20demayo Chapter 180 Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang is about to cross the river.
Chapter 180 Empress Zhao Qingxue of Liyang is about to cross the river.
The night was as thick as ink that could not be dissolved.
On this moonless and starless night, this section of the Nujiang River, a tributary of the Lancang River, appears almost stagnant and pitch black.
The river was not calm; its muffled roar never ceased.
The swirling waves produced eerie, phosphorescent white foam in the darkness, only to be swallowed by the next whirlpool.
Empress Liyang's entourage stopped by the post road three miles outside Nujiang Town.
Inside the imperial carriage, a glass palace lantern hung quietly.
The soft glow outlined Zhao Qingxue's profile, giving her a gentle yet aloof look.
She had changed out of the heavy, dark black robe with twelve embroidered symbols that she wore during the day and into a moon-white everyday dress.
Her long hair was loosely tied up and secured with only a white jade phoenix hairpin.
Having removed her imperial crown, her eyes lost some of their sharp majesty, but gained a touch of pristine purity.
Like a white plum blossom blooming alone under the moon.
Outside the carriage, a calm and respectful voice rang out.
"His Majesty."
It was Zhou Wenzheng, the Vice Minister of Rites from Liyang, who was the deputy envoy of this mission.
He was in his forties, with a dignified appearance and a perpetually charming smile.
The darkness of night gave him a sense of caution, as if he were on a business trip.
"The Nujiang ferry crossing is just ahead."
Zhou Wenzheng carefully considered the wording and cautiously asked for instructions.
"I have already ordered someone to go to the ferry to contact boats."
"The river current is quite rapid tonight, but crossing the river should still be feasible."
"However... it's getting late, and the ferry town is rather simple. Would Your Majesty like to rest here for the night and cross the river tomorrow morning, or...?"
He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.
The imperial carriage was quiet for a moment.
Zhao Qingxue did not answer immediately.
She turned her head slightly, her gaze passing over the warm yellow glow of the glass palace lanterns and landing on the sliver of night light filtering through the gap in the window curtains.
The night was thick.
In the distance, the scattered lights of the ferry town can be faintly seen, like weary eyes, flickering on and off.
She suddenly remembered this morning.
I recall the northern cavalry outside the east gate of the imperial city, heading in the opposite direction from our side.
I recall the complex and indescribable glint in Xu Longxiang's deep brown eyes as he rode back on horseback.
That is not the reverence a subject has for an emperor.
It is not an ally scrutinizing its partner.
It was a look that made her extremely uncomfortable, as if she were looking at something that "would belong to her sooner or later."
Possessiveness.
A secret, repressed, yet incredibly intense possessiveness.
Zhao Qingxue slowly closed her eyes.
That gaze seemed to still linger on her.
Even though she was a hundred miles away from the capital, she still felt a chill to the bone.
She recalled the time when Xu Longxiang met her at the Yingbin Pavilion.
They were clearly discussing the alliance between the Northern Border and Liyang.
This is a strategy to check and balance Qin Mu.
It is a power struggle filled with swords and shadows.
But he looked at her far too often.
The gaze that fell on her face was... a bit too heavy.
It is not a frivolous and lustful act.
Rather, it is a deeper, almost obsessive longing.
It was as if she were a goal he had already set his sights on, but one he could not yet reach.
This feeling made her nauseous.
This made her even more wary.
During her five years as an empress, she had seen too many men's gazes.
There is awe, calculation, greed, fear, and even overestimating one's own abilities and covetousness.
But none of them are like Xu Longxiang.
So clear-headed, yet so fervent.
Such forbearance, yet so...unrestrained.
He thought he had hidden it well.
But he was wrong.
Zhao Qingxue opened her eyes.
A faint hint of disdain and coldness flashed across his deep purple phoenix eyes under the light.
"No need to rest."
Her voice was soft, yet clear.
With an unquestionable determination.
"Cross the river overnight."
Zhou Wenzheng paused slightly outside the carriage, then bowed.
"Yes. I will make the arrangements immediately."
The footsteps faded into the distance.
Zhao Qingxue leaned back against the cushion.
My gaze fell upon the deep darkness of the night outside the window curtains.
The roar of the Nu River could be faintly heard, deep and lingering.
She didn't know why she was in such a hurry.
Perhaps the discomfort caused by Xu Longxiang's gaze was more deeply rooted than expected.
Or perhaps...
She suddenly remembered the brief conversation she had with Li Chunfeng on the top floor of the Star Gazing Pavilion before she set off.
"Grand Preceptor," she asked at the time, "to what extent do you think Xu Longxiang can be utilized?"
Li Chunfeng remained silent for a moment before slowly answering.
"It can be used to the point that... he thinks he has everything under control, but in reality, every move he makes is exactly what His Majesty is planning."
"But Your Majesty," the old Taoist priest said, his eyes, which seemed to see right through the world, looking at her, "you must be wary of this person."
"His obsessions are no longer limited to the North, power, and revenge."
"Some things, once they take root, are hard to uproot."
She just smiled faintly at the time.
"It's just an obsession. As long as it's useful, I don't mind if he has an obsession."
But at this moment.
Alone in this swaying imperial carriage, far from the hustle and bustle of the capital and the power struggles.
She had to admit it.
Xu Longxiang's gaze was harder to shake off than she had imagined.
It was like a tiny, almost transparent thorn that pierced the cracks in her seemingly indestructible armor.
No pain.
But it exists.
And...it made her uneasy.
"How ridiculous."
Zhao Qingxue muttered to herself.
The sound was so faint that it was almost drowned out by the rumble of the wheels.
She was forced to flee overnight by the gaze of a prince from the northern border.
If word gets out, the entire Li Yang court will probably think the Empress is possessed.
A self-deprecating smile curved her lips.
It was then replaced by the usual calm.
Now that we've decided to cross the river, there's no need to dwell on those pointless things.
She composed herself and put Xu Longxiang's unpleasant gaze out of her mind.
A moment later, Zhou Wenzheng came to report again.
"Your Majesty, the ship is ready."
His voice carried the ease of having accomplished his task.
"The ferry crossing is called the Nujiang Gang, which is the largest ferry gang in the town."
"We used their boats to cross the river to go north before."
"Upon hearing that the Li Yang delegation needed a ship, the captain was extremely attentive and had already prepared the largest and most stable warship, ready to set sail at any time."
"The Nujiang Gang?"
Zhao Qingxue repeated it indifferently.
"Yes."
Zhou Wenzheng explained.
"This gang has considerable influence in the upper and lower reaches of the Nu River, controlling boats and docks at several important ferry crossings."
"Although they are a gang, they have a good relationship with the local government and behave properly."
"I have inspected the boats and found them to be undamaged, and the boatmen are all skilled."
Zhao Qingxue nodded slightly.
It's just a local gang, not worth her trouble.
"Then let's go."
"As you command."
The Liyang delegation's convoy started moving again.
We walked slowly towards the ferry crossing.
Inside the imperial carriage, Zhao Qingxue shifted her attention away from Xu Longxiang's unsettling gaze.
I began to systematically organize what I had learned from this trip.
The living conditions of the people in the Qin Dynasty...
Through the grand yet absurd wedding in the capital, she saw far more than just superficial extravagance.
Those tax reduction edicts circulating among the common people.
The genuine joy in the eyes of the people in the teahouses and taverns as they talked about it.
Those curious yet fearless and indifferent glances in her delegation's eyes as they passed by...
All of this points to a conclusion that is completely contrary to the label of "tyrant".
Qin Mu might be acting.
However, the Qin Dynasty's government operations and people's livelihood management did not stagnate because of his "neglect".
This is more terrifying than any conspiracy or trickery.
This means that he has an extremely efficient, loyal, and independently functioning bureaucratic system.
Or... his control over the government was far more precise and covert than it appeared on the surface.
And the imperial court...
Zhao Qingxue's mind flashed back to the various details of the wedding banquet at the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Li Si, the head of the civil officials, had a pervasive sense of worry and weariness between his brows.
Wang Ben, the foremost military general, suppressed anger and resentment in his eyes as he drank heavily.
King Huan of Chu, with his overly shrewd gaze sweeping over the entire room amidst the clinking of cups.
And... Xu Longxiang.
She thought of that name again, her brows furrowed slightly, and she quickly pressed the button.
The Qin Dynasty court was by no means monolithic.
The rift between Qin Mu and the Northern Border has been widened to the point that it is known to the whole world after this wedding.
How long can Xu Longxiang's forbearance last?
How will Qin Mu utilize this crack?
This is where Liyang can make a big difference.
And then there's the Azure Sword Sect...
Qin Mu downplayed the methods he used to defeat Li Wuhen back then.
That ability to manipulate objects from a distance...
Zhao Qingxue's fingers gently clenched inside her sleeve.
Li Chunfeng once said that it was the method of a terrestrial immortal.
Even if it wasn't Qin Mu himself, he must have been protected by a powerful expert of that level.
However, the assassins sent by Xu Longxiang last night reported that Qin Mu had no immortals by his side.
The so-called strange phenomenon at Qinglan Mountain is nothing but a smokescreen.
Xu Longxiang believed it.
But Zhao Qingxue didn't believe it.
It's not that I doubt Li Chunfeng's judgment.
Rather... she knew all too well what true "showing weakness" really meant.
If Qin Mu was truly as vulnerable as Xu Longxiang had suggested, why would he have staged that scene at Qinglan Mountain?
If a pretense is truly necessary, why not continue the pretense right under Xu Longxiang's nose?
unless……
He didn't mind at all that Xu Longxiang "saw through" him.
He even enjoys letting Xu Longxiang "see through" him.
Zhao Qingxue slowly opened her eyes.
A sharp, knife-like glint flashed in his deep purple phoenix eyes.
She is playing the chess piece Xu Longxiang.
Isn't Qin Mu setting up an even bigger scheme?
Xu Longxiang, however, believed that he could see through the illusions and the truths of things by breaking down the old and building the new.
In reality...
It was merely stepping from one player's self-delusional dream into a deeper, more intricate web woven by the actual players.
Zhao Qingxue suddenly felt an indescribable fatigue.
Is this world a battlefield for the strong, or a game of chess for those who wield the pieces?
Or perhaps, the so-called strong are merely the sharpest pieces of the player.
And what about herself?
Is he a chess player, or...?
She dismissed the thought.
She is the Empress of Liyang.
It is Zhao Qingxue.
That's it.
Just then—
"His Majesty."
Li Chunfeng's aged and ethereal voice rang out outside the imperial carriage, interrupting Zhao Qingxue's thoughts.
His voice was soft, yet it clearly reached inside the carriage.
Zhao Qingxue slightly raised her eyes.
"What brings you here, Imperial Advisor?"
Outside the carriage curtain, the figure in the gray Taoist robe almost blended into the night.
Li Chunfeng slightly turned his head.
My gaze fell upon the ferry town whose outline was already faintly visible in the distance.
Those eyes, which were always half-open and seemed detached from the world, were now fully open.
His sharp brilliance was restrained, yet it carried a barely perceptible hint of stagnation.
"This old minister just feels..." he began slowly, his voice as ethereal and distant as ever.
"This town seems a little too quiet tonight."
Too quiet?
Zhao Qingxue followed his gaze.
The outline of Dukou Town was just a darker patch of black in the night.
There were indeed a few lights there.
Just as Li Chunfeng said, the lights were unusually silent.
There was no hustle and bustle of a night market.
There were no shouts and cheers of people playing drinking games in taverns.
There were no rough chants from the boatmen as they loaded and unloaded cargo.
You can't even hear a dog barking.
Only the eternal roar of the Nu River filled the entire night.
"Perhaps it's late at night."
Zhao Qingxue said calmly, her voice revealing no emotion.
"The people here live off the river, working at sunrise and resting at sunset."
"Now that it's almost the end of Hai hour (9-11 PM), it's normal for things to be quiet."
Li Chunfeng remained silent for a moment.
Those insightful eyes still gazed in the direction of the ferry crossing.
Then, he slowly lowered his eyes.
"Your Majesty is right."
His voice returned to its usual calm.
"Your old minister has been overthinking it."
He paused, then added.
"But this river..."
He didn't continue.
Zhao Qingxue looked at him.
"How is Jiang?"
Li Chunfeng shook his head slightly, his white beard fluttering gently in the night breeze.
"It's nothing."
"Perhaps it's because I'm getting old, but I'm always prone to having some pointless feelings when I look at this surging river."
He didn't say anything more.
He took a half step back, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the delegation.
Zhao Qingxue glanced at him and then looked away.
She knew that Li Chunfeng was not the type to "overthink".
If he finds something amiss, he must have his reasons.
But she also knew.
Stopping, turning back, or taking any unnecessary precautions at this moment would be pointless.
There is only one way forward: cross the river.
If there was an ambush, she had already stepped into the trap from the moment she decided to cross the river that night.
Instead of being filled with doubt and uncertainty, it's better to move forward with composure.
When has Zhao Qingxue ever been afraid?
"Crossing the river."
She spoke again, her voice clear and calm.
The mission continued forward.