Emotional
Wen Cunxiao looked at Yuan Zi who was sitting on the high seat secretly. It seemed that this princess was not as easy to fool as the world thought.
Yuan Zi was seen sitting with her legs crossed, her lips curled up in a teasing manner, glancing at him with a mocking expression. She had none of the reserve and dignity of a noble lady, and was completely arrogant and disrespectful.
"The Prime Minister really can't forget my sister who did something wrong. I wonder if seeing me will ease your longing for me? After all, we are sisters and look very similar."
Wen Cunxiao's eyes were devoid of warmth, and his tone was icy as he said, "Princess, please be careful with your words."
"Tsk, why can't any of you play with me? When I tell lies, you look down on me and treat me like a fool. When I tell the truth, you can't listen. You're really hard to please."
Yuan Zi waved her hands, acting as if she really couldn't do anything to him, which made Wen Cunxiao feel angry for the first time as if he was being blatantly teased.
He found it a little difficult to cope with Yuan Zi's topic. This princess who used to be so reserved actually acted so unconventionally in private.
"Prime Minister, why are you silent? Ha, it seems I've touched your heart."
Yuan Zi snorted coldly, her expression thick with disdain. If she felt bad, then no one else would feel good either.
Wen Cunxiao bowed hastily, his voice weak, "It's getting late, and I really shouldn't disturb Your Highness the Princess's rest any longer. I'll take my leave now."
"Oh." Yuan Zi sat in a comfortable position again, and paused for a long time after saying "Oh", as if telling the other person to listen carefully to every word she said next.
Wen Cunxiao waited for a long time before Yuan Zi lazily said, "Okay, leave now. Goodbye, I won't see you off."
Wen Cunxiao left in a hurry.
The wind blew the candlelight, making it flicker.
Yuan Zi was alone in the huge bedroom, fiddling with her fingers seemingly bored, but in fact she was already greeting Yuan Ming in her heart.
"Yuan Ming, Wen Cunxiao, and the Empress—huh, what a messy relationship, it's hard to cut or untangle. Wen Cunxiao, a despicable man who spied on Yuan Ming from the shadows and coveted her, actually did a lot to get her out of power. The Empress, someone who treated power like her life, I actually thought she'd have a little bit of affection for her child."
Yuan Zi shook her head and couldn't help laughing. She looked kind but had a cold heart, but the more she laughed, the more crazy it became. The whole bedroom was filled with her laughter. Until she was tired of laughing, she leaned back in the chair, eyes half open and half closed, and said, "I'll make sure you all have the same problem in the future."
When Yuan Zi fell asleep, Yuan Ming had already started a killing spree in her dream.
In the illusory space, the palace of the previous life.
Yuan Ming, bloodied, clutched his knife. The ground was strewn with the corpses of civil and military officials. And at the end of these bleeding bodies, a woman sat on the dragon throne, a symbol of imperial power. She smiled, but her eyes were devoid of tenderness.
Yuan Ming, holding the bloody knife, stepped forward and gradually saw the face of the woman on the dragon throne: sometimes it was her mother, sometimes it was Yuan Zi, and finally it became herself.
This self of hers felt unfamiliar to Yuan Ming, as she could barely tell the difference between herself and Yuan Zi. She had only seen this expression on Yuan Zi's face; it turned out she had smiled like that before.
"We meet again." The woman in the dream said, "How does it feel to be reborn?"
Yuan Ming's eyes flashed, and he swung his knife towards the woman's head.
The woman's body spread out like ink dropped into water, but the next moment, she returned to normal.
"This is a dream, you can't kill me." said the woman.
Yuan Ming was unusually calm. "I know that whenever I faint from insanity, strange dreams will come. Sometimes they're memories of my youth, sometimes they're scenes from my past life when I went crazy. This dream comes so punctually, I'm getting a little impatient."
"So, after you killed all the living people in your dream, you came to kill yourself in your dream?" the woman asked doubtfully.
Yuan Ming replied: "It's an eyesore."
"Is that so?" The woman showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, and her tone changed. "But there's nothing we can do about it. After all, rebirth comes at a price."
"What's the price?"
The woman smiled and said, "It's not time to announce it yet."
"Mystique."
Yuan Ming dropped the knife in his hand, looked at the woman, and asked, "Who are you?"
"I don't want to tell you."
The woman laughed brightly, and in an instant her figure vanished, leaving only her laughter echoing around her. The dream began to collapse, and Yuan Ming knew it was time for her to wake up.
When Yuan Ming opened his eyes, he saw Rulan leaning over.
"You're awake, woooo, that's great." Rulan's tears began to flow again. Yuan Ming was not surprised and reached out to wipe away the tears from the corners of Rulan's eyes.
"I've already said it before, the King of Hell won't take my life."
"You are indeed lucky." Jiang Kai leaned aside and flipped through a medical book without raising his eyes.
Rulan moved closer, almost forehead to forehead with Yuan Ming. "How do you feel now? Does your head still hurt? You said your illness was getting worse before you fainted. I was so worried."
When asked about this, Yuan Ming talked about the strange things she encountered in her dream. She told him everything, of course leaving out the rebirth part. Ru Lan and Jiang Kai looked suspicious after hearing this.
Jiang Kai considered it over and over again, then said, "I've never encountered this kind of situation before, but judging by the symptoms, it might be caused by some kind of mental disorder. Let me think of a way to describe it."
Jiang Kai looked thoughtful. "It's like your mind has split in two. You can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality. You're hallucinating and seeing things. In short, your head isn't clear. Get some rest."
"I suspect you are talking nonsense." Yuan Ming put on his shoes and prepared to leave.
Rulan: "Where are you going?"
Yuan Ming turned around and smiled brightly: "General Zhong has a lot of things to do right now. I'll see if there's anything I can do to help."
After hearing this, Rulan curled her lips and said, "Didn't I tell you to have a good rest?"
Yuan Ming pretended not to hear, waved goodbye and walked away.
Yuan Ming saw Zhong Yingqi by the water source. The dignified general was now a cook, among a group of wounded soldiers, heating up steamed buns with Liu Zizhuang.
Zhong Yingqi's gaze inadvertently passed over Yuan Ming, and then fixed on her as if attracted by a magnet.
Yuan Ming found Zhong Yingqi's stunned look really funny, and it made her smile a little.
"Your Highness, you are awake."
Yuan Ming nodded. "If you hadn't woken up, you wouldn't have seen me here."
Zhong Yingqi, realizing he'd said something rubbish, shyly stood up. Unexpectedly, he knocked over the tree trunk holding the steamed bun, sending it plummeting into the fire. Flustered, Zhong Yingqi's actions left him with a face covered in ash, leaving him with a burnt bun. He still managed to keep a silly grin on his face.
Why did Yuan Ming feel that Zhong Yingqi had become much dumber after waking up? Could he have been scared silly by Emperor Liang?
Yuan Ming quickly dismissed this speculation that would damage General Zhong Yingqi's image and stepped forward to pull him aside. But before she could say anything, Zhong Yingqi said, "I didn't expect His Highness to wake up after only a short while. I wonder how His Highness is feeling now? Is he in good health?"
Perhaps it was the excessive concern on Zhong Yingqi's face that made Yuan Ming feel even more that something was amiss with him. Putting aside the fact that he had broken into the palace in his previous life, even in this life, he had previously only helped her in a normal, slightly distant manner, even stating directly that he had taken her in because he didn't want the border people to suffer in the struggle for imperial power. Why was he now...
Yuan Ming suddenly realized. No wonder people say that a life-saving favor should be repaid with one's own life, no, with a spring of gratitude. Hadn't she saved Zhong Yingqi's life during the Liang army's night attack?
After realizing this, Yuan Ming straightened her back even more. Thinking back to when Zhong Yingqi took her in, Yuan Ming felt very uncomfortable. Although she didn't consider herself a guest, she still needed help from others.
Now, if Yuan Ming had a tail, it would be sticking up to the sky.
Zhong Yingqi didn't know why Yuan Ming's eyes suddenly curved into crescents, but Yuan Ming looked really beautiful when she smiled, with soft eyes and bright black pupils, like the warm sunshine in spring.
Zhong Yingqi couldn't help but sigh, Yuan Ming and Yuan Zi, they were so similar, but gave people such a big difference.
"General Zhong, what are your plans next?" Yuan Ming asked.
Zhong Yingqi glanced at the wounded soldiers and said, "Let's go to the nearest Mucheng first, find Governor Zhang, and settle the brothers. I have already reported the situation to the court by letter. The next steps will be determined by the higher-ups."
Yuan Ming asked: "What do you think about this matter?"
Zhong Yingqi replied, "After a long period of separation, there will be reunion, and after a long period of reunion, there will be separation. Qi and Liang have lived in peace for so many years, it is time for war. Although I am a famous military commander, I do not enjoy fighting, and I still cannot stand the sight of bloodshed. If I had not been so passionate back then, I would not be caught in the vortex of war now."
"From what the general said, this war must be fought."
"I think we must fight. The Liang Emperor came in person, and was severely injured by you. The Liang Kingdom cannot swallow this humiliation. Moreover, the Liang Emperor dared to launch a surprise attack on the Northern Frontier military camp with only a few soldiers. He is definitely not a man who will settle for one side."
Yuan Ming searched for past experiences in her hazy memories. In reality, the war between Qi and Liang had never actually taken place. During her years of enduring humiliation, it was rumored that Liang's Tiger Emperor, having slain the Tiger, caught a cold and died in the depths of winter. The new Liang Emperor, who succeeded her, refrained from fighting until Yuan Ming committed suicide.
However, Yuan Ming thought about it and calculated based on the date in his previous life, the Tiger Emperor caught a cold around this time.
Yuan Ming was feeling depressed. Ever since she killed the evil beggar, her advantage in knowing her past life had diminished. Because she had survived and reached the Northern Frontier military camp, Yuan Zi had followed her. However, Zhong Yingqi, in an attempt to protect Yuan Zi's escape, was nearly killed by the Tiger Slayer Emperor. In turn, the Tiger Slayer Emperor was severely injured by Zhong Yingqi, and his current life or death was unknown.
One thing after another, like the flapping of a butterfly's wings, changed the course of events.
"Your Highness, do you think there will be a war?"
Zhong Yingqi looked at her with burning eyes, which made Yuan Ming feel a little embarrassed.
Yuan Ming coughed uncomfortably. "Let's see if that blow of mine can kill Emperor Liang. If he survives, he'll be able to jump around for a long time, and then we can fight. If he doesn't survive, I'm at least 50% sure this war won't happen."
"Your Highness, do you think this battle depends entirely on the life and death of Emperor Liang?"
"That's right." Yuan Ming said with certainty, "Whether to start a war is up to Liang State. Qi State will definitely not start a war. You know, this war will cost a lot of money. With the limited money in the national treasury and the few melons and dates in the hands of the people, how can we support corrupt officials who are filthy rich? What we should be more worried about are those parasites in Qi State. I'm afraid they will surrender before the war starts."
At the mention of corrupt officials, Zhong Yingqi's tone unconsciously turned cold. "Your Highness, I think the same thing. I wonder what the ministers will say after my letter is delivered to the court."
Yuan Ming patted Zhong Yingqi's shoulder and said, "This is something the Empress and Yuan Zi should worry about. Let's just pray that my sword strike will kill the Liang Emperor!"
The Qi Kingdom was ruled by a female emperor, and the interactions between women and men were not as restricted as in the previous dynasties. Simple pats on the shoulders were common, but Zhong Yingqi still felt his cheeks burning.
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