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Despite her blatant threat, Yuan Si Niang remained unmoved and calmly said, "Princess, you are still very young. Remember not to speak too confidently or act too excessively. Whether the Northern Qiang can conquer Jianzhang within a month is still unknown, but it is a well-known fact that the princess was defeated by the Grand Master of Music."

Princess Long Sui's deep green eyes flashed with fury as she roared, "You're courting death!"

Her performance of "Heavenly Palace Music" lost to "Yan Shi Ning," arranged by the Southern Dynasties' music bureau. Under the watchful eyes of the public, she herself was not spared—this is an indisputable fact. Although no one deliberately publicized it, it was common knowledge among both Han and non-Han women in the Jianzhang brothel community.

The reason why Yuan Si Niang was so defiant was because she was strong-willed by nature. Even Su Rouhua treated her, a local bully, with great courtesy. How could she tolerate Wan Sui, a junior, smashing pots and bowls and rudely pressuring her on her ground?

Ah Qiu knew that Wan Sui was a willful, capricious, and impulsive woman. But seeing her so angry, he couldn't help but feel a chill for Yuan Si Niang.

At the height of his anger, Wan Sui suddenly calmed down and said indifferently, "Do you know why the clan leader left me here instead of having her personally monitor you?"

Yuan Si Niang retorted, "Luoyu Fang and the Yinyue Clan have always been partners who each get what they need. We are not the Yinyue Clan's lackeys, and there is no question of one monitoring the other. However, since the princess has asked this question, I might as well guess the answer."

A sarcastic smile appeared on her lips as she said, "Naturally, a great war is imminent, and the world situation is about to be reshuffled. At this critical moment, the Su clan chief does not want anyone to take away the Khan's attention from her, so she is busy guarding the royal court and vying with the concubines of other clans for the power to whisper in their ears."

She spoke sarcastically, but Wan Sui restrained her anger and said, "Before the clan leader left, she not only authorized me to act on her behalf in Jianzhang, but also gave you special consideration."

Yuan Si Niang remained outwardly calm, but her heart was in turmoil. She asked indifferently, "What are your concerns?"

Ah Qiu thought to himself, "This means that Su Rouhua has long been wary of Yuan Si Niang, so she has taken precautions beforehand."

The Emperor stared intently at her, took out a small porcelain bottle with a lustrous blue light from his bosom, casually placed it on the table in front of her, and smiled, "If Fourth Sister refuses to obey, I can replace you and take full control of Luoyufang before the great battle."

As the bottle was set down, A Qiu on the roof and Yuan Si Niang in the hall simultaneously narrowed their eyes, because they had both clearly seen the small, floral characters on the label attached to the bottle.

"Tracing the loom?"

The Southern Dynasty's secret poison, the "Trap," was often used by the emperor to execute spies. The last time this poison was encountered was when Hu Miaorong died tragically in the Beining Pavilion, which led to A Qiu and Gu Yi being suspected by the Shuofang Army's vanguard, nearly causing a rift between the Shuofang Army and the Southern Dynasty.

Afterwards, it took A Qiu a lot of effort to find out that Su Rouhua was the one who poisoned the woman, and that the bottle of Qianji was something Su Rouhua had stolen from the abandoned palace of the former Empress Shangguan.

The Emperor said leisurely, "Half of this poison has already been used. The last person who voluntarily drank it did so to protect her adopted son and biological child. However, she did not know that this poison is extremely potent; a few drops can be fatal. Fourth Sister, please be careful when you drink it, and this poison can be given to a few more people."

She patiently continued, "I wonder how the King of Wanxiang would feel if he knew that Fourth Sister also died for him?"

Yuan Si Niang stared at Qian Ji, a cold smile appearing on her lips, and said, "Naturally, we will regard you as enemies and from now on fully assist the Southern Dynasty and oppose you Hu people on all fronts."

Wansui shrugged and said, "Isn't it the same now?"

She said fiercely, "The Gongye family's trading posts in the north have all been closed, and all their supplies and wealth have been transported back to the south, or they have sought refuge with other tribes, or even retreated to the territory under the jurisdiction of the Shuofang Army. It seems that the Gongye family is determined to use the wealth of the entire country to fund this war in Dayan!"

A-Qiu's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

She had never imagined that Gongye Fusu would stand by her side so resolutely, leaving no room for retreat. And that he had made his decision before she even spoke.

The Gongye family's immense wealth, comparable to that of a nation, was a great help in cutting off the water supply to the Northern Qiang, even if he did nothing else.

If war breaks out, it will cost money to purchase military supplies and food, and it will also cost money to hire people to risk their lives.

From the moment she learned that Lie Changkong was also leaving her until this moment, A Qiu recovered from the blow for the first time.

For the first time, she realized that she was not alone; she had the entire sect behind her.

Gongye Fusu made this choice largely because he was a descendant of the Shenwu clan. And the Shenwu clan would naturally side with the successor of Guiguzi.

This is related to faith and tradition.

If there were no successor to Guiguzi, so be it; the Gongye family's political stance could change like grass in the wind, shifting with the times. But if a successor to Guiguzi were to appear, the descendants of the Divine Witch Clan would have only one choice: to support Guiguzi without reservation.

This can be said to be the ideal of our predecessors.

While Ah Qiu was deeply touched by Gongye Fusu's righteous assistance, he couldn't help but worry about Yuan Si Niang's current situation.

Yuan Si Niang listened to Princess Wansui's words but showed no expression. She said calmly, "That was a decision made by the head of the family on behalf of the entire Gongye family. Let alone me being just an exiled concubine, even if I were still a concubine of the Gongye family, I would have absolutely no right to object."

Wan Sui stared at her intently, then suddenly chuckled, "The clan leader was right about you. You Han people will betray and deceive others for profit, but you will also risk your own lives for some strange and bizarre reasons. Fortunately, she had already prepared to replace you with me. In that case, you may end your own life."

Then he shook his head and said, "Truly stubborn and incorrigible!"

Ah Qiu had already held several silver needles in his hand, his heart pounding in his throat, ready to save someone at any moment.

She had taken many risks in the past, including situations even more dangerous than this one, but this time, it was to save someone rather than kill them, which she herself found somewhat strange.

By extension, if she and Gu Yi had arrived at Beining Pavilion a step earlier that day, perhaps Hu Miaorong would not have died. The situation Hu Miaorong experienced back then must have been exactly the same as it is now.

Su Rouhua would threaten Hu Miaorong with the same reason: if she refused to die, she would reveal that Li Chongyu was of foreign origin and therefore ineligible to inherit the title of Marquis of Guannei. In order to cover up Li Chongyu's identity, Hu Miaorong was willing to commit suicide by pulling a rope.

If Yuan Si Niang dies here, A Qiu is the only one who has openly warned and warned her before. From any perspective, she cannot escape suspicion.

Therefore, whether from a public or private perspective, she would never allow this to happen again under her nose.

The color finally faded from Yuan Si Niang's face. But she still forced herself to stand, and with trembling hands reached for the porcelain vase on the table.

Ultimately, she was a courtesan, not a chivalrous swordswoman, so how could she not be afraid of death?

Princess Wansui, observing this, smiled sarcastically, "If you're afraid, why bother? The King of Wanxiang doesn't know you died for him, and he won't say a good word about you. You've devoted most of your life to this Luoyu Pavilion, and to just hand it over like this, I feel sorry for you."

Yuan Si Niang forced herself to remain calm and gave a slight smile, saying, "There is an old saying of our sages: 'Life is what I desire, and righteousness is also what I desire.' I also want to live, but if I really cannot have both, the sages said, 'Sacrifice oneself for righteousness.'"

Her voice trembled as she spoke the first half of her sentence, but she was extremely calm in the last.

She tilted her head back, intending to drink the contents of the bottle in one gulp, but her hand fell empty.

The instant she raised the bottle, a sharp arc flashed past, striking the porcelain bottle with unerring accuracy. With a clang, the bottle fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

This wasn't A Qiu's doing. Someone else was even more impatient and acted before her.

A black-clad man with striking eyes, a slender waist, and long arms slowly emerged from the side room. He bowed respectfully to the Princess, his tone calm yet brooking no dissent: "Fourth Sister Yuan is someone protected by our Xingfeng Hall. No matter who you are, do not harbor any intention of harming her."

A-Qiu gasped.

No wonder Yuan Si Niang is so tough, daring to defy even the imperial court. It turns out that the Southern Dynasty's protector behind her is actually her second senior brother's Xingfeng Hall!

At the time, she had asked Yuan Si Niang that to do business involving a mix of Han and non-Han peoples from both the north and south, it was essential to have connections on both sides. Yuan Si Niang only told her that their backer in the north was the Hidden Moon Clan, but she didn't answer who their backer in the southern dynasty was. However, based on what she said, A Qiu deduced that it must be a Jianghu (江湖, a term referring to the martial arts world) gang.

But she didn't expect that the backing behind Luoyufang was Xingfengtang, which is now considered the largest gang on land and water.

Upon closer reflection, there was a cause and effect. Gu Yi had told her that the West Market was controlled by two forces, one of which was Mo Yimingyue's Xingfeng Hall. After A Qiu entered the palace, Mo Yimingyue had arranged to meet her once, at Luoyufang.

Unlike his senior brother Gongyi Xiu, Mo Yimingyue did not act recklessly. His choice of Luoyufang must have had a hidden reason.

She also recognized the man in black who had appeared there.

He was Yin Shang, one of the Eight Steeds of Xingfeng. He also had another identity: a general in the Pei Clan's Divine Hound Camp.

Princess Wansui's jewel-like eyes suddenly lit up, but not with the same strange light she usually showed when she saw handsome men.

She sneered, and without saying a word, she reached out with both hands and pressed them directly against Yuan Si Niang's chest.

Those whom Su Rouhua intended to kill, how could she be allowed to live? If knocking over the medicine bottle meant that Yuan Si Niang wouldn't have to die, that would be far too frivolous.

A Qiu had fought her before and knew perfectly well that this woman's greatest strength lay in the blades hidden in her wrists and the knives concealed in her arms. Her press seemed empty-handed, merely an attempt to injure Yuan Si Niang's heart meridian with the force of her palm. However, if someone were to intercept her midway, she would most likely turn the palm into a slash, unleashing a blade from her sleeve to sever the attacker's wrist.

Before A Qiu could warn him, Yin Shang had already leaped out with lightning speed. Before his body arrived, his palm struck first. With a "clang," the dagger gleaming in his palm sliced ​​into the thin blade that Wan Sui had spat out from his wrist.

The two men, both assassins, were evenly matched, neither harboring any ill intentions.

The Empress Dowager's eyes flashed with a chilling light, all because the skill of Yin Shang's men was far beyond her imagination. With him protecting her, it seemed that Yuan Si Niang would have no chance of being killed today.

She stared coldly at Yin Shang and said, "It seems that the renowned Lanling Hall is determined to meddle in this matter?"

Yin Shang clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, saying neither servile nor arrogant, "In the Southern Dynasty, if Xingfeng Hall cannot protect its own territory, then it has no reason to remain in the martial arts world."

The rage in the Emperor's eyes had frozen into ice. He roared, "You dare to oppose my Hidden Moon Clan for the sake of a mere Han woman? It seems the Execution Wind Hall truly believes it can 'net the whole world and reach all.'"