The handsome young man was momentarily speechless. Zhao Wujiang gently bit into a banana, looking indifferent.
"In reply to Your Ladyship, the Emperor is the Son of Heaven. What he chooses to do—how could a lowly eunuch like me possibly influence it?"
"You mean the Emperor is the one who wants to see Liu Meier?"
"Naturally. The Emperor merely asked me whether his body was still up to the task... and this humble servant certainly couldn't say no."
Zhao Wujiang wore a look of utter innocence.
Dugu Mingyue’s lovely eyes fluttered.
To prevent her from blaming him further—and considering what Xuanyuan Jing had said about how there would be plenty of concubines in the inner palace to favor from now on—Zhao Wujiang decided to give Dugu Mingyue a reassuring pill.
"Your Ladyship, this humble servant has something to say."
"Speak!"
"Does Your Ladyship think that the reason the Emperor hasn't favored you consecutively might not stem from me or the Emperor? Could it be that Your Ladyship isn't entirely free of fault?"
As Dugu Mingyue watched Zhao Wujiang lightly bite into the banana, she involuntarily recalled her own tireless efforts the night before, pecking away like a woodpecker to restore the spring. Her cheeks instantly flushed crimson, and upon hearing Zhao Wujiang’s final words, her mind went blank for a moment.
"What fault could this Empress possibly have?"
Zhao Wujiang sighed softly.
"That is something this humble servant wouldn't know. Your Ladyship might want to reflect carefully.
Could it be that Your Ladyship demanded too much, exhausting the Emperor?
Could it be that Your Ladyship was not passionate enough when welcoming the Emperor?
Or perhaps... Consort Liu possesses some extraordinary allure?"
Upon hearing this, Dugu Mingyue's thoughts surged.
Though Liu Meier was not one for brazenly flaunting her charms, a nameless allure naturally drew all eyes to her. Could that be the very reason the Emperor chose her to attend to him? Internal allure... restrained yet unconcealed... Hiss...
"Little Zhao! This Empress understands..."
Dugu Mingyue's beautiful eyes lit up, and a smile blossomed at the corners of her lips!
"Qinger, prepare my bath. This Empress is going to seek out the Emperor again tonight."
"Understood, Your Ladyship. Which set of bralette shall Your Ladyship wear tonight?"
"Nothing at all."
Chapter 15: The Conditions for the Alliance Marriage
......
Nothing at all... Going commando?
How thrilling...
Hearing this, Zhao Wujiang felt a sudden wave of heat, and the blood throughout his body involuntarily rushed downward.
I need to go back and prepare... conserve my essence, sharpen my edge, and all that...
With his thoughts churning, Zhao Wujiang finished his banana, bowed, and took his leave.
"Your Ladyship, this humble servant will take his leave."
Dugu Mingyue raised an elegant eyebrow and nodded affably. "Go on..."
After Zhao Wujiang retreated until his figure was no longer visible, Qinger, who stood beside Dugu Mingyue, could finally hold back her question no longer.
"Your Ladyship, you didn't even try to hide it just now... Little Zhao heard all those private matters..."
"I *wanted* him to hear it..."
A blush stained Dugu Mingyue's stunningly beautiful face, making her look all the more alluring. The corners of her lips curled up with unmasked triumph.
"Once he hears it and tells the Emperor, do you think the Emperor will look forward to this Empress wearing nothing underneath tonight... when I go to serve him?"
Qinger looked utterly astonished.
"Your Ladyship is wise beyond measure; it was merely this maid's foolishness just now..."
"You still have much to learn."
Dugu Mingyue's lips curved upward.
"Though this Little Zhao is truly a sharp-witted fellow, you should interact with him more often in the future."
Interact with him more often... Qinger recalled how Zhao Wujiang had previously teased her and claimed he wanted to marry her. What was a little eunuch even thinking?
Qinger's pretty face burned instantly, and she murmured a soft, muffled assent.
......
Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The young eunuch on guard outside the hall shrank his neck, his body trembling slightly.
Inside the hall, the Emperor was flying into a rage, bursts of angry scolding echoing through the air.
"Concession, concession, always concession! Is this what you came to tell Me?"
Xuanyuan Jing possessed striking and refined features, but at this moment they were coated in a layer of frost. Standing respectfully before her with bowed head was a middle-aged man.
"Your Majesty, the current situation... I'm afraid..." The middle-aged man carefully weighed his words.
Xuanyuan Jing took a deep breath as her anger continued to mount. The man before her was Li Chenxu, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, who had just been discussing the delegation from the Baiyue Kingdom in the Western Regions with her.
The delegation was demanding an alliance marriage, but the terms they proposed were simply exorbitant—completely akin to an unequal treaty—which was why she was burning with rage.
Hm?
As Xuanyuan Jing frowned, her peripheral vision suddenly caught a familiar blue figure flashing past outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
"Zhao Wujiang, get in here!" Xuanyuan Jing said in a deep voice.
"Coming..."
Dragging out a long note, the blue-robed figure that had flashed past outside the hall darted back in. It was none other than Zhao Wujiang.
He had been humming a little tune on his way back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, but upon reaching the entrance, he had seen Xuanyuan Jing chewing out the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, Li Chenxu. Unwilling to get caught up in this storm of wrath, he had tried to slip away directly, only to be spotted by the Empress anyway.
As expected, a handsome, dashing, and romantic beauty like me is just like a firefly in the dark, destined to draw all eyes... Pacing leisurely, Zhao Wujiang arrived before Xuanyuan Jing and bowed.
"This humble servant greets Your Majesty and Lord Li."
"You've come at the right time. Lord Li, explain the current situation to Little Zhao."
Xuanyuan Jing glared deeply at Zhao Wujiang and instructed Li Chenxu.
"Ah? Tell him... Er... Your Majesty..."
A look of awkwardness crossed Li Chenxu's face.
Although he had seen Zhao Wujiang at Dugu Yihe's estate, he had simply assumed that the Empress favored him, prompting Dugu Yihe to express gratitude to this little eunuch.
And Zhao Wujiang himself, when all was said and done, was merely a little eunuch—and could only ever be a little eunuch.
Xuanyuan Jing's expression turned solemn. "Speak without hesitation. To be frank with Lord Li, Zhao Wujiang is My trusted confidant!"
"Ahem."
Zhao Wujiang gave two dry coughs, exchanging constant glances with the Empress's eyes as if to say, *How could you reveal such a secret to an outsider?*
"Ahem... Ahem... Hem!"
Actually the Emperor's trusted confidant... The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, Li Chenxu, joined in coughing. He wasn't exchanging glances, however; he was simply terrified. A eunuch acting as a trusted confidant—this revelation shocked him beyond measure and caused him to choke on his own cough.
"Zhao... Zhao... Lord Zhao... *cough, cough*..."
The Minister cupped his fists in salute and cleared his throat.
"The Baiyue Kingdom of the Western Regions has dispatched a princess to propose an alliance marriage in hopes of maintaining friendly diplomatic relations."
"Mm."
Zhao Wujiang nodded, his gaze drifting toward the Empress's darkened cheek as he asked in a deep voice:
"What are their terms?"
The old face of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, Li Chenxu, stiffened. He glanced at the Emperor as well, feeling the oppressive anger she was holding back, and gritted his teeth.
"One hundred thousand *shi* of grain, twenty thousand bolts of fine silk, three thousand heavenly steeds..."
"For us?" Zhao Wujiang raised an eyebrow.
"For... for them..." Li Chenxu smiled awkwardly and hurriedly explained:
"Lord Zhao, Daxia is no longer the Daxia of the past. Today, Daxia is troubled from within and threatened from without. General Zhao of the Northern Frontier has fallen ill, and various states in the Southern Frontier are plotting to join forces and mass troops at the border, growing restless... Furthermore, Your Majesty has only recently ascended the throne... It is not fitting for us to..."
Xuanyuan Jing's expression grew increasingly dark.
"Lord Li speaks with earnest exhortation and has Daxia's precarious situation truly at heart; I respect you for that, Little Zhao."
Zhao Wujiang cupped his fists in salute, but his eyes widened, his sword-like brows slanted upward, and his tone abruptly shifted.
"At the same time, I look down upon you!"
Chapter 16: Daxia Refutes the Terms
"Lord Zhao, you!"
"What about me?"
Giving him no chance to retort, Zhao Wujiang pressed on.
"Now that the Baiyue Kingdom has come to propose an alliance marriage, the unequal terms they've put forward are nothing more than a test. If we agree, it shows weakness. When other states get wind of this and follow suit, nibbling away at Daxia piece by piece, what then?"
"I..." The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies didn't know how to reply.
"What 'I'? Chaos is about to erupt in the Northern and Southern Frontiers. With the Empress racking her brains over this, could she possibly be unaware?" Zhao Wujiang's tone turned profound.
"Yet not a single soldier of Daxia has taken a single step back. So are we—those who issue the commands... those whom they protect—supposed to be the first to yield?"
"This..." Li Chenxu was left speechless, his eye sockets turning red. He felt a lump block his throat, and his limbs went limp.
Zhao Wujiang stepped forward quickly, reaching out to support his arm.
"What 'this'? We are all well aware of Lord Li's anxiety over Daxia's current precarious state.
Yet the great winds surge and the mighty tides roar. Through a thousand years of history, this vast territory was won step by step by our forebears, who shed their hot blood for it.
And every step you and I take backward will only reveal piles of bleached bones!"
"Lord Zhao's words have jolted me awake. It was this official who was in the wrong, thinking only of retreating to preserve himself..."
Li Chenxu cupped his fists toward Zhao Wujiang, executing a solemn salute between peers.
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Wujiang called out to Xuanyuan Jing; it was time for her to speak.
Yet when he glanced sideways, he discovered that Xuanyuan Jing was staring fixedly at him, a shimmering light seemingly dancing within those autumn-water eyes.
"Your Majesty?" Zhao Wujiang leaned closer.
Just what kind of man are you... Xuanyuan Jing watched the handsome face in her vision slowly enlarge, ripples stirring in her heart. The man before her felt like a vortex, pulling her in before she even realized it.
"Your Majesty?" Zhao Wujiang raised his voice slightly.
Startled awake, Xuanyuan Jing panicked for a fraction of a second. "Ah? Oh! What Zhao Wujiang said is entirely correct!"
Then please repeat what I just said word for word... Zhao Wujiang gave a dry cough, offered a faint smile, and said in a gentle voice:
"Tell the Baiyue Kingdom that Daxia refuses."
*Daxia refuses...* Zhao Wujiang's soft, magnetic voice made Xuanyuan Jing's heart soften and tremble slightly. But just as ripples began to stir in her gaze, they instantly hardened into absolute majesty as she changed the subject.
"Tomorrow at the hour of *you*, an alliance marriage banquet will be held at the Tower of Magnificent Flowers. Officials and nobles may send their sons to perform and see if they can win the favor of the Baiyue Princess.
We shall discuss the specific terms of the alliance then, but our bottom line remains unchanged: not one step back!
Lord Li, go make the preparations."
"Understood! This old minister obeys the decree and takes his leave!"
The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, Li Chenxu, bowed in salute, then gave Zhao Wujiang a benevolent cupped-fist gesture before retreating backward.
His turbid eyes concealed a sharp glint as his thoughts turned over.
This Zhao Wujiang possessed a natural integrity, sharp teeth, and pearls of wisdom in every word, and the Empress viewed him as a trusted confidant... No wonder back at Dugu Yihe's estate, Dugu Yihe had pulled him up to sit in the seat of honor... I truly underestimated him before... This man is only to be befriended with goodwill from now on; he must never be offended.
Retreating from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Li Chenxu inadvertently glanced back and saw Zhao Wujiang sitting boldly right beside the Emperor.
*Hiss... Such intimacy! Must not offend, must not offend...* He withdrew his gaze and strode quickly out of the palace.
......
"Was this letter given to you by Dugu Yihe to deliver to Me?" Xuanyuan Jing accepted the envelope passed over by Zhao Wujiang, her delicate brows knitting together.
Zhao Wujiang nodded.
"He also expressed his utmost loyalty to me, using my mouth to convey his unwavering devotion to you."
"What do you make of it? Any thoughts?"
Xuanyuan Jing unfolded the letter, the flying cursive handwriting coming into view.
"I've already read the contents. It says that Loulan Gu-worms flowed into Daxia's borders several months ago."
Zhao Wujiang rubbed his fingers, falling into a thoughtful pose.
"This matter is too horrifying; originally I wouldn't have believed it, but today, as luck would have it... I inadvertently laid eyes upon a corpse."
"Oh? Whose?"
While listening to his oral report, Xuanyuan Jing read the contents of the letter. Her delicate brows furrowed deeper and deeper, dark clouds seeming to gather in her eyes.
"Grand Eunuch Chen Zhenghua!" Zhao Wujiang's eyes flashed.
"As you know, I am well-versed in medicine. At the time, I stepped forward to examine him—guess what I found on his body?"
Chapter 17: Shrouded in Suspicion
"What did you find? Hm? It couldn't be..." Xuanyuan Jing widened her eyes.
"That's right. A Loulan Gu-worm. Had I not previously seen the one extracted from General Zhao's body, I might not have recognized it at all." Zhao Wujiang rubbed his fingers, his expression grave.
"However, the Gu-worm was not the fatal cause of the Grand Eunuch's death; rather, it felt more like... it was manipulating him...
Do you remember what I told you about Loulan Gu-worms being able to control a person's mind?
I suspect that someone in this palace... is raising Gu-worms...
If my guess is correct, those harboring Gu-worms inside them are either colluding with the Loulan remnants, are Loulan remnants themselves, or are puppets manipulated by them!
At the time, we suspected the Dugu clan of colluding with Loulan, but looking at it now, that might not be the case...
As for General Zhao falling ill, a much deeper vortex and a far greater mystery lie behind it."
"Could General Zhao be one of Loulan's people?" Xuanyuan Jing narrowed her beautiful eyes.
Zhao Wujiang shook his head.
"The possibility is very low, but it cannot be entirely ruled out. Only by first figuring out how these Gu-worms are planted inside people can we deduce what comes next..."
"Mm..." Xuanyuan Jing fell into deep contemplation.
"Thump, thump, thump... thump, thump..." Pondering the matter, Xuanyuan Jing tapped her slender fingers against the tabletop—three long, two short. Then, she brought her fingers down together in a firm slap, producing a dull *thud*, followed by two short and three long light taps.
"Thump, thump... thump, thump, thump..."
The secret code of Jia Shijiu and his people... Zhao Wujiang's eyes flicked. The next moment, a breeze swept through the room, and a blue figure drifted inside.
Deep blue robes, a sturdy build, and a cyan mask.
"This humble servant Jia Shijiu pays respects to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty." Jia Shijiu saluted, then cupped his fists toward Zhao Wujiang.
"Lord Zhao."
"Shijiu, go take care of a matter for Me." Xuanyuan Jing's expression was majestic.
"Lead ten Longyin Guards, take Jingdu as the center, fan out, and search every prefecture and county for Loulan people."
"Shijiu obeys!"
Jia Shijiu bowed.
"Go." The Empress nodded.
Jia Shijiu stepped backward; after three steps, his figure vanished, leaving behind only a wisp of breeze.
......
The night grew deeper.
The imperial bedchamber was brightly lit. The Empress sat reading an ancient text, while Zhao Wujiang paced back and forth as if awaiting something.
Suddenly, a soft, honeyed whisper sounded from outside the door:
"Your Majesty, this concubine has an important matter to discuss with you..."
"What could Dugu Mingyue possibly have to discuss? Hm? It couldn't be..."
Xuanyuan Jing sprang up like a spring, her quick eye and ready hand blowing out the candles in the room.
Sure enough, the next second, Dugu Mingyue pushed the door open and walked right in.
Before Zhao Wujiang could react, Xuanyuan Jing shoved him directly toward Dugu Mingyue, sending him crashing into Dugu Mingyue's exquisite, delicate body.
"Oh? Your Majesty, are you really in such a rush?"
Dugu Mingyue let out a coquettish soft hum, grabbed Zhao Wujiang's large hand in the darkness, and pressed it against herself.
Smooth and unobstructed.
She really wasn't wearing anything underneath!
"Your Majesty, can you feel the difference?"
A breathtaking, intoxicating shyness bloomed on Dugu Mingyue's peerless face in the darkness. She bit her red lips, her beautiful eyes brimming with watery light.
Zhao Wujiang waited for Xuanyuan Jing to say something, but when had Xuanyuan Jing ever witnessed such teasing charm? For a moment, she froze right behind Zhao Wujiang, not knowing how to speak.
*I hate that you're as stiff as a block of wood...* Seeing this, Zhao Wujiang had no choice but to seal Dugu Mingyue's lips. He bowed slightly, wrapped his arm around Dugu Mingyue's boneless, water-serpent waist, and pressed his lips to hers.
"Mmm-mm..."
The next moment, he met Dugu Mingyue's passionate response.
Clasping Dugu Mingyue close, Zhao Wujiang carried her toward the bed. As their lips parted, a glistening thread stretched between them in the pitch darkness.
Lost in a haze of passion, Dugu Mingyue's delicate face burned, and her thoughts burned just as fiercely. Biting her red lips with seductive allure, she pulled Zhao Wujiang's head down and whispered softly into his ear:
"Would Your Majesty care to guess—aside from nothing on top... where else am I not wearing anything?"
Zhao Wujiang pressed his body downward, sweeping his hand across the rising and falling contours of her physique, his large hand sliding lower and lower.
In the darkness, soft moans suddenly arose. Standing not far from the bed, Xuanyuan Jing watched the intertwined mass of shadows, her heart pounding furiously.
Comfortable groans and demands began to echo in her ears. Blushing fiercely, she spat a silent curse—*Is it really that comfortable?*
Chapter 18: The Increasingly Captivating Empress
*Is it really that comfortable?*
Xuanyuan Jing wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Her gaze drifted this way and that, yet its focal point remained stubbornly on the bed.
The sound of rain pattering against banana leaves, the creaking of the wooden bed, groans, murmurs, and whimpers—every single sound entered her ears.
......
The night was long. Past the midnight hour, the two armies ceased hostilities.
Having endured the lashing, Dugu Mingyue succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.
Zhao Wujiang got out of bed, stark naked, and walked toward Xuanyuan Jing not far away.
"You watched so intently—want to try?"
"Hmph! Filthy wretch."
In the darkness, the Empress's cheeks burned as she averted her face.
Zhao Wujiang teased:
"Practice brings true knowledge. Why don't you touch?"
"Scram!" Xuanyuan Jing's breathing grew heavy as she glared angrily at him.
Zhao Wujiang took another step forward, pointing his finger like a sword at the Empress.
"I said scram!" Red-faced and at a loss for what to do, the Empress slipped a dagger from her sleeve.
"Mm... Your Majesty..." Dugu Mingyue let out a hazy murmur from her deep sleep on the bed.
Terrified of making too much noise, the Empress immediately stood up, panicked, and scrambled backward to keep her distance from Zhao Wujiang.
Zhao Wujiang took a step toward her.
"You are the sovereign of a nation—how can you retreat?"
"You... you... I won't argue with you, you shameless rake!"
The Empress dodged away, her face burning red.
......
Just as dawn was breaking, the diligent Xuanyuan Jing had already donned her dragon robe and gone to the audience hall to hold the early morning court session with her officials.
Meanwhile, Master Zhao, who had spent the entire night exhausted by Dugu Mingyue, was fast asleep in the side hall of the imperial bedchamber.
As for Dugu Mingyue... holding her head high like a triumphant female general, she made her way toward the Palace of Roosting Phoenixes. The ten-minute walk took her a full hour, and she made a point of encountering several of her "sisters" to flaunt last night's battle achievements to the three thousand beauties of the inner palace.
...
When the sun was high in the sky.
*Bang, bang, bang... bang, bang, bang.*
Knocking sounded at the door of the side hall's bedchamber:
"Lord Zhao... Lord Zhao."
"What is it?" Zhao Wujiang rolled over.