Princess Promotion

Yao Chuguang and Xiao Ge Lao sat face to face with an oil lamp lit between them.

Finally, Yao Chuguang blinked in defeat and asked tentatively, "Mr. Xiao, are you aware of the rumors circulating in the city recently?"

Without thinking, Xiao Ge Lao replied, "I don't know."

Yao Chuguang pursed her lips slightly and said with deep sorrow, "Mr. Xiao didn't know about something the whole city knew. What a dereliction of duty!"

Elder Xiao remained unmoved and said, "I usually only care about the major events in the world."

Upon hearing this, Yao Chuguang placed one arm on the table, supporting his chin, and said lazily, "But old fox, I'm sure you know. Is it fun to try to cover up your mistake?"

Elder Xiao chuckled from his nose and said, "Then why don't you ask me if I know?"

Yao Chuguang choked. This old fox's ability to argue with others is getting better and better!

Yao Chuguang then withdrew his gaze and said lazily, "It's the middle of the night, you're quite sleepy, so don't beat around the bush."

Elder Xiao's eyes widened. This heartless guy actually tried to pass the blame on others!

This is his mansion!

Who on earth comes here to disturb my sweet dream in the middle of the night?

Elder Xiao rubbed his aching forehead and decided that it would be better to end the battle quickly.

Otherwise, he would be pissed off by this heartless guy sooner or later. He said with a stern face, "Your Majesty, I came to visit you late at night because of Xueqing's matter!"

Yao Chuguang raised an eyebrow and praised in a trailing tone: "Mr. Xiao, you are very perceptive~"

Lord Xiao was too lazy to complain. This conscienceless guy was like Lord Xiao when there was trouble, and an old fox when there was nothing to do.

Xiao Ge Lao asked bluntly, "Your Majesty, do you want to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys and let me find the ringleader of the trouble and deal with him?"

This is Yao Chuguang's usual method. Usually, the leader is dealt with, and the people below become a group of scattered sand and scatter at any time.

Yao Chuguang pulled out a hairpin and fiddled with the wick in the oil lamp, saying, "This time, I want Lord Xiao to add some firewood to make the fire burn more vigorously. It would be best if it could be submitted to the joint memorial."

Yao Chuguang's face flickered in the firelight.

Elder Xiao was silent for a long time before he spoke: "This will implicate many people."

Yao Chuguang sneered with a bloodthirsty smile, "So what? No matter how many there are, can they be as many as the soldiers who died on the battlefield?"

After saying that, Yao Chuguang slowly stood up and walked out, saying, "Some people just like to live a good life. I have no choice but to fulfill their wish."

Elder Xiao looked at Yao Chuguang's departing back and knew that she was really angry!

The emperor's anger would cause the death of millions of people, and this was no mere talk.

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A few days later, Liucui Pavilion was still brightly lit, as bright as day.

The emerald green curtains hung high created an ambiguous and charming atmosphere, with merchants coming and going in an endless stream.

Cao Shijin hugged the beauty and laughed happily, "Brother Song, this is a brilliant idea. I heard that the prince's edict had been sent out, but was finally retrieved by a little eunuch."

Song Guguang's face was calm, and he said slowly, "I just gave Brother Cao a suggestion. The fact that things went so smoothly is all thanks to Brother Cao. Brother Cao is the real hero."

Upon hearing this, Cao Shijin laughed heartily with self-satisfaction, saying, "You're too modest, Brother Song!"

"Unfortunately, I still couldn't make His Majesty change his mind. Now I can only temporarily suppress the edict instead of choosing someone else." Song Guguan said with some regret.

Cao Shijin put down his wine glass, leaned forward and whispered, "That's wrong, Brother Song, you don't know that the reason His Majesty is suppressing the imperial edict is simply because he cares about old friendship."

Song Guguang showed a delighted look on his face and asked, "What do you mean?"

Cao Shijin spoke freely, "It really doesn't matter to Your Majesty who is sent as an envoy to the frontier. You chose that humble servant in the first place because of her years of service. Now that all the ministers are against it, Your Majesty will never conflict with them over a maid."

Cao Shijin said excitedly, "Your Majesty has suppressed the edict and has not changed it. It is nothing more than a little anger at the ministers for offending him."

"Although Yao Chuguang is a woman, she is still an emperor. If she changes her mind due to opposition from the ministers, it will be so embarrassing. As long as we unite more people to write a petition, His Majesty will naturally come down the ladder." Cao Shijin said in a sarcastic tone.

Song Guguang said with some concern: "Wouldn't this be too blatant?"

Signing a joint letter is no small matter. If something goes wrong, the signature will be used as evidence.

Cao Shijin said confidently, "So the more people who sign the letter, the better. The law doesn't punish everyone, and Yao Chuguang won't be able to hold them all accountable. If she lets just one off, she'll just let it go."

As he spoke, Cao Shijin took out a memorial. Song Guguang saw that many people had signed it. He even saw the names of several royal relatives.

Cao Shijin took a sip of the wine the beauty had fed him and pointed at the memorial, saying, "Brother Song, sign it quickly too. In two days, there will be a grand court meeting. Let the imperial envoy present the memorial in court, and our matter will be settled."

Song Guguang smiled and nodded gently, but the hand pressing on the memorial did not move. He said, "I have a few sons of high-ranking officials here with me. Coincidentally, they are also in Liucui Pavilion. Leave this memorial with me for now. Later, I will go find those sons and ask them to sign their names together."

Upon hearing this, Cao Shijin praised: "Brother Song is really thoughtful."

After saying that, he walked towards the back while drunkenly holding the woman in his arms. Before he had taken a few steps, he began to touch her all over impatiently, causing the woman to gasp for breath.

Soon, the unbearable moans and low growls of a man could be heard faintly.

Song Guguang frowned, looking so gloomy that it seemed as if water could drip out of it.

He turned around without saying a word and walked out of the room without looking back.

The first thing Song Guguan did when he returned to his room was to take a shower and change his clothes to wash off the smell of alcohol and cosmetics.

At this time, a servant came in with clean clothes and carefully placed the clothes aside.

Then he lowered his head and stood respectfully aside, ready to serve his master at any time.

Song Guguang stood up from the water, put on a simple coat, and tied the belt loosely, revealing a large area of cold white chest. The remaining water droplets slowly slid down his slender neck and sank into the collar.

Song Guguang pulled out a memorial from his clothes and handed it to his attendant, saying, "Anyone who comes to Liucui Pavilion tonight and whose father, brother, or relative is an official in the court, find a way to get them to sign. It doesn't matter if it means getting them drunk or promising them some benefits. As long as they sign, it will be fine."

The attendant took the letter and said respectfully, "Yes, Master."

Song Guguang turned around and returned to the table, which was filled with various documents and files. These were the chips he had carefully prepared.

Song Guguan's eyes swept over these documents, and finally his fingers caressed a file lovingly.

This file records the likes and weaknesses of officials in the court. It is a sharp weapon that he has painstakingly polished.

Song Guguang tapped his fingers lightly on the table as he began to calculate every possible variable in his mind.

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In the harem and the imperial garden, flowers are in full bloom, competing with each other in beauty, which is a breathtaking beauty.

Xue Qing strolled leisurely and admired the scenery. When she was in the imperial city of Huayang City, she never had the time or mood to appreciate the beauty of the garden.

Now that I finally have the chance, I naturally have to appreciate it carefully.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from a distance, attracting Xueqing's attention.

Turning around, she saw a woman in a white dress walking towards her.

The woman's dress fluttered like a blooming white flower, noble and elegant.

Lin Wan walked up to Xue Qing, stopped, and said with a cold and calm expression, "You actually came back alive!"

Xue Qing smiled slightly and replied calmly: "Yes, you are very disappointed, right!"

A tit-for-tat tense atmosphere instantly filled the air between the two of them, as if the air around them had become heavy.

At the same time, behind the rockery in the Imperial Garden, not far from where Xueqing was.

Yan Yunfan and Liang Xingli happened to pass by with documents in their arms.

Because of the rockery, you won't be able to spot them unless you look carefully.

Yan Yunfan naturally discovered Xue Qing, and it has been a big fuss recently.

Yan Yunfan stopped and quietly approached, then asked Liang Xingli in a low voice, "Who is that woman in white across from me?"

Liang Xingli looked up and shuddered with fear.

Recalling Lin Wan's threatening words, which were still vivid in her mind, she could only vaguely answer, "That is Madam Lin, the granddaughter-in-law of Minister Wang. She was your Majesty's study companion before she got married."

After saying that, she wanted to pull Yan Yunfan away from this place of trouble as soon as possible. These two women were not easy to deal with.

Upon hearing Lin Wan's words, Yan Yunfan leaned closer and asked, "But is she the wife of Lord Wang Liwen, the man who developed the artillery?"

Seeing Yan Yunfan stopped, Liang Xingli did not dare to rush forward to pull him, for fear of attracting the attention of the two people over there.

He had no choice but to squat down with Yan Yunfan and whispered, "Yes, your behavior is ungentlemanly. Let's leave quickly."

Yan Yunfan turned a deaf ear and made it clear that if you want to leave, you can leave, but I won’t.

Liang Xingli really wanted to abandon Yan Yunfan and leave, but when they came out, everyone saw that they were together.

If he goes back alone, if something happens, Lin Wan will find out that he was also at the scene.

Since he couldn't get rid of the suspicion, he might as well stay and watch Yan Yunfan to prevent him from doing anything more outrageous.

Yan Yunfan looked at the two people in front of him and felt that there seemed to be a strong smell of gunpowder between them.

As if to confirm Yan Yunfan's suspicions, the next second Lin Wan spoke, "The rumors about you have been getting more and more intense lately, and it seems you've slept with every barbarian in the world."

Yan Yunfan and Liang Xingli breathed a sigh of relief. Such a sudden opening was the decisive blow.

Xue Qing smiled calmly and said, "Although it's a bit exaggerated, the technique is indeed well honed. Do you want to try it?"

Yan Yunfan looked confused. Is this what he meant?

Liang Xingli "hiss", so exciting?

Lin Wan frowned and said in a deep voice, "Do you know that His Majesty has been working day and night for your affairs, while you are here leisurely strolling in the garden?"

Xue Qing remained unmoved and said, "You can't ask me to go out on the street and pull everyone over to explain. I can only ask Your Majesty to clean up the mess for me. Are you jealous of me for being so persistent today?"

Lin Wan took two steps closer with a forced smile, raised his hand and slapped Xue Qing hard in the face.

With a crisp sound, Xueqing's face was knocked to one side, and a bright red palm print immediately appeared on her fair skin.

There was a cut at the corner of his lip due to the impact of his teeth, and blood slowly flowed down the corner of his mouth.

Yan Yunfan and Liang Xingli felt the pain even from a distance. As expected of the women around the empress, they would attack directly at the slightest disagreement.

There were palm prints on her fair face, and her lips were stained red with blood, but Xueqing was not angry. She raised her finger and gently touched the blood at the corner of her lips.

He looked at the bright red blood on his fingers, and without anger or other emotions in his tone, he asked calmly, "Didn't you eat enough? You're not strong enough."

Liang Xingli, who was standing by, sighed in his heart, she was indeed a woman who could come back alive from the barbarians. She could still challenge after being slapped in the face. What a ruthless person she was.

Lin Wan snorted coldly, turned around and left without paying any attention to Xue Qing.

Looking at Lin Wan's departing back, Xue Qing suddenly laughed without warning, and the smile on her face became more and more crazy. Regardless of the wound at the corner of her mouth, she raised her smile to a twisted angle in a self-abuse manner.

Yan Yunfan and Liang Xingli, who were hiding behind the rockery, felt more and more terrified the more they looked.

At the same time, a thought arose in my mind: this woman is definitely crazy.

It's really terrible.

The two of them slowly turned their heads and looked at each other face to face.

They bent their backs in tacit understanding and left with light steps.

Leaving Xueqing alone there, after Xueqing had laughed enough, he took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, muttering to himself, "You're really petty. You've kept a record of such a small thing for so many years."

After wiping, continue to appreciate the beautiful scenery of the Imperial Garden.

At night, Yan Yunfan returned to the mansion.

Thinking over and over again about what happened today in the study, Yan Yunfan intuitively felt that this was an opportunity.

Yan Yunfan has collected a lot of information these days, and Wang Liwen is one of the people he needs to pay special attention to.

It can be said that Wang Liwen’s importance in Qi State is no less than that of generals such as Duke Li and Fu Hongxuan who hold heavy troops.

The reason why Yao Chuguang was able to conquer the Western Zhou Dynasty and the State of Yan and repel the barbarians so smoothly was not only because of Yao Chuguang's ability to deploy troops, but also because of the artillery developed by Wang Liwen.

Before, Yao Chuguang strictly guarded Wang Liwen’s identity because he was afraid that the enemy country would know it, which would be disadvantageous to Wang Liwen.

Yan Yunfan had to admit that Yao Chuguang had a sharp eye and had noticed Wang Liwen's abilities many years ago.

In order to control Wang Liwen, she was even willing to let herself study with him and ruin her reputation in order to marry into the Wang family.

In the past few days, Yan Yunfan has been thinking about how to win over Wang Liwen.

He definitely couldn't show up in person, otherwise Yao Chuguang would notice it immediately.

If it were anyone else, if their identity was not perfect, it would be easily discovered by Wang Liwen's bedmate Lin Wan. If Lin Wan knew, it would mean that Yao Chuguang also knew.

Now it seems that Lin Wan is not a piece of cake either, and she and Xue Qing are directly at odds.

Yan Yunfan felt that he could do something about this.

Use Xueqing to deal with Lin Wan and muddy the water first.

When Lin Wan and Xue Qing are fighting fiercely, it would be best to attract Yao Chuguang's attention as well.

In this way, he could take advantage of the situation to attack or win over Wang Liwen.