Zen Master Daoci stayed in Song Garden for a few days to recuperate from his illness.

Just in the last few days, Qi Su finalized a support agreement with him.

The "Consent to Plant Gu" document was re-signed, which clarified the responsibilities and obligations of both parties.

At the same time, her expertise as a biochemist has also been widely praised.

Qi Su kept her merits and fame hidden, following behind Chief Secretary Song every day with a copy of the Book of Changes, asking him to divine when she would become the Princess of Qishan and live a life of wealth and comfort.

…

After several days of silence, the Embroidery Envoy has come back to life.

A young girl named Jingrou, who served Qin Shang, came to deliver a message.

An imperial edict arrived from the capital, summoning Dao Ci to speak with the emperor.

The sun is shining brightly today.

The Qin merchant was sitting under the eaves.

There were no cushions or futons; I just sat down casually and lazily basked in the sun.

He looked thinner than I had seen him in a few days.

He became even more gloomy.

He was toying with a sharp crossbow bolt in his hand.

If Qi Su were present, she would recognize at a glance that this crossbow bolt was the same one that had been shot into A Yan's body before.

Upon seeing the white-robed monk arrive, he smiled and invited him to sit down beside him.

"A letter has arrived from the capital." He looked at Dao Ci with a smile.

His words also carried a hint of insincerity and politeness.

It seemed like only a few days had passed before Ayan's soul possessed him.

"A letter has arrived from the capital, urging me to send the master back to the capital as soon as possible."

While Qin Shang spoke, he subtly observed the expression on the monk's face.

But the person in front of him had a calm expression, making it impossible to discern anything about him.

Qin Shang: "I originally intended for the master to accompany me to the Pingxi Governor's Office in Renjia City. However, the border war has not yet been quelled, and His Majesty has appointed me as a special envoy to oversee the battle."

He spoke in a drawn-out tone, his voice tinged with laughter.

"I'm afraid that I won't be able to travel with the master anymore."

This means that he agreed to send Doji back to Kyoto, and no longer hold him in his hands as a prop.

It was clear that Wei Zhao of the capital made some kind of promise before he was willing to let go, such as supervising the Governor's Office.

Dao Ci clasped his hands in a respectful bow.

"With Chief Secretary Song accompanying you, Your Excellency's journey will surely be smooth sailing."

The Song family was powerful only in Jincheng, but Chief Secretary Song was powerful in the Northwest Army.

Although he was driven back to Jincheng by the King of England, he had cultivated Yongzhou for decades and had friends and associates all over the place.

After news of the battle in Qingchuan spread, the imperial court in the capital began to make arrangements.

The Qin merchant, acting as an envoy in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, brought reinforcements, relieving the siege of Jincheng and rendering a great service. This was also the reason why the emperor sent him to oversee the battle.

The wind lifted the monk's white robes.

His dark eyes were hidden beneath his long eyelashes.

Only by swallowing up the Pingxi Governor's Office and taking control of the army in Yongzhou could one have the strength to contend with the enemy.

As for overthrowing Wei Zhao from the throne, that still requires careful planning.

This is not a good piece; it has grand ambitions but is not a person who truly cares about the world.

But he will be a good knife.

…

Qin Shang looked at him and suddenly smiled.

"Or, if the master is unwilling to go to the capital and become a caged bird, I can help the master stay in Jincheng. Next spring, I will send the master to Lotus Mountain."

Dao Ci: "It has been several years since I left my homeland, and I often dream of it in the middle of the night. It is time to return."

The chessboard of the capital city, planned for years, has finally come to a close.

Now, we can make our moves.

Qin Shang smiled and said, "Alright, since the master has already figured it out, I won't say any more."

That concludes the important business.

The Qin merchant raised the small crossbow bolt and handed it to Dao Ci.

"Master, have you ever seen this before?"

The crossbow bolt had a cold, bluish-black metallic sheen, and its three-edged arrowhead was extremely sharp.

It looks extremely exquisite.

Dao Ci shook his head.

The Qin merchant stroked the small arrow as if stroking the face of his beloved girl.

"This arrow is the one on Ayan's body. It's an arrow from Southern Chu. Southern Chu, Master, you should know about it, right?"

He looked up at the monk and smiled.

"The master's seventh elder brother went to Southern Chu. He married a princess there and is said to be quite powerful in the Southern Chu army. He personally led troops in every war between Yan and Chu."

.

The sunlight slowly slanted under the eaves.

The young nobleman remained seated cross-legged with his eyes closed.

The dark blue metal crossbow bolt rested on his knee, gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

The tranquility was broken by footsteps.

"My lord." A girl dressed in a tight-fitting outfit and with her hair tied in a high ponytail stopped outside the corridor.

The Qin merchants remained silent.

The girl said, "My lord, the ice coffin has been placed in your room."

Qin Shang seemed to be startled awake, and suddenly opened his eyes.

"Ah Yan is here?"

Girl: "...Yes. In your room."

The Qin merchant got up from the ground.

"I'm going to check on her. I haven't seen her today, and I don't know if she's eaten yet."

"My lord—" the girl under the eaves called to him again.

A cold, businesslike tone.

"The selection of personnel to take to Renjia City should be finalized. Preparations for all matters at the Pingxi Governor's Office should also begin."

Qin Shang pressed his temples and looked back at her.

He gave a wry smile. "Your parents aren't crazy yet. Let me check on Ayan first, then we'll talk."

…

Jingrou called out to him.

"There's another small matter. The figure of Lady Qi has been spotted in the city; she is not dead."

"Oh, she's still alive?"

The crossbow bolt in Qin Shang's hand cut his palm, and blood flowed from between his fingers.

"She's still alive, but my Ayan is dead. How can she be alive?"

He spread his palms out, coldly watching the blood drip onto the bluestone floor tiles.

Plop, drop by drop.

"Go, search the entire city and kill that woman."

No reasons or excuses are needed.

Ayan didn't like her, so he killed her in her place.

That's all.

.

Shen Qingyu was placed in solitary confinement.

This time, it was the patriarch of the Song family who personally gave the order.

It is said that he went to find Prefect Song and asked him to return his concubine.

Song Changshi said he had hysteria.

What young lady? He had never seen any young lady before.

This kid was busy before, and suddenly he came over by himself and said he wanted him to officiate at a wedding or something.

A presiding wedding isn't out of the question, but who is the woman? Where is she located?

It can't just be a picture stuck on the wall, can it?

Shen Qingyu was so angry that she smashed everything in the room to pieces.

I've known for a long time that no one in this world is trustworthy.

But people are always forgetful. Every time he relaxed even a little, someone would hit him on the head with a stick.

He was in a bad mood and couldn't go out.

He took his anger out on the servants in his yard, devising dozens of ways to play pranks on them.

The blood in the yard dried and then got wet again, then dried again.

Within a few days, the number of people had decreased by more than half.

If this continues, everyone will be doomed.

Finally, a message came from outside that could temporarily divert the madman's attention.

Upon hearing this, the servant immediately rushed over to report.

Shen Qingyu was wiping the bloodstains off her fingers under the window frame.

He looked back; his hair was disheveled, his face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Although his expression was calm, he exuded a bloodthirsty and ferocious aura like a demon.

"You mean, the Sun family wants to arrange a ghost marriage for Sun Er?"

The servant dared not look him in the eye.

She replied tremblingly, "Yes. Everyone says that Sun Erlang appeared to her in a dream, and the old lady of the Sun family couldn't sleep for nights on end. After several days of this, she couldn't bear it any longer and decided to arrange this ghost marriage. I heard that the person chosen is a handsome young scholar from the south of the city. He is not very old and died of illness."

Shen Qingyu laughed.

"I had almost forgotten about them. Since it's a ghost marriage between close friends, we should naturally prepare a generous gift to send over."