The next morning, after sending Du Meimei to work, He Yunxiao rushed to Jinxian Courtyard to find the girl who had the antidote.
Since the situation in Qi Yan and the life of Wuyou Niangzi were at stake, He Yunxiao dared not delay for a moment.
After waiting a short while in the reception room of the Jinxian Courtyard, the antidote girl appeared as promised.
He Yunxiao looked at Jieyao dressed in men's clothing and felt a pang of regret. Judging from the fact that even the loose men's clothing couldn't hide her curves, Jieyao was certainly well-endowed and didn't skimp on clothing. But why was such a rare beauty dressed in men's clothes all the time?
However, He Yunxiao was also aware that his relationship with the antidote was not close enough for him to criticize the antidote's clothing.
If it were Sister Du, she would wear whatever I told her to wear. Wuyou and Ziruo would need some coaxing. As for Nanzhu, it depends on the situation. In Linxuan Palace, I would have to bribe Xing'er, but outside the palace, I would have the final say.
As soon as the antidote arrived and sat down opposite him, He Yunxiao said, "Miss Li, last time we talked about catching the mole in the Ministry of Justice, I already told the female spy I was protecting. She said: There are no Yan Kingdom spies in the Ministry of Justice."
Meng Qingqian said, "From what you're saying, you're no longer hiding your identities from her? You've already come clean?"
He Yunxiao said with relief, "She confessed. She's willing to atone for her crime by doing good deeds."
Meng Qingqian looked at He Yunxiao without showing any emotion.
After their last parting, she specifically investigated He Yunxiao's recent activities. The only noteworthy detail was that he had redeemed a courtesan named Jiang Wuyou and brought her home. This woman had even been invited by the Ministry of Rites to perform a dance in the palace. She was a very rare type of dancer.
Meng Qingqian decided to follow the trail and investigated Jiang Wuyou's background. She was surprised to find that the information about this courtesan was remarkably complete and detailed, even more so than that of an ordinary person.
Most courtesans had tragic pasts. It was difficult enough to find their household registration information, let alone someone like Jiang Wuyou with a complete background.
While Meng Qingqian continued to order her men to dig deeper into Jiang Wuyou's past, she also had a hunch. The timing of He Yunxiao's "redemption" and his conversation with her about "protecting the spy" largely coincided. Therefore, it was highly likely that Jiang Wuyou was the Yan Kingdom spy He Yunxiao wanted to protect.
In addition, Jiang Wuyou is a courtesan and is beautiful, so protecting her at all costs is also something that a lecherous man like He Yunxiao would do.
After He Yunxiao said "there are no spies in the Ministry of Justice", he found that the antidote in front of him did not surprise him at all.
Aren't you surprised?
Meng Qingqian smiled and said, "Why would I be surprised?"
He Yunxiao was taken aback and said, "You asked me to pass on a message to 'test the Ministry of Justice,' not only to test whether there were any Yan Kingdom spies in the Ministry of Justice, but also to test me and her?"
Meng Qingqian continued with a smile, "You're not stupid after all. The Ministry of Justice is in charge of the judiciary, which is where I..."
He Yunxiao: ?
Meng Qingqian blushed slightly for a moment after saying the wrong thing, but quickly regained her composure.
"This is a key area of focus for me and my sister. Every official in the Ministry of Justice has had their background investigated, making it virtually impossible for them to be spies from the Yan Kingdom. Anyone with even a little knowledge of this matter knows this. If the female spy you're protecting doesn't even know this, it only proves that she's of too low a rank and utterly worthless."
He Yunxiao deeply felt that "the emperor's heart is hard to fathom." Sister Jiang was right; these people in power are all very suspicious, always doubting and guarding against each other.
"Miss Li, why are you referring to yourself as 'this Empress'?" He Yunxiao asked casually.
Meng Qingqian chuckled softly.
Sure enough, even if you say something wrong, hiding it will arouse suspicion, but if you say it openly, no one will doubt you.
"The former imperial palace of Jinxian Academy was sold to the Li family and is now managed by Qingmeng. Can't Qingmeng even refer to herself as 'this palace'?" (cascoo.net)
He Yunxiao didn't think much of the explanation given about the antidote and went straight to the point without any further elaboration.
"Miss Li, war is about to break out."
It was only at this point that Meng Qingqian's interest was finally piqued.
She asked, "Did the female spy tell you this news?"
"yes."
Meng Qingqian said with considerable confidence, "It seems you have a good relationship with your female spy. She's even willing to tell you about this national policy of the Yan Kingdom."
He Yunxiao said speechlessly, "You didn't find out again, did you?"
Meng Qingqian's lips curled up, looking at He Yunxiao with a hint of smugness. She would never show such an expression to anyone else. The reason was simple: no one else was worthy of it. However, He Yunxiao, who had broken through her defenses, was an exception.
In front of He Yunxiao, Meng Qingqian always subconsciously felt an urge to prove herself. This urge probably stemmed from the fact that she had lost face in front of He Yunxiao too many times.
"Leaving aside the fact that my Qi state has always monitored the main force of the Yan army, just take the matter of intelligence. Do you think only Yan has spies, while my Qi state does not?"
He Yunxiao's lips twitched as he looked at Meng Qingqian's smug expression. He said, "You also know that the Yan Kingdom has learned about Qi's border defense arrangements?"
Meng Qingqian's expression changed slightly. She frowned and stared at He Yunxiao with an extremely serious gaze, saying, "Is this really true?!"
He Yunxiao was startled by the sudden oppressive force emanating from the antidote. He subconsciously said, "Hmm."
As soon as He Yunxiao finished speaking, he suddenly realized that the "pressure" that had forced him to admit it seemed to be the heroine's halo of "obeying" from the antidote girl. This sudden attack, which caught him off guard, was quite frightening.
Meng Qingqian stared at He Yunxiao, who also stared blankly at her. Just two breaths later, Meng Qingqian's body began to itch involuntarily, and her cheeks turned slightly red and hot.
An overwhelming sense of shame welled up within her and filled her entire body.
This is a lingering effect of He Yunxiao completely breaking down her defenses after the "pink peony handkerchief" incident.
Meng Qingqian quickly averted her gaze from He Yunxiao, turned her head away, and unconsciously touched the bell hidden under her clothes on her chest.
The hardness of the bell brought her a sense of peace, and the self-suggestion of grasping He Yunxiao's lifeline also lessened her shame considerably.
Meng Qingqian repeatedly told herself: although she had completely lost face in front of He Yunxiao, the one who did all the bad things was actually "Li Qingmeng," not "Meng Qingqian." Besides, the bell that controlled the Soul-Devouring Pill and He Yunxiao's life was still in her hands; at worst, she could die together with He Yunxiao. There was nothing to be afraid of.
After calming down, Meng Qingqian immediately got down to business. She said, "The Qi Kingdom's border defenses have been discovered by the Yan Kingdom. How confident are we in this? Are there any details? For example, which section or part of the information have they obtained?"
He Yunxiao said in detail: "I am very confident. According to my spy friend, the Yan state basically knows about the layout of the northern defense line."
Border security is a matter of great importance to the nation, and Meng Qingqian dared not neglect it even though she did not have military power.
The military power of Qi is mostly in the hands of Chancellor Han, so the matter of the border leak should at least be discussed with him. With matters of national importance at stake, internal strife should be put aside for now.
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