Fang Jinse shook her head helplessly and said to Yue Xin, "How is that possible?"
"Then why..."
"Do you think he will really set us free if he says he will? I tell you, if we show the slightest bit of happiness about freedom, our family will be in extreme danger. He said that just to test us. If our hearts are tied to our adoptive parents, how can we help him wholeheartedly? Yue Xin, you used to understand more than me, but now I am more clear-headed than you. This palace has taught me many things, such as how to deal with Duanmu Anguo. Remember, no matter what happens, no matter what he says, never show your closeness to your family in front of him. Just like I did today, and I will always do this."
Yue Xin took a breath of cold air, and suddenly realized that she was too careless. Just like Fang Jinse said, she saw things more clearly before, so how come she was blinded after entering the palace? It was a close call today, she was just a little bit away from being exposed, or rather... her performance had been exposed, and the reason why Duanmu Anguo didn't touch her was because he hoped that she could help Fang Jinse hide him. If she wasn't still useful, Yue Xin believed that with Duanmu Anguo's viciousness, he would have killed her immediately, and would never show mercy just because she was his blood.
She sighed and said, "Initially, he asked me to stay with you so that he could monitor you, but now I am a burden to you. Miss..." She looked at Fang Jinse and said calmly, "If one day I make things difficult for you, or if my existence affects the survival of you and your family, then kill me and never stand in your way."
Fang Jinse frowned and looked at her: "Why do you say that? Just because of your performance just now? Yuexin, you are a smart girl. One bad move does not mean you will not do well next time. I believe in you, and you have to believe in me too. We have to get through this difficult time together. Whether we can survive depends on our wisdom and luck."
Yue Xin nodded, but suddenly became a little suspicious and asked Fang Jinse in a low voice: "Miss, have you ever thought about whether we are the daughter of Duanmu Anguo? We have always believed what they say, but what if we are not?"
Fang Jinse smiled bitterly, "So what? He still captured our family members to threaten us and asked us to do things for him. What does this have to do with whether we are his daughters or not? He never regarded us as his relatives. He just used us. I hope that after using us, we can still keep our lives and the lives of our relatives. Now..." Her face became cold and she took a deep breath and said, "We can't always be passive. If we want to survive, we can't completely rely on the charity of others. We must fight for opportunities for ourselves. In addition..." She pursed her lips, "This palace also taught me that if you just take a beating, you are a fool. Smart people should learn to take advantage of opportunities and jump up to bite the other party back. Yuexin, let's go and pay respects to the queen."
Since Fang Jinse helped the Queen last time with Concubine Wu, the relationship between the two has improved a lot. Originally, Chun Yuqing was very concerned about the concubines who were a threat to her. Although she did not love Li Jian, her position as Queen was unshakable. She had to clear all obstacles for herself and her future children, and she must not let the so-called favorite concubine have a chance to turn over. Therefore, she tried her best to suppress Concubine Wu, and was always careful about other concubines showing signs of pregnancy.
But when Fang Jinse showed up, the situation had changed a lot. It wasn't that Chun Yuqing didn't want to fight anymore, but she had seen that Zong Sui was about to end, and the country was about to be lost, so why would she fight? Therefore, Fang Jinse caught up with the good time and was able to become friends with Chun Yuqing, and they could put aside all their grudges.
The main reason she came to the Queen this time was to ask if she could use Chunyu Qing's power to protect her family. After all, Duanmu Anguo was in the territory of the Sui Dynasty. He was right when he said that a lean camel was bigger than a horse. Even if the Sui Dynasty was going to be destroyed, it would not be destroyed immediately. A great country that had existed for hundreds of years, with the power of the royal family and the power of the Chunyu family, could it be that they could not deal with Duanmu Anguo?
Of course, she would never tell the queen that Duanmu Anguo was in the palace. Before she could guarantee the absolute safety of her family, she had to keep her mouth shut about Duanmu Anguo.
Fang Jinse said it very vaguely, only indirectly mentioned that her family was not safe outside, and hoped to get help from the queen. But what about Chun Yuqing? In the past, she could chat with Fang Jinse for a few words, and the two of them even went to the garden together a few times, but this time he was absent-minded, occasionally nodding to what Fang Jinse said, occasionally saying "yes", but just didn't express his opinion. Even when Fang Jinse called her, she was absent-minded and didn't answer.
Fang Jinse felt a little disappointed. She wasn't sure whether Chun Yuqing didn't want to help her or she herself had encountered difficulties. She felt that Chun Yuqing seemed to be thinking all the time, but she didn't know what he was thinking about.
After talking so much, the Queen still didn't respond. Fang Jinse didn't want to stay any longer, so she stood up and left. Chun Yuqing's maid Ruohong came out to see him off. Fang Jinse thought for a moment and asked Ruohong, "What's wrong with the Queen? Are you feeling unwell? If you are feeling unwell, you should ask the imperial physician to come and see you. Don't be careless."
Ruohong quickly apologized with a smile, "Don't take it personally, my lord. Our queen is not unwell. It's just that the emperor came before and they had a quarrel. Maybe she's still angry. If you come again after a while, maybe the queen will be fine."
"Oh." Fang Jinse nodded. She really wanted to ask Chun Yuqing why he quarreled with the emperor, but she had always been known in the palace for her quiet image. If she continued to ask, she was afraid that it would ruin her image. So she just nodded and left with Yue Xin.
Only after leaving the inner palace did he sigh quietly, "It seems that I can't rely on this queen anymore. I have to think about other queens."
"Others? The Queen?" Yue Xin was stunned, then seemed to think of something, and asked in a low voice: "Miss, are you talking about the Queen of Dashun? I heard that she is also Duanmu Anguo's child, and the most promising one among all the daughters Duanmu Anguo gave away."
"Yes!" Fang Jinse looked up at the sky. "It is said that the queen is no longer under the control of Duanmu Anguo. The Dashun Emperor does not mind her identity, and her mother's family is strong enough to compete with Duanmu Anguo's power. So, she is lucky."
"She must have done very well in Dashun." Yue Xin said, "She must have put in a lot of effort to make the Dashun Emperor not mind her identity. The Dashun Emperor must have doted on her, right?"
"Favor?" Fang Jinse shook her head. "What do you mean by favor? The Emperor of Dashun only truly loved one person in his life, and that was the birth mother of the Ninth Prince who massacred Jiancheng. It is said that for that woman, he could stay out of the harem for more than 20 years and not touch any woman. The relationship between him and the Queen is just a good cooperative relationship. But don't underestimate this cooperative relationship, it can last longer than favor, and the Queen can always maintain this relationship. You can imagine how outstanding she is. She is a qualified Queen, she climbed to the highest point of power for women in the world, so Duanmu Anguo can't do anything to her." Fang Jinse once thought about imitating the Queen of Dashun, but she found it too difficult until she entered the palace. After finally making some progress, Zong Sui was on the verge of collapse in this turmoil.
Chun Yuqing could not be counted on, but perhaps there was another way out. Fang Jinse thought that Duanmu Anguo was in her hands now. Although he was a threat to her, he could also be a hostage from another perspective. But this hostage could not be given to Zong Sui, she had to leave it to Dashun. She had to rely on this hostage to protect herself and her family, and perhaps Dashun could help her.
"Yuexin." Fang Jinse whispered, "Pay attention to the movements of Dashun, and try every means to contact the Ninth Prince of Dashun. But be careful, you must avoid the eyes and ears of Duanmu Anguo. The palace where I live is not safe either. Who knows who is his spy. In short, be careful. Whether we can avoid this disaster depends on ourselves."
The people of Zong Sui were in a panic, and the former dynasty and the harem were in turmoil. Everyone was thinking about their escape route, and no one believed that under Li Jian's governance, Zong Sui could still find a glimmer of hope from Dashun.
However, they never expected that the Dashun offensive would come so quickly and so fiercely. Before the end of the first month, the news of the fall of Gancheng was sent back to the capital by express delivery over 800 miles; half a month later, Licheng fell; and only ten days later, Weicheng fell.
Xuan Tianming's army advanced towards the capital of the Sui Dynasty at an astonishing speed. It took less than ten days to capture a city, and sometimes even two cities could be captured within five days. The officials of the Sui Dynasty said that Dashun was crazy, as if they were in a hurry to capture the Sui Dynasty. Why were they in such a hurry when the New Year was over? Were they in a hurry to go back for the Dragon Boat Festival?
After all, there are still some people who understand. Chun Yu An explained to people: "I heard that the seventh prince of Dashun died outside the west gate of Tongcheng. He was killed by Duanmu Anguo's thunder. This incident must have angered the ninth prince. He is anxious to fight to the capital to settle accounts with our great new emperor."
People agreed with Chun Yu An's words, but at this time, Chun Yu An's words had begun to be ridiculed by people. Some people said: "The analysis is reasonable, but why did General Chun Yu push Li Jian to the position in the first place?"
Someone immediately gave an answer: "It's all for his daughter. His third daughter married Li Jian as his principal wife. If Li Jian became emperor, his daughter would be the empress. The Chunyu family not only holds 80% of the military power of the Sui Dynasty, but also has a daughter who becomes the empress. How great an honor would that be? They could even hold the emperor hostage."
"Yes! If we remember correctly, General Chunyu worked with Duanmu Anguo to push Li Jian to the throne, right? Speaking of which, General Chunyu also played an indispensable role in Duanmu Anguo's trust in Li Jian. You even married your second daughter to another Dashun general. Tell me, does the Chunyu family also have to be responsible for the current situation of Zong Sui?"
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