Liu Fengmian sat to the side like an invisible man. When he saw that the brother and sister had brought up his topic, he straightened his clothes and stepped in at the right time to say, "Brother Zheng and sister, please feel free to stay at my house. I will make sure you feel at home."
Liu Fengmian assumed that Zheng Quchi's eldest brother also had the surname Zheng, but he was unaware of the complexities involved in the three siblings belonging to two different surnames.
Brother Sang turned to look at Liu Fengmian and felt that this young master was exquisite and dignified in every way. His skin was fair and even, and he had an elegant and pleasant fragrance. He was unlike the farmers and craftsmen he usually saw in the countryside.
He was a little reserved and said somewhat awkwardly, "This must be Brother Liu. If it would be an inconvenience for us siblings to come..."
"It's no trouble at all. It would be an honor for my humble abode if you could stay at my residence. Besides, given our kinship, there's no need for formalities." Although Liu Fengmian had a gentle and unassuming appearance, he was a magnanimous person, which is why he made friends from all over the world and from all over the country.
Seeing that Brother Sang was still hesitating, Zheng Quchi understood that honest people like her brother were most afraid of troubling others.
She tugged at his sleeve, her large, warm eyes gazing at him with a watery look: "Brother, I have enemies who have come to Shengjing. Right now, only the Liu family can protect you and your younger sister."
Brother Sang immediately understood her concerns and worries. He was a complete sister-obsessed brother, and he never hesitated to make a decision when it came to anything involving Zheng Quchi.
"...I'll listen to you, I'll go."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Quchi immediately smiled and said, "Brother, I promise you, it won't be long before you and your younger sister can move freely and openly in Shengjing. You can go wherever you want. But please be patient for a little while longer, okay?"
Brother Sang patted her head. Her hair, which used to be messy and unkempt, was now neatly combed. She had grown up and gotten married; she was no longer the unkempt girl she used to be.
“Ruler, I don’t feel uncomfortable. You know my leg makes it inconvenient to move around. If it can make you feel more at ease doing things, I can follow your arrangements.”
“Brother…” Zheng Quchi grabbed his hand, his eyes filled with determination, and said, “After I’ve sorted out all the troubles, I’ll come to pick you up soon. You and your little sister must wait for me.”
He nodded, his dark eyes looking at her: "Okay, we won't go anywhere, we'll just wait for you to come back and pick us up."
——
Upon returning to the palace, Zheng Quchi immediately went to find the Crown Prince, but Rong Rong was waiting in front of the palace, claiming that the Crown Prince was resting and could not receive guests, and asked her to come back later.
Zheng Quchi looked up.
Why would he be resting at this neither early nor late hour?
Zheng Quchi was suspicious, but she did not force her way in. Instead, she stood outside the palace gate and refused to leave. Rong Rong tried to persuade her many times, but to no avail. He had no choice but to let her be.
But after waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yuan Xingzhou called her in.
After exchanging greetings, Zheng Quchi said in a pleasant tone, "Quchi, I'm sorry, have I disturbed Your Highness's rest?"
The Crown Prince was behind the screen, lifting his long, flowing black hair and adjusting the crescent-white robe he had just put on. Once he was in place, he came out to meet her gaze: "It's alright. What brings you here?"
"Has Your Highness dealt with the matter concerning Empress Ye?"
"For now, she will only choose to endure and not make a move. The place where she will really make big moves and use tricks is the trial of troops in the six states."
“Oh, the incense in Your Highness’s room is quite special; it lingers for a long time and even stays on your clothes,” she said suddenly, looking at the bronze crane incense burner in the room.
Yuan Xingzhou glanced at the incense burner, narrowed his eyes slightly, and then said, "This is not a special incense, but its advantage lies in the precious materials. It can nourish the mind and soothe the nerves, which is why it is sought after by the powerful and noble in the court. As a result, most nobles use it to scent their clothes and calm their nerves."
"Really?" Zheng Quchi was taken aback.
Has this incense become so widespread? No wonder she smelled it on Liu Fengmian when he was near her.
"You still haven't said why you've come to see me."
Zheng Quchi immediately remembered the important matter and said seriously, "I didn't find anything suspicious in Queen Bo Ji's palace, except for a wooden hairpin that she always carried. I found it quite suspicious. Whenever she was emotional, she would smell it and then calm down quickly."
"What color is the wooden hairpin?" Yuan Xingzhou asked.
"It's reddish, with a texture like ruby. It doesn't have any special shape, just a long, thin, pointed stick. At first glance, it looks very ordinary, not like something a queen would carry around." She described in detail everything she noticed.
After listening, Yuan Xingzhou gave her an affirmative answer: "That's right, that should be Shenmu Meng. In addition to being able to suppress the effects of Gu poison, Shenmu Meng can also calm the mind and soothe agitated emotions. I didn't expect that she would polish it into a hairpin in order to cover her tracks."
This time, Zheng Quchi no longer had any doubts, but instead seriously discussed it with him: "If I get the Divine Wood Dream, how should I use it to save my little sister?"
Yuan Xingzhou clearly knew a lot about "Shenmu Dream". He told her, "You just need to grind it into powder and feed it to your younger sister. Only a small amount is needed each time, and it can suppress the deterioration of the Gu in her body. However, you still have to find the person who cast the Gu and completely remove the Gu poison."
"Don't worry, I won't let this go so easily." Zheng Quchi's eyes suddenly turned sharp.
"Hmm, where did you go after leaving the palace?"
"Go to the Ordnance Bureau to handle official business." As she spoke, she remembered that the borrowed military seal was still with her, so she quickly took it out and handed it back to him: "Your Highness, the military seal is returned to you."
"No need, you can keep it," Yuan Xingzhou said indifferently, glancing at it.
"Should I keep it?"
No, this is such a valuable item. Empress Ye almost fought tooth and nail to get it, but he just casually gave it to her. What does that mean?
Yuan Xingzhou said, "With it, plus the Four Symbols Army under your command and the Wei and Wang families, no one in Shengjing will dare to easily attack you. Even if the Empress of Ye wants to touch you again, she will carefully consider the consequences."
Unexpectedly, he was thinking of her safety, which is why he temporarily entrusted the Three Armies' Golden Seal to her for safekeeping. When we first met, the prince was cold-hearted and world-weary, even to the point of becoming an assassin to destroy the Ye Kingdom. But now he's different; he's even learned to help others.
"But without it, I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for you to mobilize the three armies to participate in the military test of the six states, right?" Zheng Quchi asked with a frown.
Yuan Xingzhou asked in surprise, "Who said I was going to use the three armies?"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Quchi looked incredulous: "If you don't use the three armies, what will you use? You wouldn't, you wouldn't really plan to use those mediocre people chosen by the Queen of Ye to fight against the other five kingdoms, would you?"
Did she misjudge him? Was he not proactive at all? Was he secretly plotting to bring down this damned Ye Kingdom from the very beginning?
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