Chapter 66 The Empress Dowager, A Chess Piece

Qiu Shuzhi laughed indifferently, “This subordinate is indeed a sinister petty person. If the lady thinks that even with the military tally in my hands, the Yulin Army will not listen to my commands, then let’s try it out.”

“You—” Li Mian was furious. She drew her sword and pointed it at Qiu Shuzhi’s heart.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering porcelain came from behind her. Qiu Qiushuang had wanted to bring some tea for Qiu Shuzhi, but unexpectedly saw the scene of Qiu Shuzhi being threatened with a sword pointed at her heart. He was shocked, thinking she was going to make a move on Qiu Shuzhi. His hands loosened and he rushed in front of her without regard for anything, using his weak male body to block the sword for her.

Qiu Shuzhi looked at the person blocking in front of her and silently protected him behind her back. Ordinary men were all kept in the inner chambers and not allowed to see other outsiders. She also didn’t want her male cousin to be seen by a woman like Li Mian, whose heart was filled with lust.

The tea was spilled all over the ground, the tea fragrance slowly evaporating and permeating the air. Li Mian looked at the man who suddenly appeared before her eyes.

Wearing light blue clothes, he had a tall and slender figure like a precious orchid or jade tree. His face was as beautiful as jade, his thin lips seemed to be painted with rouge, and the ribbon tying his hair hung in front of his body. The young gentleman was gentle and elegant, floating like an immortal.

Li Mian’s eyes were full of greed. Such a beauty, how could he be compared to the brothel-born male courtesans in her residence?

Unfortunately, such a beauty was hidden in the residence of a sinister petty person like Qiu Shuzhi. If she could get her hands on him, she would definitely dote on him properly.

Qiu Qiushuang hid behind Qiu Shuzhi, not daring to look at Li Mian. It wasn’t that he was afraid of her, but her gaze was truly disgusting, lewd like a brothel eyeing customers. He had never seen a woman with such blatant and vulgar eyes. The disgusting gaze falling on his body made him feel as if he was stained with something dirty, both angry and nauseated.

Qiu Shuzhi sensed his unease and gently patted his hand to comfort him. Then she took a step forward, disarming the sword from Li Mian’s hand.

“It seems the lady has not used weapons for a long time. Your wrist is weak and powerless like a three-year-old child.” Her tone was playful and mocking.

Only then did Li Mian sober up from Qiu Qiushuang’s beauty. She wished she could tear Qiu Shuzhi’s smug face apart. She gritted her teeth and said, “Qiu Shuzhi, you just wait. Sooner or later, I will ruin you.”

Li Mian left the Qiu residence in a sorry state and got into the carriage to return.

“Aunt, how was it? Did you get the military tally back?” As soon as she got into the carriage, Li Liang, who was waiting inside, asked anxiously.

“Don’t even mention it.” Li Mian was furious. She had come with full prestige to demand the military tally, but not only did she fail to get it back, she was also humiliated by that thief Qiu Shuzhi.

“It seems this Qiu Shuzhi is determined to seize your authority. She’s just a lowly Chief Rider, yet she dares to step on your head. Aunt, you mustn’t forgive her.” Li Liang added fuel to the fire beside her. She was Li Mian’s niece and had been oppressing women and dominating men in the Yulin Army, relying on her relationship with Li Mian. If Qiu Shuzhi really seized power, she would no longer have it easy in the future.

Li Mian’s face grew darker and darker, her brows knitted tighter and tighter. Suddenly, she lifted the curtain of the carriage and shouted at the coachman, “Change course to the Ministry of War!”

In the evening, Qiu Shuzhi estimated that Li Mian’s accusatory memorial should have reached the Empress Dowager by now, so she got up and entered the palace.

As soon as she stepped through the door of Qingning Palace, she saw the Empress Dowager Qin Qing sitting lazily on the stone bench in the courtyard. On the stone table were pairs of memorials, with red annotations scattered in a mess.

In the courtyard grew a Yurui tree, a famous species from the Tang Dynasty. The Yurui flowers it bore resembled Albizia flowers, white with a hint of pink, but more languid than Albizia, just like a beauty’s lotus face. Yurui flowers were extremely rare, but only something so precious and rare could match the noble status of the Empress Dowager Qin Qing.

The midsummer evening breeze came gently, the fragrance of Yurui flowers permeating for miles, blowing away the stuffiness of the courtyard. The delicate and boneless flowers swayed in the wind, silently falling in the air, looking just like peach blossom jellyfish floating in the sky.

Qin Qing lazily rested his chin on his hand, languidly opening a fan and waving away the offending memorials with the fan, using it to catch the falling Yurui flowers.

A Yurui flower was fortunate enough to land on his fan, the delicate flower stamens mingling with the falling apricot blossoms on the fan, creating an interesting sight. He stared at this scene, seeming to think of something, and smiled softly. The other ill-fated flowers fell silently into the small pond in the courtyard, creating gentle ripples.

“This subordinate pays respects to the Empress Dowager.” Qiu Shuzhi knelt on one knee, with piles of memorials swept away like garbage under her knee.

Since Qin Qing returned to the capital, his weakened body had mostly recovered. It seemed he was indeed a young master from a noble family, raised on gold and silver, just like the purebred cats from her previous life. If the cat food was slightly inferior or the drinking water was slightly worse, they would make a big fuss. They had to be carefully held in the palm of the hand and well cared for.

Yue Guanyi was better, growing wildly like a weed, like a little puppy. Apart from being a bit self-conscious and always whimpering and wagging his tail for favor, he was good in every other way.

Just as she was thinking this, a soft laugh suddenly came from above her head.

Qin Qing used the end of his fan to lift her chin and picked up the Yurui flower he had just caught with his fan, gradually getting closer.

Qiu Shuzhi only felt a warmth on the tip of her ear, her long hair being played with by his fingers, the fragrance of the Yurui flower lingering around her.

When he withdrew his hand, the Yurui flower in his hand was gone. Instead, he rested his head on his hand, his gentle eyes smiling even more softly, “Lady Qiu looks as handsome as a young gentleman with the Yurui flower in her hair.”