I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

Xu Feihong was stunned for a moment, then she understood: "You mean... this eagle is you?"

"Indeed. Your Majesty, the situation is urgent. Nanyue has not suffered any damage at all. They have ulterior motives in breaking the contract," Nighthawk said quickly. "I have discovered that Nanyue is gathering its troops, preparing to attack Daqian in a month. They are also colluding with the countries of the Western Regions and have 30,000 Western Region cavalry to assist them."

Xu Feihong's face changed drastically: "What? How dare South Vietnam have such ambitions!"

"Your Majesty, I am currently under house arrest in the capital of Nanyue, but I have learned their detailed plan," Nighthawk continued. "The South Vietnamese intend to first attack the border fortresses and then advance directly into the country."

"I understand." Xu Feihong suppressed her anger, "Are you safe now?"

"We are safe for now, but South Vietnam has already begun to suspect our identities. Your Majesty must be careful and prepare for war as soon as possible."

"Don't worry, I won't let Nanyue succeed." Xu Feihong's eyes flashed with murderous intent, "You must protect yourselves in Nanyue. I will find a way to rescue you."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, take care."

After saying this, Nighthawk flapped his wings and flew away. Zhou Qing's spirit returned to his body. He opened his eyes and found that it was already the next morning.

Wang Ming and Zhang Wu were looking at him worriedly: "Sir, you didn't sleep all night last night. Are you feeling unwell?"

"That's fine." Zhou Qing waved his hand. "I've already sent the message back. Now we just have to wait."

"It was sent back?" The two looked confused.

Zhou Qing did not explain, as some things would be more troublesome if spoken out.

Meanwhile, the capital of Daqian was already bustling with activity. Xu Feihong convened an emergency military meeting overnight and shared Zhou Qing's intelligence with the civil and military officials present.

"What? How dare Nanyue bully our Daqian!" Minister of War Wei Zhongxian slammed the table and stood up, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead a hundred thousand troops to crush Nanyue!"

"Lord Wei, please be patient." Xu Feihong waved his hand. "South Vietnam is well prepared. We cannot act rashly."

"Your Majesty, now that we know Nanyue's plan, we can take advantage of it," Minister of Finance Zheng Jiang suggested. "Why not strike first and attack them while they're unprepared?"

"That's inappropriate." Minister of Personnel Chen Yunhai shook his head. "Our Great Qian has always governed with benevolence and righteousness. If we proactively attack another country, I'm afraid we'll lose the support of the people."

"The people's hearts?" Wei Zhongxian sneered. "The South Vietnamese are about to attack our doorstep. What's the point of talking about benevolence and righteousness?"

While the ministers were arguing endlessly, Xu Feihong was thinking about another question: How to rescue Zhou Qing and others?

"Your Majesty." At this time, the Minister of War Li Jing, who had been silent until then, spoke up, "I have a plan that may resolve the current predicament."

"Lord Li, please speak."

Li Jing stood up and said, "Since South Vietnam has placed our envoys under house arrest, they have violated international etiquette. We can use this as an excuse to send troops to 'escort' the envoys back home. In name only, we're bringing them back, but in reality, we can investigate South Vietnam's military intelligence."

"This plan is brilliant!" Xu Feihong's eyes lit up. "It can not only save Zhou Qing and the others, but also give us a legitimate reason."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to go." Li Jing bowed.

"Okay, I order you to lead 30,000 elite troops to Nanyue as the commander-in-chief. Remember, your mission is nominally to retrieve the envoy, but you must be prepared for battle."

"The general will obey the order!"

While Daqian was busy preparing, Nanyue was also busy. Li Chengqian had noticed the unusual behavior of Zhou Qing and others and suspected them of being spies. **Chapter 1**

"Your Majesty, I believe that Nanyue's actions must have a deeper meaning."

Just as the court fell silent, Zhou Qing suddenly spoke. He put down his pen, stood up and saluted Xu Feihong.

"Oh? What do you think, Lord Zhou?" A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Feihong's eyes. This recorder usually doesn't talk much, but today he took the initiative to speak.

"While recording court affairs, I've noticed that South Vietnam has been sending frequent merchant caravans into the country over the past three months. Ostensibly to purchase goods, they're actually mostly staying in border towns. If cotton was truly urgently needed due to the disaster, why didn't they prepare earlier?" Zhou Qing offered a clear and logical analysis. "Furthermore, as far as I know, South Vietnam has had abundant rain this year, so how could a cold snap occur?"

Zheng Jiang's eyes lit up. "Master Zhou is absolutely right! I, too, find it strange, but I lack solid evidence."

"Evidence?" Zhou Qing raised the corner of his mouth slightly, "Your humble servant happens to have some clues."

He pulled a document from his sleeve. "This is a record of the whereabouts of the South Vietnamese caravans that I have privately compiled. Please see, these caravans are not ordinary merchants, but scouts of the South Vietnamese army."

The court was in uproar, and all the civil and military officials looked askance. How could a mere recorder gather such confidential information?

Xu Feihong took the document and looked at it carefully. The more he read, the tighter his brows furrowed. "Lord Zhou, how did you get this information?"

"Your Majesty, although I am of humble status, I have several friends doing business on the border. I heard some rumors while chatting and became concerned." Zhou Qing answered calmly. In fact, this information was obtained through secret investigations using his martial arts and keen observation skills.

"Excellent!" Xu Feihong slammed the table and stood up. "With such loyal ministers, why should I be afraid of Nanyue's schemes?"

Song Jiayun stood aside, a complex look flashing in her eyes. This Zhou Qing seemed to be far more complicated than she had imagined.

"In that case," Xu Feihong looked around at the ministers, "how do you think we should deal with this?"

"I think we should send troops to the border to give Nanyue a warning!" Li Tieshan, the Minister of War who was a military general, said in a rough voice.

"That's inappropriate," the Minister of Rites shook his head. "Now that Daqian has suffered a disaster and the treasury is empty, how can we rashly start a war?"

"Then let South Vietnam bully us?" Li Tieshan glared.

Seeing that the court was about to burst into chaos again, Zhou Qing spoke again: "My Lords, I have a plan."

"Tell me about it." Xu Feihong looked at him with interest.

"Since Nanyue wants to test Daqian's strength, why not take advantage of their own tactic?" Zhou Qing said confidently, "We can send an envoy to Nanyue, ostensibly to trade cotton, but in reality to secretly investigate Nanyue's true intentions. At the same time, we can also release some 'false news' to Nanyue to misjudge Daqian's strength."

"Brilliant!" Zheng Jiang clapped his hands in praise. "Lord Zhou's plan not only helps us understand South Vietnam's true intentions, but also confuses them. Kill two birds with one stone!"

Xu Feihong nodded: "Then who is suitable to go?"

"I am willing to go!" Several ministers volunteered at the same time.

"No," Zhou Qing shook his head. "The selection of the envoy is very important. He must be eloquent and intelligent, and he must not arouse the suspicion of the South Vietnamese. I think..."

He paused, and everyone pricked up their ears.

"I am a humble official, but I am willing to take on this responsibility."

The court fell silent instantly, and everyone was stunned. A minor official of the seventh rank was actually going on a diplomatic mission to another country?

"Lord Zhou, this matter is no joke," Xu Feihong frowned. "If Nanyue truly has ill intentions, this trip will be extremely dangerous."