In the Dongyu Palace.

A man in a lavender brocade robe lay lazily on the couch. He peeled the grape skin with his slender fingers, revealing the crystal clear fruit inside and handed it to the heroic woman sitting on the couch with him.

However, the woman's attention was focused on the military book in her hand, and she did not see the pleasing side in front of her.

The man, fingers stained with sweet fruit, held the grapes and placed the fresh fruits between the woman's bright red lips. He then took the white silk on the small table and wiped his hands clean. Then he opened his arms and embraced the woman's fragrant body. He gently rested his chin on her shoulder and blew warm air into her ear. With a hint of coquettishness, he said, "Princess, the battle report from the front says that this time, General Qin missed the golden opportunity to kill Qu Changqing and even went on a rage in the barracks, ignoring others' dissuasion."

The woman listened to the man's report while turning a page of a military book. Her eyes and eyebrows didn't even raise a ripple. The man was slightly surprised, but he knew that this matter couldn't be rushed. He stopped talking and nimbly put his hands into the woman's clothes, kneading her wantonly...

After reading the page in her hand, the woman spoke nonchalantly, "Really? Why did he get so angry? Could it be that he's dissatisfied with the emperor's arrangements this time?"

The man was secretly delighted to see the woman finally speak, but his expression remained indifferent. He gently bit the woman's earlobe with his bright red lips and spoke with a hint of ambiguity, "I naturally don't know about the other things. But there is one thing that makes me afraid. General Qin said at the time that a general is not subject to the emperor's orders when he is away. Isn't it obvious that he is targeting us when he said this? I'm afraid that it's really like what the princess said. He is a little dissatisfied with the emperor sending him to attack Western Chu this time. Or maybe he is dissatisfied with the princess's kindness to me..."

As he spoke, the man's lips were already covering the woman's red lips, his flexible tongue hooked around hers, and his technique skillfully moved around the woman's body...

At this moment, a pair of hands with the scent of ink pressed against the man's chest, resisting his attack...

A slender hand, faintly imbued with strength, lifted the man's chin. A pair of calm yet cold eyes looked into the man's fascinated eyes, which he had not yet been able to close, with a hint of interest: "You said that Chu Feiyang is a handsome man? If you get him, then you are not far from getting the whole world. Are you serious?"

The man's heart tightened at the woman's cold-blooded expression, and he instantly suppressed his surging desire. He used both hands to pull the loose collar of his shirt across his chest and sat up straight. A hint of extremely strong hatred flashed in his half-closed eyes. Then he spoke cautiously, "Chu Feiyang is famous throughout the world. Princess, you must have heard of him a long time ago. If he didn't have such strength and such good looks, why would Hai Tian of the Sea Palace and Nan Lan of Nanxun go to such great lengths to get him? However, Chu Feiyang has only one Yun Qianmeng in his heart. If Princess wants to get Chu Feiyang, she must first get rid of Yun Qianmeng."

Although the man tried to keep his face calm and composed, he still showed great resentment when he mentioned the three words "Yun Qianmeng".

This made the Princess of Dongyu raise her eyebrows, a hint of understanding flashed across her eyes. She put down the military book in her hand, stood up, and sneered: "Is she the Princess of Chu who made the King of Chu reject all the beauties in the world? I am curious about her appearance and methods that could make Chu Feiyang go to such lengths for her."

Seeing Princess Dongyu's curiosity about Yun Qianmeng, the man frowned slightly, then stood up and whispered, "Princess, why are you so curious about her? After all, Yun Qianmeng is just a despicable villain. If she hadn't borrowed the power of the Prince Chu's Mansion, how could she have..."

The man suddenly stopped talking halfway, and looked up at the princess with a bit of caution. Seeing that she looked indifferent and didn't pursue his words, he felt relieved and changed the subject, saying, "If the princess is willing to help Emperor Longyu conquer the world, the best way is to win over Chu Feiyang. Although I can't lift or carry the burden, I know Xi Chu very well, and I will do my best to help the princess."

"Oh? It seems that you have already thought of a solution?" Princess Dongyu slightly turned sideways, her eyes fixed on the servile man in front of her, with deep curiosity in her eyes.

Seeing the opportunity in front of him, the man immediately stepped forward and whispered his plan in Princess Dongyu's ear.

"So, you're willing to take the risk?" After hearing the man's plan, Princess Dongyu held his calloused hands and said with concern, "You've endured so much along the way. The once elegant young man now has calloused hands. And yet, I'm still putting you through so much trouble just for my great cause."

"Princess, there's no need for this. I did all this willingly. Your Highness and I aim for the empire, but I only seek revenge. Since you've agreed to my proposal, I'll go down and prepare." With that, the man took three steps back, bowed to Princess Dongyu, and then walked out of the palace...

Watching the man leave, Princess Dongyu immediately said, "Someone come here."

"Princess." A guard immediately walked in from outside the hall and knelt on one knee in front of her.

"Has there been any major changes in Xichu recently?" Princess Dongyu sat down at the table, picked up the tea that had been brewed long ago and took a sip slowly, waiting for the guard's answer.

"In reply to the princess, Jiang Muchen has already ascended the throne by offering sacrifices to heaven in the capital, and before going on the expedition, he publicly sacrificed Xia Ji, the deputy commander of Emperor Yugan's imperial guard. Now the King of Chu has rushed to Chaocheng in the west, and Emperor Dexi's army has been reorganized. I'm afraid he will lead the troops to the expedition in the next few days." The guard reported all the information he received to Princess Dongyu.

Princess Dongyu listened attentively, her fingers lightly holding the teacup as she thought for a moment before asking, "Is there any news about the Princess of Chu and the others?"

Upon hearing this, a look of difficulty crossed the guard's face, and he could only reply honestly, "Princess, we haven't found the whereabouts of Princess Chu yet. The King of Chu hid her very well. Even now, neither the King of the Sea nor Emperor Dexi knows where Princess Chu is hiding."

"In that case, do your best to meet his demands. And..." Princess Dongyu beckoned the guard closer, whispering her plan to him as he leaned closer...

In the Xichu Valley.

"Princess, there is finally news about Young Master Rong. The prince also sent a letter over." Early in the morning, Qiao Ying walked into the inner room holding a bamboo tube and immediately handed it to Yun Qianmeng.

Yun Qianmeng had just gotten up and without even bothering to put on makeup, she hurriedly took the bamboo tube, took out the note inside and began to read it carefully.

"Princess..." Mu Chun draped a thin shirt over Yun Qianmeng's shoulders. Seeing Yun Qianmeng staring at the note several times with a calm expression, Mu Chun couldn't help but feel a little worried, so she wanted to ask.

Yun Qianmeng put down the note, and her originally tense face returned to normal when she raised it. The tension in her eyes gradually faded away and merged into a hint of relief.

"Fortunately, he was prepared in advance, otherwise he would have fallen into Su Qi's trap and I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to explain himself." After saying this, Yun Qianmeng stood up and slowly walked to the window. She saw that the sky outside was still covered with a layer of gray. The misty water vapor brought a refreshing coolness, which made people feel comfortable but also contained a hint of coldness.

Yun Qianmeng opened another bamboo tube, took out the letter sent by Chu Feiyang and read it over and over again. Her beautiful eyebrows couldn't help but frown, and she felt a little worried about the injured Qu Changqing.

Thinking about the other thing mentioned in Rong Yunhe's letter, Yun Qianmeng connected all the current events in Xichu together. She turned back to the table, spread out the map on the table with her bare hands, and her slender fingers ran across the mountains and cities. The plan in her mind gradually took shape. Then she called Qiao Ying over to analyze the current situation with her.

"Prince Chen has proclaimed himself emperor in the capital. He will certainly not watch Western Chu fall into the hands of Prince Hai, nor will he want to see the prince retake the throne for Emperor Yugan. He will probably leave the capital to fight in the next few days." Yun Qianmeng circled the location of the capital on the map with charcoal pencil and analyzed the situation in detail with Qiao Ying. "Han Shaomian has secured the city gates, so Prince Chen's army will have no chance of entering or leaving through them."

As he spoke, Yun Qianmeng looked at Qiao Ying calmly.

Qiao Ying understood the meaning behind Yun Qianmeng's words and asked in surprise, "What does the princess mean?"

Seeing Qiao Ying's reaction, Yun Qianmeng nodded with a smile on her face, then continued, "Prince Chen's army, like Prince Hai's army, is scattered throughout Western Chu. Prince Chen will definitely not bring too many troops with him this time when he leaves the city. Yun He's letter just mentioned that the north has hastily produced twenty muskets. While they can't be used on a large scale, they can have unexpected effects on a small scale."

"Princess..." This time, Qiao Ying's voice wasn't just filled with joy; even her eyes gradually showed a smile. "If we can capture Prince Chen alive, it would be the best thing for His Majesty."

Yun Qianmeng, however, did not share Qiao Ying's joy. Chu Feiyang had mentioned the traitor in his mind. This meant that Chu Feiyang was now facing more than just the Sea King and the King of Chen. As he had analyzed before the battle, with the civil unrest in Western Chu, the surrounding nations would certainly not miss such a good opportunity. Dongyu was now a prime example.

When Prince Chen goes on a campaign, the defenses must be extremely tight. To rely solely on twenty muskets would be overestimating one's capabilities. Furthermore, this operation is not suitable for sending a large number of secret guards, as this would expose the existence of the valley, which would be extremely dangerous. Yun Qianmeng would never do anything to worry Chu Feiyang.

Yun Qianmeng just wanted to slow down King Chen's pace, slightly disrupt his march, and at the same time test the true power of the musket.

"When we left the capital, we left behind many secret guards to protect the Fuguo Mansion, Rong Mansion, and Yun Xiang Mansion. You should try to get in touch with them, pay close attention to the movements in the capital, and determine which road Prince Chen will take to leave the city." Yun Qianmeng whispered as she used the charcoal pencil to outline all the roads leading to the outside of the capital.

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－－

I recommend "The Alluring Concubine" by my good friend Shu Ge. The content is very exciting and the conception is very clever. I am also reading Shu Shu's writing. It is fascinating and has unexpected stories!

I would like to recommend my friend Chen Xi’s new article "The First Concubine". Chen Xi’s writing style is very good. This article is the result of Chen Xi’s painstaking efforts. I hope everyone will support it!