Chapter 153 Who Will Be Remembered in History as a Spy?
Lu Hong had many questions for Xia Zhao, but the first question he asked was, "I don't understand, why didn't you choose me?"
He raised his doubts, "Even if He Qinglan eventually wins the world and becomes empress, you will still be nothing more than a subject under her."
“But if you follow me, when I ascend the throne, I might make you a concubine, or even an imperial concubine.” Lu Hong earnestly offered a promise, “After I die, you can learn from the empress dowagers of the previous dynasty, assist the young emperor, and rule from behind the curtain. Isn’t that better than being a subject?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Zhao smiled, her gaze falling on Ying Yanzhou, her tone teasing, "Sir, what do you think? Your lord said that the upper limit for a subject is not as high as that for a concubine. Why don't you consider writing a letter of recommendation for me, so you can enter our Goddess's harem?"
Lu Hong: "?"
Ying Yanzhou smiled in agreement and joked, "I am old and faded, and I have a wife and children at home. I am really not worthy to serve Prince Yun. I can only try my best to be a famous minister."
Lu Hong: "..."
He then realized that He Qinglan was different from other feudal lords, and Yun Kingdom was different from other separatist forces.
He quickly made a gesture of begging for mercy, asking the two to let him go.
Xia Zhao stopped teasing and explained her reasons.
“When I was young, I lived in a village with an older brother and younger siblings. As the second oldest, I helped my parents with chores, housework, and taking care of my younger siblings. But my parents only ignored me. They never praised me and only blamed me. I have suffered a lot of grievances since I was a child.”
"Even so, compared to many girls in our village, I'm already considered good. At least my parents won't abandon me, won't starve me, won't beat me at the drop of a hat, and won't marry me off to a cripple, a madman, or a fool..."
The woman's voice was calm and undisturbed, "I used to think that my life would be like my mother's, and the aunties and grandmas in our village, something I could see the end of at a glance."
She grew up feeling resentful and miserable, then married into another family, had children, did farm work, raised children, took care of the family, and supported her in-laws.
But then the goddess arrived.
The goddess forced all girls to attend academies, giving her the possibility of a life other than being a peasant woman.
“You said I could be a concubine, or even an empress.” Xia Zhao smiled faintly, “But if it weren’t for the goddess, I might have died in some village because of a difficult childbirth, been tortured to death because of a conflict with my mother-in-law, been beaten to death because of a fight with my husband, or been slaughtered by soldiers because I didn’t escape in time.”
If the goddess hadn't given her the opportunity to study, how could she have become the outstanding person she is today?
If the goddess hadn't allowed women to hold official positions, how could she have become a member of the intelligence department, gained the support of countless people, and then stood before Lu Hong?
A scholar will die for one who understands him.
Lu Hong understood what she meant and realized that he had no chance of persuading her to surrender, which made him quite regretful.
Xia Zhao looked at him and suddenly advised him very sincerely, "You think I'm very capable because you only see me. But in reality, the fact that I was able to trick you and that I was only exposed now is due to the efforts of many people behind me. This is not my achievement alone."
Although my colleagues in the intelligence and propaganda departments are nameless, they have done a lot of things, both overtly and covertly.
Lu Hong: "..."
Xia Zhao's gaze swept from Lu Hong to Ying Yanzhou, and she asked, "What do you two plan to do with me? Will you use me to negotiate with General Hu and General Ning, or will you kill me in public to boost morale?"
Lu Hong looked at her, the regret in his eyes fading instantly, as if he were looking at an ordinary spy. He said, "I believe Mo Jingchun is willing to pay the price to exchange for you."
Xia Zhao said calmly, "But you won't let me go back."
Lu Hong could not accept being schemed against and fooled, especially since Xia Zhao had made him suffer such a great loss.
If she submits to Lu Hong and serves him wholeheartedly from then on, Lu Hong might still spare her.
But if she refuses, Lu Hong will surely kill her to vent his anger.
But Xia Zhao would not accept his fate so easily.
Her goal has always been to become the top spy in Yun Kingdom.
If Lu Hong had just killed her, that would have been fine. But since he wasn't going to do it right away, she shouldn't be blamed for causing trouble.
The distant Yan Hui Pass.
Having successfully formed an alliance with one of the brothers of the new Khan of a foreign tribe, Song Zhiyun obtained intelligence from him, which enabled her to achieve several victories in her battles against the new Khan, annihilating and capturing thousands of enemy soldiers.
She then lent troops to the enemy to support their rebellion in creating a new Great Khan.
A new round of civil war broke out on the grasslands.
The person they chose also seemed divinely inspired, displaying wisdom he had never shown before, winning over his uncles and brothers, and constantly causing trouble for the new Khan.
Finally, one day he launched a coup, shot and killed the new Khan, and successfully seized power.
While surprised, Song Zhiyun couldn't help but feel wary of this "ally".
This person couldn't beat his brother before, allowing the other to take over, which shows that this person's abilities are not particularly outstanding.
But now...
Was he faking it all along? No, he had no reason to pretend.
In the subsequent peace talks, Song Zhiyun personally intervened out of strong curiosity.
There was nothing strange about the "ally"; he was still the same self-righteous and not very smart man. However, he had a rather outstanding-looking young man by his side, who seemed to be his strategist.
It seems that this is why the "ally" suddenly became smarter; he now has a "brain."
The strategist displayed excellent eloquence and extensive knowledge at the negotiating table, delivering a series of reasoned arguments that greatly pleased the "ally."
Song Zhiyun looked expressionlessly at the master and servant sitting opposite her: If I hadn't defeated the former Khan in succession and lent you troops, would you be sitting across from me today arguing with me?
The "allies" also knew that they couldn't afford to fall out with Song Zhiyun right now, so they ceded some of their interests.
Finally, the two sides signed a peace treaty, agreeing not to invade each other for ten years.
Song Zhiyun breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that supporting proxies was a pretty good approach, but she wondered how many years of peace this treaty could actually bring.
As she left, the strategist opposite her suddenly looked at her and gave her a rather strange smile.
Song Zhiyun was instantly dumbfounded: What the hell?
Many years later, when Song Zhiyun was ordered by the new emperor to fight on the grasslands, the young man, who was already over thirty, secretly came to visit her.
She then realized that this person was Yu Zhaotang, the Jinzhou intelligence officer who had instigated a power struggle between two families in the Northwest years ago using his beauty and intelligence.
Yu Zhaotang explained it this way: "Xia Zhao is too strong. I don't have the ability to get close to Sun Yannan, so I can only come to the grasslands to use my strengths and try to do my part for the Goddess."
Song Zhiyun was silent for a moment, then said, "I remember Sun Yannan also had a spy by his side?"
Yu Zhaotang smiled helplessly, "Yes, my colleagues are too capable. If I want to stand out, I have to find another way."
On Lin Jingque's advice, he decisively went to the grassland.
The problem on the grasslands was temporarily under control, and Song Zhiyun was hesitating whether to go south to help He Qinglan.
"Given the current situation, Yun Kingdom has the strength to contend with them. Presumably, after defeating Lu Hong, their next target will be Sun Yannan," Song Zhiyun said to her father, Song Gui. "We owe the King of Yun a debt of gratitude; if we stand idly by, what will happen when the King of Yun unifies the world..."
Song Gui understood what she meant, and said, "Why don't we write a letter to ask Prince Yun? Right now, it's more important for us to guard the border."
Song Zhiyun said, "Didn't we just sign the treaty?"
Song Gui chuckled, "You believe the grassland people? Do you believe that the moment you leave, they'll tear up the treaty and attack?"
Song Zhiyun: "..."
She obediently went to write a letter, first greeting He Qinglan and expressing her gratitude, then asking if she wanted to lead troops to assist her.
He Qinglan received the letter half a month later.
She replied to Song Zhiyun, asking him to lead his troops south again in a year.
Fang Wangshu took the letter and reported another matter to He Qinglan, "Ying Shanqing and Xia Zhao worked together to rescue Xia Zhao from Lu Jun's camp." She paused and said in a slightly surprised voice, "Before leaving, Xia Zhao stabbed Lu Hong in the back."
Upon hearing this, He Qinglan's lips curled up slightly, "Xia Zhao really wants to be the number one spy in Yun Kingdom."
Fang Wangshu smiled and said, "With this one strike, she is an existence that no one can ignore in the story of Wei Mo."
“However, Lu Hong will definitely not let her go.” Fang Wangshu hesitated and looked at He Qinglan. “Goddess, can Xia Zhao escape Lu Hong’s pursuit?”
He Qinglan did some quick calculations and exclaimed in surprise, "Eh!"
Fang Wangshu's heart skipped a beat, "Goddess..."
He Qinglan said, "Don't worry, I just didn't expect... that they would have a connection."
Fang Wangshu: "Them?" Who and whom?
On the road from Shengzhou to Ganzhou.
Ying Shanqing was fleeing with Xia Zhao, pursued by Lu Hong's troops.
Xia Zhao's stab left Lu Hong with no other thoughts but to kill Xia Zhao without hesitation! Immediately!
While admiring Xia Zhao's ability to accomplish such a feat, Ying Shanqing was also worried that he might not be able to protect Xia Zhao from the pursuers and help him return to Shengzhou.
Xia Zhao herself wasn't that worried. She proudly said, "I've already achieved my goal, so whether I live or die isn't that important."
Ying Shanqing was both amused and exasperated. "You've achieved your goal, but I haven't! I was ordered to bring you back."
Xia Zhao laughed and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Let's see if fate is on your side."
The two of them walked briskly along the narrow path through the mountains and forests for a day and a night, but they were still caught up by the pursuers sent by Lu Hong.
Ying Shanqing's expression changed drastically. He drew his knife and stood in front of Xia Zhao, frantically trying to come up with a feasible solution.
Just when he thought he was going to die, help arrived!
As it turns out, fate was on their side.
Yue Yao, who had rushed all the way from Ganzhou, made a dazzling appearance wielding a crescent-shaped blade.
He led his troops to kill a third of Lu Hong's pursuing soldiers and rescued Xia Zhao and Ying Shanqing.
Seeing that Xia Zhao was unharmed, Yue Yao breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "Fortunately, we arrived in time. If something had happened to you, I wouldn't have been able to explain it to Governor Mo."
Xia Zhao looked at Yue Yao and smiled, "Thank you, General Yue! This is what they mean by 'better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early'."
Ying Shanqing nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, General Yue arrived just in time! Otherwise, we would have surely died."
Xia Zhao asked Yue Yao, "Next, General Yue, are you going to send me to Shengzhou, or join forces with General Hu and the others to get rid of Lu Hong?"
Before Yue Yao could answer, a cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she suggested, "Why don't we seize the opportunity and get rid of Lu Hong once and for all!"
Yue Yao replied, "We came from Ganzhou precisely to assist Shengzhou in dealing with Lu Hong."
They hit it off immediately, and Xia Zhao was very satisfied. She couldn't allow herself to fail at this task and be surpassed by her colleagues in the future.
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