Princess Promotion

Zhou Hui ran all the way to the King of Yan, breathless, and spoke incoherently with excitement: "Your Majesty... the spies report..."

At this moment, the Prince of Yan was leisurely holding a scroll and slowly walked out from behind the bookshelf. He said in a calm tone, "It's time to change your tone. You should call me Your Highness the Prince of Yan. Don't be anxious, take your time and breathe."

Zhou Hui's face was filled with joy, and he said excitedly: "Your Majesty... No, Your Highness the Prince of Yan, it's done!"

Prince Yan didn't react at first and repeated, "Is it done?"

Zhou Hui nodded vigorously to confirm his decision. "Yes, Your Highness, the handover of troops has been successfully completed, and the Qi army did not detect any abnormalities."

The book in Prince Yan's hand quietly slipped to the ground, but he did not notice it and was still immersed in his own thoughts.

He stared ahead with confused eyes, muttering softly, "How did it become like this..."

These words seemed to carry endless doubts and confusion, constantly echoing in the air.

It feels like you are brainstorming various guesses about how your opponent will attack, and you have also thought about how to deal with the enemy next.

In the end, the real opponent couldn’t even last one round. Is that it?

King Yan carefully recalled every detail and doubt of the matter, but no matter how hard he thought, he could not find any clues.

This made King Yan feel very confused and uneasy, as if his hands and feet were bound by an invisible force.

The look in Prince Yan's eyes grew increasingly cold. He had not expected that his first confrontation with the Empress would end like this.

This incident led to two possible outcomes: one was that the empress was just an ordinary person who had reached her current position by relying on some luck and cleverness, as well as the assistance of capable ministers. Such a person was not to be feared;

Another guess that made Prince Yan feel horrified was that he had never been able to guess the Empress's thoughts from the beginning to the end, and he didn't even know the purpose of her doing so.

What is the truth of all?

When time goes back, the truth is buried in the long river of time.

A few months ago, late at night in the imperial study.

An Tian frowned and said with a worried look on his face, "Your Majesty, although we have exchanged spices for a large amount of food and fodder this time, which has temporarily alleviated the current predicament, it is not a long-term solution!"

In the past two years, neither Qi nor Western Zhou was rich, and the grain reserves in the granaries were stretched to the limit.

This time, the State of Qi conquered the Western Zhou Dynasty in one fell swoop and obtained sufficient food and grass supplies.

However, problems now arose one after another - the grain of the Western Zhou Dynasty could only meet its own needs, and now the State of Qi relied on these grains to solve its urgent needs.

But then problems arose. The Western Zhou Dynasty could only be self-sufficient in food, and now the food was given to the State of Qi to solve its urgent needs.

In fact, the fundamental problem was not solved unless Yao Chuguang could supply all the food to the Qi army and ignore the captured troops of the Western Zhou Dynasty and let them starve to death.

After all, the total amount of food was limited, and the number of troops did not decrease.

They are now almost back to square one.

The only difference is that this time, An Tian and Yao Chuguang’s own rice jars are almost empty.

Now that the imperial court has just been established, money is needed everywhere.

Yao Chuguang rubbed her aching head. She had worked so hard to become the empress, but she still couldn't escape the days of worrying about money every day.

An Tian suggested, "Your Majesty, we still have some silver. Why don't we secretly go to Yan State and buy some food?"

Yao Chuguang sat on the chair, tapping his fingers on the table. After a while, he said, "This is inappropriate. The risk is too great."

An Tian looked at Yao Chuguang with a puzzled look and asked, "Your Majesty, are you worried that Yan will discover you and Qi will run out of food?"

Yao Chuguang nodded, but then shook his head and said, "This is just one of the reasons. Now that Qi is about to annex Western Zhou, Yan will definitely feel a huge threat and will inevitably implement strict control over food supplies. Even if you have silver, you may not be able to buy enough food."

Yao Chuguang continued his analysis, "Besides, even if you successfully purchased the food, how could such a large amount of food be transported out of Yan State smoothly? If discovered by Yan State, the food would likely be intercepted by the Yan army before it even leaves the border. By then, the food would be gone, and you wouldn't even have lost a ton of money."

Since there is no way to get food from Yan State, it is better to hide it from the beginning and let them think that Qi State has sufficient food.

An Tian said with a worried look on his face, "Then what should Your Majesty do now?"

Yao Chuguang leaned against the dragon throne, looked up at the glazed tiles on the roof and said, "Then we can only fight. Between countries, it's the law of the jungle. There's no logic to it."

An Tian was stunned for a moment, chewing over his words, then suddenly widened his eyes and looked at Yao Chuguang and said, "Your Majesty, are you going to take over the Western Territory and Yan Kingdom within three months?"

Yao Chuguang's expression was calm and unperturbed. "How's the port construction going?"

An Tian instantly understood Yao Chuguang's plan. Although he could reach the Western Regions by sea and buy a large amount of spices, it was also thanks to these spices that An Tian was able to cash in so much silver and food in a short period of time.

However, this sea route to the Western Regions has a fatal weakness, that is, the coastal area is within the border of Yan State.

Before, An Tian relied on bribing some local officials and pretending to be a merchant purchasing seafood to send ships out to sea.

These spices were secretly transported back to Qi State through multiple shipments in small quantities. Until now, no one knows the specific origin of these spices.

Everyone thought that Yao Chuguang sent people to transport them back through the Gobi Desert, and no one thought that this batch of spices was transported back by sea.

Before, An Tian had never thought of going to the Western Regions to purchase food and fodder. Firstly, the volume of food and fodder was not comparable to that of spices.

If we transported the purchased grain in boxes like we did the spices, it would take ages to get all the grain to Qi.

Instead of going through so much trouble, it would be faster to purchase directly from Yan State and ship it over.

Yao Chuguang's eyes were firm, and he said with a certainty, "Go and prepare to go out to sea and buy food and fodder!"

An Tian took the order and withdrew.

More than a month ago, Moshi Mountain

Yao Chuguang and An Tian walked under the starry sky. An Tian saw Yao Chuguang's thin face and asked with concern, "Your Majesty, are you okay?"

Yao Chuguang pressed her fingers against the messy hair beside her ear that was blown by the night wind and said, "It's good to be alive. How's the port?"

An Tian's expression relaxed a little as he said, "The food and supplies have arrived at the islands and reefs safely, and will reach the port in a few days."

Yao Chuguang nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. This is a critical moment. We must not let any news leak out."

Once the State of Yan noticed the abnormality in the port and discovered a large amount of food and grass.

The King of Yan would immediately know that Qi was in urgent need of food.

This news was undoubtedly a huge opportunity for the State of Yan.

If we could seize the opportunity and launch an attack at this time, Qi would be in trouble.

If Yan could only resist Qi's attack for a period of time, it would plunge Qi into chaos, and might even lead to a series of chain reactions such as mutiny and unrest in Qi's army.

In this way, the favorable situation that was originally beneficial to Qi will disappear in an instant.

An Tian nodded and said, "I will personally go to the port to keep an eye on it and make sure everything is safe."

A few days later, the King of Yan met with the Empress at the border, and the State of Yan surrendered.

Late at night, the moonlight was obscured by dark clouds, and it was pitch black, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of you.

The sound of horse hooves and shouting could be heard in the distance. Several dark figures on horseback were chasing a middle-aged man.

The man whipped the horse desperately, trying to make it run faster, but he could not get rid of the pursuers behind him.

Finally, they came to a remote place surrounded by dense woods and steep hillsides, and suddenly found that the people on the horse had mysteriously disappeared!

The pursuers stopped in a hurry and began to search everywhere, but could not find any trace.

At this moment, another horse came galloping from behind with a woman sitting on it.

An Tian pulled the reins and asked, "Where are the people?"

The leader quickly replied, "I don't know. We chased him all the way here, and then he disappeared."

An Tian frowned and ordered, "Even if you have to dig three feet deep, you must find this person for me."

After saying that, An Tian turned his horse around and galloped off in another direction.

The middle-aged man who just escaped was the county magistrate of the port.

The county magistrate, who had dealt with An Tian before, had been promoted over the years thanks to the bribes An Tian received.

This person was newly transferred here. As a new official, he started his job with great enthusiasm and noticed that something was wrong at the port.

Originally, An Tian didn't want to cause any more trouble, but he didn't expect that the county magistrate promised to keep the matter quiet and ignore it the second before.

The next second, he decisively escaped in the middle of the night.

Now is the critical moment for the handover between Qi and Yan. If this county magistrate really runs away, the King of Yan will notice it.

Then all previous efforts and careful planning will be in vain.

Once the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable.

An Tian immediately rushed to the border and reported the matter to Yao Chuguang.

After hearing this, Yao Chuguang patted An Tian's shoulder comfortingly and said, "Don't blame yourself too much. Difficulties are common, and smooth sailing is rare. Since there is a problem, just solve it."

An Tian felt guilty. It was she who failed to show her ability at the critical moment. She said in a panic, "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will deal with this matter as soon as possible."

She was not decisive enough. She should have killed the county magistrate as soon as he discovered the port, and none of the things that happened later would have happened.

Yao Chuguang shook his head and said, "No, now you can't touch him easily."

An Tian's heart suddenly jumped, and she had an ominous premonition: "Why is this happening? If we don't get rid of that person, the matter at the port will be exposed."

Yao Chuguang pondered, "He was an official after all. If he was murdered for no reason, the government would definitely go to the area under his jurisdiction to conduct a thorough investigation."

An Tian's heart tightened and he said, "Then I'll drag him to the wilderness and kill him?"

Yao Chuguang laughed and said, "It's not safe enough. What if you get caught while you're doing it, or if he escapes and is rescued by someone else?"

"King Yan and Yan Mingzhe are both at the border now. It will be difficult to kill people without leaving any traces on their territory," Yao Chuguang reminded.

"If you're unlucky, Yan Mingzhe might be right next to you when you kill someone, which would reveal your true identity."

An Tian's heart skipped a beat and she clenched her fingers.

Although Yao Chuguang was talking about a low-probability event, he did not deny that he could not be absolutely sure.

The county magistrate must know that Prince Yan and Yan Mingzhe are at the border, and he will definitely come to the border if he wants to report the port situation as soon as possible.

The closer you are to the border, the more difficult it is to kill someone.

Moreover, An Tian’s people cannot be kept, otherwise this will be a clear clue.

Once discovered, the King of Yan will definitely investigate thoroughly.

Yao Chuguang helped An Tian up and said, "Okay, I'll take care of this. You just go back to the port and keep an eye on it."

An Tian's fluctuating mood gradually calmed down, as if everything was nothing to His Majesty.

One day left.

Liu Rushi pushed the door open and saw Su Wan'er standing aside, fanning Yao Chuguang with a fan with a grim expression.

Yao Chuguang half-closed his eyes and took a nap on the recliner.

Liu Rushi walked lightly to Yao Chuguang's side, squatted down, and said softly, "Miss An, I found the daughter's wine you wanted. It's at Liu's wine shop in the west of the city. I can deliver it to you this afternoon."

Yao Chuguang slowly opened his eyes and said, "It's really boring to drink fine wine alone. Only when we enjoy it together can we realize its true meaning."

After sighing, he stretched out his leg and kicked Su Wan'er and said, "Go, ask your master to come over and have a couple of drinks with me."

Su Wan'er angrily flicked her fan and said, "It's alright if you order me around, but my master is not a prostitute. How could he condescend to serve me as a drinking companion?"

Yao Chuguang closed his eyes and continued to rest, saying, "Then the cooperation is cancelled. I will leave tonight and pretend I have never been here."

Su Wan'er had no choice but to accept her fate and go to the palace where Yan Mingzhe lived.

At the same time, the county magistrate Wang Yiwu arrived at the border in tattered clothes.

Wang Yiwu looked panicked. He walked around the city to make sure no one was following him before he found a shopkeeper to inquire about Yan Mingzhe's residence.

After finally finding a place, I knocked on the door and before I could even open my mouth, the doorman kicked me out like a beggar and pushed me to the ground.

At this time, a man passed by and kindly stepped forward to help him up.

The man said kindly, "This is the prince's residence. Ordinary people are not allowed to disturb the nobles inside. You'd better leave quickly. If you make any more noise, you will be beaten by the guards."

Wang Yiwu turned around and saw the man was selling things at a stall nearby. He hurriedly asked, "Do you know when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will leave the palace?"

The man smiled and said, "What a coincidence! I just saw the prince leaving the palace and heading towards Baihua Tower."

Wang Yiwu immediately thanked him and walked towards Baihua Tower. After seeing him walk away, the man picked up his load, packed up his stall and left.

Yao Chuguang opened the window and saw that the shop opposite had hung up lanterns, knowing that the prey had appeared.

He raised his hand and patted Fu Hongxuan's arm, then pointed at Wang Yiwu.

When Wang Yiwu suddenly fell to the ground without any warning, he attracted a crowd of onlookers.

A man quickly searched Wang Yiwu's body in front of the crowd.

He found a folded object, immediately took it out and stuffed it into his arms, then showed a panicked expression and shouted: "Someone is dead."

The crowd immediately dispersed, and the man left with the crowd.

He passed by Si Quan who was running down from Baihua Tower.

Si Quan and his men moved quickly, lifted the man onto a cart, and headed towards the mass grave in the back mountain.

Just as his subordinates were about to bury the body on the spot, Si Quan said, "Find some firewood and burn the body before burying it."

That way, even if someone comes looking for it later, the body will be completely disfigured and no one will be able to recognize it.