Doted By The Regent King-Chapter 575: A Map Split in Two

Wufu left Ah Jiu’s side, got into the carriage, and closed her eyes lightly. Suddenly, she opened them and said, "To the bookstore."

Jadeite didn’t quite understand but relayed the command to the coachman. The carriage turned around and headed for the bookstore.

A quarter of an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of the bookstore. Jadeite hopped off first, then reached out a hand to help Wufu down.

Upon entering the bookstore and approaching the counter, Wufu immediately asked if they had maps of Nanyue and Beiyan.

The young shop assistant was momentarily stumped and gave Wufu a look. Just then, the proprietor came over and was quickly reported to.

"Miss wants maps of the two countries?" the proprietor looked toward Wufu.

Wufu smiled and nodded.

"I have a great interest in the famous mountains and rivers of both countries. I can’t travel far, so it’s nice to have a look."

"Miss, maps of this kind are somewhat secretive. Even if they are drawn, there is a discrepancy. If you don’t mind that, we have some here as well," the proprietor cautioned before asking her to wait a moment. He then went to fetch a drawn topographical map.

"This was drawn by the distinguished Zhang Qinghang. Both countries sell this type of map to outsiders; it’s considered the most comprehensive of all maps available," the proprietor explained as he spread out a huge map.

Wufu glanced over it and laughed, "I’ll take it. How much silver?"

"Ten taels."

A map cost ten taels of silver. Wufu was somewhat surprised; she hadn’t expected it to be so expensive. Could one really make a living just by drawing maps?

The proprietor explained, "Miss, this is the closest delineation to the territorial borders of the two nations. Just copying it takes a significant amount of time."

Wufu had Jadeite pay the silver and left with the map.

Once at home, she spread out the map in her study and called for Purple Jade.

Purple Jade came in and saw Wufu looking at a large map and asked, "Miss, what is the reason for calling this servant?"

"Come here," Wufu beckoned and picked up a charcoal pencil. "You’re from Beiyan, aren’t you? Look at this map, where is Beiyan, and where is Nanyue?"

Purple Jade paused, approached, looked over the map, and took the charcoal pencil. She drew on the map and said, "Miss, except for the areas I’ve circled, these regions now belong to Beiyan."

Wufu observed and focused on those regions, as well as the rivers, laughing. Although some areas were dubious, most were consistent. The map almost seemed to split the former dynasty in two along the Huai River. What kind of space had she fallen into?

No wonder Ah Jiu had said that Nanyue and Beiyan were originally one family, only later to have diverged. The founders of both countries must have each occupied a region, north and south, and declared themselves emperors, thus forming the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

What amused her the most was that after such a long separation, the two countries had managed to coexist without incident for two hundred years. Had neither produced a ruler strong enough to unify the world?

Wufu looked back at the map. It was now clear that Beiyan owned more land and was said to boast a million formidable soldiers. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"Miss, it’s these recent years that Beiyan has amassed so many troops and started coveting parts of Nanyue’s territory. Originally, all these belonged to Nanyue," Purple Jade said somewhat excitedly. "If the ruler of Nanyue is incompetent, and the imperial court continues to do nothing, it will only be a matter of time before we of Beiyan unify..."

Wufu watched her, and Purple Jade, realizing her mistake, knelt down with a plop, speaking in a panic, "This servant knows her wrong."

"Get up. Be careful in the future. Misfortune often comes from a slip of the tongue," Wufu said calmly.

Purple Jade stood up fearfully and asked cautiously, "Miss, what suddenly sparked your interest in maps?"

Wufu sighed, dropped the charcoal pencil, covered the map with a flick, and said, "Ninth Master told me that he plans to return to Beiyan next year."

So, she had wanted to see what made these two nations different.