Chapter 29 Tianwen Oh my god, is Marshal Shen so popular?
Emperor Shengde smacked his lips, not understanding the situation. "I know, of course, but it's primarily used for dyeing. Ordinary dyeing workshops abound, and even the Imperial Garment Bureau purchases it regularly. Why should I waste resources and resources investigating such a rare material?"
"It's precisely because of its ordinariness that it's easily overlooked, and that's why it's such a breakthrough. Soul-Snatching Powder has a time limit. It took about a month from its creation to its use." Qi Xin said, a sly glint in his innocent eyes.
"Your Majesty, please do not worry. This son and Duke Jingguo have already made secret visits. However, Your Majesty, you may not know that the Yue Kingdom's spies have been able to hide safely within Sheng Kingdom for so long, which must be due to a certain connection. Even this Soul-Snatching Powder is probably just a trick they used to stir up trouble. Their real purpose is to disrupt the imperial family and the government, so that people will panic and take advantage of any opportunity."
"Where?" asked Emperor Shengde.
"Shicha underground casino." Qi Xin said seriously.
"I know this place, but its entrance is mysterious and difficult to find. Sending a large-scale army to encircle and suppress it would only alert the enemy and cause loss of manpower. That's why they have been allowed to remain so arrogant until now." Emperor Shengde's mustache twitched slightly, his eyes fixed on him with a sharp gaze, and then changed the subject, "Axin brought it up today, but have you thought of a countermeasure?"
"Father, have you ever noticed the Junior Minister of the Dali Temple, Lord Murong?"
"Him," the wrinkles at the corners of Emperor Shengde's eyes deepened a little, and he said with a look of surprise, "This person is used to taking advantage of others' power, but I don't know who is behind him. If he moves a little, the whole body will be affected. I can't touch him for the time being."
"No problem, just keep him and lure a bigger fish into the trap." Qi Xin met his gaze and said firmly:
"I have learned that Lord Murong can come and go freely there, but I still don't know how he relies on it. Lord Jingguo and I are indeed limited in manpower. We only know that the underground gambling city of Shicha requires an introduction before entering. Previously, your father had no one else to use except the Imperial City Army and the Jingguo Army. Now it is different. Perhaps you can send the Shadow City Guards to secretly accompany Lord Murong into the gambling city to investigate. If successful, we will all be happy. If not, the Shadow City Guards are all dead men, only obeying your orders, and you can also protect yourself."
"I still need to consider what Asin said. You just need to cooperate with Qi Ze, openly and secretly, and track down the castor wood powder step by step. The rest of the matters can be discussed later." Emperor Shengde's tone was extremely gentle, but his strength was penetrating.
"I understand."
Qi Xin knew that her father, a shrewd and calculating man, would never allow his carefully trained Shadow City Guards to be thwarted in such a dead end with an uncertain future. This delaying tactic was simply a way to spur her and her master to take risks. She was still weak and alone. If she wanted to gain a foothold in Shengdu, she would have to meet this renowned city lord sooner or later. Rather than sneaking in, she would find a pretext to find someone to bring her in legitimately.
Emperor Shengde glanced at her submissive appearance and asked, "By the way, Princess Xiangning, was it Shuangjiang who saved her?"
"Father knows her?" Qi Xin was dumbfounded inside, but he remained calm on the surface.
Although she had thought that since her father dared to use her master, he would have conducted multiple investigations into her power, she did not know that her father even knew the core figures around her master. Then how long could he keep the three major camps in Ningbei, especially the heavy ship and the heavy ship Lan Rao, secret?
After all, serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. He had not mentioned his experiences in the Ningbei National Defense Army before because he was worried that his father would abandon him after his father had died. After using his master to catch the spies of the Moon Kingdom and get rid of the Moon Kingdom, it is not impossible that he would turn the fake into real to get rid of him.
In secret, there were quite a few court officials who were quietly killed by the Shadow Capital Guards. Besides, the old Duke's sacrifice in the western battlefield is still a mystery.
Perhaps because she had turned a rhetorical question into a statement, Emperor Shengde no longer had any doubts. He said solemnly:
"Shuangjiang is a person with 50% blood left, right? We all know that He Lianzhu of Yue Nation is ruthless and merciless. To be able to rescue Qi Ze from him, she must have some ability. Although you have been lucky enough to melt the blood pill to 90%, you don't know how to use its benefits. Instead, the power of the blood pill often backfires on you. Isn't that a waste of talent? Go back and learn from her how to control the power of your blood pill."
"Yes, father." After Qi Xin bowed obediently, he suppressed the discomfort in his heart and turned to leave.
Initially, during the state funeral ceremony for her master's fake death, her blood pill's power went out of control, and her father, hoping to teach Qi Ling a lesson while also trying to convince her to submit, brutally punished her with a cane. He knew what would happen to either her or her master if they fell into He Lianzhu's hands, but for the sake of his own grand plan, he considered the sacrifices worthwhile. And now, he demanded that both her and her master serve him without hesitation. Truly a good king and a good father.
"etc--"
Qi Xinfang took two steps when he was stopped by Emperor Shengde again. His majestic and calm face changed countless expressions before he spoke hesitantly:
"Aling, who wasn't raised by her mother's side since she was little, is inevitably a bit arrogant and domineering. Furthermore, her mother's status is special, and she's inexperienced with worldly affairs, so it's inevitable that she'll be exploited by treacherous individuals. The appearance of the Soul-Snatching Powder can't be made public yet. As the eldest sister, you should bear the brunt of it. This time, it's because Chen Yu's guards weren't effective, so we let him feign death and lie dormant. We can't let him idle around in Shengdu! As the eldest princess, you must be present at the ancestral poetry gathering in a few days. Let him be more careful."
Qi Xin couldn't bear it anymore.
She knew it, she knew it, her father's decision to keep things quiet in the back garden was not out of fairness, but the best option after weighing all the factors. Even though she had the power of the blood pill and was useful to her father, his scales would still not tilt towards her at all.
If he could tie down Concubine Chu and balance the relationship between Sheng State and Xidan State by favoring Qi Ling, why wouldn't he do it?
However, he was totally wrong. To hope that he could gain the obedience of all dynasties and the peace of his country by relying on a woman was truly wishful thinking!
Whether it's her, Concubine Chu, or Shuangjiang, perhaps they may have contradictory positions, but in the end, aren't they all women who sacrificed in vain in this turbulent flow of power, infatuation, anger, and greed?
Those who rely on others will fall into trouble, and those who rely on themselves will save themselves.
Qi Xin walked out of Kunhe Palace with a gloomy look on his face. Shuangjiang hurried to meet him, but she was naturally cold, and her cold face, combined with the uncontrollable frost on Qi Xin's body, condensed into an invisible ice curtain.
The two of them were in the same carriage, one inside and one outside, and both returned to the Princess's Mansion in silence.
Xing'er had already returned from Prince Yuyang's Mansion. She was preparing food for Qi Xin in the kitchen. When she heard the noise at the mansion door, she flew to Qi Xin. There was even flour on her fingertips and nose.
Qi Xin looked at her funny appearance, and the haze in his heart dissipated a little. He bent his lips and said in cooperation, "How is it going?"
"My princess, although you appear unhappy, the prince has spoken highly of you and has asked me to express my gratitude on your behalf," Xing'er replied with a smile. "I've noticed you haven't eaten well in several days. I've previously asked the queen about your preferences, and I've decided to cook for you myself to improve your meals."
"That's thoughtful of you," Qi Xin said, touching her buns. "You can go ahead and do your work. Don't worry about me."
"Yes, master." Xing'er said, and ran away happily.
Qi Xin watched Xing'er leave and went back to her Xumi Yinxue. This plaque was written by a famous calligrapher of cursive script in Shengdu after she returned to the capital.
Life is as small as a mustard seed, but the heart contains Mount Sumeru.
She felt that her already cautious past twenty years had left her with little to worry about. The Princess's Mansion was a temporary respite. Of course, a bedroom, where she would be entering daily, didn't require such formal, regular script door lintels. The uninhibited, unrestrained words "Xumeru Yinxue" weren't exactly the kind of life she had always wanted to live out.
Qi Xinxin walked in, leaned forward on the low table on the couch, and looked at Frost.
Frost could not guess her mood, and bent her knees habitually, and was about to kneel down. Qi Xin quickly raised his hand to stop her and said:
"Hey, wait a minute. I'm different from those royal relatives and nobles in the palace who are used to being masters. I don't have so many rules. All I want is loyalty and efficiency. Since we are one family, we should talk about what we have to say. Don't kneel on the ground all the time. It hurts your knees."
Shuangjiang stood there for a moment with his knees half-bent, then straightened his body and looked at Qi Xin with some emotion.
Qi Xin folded his legs to the right and back on the couch, put his right sleeve on the space between his legs, propped his left elbow on the low table, and supported his chin with the knuckles of his left index finger. He said:
"Sister Shuang, how long have you and Shen Yu known each other?"
Shuangjiang nodded and said, "Including the time before the Seventh Master was abducted to the Moon Country, it has been about five or six years."
"Then I guess you can be considered his confidant and should understand him well." As Qi Xin finished his words, he looked straight into her eyes, as if trying to find some clues.
The corners of Frost's eyes are a little red, which makes the teardrop mole underneath look even more charming and charming. Looking at her like this, she is indeed a beauty.
Although it is not as stunning as the glorious autumn chrysanthemums or the luxuriant spring pines[1] of Concubine Chu, it still has the coolness and tranquility of the snow-covered Cangshan Mountain, and is so beautiful that it cannot be desecrated.
Her brown eyes seemed to be filled with stories. Even though she had lowered her eyelashes and tried her best to hide them, Qi Xin could still see the slight tremor in them.
Shuang lowered her voice and said, "Seventh Master is kind and treats those around him very well, but how can we, as his subordinates, presume to guess what our master is thinking?"
"No, no!" Qi Ling took his left index finger off his chin, held it against his cheek and shook it left and right, saying:
"Sister Shuang, for some reason, you give me a very different feeling than Xiao Ba and Sister Bai. You seem more melancholic. Perhaps you would think that Xiao Ba and Sister Bai, who have been with Shen Yu day and night in the military camp, would naturally be closer, but that's not the case. After the old Duke passed away, you supported each other through so many years. You are each other's family. Even though your positions are different, you are neighbors across the world, and you have a bond that no one else can match."
Qi Ling lowered her legs, straightened her body, and continued, "We have no choice of the bloodline we are born with, but we can choose the good friends in the world. In this world, no one is superior or inferior, and it depends on what kind of person we want to be."
"Your Highness, I..." Shuangjiang was speechless and looked over there blankly.
Qi Xin removed the silver hairpin from the back of her head, played with it in her hand, and said, "If you like, you can follow Xiao Ba, Bai Lu, and the others and call me Xiao Jiu. This is the name I got from your Seventh Master when he taught me archery."
"Seventh Master - did he also teach you archery?" Shuangjiang's voice was already a little unstable.
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The author has something to say: Note:
[1] “Glorious autumn chrysanthemums, luxuriant spring pines” – Cao Zhi’s “Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River”
(I am a humble person who likes "The Goddess of Luo River". If there are any like-minded people, please feel free to comment~)
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