So that was how it was.

“Doesn’t Jun Beiyue intend to inherit the position of clan head?” Ziqing asked further. Another source of power — and a martial power at that — could only benefit Jun Beiyue.

Especially since the technique he cultivated was the Gu Style itself.

“That’s… how should I put it?” Situ Haonan said helplessly.

“Because of his background?” Ziqing asked, curious. She knew Jun Beiyue well enough — if there was something worth having, he would never simply let it go.

Jun Beiyue was Great Zhou’s God of War, the guardian spirit of its people. If the secret of his origins ever came out, the consequences would be impossible to predict.

If he stood as a general, what he needed was the loyalty of the army.

If he stood as a ruler, what he needed was the hearts of the people!

Though the head of the Gu Clan and his wife hoped for an heir and wished for Jun Beiyue to accept the Gu Clan, the internal power struggles within the clan couldn’t be ignored.

A great clan with no clear successor for so long — how could its internal factions not be locked in brutal infighting?

The moment Jun Beiyue involved himself, every faction’s spearhead would inevitably turn toward him, and the resulting disaster might well spread westward into Great Zhou itself.

The situation across the Longyuan Continent was already unstable enough. This kind of power wasn’t something that could simply be swallowed whole in one bite — if it were to be absorbed, the timing would have to be right.

Seeing that Situ Haonan didn’t answer, Ziqing didn’t press further — this truly was Jun Beiyue’s private matter, and he surely had his own considerations.

“Let’s not worry about all that for now. If the Gu Clan can save Jun Beiyue, I’ll be grateful to them for it,” Ziqing said flatly.

“You’re not planning to go? Getting the Bai Family’s fusang sacred tree won’t be easy — it’s their clan’s treasure, the very thing that anchors their estate!” Situ Haonan said quickly.

“I’ll go. But Great Zhou can’t be left without someone in charge — as everyone knows, Prince Yao is still recovering at his estate, isn’t he?” Ziqing said with a helpless laugh. If she’d had the choice, she wouldn’t even have come to Nanzhao — she’d have gone straight to the Eastern Sea.

But she still couldn’t leave just yet.

“So are you going or not!” Situ Haonan pressed, growing anxious.

“I’ll go — but first I need to return to Great Zhou and bring someone out of seclusion,” Ziqing said flatly.

Before Situ Haonan could ask further, Gu Xi hurried in again. “My lord, Lord Zhixin requests an audience!”

Lord Zhixin? Wasn’t that Xuanyuan Zhaoxi’s attending official?

“Strange — not coming any earlier or later, but right now. Could she have found out you went out last night?” Situ Haonan asked, suspicious.

“Then why didn’t he come last night?” Ziqing said, puzzled.

“I think you should go out and let them see you, so they stop worrying,” Situ Haonan said with a laugh. With the business at the Poison Den finished, they could afford to relax a little — no need to keep a low profile or worry about offending anyone now.

“Absolutely not. Gu Xi, tell him I’m still drunk and haven’t woken up yet. Ask him what important matter brings him here,” Ziqing said, displeased, calmly going about brewing tea as if nothing were amiss.

Situ Haonan hurried to ask again, “So who exactly are you going to bring out of seclusion?”

“Secret,” Ziqing said flatly, sounding not the least bit apologetic for the suspense. Situ Haonan felt his chest tighten at once — this woman clearly had no idea that her calm, indifferent expression alone was enough to drive a person mad with impatience!

“Situ, go give General Zhao at the southern border a heads-up. No matter what excuse is given, Chu Feiyan is not to be allowed through without my approval. Make sure the defenses are tightened!”

Situ Haonan had no idea about the agreement between Ziqing and Yelü Qianqian. “If Chu Feiyan were willing to swallow her pride and beg you, she’d never have taken the detour through Western Jing by sea in the first place! She’ll still go by sea when she heads back.”

“Just go pass along the order,” Ziqing said, offering no explanation.

Situ Haonan sighed and was about to leave, but Ziqing stopped him again. “One more thing — if Chu Feiyan insists on passing through, don’t push the blame onto me. Just tell them this border only allows people of Nanzhao and Great Zhou through — no exceptions, no negotiation!”

“Why?” Situ Haonan asked, baffled.

At that, Ziqing finally turned back, a playful smile lighting up her eyes, clearly enjoying the suspense to the fullest. “Secret!”

Situ Haonan felt his chest tighten once more. Even standing alongside Jun Beiyue, he’d never been reduced to being a mere errand-runner! And yet, faced with this woman, he found himself utterly powerless to resist.

“Fine, fine, I’ll go right away!” He turned to leave at once, but Ziqing stopped him yet again. “Go out the back!”

“As you command!” Situ Haonan gave an exaggeratedly respectful bow before finally taking his leave.

Once he was gone, Ziqing couldn’t hold back her laughter, chuckling to herself in quiet amusement. Watching from the side, Shiliang laughed along too, without even knowing what her mistress found so funny — she simply found herself smiling because her mistress was smiling. Even surrounded by so many people, friends and enemies alike, Shiliang always felt her mistress lived in a world entirely her own.

No one could ever quite guess when she would suddenly laugh, and no one knew when she might cry either, or what she was truly thinking.

When would Prince Yao wake up? Would he ever know about any of this?

Before long, Gu Xi hurried back in, this time truly flustered. “My lord, guess who’s come to see you this time!”

“Don’t tell me Xuanyuan Zhaoxi’s brought along whoever just woke up?” Ziqing asked flatly.

“The Chieftain of the Medicine Clan!” Gu Xi said seriously.

The Chieftain of the Medicine Clan. Ziqing hesitated for only a moment before walking out herself to greet him.

“Chieftain, arriving so early this morning — Ziqing has been remiss,” she said with a smile as she approached, not even sparing a glance at the visibly startled Xuanyuan Zhaoxi standing nearby.

The moment the chieftain saw Ziqing, he immediately shot a questioning look at Xuanyuan Zhaoxi — hadn’t she said Prince Yao’s wife wasn’t in her tent?

“I wonder what urgent matter brings the Chieftain here so early to see me?” Ziqing asked again.

“We’re about to set off soon, so I came to check whether the Princess Consort of Yao had recovered from last night’s drinking. If not, this old man has some fine medicine to offer,” the chieftain said quickly.

“I just woke, actually — I don’t drink much and I recover quickly. Thank you for your concern, Chieftain,” Ziqing said, then turned to Lord Zhixin. “And you, my lord — what urgent business brings you here so early?”

Lord Zhixin, having listened to Xuanyuan Zhaoxi’s account of seeing the Princess Consort of Yao sneak away the night before and not yet return by morning, had reported it to the Chieftain of the Medicine Clan — only to find the woman had been there the whole time!

Faced with Ziqing’s question, he had no idea how to answer, and stood there in obvious embarrassment.

Ziqing then turned to look at Xuanyuan Zhaoxi, unsparing. “Princess Zhaoxi, you and I have never had any dealings before — could there possibly be some urgent matter between us?”

Xuanyuan Zhaoxi stood frozen. She had fainted the night before, and upon waking that morning had found herself already back at camp. She’d rushed straight to Han Ziqing’s tent, and when her request for an audience was refused, she hadn’t thought twice about it, simply assuming the woman still hadn’t returned.

She never imagined that Ziqing had deliberately kept her waiting!

Now she deeply regretted not reporting her right away. Following her hadn’t turned up anything either — she still had no idea what business Ziqing had at the Poison Den!

And now, of all things, she’d ended up humiliated in front of both the Chieftain of the Medicine Clan and the attending official!

“Lord Zhixin, you should know full well the duties of an attending official,” the chieftain said, clearly annoyed — who would be pleased to be roused from a sound sleep?

The implication was unmistakable: don’t meddle in the disputes between the envoys of two nations!

Lord Zhixin nodded repeatedly, not daring to offer any explanation, only shooting Xuanyuan Zhaoxi a disapproving frown. Zhaoxi flinched — offending an attending official was never a wise move!

Ziqing gave Xuanyuan Zhaoxi no chance to respond, instead smiling and saying, “Chieftain, since you’re here, please come in — Ziqing has something she’d like to ask.”

It was, without question, an offered way out for the chieftain. He hurried inside, saying politely, “There’s no need to say ‘ask’ — whatever it is, Princess Consort of Yao, just tell me directly.”

Lord Zhixin shot Xuanyuan Zhaoxi one last glance, then stormed off in a huff, sleeves flaring. Currying favor with a clan chieftain was, after all, far more important than currying favor with a mere envoy.

Xuanyuan Zhaoxi stamped her foot in fury, muttering under her breath, “Xuanyuan Lige, I will absolutely be reporting this to Mother Empress. Just you wait!”