Chapter 939 A Negotiation

After listening to Xiao Shang's explanation, Jiang Fenghua fell into deep thought. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty in her previous life had also encountered various disasters, large and small, the weather and all things were beyond human control and change. When they would come or when they would be encountered could not be known in advance.

In her previous life, she was confined to the palace. The world inside the red walls was already a different world. She had almost cut off all information from the outside world in the Morning Light Palace, but she still knew which concubines had entered the palace early.

For example, Qin Yunyan, although she was beautiful, did not catch Xie Shang's eye when she first entered the palace, because at that time the harem was dominated by the two aunts and nieces of the Su family, and she never stood out.

When did Xie Shang take a liking to Qin Yunyan? It was probably when the Great Zhou was most in need of money. The Qin family took the initiative to donate money and grain to Xie Shang. She was favored by the emperor and promoted to the rank of concubine. Everyone was caught off guard, especially Su Tingwan at the time. She even went to Chenxi Palace to find her and vent her anger. At that time, Lianye's death made her heartbroken. She just wanted to hide in Chenxi Palace with her two children and live a peaceful life.

At that time, the Great Zhou Dynasty was indeed in dire need of money. The Qin family's voluntary surrender of embezzled funds relieved Xie Shang's immediate crisis. She learned this information from Su Tingwan. At that time, she didn't care at all about who the Emperor favored.

It seems like it's been just these past few years, could it be related to this natural disaster...?

"It's a bit unreasonable for Empress Jiang to keep me locked up all this time. After all, I'm now in a cooperative relationship with Your Majesty. I've told Your Majesty everything I know. Would Your Majesty please remove these chains from my body?" Xiao Shang said.

Jiang Fenghua snapped out of her daze and glanced at him indifferently. "The book you had secretly placed in the ancestral tablet mentioned the flood in the Great Zhou Dynasty, and even said that the person who could solve this flood was a descendant of the Yinchuan Kingdom."

Xiao Shang sneered, "Empress Jiang is so clever, what do you think is the best way to stop the rain from falling, to prevent the Great Zhou from being hit by floods, to stop the floods from swallowing up fertile fields, and to stop the rivers from flowing backwards?"

Xiao Shang smiled again, even with a hint of schadenfreude, "The solution is to relocate the people away from the disaster area as soon as possible to save them from further suffering. It's too late to relocate people now that things have already happened. However, if we can find the reincarnation of the Queen of Yinchuan and discover the secret technique of Yinchuan Kingdom to be reborn and return to the past, this matter will be easily resolved."

Jiang Fenghua now understood, "You knew all along that this rainstorm would come. You deliberately waited for the disaster to happen before revealing your secret. You wanted to force me to find the secret technique of Yinchuan Kingdom with you."

No wonder he was so fearless.

"I did put in a lot of effort these past few days to make you admit that you and Xie Shang were begging me to find a way to be reborn. It seems you really didn't know about this flood."

Xiao Shang was smug and didn't care about human lives at all. He said, "Haven't you always looked down on the tricks I used against you? Don't you still believe me now?"

Jiang Fenghua was so angry that she picked up the leather whip on the ground and lashed it at Xiao Shang. Her eyes were sharp as knives. "Since you knew, why didn't you say so earlier? Is this what you wanted to see the world become a place of suffering and death? In your previous life, you killed innocent people indiscriminately. In this life, you watched people die without helping. Your sins are heavy. No wonder God sent you back to the Great Zhou Dynasty decades ago. Even the emperor won't let you be the emperor."

Xiao Shang was also angry. "Stop hitting me, Jiang Fenghua. Are you crazy? What right do you have to hit me? Whether I speak or not is my business. I will speak if I want to, and no one can force me if I don't want to. My only goal has always been to find the Yinchuan Secret Technique and find the Queen."

"What sins, what lives? You know how history is written—the victors are kings, the losers are villains! History is always written by the victors. If my Northern Owl Kingdom steps into the Central Plains and seizes the world a few decades from now, it will simply mean that your Great Zhou's fate has run its course. Hasn't your Great Zhou emperor ever invaded other countries? Now, if you want to save the people of Great Zhou, the only thing you can do is find the secret technique of the Yinchuan Kingdom as soon as possible."

Jiang Fenghua dropped the riding whip in her hand. Suddenly, a woman's voice kept calling her name in her mind, "Jiang Fenghua, take revenge, take revenge! Kill Xie Shang, kill them all."

She clutched her head, feeling an excruciating headache. Who was calling her?

Seeing that the Empress looked unwell, Hongxiu asked with concern, "What's wrong, Your Majesty?"

Jiang Fenghua came back to her senses, and the flower ornament between her eyebrows suddenly reappeared. She said lightly, "I just feel a bit of a headache."

Hongxiu stared blankly at her brow, "Your Majesty, the petals on your brow have reappeared."

At the same time, Xiao Shang also saw it. His gaze was focused on Jiang Fenghua, with an almost fanatical scrutiny. "I guessed right. You are the reincarnation of the Queen of Yinchuan. You are. I did not look for the wrong person. Jiang Fenghua, you are also a smart person. Don't you want to find the ancient kingdom of Yinchuan, reclaim your power, and become a true queen?"

The woman's furious roar still echoed in Jiang Fenghua's mind. She had told her to take revenge and kill Xie Shang. Jiang Fenghua was shocked, but she tried to remain calm and composed. "How can I believe what you say?"

"The red spider lily between your eyebrows is the best proof. Ancient books record that this flower grew all over Yinchuan Kingdom. This flower was planted by Queen Ashina Xue of Yinchuan. It also has another name: the flower of death."

Xiao Shang's eyes shone brightly, "The reincarnation of the Ice Phoenix and the change of world rulers are not mere rumors. Perhaps you really can change the world."

Jiang Fenghua said, "If it's true, why didn't the Ice Phoenix Seal you gave me work? Didn't you say the Ice Phoenix Seal belonged to the Queen of Yinchuan? Since it recognizes its owner, why is it useless to me?"

Xiao Shang said, "That's fake. It was carved by someone based on the records in the book. Of course, it's useless. If I had obtained the real Ice Phoenix Seal, how could I have given it to you so easily? Since it's recorded in the book, this thing must exist. Finding the real one will prove your identity, and I will have hope when I return."

Jiang Fenghua was speechless. Was Xiao Shang too naive? They already knew he would seize the Xie family's throne in the future, would they still let him go back?

Xiao Shang said, "I know what you're thinking. Do you want to keep me here so that the Great Zhou won't be conquered by the Northern Xiao Kingdom?"

He smiled slyly: "Even if I don't go back, the Great Zhou will still be doomed, because this is the destiny of the Great Zhou."

Jiang Fenghua had no choice but to accept her fate. Even without the Northern Xiao Kingdom, there were other countries waiting to carve up the Great Zhou.

Xiao Shang continued, "Your Majesty, please release me. Now that I have found the reincarnation of the Lady of Yinchuan, I will not run away again. I will stay here to find the way to be reborn and to find the truth about why I came here."

"I have always heard that Empress Jiang is kind-hearted and a good empress who loves her people like her own children. You have built the Jishan Hall to do good deeds. Can you really bear to see the people of your Great Zhou displaced, watching them starve and drown, or even being swarmed by locusts and forced to eat their own children..."

The horrific scene he described was like the most vicious curse, assaulting Jiang Fenghua's senses. She stared intently at him, "A person who doesn't value human life is not worthy of being the ruler of the world. In my eyes, the Northern Prince is the most despicable person."

Xiao Shang's mood inexplicably turned sour. If he could be the king of Bei Xiao Kingdom, he could be the king of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the master of the world.

At this moment, he couldn't find a single word to refute Jiang Fenghua. Didn't she also rise to the position of Empress by squeezing out other concubines and stepping on their corpses? She was at the pinnacle of power, so what right did she have to belittle him?

However, he only thought these words to himself and did not say them aloud to Jiang Fenghua.