Chapter 175 I plan to let you seduce Xie Guanlan, the commander of the Southwest Army
The black-clad girl pulled a map from her sleeve and unfolded it neatly on the table. "We still have a remnant of our old troops in the Wei Dynasty, about 50,000 strong, in the Jiangnan area. But if we want to overthrow the Zhou regime, this old force alone is far from enough."
"So, I intend to have you seduce Xie Guanlan, the Southwestern Military Commander, and have him fight for us. Of course, whether it's an exchange of interests or seduction, I won't just let you down. If necessary, I will personally take action and win over several other princes.
"After this is accomplished, I will be crowned emperor. However, due to my physical condition, I cannot bear children, so I will make you the crown princess. What do you think?"
She talked incessantly and had already planned the future development direction.
But Wen Xingluo didn't listen at all.
——Your mother was a princess of the previous dynasty.
Only these words kept echoing in her mind.
All the past events are connected into one line:
The year my father married my mother was the year the Zhou emperor proclaimed himself emperor; my mother's beauty and demeanor were unlike any other woman, and the nameless tablets she worshipped...
So, this is the secret Mu Shangming wants to know from his father?
"Are you listening to me?"
The girl in black was dissatisfied.
Wen Xingluo looked up at her, his face remaining calm. "I don't know what you mean by that. My mother is just an ordinary woman from a remote borderland. She has never left Shu County in her life. How could she be a princess of the previous dynasty?"
She didn't know whether the girl in black was good or evil.
Be more vigilant and you will never go wrong.
The girl in black chuckled, "You think I'm testing you, don't you?"
Wen Xingluo's expression remained cold. "I told you, I don't understand what you're saying. You seem like someone who's read too many storybooks and has become obsessed with bringing the plot into reality."
The girl in black glared at her and lifted her sleeves expressionlessly.
The arms, which should have been as white and tender as jade, were covered with new and old scars.
The most eye-catching thing is the word "Zan" branded above the wrist.
Zan...
Some information flashed through Wen Xingluo's mind quickly.
She vaguely remembered that in her previous life, when she went to the East Palace for a banquet, she had a glimpse of this mark on the dancer's bare arm at the banquet.
The nobles in the capital took pride in raising slaves and would often compete to see who had more slaves or better quality slaves. They would brand their names on the skin of their slaves, leaving a permanent mark in a malicious way to prove that the slave was their property.
Zan...
Although there are many staff members in the Eastern Palace, only the crown prince, several officials of the Eastern Palace, and the crown prince's most trusted confidant - Mr. Xie Sanye - are qualified to keep slaves.
Whose slave is this so-called cousin of hers?
The black-clad girl said, "Before the city fell, my parents sent my aunt out of the capital by water. But my parents shouldered responsibilities and could not leave like my aunt did. My father defended the imperial city for another two years, until his troops and food were exhausted, and he was killed by thousands of arrows piercing his heart on the city wall. My mother committed suicide for love, and I was entrusted to an old minister as a newborn, pretending to be his granddaughter.
"Later, that old minister was also sentenced to death by the new emperor. I, along with the descendants of other former ministers, was confiscated into official slavery until seven years ago when the crown prince gave me to his confidant—that bastard who deserves to be cut into pieces!"
The girl has fair skin and a very sharp jawline. From the beginning to now, there is no unnecessary expression on her face. She is a beauty with a sharp sword.
But at this moment, she touched the "Zan" brand on her wrist, gritting her teeth in hatred, as if she wanted to tear this piece of flesh off alive!
Wen Xingluo looked at her, his mind like a book with rapidly turning pages.
Among the officials in the Eastern Palace, which one has the character "Zan" in his name?
In her previous life, in order to stand out from the many noble ladies from aristocratic families and get in touch with the prince, she secretly put in a lot of effort and even bribed and curryed favor with the officials of the Eastern Palace. Therefore, she knew the names of those people.
But no matter how hard she searched in her mind, she could not find any official with the character "Zan" in his name.
Could it be the Mr. Xie San who never shows off?
Is his real name Xie Zan?
The black-clad girl lowered her sleeves. "I escaped under the protection of other official slaves. They sacrificed more than a dozen of their own to help me escape. The rest are still waiting for me to return with reinforcements, to lead them out of slavery and back to their homeland. Cousin, you and I have a long way to go."
She stretched out her hand towards Wen Xingluo.
Wen Xingluo didn't touch her.
The black-clothed girl didn't get angry either. She calmly withdrew her hand and said, "My name is Wei Gaoyang, and my nickname is Ying, which means firefly."
Wen Xingluo clenched her handkerchief.
The previous dynasty was named Wei.
It turns out that my mother's name was not Wei Si, but Wei Si.
"What do you think about what I just said?" Wei Ying asked.
Wen Xingluo asked, "What's the matter?"
"Is it about you seducing Xie Guanlan? He has 300,000 soldiers under his command, who can help you and me achieve our great cause."
Wen Xingluo said nothing.
Her cousin came from the capital and didn't know that Xie Guanlan would also rebel in the future. He had his own great cause.
As for seduction...
She was already troubled by her love life, and her cousin mentioned Xie Guanlan as soon as she arrived, which made her even more annoyed.
So she ignored Wei Ying and held up her face in meditation.
Finally returning to the palace, Wen Xingluo used the excuse that Wei Ying was her newly bought maid and brought her into Xiejinyuan.
After washing and changing clothes, she took Wei Ying to see Wei Si.
It was dusk at this time. Xie Jing was still outside drinking with his colleagues and had not returned yet. Wei Si was the only master in the main courtyard.
Wei Ying opened the small wooden box she carried with her.
Except for being a bit talkative in front of Wen Xingluo, she seemed very cold in front of others, and only said lightly: "This is my mother's legacy."
Wen Xingluo looked inside the box and found nothing valuable. There was only a box of mottled and faded double-phoenix glazed rouge, two dull palace flowers, and a plain gauze palace skirt as thin as a cicada's wing.
Wei Si stared at it blankly, and suddenly tears rolled down her cheeks.
She reached out her hand and stroked the objects almost tremblingly.
Wen Xingluo was worried, "Mother?"
Wei Si closed her eyes. "This box of rouge was made twenty years ago when I was playing in the Eastern Palace. I picked swallowtail flowers with the Emperor's sister-in-law and made it. At the time, I thought it was just an ordinary thing, but I didn't expect the war outside the capital. This is the last box of rouge we will make together in this life."
Wen Xingluo seemed to be lost in thought.
Since they could pick yew flowers and make rouge together, my mother and Wei Ying's mother must have a very good relationship.
She and Le Zhi had made rouge together, and she knew it was something that could only be done with good friends.
Wei Si picked up the palace flowers.
Under the candlelight, the golden threads were dull red and yellowish, looking gorgeous yet old, just like a dynasty that was rapidly declining and decaying when its flowers were in full bloom.
"The night my brother and sister-in-law escorted me out of the city, everything was rushed. I was only fifteen years old that year, the most favored princess of the Great Wei Kingdom. I was well protected, living a carefree, lively, and innocent life. I didn't realize the country was shattered, or that this was a farewell forever. I only thought I would return in the future.
"I was very spoiled. I cried and refused to leave on the boat, begging my brother to let me return to the palace to pack my luggage, so that I could take my palace dress, jewelry, and dressing box. Or at least let me take these two new palace flowers."
Wei Si's tone was deep, like the rain in old times knocking on the dead banana leaves.
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