Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Miss, what are you thinking about?" Sister Yun asked curiously.
Qing Luan, interrupted from her thoughts, looked up at them and said, "I find the situation in the capital quite amusing. It seems like this person is formidable, while that one is untouchable, but upon closer observation, they appear to be restraining each other, and no one seems to gain any real advantage!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Think about it. Tomorrow, Prime Minister Huang is second only to the emperor, seemingly invincible. But why does he keep such a low profile? It's because he lacks silver... You know how it is; those who are short on funds always worry about having enough for the next meal, so they lack confidence. As for the Zhou family, although their official rank is lower than that of the Prime Minister, they are a prominent family with both civil and military officials. Plus, they have connections with the Imperial Merchant, so they have plenty of silver. Their official rank may not be high, but they have strong backing. And then there's the Chen Family... they're just a bunch of clowns, not worth fearing—I'm just curious about that Young Marquis; what is he doing out here?" She had been forced to analyze the current situation in the capital and suddenly realized there were many hidden complexities.
"Miss, your perspective isn't entirely correct," A-Song shook his head in disagreement and added what he knew. "Actually, the capital can be divided into four factions: Prime Minister Huang's faction, the Zhou family's share, the Young Marquis's dominance, and the little general's army. These four are mutually restraining each other in terms of power, wealth, official positions, and military forces. The current emperor is actually the most formidable."
"The Young Marquis seems rather slow-witted; how can he be dominant? Also, who is this little general? No one has mentioned him to me!" It turned out there were many things she was unaware of.
Seeing the confusion on her face, A-Song quickly replied, "The Old Marquis is impressive; he once risked his life to save the emperor, so his title is hereditary. As for that Young Marquis, opinions about him vary widely among outsiders; many people don't know much about him because he has always stayed in the palace accompanying the Crown Prince... As for the little general..." At this point, A-Song paused, looking somewhat troubled.
"What’s wrong?" Azure Phoenix had been listening intently but urged him when he suddenly stopped speaking. "Hurry up and tell us; no matter what it is, I won't be angry..." This was a significant matter; if she wasn't careful in the capital, she could end up with nothing.
"I'm not worried about you being angry," A-Song hesitated for a moment before finally saying softly, "I'm worried about you being sad!"
"Sad?" Not only Qing Luan was taken aback; even Qin'er and the others found A-Song's behavior strange. "Miss doesn't even know that Major General; you're not related to him. What’s there to be sad about?" It was utterly baffling.
"Yeah, why would I be sad?" Qing Luan also found it odd and stared at A-Song. "Stop keeping us in suspense; just say it!"
"Exactly! Hurry up and tell us; stop pretending!" Sister Yun chimed in impatiently.
Feeling somewhat wronged by their insistence, A-Song thought he was just trying to offer a friendly reminder. Why were they so anxious? "Miss, that Young General has some connections with you... Don't glare at me; I'm telling you now!" Sighing inwardly at how pitiful he felt in front of these women. "Years ago, when your village was destroyed by bandits, the court took it very seriously and sent General Xuanyuan to eliminate them. Unexpectedly..."
"Was he killed?" A flash of memory crossed Qing Luan's mind as she exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, Xuanyuan General was the Consort of the current Azure Lotus Princess. They were once very affectionate and had a son together. Unexpectedly, Xuanyuan General was murdered in a fishing village. Upon hearing the news, Azure Lotus Princess was heartbroken and passed away from illness three years ago, leaving behind only their son, Xuanyuan Rui. That Xuanyuan Rui inherited his father's bravery and, through his own efforts, has become the youngest and most valiant Young General in our dynasty!" A-Song hurriedly recounted everything to avoid being glared at by the ladies.
After he finished speaking, silence lingered in the secret chamber. No one dared to break the quiet; even the usually playful Sister Yun remained silent. She was aware of the massacre from back then but had not anticipated the many connections that followed.
Not only Sister Yun, but even Qing Luan had not realized that the destruction of the fishing village would ruin another family.
The Azure Lotus Princess, following her Consort's death, had clearly shown how deep their love for each other was.
"Miss?" Seeing that he had spoken for a long time without any response from the ladies, A-Song called out anxiously.
"I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile to reassure him. "I just find it hard to accept... The massacre was caused by me, and I never imagined someone would die because of me..."
"Miss, you can't blame yourself for this!" Qin'er immediately stepped forward to comfort her upon seeing her distress. She felt furious with A-Song, knowing that he should have been more considerate of her feelings. "If anyone is to blame, it's those ruthless people!" The miss was the most innocent one; why should she bear this burden?
"Qin'er is right. There are debts to be settled with those responsible," Sister Yun said through gritted teeth, filled with indignation.
"A-Song," after calming herself down, Qing Luan continued to inquire, "Is that Young General powerful in the capital?" She needed to think of a way to disrupt the situation; perhaps it was time for a reshuffling among the nobles in the capital.
"Absolutely," A-Song replied, admiration evident on his face when talking about the general. "He commands the only army in the capital. Do you think he lacks influence?"
"The army in the capital..." Qing Luan murmured, realizing that this general had gained the emperor's trust; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to have such power over him. Controlling the army meant holding onto the emperor's weakness—such a person would be too conspicuous... Should she provoke him?
Qing Luan decided to set aside the matter of Xuanyuan Rui for now and deal with the persistent Qiu Mingqi first.
Ever since that day when Qing Luan had sought his help, he had been showing up every few days. Initially, he said nothing, but eventually began to talk about how home was still home, urging her to return to the Chen Family.
"You might remember things from the past when you see familiar faces," he insisted. After so many days, she remained stubborn, which was truly frustrating.
"But I don't know them. After going back... I'm scared," she replied. Who said he wouldn't be there? Who said he was too busy with the Crown Prince? If he was so busy, then why did he appear before her every day? At first, she found it strange that Huang hadn't bothered her lately; it turned out he had switched roles and was now acting as a mediator.
"Don't be afraid," Qiu Mingqi said, noticing her wavering resolve. "Once you go back, I'll visit you every now and then. Your mother's daughter is still young; those older than you are either missing or married off. They can't help her at all. You should help her out when you return, and after you get married in the future, you'll learn to manage things..." His words carried a deeper meaning.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the fourth update, and there would be more at midnight...
Comment 0 Comment Count