Chapter Ninety-Four
She had been thinking that even if Sano followed the plan and successfully rescued his parents, then led the rebels to storm the palace and seize the throne, it would still be illegitimate and lack legitimacy.
He is a hero in the eyes of ordinary people, but in the eyes of those officials, he may be the culprit who caused them to lose their current comfortable life.
This group is the most difficult to deal with. If they intend to rebel, it will be much easier for them than for Sano, who has no foundation whatsoever.
If someone else tries to get involved and becomes a righteous force to "eliminate the rebels," Sano's future will be bleak, just like Zhou Yanqing's situation now.
When nothing else is happening, he is the beloved King of Qin. But once someone learns of his true identity, they will turn their backs on him just like Liu Ziwei did.
If even an uncle who watched him grow up is like this, Sano doesn't even have that kind of support.
However, Wu Zhao provided them with the best assistance – Wu Lan.
This guy doesn't get along with his brother, and now he's being sent to Qin as a hostage. It's impossible for him to say he's doing it willingly.
"If that's the case, why don't we make use of it?"
Zhou Yanqing seemed to understand what she meant. "You mean you want the two brothers to fight each other, and Sano to subdue them in the name of quelling the war?"
“That’s right!” Si Yanmo nodded.
If Wu Lan intends to rebel, perhaps officials in the court who share the same idea will "help" this foolish marquis out, and then simply sideline or kill him in the future.
Wu Zhao's attention will also be focused on his younger brother, making Sano's operation smoother.
Otherwise, even if they successfully rescued Sano's parents according to plan, Sano would be under Wu Zhao's close watch from then on, which would be inconvenient.
If that's the case, their plans need to be changed.
Zhou Yanqing wrote to Sano, instructing him to send a few quick-witted men and to refrain from making any rash moves by the main force.
Si Yanmo went to find Wu Lan and used her abilities to gain his trust. Coupled with her striking beauty, Wu Lan, the lecherous man, was quickly bewitched and believed everything she said.
Si Yanmo mysteriously took out a tortoise shell, which was her old companion.
"Lord Marquis, there have been too many changes lately. Why don't I ask Di Gu for you?" she said, appearing very understanding.
Wu Lan was already so captivated by her beauty that he lost all sense of time and space. His eyes were fixed on her face, watching her lips move as he agreed. Even Si Yanmo felt that the act was a bit unnecessary.
There happened to be a small statue of Emperor Gu in Wu Lan's room, so she took a brazier and placed the tortoise shell on it to heat it. Soon, patterns appeared on it—the inscription read: "Trees become grass, grass becomes trees."
"Beauty, what does this mean?" Wu Lan looked at the sentence with a mixture of understanding and confusion, but she couldn't help but be curious in front of such a beautiful woman.
Si Yanmo then pretended to act, looking hesitant and afraid, "This... I dare not say... it would be bad for the Marquis."
She frowned, her eyes were slightly red, and the tip of her nose was also slightly red from the heat of the charcoal fire. In Wu Lan's eyes, she looked pitiful and thought that she was really doing it for his own good, so he coaxed the beauty.
"It's alright, what are you afraid of? I'm right here, aren't I? Speak your mind."
"Then... I'll tell you..." She still pretended to hesitate, but Wu Lan repeatedly told her not to be afraid before she spoke, "This divination means that the Marquis's fate has been changed, and you should be..."
She pretended to hesitate to say the word, and mumbled, "Anyway, you shouldn't be like this. You are a person with great ambitions and deserve better. That's why it's said that trees become grass and grass becomes trees. Someone has stolen your luck, and now your luck is declining and may soon disappear."
Although Wu Lan wasn't a particularly clever person, given the circumstances, he naturally realized that the person who had stolen his luck was Wu Zhao.
He was immediately enraged. "I knew it was him! I was clearly more powerful than him back then, so how could he let him sit on the throne!"
Seeing that his anger had been provoked, Si Yanmo pressed her advantage, pretending to advise, "My lord, don't be angry. Your luck has been almost completely taken away. Just accept your fate."
Wu Lan was not about to give up. "Then while I still have the power, I'll take back what belongs to me!"
"My lord, you should think this through..."
"I keep my word."
Everything went as expected, and Si Yanmo quietly slipped out. However, just as she was about to turn back, a large hand grabbed her and pulled her away…
Si Yanmo was startled and was about to call for help when a fragrance of jasmine mixed with mugwort enveloped her.
She instantly realized what was happening and slapped the man's hand: "Zhou Yanqing, put me down. You scared me to death!"
Zhou Yanqing ignored her, his expression angry. He put one arm around her waist, picked her up, and carried her back to their residence.
"What are you doing?" Si Yanmo was baffled by the man's inexplicable anger.
The man carried her into the room, placed her on the bed, and pressed her down fiercely, his eyes reddening. "You smiled at him."
So that's what it was about. Si Yanmo was speechless. "Didn't we agree on this?"
She was afraid that the little dog would get jealous, so she made sure to tell him in advance that Wu Lan was a womanizer, and she would only give him a few hints with her eyes to make him listen to her. She didn't do anything excessive, so how could he get jealous?
Zhou Yanqing didn't care about any of that. Si Yanmo's alluring gaze had never appeared before him. All he knew was that when he was watching from outside, he wished he could rush over and chop Wu Lan into mincemeat.
"So you know how to seduce people!" The puppy leaned down and bit her collarbone.
Perhaps because of jealousy, she hit him a little harder this time, causing Si Yanmo to cry out in pain.
"He really is a dog!" She tried to push him away, but couldn't budge him at all. She could only try to persuade him gently, "Isn't this just an act? Don't be angry."
“You acted so well, you’ve never done this to me.” He finally couldn’t help but express his resentment.
Si Yanmo laughed in exasperation, "Then you can have the fake kind if you like!"
He didn't know that Si Yanmo's skill in "seducing" people was something she had honed in her previous life.
In her previous life, after marrying Zhou Junsong, he almost never slept in her room.
At first, she didn't care. Anyway, the two of them didn't have any feelings for each other, so it would be better if they didn't come, and she could have some peace and quiet.
But she later discovered that things were not so simple. Marrying into the royal family meant that your favor and the honor and disgrace of your family were intertwined, even if you were only marrying a prince.
When Zhou Junsong first started taxing the merchants, he should have taken care of the Si family because of their marriage, but he didn't think of it at all, which caused many of the Si family's shops to run into problems.
It was her sister who told her that she should try to win her husband's favor. So she could only try to seduce Zhou Junsong like the sisters from He Chunlou had done before. It wasn't completely ineffective, but he still had no interest in her.
Fortunately, she is an easygoing person, as long as she is not completely invisible.
Ultimately, she still didn't like that; she didn't like doing those things to someone she didn't love, it disgusted her.
When she married Zhou Yanqing, she only said that the two were allies, and that was also for this reason.
It's one thing for the two of them to put on an act in front of outsiders, but if they have to live in constant fear and rely on their looks to please others, just like in their previous life, then it would be better to let her die again.
Fortunately, Zhou Yanqing is different from them.
There may still be some ambiguity between them, but at least their relationship isn't fake.
Si Yanmo still had the mind to tease him, "What do you want me to do, Your Highness Prince Qin?"
Zhou Yanqing immediately raised her chin arrogantly, "So you mean... you're really sincere with me now?"
"Hmm..." She deliberately didn't drag her feet, making the puppy impatient. She lowered her head and bit him again. "Tell me! Don't lie to me!"
"Hahaha!" Si Yanmo couldn't help but burst into laughter. Puppies are much easier to amuse and get along with. "I'm not lying to you."
She cupped his face in her hands and said quite earnestly, "It's all true."
These words were like honey poured into Zhou Yanqing's heart, slowly spreading and making him feel as if he were soaking in a honey pot.
But then he quickly realized something, narrowed his eyes, and said, "You didn't use these tricks on Zhou Junsong in your past life, did you?"
That was a pretty quick reaction!
Si Yanmo was still a little guilty, "Maybe... I used it."
"Okay!" The puppy suddenly raised its head, hugging the person even tighter with a pitiful look on its face. "You..."
Before he could finish speaking, Si Yanmo noticed tiny tears at the corners of his eyes and immediately panicked, "No, why are you crying?"
"I didn't!" He turned his head away and sniffed.
The reddened corners of her eyes made her look so pitiful.
Si Yanmo quickly cupped his face in her hands, "What's there to cry about?"
I must say, she looks quite beautiful when she cries.
Realizing the chaotic thoughts in her mind, she coughed lightly, awakening her conscience.
"Those are all things from a past life. They're all in the past."
For Zhou Yanqing, however, it was an insurmountable obstacle.
He turned around, gripped her wrist, and his burning gaze seemed to devour her. "Did you ever love him?"
This question again made Si Yanmo's heart skip a beat.
"I've said I don't know, I don't understand these things."
"Liar!" The man didn't believe her at all and shook off her hand.
At that moment, Si Yanmo saw a tear slide down his cheek and drip onto her clothes.
The redness at the corners of her eyes seemed to be a reminder of Zhou Yanqing's sadness at that moment.
“You…” She didn’t even know what to say to comfort her, as if anything she said would be futile.
She once said that she doesn't like to talk about feelings; it's a very troublesome thing.
Facing Zhou Yanqing like this, she didn't feel annoyed, but rather a little heartbroken, though she didn't know how to express it.
In her past life, she was always inferior to Zhou Junsong, and all her anxieties and unease belonged to her.
In this life, besides not wanting to get involved in any romantic relationship, she also hopes that she and Zhou Yanqing can be equals.
She no longer wanted to live in fear for anyone, no longer wanted to spend every night wondering whether what she said in the morning was right or wrong.
Unfortunately, it seems that feelings are destined to be unequal.
Now, anxiety and unease belong to Zhou Yanqing, but she doesn't want to become Zhou Junsong.
“Zhou Yanqing…” she called to him, raising her hand to wipe away his tears, “I was wrong.”
Upon hearing the woman admit her mistake, the stubborn man immediately lost his temper.
He sniffed his reddened nose, his voice slightly choked, "Why don't you understand?"
"It's not that I don't understand." Si Yanmo sighed, unsure of what to say.
Their eyes met, and she saw the deep affection in his eyes—an affection that belonged only to her.
Never mind, I won't say anything more.
Si Yanmo thought that there might be a better answer to some things.
She raised her hand to stroke his cheek, then leaned in and lightly pecked his lips. "I just don't want to think about the past anymore. There are wonderful people in front of me, aren't there?"
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