"What do you mean by that, Miss Shen?"
Shen Qing gave a soft smile. "Sir, you're so talented. How could you not understand my meaning? I'll say it again. Since ancient times, in the scramble for the throne, besides the mandate of heaven, the final victor also needs good fortune and the support of the people. If the King of Jin really had these, why would he have resorted to such desperate measures against me?"
"The current situation must be extremely unfavorable to him. He urgently needs a powerful force to save himself, and the Shen family army is his best choice."
After saying that, Shen Qing stopped talking and closed her eyes to rest.
Sometimes, it's not a good idea to be too straightforward when talking to smart people.
Xu He perked up.
These days, he had been trying to persuade Shen Qing to defect to the King of Jin, while at the same time, Shen Qing had been trying to turn him. It was a game between the two of them.
Previously, he thought he had the upper hand and couldn't lose. But now, Shen Qing's words hit him like a heavy hammer.
He couldn't find any words to refute.
Xu He looked at Shen Qing's pale face, was silent for a long time, and finally retreated.
As soon as he left, Shen Qing opened her eyes.
Although Xu He hadn't shown any signs yet, Shen Qing knew that he had taken her words to heart. But to make him completely surrender, she needed to add a little more fuel to the fire.
Late at night, a corner of the dungeon was knocked on.
Listening carefully, the sound had a pattern.
Shen Qing matched the secret signal. Before long, Concubine Song, dressed in the clothes of a dungeon guard, appeared in front of her.
Concubine Song looked guilt - stricken. "Miss Shen, you've suffered. I did my best today, and... the King is already suspicious of me."
Shen Qing had guessed as much when she saw Concubine Song today. "The King of Jin is extremely suspicious. Once the seed of doubt is planted in his heart, he will investigate. The most urgent thing now is to regain his trust."
"What should I do?"
Shen Qing said, "Tell him a big enough secret. Only when your life is in his hands will he feel at ease."
Concubine Song's pupils trembled slightly. "Then there's only..."
Shen Qing nodded almost imperceptibly.
Concubine Song gritted her teeth. "I trust you."
They were already in the same boat. She had no choice but to trust Shen Qing.
"Besides, after you regain the King of Jin's trust, I need you to do something for me."
Shen Qing leaned over and whispered a few words in Concubine Song's ear.
Concubine Song nodded. "I understand."
After the conversation, Concubine Song left quietly. Their meeting had only lasted about the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
Shen Qing couldn't help but ponder. She didn't know much about the strife among the Jiangnan aristocratic families. But since Concubine Song had so many informants in the palace and the dungeon, it was likely that the Song family was once a top - notch family. How could it have declined within just a few years?
Thinking of Concubine Song's hatred for the Princess of Jin, could the decline of the Song family be related to the Princess of Jin or the Gu family?
Shen Qing only thought about it for a moment and then put it out of her mind. Concubine Song had just slipped her a small note with the news from the past two days.
After reading it, Shen Qing's brows relaxed.
She finally understood why the King of Jin had suddenly panicked. It turned out that A Ye had already captured Lingnan and was heading towards Hongzhou.
Si Bao had also been found.
Great!
By the time they arrived, she should have won over Xu He. Then, she could plan with Concubine Song to leave, and they would be reunited!
...
In a small alley in Hongzhou City.
Zhu Xing and her men had been lying in wait here for a long time. She was now certain that the young lady was in the dungeon of the King of Jin's palace. But the palace was heavily guarded, and she hadn't found an opportunity to rescue the young lady.
At this time, a subordinate brought news.
Zhu Xing was overjoyed. "Great! His Majesty has captured Lingnan and is leading his army towards Hongzhou!"
Everyone was overjoyed.
"Great! His Majesty will surely defeat them all!"
...
In the mansion of the Princess Dowager in the Jiang Kingdom.
Princess Zhaohua saw the King of Jin's letter for help, sneered, and put it on the flame of a burning candle. When the paper caught fire, she casually threw it aside.
"Useless."
He had managed to mess up such a good situation. She didn't know how he had the nerve to ask for her support.
Princess Zhaohua's mood wasn't affected by the King of Jin's letter.
Yelü Wují had returned to the royal court and was fighting tooth and nail with Prince Xingshu for the throne. Her people were watching the fight from the sidelines while secretly taking over many tribes.
What she wanted was not just to play with power.
She wanted a powerful and unique empire.
She would unify the world and become the first female emperor in history. By then, she would raise the status of women. She would make women step on men!
Since childhood, she had been the most outstanding among her father's children. Her father had allowed her to attend court hearings in the imperial study and taught her how to review memorials. None of her brothers had received as much favor and recognition from their father as she had. But on his deathbed, just because she was a woman, he had passed the throne to his son.
And she could only be a mediocre princess dowager, marry and have children, and even had to endure the humiliation of her husband keeping a mistress!
Why?!
If it were her on the throne, even if she had three palaces and six courtyards, which man would dare to complain?
Many women in this world were no worse than men. Why should they be confined to the inner chambers just because they were women, hidden in the shadows of their husbands and children?
Why should they have to prove their worth by giving birth to sons?
Princess Zhaohua closed her eyes, imagining the grand scene after she unified the world, and exhaled a long breath.
At this time, a pair of slender, fair hands reached out from behind and climbed onto Princess Zhaohua's forehead, gently massaging her temples.
"Does the princess have a headache again? May this servant relieve the princess a little?"
Princess Zhaohua didn't move. After letting him massage for a while, she grabbed his hand. Her voice was filled with a bit of satisfaction. "Your skills are getting better and better."
The man was dressed in a red silk robe, with his hair loose behind his head. "It's this servant's honor if the princess is satisfied."
Princess Zhaohua stretched out a finger and touched his lips. "Your mouth is especially sweet today..."
Then she turned around, wrapped her hands around his neck, and let him pick her up.
Although Princess Zhaohua was almost fifty, her well - maintained face looked no different from that of a woman in her thirties. The charm in her eyes and brows was still extremely alluring.
She had never hidden the fact that she kept male concubines. She never forced anyone she took a fancy to. Even so, there were still plenty of men vying to enter her mansion.
She enjoyed the pleasure that men brought, and even more, she liked to see them crawling at her feet.
After the pleasure, Princess Zhaohua straightened her clothes and left the bed without mercy.
As for the King of Jin...
She couldn't just ignore him.
The more chaotic the situation in the world was, the more beneficial it was to her.
But her younger brother had somehow discovered a lot and was now restricting her everywhere in the court. She didn't have many people she could send out. For the rest, she could only let the King of Jin fend for himself.