Yun Qing wasn't so desperate as to insist on going for a walk in the freezing cold; she mainly wanted to give Xie Rang some space to think.

Last night's news about Qingque gave her an idea: she wanted to take this opportunity to eliminate Liang Zhigong ahead of time.

This is the result of careful consideration from multiple perspectives.

[Confiscating Liang Zhigong's property might cause chaos in the short term, but with so much gold and silver filling the national treasury, what's there to fear about a famine two years from now?]

Famine is a natural disaster that cannot be changed by human effort. Yunqing can only make preparations in other ways to deal with it in advance, and cannot allow it to cause internal strife in Daxi.

As the saying goes, if you want a country to become rich, first crack down on corrupt officials. The opportunity is right in front of them; it's just a matter of what they do with it.

Xie Rang shook his head slightly: "It's too dangerous. Going with the Prince of Pingjiang is like asking a tiger for its skin. If anything unexpected happens, the Grand Tutor will be in danger."

Wasn't he a tyrant? Why is he suddenly becoming soft-hearted?

Yun Qing suddenly felt that she couldn't understand Xie Rang anymore. Could a person's personality really change so completely?

She sighed, "But just because it's dangerous, does that mean we shouldn't do it? Qi'an, that day will come sooner or later."

Although the Prince of Pingjiang was reckless, he seized power openly and legitimately by relying on his royal bloodline. Historically, Xie Rang also plotted against him to eliminate Liang Zhigong, but that happened three years later, and the people could not wait that long.

But for her, it made no difference whether the conflict happened sooner or later.

Seeing the determination in Yun Qing's eyes, Xie Rang found himself speechless. If he knew nothing, he could pretend to be ignorant, but knowing the future developments, he simply couldn't bring himself to say such a thing.

After a moment, she turned her gaze to the side and agreed.

"I am willing to cooperate with the Grand Tutor, but in any case, the Grand Tutor must be safe and sound."

As he said this, Xie Rang gritted his teeth. He hated that he was now powerless and had to rely on the Grand Tutor to lead the charge in everything, while he was powerless to do anything. This predicament reminded him of how difficult it was to survive when he was a child.

After going around in circles, it seems we've returned to where we started.

Yun Qing seemed to sense something, raised her hand and placed it on his head to comfort him: "Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Danger as it may be, I won't risk my life. Little tyrant, don't underestimate me.

Yun Qing still cherishes her life. She has finally been given a second chance at life, and if she dies again, she will never have another chance. When considering things, her safety is her top priority.

Xie Rang clenched his sleeves tightly and remained silent.

That evening, news of the emperor's poisoning spread like wildfire, and the commander of the Imperial Guards ordered a state of emergency to be imposed on the entire palace, forbidding anyone from leaving.

For a time, people were filled with panic, not knowing what had happened.

When Shen Tingsi heard the news, he was so frightened that he dropped his teacup on the spot. Unable to find out anything, he could only ride his horse into the palace immediately.

Fortunately, Lin Chen recognized him, and since he was only forbidden to leave rather than enter, he turned a blind eye to his actions.

"Yunqing, tell me, what exactly happened?"

Shen Tingsi felt that with Yun Qing's abilities, it was impossible for anyone to have the opportunity to murder the young emperor right under her nose; there must be some hidden reason behind it.

He was also cautious, and asked Yun Qing in a low voice.

Yun Qing knew he was useful, so she didn't stand on ceremony: "It's perfect that you're here. I have something to ask you."

"What's the matter?" Shen Tingsi asked curiously, then leaned closer to listen. His expression turned strange. "Good heavens, you're asking me for a favor? This could be a matter of life and death."

"Young Master, don't tell me you're scared already?"

Another reason Yun Qing dared to do this was because Shen Tingsi was there and knew about her disguise as a man. The Shen family and the Li family had an excellent relationship and she could trust him.

“That’s impossible.” Shen Tingsi immediately became serious. “Don’t worry, I will keep a close eye on the Prince of Pingjiang for you. If all else fails, I still have the troops I’m leading.”

Shen Tingsi returned to the capital to report on his duties, bringing with him a thousand elite soldiers, a force comparable to Li Jiajun's. Together with the Imperial Guards, this was more than enough.

"Thanks." Yun Qing smiled at him.

Shen Tingsi scratched his head: "Oh, this is nothing. Just take care of the imperial edict for me."

It wasn't advisable to chat for too long. After a brief exchange, Shen Tingsi felt relieved and took his leave. With the token given to him by Yun Qing, his departure from the palace was smooth. However, upon returning, he immediately slipped out of the city to gather troops.

He spoke lightly to Yun Qing, but this was a matter that could cost him his life if not handled properly, and Shen Tingsi dared not be negligent in the slightest.

-

Unable to obtain any information, the envoys, who were being kept under strict guard for no reason, began to complain.

"Does this mean they suspect one of us poisoned them?"

"Even though our country is small and our voices carry little weight, surely we shouldn't stoop to such despicable acts?"

"Who knows? There might be some idiots out there."

The envoys were all arranged in one place, and they were very close to each other. The envoys from Kucha and Wusun heard this. They were still having a disagreement about what happened last night, and when they heard this, they fell silent. They looked at each other with suspicion in their eyes.

The Wusun envoy scoffed, "Could it be you?"

The Kucha envoy immediately jumped up: "Don't make false accusations! I suspect it was you!"

They had agreed to act together, but in the end, the Wusun turned out to be cowards, making their lives very difficult. What a treacherous hypocrite!

Because they were so close together, their commotion quickly attracted the attention of other envoys, who gathered around to watch the spectacle. But soon, it was too late for them to suspect each other.

Lin Chen brought over a servant and asked in a stern voice, "Are you sure that person came from their room?"

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