Chapter 1503: 1498: Dazzling

Chapter 1503: Chapter 1498: Dazzling

The shadows flickered in the hall, making Xiao Rongyan’s deep eyes even more profound. He looked at the calm-faced Empress of the Dongyi Kingdom for a long time, then chuckled ambiguously; this Dongyi Empress wanted to exchange the method to resolve the child-mother Gu with the Yan Kingdom.

Zhou, apart from the Seventh Prince, used this child-mother Gu to control the Dongyi Empress. If this Gu was truly resolved, who knows what trouble the Dongyi Empress might cause. After all, people willing to forsake their child’s life for their own ambition are not absent in this world; his father was such a man.

The Dongyi Empress was deep in schemes, and if she were ruthless towards her own flesh and blood, there would be nothing to restrain the Dongyi Empress. Although Yan sought to trouble Zhou, Yan couldn’t dismantle this arrangement.

Whether the matter of the child-mother Gu was true or false, the Dongyi Empress was determined to replace the fake Seventh Prince sent by Zhou. As long as the Dongyi factions fall into a power struggle, Yan’s goal would be achieved, not that they wanted Dongyi to trouble Zhou on Yan’s behalf.

Xiao Rongyan stood up and put on his mask: “Regarding the stationing of troops, I ask the Empress Dowager to carefully ponder. If it doesn’t succeed, Dongyi won’t survive, and the Seventh Prince will have no reason to live! But I believe with your means and intelligence, it will not be difficult to achieve, unless you choose not to station troops from Yan.”

He turned his head, his gaze beneath the mask sharp towards the woman on the phoenix throne, and said: “Saving a living person from Zhou is difficult, but killing someone within Zhou is quite easy! For the sake of the Seventh Prince, Empress must settle this matter.”

The Dongyi Empress’s back stiffened under Xiao Rongyan’s gaze, but she endured the fear tingling at her heart, stood up, and smiled: “Certainly, dealing with Zhou… we must rely on Yan in the future!”

Seeing Xiao Rongyan don his cloak and hood as he left the hall, the Empress finally slumped back onto her chair.

Neither Zhou nor Yan are easy to deal with!

She figured it out; the Regent Prince of Yan wanted her to find a child of similar age to replace the fake sent by Zhou to prevent trouble for Yan. If the Empress lacked manpower, Yan’s stationed troops could assist.

After swapping out the fake that night, she could take power as the Empress Dowager to deal with Zhou!

Before this, if Zhou wanted to force Dongyi against Yan, Dongyi would delay as much as possible. If unable, they would send word to Yan so they could prepare?

But why? Just because Yan was also stationed in Dongyi, Dongyi could become a shield, standing in front of Yan to block Zhou’s thunder? In the end, the ones to suffer would still be Dongyi!

Everyone uses her son’s life to threaten her!

The Empress almost couldn’t hold back her tears.

The personal maid, after seeing Xiao Rongyan out, came in to find her Empress tearing up under the lamp, hurriedly taking out a handkerchief to wipe her Empress’s tears: “Empress, what’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing…” The Empress shook her head, avoided the maid’s handkerchief, and stared at the incense burner with smoke curling upward, tears flowing like a broken string, “I’m just… missing Lin’er!”

“Empress, it’s just three years. They say this Emperor of Zhou is committed to his word, and the Seventh Prince will certainly be returned! By then, our Seventh Prince will surely have grown taller!” The maid’s eyes reddened too, softly comforting.

·

As soon as Xiao Rongyan emerged from the secret passage, Yue Shi greeted him.

“Master!”

Xiao Rongyan, without a word, boarded the carriage and sat inside with his eyes closed…

Child-mother Gu.

Xiao Rongyan chuckled softly and opened his eyes. The swinging shadows from the lambskin lamps hanging on the elm wood carriage shone on his mask, making him appear inexplicably gentle.

This Dongyi Empress spoke three parts hidden, three parts false, and only one part revealed. Truly… a master performer.

Tonight, Xiao Rongyan came to see the Dongyi Empress to stir things up within Dongyi, to create internal chaos, so Dongyi would have no time to trouble Yan.

Regarding the stationing of troops, Xiao Rongyan also believed the Dongyi Empress would agree.

Not for any other reason, just to balance Yan and Zhou against each other, Dongyi would maintain Yan’s stationed troops.

The Kid swapped with a fake Dongyi Emperor, unsurprising for Xiao Rongyan. But the child-mother Gu puzzled him.

“Yue Shi…” Xiao Rongyan spoke softly, “You drive the carriage back first.”

Yue Shi knew his master was impatient to meet Bai Qingyan, and responded with a smile: “Understood!”

The carriage window swayed, a shadow leapt out, and there was no sound within the carriage. Yue Shi drove the carriage leisurely towards the Pingwang Mansion.

·

Bai Qingyan knew Xiao Rongyan would come tonight and hadn’t hurried to sleep.

She removed her silver armor, changed into a fresh outfit, her delicate and extraordinary features without makeup, her hair tied up with a Yan hairpin carved by Xiao Rongyan himself. She wore a snow-white silk robe, sitting by the lamp, her side heated by a small red clay stove, where a pot of tea brewed, exuding fragrance throughout the room.

Her back rested against a hidden desk, one hand holding a chess manual, the other pinching a warm jade chess piece, her gaze focused on the board, completely oblivious to the tea spilling out of the small pot.

Under the painting screen of Four Seasons Landscape, mist swirled, the beauty captivating, resembling a picture.

Xiao Rongyan stood at the slightly open window, looking from afar at his beloved wife, reluctant to disturb this beauty.

Until Bai Qingyan placed a piece, set the book beside a small agarwood table, and picked up the teapot with a handkerchief to pour two cups of tea, did Xiao Rongyan realize he’d been discovered. He no longer hid, removed his mask, gently pushed open the carved window, and leapt inside: “How did Kid know I arrived?”

Bai Qingyan placed the teapot back on the red clay stove, raised her eyes, and smiled at Xiao Rongyan: “You’ve seen the Dongyi Empress…”

Seeing her set aside the handkerchief, a red mark on her jade-like hand, his brow furrowed as he pulled her hand to examine carefully, asking: “It wasn’t there when I saw you earlier today. How did you get hurt?”

“After returning, Xiaosi clamored to learn archery, so I taught him, but who knew his strength was too great, breaking the bowstring. It’s not serious…” Bai Qingyan noticed Xiao Rongyan’s frowning expression and smiled, saying, “I’ve applied medicine, and if you hadn’t come tonight, by tomorrow not even a mark would be visible.”