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

"It seems like this is indeed a trap." Zhou Qing said solemnly, "The man completed his mission and was silenced."

Xu Feihong's face turned pale: "What a despicable Bei Yan, how could he be so despicable!"

"Your Majesty, the most important thing now is how we should respond." Zhou Qing reminded, "Since those letters are fake, we cannot act according to their contents."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Zhou Qing pondered for a moment. "I think we can send real spies into South Vietnam to find out the truth. At the same time, we can announce to the outside world that we are preparing an envoy's visit to buy time."

"This is a very good plan." Xu Feihong nodded. "Then who should we choose as the spy?"

"I am willing to go." Zhou Qing volunteered.

"No!" Xu Feihong refused without a second thought, "You are my confidant now, how can you take this risk?"

"Your Majesty, I come from a humble background, making it the easiest for me to infiltrate. Moreover, I have a better understanding of the situation in South Vietnam, so I have a greater chance of success," Zhou Qing insisted.

Xu Feihong hesitated: "But what if something unexpected happens..."

"Your Majesty, for the safety of Daqian, what is this risk?" Zhou Qing said firmly.

Xu Feihong looked at Zhou Qing, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart. The time they had spent together had made her trust this young man more and more.

"Okay, but you have to promise me that you will return safely." Xu Feihong said.

"My minister obeys."

That night, Zhou Qing secretly left the capital, changed into merchant's clothes, took some goods with him, and planned to sneak into Nanyue under the pretext of doing business.

Three days later, Zhou Qing arrived at the border of South Vietnam. South Vietnam was a small country, but its geographical location was important and it had always been a focus of contention among various countries.

Zhou Qing settled down in a small border town and began to gather information. Soon, he discovered something unusual.

"Boss, I heard that the price of cotton purchased in South Vietnam is much higher than in previous years?" Zhou Qing asked casually.

"That's right!" the innkeeper said in a low voice. "I heard that a big customer came from the north and specifically wanted high-quality cotton."

"North?" Zhou Qing's mind moved, "Which country is it?"

"Shh!" The boss waved his hands quickly. "Don't talk about things like that. But I heard that those people all spoke with a Northern Yan accent."

Zhou Qing understood in his heart that it seemed that Beiyan was indeed operating in secret.

The next day, Zhou Qing successfully entered South Vietnam and found that the situation in South Vietnam was more complicated than he had imagined.

In a small town, Zhou Qing met a South Vietnamese businessman.

"Brother, I heard that you are from Daqian?" the businessman took the initiative to speak.

"That's right. My surname is Zhou and I run a small business." Zhou Qing replied.

"Then you've come at the wrong time." The merchant shook his head. "Trade between Nanyue and Daqian has basically ceased. I'm afraid you won't be able to sell your goods."

"Why?" Zhou Qing pretended to be confused.

"It's because the price offered by Northern Yan is higher," the merchant sighed. "We in Southern Vietnam are already poor, so we sell to whoever offers the highest price."

"Isn't Daqian an old customer?"

"What's the use of being an old customer?" the merchant said disdainfully. "Bei Yan's prices are not only high, but they also promised to provide weapons and equipment. The Lord will naturally choose the one that is more beneficial to us."

Zhou Qing was shocked. Weapons and equipment? It seemed that Beiyan had big ambitions.

"Weapons and equipment?" Zhou Qing asked tentatively.

"Of course!" the businessman said proudly, "I heard that Northern Yan is planning to build a military base in South Vietnam. Then we in South Vietnam won't have to fear anyone anymore!"

Zhou Qing was shocked. If Beiyan really established a military base in Nanyue, it would be a huge threat to Daqian.

"Then your king agrees?"

"Of course I agree!" the merchant said excitedly. "A few days ago, an envoy from Northern Yan came and brought a lot of goodies. The Lord was very happy!"

Zhou Qing silently noted down this information, and in his heart he understood the true purpose of Northern Yan. Not only did they want to cut off Daqian's trade sources, but they also wanted to establish a military base in Nanyue, forming an encirclement of Daqian.

That evening, Zhou Qing prepared to return to Daqian to report the situation. But just as he was about to leave, he encountered trouble.

"Stop!" Several South Vietnamese soldiers blocked his way.

"Comrades, is there anything wrong?" Zhou Qing pretended to be calm.

"You are a spy of Daqian!" the leading soldier pointed at him and said.

Zhou Qing was shocked. Was he exposed?

"Sir, you're joking. I'm just an ordinary businessman." Zhou Qing quickly defended himself.

"Humph, you're still trying to quibble!" the soldier sneered, "Someone reported you for snooping around for military intelligence. You're clearly a spy!"

Zhou Qing secretly groaned, it seemed that someone suspected him.

"Someone, arrest him!"

Just then, a familiar voice rang out: "Wait!"

Zhou Qing looked back and saw that it was the South Vietnamese businessman he had met before.

"Brother Wang, this man is my friend, not a spy." The merchant said to the soldier.

"Really?" The soldier was a little skeptical.

"Of course it's real!" the merchant assured, patting his chest. "I introduced him here. He's here specifically to buy goods."

The soldiers were skeptical, but for the sake of the merchant, they released Zhou Qing.

"Thank you very much for saving my life!" Zhou Qing said gratefully.

"You're welcome," the businessman said with a smile, "but you really should be careful. The inspections have been very strict lately."

Zhou Qing nodded, but he was thinking about how to leave here as soon as possible.

Zhou Qing traveled all night and finally arrived back in Daqian at dawn the next day. He rushed back to the capital without stopping and immediately asked to see the empress.

"Your Majesty, I'm back!" Zhou Qing knelt in front of the palace, panting.

"Lord Zhou, you're finally back!" Xu Feihong felt relieved when she saw Zhou Qing return safely. "Hurry up, how's the situation?"

Zhou Qing stood up and reported in detail what he had seen and heard in South Vietnam. When Xu Feihong heard that Beiyan was going to establish a military base in South Vietnam, his face instantly turned pale.

"What a Beiyan! Their wolfish ambitions are obvious!" Xu Feihong said angrily.

"Your Majesty, the most important thing now is how to respond," Zhou Qing reminded. "If we allow Northern Yan to establish a military base in South Vietnam, our Great Qian will be attacked from both sides."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

Zhou Qing pondered for a moment. "I believe we can unite with Western Chu to jointly deal with Northern Yan. Although Western Chu has had some friction with our Daqian, facing the threat from Northern Yan, they should consider cooperation."

"This plan is feasible." Xu Feihong nodded. "Then who should be the envoy?"

"I am willing to go on another diplomatic mission." Zhou Qing volunteered.

"No!" Xu Feihong refused without a second thought. "You just came back from Nanyue, you're exhausted both physically and mentally. How can you immediately go on another diplomatic mission to Western Chu?"

"Your Majesty, time is running out and we cannot lose any time," Zhou Qing insisted.

As he was speaking, Song Jiayun hurried in: "Your Majesty, this is bad! News has come from the border that the South Vietnamese army is gathering and there seems to be some unusual movement!"

Xu Feihong and Zhou Qing were both shocked.