In the hall, lamp shadows swayed, making Xiao Rongyan’s deep eyes appear even more profound. He gazed at this composed Empress of Dongyi for a long while, then let out an ambiguous low laugh. The Empress of Dongyi wanted to use the method for resolving mother-child poison to make a deal with Yan.

The Great Zhou controlled the Empress of Dongyi through the Seventh Prince and the mother-child poison. But if this mother-child poison was truly resolved, who knew what trouble this Empress of Dongyi might cause? After all… There were people in this world who would choose to abandon their own children’s lives for the sake of their power and desires. His father was just such a person.

The Empress of Dongyi was deeply scheming. If she were someone who could be ruthless toward her flesh and blood, then there would be nothing left to constrain the Empress of Dongyi. Although Yan wanted to cause trouble for the Great Zhou, they couldn’t tear down the Great Zhou’s stage.

Regardless of whether this mother-child poison matter was real or fake, this Empress of Dongyi had certainly conceived the idea of replacing this counterfeit Seventh Prince. As long as Dongyi’s factions fell into a power struggle, Yan’s purpose would be achieved. It wasn’t that they wanted Dongyi to cause trouble for the Great Zhou on Yan’s behalf.

Xiao Rongyan stood up and put on his mask: “For now, please trouble Your Majesty with the matter of stationing troops. If it fails, Dongyi won’t exist, and the Seventh Prince won’t need to live either! However, this King believes that with Your Majesty’s methods and wisdom, unless you don’t want Yan to station troops, as long as you do… accomplishing this matter is no problem at all.”

He turned his head, his sharp gaze from behind the mask looking at the woman on the phoenix chair, saying: “Rescuing a living person from Great Zhou is difficult, but killing someone in Great Zhou is extremely easy! For the Seventh Prince’s sake, Your Majesty must settle this matter.”

The Empress of Dongyi’s spine stiffened under Xiao Rongyan’s gaze, but she still endured the fear in her heart, stood up, and smiled: “Naturally. In the future, dealing with the Great Zhou… we’ll still need to rely on Yan!”

Seeing Xiao Rongyan don his cloak hood and leave the great hall, only then did the Empress collapse back into her chair.

Whether Great Zhou or Yan, neither was easy to deal with!

She understood what he meant. This Regent of Yan wanted her to find a child of a similar age to replace the counterfeit sent by the Great Zhou, to prevent the Great Zhou counterfeit from causing trouble for Yan. If the Empress lacked manpower, Yan’s stationed troops could help.

After replacing that counterfeit, she, as Empress Dowager, could personally hold power and deal with the Great Zhou!

Before that, when the Great Zhou wanted to force Dongyi to cause trouble for Yan, Dongyi could delay if possible. If they couldn’t delay, they would send someone to inform Yan, letting them prepare.

But why should they? Just because Yan also stationed troops in Dongyi, Dongyi should become Yan’s shield, standing in front of Yan to block the Great Zhou’s thunder for them? In the end, wouldn’t Dongyi still be the one suffering?

Both of them threatened her with her son’s life!

The Empress could barely contain her tears.

After the personal maid saw off Xiao Rongyan and returned, she saw her Empress shedding tears under the lamplight. She quickly pulled out a handkerchief and approached to wipe the Empress’s tears: “Your Majesty, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing…” the Empress shook her head, avoiding the maid’s handkerchief, staring at the incense burner emitting wisps of white smoke, tears falling like broken strings. “I just… miss Lin’er!”

“Your Majesty, it’s only three years at most. Their national gamble is only three years old. I heard this Great Zhou Emperor has always kept his promises. He will send the Seventh Prince back! By then, our Seventh Prince will surely have grown taller!” The maid’s eyes also reddened as she softly comforted her.

·

As soon as Xiao Rongyan emerged from the secret passage, Yue Shi came forward to meet him.

“Master!”

Xiao Rongyan mounted the carriage without a word, sitting in the carriage with his eyes closed…

Mother-child poison.

Xiao Rongyan let out a low laugh and opened his eyes. The swaying lamp shadows from the sheepskin lanterns hanging at the four corners of the elm carriage shone on Xiao Rongyan’s mask, making him appear indescribably gentle.

This Empress of Dongyi spoke three parts truth while hiding three parts, with three parts lies and one part genuine emotion. She was truly… a master performer.

Xiao Rongyan came to see this Empress of Dongyi tonight to give her a few hints, to muddy the waters of Dongyi, making Dongyi chaotic from within. If Dongyi itself was in chaos, how could they have the leisure to cause trouble for Yan?

Regarding the matter of stationing troops, Xiao Rongyan also believed the Empress of Dongyi would agree.

If for no other reason, just to let Yan and Great Zhou check and balance each other, Dongyi would keep Yan’s stationed troops.

A’Bao’s substitution scheme, creating a fake Emperor of Dongyi, didn’t surprise Xiao Rongyan. But this mother-child poison truly left him puzzled.

“Yue Shi…” Xiao Rongyan spoke slowly, “You drive the carriage back first.”

Yue Shi knew his master couldn’t wait to see the eldest miss of the Bai family, and replied with a smile: “Understood!”

The carriage window flickered, a black shadow leaped out, and the carriage interior fell silent. Yue Shi drove the carriage unhurriedly toward Prince Ping’s mansion.

·

Bai Qingyan knew Xiao Rongyan would come tonight and didn’t rush to sleep.

She had removed her silver armor and changed into other clothes. Her clear and ethereally beautiful features bore no powder or rouge, using only the wild goose hairpin that Xiao Rongyan had personally carved to pin up her ink-black hair. Wearing snow-white silver silk with subtle patterns, she sat fully clothed under the lamplight. Beside her, a red clay small stove with glowing red charcoal was brewing a pot of tea, already bubbling with hot steam, filling the room with tea fragrance.

She leaned against a low rest behind her, holding a chess manual in one hand and warm jade chess pieces in the other, gazing intently at the chess board, completely unnoticing that tea water had spilled from the small pot.

Under the painted screen of four seasons landscapes, white mist rose, the beauty dazzling, beautiful as a painting.

Xiao Rongyan stood at the partially open window, gazing at his beloved wife from afar, reluctant to disturb this beauty.

Only when Bai Qingyan placed her piece, set the book beside her on the small sandalwood table, and used a cloth to lift the teapot and pour two cups of tea, did Xiao Rongyan realize he had been discovered. No longer hiding, he removed his mask, gently pushed open the carved window lattice, and leaped inside: “How did A’Bao know I was coming?”

Bai Qingyan placed the teapot back on the red clay stove, looked up with a smile at Xiao Rongyan: “You went to see the Empress of Dongyi…”

Seeing her place the heat-resistant cloth aside, noticing a red mark on her jade-like hand, his brows furrowed tightly. He pulled Bai Qingyan’s hand over to examine it carefully: “This wasn’t there when I saw you today. How did you get injured?”

“After returning, Xiao Si insisted on learning archery, so I taught him. Who knew Xiao Si was too strong and snapped the bowstring? It’s nothing…” Seeing Xiao Rongyan’s tightly furrowed brows, Bai Qingyan smiled and said, “I’ve applied for medicine. If you hadn’t come tonight, by tomorrow even this mark would probably be invisible.”