Yi Qing had guessed that Xiang Beizheng would use poison, but she didn't know that there was such a treasure trove in Southern Xinjiang.
Zisu only knew about the treasure trove. Her father had taken her there when she was a child, but she hadn't thought in that direction. After all, Chen Yuqing had been on the throne for so many years, and everything had changed.
Not finding Xiao Jinghan, Yi Qing had no choice but to go back with Zisu. Cixi City was already preparing for the new emperor's enthronement.
"Where's Wu Peng?" Yi Qing didn't find Wu Peng when she returned to her residence.
"Oh, he's gone back to Wu Gorge. What do you want him for?" Zisu was tidying up things for Yi Qing.
"I've got some new ideas about the Illusory Life Gu." Yi Qing had thought that Wu Peng was just a wandering wizard with no inheritance, but she didn't expect him to be from Wu Gorge.
Wu Gorge was the territory of the mysterious wizard tribe in Southern Xinjiang. No one knew where it was, but it was very famous.
"He said he'd be back before my enthronement. Don't worry." Zisu knew that Yi Qing was still worried about her.
"Okay." Yi Qing didn't ask any more.
Everyone was busy. Yi Qing also wanted to help, but she was easily distracted. It was common for her to break things. Sometimes she would trip over something and fall, or simply miss a step.
"Be careful!" Lu Tianxun flew over to support Yi Qing.
Yi Qing only reacted when she almost fell. She pushed Lu Tianxun away and took a step back.
Lu Tianxun looked at Yi Qing. She wasn't like this before: "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. It's just that the courtyards in Southern Xinjiang are different from those in the Great Jin. I'm not used to it." Yi Qing explained with a smile.
Looking at Yi Qing's appearance, Lu Tianxun knew that even if Xiao Jinghan wasn't by Yi Qing's side, others wouldn't have a chance: "The chaos in Southern Xinjiang has been quelled. How about I send you back to the capital first to take care of the two children?"
Hearing about the two children, Yi Qing regained a bit of energy: "No. Zisu invited me to attend the ceremony. I'll leave later."
Lu Tianxun nodded: "Don't be too sad. Xiao Jinghan is tough. He'll be fine."
Hearing Xiao Jinghan's name, Yi Qing's heart twitched again: "Let's not talk about this. How come I never knew you knew martial arts before?"
"Don't you remember how I broke my leg?" Lu Tianxun asked.
"Oh." Yi Qing didn't really care: "It's really a waste for you to be a dean in Yunshan Academy."
"I like it." Lu Tianxun looked up at the sky: "Rather than being in the scheming court, it's better to cultivate some pillars for the Great Jin. That's the future of the Great Jin."
Yi Qing nodded. Everyone had their own aspirations: "Are you guys leaving soon?"
"Tian Zuo has a military order. Besides, with the enthronement of the Southern Xinjiang's empress, it's not appropriate for our troops from the Great Jin to stay in Southern Xinjiang. He'll go back first. I..." Lu Tianxun looked at Yi Qing. "I'll go back with you."
"No need." Yi Qing refused directly. "I have guards with me."
Lu Tianxun didn't reply to Yi Qing. He hoped that Xiao Jinghan was still alive so that Yi Qing would be happy. If Xiao Jinghan never showed up again, he would be willing to just watch Yi Qing live in peace.
"Madam, Madam..." Xue Miao'er came running over crying, with the simple Gan Ermei beside her.
Yi Qing turned around and looked at Xue Miao'er. They hadn't let them follow when they came to Cixi. Once the war broke out, they didn't know where they had hidden. They had just found their way here.
"I'm glad you're okay, Madam." Xue Miao'er looked at Yi Qing excitedly.
Yi Qing thought that the fearless Xue Miao'er could also cry: "Sorry to make Dean Lu laugh. I'll take my leave." She took Xue Miao'er and Gan Ermei away.
The two followed Yi Qing back to the room and told her what had happened to them during the time they were separated.
Xue Miao'er thought they would all go back to the Great Jin in the end, so she and Gan Ermei secretly went to the border. They were small targets and no one paid attention to them.
Later, when the Great Jin sent troops to Southern Xinjiang and there was civil unrest in Southern Xinjiang, they heard the news that General Xiao was in trouble and came back.
"Madam, I saw the border soldiers eating Ruyi Cakes." Gan Ermei whispered.
She had been learning medicine from Yi Qing and had already achieved some results.
"Just as I thought." Yi Qing knew that the matter of Ruyi Cakes was related to the garrison in Minnan.
Once this kind of thing happened, it would spread widely. It was a way to make money too quickly and didn't care about people's lives.
"General Xiao..." Xue Miao'er asked tentatively.
"We'll stay in Southern Xinjiang for a while." Yi Qing didn't explain.
The two didn't ask any more.
The enthronement of the new emperor was a major event. Once the troops from the Great Jin withdrew, the officials in Southern Xinjiang had nothing to say. They had been controlled by Xiang Beizheng's Ruyi Cakes before, but now Zisu had helped them get rid of it. Naturally, they were grateful to Zisu.
"You look so imposing." Yi Qing saw Zisu wearing the empress's clothes.
"Here." Zisu gave Yi Qing a token.
"What's this?" Yi Qing looked at it back and forth.
"My token. As long as you show this token in Southern Xinjiang, it's as if I'm there in person." Zisu knew very well that she owed her current position to Yi Qing, not just for saving her life.
"This is so precious. Aren't you afraid I'll rob your Southern Xinjiang?" Yi Qing said jokingly.
"If you wanted to rob it, would it be my turn to ascend the throne?" Zisu wasn't worried at all. She knew Yi Qing too well.
"Okay. This will be useful for me for the time being." Yi Qing still had to continue looking for Xiao Jinghan.
Zisu also knew what Yi Qing meant by "useful for the time being" and didn't ask.
"Still no news about Xiang Beizheng?" Yi Qing asked.
Zisu shook her head: "I only found out that he had trained his own personal guards, but such a group of people suddenly disappeared without a trace."
"If there are a lot of people, they still need to eat and drink. There can't be no trace at all."
"That's what I thought too, but there's just no trace."
"Could it be that he had prepared in advance? That's impossible." Yi Qing frowned.
If Xiang Beizheng had really prepared in advance, he must have known there was danger and wouldn't have been so passive this time.
"Don't worry. I've made all the arrangements. As long as he dares to show up, I'll make sure he never returns." Zisu said confidently.
Yi Qing nodded, a bit worried.
The enthronement ceremony began. Yi Qing and the others, as friends from the Great Jin, were watching from the side. There was a row of copper basins in front of them, each filled with clear water up to the brim. The calm water symbolized that the new emperor would lead them to a peaceful and happy life.
Yi Qing kept staring at the basins.
"What's wrong?" Lu Tianxun found it strange.
"Don't you think there are ripples on the surface of the basins?" At first, Yi Qing thought it was caused by the music around, but the music had stopped just now, and there were still ripples, and the vibrations were very regular.
"Maybe a little." Lu Tianxun stared more carefully.
The ripples were extremely slight. If you didn't look attentively, you could hardly see them.
"Maybe it's..." Lu Tianxun thought it was caused by the wind around or the dancing of the wizards during the prayer.
"Stop!" Yi Qing directly interrupted the ceremony.
Everyone looked over in unison.
"Interrupting the sacrifice is a great disrespect and will be punished by the gods!" The Southern Xinjiang priest roared angrily.