chsdbacks Chapter 157 The more opponents there are in this game, the more interesting it becomes.
Chapter 157 The more opponents there are in this game, the more interesting it becomes.
Li Chunfeng had appeared silently in the hall at some unknown time.
Dressed in a gray Taoist robe, holding a white jade whisk, with white hair and beard, and a rosy complexion like a baby, he seemed like an immortal who had stepped out of a painting.
Zhao Qingxue did not turn around, but simply said:
"What does the Imperial Advisor think?"
Li Chunfeng walked to the window and stood beside Zhao Qingxue, both looking out the window:
"Before last night, he was a young man blinded by hatred. Although he was shrewd, he couldn't hide his sharp edge. But after seeing him today..."
He paused, then slowly said:
"He learned to suppress his hatred, to conceal his sharpness, and to transform all his emotions into the strongest armor. This transformation, though forced upon him, is truly... remarkable."
Zhao Qingxue took a small sip of tea, the aroma spreading on her tongue with a subtle bitterness and a sweet aftertaste.
"yes,"
She said slowly, "People who are driven to the brink either completely collapse or... are reborn from the ashes. Xu Longxiang is clearly the latter."
Li Chunfeng remained silent for a moment before whispering:
"Does Your Majesty truly intend to form an alliance with him?"
Why not?
Zhao Qingxue countered with a question, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.
"Isn't an ally who hates Qin Mu to the core, commands 300,000 iron cavalry in the north, and has just risen from the ashes—the best pawn?"
A hint of seriousness flashed in Li Chunfeng's eyes:
"But I always have a feeling that Qin Mu already knows Xu Longxiang's plan..."
"Yes, I know at least part of it."
Zhao Qingxue nodded and said slowly.
She put down her teacup, her fingertips lightly tracing the smooth rosewood surface of the table.
Li Chunfeng frowned slightly:
"So Your Majesty still wants to form an alliance with Xu Longxiang? Isn't that... walking into a trap?"
"Walking into a trap?"
Zhao Qingxue laughed, her smile carrying an arrogant confidence. "Grand Preceptor, you've forgotten, we weren't entirely unprepared either."
She slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked in the direction of the palace.
The morning light shone on her, and her moon-white robes shimmered faintly in the light and shadow, making her look like a deity bathed in light—cool, majestic, and inviolable.
"Qin Mu thought he was the one playing the game, and we were all just pawns."
Zhao Qingxue's voice was soft, yet every word was clear:
"But he forgot that there is never just one player in a game of chess. And there is never just one chessboard in this game of chess."
She paused, a sharp, knife-like glint flashing in her deep purple phoenix eyes:
"He wants to play his game in the capital, and we'll play along. But at the same time, we also need to lay out our own game in Liyang, along the Lancang River, and throughout the entire Nine Provinces."
Li Chunfeng bowed deeply:
"Your Majesty is wise."
Zhao Qingxue turned around and looked at Li Chunfeng:
"Issue the order that all those in the capital be silent and not to make any moves without my decree. Also, have the 200,000 troops on the east bank of the Lancang River prepared to cross at any time."
"Yes." Li Chunfeng nodded. "What about Xu Longxiang...?"
"As before," Zhao Qingxue said calmly. "He should receive every bit of support he deserves. But he also needs to understand that Li Yang's assistance is not free."
She paused, a cold smile curving her lips:
"Tell him that after this is done, half of the three northern prefectures will be taken by Liyang. Also, Xu Fenghua and Jiang Qingxue... I want them to leave Daqin alive."
Li Chunfeng was slightly taken aback: "Your Majesty wants those two women?"
"It's not 'want'," Zhao Qingxue corrected, "it's 'save'."
She slowly walked back behind the long table and sat down, picking up her teacup again:
"Xu Fenghua is Xu Longxiang's Achilles' heel and also his Achilles' heel. If I save her, Xu Longxiang will owe me a huge favor, and no matter whether he gets to sit in that position in the future, he will have to repay this favor."
"As for Jiang Qingxue..."
Zhao Qingxue paused, a complex light flashing in her deep purple phoenix eyes:
"That girl harbors too many secrets. She's like a pawn fought over by many, yet she herself knows nothing about it."
She sighed softly:
Sometimes, ignorance is a kind of luck. But more often than not, ignorance... is the deepest tragedy.
Li Chunfeng remained silent for a moment before whispering:
"His Majesty is kind-hearted."
"Kind-hearted?"
Zhao Qingxue laughed, a hint of mockery in her smile. "Grand Preceptor, have you forgotten who I am? I am the Empress of Liyang, Zhao Qingxue, who purged the Eight Princes, consolidated military power, and secured the throne. My heart has long been as hard as iron."
She paused, then slowly said:
"I saved them not because I am kind-hearted, but because...they are useful."
"Xu Fenghua's intelligence and Jiang Qingxue's identity are both valuable pawns that can be used effectively. Moreover, holding them in our hands is tantamount to holding Xu Longxiang's lifeline. How can we let such bargaining chips slip by?"
Li Chunfeng bowed deeply:
"This old minister understands."
Zhao Qingxue waved her hand:
"Go. Remember, proceed according to plan."
"Yes."
Li Chunfeng bowed and withdrew, his figure disappearing from the hall like a ghost.
Only Zhao Qingxue remained in the hall.
She sat alone behind the long table, slowly picked up her teacup, and took a sip.
The tea had gone cold, and its bitterness had intensified.
But she remained unfazed, as if she had long been accustomed to this bitterness.
Outside the window, the morning light is gradually increasing.
The hustle and bustle of the imperial city gradually became clearer, and a new day officially began.
Beneath this clamor, countless undercurrents are surging, countless schemes are brewing, and the fates of countless individuals are about to intertwine, collide, shatter, and be reborn in this storm that will sweep across the world.
Zhao Qingxue slowly closed her eyes.
In her mind, Qin Mu's lazy, smiling face flashed by, as did Xu Longxiang's cold, resolute eyes, Xu Fenghua's pale and haggard face, and Jiang Qingxue's terrified and helpless eyes.
These people, these events, these loves and hates, these power struggles...
Ultimately, they will all become pieces on her chessboard.
And she, Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang, will surely have the last laugh.
Because she is the player holding the chess pieces.
Too……
The ultimate winner.
Morning light streamed through the window, filling the hall.
The dappled light and shadow are like a web woven by fate.
Everyone in the network is struggling, scheming, and waiting.
Waiting for the storm that is destined to sweep across the world.
Waiting for that... final ending.
........
Meanwhile, deep within the palace, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Qin Mu leaned back on the dragon throne behind the imperial desk, toying with a warm, white jade thumb ring in his hand.
Before him, a silver figure knelt on one knee.
It was Yun Luan, the leader of the Dragon Shadow Guard.
"His Majesty,"
Yun Luan's voice was clear and calm, "Xu Longxiang entered the welcoming post station at 3:45 AM to visit Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang. The two talked privately for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before Xu Longxiang left."
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow slightly, a playful smile curving his lips:
"Oh? You've been chatting for so long? What did you talk about?"
"The inn is heavily guarded, with numerous powerful experts from Liyang guarding it, making it impossible for our people to get close. But judging from Xu Longxiang's expression when he left, the outcome of the conversation... seemed to have satisfied him."
Yunluan paused, then added:
"Furthermore, after Xu Longxiang left, Li Chunfeng entered the Star Gazing Pavilion and had a private conversation with Zhao Qingxue for a while. Afterwards, the Li Yang delegation issued an order for all its spies in the capital to remain silent and not to make any moves."
Qin Mu smiled.
"Complete silence?" he repeated, his fingers lightly rubbing the ring on his finger. "It seems that our Empress is determined to wade into these troubled waters."
Yunluan lowered her head: "Your Majesty, is it necessary to...?"
"No need." Qin Mu interrupted her, slowly stood up, walked to the window, and looked in the direction of the welcoming post station.
The morning light shone on him, and his dark dragon-patterned robes gleamed with a dark golden luster in the light and shadow. He was like a giant dragon lurking in the light, calm yet containing a power that could devour everything.
"Let them talk, let them form alliances, let them plot."
Qin Mu's voice was calm, yet every word carried an air of complete control and composure:
"Wouldn't a game of chess be boring if the players had no opponents?"
He paused, the smile on his lips deepening.
"Furthermore, I am also very curious about what will happen when Xu Longxiang discovers that all his plans are under my control, and when Zhao Qingxue discovers that all her schemes are within my expectations..."
"What kind of expressions will they have?"
Yunluan bowed deeply:
"Your Majesty is wise."
Qin Mu turned around, his gaze falling on Yun Luan:
"How is Xu Fenghua doing?"
Yunluan continued:
"In addition, Consort Hua summoned Imperial Physician Wang Jimin to examine her pulse early this morning. The two had a private conversation in the palace for a while. When Wang Jimin left, he looked normal, but our investigation found that after he returned to the Imperial Hospital, he immediately sent someone to inquire about the whereabouts of an old eunuch."
A glint of satisfaction flashed in Qin Mu's eyes:
"Very good. Xu Fenghua has taken the bait."
He walked back to his desk and sat down, his fingers tapping lightly on the smooth surface:
"Let her investigate, let her search, let her contact Cao Wei. I want to see just how many tricks this eldest daughter of the Xu family has up her sleeve."
"Yes." Yunluan nodded. "What about Consort Xue..."
"Jiang Qingxue?"
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, a complex light flashing in his eyes:
"She was quite frightened last night, and she's probably still shaken. Let her rest well and don't disturb her."
He paused, then added:
"However, the guards at Yuxiu Palace cannot relax their vigilance. Especially tonight... Xu Longxiang may very well make another move."
A knowing glint flashed in Yunluan's eyes:
"Your Majesty means..."
"He witnessed that scene last night, and given his personality, he will never let it go."
Qin Mu spoke slowly, a cold, playful glint in his eyes:
Even knowing it's a trap, even knowing it's dangerous, he will still come.
"Because some things, once lost, can never be regained. And people always make the most foolish decisions for those things that can never be recovered."
Yunluan bowed deeply:
"Understood, I will make the arrangements immediately."
Qin Mu waved his hand:
"Go."
Yunluan bowed and withdrew, her figure disappearing from the hall like a ghost.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, only Qin Mu remained.
He sat alone on the dragon throne, his fingers gently stroking the ring on his thumb, his gaze fixed on the unfathomable sky outside the window.
As the morning light grew stronger, it bathed the entire imperial city in a golden-red hue.
A new day has begun.
And this storm that will sweep the world is about to begin.
Qin Mu slowly closed his eyes, a cold smile curving his lips.
Xu Longxiang, Zhao Qingxue, Xu Fenghua, Jiang Qingxue...
And then there are the demons and monsters lurking in the shadows.
Come on, everyone.
Let me see just how deep the waters of this land truly are.
Let me see who the final winner is in this game.
A morning breeze swept by, lifting the stray hairs at his temples.
Light and shadow danced on his face, flickering like the unpredictable trajectory of fate.
........
The night was as dark as ink, and a deep darkness enveloped the imperial city.
Xu Longxiang sat in the courtyard of his temporary residence, gazing at the cold moon reflected in the pond.
The cold moonlight shone on his face, outlining his hard, cold features.
His eyes were vacant, as if they had lost all their luster, yet deep within them burned an inextinguishable flame.
"Your Highness."
Sikong Xuan's voice came from behind, filled with deep worry.
This veteran of three dynasties seemed to have aged ten years overnight; his back was slightly hunched under his gray robe, and his eyes were full of weariness and regret.
Xu Longxiang didn't turn around, but simply asked, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes," Sikong Xuan bowed and said, "Three thousand iron cavalry have already assembled outside the city and will leave in batches without attracting too much attention. As long as the young master gives the order, we can set off at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow."
"Tomorrow..." Xu Longxiang repeated in a low voice, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
Tomorrow he will leave this imperial city, leave this place that has caused him endless humiliation.
Leaving... my sister and Qingxue.
His hands slowly clenched, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Once he has secured his throne and become the ruler of the world, he will reclaim everything he has lost today a hundredfold.
A brief silence fell over the courtyard.
A night breeze blew by, stirring up the withered yellow reeds by the pond and making a rustling sound.
Moonlight spilled onto the water's surface, creating shimmering ripples, like a shattered Milky Way.
Xu Longxiang gazed at the shimmering water for a long time before slowly speaking, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly:
"I want to see them one more time."
Sikong Xuan and the other two were taken aback at the same time.