Chu Yi stood in front of the open window, facing the cold wind as he looked at a bunch of winter chrysanthemums in the corner of the yard.
Winter chrysanthemums are a very special flower. Winter is the season when most flowers wither, but winter chrysanthemums can bloom into beautiful white flower balls during this time. The white flower balls are covered with white snow, and from a distance, it is impossible to distinguish whether they are tiny petals or crystal snowflakes.
He gazed at the chrysanthemum, which seemed to transform into Su Wan's smiling face, and Su Wan's voice echoed in his ears.
"I only thought it was improper for a prince of a country to be squatting on the windowsill like that..."
"Let me tell you, I don't have much surplus food either, so don't try to take advantage of me."
"He keeps saying he's not a thief, but what he does..."
Remembering what Su Wan said, she really is an interesting girl.
What a pity.
He stopped rubbing the jade pendant in his hand and held it up. The pattern of the immortal herb was exceptionally clear on the smooth surface of the jade pendant.
Huisheng Pei.
The people from the family of renowned physicians would certainly not be wrong in their judgment. Because this jade pendant is unique, no one in the Great Jin Dynasty knows its true function, and even if they saw it, they would only regard it as an ordinary jade pendant. Naturally, no one would specifically try to imitate this thing.
The owner of this jade pendant is the person he's been searching for. He had wasted too much time on Su Wan before.
He turned around, placed the resurrection pendant in his hand on the table, and said to Jiang Wenpei standing behind him, "Please invite Miss Qiu in."
Jiang Wenpei nodded and walked out the door. A short while later, the door opened again, and he led a masked woman slowly in.
The woman wore a wooden clown mask, seemingly a folk craft used to amuse children. Only her eyes were visible, and the mouth was painted in red lacquer in the shape of a wide-open smile. However, Chu Yi felt not a trace of joy emanating from this woman.
Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back like satin, and her graceful figure was captivating. She wore a deep blue dress, with white cloud patterns embroidered along the edges of the sleeves, revealing slender, delicate fingers at the cuffs.
The woman wore a belt adorned with pearls around her waist. As she walked, the pearls shimmered, making her slender waist even more striking.
Chu Yi asked, "Miss Qiu?"
“Qiu Jie,” the masked girl said, “my name is Qiu Jie.”
“Jiang Wenpei has already told you about the jade pendant,” Chu Yi said, looking at Qiu Jie’s downcast eyes behind her mask. “Why aren’t you surprised at all? I think most people would have a lot of questions to ask if they heard about something like this.”
Qiu Jie did not answer, but first glanced at Jiang Wenpei standing next to her.
Jiang Wenpei nodded, picked up the jade pendant from the table and returned it to her, then bowed slightly to Chu Yi and left the room.
Qiu Jie only spoke after the room door was closed.
“I’m not surprised because my mind is full of other things and I have no room for surprise. I’m already all alone, so of course I can go back to Southern Chu with you, but you have to help me take revenge.”
Chu Yi smiled, leaned back on the table, and said, "Miss Qiu, I know that your family members died at the hands of Wei Jingzhuo. I also know that your disfigured face was related to him. But to ask Southern Chu to join the war based on this is too frivolous."
The Southern Chu state was not powerful. Although it could muster an army of 100,000, that was the entirety of its national strength.
Qiu Jie seemed to have known he would say that, and showed no surprise whatsoever.
"You must know that Emperor Kangping is already seriously ill and bedridden. He will die in a few months at most."
Chu Yi stood up straight in surprise and asked, "Why are you so confident?"
He could sense that Qiu Jie spoke with an unwavering air, as if she had witnessed what would happen several months later.
Qiu Jie did not answer him, but slowly walked past him, leaving behind a faint fragrance.
"Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. The Fifth Prince, Wei Shaozheng, is leading an army of 100,000 to Xiping Pass. Wei Jingzhuo has already persuaded Meng Kuan, the general guarding Xiping Pass, to surrender the pass. The Xiping Pass army, together with the Northwest Army, totals 50,000 men. Who do you think will win?"
Chu Yi was also a proud man and didn't want Qiu Jie to think he was ignorant of military affairs, so he replied, "Xiping Pass is strategically important, and I'm afraid the Fifth Prince will not be able to defeat Wei Jingzhuo."
Qiu Jie stood by the window, facing Chu Yi sideways, and said, "With Emperor Kangping's passing and the battle between the Fifth Prince and Wei Jingzhuo, will the succession of the next emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty be decided?"
Chu Yi said, "That's right."
When Qiu Jie got closer, he saw that Qiu Jie's profile was so perfect, but the part that the mask could not cover, the deep red scars under her black hair, replaced her originally delicate and fair skin.
He could imagine how unbearable it must be to look at the face behind the mask, and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.
For a woman, appearance is everything. The old saying about a handsome man and a beautiful woman is no exaggeration. He gradually came to understand Qiu Jie's hatred.
Qiu Jie asked, "If Wei Jingzhuo defeats the Fifth Prince, what will he do?"
“If Emperor Kangping passes away, the Fifth Prince should be able to mobilize the entire army of the Great Jin,” Chu Yi said. “Even if Wei Jingzhuo wins, it will only be a Pyrrhic victory, with very few troops left.”
Qiu Jie turned around and walked towards Chu Yi, saying slowly and deliberately, "Doesn't Southern Chu want to seize this opportunity? Do the princes of Southern Chu prefer to remain in a corner of the world for generations, longingly watching the land of Great Jin?"
Chu Yi's body stiffened, and he said, "I understand."
He now knew Qiu Jie's methods.
With Wei Jingzhuo and the Fifth Prince locked in a fierce battle, one of them is destined to die. The survivor will be on the verge of death, leaving the Great Jin Dynasty at its weakest point. This will be a golden opportunity for the Southern Chu Dynasty, one that comes only once in a century.
What all the emperors of Southern Chu had hoped for might actually come true in his hands.
It's absolutely impossible for him not to get excited.
Qiu Jie said, "I'm not just asking you to avenge me. Compared to Southern Chu, I am naturally insignificant, but I am giving you an opportunity, an opportunity for Southern Chu to annex the entire territory of Great Jin. Do you really think you can't defeat the dying Wei Jingzhuo?"
Chu Yi clenched his fist and said, "No, I can defeat him."
Like any young man, he would never admit to outsiders that he was inferior to another man. This was a unique kind of arrogance characteristic of youth.
Qiu Jie was so close she was almost touching him; Chu Yi could even feel her body temperature and smell the fragrance of her hair. He couldn't help but take a deep breath.
“You have found the person you are looking for,” she whispered in his ear, “but… before you take me back to Southern Chu, you should first complete the work that your fathers could not complete.”
After saying that, Qiu Jie turned around and looked at the snow scene outside the window.
She didn't need to say anything more; just by looking at the light in Chu Yi's eyes, she knew she had successfully persuaded him.
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