Chapter 92 Secret Plot Moon’er, Give Me a Child…

“The Empress Dowager agreed?” In Qianqing Palace, Yue Shen rose excitedly.

“Yes.” Qiu Shuzhi nodded.

Qin Qing was not stupid either. Now that he was under attack from all sides, rather than fighting with Gu Zheng and the King of Dian, it was better to ally with the Yue clan, first stabilize the court situation and then clear up the chaos caused by the King of Dian.

The Great Qi ruled by Confucianism. Even the most outrageous emperors in the imperial harem only deposed empresses, there was never any reason or precedent for deposing an Empress Dowager.

Qin Qing naturally knew this point. As long as he was willing to take sides at this moment, with his current position, even if Yue Shen took power in the future, she couldn’t do anything to him.

“Qiu Niang, what happened to the corner of your mouth?” Yue Guanyi looked at her with deep eyes, his thumb gently wiping the corner of her mouth.

“It’s nothing, I accidentally bit it.” The wound in her mouth had not healed, and it still hurt a little when she spoke. Qin Qing had bitten down hard that time, surely he must have hated her extremely, for his resentment to be so heavy.

Accidentally?

Yue Guanyi’s eyes flashed slightly, how could one bite oneself in that place, it must have been that old widower… lacking in propriety.

“Shuzhi…” Yue Shen took her hand, her apricot eyes blazing: “Shuzhi, it’s fortunate to have you here. If it weren’t for you, I really wouldn’t know how to break this deadlock.”

“I merely did my duty as a subject. Settling accounts with Gu Zheng is easy, but the King of Dian won’t be so easy to deal with.” Qiu Shuzhi gazed into her eyes: “Your Majesty, how are things with the King of Dian?”

At the mention of the King of Dian, Yue Shen let out a long sigh: “The previous scout’s information was indeed correct. The King of Dian is colluding internally and externally, secretly conspiring with the Baiyue country, with two hundred thousand troops lying in ambush at the border, ready to make their move.”

Qiu Shuzhi frowned in thought: “I remember that the Sichuan tribal leaders have the White Staff Army, which is an elite force skilled in mountain warfare. The Shaanxi border army also has the Qin troops, each brave and loyal. The Sichuan-Yunnan border is mostly mountainous and hilly terrain, and they are all familiar with the local environment and topography. If war really breaks out, they should be able to hold out for a while.”

“Although they can hold out for a while, I still feel uneasy in my heart. The Dian army has been campaigning externally for years and is extremely valiant. The Sichuan army’s internal structure has already disintegrated like the previous Feathered Forest Army. The northern troops cannot be moved greatly at the moment. Once they move, the Tartars who have been making constant small moves will take advantage of the vacuum. The south and north cannot be lost at the same time, otherwise it will be another catastrophe for the Central Plains.”

Qiu Shuzhi closed her eyes briefly, looking somewhat tired. Since the struggle for succession, the court had maintained superficial stability, but northern barbarian tribes frequently harassed the Central Plains, and there had also been Miao rebellions in the south, suppressed by the King of Dian who then married the Miao holy son and gathered troops to become self-reliant. Although the Qin clan had wreaked havoc on court affairs, they were not entirely useless villains, at least able to find a strange balance in the treacherous environment.

But with Qin Zheng’s death, this balance was easily broken.

Qiu Shuzhi understood this point from the beginning, which was why she was determined to enter officialdom. Only by being at the center of the vortex could one have the ability to stop normal turmoil.

But the current situation was even more complex and difficult to resolve than she had previously imagined.

“This subject believes we should send the Divine Machine Camp to provide support with firearms,” Yue Guanyi said in a deep voice.

Yue Shen pondered for a moment: “This method is feasible, but we need to send someone to supervise the army, and this person must definitely be our confidant.”

As she spoke, Yue Shen silently shifted her gaze to Qiu Shuzhi.

“Not allowed.” Yue Guanyi’s eyes flashed with a hint of ferocity as he stood in front of Qiu Shuzhi, the fangs and teeth of the fierce beast on his chest bared: “Qiu Niang cannot go to such a dangerous place.”

Qiu Shuzhi patted his shoulder lightly: “I am willing to go.”

Yue Guanyi turned around abruptly, looking at her with extreme surprise: “Qiu Niang, you can’t go to such a place. The King of Dian has hundreds of thousands of troops pouring in. If anything happens to you… No… I absolutely forbid it.”

His face turned ghastly pale, countless fears spreading through his heart. He had finally begged heaven for his Qiu Niang, he couldn’t watch her leave him.

He glared fiercely at Yue Shen, hatred nearly bursting from his eyes. It was all her fault.

Qiu Niang had just helped her gain a bit of real power, and she was so eager to push Qiu Niang out to her death. Yue Guanyi clenched his fists tightly, wild flames of ferocity erupting.

Yue Shen was not to be outdone, her gentle soft apricot eyes filled with unyielding determination: “You think I want to push Shuzhi out? The court is in urgent need of talent at this critical moment. In such a confidential matter, who in the entire court can I trust? Who can you trust? Only Shuzhi is suitable.”

“You—” Yue Guanyi stared at her coldly, gritting his teeth.

“As a subject of Great Qi, I can’t just hide in the back. Moon’er, my mind is made up.” Qiu Shuzhi smiled faintly as she looked at him.

“Shuzhi, don’t worry, we will send troops to protect you and ensure your safe return. As for the war, you don’t need to participate… You will definitely return safely.” Yue Shen hid the sadness and entanglement in her eyes, speaking with difficulty.

“Your Majesty, I have a request.” She knelt calmly on the ground.

Yue Shen sighed as she stood in front of her: “Speak.”

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“After I leave, please be sure to restore favor to Consort Rong.”

“What?” Yue Shen was startled.

“Why?” Not only Yue Shen, but Yue Guanyi also felt surprised. Consort Rong had been banished to the Cold Palace long ago with no chance of redemption. He was the spy sent by the King of Dian, so why ask for Consort Rong to be favored again?

“To thoroughly defeat the King of Dian, Consort Rong is a useful chess piece. The court faces internal and external troubles, so the King of Dian’s side may not be an impenetrable iron plate. Lan Xuezhao is also a Miao holy son. If you restore favor to Consort Rong, it will be a signal of goodwill to the Miao people.” Qiu Shuzhi said calmly.

The Miao were not easy to deal with in the past either. The King of Dian had put in a lot of effort to quell the Miao rebellion back then, even going so far as to marry the Miao holy son as his primary husband.

This Miao holy son was Jiang Si’s father. The King of Dian was notoriously promiscuous, with countless children, but he only had one son who cross-dressed as a girl with the Miao holy son. This was likely also to suppress the Miao, lest they become too powerful.

Later, in order to provoke Qin Zheng, the King of Dian was willing to use Jiang Si as a discarded pawn. How could the Miao tolerate letting a world daughter without Miao blood inherit the throne?

Since she was going to the Dian border, it naturally wouldn’t be as simple as just supervising the army. Her ambitions were far beyond that.

Yue Shen lowered her head, remaining silent for a long time.

When Qiu Shuzhi said these words, her expression was calm and reserved, but in her heart surged an infinite heat of irritation and vexation. She wanted to urgently grab her hand, like a cat, and nuzzle against her soft palm.

There was no one else who would strategize so deeply for her for the first time.

The more it was like this, the stronger that indescribable pain in her heart became. She was exhausting herself for her, yet she was pushing her into danger for the sake of the empire.

“Shuzhi…… I’m sorry……” Her voice was nearly hoarse, scattering in the desolate wind of early autumn.

Qiu Shuzhi smiled faintly, her thin pale lips curving with gentle amusement: “Your Majesty, this is my own choice. You need not feel guilty.”

Inside the warm and intimate curtains, the thin bed canopy rippled in waves. Red candles burned brightly, the lights burning all night without rest. A strong fragrance diffused and rose in layers within the room.

Yue Guanyi lay beneath Qiu Shuzhi, each call carrying a drop of tears falling, soaking the bedding drop by drop. The red on the brocade quilt was soaked as if with blood.

“Why are you crying?” Fine beads of sweat slid down the soft contours of her jaw, her fingertips wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes.

“Qiu Niang, don’t go… Can someone else go instead? Don’t leave me alone.” Yue Guanyi tightly grasped her hand, their fingers intertwined inseparably, as if only this way could he stop Qiu Shuzhi.

A great battle was imminent. Going to the Dian border now was no different from putting her in danger.

Such danger was something he had never dared to imagine before. Just thinking about the various perils Qiu Niang might soon face, Yue Guanyi’s heart twisted into a mass of torn flesh, constantly tormenting him. He could only keep begging, hoping to make her change her mind even a little.

“Moon’er, don’t be afraid. I will return safely.” Qiu Shuzhi whispered in his ear, the light cool fragrance constantly entering his nostrils.

The faint scent stimulated wild waves surging in his heart.

How could he not be afraid? He was terrified to death.

He was afraid that the warmth he had finally obtained would be lost just like this.

“Qiu Niang, Qiu Niang,” Yue Guanyi clutched her hand tightly, his reddened eyes filled with unshakable determination: “If Qiu Niang insists on going, then I will go with you.”

“Moon’er, you are the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The court cannot do without you. Moreover, it’s too dangerous there. You, as a man, cannot go.”

“Whether the court can do without me is the court’s business. I only follow my wife-master. I don’t want to be like those husbands in the common people, guarding the door every day waiting for sporadic news of their wife-masters, only able to beg the gods for blessings to get temporary comfort. I just want to be with you, to live and die together with you, never to be separated.”

His eyes were full of tears, pleading.

“…Moon’er…”

“Qiu Niang, if you don’t agree to me now, I will kill myself in front of you.” Yue Guanyi’s eyes were almost crimson with excitement, the viciousness in them clearly not just talk.

She really didn’t know how panicked Yue Guanyi was at this moment. The crimson candlelight shone behind her, making her whole body seem surrounded by a halo of dawn mist, as if she would transform into an immortal the next moment, abandoning him, this worm struggling in the gutter.

He could only use this obsessive and dark method to exchange for her compromise, to let him follow by her side.

Qiu Niang was his deity. If anything happened to her, there would be nothing left in this world worth his attachment.

“You… I only discovered today that your personality is so stubborn.” Qiu Shuzhi softened and compromised, reaching back to pull him up, holding his shoulders.

Yue Guanyi panted softly, tilting his head back, gazing dazedly at the canopy. Countless undulating mountains crashed into his eyes. The more intense the sentiment of this moment, the stronger the uneasiness and panic in his heart became. The feeling of emptiness from losing everything constantly assailed him, overshadowing all the light before his eyes.

At the last moment, Qiu Shuzhi lay on his shoulder and said emotionally: “Moon’er, give me a child.”