Outside the chamber door, Xuanyuan Zhaoxi stood guard in person, sword cradled in his arms!
Inside, the Empress of Dongqin reclined lazily on a chaise lounge, dressed in an opulent, luxurious sleeping robe. Despite her advancing years, both her beauty and figure remained exquisitely well-preserved. Reclining in such an alluring pose, who could say how many men’s desirous gazes she might draw!
Yet the two men in the room showed not the slightest interest in her, each privately reflecting that if this woman hadn’t been born into the militarily weak Dongqin, what a formidable, world-conquering figure she might have become!
Setting everything else aside, the simple fact that she could host these two particular men in her chamber together tonight was proof enough of her remarkable skill and breadth of vision!
Da Zhou’s Seventh Prince, Jun Beiyao, sat with his legs crossed off to one side, idly filing his nails, not even noticing that he’d unconsciously extended his pinky finger in an affected, delicate gesture.
On the other side sat a commanding figure—tall, handsome, with sharp, striking features and a face carved with deep, distinct lines, made all the more imposing by his flamboyant bronze-colored riding attire, radiating an air of arrogant, untouchable dominance.
This was none other than the Empress of Dongqin’s honored guest for the night—Western Chu’s Prince Xiang, once ranked alongside Da Zhou’s Prince Yao as one of the continent’s two great heroes—Chu Tiange!
Da Zhou and Western Chu were nominally allied nations by treaty, but in truth, the moment their people crossed paths, hostility flared instantly.
As for Western Chu and Dongqin, even the common people of both nations harbored deep-seated resentment toward one another, a bitter, irreconcilable hatred—needless to say, the animosity between the Western Chu and Dongqin royal families ran deeper still!
And as for Da Zhou and Dongqin, the two had never once been on friendly terms.
One could say that in this very room, no matter who stood beside whom, they were all enemies of one another—and yet, the Empress of Dongqin had somehow managed to fill this room with not the faintest trace of hostility, keeping everything remarkably peaceful.
“Your Majesty, how did you know this King had already arrived in Nanzhao?” Chu Tiange asked with a cold smile. He had disguised himself as a guard and blended in among Chu Feiyan’s entourage—even Chu Feiyan herself hadn’t recognized him. He hadn’t expected that the very night he’d secretly arrived in the royal capital, the Empress of Dongqin would already have invited him here!
“That’s not important. What matters is that Prince Xiang has graced us with his presence,” the Empress of Dongqin said with a smile of genuine warmth.
Chu Tiange glanced sidelong at Jun Beiyao, a flicker of suspicion crossing his eyes. Of course he had no choice but to come—if he hadn’t, the Empress of Dongqin, who clearly had eyes on his movements, would undoubtedly have made his arrival public knowledge. With that foolish girl Chu Feiyan already detained at the border for violating Nanzhao’s taboo, if his own presence were exposed as well, not only would every plan he had for Nanzhao fall apart, but even getting himself and Chu Feiyan safely out of the country would become nearly impossible!
Tonight, he had no choice but to come!
“Is that so? Then there must be something even more important at stake!”
Chu Tiange gave a cold smile. After being sent falling from that cliff by Jun Beiyue, he’d even broken both his legs. Fortunately, fate hadn’t marked him for death, and his father had found him in time. That battle at Sanjie Cliff had utterly ruined his reputation, and the nearly year-long recovery that followed had cost him countless opportunities, while Chu Feiyan had let Western Chu fall into its current sorry state. Whatever the cost—whether it was the enmity between nations or the personal grudge between himself and Jun Beiyue—he was determined to collect what was owed.
Chu Tiange’s words clearly hinted at a willingness to join forces. Off to the side, Jun Beiyao couldn’t help but laugh heartily. “Congratulations, Your Majesty, many congratulations! With Prince Xiang’s assistance, the restoration of Greater Dongqin is surely just around the corner!”
At these words, Chu Tiange’s expression changed abruptly, while the Empress of Dongqin merely continued smiling lazily, watching him.
Clearly, Jun Beiyao’s remark had been entirely deliberate—quite possibly even instructed by the Empress of Dongqin herself!
Chu Tiange sneered inwardly. Whether Greater Dongqin could truly be restored was a matter for another day—right now, their shared enemy was Jun Beiyue!
What would happen after Jun Beiyue was eliminated was something no one could yet say!
“Heh, to restore Greater Dongqin, one must first clear away the obstacle standing in Dongqin’s path. Wouldn’t you agree, Your Majesty?”
“Ha! Chu Tiange, I like you—you’re far more to my liking than my own son,” the Empress of Dongqin said, delighted, rising to her feet at last.
To her, there were no eternal allies and no eternal enemies—only eternal interests!
She was someone who could work with anyone, friend or foe, human or otherwise!
“Now will Your Majesty tell me what this most important matter actually is?” Chu Tiange asked with a smile, though inwardly he felt a flicker of unease—just a touch—because both he and Chu Feiyan now had something incriminating that others could hold over them.
It was also because this was his very first time working with the Empress of Dongqin—indeed, his very first direct contact with her at all. It had all come about so suddenly. Though he’d made his decision without hesitation, he was well aware of this Empress’s reputation for ruthlessness and formidable political skill.
Working with her was no different from negotiating with a tiger for its own hide.
“Do you know why Chu Feiyan was intercepted?” the Empress of Dongqin asked with a smile, and without waiting for Chu Tiange’s answer, casually tossed a piece of paper his way.
Chu Tiange caught it and looked it over, puzzled. On the paper was drawn a strange totem, exuding an aura of ancient, primordial origin!
He only knew that Chu Feiyan had been detained for violating some Nanzhao taboo. With Jun Beiyue and Han Ziqing present at the time, he hadn’t dared act rashly, and he still hadn’t even told Chu Feiyan of his own whereabouts, fearing that foolish girl might ruin his plans.
Could it be… because of this?
“Jun Beiyue framed her?” Chu Tiange immediately understood. He too had come to Nanzhao intending to frame someone, but so far Consort Yi had only given him one piece of information regarding the Lonely Isle—that Han Ziqing was immune to all poisons, being of Lonely Isle bloodline!
Beyond that, he knew nothing else. Still, that single piece of information alone was more than enough for him to work with!
And this totem…
Chu Tiange suddenly understood. Whatever scheme he’d intended to play, Jun Beiyue had already beaten him to it!
“This totem concerns the Lonely Isle,” Chu Tiange said seriously.
The Empress of Dongqin didn’t know a great deal herself. It had all started when Jun Beiyao mentioned seeing Xuanyuan Lige secretly draw this totem on Han Ziqing’s horse’s saddle—that was when she’d begun investigating, starting from the totem itself.
She had a faint, nagging sense of familiarity with it, yet she could never quite recall where she’d seen it before!
She hadn’t pursued the investigation very far, though, because with many matters, the difficulty wasn’t in the investigating itself, but in knowing where exactly to look.
She hadn’t managed to extract much from Xuanyuan Lige through questioning, but she could guess that if Nanzhao’s taboo concerned the Lonely Isle, then this totem was almost certainly connected to it as well!
It wasn’t until she arrived in Nanzhao territory and paid a visit to an old friend of hers that she finally learned this matter concerned the Lonely Isle.
“Prince Xiang, you shouldn’t know less about this than this one does.”
Chu Tiange smiled as well. “This King doesn’t know much, but… it’s enough to be more deadly than the totem in Your Majesty’s hand.”
Hearing this, the Empress of Dongqin slowly narrowed her eyes, while Jun Beiyao leaned in eagerly.
But Chu Tiange deliberately held back, teasing. “Your Majesty, Nanzhao isn’t exactly an easy place to gather information from.”
The Empress of Dongqin was certainly capable, but for her to have uncovered so much about Nanzhao on her own was simply beyond what one person alone could accomplish!
She must have someone backing her here!
The Empress of Dongqin smiled with evident pleasure. “Just a little while ago, there was a quarrel in this very compound—loud enough for the whole place to hear, at this hour of the night, no less. Rather improper, don’t you think, Prince Xiang?”
Chu Tiange was mildly startled. The ones quarreling earlier had been Yelu Qianqian and Han Ziqing—could there be more to this than met the eye?
But the Empress of Dongqin said no more on the matter, and Chu Tiange didn’t press further either. The corners of his lips curved into a cold smile as he murmured softly, “Immune to all poisons…”