"Don't worry, it's absolutely possible, because even if they have killed someone, no one would dare to make it public. The deeper and more chaotic this pool is, the better it is for us."
Yan Xun raised his head, looked at the gray sky, and murmured, "It's time to take action." When he returned to Yingge Courtyard, it was already dark. Little Li, who was holding the lamp, was leaning against the door. He was overjoyed to see Chu Qiao return. He ran up to her happily and said with a smile, "Girl, you are back."
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows, "What happened?"
Little Li replied: "Nothing, it's just that the prince came back and asked about you, and when he heard that you were out, he took Ah Jing out to look for you."
"Oh," Chu Qiao nodded, "How long have you been gone?"
"It's been an hour." Little Li answered while diligently holding a lantern in front. Suddenly, he saw Chu Qiao trying to go to Lantian Pavilion, so he immediately blocked her way and said, "Miss, there are servants clearing the snow at Lantian Pavilion. Let's go this way."
Chu Qiao was stunned, then slowly raised her head, glanced at Xiao Lizi lightly, and remained silent.
Little Li looked embarrassed, muttered for a while, and murmured: "The road over there is not easy to walk on."
The girl's face darkened, she pushed Xiao Li's arm away and strode forward. Just as she reached the archway, she heard a charming and gentle female voice coming softly, along with the sound of servants moving boxes and cabinets.
The girl stopped and stood in front of the archway, her face calm. She stood there in silence for a long time before she said in a deep voice, "Who sent it?"
"Master Ji Wenting, the Censor of the Northwest River."
Chu Qiao frowned and said in a deep voice, "It's him again."
Chu Qiao's tone was not good, and Little Li was also silent, looking at her eagerly, afraid that she would really ignore the objections and walk in.
Chu Qiao turned around suddenly and walked towards her room. As she walked, she said in a deep voice, "Tell them to be quiet and not disturb me while I rest."
Little Leo stared blankly in the direction where Chu Qiao disappeared, his brain unable to react. This place is far away from Chu Qiao's courtyard, so even if you shout loudly, they may not be able to hear you over there.
During dinner time, I sent someone to call Chu Qiao twice, but she didn't show up. Prince Yanbei sighed on the surface, but secretly felt a little proud in his heart. He was about to go there in person when he suddenly saw Chu Qiao walk in in white. She was still dressed in men's clothes, as if she had not changed since she came back.
Yan Xun was stunned and asked, "Ah Chu, what were you doing just now?"
Chu Qiao raised her head, her expression calm, "I have a few questions to discuss with you when approving the draft plan for the spring flood of the canal in Bianyang."
A hint of disappointment suddenly filled his heart, and Yan Xun sat down, "Let's eat first."
"Oh," Chu Qiao nodded, "I'm really a little hungry."
The woman waved her sleeves, sat down, and ate calmly. Yan Xun frowned slightly, and seeing that Chu Qiao had no intention of speaking, and did not show any anger or abnormality on her face, he felt depressed and a little annoyed.
Outside the house, the cold moon was shining, the stars were sparse, and the snow and wind that had been blowing all day finally stopped.
"The Spring Festival transportation in Bianyang must be accelerated. Now that the governor of the river has been replaced, the transportation is not running well. Time is running out, so we must make plans." Putting down the chopsticks, the woman said in a cold voice, took out a piece of white paper from her bosom, and said as she read it, "The salt envoy of Licheng took office last month. The new official is Wei Yan, a descendant of the Wei family. After taking office, this Lord Wei rectified the salt transportation in Licheng, and the salt merchants were uneasy. Miss Yu wrote to us to be careful of people's change of mind. After all, Licheng is related to Shangdang and Pengze. These wealthy families will play a huge role at critical moments. Also, someone needs to take over Xihua's position. I prefer Miss Yu's disciple He Qi. What do you think?"
Yan Xun nodded, "You decide."
Seeing Yan Xun looking listless, Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows and asked loudly, "Are you tired?"
The man had no interest in discussing things and said calmly, "It's okay."
"Then you should rest first." Chu Qiao stood up. "Prince Bian Tang is about to arrive in the imperial capital, King Xia's birthday is approaching, and the Huai Song envoy is on the way. Zhenhuang will soon be bustling. Other things should be put aside."
Yan Xun said nothing, and saw Chu Qiao turned and walked out. The little maid Lvliu followed behind and put a robe on her. The two of them disappeared at the end of the long corridor in an instant.
Yan Xun sighed softly, leaned back in his chair, and gently rubbed his temples.
That day, dealing with the secret messages sent by the guild, dealing with the court officials who had become much more cordial and attentive after the last hunting trip, and scheming and competing with the children of the royal family and nobles were not as tiring as this moment just now.
"Ah Jing," the young man in brocade robe said calmly, "Send away those women that Ji Wenting sent over."
"Prince?" Ah Jing was stunned and said, "Aren't you trying to confuse the powerful? If you do this, I'm afraid Ji Wenting will be disappointed."
Yan Xun shook his head and sighed, "People who can really be fooled by such crude means are not to be feared. People who should be valued will not be fooled by such a show. In this case, it is better to let it out to win people's hearts and do a favor. What's more..." The next sentence Yan Xun said was very vague, and A Jing did not hear it clearly. Yan Xun's lips opened and closed slightly, and he slowly closed his eyes - compared with A Chu's trust, what was Ji Wenting worth?
Although, she didn't necessarily care.
Yan Xun hypnotized himself and comforted himself: Ah Chu, he is still a child after all.
Although, she never behaved like a child.
"Sir," Lvliu ran back briskly, handed over a large roll of documents, and said, "This is what the young lady just approved."
Yan Xun glanced through it listlessly and was about to put it aside when his eyes suddenly lit up. He pulled out a thick stack of documents and said, "Why haven't these wax envelopes been opened?"
The little maid scratched her head and said, "The young lady said that it was nothing more than flattering words. She asked the servants who came to deliver the letter to tell their masters to come up with something fresh next time."
Yan Xun was stunned for a moment, then his face suddenly showed some joy, with a smile in the corners of his eyes. He handed the letter to A Jing and said, "Just do as A Chu said." After that, he got up and went back to the study, and his steps were surprisingly much lighter.
Ah Jing looked at Yan Xun's back in confusion, then glanced at the letter in her hand. On the cover, she saw a big "Ji" written in elegant Song font, and the paper was fragrant with a subtle aroma.
On the second day, Deputy General Cheng of the Cavalry Battalion sent someone to deliver a set of riding and archery clothes, complete with official boots and a bow and crossbow, for Chu Qiao to review.
Several maids were very excited, dancing and saying that for all these years, no female had ever been appointed as an instructor in the Cavalry Battalion! I really don’t know how those noble children would feel when they are taught by a little girl of fifteen or sixteen years old.
They were talking animatedly, but Chu Qiao was secretly keeping something in mind. Putting aside the deeper meaning of Emperor Xia's action, could those arrogant imperial city defenders really be restrained by a little woman like her? Even if the customs of Da Xia are open and women have a high status, it is probably not realistic. After all, in modern times, women are also discriminated against in the army. No matter how brave they are or how many military achievements they have made, their promotion speed is far slower than that of men.
Thinking of this, even though she was smart, she couldn't help but feel worried about taking office in five days.
"Girl." Ah Jing suddenly came in from outside and said, "The prince said he will be back very late tonight, so you should eat first and don't wait for him."
Chu Qiao was stunned. In the past few years, Yan Xun has always been a low-key person. Although his situation is not as good as before, he would never wander outside late at night like those clan masters in the capital.
"Is there anything urgent?"
"No," Ah Jing said with a smile, "Don't worry, girl."
Seeing that he didn't answer, Chu Qiao stopped asking.
Chu Qiao was alone and didn't have dinner. She just ate some cakes and sat by the fire in her room, too lazy to move.
In the past two years, I have been running around outside to build up external influence for Yan Xun. I haven't lived such a leisurely life for a long time.
Although the owner of Shengjin Palace restricted Yan Xun's movements and did not allow him to leave the imperial capital, the control over Yan Xun's subordinates was not very strict. At this point, Chu Qiao still couldn't figure out Emperor Xia's intentions. Did he really ignore Yan Xun's power and secretly grow stronger? Or does he have some other trick up his sleeve?
The Great Xia Empire today is divided among various factions, and it is far from being able to be overturned by just a single word from the emperor. Does he really have the ability and confidence to do so?
Among the seven major families, the Lingnan Mu family, the Huaiyin Helian family, and the Dongyue Shang family have always been low-key and remained neutral towards the factional struggles in the court. Over the years, although there have been times when external relatives have abused their power and held sway over the country, they have remained peaceful during this dynasty. Especially in recent years, the high profile of the Muhe family and the Wei clan has made them increasingly silent. However, these families have accumulated power over generations, and their influence is intertwined. Temporary compliance with the law does not mean that they do not have the desire to fight for power. Once they seize the opportunity, they will surely counterattack fiercely and seek high positions. These people are like cold arrows lurking in the dark, ready to shoot out at any time.
The Muhe family, which had been prosperous and well-connected for the past ten years, gradually began to decline after the death of the previous head of the family, Muhe Yunting. Although the women in the family were noble, and Muhena Yun was the current queen, and had given birth to three sons, the seventh son Zhao Che, the eighth son Zhao Jue, and the youngest son Zhao Bing, it still could not make up for the disadvantage of the Muhe family's male descendants being less talented. Before this, the Muhe lineage had always supported the ascension of Zhao Jue, who was more tactful and easier to control, in the hope that a hundred years after the current emperor's death, the Muhe lineage would rise to the top and surpass the Council of Elders. However, before his plan could come true, Zhao Jue was sentenced to death by Emperor Xia. Zhao Gang was still young, so Muhe had no choice but to support Zhao Che again.
However, this seventh prince, who was determined and ambitious, did not seem to trust his mother's family and was hypocritical towards his mother, making their relationship strange and unpredictable.
Some are happy while others are sad. The gradual decline of the Muhe family is the good news that the Wei clan likes to hear the most. Wei Guang was a man of great foresight and had endured for several years, finally accumulating enough strength for his sudden success today. Concubine Shu has lived in seclusion in the deep palace for many years. Although she is not very much loved by the emperor, she has good manners and is elegant and graceful. She is now the current concubine second only to Muhena Yun. The third prince Zhao Qi and the thirteenth prince Zhao Song have always been favored by Emperor Xia, especially Zhao Song, who was made a king at a young age and became the first prince to have a fiefdom after Zhao Che. Now that Zhao Qi holds the power in the imperial capital and has won the trust of Emperor Xia, the power of the Wei clan is rising and its influence is growing.
The Batuha family of the Northwest is a foreign race and was also a royal family of the Northwest a hundred years ago. Later, the whole family surrendered to Daxia and was given a seat in the Council of Elders. But they are a barbarian tribe of the grassland after all. They are not loved by the clans in the capital and have no foundation in the court. They have always followed the lead of the Muhe clan. Just looking at the behavior of the brother and sister Zaru and Zama, you can see the mental ability of the Batuha family. He only knows how to use brute force and is nothing to be afraid of. Once the Muhe family falls, the Batuha empire will collapse.