But now Tianfeng Kingdom couldn’t gauge the true strength of Great Zhou and Yan Kingdom, and feared that simultaneously dealing with both Tianfeng and Great Yan would be too taxing, so they wanted to use the leasing method to gradually erode Xiliang, Great Zhou, and Yan Kingdom.

But this erosion method… while Tianfeng Kingdom had time to spare, she couldn’t wait until then!

She absolutely couldn’t let Tianfeng Kingdom have its way. She had to force Tianfeng Kingdom to have no choice but to unite with Xiliang and wage war against Great Zhou, or… devour Xiliang and wage war against Great Zhou!

What she wanted was revenge; what the Tianfeng Kingdom wanted was land. They each took what they needed – that was called cooperation…

If only Xiliang were being used unilaterally and would ultimately be swallowed by Tianfeng Kingdom, no one who wasn’t foolish would be willing to accept such cooperation!

She had endured until today, speaking those words in front of the Great Zhou and the Yan Kingdom, ultimately achieving one of two results…

The first: Tianfeng Kingdom wouldn’t dare to backstab Xiliang. After all, if Xiliang exhausted their entire nation’s resources to support Tianfeng Kingdom’s army, yet Tianfeng Kingdom’s army devoured Xiliang, then Great Yan and Great Zhou would be even less tolerant of Tianfeng Kingdom! Tianfeng Kingdom would have to fight to the death with the Great Zhou and the Great Yan!

The second: Tianfeng Kingdom would swallow Xiliang, but Great Yan and Great Zhou had already allied. Would they just watch as Tianfeng Kingdom devoured Xiliang and then came to attack them? The ruler of Tianfeng Kingdom couldn’t be satisfied with just one Xiliang. At that time, they still couldn’t avoid a battle! Tianfeng Kingdom would still have to fight the Great Zhou and the Yan Kingdom.

But regardless of which result occurred, Li Tianfu’s objective would be achieved.

She looked deeply at Sa’er Khan, let out a cold laugh, and gracefully departed with the support of a Xiliang palace maid.

As soon as Great Yan and Great Zhou’s forces departed, Sa’er Khan could no longer contain himself. He plunged into the tent, his fists clenched behind his back, shouting: “Get out!”

“Your Majesty…” The great shaman’s disciple saw Sa’er Khan hurriedly return and thought the ruler was anxious to know who was truly chosen by the gods as master of this land. He hurriedly supported himself against the table, forcing his aching legs to stand up. “That Great Zhou Empress and…”

“The other jade cicada might be in Great Zhou!” Sa’er Khan lowered his voice.

The great shaman’s disciple trembled for a moment, then his face immediately turned deathly pale.

Bai Qingyan sat in the swaying carriage, holding the jade cicada and examining it repeatedly, rubbing it back and forth in her hands. She could say with certainty that this jade cicada was indeed identical to the one in Sa’er Khan’s hand.

But why was Sa’er Khan so interested in this jade cicada?

He said it was Tianfeng Kingdom’s national treasure.

Xiao Rongyan had said it was Consort Ji’s relic, something Consort Ji had hung around his neck, saying it could keep him safe. That’s why… Xiao Rongyan had given this jade cicada to her as a gift.

Bai Qingyan held the jade cicada and spread a white handkerchief on the table. She brought the jade cicada close to the glass lamp, wanting to see if the jade cicada would leave any traces on the handkerchief when light passed through it, but ultimately couldn’t discern anything suspicious.

She thought about how nervous the ruler of Tianfeng Kingdom had been about this jade cicada, and how he had specifically stopped Xiao Si to inquire about the jade cicada’s whereabouts…

Did this mean that for the Tianfeng Kingdom, this jade cicada was more important than establishing their current foothold?

Regarding this jade cicada matter, she still needed to ask Xiao Rongyan.

She put the jade cicada back in her pouch and picked up the bamboo scrolls left by Consort Ji to continue reading.

The sudden change before Bai Qingyan’s departure today also weighed on Xiao Rongyan’s mind. Halfway back to Great Yan’s territory, he led a team of guards to pursue Great Zhou’s forces.

Bai Qingyan had just arrived at the Pingyang City Prefect’s mansion when Xiao Rongyan reached the gates of Pingyang City.

Xiao Rongyan was quite rule-abiding. He came using his identity as Great Yan’s Ninth Prince, first having someone announce his arrival outside the city, then was escorted by people sent by Xie Yuchang to the Pingyang City Prefect’s mansion.

Bai Qingyan had changed into comfortable loose clothing and was preparing to go to Nuanhua Pavilion to dine with Bai Jinzhi and Bai Qingyu when Wei Zhong came to report that Great Yan’s Ninth Prince had arrived.

Upon hearing this, she adjusted her sleeves and said, “Have someone add another set of bowls and chopsticks. Invite Yan Kingdom’s Ninth Prince to Nuanhua Pavilion to dine with us.”

“Yes!” Wei Zhong, behind the screen, responded and withdrew.

A’Yu already knew that Xiao Rongyan was Murong Yan, and Xiao Si had now become more mature. Moreover, the two kingdoms would ultimately unite as one nation anyway. It would be better to let Xiao Si know earlier, to avoid the embarrassment of… their people fighting their people later.

Chun Zhi knelt before Bai Qingyan, tying the pouch properly for her before rising to lift the hanging curtains. Seeing Bai Qingyan emerge, she stepped forward to support Bai Qingyan’s arm as they walked out, her brow furrowed as she spoke to Bai Qingyan: “This servant has something she dare not fail to report to Miss…”

Chun Zhi was usually a woman of few words. For her to suddenly speak like this, there must be something important. She nodded: “Speak…”

“After His Majesty left today, the nanny beside the Prefect’s wife came to find this servant and said many things. Though this servant is slow-witted, she knows this nanny wanted to convey words to Miss through this servant’s mouth…” Chun Zhi said anxiously, fearing her Miss would misunderstand. “This servant was unwilling! But when that nanny left, she pressed a set of ruby jewelry into this servant’s hands. This servant hadn’t had time to return the jewelry when Miss came back! This servant could only tell Miss about this matter.”

“What did she say?” She lifted the hem of her dress as she descended the corridor steps.

“That nanny said the Prefect’s wife had the residence thoroughly cleaned because Miss was coming to stay. However, because the Prefect came from humble origins and the Prefect’s wife’s family were wine merchants, the furnishings lacked proper arrangement. The entire house was decorated in vermilion and bright yellow, and even the displayed gold and jade ornaments were newly made after emptying the coffers of both the Prefect’s mansion and the Prefect’s wife’s family. She wanted to ask through this servant whether Miss blamed them.” Chun Zhi frowned deeply. “This servant couldn’t understand… what this Prefect’s wife’s nanny wanted this servant to convey these words for. She wanted to ask Miss for money, but certainly wasn’t truly apologizing.”

Though Chun Zhi knew she was simple-minded, having stayed by Miss’s side for so long and dealt with those shrewd people in the palace for these many days, she could still perceive some of this nanny’s intentions. But she couldn’t understand anything deeper.

Bai Qingyan was amused by Chun Zhi’s words about “asking for money” and said, “If you can’t understand, don’t think about it. Keep the jewelry safe. I know about this matter.”

“Yes!” Chun Zhi happily responded and supported Bai Qingyan as they walked along the winding corridor toward Nuanhua Pavilion.

Bai Qingyu and Bai Jinzhi, who had changed into fresh clothes, were waiting for Bai Qingyan in Nuanhua Pavilion when they saw Wei Zhong escort Great Yan’s Ninth Prince inside.

Bai Jinzhi, holding a teacup, glanced at the masked Great Yan Ninth Prince, then turned to look at her fifth brother: “When family is dining together, why did Wei Zhong bring Great Yan’s Ninth Prince here?”

Seeing her fifth brother sitting perfectly composed, Bai Jinzhi, mindful that the two kingdoms had just signed an alliance, set down her teacup and stood up.