My excitement prompted Zhao wang to back off a little. He surveyed the surroundings suspiciously and then said, “Your Majesty, you have already screwed me up once. Please don’t let that happen again.”

I hurriedly waved my hand, “Never again.”

Zhao wang bitterly smiled, “It seems Your Majesty is quite an actress. It only occurred to me after I took Lv Li home that it’s unlikely His Majesty would kill the Empress’s maid over such a trifle. Surely it’s for something else!”

I smiled and said, “Nothing serious. Qi Sheng wanted to pull Lv Li away from me. Now that he has achieved that, he won’t hold it against you.”

Hearing me call the Emperor by his name, Zhao wang paused and asked with a solemn face, “Why have you fallen out with his Majesty again?”

I goggled my eyes in feigned disbelief and said, “Hm? Don’t you know that Qi Sheng has sneaked Jiang shi into Da Ming Palace? How am I supposed to stay calm?”

Zhao wang’s face turned a bit stiff, “Your Majesty, stop making jokes. The Emperor got angry at the banquet that night and rode off out of the palace. The next day, the Emperor wanted to kill Lv Li. Your Majesty knew I wasn’t in the palace to know what had happened, so you tricked me into taking in Lv Li. That night, the Emperor came here again, and then Jiang shi sneaked into Da Ming Palace.”

Who would have thought that such a naive prince would be so well informed? I was very much surprised, but meanwhile, I felt a bit guilty. What a pathetic queen I was. If it weren’t for the influential Zhang family, I would be somewhere eating dirt right now.

Zhao wang was still waiting for my reply with expectant eyes.

I thought for a while and said seriously, “I don’t want to answer this question. But if you really want to know it, you could ask Qi Sheng.”

With his eyebrows knitted, he proceeded to persuade me, “Your Majesty, I beseech you. Go apologize to His Majesty. There is rebellion going on at Yunxi, and the Emperor was already frustrated as it is. Don’t make him feel worse.”

I was a bit angry and looked at him sideways. I was a bit baffled at how he was able to speak for Qi Sheng, the very man who had slept with his wife.

Is it because of true love?

But love between whom? Zhao wang and Qi Sheng? Heavens!

Zhao wang looked at me for a while and said, “Your Majesty, of all the brothers I have, Lord Ninth might seem like the most scheming one, but honestly, when it comes to politics and plots, Lord Ninth doesn’t even come close to the Emperor. For more than twenty years I have been his brother, I have always been the one that’s been fooled.”

I smiled, and asked, “What about the last time over at River Wan? Didn’t you nearly win that time?”

Zhao wang paused for a while before replying with a bitter smile, “I never thought I could go as far as that, because I only wanted an excuse to get out of the whole thing. Back then, Lord Ninth might look like he was on the rise, but in fact, the Emperor had consolidated his power and his position as the Crown Prince was secured. Besides, at that time, the late Emperor was all but dead, and it was only a matter of time for the Emperor to take his throne. Your Majesty is a wise woman, surely you know that it’s easy for people to struggle through adversity together, but hard for them to share prosperity. People also say that the bigger the favor, the greater the animosity people feels towards their benefactors. Best if the Emperor feels like I owe him, and not the other way around. Our relationship would be much more harmonious that way.”

I was struck dumb by how Zhao wang would have so many meticulous thoughts going on inside his head about what happened at River Wan.

Zhao wang then sighed, “Your Majesty, the Emperor’s mother died early and his relatives from his mother’s side couldn’t offer much help. Plus, the late Emperor was an easily persuaded man. The fact that the Emperor managed to get this far says a lot about what kind of man he is. Why don’t Your Majesty stop fighting and offer him your submission?”

I was rendered speechless by his words. I wanted the fight to stop, but would Qi Sheng spare me? This was no longer a simple quarrel between a couple, but a struggle for life!

Realizing that I remained silent, Zhao wang moved his lips, as if trying to say something. I hurriedly stopped him and asked, “How is Lv Li, everything alright?”

Zhao wang knew that I was trying to change the subject, and so he sighed and reluctantly replied, “She is fine. Only, she keeps weeping and kowtowing, saying that she misses you and asking me to bring her along when I visit you.”

That sounded like the thing Lv Li would do. I nodded in satisfaction. Well, this girl isn’t ungrateful, I give her that. I then said, “Bring her along the next time you come to see me. She has been with me for many years and I consider her more of a sister than a maid.”

Zhao wang swept a casual look my way and waved his head, “She is not allowed in here. Currently, except for the Emperor, and the Grand Dowager Empress, I am the only one allowed in here.”

Actually, I have already known this. For all these days I stayed in my palace, except for Zhang shi’s mother-in-law and grandma who were granted access on Qi Sheng’s order, even the Empress Dowager didn’t come to visit me.

It turned out that if you were not the biological mother of the Emperor, you were not really an Empress Dowager.

I had also figured out that Qi Sheng was determined to cut me off from the world and keep me in this palace. But I wondered if he knew that Xie Yi had already turned to my side. But then again, I didn’t really know whether Xie Yi did that on her own accord or on Qi Sheng’s order.

But then, I didn’t think Qi Sheng could fathom such an idea that I dared to encourage the Zhang to rebel.

You could never know what’s going on in other people’s minds.

On 6th of the second month of the lunar calendar, Xie Yi got words that Qi Sheng had officially declared his decision to send troops to squash the rebellion at Yunxi. But he ordered Yang Yu who was garrisoned at Taixing to lead the troops south across the river, and together with the He clan, they would move westward to meet the rebels. On the other hand, the Mo clan from Yu and the Xue clan from Qing to lead troops north to shore up the defense, in case there was turmoil in the northern frontier.

Meanwhile, he ordered He Bingze to garrison the western frontier in case the nomadic tribes should try to take advantage of this situation.

Throughout the whole deployment, the Zhang clan had largely remained untouched. It’s left to guard the northern frontier. Though part of its force was taken away by He Bingze, it was immediately reinforced by the troops from the Mo clan and the Xue clan.

As dizzy as I had been feeling, I still thought about it the whole night, but I still couldn’t quite put my finger on what Qi Sheng was doing.

Yang Yu was the obvious choice to lead troops to the south, as Tai Xing was right on the north bank of River Wan and closer to Yunxi. But he was a close friend of Bathroom Lord. And Yang Yan was even closer to Bathroom Lord.

Was this Qi Sheng’s move to undermine Bathroom Lord’s power? But wouldn’t he worry that Yang Yu would turn on him? If Yang Yu were to crossed the river and lead his army to Sheng City, then with He Liangchen in Yunxi, the capital garrison alone would certainly not be able to resist for long.

Yang Yu was the descendant of General Mai, and although he was later adopted by other family, he was nonetheless the blood of the revered general.

Little did I know that the answer would come to me at the middle of the night.

After raking my brain for a good part of the evening, I was left wide awake late at night. So when Yang Yan, who was wearing a black mask and a black robe, opened the bed curtain, I widened my eyes and stared at him without a trace of shock on my face.

The minute I saw the eyes, I knew it’s him.

Yang Yan was ostensibly disappointed and whispered, “I have never seen such a woman like you. Can’t you at least scurry to the corner of the bed and pull up your quilt to cover yourself in fear?”

I felt somewhat embarrassed by what he said, and so I got off bed and said, “How about you go outside and come in again, I will definitely play along this time.”

Yang Yan suddenly took off his black mask, “Well, there is no need to taunt me.”

Sensing his frustration, I felt even more embarrassed and proceeded to comfort him, “Think it this way, I was scared out of my wits when you came in and that’s why I remained still. It wasn’t because I was particularly brave.”

Yang Yan laughed this time and said, “You are really different from other women.”

I nodded my head in agreement. You are right about this. I am different.

Yang Yan then sat at my bedside and put his feet up as well. Then he swept a look around the thick bed curtains and smiled rather wickedly, “If someone should see us like this, would they think we are having an affair?”

His shining eyes were staring at me. It was flirtation.

Although, for years I had this principle: if I couldn’t beat a pervert, then I must be more thick-skinned than he was!

I considered for a while and said, “For that to happen, we will have to be naked. Otherwise, we are just chatting here under the quilt.”

Yang Yan was rendered speechless, and only whispered after a while, “Did you know? Qi Sheng appointed my father to put down the rebellion in Yun Xi.”

I nodded and asked, “You are Qi Han’s closest friend. How could he trust your father?”

Yang Yan laughed, “He won’t doubt us on this matter. My family has a principle, which says that when facing an external threat, we will always put the safety of the realm first.”

I didn’t expect that they would have such a principle. Chocked with disbelief, for a moment, I didn’t know whether I should commend his family, or reprimand him for being an intransigent conservative. A short while passed before I could open my mouth again, “Then what would Qi Han need you for?”

Yang Yan cast me a stern look and said, “Lord Ninth and I are brothers!”

I replied, as if just realizing something, “I see. You guys are brothers. But Qi Sheng and Qi Han are blood brothers, and they are not that close.”

Hearing what I said, Yang Yan swept a scornful look my way and groaned, “You would never be able to understand what it is like to be brothers. Anyway, Lord Ninth and I are not what you think we are.”

I couldn’t care less about their relationship. The only thing on my mind was how to depose Qi Sheng.

Both of us fell into silence, and after a while, I stretched out my foot and kicked Yang Yan, “What are you doing here on my bed in the middle of the night?”