At the end of March in the fifth year of Qian Yuan, after besieging the city for a full month and a half, Xiliang, which had been surrounding Nanmin without attacking, employed a stratagem of sowing discord. They spread rumors that Shui Jingchen had long been in collusion with Xiliang and would coordinate from within to kill the great king and surrender the capital. This caused Nanmin King An Tianqing, who was extremely suspicious due to his background, to become wary of the Shangshan family. He avoided Shui Jingchen in all military and state affairs and, despite Shui Jingchen’s attempts to dissuade and obstruct him, appointed his own relative by marriage, Grand Marshal Nie Zixia, as the main general. Nie Zixia was known in the Nanmin court as a “scholarly general”—a man of letters whose greatest fame came from having memorized a work called “Military Treatise” perfectly. Unfortunately, while he was a master of armchair strategy, he was an idiot in actual combat. In his first battle, he arranged all infantry in formation and advanced in square formations, which were scattered by Xiliang’s iron cavalry in a mad charge. When the battle lines fell into chaos, Xiliang advanced with infantry cover and achieved a great victory.
Despite this disastrous defeat, Nie Zixia didn’t believe his tactics were flawed. He rejected three consecutive express messages from Shui Jingchen, throwing his letters into the campfire without even opening them. He also had Shui family envoys beaten and driven from the camp, continuing to drill his troops with high ambitions to face Xiliang in battle.
It’s said that when Shui Jingchen learned of this, he merely smiled calmly and spent the entire day playing the qin atop Junshan, the highest mountain in the city. At the end, he pushed away his instrument and left with a laugh, saying, “This young fool is not worth planning with—there will be no more refugees in the world.” That same day, he led the Shangshan family in withdrawing from Dayan City.
Nie Zixia scoffed at this, calling it “alarmist nonsense!” He petitioned three times to persuade An Tianqing, who was planning to change generals and continue defending the city, claiming that the initial defeat was merely an occasional mistake and that given another chance, he could decisively defeat Xiliang. He swore by heaven and earth so earnestly he nearly shed dog’s blood, outlining four “ingenious battle formations,” each of which would “utterly destroy the Xiliang rats.” An Tianqing was moved by his sworn promises and ordered him to redeem himself through merit. This time Nie Zixia “learned his lesson” and specifically ordered the Imperial Astronomy Bureau to calculate auspicious and inauspicious days. He determined that the twenty-ninth day of the third month, the last day of the month, was the most inauspicious day, when taking up arms would bring misfortune to all endeavors. The thirtieth day of the third month, however, was an auspicious day—as good as they come. Thus he decided to mobilize troops on March thirtieth.
Unexpectedly, on March twenty-ninth—that day he considered most unlucky when no one would mobilize troops—Xiliang quietly attacked the city. At that time, Nie Zixia, who was sleeping comfortably on soft pillows after giving his generals leave to rest in preparation for the next day’s battle, was completely unprepared. Reinforcements couldn’t be deployed in time, and the city’s defenses were weaker than usual. The Xiliang soldiers who scaled Nanmin Dayan City’s walls not only brought blood-stained swords, powerful catapults, giant wooden battering rams and stone projectiles, but also wore Nanmin’s Red Chi Divine Sect totems painted on their clothing. When that fierce three-legged fire-colored giant serpent came into view, many soldiers who were also Red Chi sect followers immediately knelt in fearful reverence, devoutly worshipping the great god, then were unceremoniously captured by Xiliang.
Defeat came like a mountain collapsing.
When the city towers were captured, the city gates broken, and Xiliang’s iron-armored torrent poured endlessly into Nanmin’s capital, quickly surrounding the Nanmin royal palace, the doomed An Tianqing angrily killed Nie Zixia. He intended to rally all palace guards and eunuchs for a desperate last stand, but Shan Shao boldly ordered the palace burned. As flames rose high, the entire palace fled in panic. The crazed and desperate An Tianqing climbed onto a high platform waving his saber, ordering everyone to resist the invaders, but was pushed off the platform by Grand Eunuch Lu Cheng, falling to his death and becoming a pile of flesh. His head was immediately severed as a trophy, while his body disappeared in the chaos.
Nanmin was destroyed.
“A nation has permanently disappeared from the Inner River maps,” Qin Chang Ge said with an expressionless face as she looked at the latest military report in her palm, showing a completely unsurprised smile. “Congratulations, Your Majesty.”
“This is not my achievement alone. The strategy against Nanmin was decided by the three of us together,” Xiao Jue laughed heartily. “You needn’t be modest.”
“Getting An Tianqing to employ Nie Zixia wasn’t really my ability—thanks to Feihuan’s well-informed intelligence and early preparations, he had planted agents both around Nanmin’s ruler and in the Nie family’s court faction. Combined with this fortuitous coincidence where Xuanchi Palace was also severely weakened, otherwise those strange devices they use would have caused our army losses.”
“I wonder where Shui Jingchen is now?” Xiao Jue frowned hatefully. “My Mingxia sword is still with him.”
“Either he went to Eastern Yan, or like Xuanchi Palace, he’s retreated into the mountains…” Qin Chang Ge slowly showed a cold smile. “A’Jue, do you believe that there are definitely many people who want to kill me now?”
Xiao Jue scoffed, “Let them come one by one and I’ll kill them one by one, let them come in pairs and I’ll kill them in pairs.”
Qin Chang Ge shook her head with a smile, “A’Jue, you’re more like a bandit than an emperor.”
Xiao Jue stroked her smooth, lustrous hair and said softly, “Who do you think will try to kill you? The rulers of various nations?”
“Naturally, though the reasons may differ,” Qin Chang Ge smiled. “I’ve already ordered Huang Meng to watch for recent movements in the capital, had the Capital Defense Bureau strengthen the capital’s defenses, and deployed the Western Capital garrison to enter the capital to rotate with the sixteen battalions under the Nine Gates Commander. Whoever comes, I want them to arrive but not depart.”
She suddenly looked at Xiao Jue with some amusement, “The capital probably has spies from various nations, and several countries are taking the high official route. I’ve established a system where anyone in court who leaks official business will be severely punished. Deputy Privy Council Secretary He Anxian—you know him—his real reason for dismissal was this… Speaking of which, remember that advisor beside the young wastrel Jiang Chuanyun who schemed to drug you? We’ve identified him. Guess who it was?”
Xiao Jue blushed slightly and thought for a moment, “Shui Jingchen?”
“Exactly!” Qin Chang Ge laughed coldly. “Teacher Hu, born a highway robber from Black Tea Mountain’s Windswept Stronghold, sought to serve in the Minister of Personnel’s mansion as a lowly, looked-down-upon retainer—what a ridiculous identity, completely incompatible with that peerless sage, that Shui family young master noble and pure as snow on a sacred mountain.”
“It really was him… why would he personally undertake such base work, infiltrating Xiliang?”
“I’m still searching for the reason,” Qin Chang Ge pondered. “The Colored Cup Sect was originally a spy organization sent by Xuanchi Palace, but later, probably because Yunhua fell in love with… Xiao Chen, and then during my petition to the court, their forces withdrew but were caught alone and massacred by Shui Jingchen, who had been waiting like a mantis stalking a cicada. But whether Shui Jingchen acted because he saw the Colored Cup Sect, an important Xuanchi Palace force, isolated and took the opportunity to strike, then blamed it on Xiliang to create conflict between Xuanchi Palace and Xiliang, or if he had deeper intentions, I haven’t yet determined.”
Probably thinking of Xiao Jue’s embarrassing situation that night, she showed a slight smile. Xiao Jue blushed again and reached out to grasp her hand, saying softly, “Chang Ge, I’ve never wronged you… do you know how long I’ve been lonely?”
Candlelight flickered red in Longzhang Palace, illuminating his handsome features, his gaze full of tender affection, wavering like silk.
Qin Chang Ge’s heart skipped a beat, unprepared for this bold fellow to raise such an intimate question in broad daylight. This… how should she answer?
“I don’t know how long you’ve been lonely.”?
That wouldn’t work—what if he said, “Would you like to know now?” Wouldn’t that be disastrous?
“I know how long you’ve been lonely.”?
That still wouldn’t work—what if he said, “Since you know, please fulfill me…” That would be even worse.
“How long you’ve been lonely is none of my business.”?
That… seems too harsh, doesn’t it?
Qin Chang Ge, whose IQ dropped to zero whenever romance was involved, obsessed over how to answer this question, finally deciding to deflect.
“That… I need to get off work.”
But Xiao Jue had already laughingly embraced her, saying, “I knew you’d say that… Chang Ge, you still blush because of me—I’m already very happy about that.”
Qin Chang Ge pressed her lips together, placing her hands against his chest, resisting his roving hands with a smile, “Why wouldn’t I? I’m a normal woman—I blush when I see handsome men. It’s a physiological reaction.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying,” Xiao Jue shook his head with a smile. “I don’t care. Don’t think you can escape, and don’t try to put me off with excuses about your current male attire. Whatever you wear, however you look, I don’t mind—I only remember that you are Chang Ge.”
He sighed and held her tighter, saying low, “Every step is so difficult… I must have owed you for several lifetimes, so I have to repay you over and over in this life.”
“I think it’s me who owes you, through death and life, round and round, never finding peace,” Qin Chang Ge mumbled in response.
Xiao Jue smiled gently and said softly, “Who owes whom—there’s no need to calculate anymore. It’s all fate…”
“Let me in!!”
A shrill female voice pierced through the quiet, warm air inside and outside Longzhang Palace, carrying furious anger that reached both their ears.
Qin Chang Ge looked up with a smile, raising her eyebrows, “See? I told you there’d be no peace.”
Xiao Jue was already angry, “What are Longzhang Palace’s guards doing? Didn’t I say no one should disturb us!”
“How do you expect them to stop her?” Qin Chang Ge glanced at him. “Your favored consort, your honored wife wants to see her husband. She’s charging forward regardless, and the guards are all men—how can they reach out to stop her? Touch your beauties’ delicate bodies? Using weapons is naturally even more impossible—one word of great disrespect from your consort and they’d be done for.”
Xiao Jue turned to look at her with delight, “Chang Ge, are you jealous?”
Looking helplessly at the sky, Qin Chang Ge could only pretend not to hear the narcissistic emperor’s question, “Your Majesty, you’d better think about how to appease her. Consort Yao’s father was dismissed yesterday for corruption—she’s definitely here to plead for him. I’m afraid of getting styes from watching your conjugal bedroom intimacies, so I’ll take my leave first.”
Without waiting for Xiao Jue’s permission, she stood to leave. Behind her, Xiao Jue said hatefully, “I’ll abolish them all.”
Qin Chang Ge waved dismissively as she walked gracefully toward the palace exit. Just as she emerged from Longzhang Palace, a rainbow flash appeared ahead where the commotion was, followed by several crisp slapping sounds. Consort Yao, He Jingyao, had already slapped several guards and was rushing inward with eyebrows raised in fury.
Qin Chang Ge modestly stepped aside.
Consort Yao looked angry and hurried, not even glancing at Qin Chang Ge as she rushed past, about to call out sweetly as she ran toward Xiao Jue.
Suddenly remembering something, she turned back suspiciously and glanced at Qin Chang Ge, who was trying to slip away. She froze, then looked again.
Anger immediately rose in her expression as she called out sharply, “Stop!”
Qin Chang Ge stopped with her back to her, frowned, thought for a moment, then gestured to the guards to withdraw.
Longzhang Palace guards knew the Grand Tutor’s position in His Majesty’s heart and silently bowed before retreating. Qin Chang Ge sighed and turned around as Consort Yao approached with a cold smile, looking her up and down arrogantly, “Zhao Moyan?”
Qin Chang Ge bowed slightly, “Yes, paying respects to Consort Yao.”
Dressed in water-red robes with twin phoenixes, her hair in palace style with gold ornaments, the magnificently attired Consort Yao stared at Qin Chang Ge with evil in her brows, her gaze shooting over like sharp blades as she said harshly, “What a wild person who knows no propriety! Is this how you pay respects to this palace? Kneel before me!”
Qin Chang Ge raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and stepped back, obediently preparing to kneel.
Somewhat surprised that she would actually kneel, Consort Yao felt rather pleased.
Qin Chang Ge bent her knees halfway, then suddenly shook her head and stood up straight, saying with a smile, “Your Ladyship, I was just about to kneel to you, but thinking about it, I’m afraid you can’t bear it. You’re merely a second-rank palace consort, while I’m a super-rank Grand Tutor. I don’t mind kneeling to you, but I’m so afraid you’ll lose years from your life.”
“You!”
Consort Yao was so angry her body trembled slightly. The hanging coral pearl gold ornaments on her elaborate serpent-style hair bun kept colliding with her twin phoenix sea-wave pattern jade hairpin, making tiny jingling sounds. She gritted her silver teeth, words forcing out between her clenched teeth word by word, “Zhao Moyan, you’re truly arrogant. My father’s dismissal was your doing, wasn’t it? You flattering, oppressive, despicable, shameless treacherous minister!”
Without waiting for Qin Chang Ge’s response, she stepped forward, her fingers with enamel-inlaid gold seven-colored protective armor tracing a brilliant arc as she viciously clawed toward Qin Chang Ge’s face!
“Today I’ll destroy you, this seductive male courtesan!”
“Stop!”
Xiao Jue rushed out from the palace, raising his eyebrows in angry rebuke.
Originally, knowing that Consort Yao didn’t recognize Qin Chang Ge, he had assumed Qin Chang Ge had safely departed and was reviewing memorials in Longzhang Palace, waiting for that woman to come make her scene. When she didn’t come after waiting, he knew something was wrong and hurried out, only to witness the classic scene of a shrew fighting.
“You seducer of the sovereign!”
But Consort Yao was quite clever, only managing to scream desperately while pretending not to hear Xiao Jue’s angry shout behind her, continuing to claw viciously at Qin Chang Ge’s face.
Her resentment had accumulated for a long time—she had long heard that His Majesty had recently become infatuated with that pretty boy Grand Tutor, going in and out with him daily, and after court sessions still summoning him alone in Longzhang Palace. The harem, which occasionally could still glimpse his shadow before, now went half a year or a year without seeing the sovereign’s face. All the consorts lived in gloom, with little attention, and even her father’s dismissal and her family’s loss of influence had required tremendous effort and expense to learn about. She heard this was also the doing of that pretty boy Grand Tutor—such hatred was truly an ocean of resentment.
At this point, she had given up hope. His Majesty would never change his heart. Her dreams of relying on him to achieve family glory and her own reign as empress could only be dreams. Since those dreams were shattered, what did she care about anymore?
At worst she’d be confined to the Cold Palace, but wasn’t the entire harem already one giant Cold Palace?
What was there to fear?
Her eyes burned with fury as she swore to claw apart this face she had cursed countless times!
The long protective armor was like ten small swords, clawing forward with whistling wind!
Qin Chang Ge frowned.
Ridiculous—if you tear off my human skin mask, what would I have left to work with?
With one hand she pushed, extending her arm to grab Consort Yao. Qin Chang Ge smiled gently as she applied pressure with her fingers. “Crack.”
Consort Yao’s scream immediately stopped.
She froze there with her mouth open in a strange posture.
Qin Chang Ge had dislocated her jaw.
Looking with disgust at her fingers instantly stained with cosmetics, Qin Chang Ge smiled gently as she wiped them clean on Consort Yao’s exquisitely embroidered brocade robes, saying softly, “Your Ladyship, you’re so noisy.”
She smiled tenderly, “You’re so noisy you can’t even hear His Majesty’s orders, so I had to help you quiet down.”
Consort Yao’s eyes flashed with absolute hatred as she suddenly raised her leg to kick!
Straight toward Qin Chang Ge’s left arm that had been broken in Nanmin and hadn’t fully healed!
“Thud!”
“Ah!”
Qin Chang Ge stared in amazement at several snow-white front teeth flying through the air, watching as Consort Yao covered her blood-streaming mouth and collapsed with a wail.
Xiao Jue, who had angrily been about to kick Consort Yao away, also froze in place.
Both turned their heads simultaneously, seeing a flashy, colorful shadow with golden glints—a fat, short little figure that suddenly appeared like a whirlwind, cursing as it charged over.
“I #
$… &*&$…”
The Xiliang Emperor and Grand Tutor looked at each other, then each turned away to stare speechlessly at the sky.
Their son’s cursing ability was really too incredible…
Too painful to listen to…
Xiao Jue thought for a moment, then glared at Qin Chang Ge, accusing her with his gaze, “You definitely taught him all that!”
Qin Chang Ge glared back viciously, “I can’t even curse with such rich vocabulary, multiple layers, diverse colors, and creative variations!”
But Baozi didn’t care that his father and stinking mother were shifting responsibility for his educational condition onto each other. He just held his little slingshot and desperately kicked Consort Yao, who was covering her mouth in pain with tears rolling down like pearls.
“You dare hit people here? In a place under Crown Prince’s protection, you dare make a move? You women are living too comfortably, aren’t you? Still crying? Still crying? Every cry costs one tooth!”
He cackled sinisterly as he moved his golden slingshot back and forth in front of Consort Yao’s mouth, constantly taking aim.
Consort Yao immediately whimpered and closed her mouth, but it quickly swelled up. Looking at her flower-like delicate face now covered in blood, tears, and an upper lip swollen like a mountain, it was truly unbearable to witness.
But she only dared cry silently, not daring to let out another wail.
What was this called? Evil people have their own evil tormentors?
Qin Chang Ge and Xiao Jue exchanged glances. This wasn’t the place for her to educate their son. Xiao Jue understood and reached out to grab his son, angrily saying, “That’s enough!”
Baozi immediately jumped up in fury, “You’re defending your little wife!”
He glanced at Qin Chang Ge and shouted, “Dear Grand Tutor, you’ve been wronged today. Please go back first—there are people waiting at the Grand Tutor’s mansion to drink tea, wine, chat, and admire the moon with you. Remember to have fun and enjoy yourself.”
Xiao Jue’s face immediately darkened.
This brat—what do you mean “people waiting to drink tea and chat with you”? This is revenge, bloody revenge!
Qin Chang Ge smiled as she looked at Baozi, silently mouthing, “Impressive. Your troublemaking skills are supreme—I really admire you.”
Baozi shuddered, pitifully pouting. Mother, you curse without using dirty words.
I was standing up for you, but you’re smiling so sinisterly—it really hurts my fragile little heart.
Flicking her sleeves, Qin Chang Ge was already too lazy to bother with the boring emperor, fierce crown prince, and shrewish consort. She performed a bow, “Your Majesty, this subject respectfully follows His Highness the Crown Prince’s edict and returns to the mansion to drink tea, wine, chat, and admire the moon. Your Majesty has myriad imperial duties and various laborious tasks—please be sure to take care of your health.”
She emphasized the word “laborious” particularly heavily.
Xiao Jue watched her figure depart with grief and indignation, waving his sleeve, “Someone come! Send Consort Yao back to Yantai Palace and confine her for three months!” Without even looking at the consort rolling and crying on the ground, he reached out and grabbed his precious crown prince who was trying to escape.
“Rong’er, let’s go inside and have a heart-to-heart talk about what it means to have your elbow turn outward!”
Leaving the palace walls, she took a sedan chair back to the Grand Tutor’s mansion on East Peace Street—Qin Chang Ge had moved again, this time to East Peace district, which was already a residential area for Xiliang’s super-rank and above nobles. Very unfortunately, the newly built Grand Tutor’s mansion was directly across from the honored Prince Jing’an.
Qin Chang Ge had always been very wary of that jade demon. If it were up to her, she absolutely wouldn’t want to live across from such a top-grade character, but Xiliang had its rules, and when the Grand Tutor’s mansion was being built, both she and Xiao Jue were away from Xiliang. The great Prince Yu had personally visited the Internal Affairs Ministry responsible for granting and building residences for nobles and ministers, claiming on his own that the new Grand Tutor was very willing to be his neighbor and had asked him to convey that the house must be built near Prince Jing’an’s mansion to promote peaceful, friendly exchanges between the two households and achieve beautiful neighborly harmony.
The Internal Affairs Ministry didn’t dare disobey Prince Yu’s words, nodding like pecking chickens. Since there really was no space adjacent to the mansion, they built the Grand Tutor’s residence directly across from Prince Jing’an’s mansion.
When Qin Chang Ge returned and saw this, she was very dismayed but powerless to change it. She was even slightly relieved that there hadn’t been space next to Prince Jing’an’s mansion—otherwise every night might have brought encounters with enchanting beautiful men climbing walls under red lanterns, or waking up to find beautiful men lying naked beside her—beautiful as they might be, it would surely damage her heart function.
To avoid trouble, Qin Chang Ge kept a very low profile, leaving early and returning early, trying to avoid encountering Prince Yu who left and returned late. She ordered the doorkeeper and household staff to keep their ears constantly alert—whenever they heard excited roaring from across the way or red lanterns swaying, they should close the doors.
Prince Yu had already visited many times but never once met Qin Chang Ge. To better refuse visitors, Qin Chang Ge specifically prepared a list of seven excuses for the doorkeeper, changing daily in weekly cycles.
Monday: “The Grand Tutor is at court.”
Tuesday: “The Grand Tutor is jogging.”
Wednesday: “The Grand Tutor has diarrhea.”
Thursday: “The Grand Tutor is on an outing.”
Friday: “The Grand Tutor is shopping.”
…
Hmm… what day would today be? Naturally, Xiliang calendar didn’t have modern dating systems, but that didn’t stop Qin Chang Ge from using her own system. Today’s excuse seemed to be… diarrhea?
Due to frequently having “diarrhea,” precious Chinese herbs for treating dysentery and diarrhea sent from Prince Jing’an’s mansion had already filled an entire room. Qin Chang Ge was considering opening a pharmacy or selling them at high prices to Boss Xiao of Wind Full Tower for medicinal cuisine.
The sedan chair stopped in front of the mansion gates. Qin Chang Ge, who was absent-mindedly digesting and considering some recent Huang Meng intelligence, casually reached out to lift the curtain.
Her hand suddenly paused.
The fingers now lifting her curtain didn’t seem to be the rough hands of her servants…
Qin Chang Ge tilted her head slightly, glimpsing jade-like skin and a flash of red sleeve.
Someone’s persistence was infinitely sorrowful.
Light brightened as the curtain lifted, revealing a certain demon whose clothing was scandalously revealing, dressed in brilliant red with snow-white skin showing through, leaning casually against the sedan with a half-smile, his flowing, luminous gaze sweeping over Qin Chang Ge as he said intimately, “Grand Tutor, this humble one has come to assist you in alighting.”