Princess Promotion

As night falls, the lights in Yanyun Lane gradually light up. The most eye-catching ones are the three huge golden characters "Liucui Pavilion", which shine alluringly under the reflection of red lanterns.

In front of Liucui Pavilion, there is a constant stream of traffic, and dignitaries and literati come in an endless stream.

As you enter the pavilion, you will hear the melodious sound of stringed instruments, mixed with the fragrance of cosmetics and wine, which comes towards you.

In the hall, glazed lanterns hang high, illuminating every inch of space with an ambiguous and unbridled madness.

The dancer in Liucui Pavilion spun her body lightly, her long sleeves fluttering like a dancing butterfly, twisting her waist and leaping.

Instantly, there was applause from the audience!

Cao Shijin's eyes were glued to the dancer in the hall, but his hand reached out to the woman sitting next to him serving wine, causing the woman to giggle.

Seeing this, Song Guguang also hugged the woman next to him and said with a smile: "Brother Cao has taken a fancy to that dancer."

Cao Shijin smiled, narrowed his eyes, and gave Song Guguang an expression that showed he understood.

Song Guguang laughed heartily, then turned to his subordinates and said, "Go, have the dancer wash herself and send her to Brother Cao's room."

The servant hesitated and said, "That dancer is a prostitute. She only sells her art, not her... "

Before he could finish his words, a wine cup was thrown towards the servant's face.

The servant didn't dare to dodge and could only take the blow. Instantly, his head was broken and bleeding. Cao Shijin's anger subsided a little and he cursed: "It's her blessing that the master likes her. How can she be a whore and still want to be a chastity arch?"

Song Guguang looked at the servants and scolded them, "Hurry up and send the beauty to Brother Cao's room, or I will tear down your Liucui Pavilion."

After hearing what the servant said, he crawled out of the room.

Seeing Cao Shijin's angry face, Song Guguang's eyes flashed with calculation. He said with a flattering smile, "You are so angry, it seems that Brother Cao has something to say."

Cao Shijin pushed the woman away and sipped his wine gloomily, saying, "I'm not afraid of you knowing that the cabinet is already drafting an edict to confer the title of Prince Xueqing on that bitch."

Song Guguang laughed skillfully and said, "Recently, there have been a lot of good news from the border. Your Majesty must commend them to convince the people."

Cao Shijin sneered disdainfully, "He's just a piece of shit who's ridden by thousands of men and slept with tens of thousands of men. He doesn't even know who his own son's father is. He slept with the barbarians for a few nights and whispered in their ear, and that's considered an achievement."

Song Guguang asked in surprise, "What are you talking about?"

As if he had finally found a kindred spirit, Cao Shijin poured out his bitterness, "Brother Song, you don't know. Xueqing was just a lowly maid. She was abducted by the barbarians and lost her innocence, yet she still had the nerve to live in this world. It was just because she was pinned down by the barbarians and overheard some news that she turned into a hero."

Cao Shijin sighed, "As expected, a woman being an emperor is not something that can be tolerated. How dare they bring up such a shameful matter and talk about it publicly?"

Song Guguang reminded: "Brother Cao, be careful with your words, be careful with your words."

Cao Shijin waved his hand and said nonchalantly: "What are you afraid of? She, Yao Chu, only sat on the throne thanks to my brother-in-law. Without my brother-in-law, she wouldn't be where she is today. You ungrateful bitch."

Cao Shijin became more and more excited as he spoke. He stood up shakily with the wine jug in his hand and said, "Look, my brother-in-law is a Duke and has made great contributions to Yao Chuguang, but this woman turned around and sidelined him, letting that pretty boy Fu Hongxuan ride on his head."

Cao Shijin put his arm around Song Guguang's shoulders and continued to complain, "Now even a lowly maidservant can be crowned a king, while I, the nephew of the great Duke Li, don't even have an official position. Is this fair?"

Song Guguang nodded repeatedly: "That's right, if it was Duke Li who ascended the throne, Brother Song would be a member of the royal family."

Cao Shijin waved his hand irritably and said, "Don't mention it. I don't know what's wrong with my brother-in-law. He regards that bitch as more important than his own life. He would slap you twice in the face for even saying a few sour words."

Song Guguang flattered, "Brother Cao is very generous and doesn't bother with women. It's just a false title of a prince. It's the real power like Duke Li."

Cao Shijin clutched his chest and said in pain, "Do you think I'd be so blind as to keep harping on about a false reputation?"

Song Guguang was stunned and muttered to himself: "No way!"

Cao Shijin picked up the wine glass depressedly, took a gulp and said, "Why not? There are frequent reports of victory on the border now. In less than two months, the barbarians will not be able to hold out for much longer."

Song Guguang gasped and said, "You mean, His Majesty conferred the title of Prince Xueqing at this critical juncture in order to elevate Xueqing's status. When the barbarians are defeated, Prince Xueqing will be sent to guard the border area?"

Cao Shijin's eyes flashed with ferocity as he said, "That's right. After we conquer the barbarians, the imperial court will definitely send people to take over. I know exactly what Yao Chuguang is planning. She wants to support Xue Qingsheng's bastard as a puppet leader of the barbarians."

Only in this way can we ensure that the barbarians cannot defect at will. After all, the barbarians have no fixed place of residence. If we want to control them, we can only make their leaders our own.

Only in this way can the barbarians be firmly controlled in our own hands.

Although the barbarians were hated by everyone in the Central Plains, one thing everyone recognized was their high combat effectiveness.

Being an enemy is absolutely terrifying, but if one day such a brave and capable army falls into your hands.

That is simply a magical weapon. Whoever possesses such an army is equivalent to having the qualifications to challenge Yao Chuguang.

Song Guguan naturally saw the reluctance in Cao Shijin's heart, and also knew his little tricks.

If Cao Shijin were allowed to take control of this barbarian army, and then wait for Duke Li to step down, and let his two cousins take charge of the military power, Cao Shijin would then promise them huge benefits.

It is hard to say whether the world will still belong to her, Yao Chuguang, by that time.

Of course, Cao Shijin was just thinking about it now. He was just jealous that this piece of fat meat would be given to that slut.

As the saying goes, when one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit.

Duke Li supported two generations of emperors to ascend the throne, but he didn't get anything good.

Cao Shijin sometimes felt really disappointed with his brother-in-law. He had the ability to support others to sit on the throne, but why didn't he use his brain and let himself sit in that position?

Song Guguang suddenly came up with a plan and said gently, "It's really not decent to let a lowly servant climb over our heads and bully us. Brother Cao, I have a plan. See if it works."

Cao Shijin immediately perked up and said, "Tell me quickly."

Song Guguang raised an ambiguous sneer and said, "Brother Cao, if you think Xue Qingde is unworthy of the position, then we are definitely not the only ones who think so. Why do you think His Majesty deliberately concealed Xue Qing's past?"

Cao Shijin's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Go on."

Song Guguang hinted with his eyes, "If the ministers knew about Xue Qing's shameful past, how could they agree to let a woman with such a bad reputation like Xue Qing represent Qi to take over the barbarians?"

Cao Shijin rubbed his hands excitedly and said, "You mean we spread the news about Xueqing's shameful deeds to the public, let the corrupt scholars in the court impeach her, and we'll just watch?"

Song Guguang gave Cao Shijin a calming expression and said, "This is just the first step. After the ministers attack together, Xueqing will not be able to go to the barbarians, but someone has to go."

"At this time, the ministers would definitely propose a change. The daughter of a legitimate clan member would marry into the barbarian tribe. As long as she could give birth to a son, he would become the next barbarian leader."

Cao Shijin looked a little unhappy. Song Guguan's scheme had only served to benefit others, and he didn't get anything out of it.

If a quarrel breaks out and my brother-in-law finds out that I’m involved, he might slap me twice.

Song Guguang asked Cao Shijin to calm down and said, "The last step of this plan is the essence."

Cao Shijin asked suspiciously, "What other essence is there?"

Song Guguang raised a lewd smile, glanced at Cao Shijin's lower body and said, "Brother Cao, you can volunteer and ask for permission to marry. His Majesty will most likely agree for the sake of Duke Li. It will be a long journey, and Brother Cao, can't you handle a little girl?"

Cao Shijin suddenly realized: "You want me to break the body of the daughter of the clan relative who is to be married off, so that she can get pregnant with my child..."

The two looked at each other and smiled obscenely.

After laughing, Cao Shijin hesitated and said, "What if the barbarian leader is unwilling to accept this and shouts about it? My brother-in-law will break my legs if he finds out."

Song Guguang raised his hand to reassure Cao Shijin, "Don't worry, you are the only male in the Cao family. No matter how angry your brother-in-law is, he will give your sister some face. It's hard to believe that he will really take your life for a mere barbarian. At most, you will suffer some physical pain, and then move your old lady out. What else can Duke Li do to you?"

Cao Shijin thought about this and immediately rubbed his hands and said, "Then how do we spread this rumor?"

Song Guguang patted his chest and said, "Brother Cao, why bother with this little thing? I'll take care of it. Just wait and see."

Cao Shijin showed a satisfied smile, and said with a somewhat disordered pace: "Good brother, it's up to you."

Song Guguang helped Cao Shijin to the door and ordered, "Come here, send Master Cao back to his room."

Song Guguang handed the man over to his servants and said jokingly, "That young prostitute has been waiting in the room for a long time. Brother Cao, a night of springtime is worth a thousand gold."

Cao Shijin showed an expression of understanding and was helped away by the servants.

After Song Guguang and others walked away, the smile on his face disappeared, and he took off his coat in disgust, as if he had touched something dirty and threw it away.

The moment the clothes fell to the ground, the person next to him immediately handed him a clean towel.

Song Guguang took it and wiped his fingers clean carefully before saying, "Take care of it inside."

Go ahead and throw the handkerchief back to the guard, then walk away slowly with your hands behind your back.

After receiving the order, the guard drew the sword from his waist with an expressionless face, strode into the room and closed the door.

In an instant, a woman's terrified cries and pleas for mercy were heard in the room, accompanied by the sound of tables and chairs colliding and porcelain breaking, and the whole room fell into chaos.

However, all this did not last long, and as time passed, the noise in the room gradually calmed down.

Finally, the door was slowly opened again, and a strong smell of blood hit the nose.

The guard walked out of the room with a calm expression, as if nothing had happened.

Immediately, several errand disciples hurried into the room. They skillfully picked up the tools and began to clean up the bloodstains in the room.

A basin of cold water was poured, quickly washing away the blood on the ground, and the bloody smell gradually dissipated in the air.

Soon the room returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

The next day, rumors about Xue Qing were so rampant that they had spread to every street and alley.

Patriarch Liu raised his glass and said, "After so many months, we are able to meet again. It is truly a blessing. Let's have a drink."

Patriarch Qing raised his glass and echoed, "Right, right, right. The recent great victory at the border is double joy!"

Even the usually serious Lord Xiao rarely relaxed his expression and raised his wine glass to take a sip.

Only the head of the Wu family was in a bad mood. He drank cup after cup and even gave them a cold look.

It's easy to talk when you're not feeling the pain. The better the battle at the border goes, the worse news it is for him.

I don’t know what His Majesty was thinking, actually asking him to educate the barbarians.

It's simply a fantasy and outrageous.

Patriarch Liu knew why Patriarch Wu was like this. He was about to leave his hometown, so what was wrong with him throwing a little tantrum?

After putting down his wine glass, Patriarch Qing asked with a gossipy look on his face, "Have you heard about this?"

Patriarch Liu blinked and asked, "Are you talking about the rumors about Prince Xueqing?"

Patriarch Qing disapproved and said, "Isn't it too early for Patriarch Liu to call you Prince? I heard that the imperial envoys are preparing to submit a memorial to His Majesty, asking him to give up the idea of bestowing the title."

The head of the Wu family was immersed in sorrow.

Patriarch Liu and Patriarch Qing both looked at Elder Xiao, wanting to see what he thought about this.

Xiao Ge Lao said with disdain: "They are just a bunch of clowns."

Patriarch Liu and Patriarch Qing looked at each other, then thought, when has His Majesty ever listened to the words of those imperial envoys?

It would be a miracle if they could change His Majesty's mind.

Late at night, Lord Xiao said goodbye to the three family heads and returned to the mansion in a carriage.

It was the habit of Lord Xiao to go to the study after returning home to check the documents to be processed tomorrow.

Elder Xiao slowly pushed open the door. The room was pitch black, and you couldn't see your hand in front of you.

He walked in with ease, groped for the tinder, blew gently, and sparks flickered, lighting the oil lamp on the table.

A faint light illuminated the entire room.

At this moment, a soft female voice suddenly came: "You are finally back."

The voice was so cold and eerie that it made Elder Xiao shudder.

He looked around in horror and found that there was a figure sitting quietly on a chair in the room, staring at him intently.

Elder Xiao's heartbeat suddenly accelerated, and a layer of fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Elder Xiao quickly picked up the oil lamp and shone it over, scolding, "Who's playing tricks there?"

Yao Chuguang supported his head, raised his right hand and said, "Yo!"

Elder Xiao·······

Yao Chuguang sniffed at the faint smell of alcohol and teased, "Old fox, I didn't expect you to drink wine at such an old age!"

Elder Xiao put down the oil lamp in a bad mood and said, "Stop talking nonsense and get to the point."

Yao Chuguang yawned and said, "How boring, with such a stern face all day long."

Elder Xiao was speechless. Looking at Yao Chuguang, this is not a reason for you to run away in the middle of the night and scare me.