Yu Haizhen gave a cold laugh, saying disdainfully, “They’ve finally found an opportunity to stir up trouble.” In the royal court, there was a small faction of radical officials who seized every chance to advocate seeking revenge against Wei to comfort the spirits of their ancestors. In recent years, as the nation’s power had been rising steadily, many people of New Xia had become unprecedentedly inflated with pride, increasingly dismissive of the Wei Kingdom. Thus, the theory of revenge had a wide market.
Chen Dachang frowned: “What is Fu Lingchuan’s intention in writing to us privately?” The letter contained only these few sentences and did not reveal his purpose.
Fu Lingchuan was also shrewd, sending his private message tucked into a gift list. No one could say anything about it. After all, the State Preceptor’s mansion had received too many gifts these days—one more didn’t stand out.
But this also reflected, from another angle, his deep wariness of the monarch.
Yu Haizhen shifted her position in his arms: “He doesn’t know the ins and outs yet, but he probably senses something is wrong, so he’s probing us.”
After returning to Wusei, they did not inform Fu Lingchuan of everything that had happened in Water City. The truth of Yun Ya’s words was still undetermined. Besides, Fu Lingchuan’s complex feelings toward the Queen had always been well-known to him.
Speaking of this, she sighed again: “From New Xia’s perspective, whether sending troops to the Wei Kingdom or aiding the Yan Kingdom at this time, both have benefits and conform to the policy of ‘balance.'” The New Xia royal court was highly concerned about the war between Wei and Yan, fearing that the eventual victor would concentrate all power under heaven and then turn against New Xia. To avoid this situation, the best approach was to maintain the existence of both Wei and Yan Kingdoms in mutual conflict until they exhausted their strength and could no longer contend with New Xia.
This was called balance, and only this approach best served New Xia’s interests. So although Feng Miaojun’s change of stance was abrupt, she had many supporters.
The couple looked at each other, both seeing the gravity in the other’s eyes.
This was too abnormal. Originally, even though Feng Miaojun had sorted out these relationships, emotionally she leaned more toward the Wei Kingdom, and her national policy manifested as being closer to Wei.
Now, her attitude had taken a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.
Once policies and directives were established and implemented, the effects were irreversible. No wise monarch would change policies because of momentary emotions, let alone such a macroscopic governing principle.
If what was attached to Feng Miaojun was truly a Heavenly Demon, its control over the world situation was exquisitely precise, and its manipulation of human hearts was equally formidable. Of course, those in the know were clear that dividing the world had always been the Heavenly Demon’s specialty. If it continued to provoke like this, the entire continent would never see a glimmer of hope for the end of war.
They could also see that although the Heavenly Demon had abandoned its disguise—after all, she needed to turn against Yun Ya and Wei Kingdom—people familiar with the inside story, like Yu Haizhen and Fu Lingchuan, would certainly sense something was wrong.
But by now, she simply didn’t care if others identified her true identity. Even if the State Preceptor couple identified her as a Heavenly Demon, what of it? She remained the supreme Queen of this country.
Her status and position could not be shaken by anyone. The three-hundred-year history of the Heavenly Demon hiding from place to place was gone forever.
Chen Dachang said gravely: “What do you think Fu Lingchuan will do when he learns the truth?”
“I don’t know.” Yu Haizhen shook her head. Everything that had happened in Water City was too incredible. The key was that no one could produce evidence to support the facts, so she truly couldn’t guess Fu Lingchuan’s thoughts. “But if he supported the monarch’s actions, why would he send us a message?”
She turned a page of the gift list: “Yesterday, several spies infiltrating New Xia were caught. After a night of severe interrogation, they confessed this morning. They were reportedly sent by the Luo Yue Kingdom. The Queen was furious and immediately ordered the suspension of border trade with Luo Yue and several other small countries, closing the trading posts and sending messages demanding explanation.”
Chen Dachang frowned: “Luo Yue Kingdom?”
Luo Yue Kingdom, like the former Puling Kingdom, survived on the edge between Wei and Xia. But it was located further north. Strictly speaking, it was also an alliance of nomadic tribes, with the characteristic swiftness of horseback people, equally skilled in guerrilla warfare.
Yu Haizhen’s fingertips produced a small flame, and the gift list instantly turned to flying ash: “The goods to be sent to the trading posts this winter were already packed and ready to go. Just because of one order from the Queen, everything is now on hold; some that were already on the way have now been ordered to return completely.”
Trading posts were government-run trading stations, mainly handling large quantities of goods, generally set up at borders.
“Spies? Finding spies at this time—Fu Lingchuan must also find it strange, right?” Chen Dachang frowned.
“Fu Lingchuan said that the goods the Luo Yue Kingdom needs in large quantities this year are mainly grain, cloth, and medicine.” Yu Haizhen was the State Preceptor, focusing on elemental power, and not well-versed in these trivial matters. Due to her position, she rarely inquired about such things. “Has Luo Yue Kingdom also relied on imports from New Xia in previous years?”
“Most are purchased from New Xia.” Chen Dachang had been by the Queen’s side for many years and knew domestic and foreign affairs like the back of his hand. He cursed under his breath, “Luo Yue Kingdom’s Sword Lake Grassland suffered a rodent plague this summer, affecting tens of thousands of acres. It’s said that there are so many rodent holes that people dare not ride horses, for fear the horses’ hooves would fall in, causing riders to be injured.”
“Thus, grass and grain production on the grassland has severely decreased this year.” Chen Dachang and Yu Haizhen looked at each other, both changing expressions. “If they lose New Xia’s grain and cloth, Luo Yue Kingdom will have a hard time getting through this winter. Forget about livestock surviving the winter—even people might starve to death in large numbers!”
“In previous years, the Queen was merciful, willing to exchange grain and medicine for their horses, wool, and raw gold during summer and autumn. But this year—”
With autumn nearly over, New Xia suddenly cut off supplies—this was cutting off Luo Yue Kingdom’s lifeline!
Yu Haizhen patted the back of Chen Dachang’s hand: “I’ll attend the court session tomorrow to clarify the situation.”
Chen Dachang did not hide his anxiety: “Does the State Preceptor of Wei have a way to save the Queen?” The difficulty of this “rescue” was extremely high. This was not like a general hostage case where one could simply eliminate the kidnappers and rescue the hostages. Now the Heavenly Demon and the Queen were one entity. He couldn’t figure out, no matter how hard he tried, how to separate these two and bring the Queen back safely.
This was also why, despite their urgent concern, he and Yu Haizhen had been slow to act—there was simply no way to proceed. Besides, every decision Feng Miaojun was making now benefited New Xia, leaving others with nothing to say against her.
“No matter how confident he is, he needs to act quickly. The Queen’s prestige in New Xia runs deep. If she wants to deal with the Wei Kingdom, we cannot delay for him too long.” Yu Haizhen gave a bitter smile. “It would be best to kill the Heavenly Demon while it’s weak. Each day we delay, her vital energy recovers more, and I fear in the end, we’ll all suffer.”