Chapter 95: The Empress of Langjiang has made an indelible contribution
"I wonder who you are?"
Xiao Qinggu took a step forward, determined not to show any fear at this moment.
She smiled and said, "Since you know my identity, you shouldn't even tell me your name, right?"
"I am sorry for being rude. I hope Your Highness will forgive me." The woman looked at Xiao Qinggu for a moment. Seeing that her demeanor was different from that of an ordinary person, there was a hint of relief in her tone that no one noticed. "But even if I told you, Your Highness and the owner of the building might not believe it."
This child is worthy of being Atong's daughter. She has grown to this level in such a short period of time. Although she is not yet capable of standing on her own, it is still a great improvement.
Xiao Qinggu raised her eyebrows, "Are you going to let this princess guess?"
"Sure." The woman smiled, it was a good opportunity to test the child's current abilities.
Xiao Qinggu walked forward and circled around the woman a few times, while also secretly looking around to see if there was anyone else in the hall.
From the moment they came in, there was only the person who led the way and this woman with an unclear face and a male voice. There was no trace of Lu Heying at all, and no one knew how many people were hiding in secret... It was really difficult.
"She's five feet six, and the clothes she wears are even more expensive than the sister who led the way. It's made of a rare material in Langjiang, right? Golden silk?"
The Langjiang Kingdom lies in the west. Within its southwestern mountains, some people cultivate insects for a living. Some raise poisonous insects and poisonous beasts, while others raise golden silkworms. The silk produced by these insects is woven into cloth and then dyed using traditional techniques. The resulting garments are cooler than gauze, and when sunlight shines on them, they shimmer like shimmering waves, making them a favorite among women.
Langjiang and Dayu also traded with this kind of thing, but the golden silkworm's growth environment was very harsh, the worms were few in number, and only a few could be raised. Even the semi-finished products were sold, and people scrambled to buy them. However, golden silkworm satin was very expensive. A small amount of it could be sold, and most of it was used by the nobility and the royal family. Women from officials below the third rank could not wear clothes made of this cloth, and they could only hear of it but not use it.
Xiao Qing was able to take care of five pieces of golden silk satin, so it was not surprising for him to know this.
The woman chuckled and said, "The princess has a keen eye."
"This place is so dirty, but you're not afraid at all, right? It's because there are so many of them." Xiao Qinggu's nose twitched, "You still smell like agarwood."
The imperial family of Dayu was very particular about the use of incense. Ambergris was a spice that only the emperor could use, while agarwood was used by royal children and nobles. This was also the case in Langjiang.
"Your Highness, do you know who I am?" The woman's male voice did not sound impatient at all.
Xiao Qinggu blinked, suddenly grinned, and quickly retreated back to Xiao Qingxu and Ji Suxian.
"Your Majesty, do you still need to guess?"
As soon as these words were spoken, more than thirty women in black suddenly appeared, with their swords drawn, but they were immediately stopped by the women.
"Your Highness is an honored guest. Do not be rude! Everyone, step back!"
At one command, the women in black put away their weapons.
Xiao Qinggu's heart, which had been in his throat, finally relaxed a little and said, "Your Majesty is very patient."
The empress stopped pretending, took off her veil and threw it aside, stirring up dust and revealing a bright and dazzling face.
There was a hint of admiration on that face, and he smiled and said, "How did you recognize it, little princess? I used agarwood, not ambergris."
Xiao Qinggu calmed his mind, his aura no less impressive than the Empress's. "My second brother and aunt have very high standards. Even the royal family members or nobles of Langjiang are not worthy of their attention. Only the Empress can be considered worthy."
As she spoke, she smiled, "If the Empress hadn't personally intervened, how could those two letters have been quietly placed in the rooms of my two staff members?"
Time goes back to today's Mao hour——
"Owner, what do you want from me?"
Everyone booked an entire inn in Longcheng. Before dawn, Xiao Qinggu was called by Ji Suxian to Xiao Qingxu's guest room.
She pushed the door open and saw Yuan Ji was there too.
"?" Are these two going to fight?
Xiao Qinggu had just sat down on the stool and hadn't even settled his cup of tea when he heard Xiao Qingxu say, "The one waiting for us at Yinxian Temple is most likely Empress Langjiang."
Her hand trembled and the teacup tilted. If Yuan Ji had not caught it quickly, the cup of tea would have spilled all over the table.
"You, you, you, what did you say?"
Xiao Qinggu didn't even bother to drink his tea, "Empress? Why is it her? Is it really her?"
"The eldest princess went to Langjiang as a hostage many years ago. It was the Empress of Langjiang who had not yet succeeded to the throne who secretly helped her, so she was able to come back safely. The two of them must have had a close relationship behind the scenes." Yuan Ji's fingers stroked the edge of the teacup. He had a lot of information in his hands, but he had thought that Shang Yuwan was a fake, so he didn't say it.
Now that he knew that Shang Yuwan was the person he had been thinking about day and night, Yuan Ji naturally would not hide anything.
"Xiao Qingji and the eldest princess have very high standards. If it weren't for the Empress Langjiang, who could be so powerful?"
Although I don't want to admit it, Baijialou is indeed a very outstanding underworld organization in Dayu. However, Baijialou has always been low-key, so there are not many rumors about them.
Baijialou is the first one that can make the empress take action personally.
Xiao Qingxu said: "I have interrogated Ming Shu many times, but I couldn't pry anything out of him. He is very stubborn."
"He thought he could keep the secret by not saying anything, but on the contrary, he gave us a big surprise."
Yuan Ji asked, "Just tell me straight, don't beat around the bush."
Xiao Qingxu pondered for a moment and said, "They want to help the eldest princess seize the throne."
One word caused a huge uproar. Xiao Qinggu was stunned, as if he had been hit on the head.
Is this a surprise?
Yuan Ji was stunned for a moment, then reacted, "Are you crazy?"
He really didn't understand why Xiao Qingji helped Xiao Tong to oppose Emperor Chengming. He thought that Xiao Tong had some fatal handle on him. If what Xiao Qingxu said was true, then - Xiao Qingji was a fool, right?
Yuan Ji couldn't understand. How could there be such a foolish prince in this world? Was he sure he was Emperor Chengming's biological son? Had he not been replaced by someone else?
"Just listen to me slowly."
Xiao Qingxu coughed twice.
"Zhang Jiuquan was involved in General Shang's death, but he was forced into it. General Shang must have discovered what those two men were secretly planning with the Empress. The Princess and the Empress were very shrewd and immediately used Zhang Jiuquan to kill General Shang and silence him."
If Zhang Jiuquan had completely stood on the side of Xiao Qingji and Xiao Tong, they would not have been able to obtain the evidence of Xiao Tong, Xiao Qingji and the prime minister's guilt from Li Zixi so easily.
"We actually haven't figured out what the princess is trying to do. Judging from her attitude towards Xiao Qingji, she seems to be protective of him, but also dislikes him. The reason for her dislike may lie with the Shang family."
Xiao Qingxu did not reveal Xiao Qinggu's background.
Xiao Qinggu was Xiao Tong's daughter, and he was secretly shocked when he learned about this. But he and Shang Yuwan had the same intention, neither of them planned to make it public, and for the time being, they could not tell Xiao Qinggu her true identity.
If there was even the slightest sign of a leak, Xiao Tong would have taken the initiative to kill them without waiting for Emperor Chengming to take action. Xiao Qinggu would also become alienated from them, which was not the result Shang Yuwan and Xiao Qingxu wanted.
Yuan Ji controlled nearly half of Emperor Chengming's secret guards and spies, so he naturally knew Xiao Qinggu's background. Needless to say, Emperor Chengming also knew, but he pretended to be ignorant in front of outsiders. He might have kept Xiao Qinggu as a backup to threaten Xiao Tong.
"It's because of me."
Xiao Qinggu suddenly spoke, lowered his head, and hid the complex emotions that flashed through his eyes.
"Nephews resemble their uncles, and nieces resemble their aunts. My aunt never married, and because of this, she was very fond of my face, which resembled hers. She has loved me very much since I was a child. Sometimes, she even cared about me more than my father did. Xiaoman is hers."
"My aunt protected me. My sister-in-law saved my life. The Shang family was originally a loyal vassal of Dayu. She has never had any hostility towards the Shang family or my sister-in-law."
So from the very beginning, Xiao Tong had no intention of attacking the Shang family. If Xiao Qingji hadn't accidentally let the cat out of the bag, Shang Junhu wouldn't have died, and the blame for treason wouldn't have been placed on the Shang family.
"But our emperor was not idle at that time either."
A hint of sneer flashed across Yuan Ji's lips.
"Zhang Jiuquan was able to save his life under their hands, and Emperor Chengming deserves credit for it."
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