldiers from the Chiyan Army couldn't help but step forward and cautiously asked, "This... are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"Both of the Seven Stars are unconscious, so why was one sent to prison and the other to Bubu Lodge? Shouldn't they both have been sent to Bubu Lodge for treatment first?"
The other Chiiwa soldiers nodded in agreement. One was imprisoned, and the other was sent to the hospital. This was truly illogical.
Barbara was prepared. Upon hearing the question, she immediately began to describe the "situation" clearly, following the script that Zhongli had taught her beforehand.
"You are unaware that Ningguang has been monopolizing power in Liyue for years, suppressing dissidents and exploiting merchants, which has already endangered the safety of Liyue!"
"Miss Keqing came here today specifically to persuade her, but she didn't expect Ningguang to be so stubborn and even secretly poisoned the tea in an attempt to harm Miss Keqing!"
She paused, pointed to the bloodstains and empty teacup on the ground, and said indignantly, "Miss Keqing noticed something was wrong with the tea. In order to expose Ningguang's conspiracy, she had no choice but to risk drinking with her, and in the end, the two of them were both poisoned!"
"Ningguang's actions have already made her unworthy of her position. How can we allow her to continue leading Liyue? Keqing sacrificed herself for righteousness, so we must do everything we can to save her. We will need her to take charge of Liyue in the future!"
"Now, do you all understand? Do as I say!" Barbara's voice suddenly rose as she began to issue commands.
The soldiers of the Chiyan Army were stunned. They had actually been personally involved in such a thrilling "coup"!
One of the Thousand Rock soldiers wanted to say something more, but frowned and dared to say, "This...this doesn't make sense..."
"Lord Tianquan is indeed extremely powerful, but would he really stoop to harming his own colleague? Could there be some misunderstanding?"
"Misunderstanding?" Barbara smiled coldly and raised the hairpin in her hand high.
"This is the token that Miss Keqing gave me! She foresaw that Ningguang might harm her, and specifically entrusted this token to me so that I could uphold justice in times of crisis!"
"Now, the evidence is right here. Do you still dare to question it? Do as I say immediately!"
As the Thousand Rock Army soldiers looked at the familiar hairpin in Barbara's hand, their last remaining doubts were suppressed.
They were just ordinary Thousand Rock Army soldiers; how could they be qualified to intervene in the conflict between the two Seven Stars?
Moreover, with Miss Keqing's token as proof, even if something goes wrong, they won't be held responsible.
"Yes!"
The Thousand Rock Army no longer hesitated and immediately took action.
A group of people carefully lifted Keqing up and hurried towards Bubulu.
Another group of people lifted the unconscious Ningguang and headed towards the General Affairs Department's prison.
Barbara stood there, watching the busy figures of the Thousand Rock Army, and breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a chill inexplicably.
She knew that, in just one night, the world of Liyue had completely changed.
Just like how Shao Yun destroyed the faith that had existed in Mondstadt for a thousand years...
……
The next morning, Mondstadt, headquarters of the Knights of Favonius.
Ye Lan was entrusted by Ning Guang to come and discuss the potion business with Qin Guild Leader.
At this very moment, Yelan was discussing alchemical potion business with the young, yet acting leader of Mondstadt.
"Mr. Bai Shu personally verified the sample and confirmed that the medicine was indeed harmless and would greatly benefit the Qianyan Army's combat endurance."
"However... we need to discuss this price further." Ye Lan paused deliberately at the end of her sentence, without directly stating that the price was "too high."
Qin looked at Ye Lan, who was trying to bargain with her, and said calmly:
"Alchemy is a mysterious art. I think Miss Yelan, coming from a country like Liyue with a strong commercial atmosphere, should understand the basic principle of 'scarcity makes things valuable' without me having to explain it further, right?"
Yelan didn't have any leverage; it was just a routine matter anyway.
"Is scarcity the key to value? I'm speechless, Director Qin."
"Since that's the case, I won't waste any more words. Besides the potions we want to purchase at this stage, Liyue wants to have priority in purchasing potions. As for the price, I can't decide that."
"Could your side send a special envoy with the authority to make final decisions to accompany me back to Liyue to discuss the details in detail?"
The deal with Qin Jian Pharmaceuticals is almost finalized, but they are still cautious about the priority purchasing rights.
In its development plans for the next few years, pharmaceutical exports are a key economic pillar for Mondstadt.
If the priority purchasing rights are completely handed over to Liyue, it would be tantamount to tying the lifeline of the industry to a single tree, and Mondstadt's potion industry would likely fall into a passive position.
"We might need to refine the specific terms of the priority purchasing right further," Qin said cautiously, her tone more careful than before.
"For example, the timeframe for priority procurement, the minimum procurement quantity, and whether we retain the right to supply small quantities to other countries."
"After all, Mondstadt's alchemy industry is still in its development stage, and we need to leave more room for maneuver to avoid falling into the limitations of relying on a single partner."
She didn't directly express her concern about "not placing all her hopes on Liyue," but subtly conveyed her worries through the detailed requirements outlined in the terms.
Just as Ye Lan was about to reply, a noisy argument suddenly broke out outside the door, followed by a loud "bang" as the office door was pushed open.
A man dressed in the Liyue General Affairs Department uniform stumbled in, ignoring the Favonius Knights blocking the door. His face was full of panic, and he didn't even bother to straighten his crooked collar.
Qin was startled by the sudden commotion. She frowned in confusion and asked, "Excuse me, who are you? Why have you trespassed into the Knights' council chamber?"
The Knight of Favonius at the door hurriedly followed in and apologized to the captain of the guild, "I'm sorry, acting captain, we couldn't stop him. He said he had urgent business with Miss Night Orchid."
The man seemed not to hear Qin's question or pay attention to the knight's explanation. He just stared blankly at Yelan, his lips trembling, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Judging from his unusual state, something extremely urgent must have happened.
Yelan immediately showed an apologetic expression and said to Qin, "I'm sorry, Commander Qin, this is a staff member I brought from Liyue. They haven't been working in the General Affairs Department for long and are a bit clumsy."
"It must be that Lady Ningguang had important news from Liyue, and he was in a hurry to report it, which is why he lost his composure."
As she spoke, she turned to look at the man and deliberately rebuked him:
"You too! I told you before that we need to discuss important pharmaceutical cooperation matters with Commander Qin today. Everything else has to wait until we finish our discussion!"
"Even if it's news about Lady Ningguang, couldn't we wait a bit? Why did you have to barge in and interrupt the negotiations? Do you realize that this will affect the cooperation between Liyue and Mondstadt?"
The man snapped out of his daze and immediately followed her lead, bowing repeatedly to Qin and Yelan in apology: "I'm sorry, Commander Qin, I'm sorry, Miss Yelan!"
"I was too abrupt. The matter was urgent, and I panicked and forgot the rules. Please forgive me."
While apologizing, he secretly glanced at Ye Lan out of the corner of his eye. The urgency and panic in his eyes could not be explained by the word "impulsive".
Seeing that Ye Lan had important matters to discuss with her entourage, Qin waved her hand and calmly acted as a peacemaker.
"It's alright, there's no need to be so formal."
"We've been talking for quite a while now, and everyone's thirsty. Let's take this opportunity to have some water and rest. We can discuss the details of the subsequent terms after we've rested."
Ye Lan was anxious to find out the information brought by her entourage, so she quickly stood up and thanked them.
"Thank you for your understanding, Commander Qin. We'll go outside for a short while and be right back."
After saying that, she gave a wink to her entourage, and the two of them quickly walked towards the outside of the Knights' headquarters.