Taohua looked helplessly at the spears pointed at her from all directions. “Father Emperor, before questioning your child, have you not seen the situation I’m in?”
“Stand down,” Emperor Jiawu frowned. “Do you want to forfeit my life?”
Lady Lü hesitated, then reluctantly waved for the guards to disperse. She watched as Qian Baimei led the emperor, Taohua, and Changji out of the encirclement. Only after they left the palace gates did he release the emperor.
Falling awkwardly to the ground, Emperor Jiawu was furious. He pounded the floor, shouting, “Outrageous!”
“Father Emperor!” Jiang Suheng came to help him up, frowning. “Don’t you think someone like Qian Baimei will always be a threat if we let him live?”
“Of course I know that!” Emperor Jiawu gritted his teeth, looking towards the palace gates. “But who can do anything about him?”
“We didn’t have leverage before, but now we should,” Jiang Suheng narrowed her eyes. “If we threaten Jiang Taohua’s life, Qian Baimei will surely comply.”
They had never noticed Qian Baimei’s relationship with Jiang Taohua, and by the time they did, she had already married far away. Now that she was back, how could they not take advantage? They couldn’t sleep soundly until Qian Baimei was eliminated!
Emperor Jiawu lowered his eyes, thinking seriously for a while before nodding.
Qian Baimei carried Taohua as he ran, with Jiang Changji following using his lightness skill. Halfway through, Qian Baimei couldn’t help but look down at the person in his arms. “Little one, have you gained weight again?”
Taohua was startled and pinched the extra flesh she’d recently gained around her belly. “Well… I might have filled it out a bit. If Master can’t carry me, I can walk on my own.”
“I was just asking. You’re still light as a feather, I can manage,” Qian Baimei said, noticing someone standing at the military camp entrance. “Wei Emperor?”
Mu Wuxia had left the palace?
“I expected this outcome, so I slipped out as soon as the banquet dispersed,” Mu Wuxia said, glancing at Taohua in Qian Baimei’s arms. He frowned slightly and helped her down. “Sister, in your condition, you shouldn’t exert yourself so.”
Her condition? Qian Baimei’s face paled as he looked down at her in shock. Taohua laughed nervously, unsure how to explain. She could only go along with Mu Wuxia’s words and said, “We probably can’t negotiate with Father Emperor anymore. Please help us, Your Majesty. Assist Changji in taking the Zhao throne. Afterward, our two countries can form a lasting alliance – non-aggression, trade, and shared prosperity. What do you think?”
Mu Wuxia paused, silent for a moment before replying, “I just received word from the Prime Minister that our army has been stationed at Zhao’s border and will attack soon. I agree with your idea, Sister, but… the Prime Minister doesn’t seem inclined to listen to me now.”
“What?” Taohua was dumbfounded. “He’s attacking Zhao? Why?”
“The Prime Minister has always wanted to conquer Zhao. Now is a good opportunity, and he’s seizing it. I’m not surprised,” Mu Wuxia sighed. “But what will become of you and your husband?”
Taohua’s face paled as she gritted her teeth. “Will Your Majesty help him coordinate an internal and external attack on Zhao?”
“I won’t,” Mu Wuxia shook his head. “I’ve said attacking Zhao is unwise now. If the Prime Minister insists on his course, I’ll insist on mine.”
“Well done!” Taohua clenched her fist. “Once this war is over, I’ll certainly repay Your Majesty’s kindness!”
Mu Wuxia smiled and ordered tents prepared for them to rest. Taohua wanted to talk more with Changji, but her master intervened, “I need to discuss something with Changji. You should rest first.”
Looking at the two of them, Taohua frowned. “Are you hiding something from me?”
Both Changji and Qian Baimei shook their heads, their expressions equally candid. “No.”
After eyeing them suspiciously for a while, Taohua nodded and returned to her tent.
“My lady,” Qingdai, having prepared the bed, couldn’t help but worry. “The Prime Minister is attacking Zhao. What can we do? Even if you help the Third Prince take the throne, Zhao might not be saved.”
Taohua was panicking too. Shen Zaiyu had pursued her so far; she thought he’d at least consider her feelings. She never expected him to attack so readily. The only bargaining chip she had now was her pregnancy, but…
But the pregnancy was fake!
“Qingdai,” Taohua collapsed on the bed, closing her eyes. “Can you summon a deity to make my pregnancy real?”
Qingdai was taken aback and replied helplessly, “My lady, how could I possibly do that? But… your symptoms are very close to pregnancy. It should be enough to fool the Prime Minister for now.”
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a noise behind the screen in the tent.
Taohua was startled and quickly got up. Qingdai reacted swiftly too, turning to pull the entire screen away!
Xu Yangui’s expression was unpleasant. He didn’t try to hide anymore and walked directly to Jiang Taohua. “You deceived him?”
The corner of Taohua’s mouth twitched as she forced a laugh. “I had no choice.”
“You…” Xu Yangui held his forehead, quite exasperated. “Do you know how much he’s worried about you and this child? And in the end, it turns out to be fake?”
Taohua’s eyes dimmed as she nodded. “I had no other option. How else could he easily let me go? If not for this pregnancy, I couldn’t have escaped Wei.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Xu Yangui narrowed his eyes. “He doesn’t just care about the child in your womb. He cares about you too. Can’t you see that?”
“Caring is one thing,” Taohua smiled wryly. “But look, he still ordered the attack on Zhao, didn’t he? Did he consider what our future would be like?”
Xu Yangui choked slightly, then softened his voice. “I came to take you back to persuade him. He cares about you, yet he still wants to attack Zhao. No one knows what he’s thinking, not even listening to His Majesty…”
“It’s useless,” Taohua shook her head. “When he makes such decisions, even I can’t stop him. And… at this point, I can’t possibly leave. If he attacks the capital later, I’ll be waiting for him on the city walls.”
She had to use her last ounce of strength to try and protect Zhao, didn’t she?
Xu Yangui was somewhat angry and anxious. He frowned, “I don’t understand what you two are thinking. Why not just abandon all these worldly affairs and go into seclusion together?”
“I’d like to,” Taohua smiled faintly. “But can your Prime Minister bear to give up this glorious empire?”
Xu Yangui fell silent.
Qingdai frowned and said, “Since war is inevitable, you and us are now enemies, not friends. Please leave quickly.”
Heaving a long sigh, Xu Yangui closed his eyes. “I originally came to take you back to set his mind at ease. But since your pregnancy is fake, returning might cause more complications. Better to let it be. As for what happens next, I can’t say. Take care of yourself.”
Taohua nodded and still bowed to him. “Thank you.”
Xu Yangui was a compassionate person. Even knowing she had deceived Shen Zaiyu, he didn’t hold it against her. This kindness was worth remembering.
The tent flap lifted and fell, and the tent returned to silence. Taohua lay on the bed and sighed in relief. The feeling of deceiving people was truly unpleasant, but it was good to let Xu Yangui go back and clarify things. Yet, how would Shen Zaiyu react?
In another tent, Qian Baimei was trying to use his inner energy to drive out the poison in Changji, but just like with Taohua before, no matter how much energy he expended, the love bug poison remained firmly in their dantian, unmoved.
“Master, it’s no use,” Changji stopped circulating his energy and smiled bitterly. “This is fine. It’s like sharing hardships with my sister. As long as we can get the final antidote, it’ll be alright.”
Qian Baimei frowned. He opened his mouth, wanting to tell him there was no antidote, but felt it would be too cruel to tell a child. He could only hold back and withdraw his inner energy.
“Remember to take your medicine regularly,” he instructed. “Don’t let your sister find out.”
“Mm, I understand,” Changji nodded, looking at him. “Master, you’re tired too. Get some rest.”
“Alright,” Qian Baimei nodded. After leaving the tent, he thought for a moment and decided to go to the palace.
Even if there was no final antidote, he had to make sure the Empress Dowager prepared enough of the monthly medicine, lest she play some trick later.
It was already late at night, and the palace was silent. Qian Baimei entered the Empress Dowager’s palace as usual, silent as a shadow, when he suddenly heard people talking.
“Mother Empress, you even fooled Qian Baimei?” Jiang Suheng asked in surprise. “There’s an antidote for the love bug?”
“In this world, for every poison, there’s a cure. He’s the fool for truly believing Jiang Taohua couldn’t be saved. Who can he blame?” Lady Lü sneered. “But there’s only one dose of the antidote. I’ve hidden it on the lake island. Don’t tell anyone.”
“Yes,” Jiang Suheng agreed with a smile.
Qian Baimei leaned against the window outside, listening to their words. He was stunned for a moment, then without another word, headed for the lake island in the palace.
There was an antidote? He had nearly killed Lady Lü before, and she hadn’t confessed. Was she lying to him? Overwhelmed with joy, Qian Baimei didn’t think further and rushed straight to the lake island.
The lake island was a unique feature of the Zhao palace. The lake wasn’t large, but its water was unclean. It was said that drinking it would cause a fatal crash, so people generally stayed away. But in the center of the lake was a small island with a simple palace built on it. No one knew its purpose, though occasionally people were seen rowing back and forth.
Qian Baimei had been there before. The island stored the royal family’s valuable items, so Lady Lü’s words were likely true. He had to go get it.
He flew towards the island. Just as he was about to land, countless arrows flew at him from all directions, their cold gleam threatening to turn him into a porcupine!
Qian Baimei narrowed his eyes and dodged sideways, but the arrows were too dense. His hands and feet were slightly injured, and more annoyingly, his robe was torn.
Frowning as he took off his outer robe, Qian Baimei scanned his surroundings and sneered, “Why don’t you come out?”
Dozens of black shadows appeared silently around him. His expression finally turned serious.
They were all top-tier masters.
(End of Chapter)