“Yes and no!”

Faced with Chu Yan's answer that seemed to know everything, Shi Qingxue shook her head slightly.

"My main focus is on what we do in the next month."

"...We?" Chu Yan was puzzled.

He smelled something wrong.

Shi Qingxue hummed, "Besides being on the lookout for war, the shield soldiers should be resting this month, so they have a rare chance to relax. General Chu, you can further develop your relationship with me."

Chu Yan: “???”

It's just... quite sudden?

"Marshal Shi, isn't this a bit too hasty?"

After a brief moment of astonishment, Chu Yan expressed his extreme reserve.

"Haste?" Shi Qingxue just found it funny. "When it comes to love, it's enough if the feelings are there. Why bother talking about haste?"

Chu Yan: “…”

Silence seems to be his last stubbornness.

He was also paying attention to Shi Qingxue's profile, which was filled with a bit of longing. Then he realized something not so nice, and the horse that Chu Yan was holding by the reins slowed down inexplicably.

The horses trampled on the yellow earth, raising dust everywhere.

It was clearly not yet midsummer in Yan, but the warm wind blowing in his face already made him feel the heat on his cheeks.

It’s over…

Why am I the one who feels inappropriate when this kind of thing is mentioned?

…

The retreat of the Qi army brought high morale to the military and civilians of Anguo.

After Xiao Ling, who was far away in Taining City, learned that the Qi army had completely retreated, he was finally relieved.

Although there have been reports of great victories in the war in the north, she is still a little worried as long as the Qi army does not retreat.

Now that the Qi army has retreated, Anguo is completely safe, and it can also be confirmed that there is internal unrest in Qi. Xiao Ling is naturally happy.

The war in the north lasted for half a year. Although the finances were able to keep up with the help of Chu Yi, the implicit crisis was still not resolved.

Now Xiao Ling has nothing extra to worry about in the palace.

In addition to looking forward to the first batch of commercial tax revenue all day long, what she is most looking forward to is perhaps the birth of the little princess in her belly.

When the baby was about to be born, the two had already decided on a name - Chu Yin - after learning the sex of the baby.

"So... there must be a mysterious force that aided the Qi prince who fled after the failed mutiny, and then helped him seize some territory. Currently, most of the Qi troops heading south are on the prince's side..."

In the Purple Palace, Chu Yi was looking through the information Mu Cixin brought from Qi over and over again.

Since a month ago, he has been responsible for almost all matters in the court.

The young empress, under the pretext that she needed to focus on her pregnancy and prepare for childbirth, handed over all matters, even the Heavenly Guards, to Chu Yi, and became a hands-off boss.

"That's certainly the case at the moment."

Mu Ci explained respectfully, "According to intelligence, the power of the Crown Prince of Qi and the newly enthroned Emperor Changhe should be on par with each other. Zhou Yan's troops are trapped in the south of Shengjing, and the Emperor Changhe, who has already firmly established his position at the helm, is showing signs of weakening."

Hearing this, Chu Yi couldn't help but frown.

He didn't know that this news was not good news, but after he heard this key information, he always felt something was wrong in his heart.

It's just very strange.

How come the Prince of Qi, who had fallen into such a state of poverty, suddenly caused such a big commotion in Shunning City?

"I always feel that there is much more to this than meets the eye."

After a long time, Chu Yi muttered to himself.

"What's wrong? Do you think something is wrong?" This sentence rarely aroused the curiosity of Xiao Ling who was standing beside him.

"Your Majesty, do you think that the power and methods of the Crown Prince of Qi are a bit too bizarre? The victors are kings and the losers are bandits. According to common sense, it is difficult for the losers to turn the tables in this situation."

"It's hard to say," Xiao Ling continued, "After all, Emperor Changhe's ascension to the throne raises suspicions of regicide. Many forces in Northern Qi today are linked to Emperor Yangwu and the Crown Prince's faction."

The two of them had obviously different focuses and fell silent for a moment.

At this time, Mu Ci, who had been silent, could not help but add:

"However, according to rumors, after the Qi crown prince fell into trouble and arrived in Shunning, someone around him did offer advice."

These words made both of them stunned.

Perhaps others did not associate anything with this sentence, but Chu Yi and Xiao Ling seemed to have touched a nerve all of a sudden.

Those are some not-so-nice memories. If you say they were recent, they have passed a long time ago. If you say they were distant, the memories are a little dim.

Chu Yi subconsciously looked at Xiao Ling beside him.

Then the two of them said in unison:

"Fu Xi?"

Mu Ci in front of the hall was also stunned.

She had heard the name Fuxi from His Majesty before and knew a lot about it.

Especially when thinking about Fu Xi's powerful methods, Xiao Ling began to worry:

"Is it really Fu Xi? Didn't you say before that she left Chu Yan again? Could it be that she went to Qi State?"

"Based on the current intelligence, this personality is quite similar to Fu Xi's."

When Chu Yi thought of this, he had already acknowledged his inner guess.

"Fu Xi seems to have never been a quiet person. She first left the palace and stayed with my third brother, instigating him to rebel, then disappeared without a trace. It makes sense for her to go to Qi."

Xiao Ling was silent for a long time before speaking, "I don't understand this. What is her purpose?"

"From what I'm thinking, Fu Xi probably wasn't helping the Crown Prince of Qi out of sincerity. Perhaps it was because helping the Crown Prince rebel would benefit him. Your Majesty, have you noticed that everything Fu Xi does seems to be inciting others to do something?"

"That's... indeed." Xiao Ling nodded slightly.

Whether Fu Xi was by his side before, in the Beijing camp, or even now beside the Prince of Qi, his purpose seemed to be the same.

Even thinking of this, Xiao Ling suddenly had a new idea.

Could it be that Fu Xi went to other places a few months before she went to be with the Prince of Qi?

For example...the Concubine Ci from Qi State!

Thinking of this, Xiao Ling, who had originally thought nothing of it, suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

Her gaze then turned to Chu Yi.

And Chu Yi was also looking at her at this time.

Mu Ci looked at the couple with a somewhat horrified expression, and nodded after a long time.

"Your Majesty must have guessed it."

"I've actually received some intelligence. Before Emperor Changhe ascended the throne, he was assisted by a mysterious woman. This woman was eventually appointed Imperial Preceptor, but her whereabouts are unknown. Perhaps Fu Xi was also involved in this coup in Qi..."