All the gentlemen who are attacked by the female queen are stunningly beautiful

Those three words seemed to be ground out from between his teeth, carrying the smell of blood: "When Emperor Qing hanged himself in Chongguang Palace, he ordered me to hide on the roof to preserve my foundation... The moonlight that night was as cold as this night... That night he... spitted blood... and died with his eyes open..."

"Jingyue, do you know how I got here all these years?"

Xiao Zhen's voice suddenly became hoarse, his fingertips trembling slightly as he gripped the eagle talisman, and his fingertips rolled over the crack that was so deep that the bone could be seen over and over again.

She lowered her eyes, and her long eyelashes cast a blue-gray shadow under her eyes, like the marks gnawed away by countless sleepless nights.

"There wasn't a single sleepless night." A suppressed sob rolled through her throat. "Whenever I close my eyes, the flames of Chongguang Hall burn into my mind... Emperor Qing's dragon robe curled up into a ball of black charcoal in the flames. Those old ministers who followed the late emperor to conquer the world were pinned to the ground by the Chu soldiers, their hair loose, their court robes soaked in blood. They shouted, 'I will not surrender,' and then their heads were chopped off one by one..."

She suddenly raised her hand to her chest, her breathing quickening. "I watched helplessly as those palace servants ran through the corridors, crying and screaming, being hunted like stray dogs. The Chu soldiers' boots crushed their fingers. Some were dragged away, clinging to the dragon curtains in the hall, refusing to let go. The fabric ripped and ripped, making a pitiful sound..."

Xiao Jingyue hurriedly stepped forward to hold her trembling arm, but she shook it away.

When Xiao Zhen raised her eyes, they were scarlet, a sea of blood and hatred swirling in them, wrapped in heart-wrenching pain. "When I evacuated Chongguang Palace, I hid among the lush trees and watched Wei Wuzi standing on the palace wall in silver armor, playing with Emperor Qing's sword in his hand, showing a triumphant look at the city in flames. How dare she..."

The last few words were broken between his teeth, with a bloody smell.

She suddenly clenched the Eagle Talisman tightly and slammed it hard on her palm. "That's why I can't fall. Those palace maids who were burned to death, the old ministers who were beheaded, and the Qing... the late Emperor... they are all watching me."

The window was suddenly blown open by the wind...

The night wind lifted her robe, making it rustle.

She walked to the window and looked towards the Chu Palace. The tears in her eyes were replaced by a bone-chilling coldness. "Did Wei Wuzi think that burning down the palace would wipe out the roots of the Qing Kingdom? Did he think that by changing the country's name and court robes, the world would truly fall into the hands of the Wei family?"

"She's wrong! As long as this Eagle Talisman is here, and as long as I, Xiao Zhen, am still breathing, the blood debt she owes to the Qing Kingdom must be repaid bit by bit, with interest."

Xiao Jingyue bit her lip and said worriedly, "But her methods are indeed cruel. When she came to power, she executed more than 30 former officials just for the sake of 'cleaning up the bureaucracy'. If..."

Xiao Zhen turned abruptly, the eagle talisman in her palm clenched until it burned hot, her eyes brimming with murderous fury. "Behead? Isn't Wei Wuzi's hands stained with the blood of the Qing Kingdom enough? Thirty old ministers are nothing. I still haven't settled accounts with her for the sea of blood in Chongguang Palace!"

"Although Wei Wuzi knew that a few remnants of the Qing Kingdom still existed in various places in Great Chu, she didn't know that they were under her nose. She was anxious to cut off our roots because she was afraid that we, the remaining ministers, would resurrect. The more she feared, the more I would make her feel uneasy."

"Cousin, now is not the time to argue about this. You saw yesterday that Wei Wuzi's third daughter is unfathomable. If she were to take control of the military, we would truly become the rats crossing the street. However, she is still young and inexperienced, so there is no need to be afraid of her. We just need to be on guard!"

Xiao Jingyue let out a dull sigh and said, "What I'm most afraid of now is that Wei Wuzi and the Zhuang family will join forces. Zhuang Luyu of the Zhuang family has absolute power in the south, and the Zhuang family is leveraging her influence to annex our grain stores and gold and silver shops in Jiangnan. Last month, even the salt and iron shops in Hangu were seized by Zhuang Luyu. If this continues, I'm afraid we won't even be able to raise enough money to pay for the troops we've secretly raised."

Hearing this, Xiao Zhen was furious. She hurried outside the tent, where a cool breeze blew, and her anger subsided a little. After calming herself, she looked at the military flag standing in the distance and said in a voice as cold as ice, "Zhuang Luyu? Zhuang Luyu is just a dog that Wei Wuzi let out to bite people. The Jiangnan granary, the gold and silver shop, the Hangu salt and iron... the more Zhuang Luyu grabs, the more Wei Wuzi reaps the benefits."

"If she wants to snatch it, then let her snatch it!"

Xiao Jingyue said anxiously, "But military pay is a real problem! The Secret Guard Battalion started using old rice as food last month. If we delay it until the autumn harvest, I'm afraid..."

"It won't be until the autumn harvest." Xiao Zhen interrupted her, suddenly raising her hand and slamming the eagle token against the tent post, making a dull sound. "Isn't the Liao Kingdom waiting for news? Tell them that I agree to their terms and ask them to raise an army and attack the border next month to force Wei Wuzi to transfer troops to the northern border."

"Cousin, are you sure you want to do this?" Xiao Jingyue glanced around and pushed Xiao Zhen into the tent, whispering as they walked, "The Liao Kingdom has such wicked ambitions, how could they really help you ascend the throne? If they don't keep their promise and take advantage of us killing the Wei thieves to attack Da Chu, then all our efforts will be in vain!"

"The Liao Kingdom does have such ambitions!" Xiao Zhen suddenly raised his eyes, the hatred in his eyes faded, leaving only a cold and fierce look. "Don't you think I don't know what they want? They just want to use us to disrupt the Great Chu so that they can seize the opportunity to move south and seize territory."

She stroked the handwritten words of Emperor Qing on the eagle talisman and suddenly sneered, "Don't worry, with the Northern Border Army here, the Liao Kingdom's cavalry won't be able to get in any time."

"Jingyue, Wei Wuzi is certainly hateful, but the Northern Border Army should not be underestimated. After I kill Wei Wuzi, I will immediately order the Northern Border Army to cut off their food supplies and then set up obstacles along the way to prevent the Northern Border Army from returning to defend and putting us in danger! Let Wei Wuzi be proud for a while longer. By then, with internal and external troubles, I will make it difficult for her to take care of both ends."

"As for Zhuang Luyu..."

She suddenly curled her lips into a cold smile, a hint of viciousness flashing in her eyes. "Have you sent someone to investigate the two batches of salt and iron that Zhuang Luyu transported from Hangu last month? Did they deliver them to the Chu camp or sell them privately to pirate merchants? If you have solid evidence, send it to the Censorate. I want to see how Wei Wuzi will deal with this corrupt and lawless dog."

Xiao Jingyue was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "Cousin, you want to..."

"Dog bites dog, that's the most interesting thing." Xiao Zhen stroked the pattern on the eagle symbol, his voice filled with unquestionable determination. "I have my own way to deal with the military pay. Just remember, our Xiao family has been dormant for so many years, not to survive, but for revenge. Wei Wuzi and the group of parasites around her will not be able to escape."

"Cousin, what can I do about the military pay?" Xiao Jingyue frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then asked. She boldly guessed, "Cousin, are you talking about... the imperial merchant Hu family?"

"Of course, who else but him?" Xiao Zhen chuckled, looking up at Xiao Jingyue beside him, his fingertips still wandering among the lines of the eagle symbol, his tone was a bit casual and fierce: "If you want military pay, you must pluck it from the fattest sheep."