"This foolish emperor has played a good hand, sending all seven princes to Daliang, so we dare not act rashly!" Dong Chen gritted his teeth.
Hesitant for fear of breaking the sacrificial vessel.
Within the kingdom, aside from Su Wanqing's child and Princess Zhi Rou, there were no other princes or princesses with legal claim.
Even if they wanted to cause trouble, or even rebel, they would have no one to support, no righteous cause!
Originally, they had eagerly awaited Mu Cheng's demise, but now they had to pray that Mu Cheng would not die too soon. At least not until the princes returned home.
Otherwise, if Mu Cheng suddenly met a violent end, plunging the country into chaos, they would be forced to acclaim Zhi Rou as Empress, or Su Wanqing's child.
At its founding, Daliang, like Da Qian, had emulated Da Zhou and allowed for female emperors.
Once Su Wanqing's child or Zhi Rou ascended the throne, if Qin Feng were to resolve, at any cost, to imprison or even kill the seven princes, all their efforts would come to naught.
At this moment, Qin Xun was in the Yan family's secret chamber, writing furiously, his eyes occasionally darting about, a strange smile on his face.
The door to the secret chamber slowly opened, and a burly figure entered.
It was Master Longyue!
Qin Xun turned, surprised and delighted, and immediately bowed, "Disciple greets Master!"
Master Longyue helped Qin Xun up, his face filled with relief, "You are indeed the disciple I have meticulously cultivated, understanding forbearance. Those three new crops have been sent to the Peacock Dynasty, and in the future, they can be used to feed the low-caste untouchables. His Majesty is immensely pleased; the nation's prosperity is within reach!"
"Master, Liang Xiao has persecuted our sect so severely, does our sect have no countermeasures?!" Qin Xun asked with deep pain.
Master Longyue smiled, "How could there be none? The Emperor of Daliang is already half in the grave; imperial power will be firmly in the hands of our sect's prince. When that time comes..."
Mid-sentence, Master Longyue realized he had spoken too excitedly and sat down, comforting Qin Xun.
"These are top secrets. Only the Master and the Sect Leader are aware of them in the entire sect; even the patriarchs are not privy to this knowledge. I can only keep you at a distance for propriety's sake."
Qin Xun nodded solemnly, "Your disciple will not ask what should not be asked. Everything is for the prosperity of our sect! My only wish in this life is to see Liang Xiao, like his father Liang Anguo, impaled and beheaded!"
Master Longyue asked with a smile, "How much of Qin Feng's background have you provided?"
"Too much, disciple could not finish writing it all down even if I racked my brains!" Qin Xun replied without hesitation.
Master Longyue was both surprised and delighted, "Then continue."
The moment he turned away, Master Longyue's gentle expression turned cold, revealing his murderous intent.
"By the way, Master! In the future, I, your disciple, must act as a witness and personally lead officials to search Qin Feng's residence, otherwise, I fear the stolen goods will not be found!" Qin Xun suddenly said.
Master Longyue paused in his steps and nodded slightly, "That is natural..."
The door to the secret chamber closed. Qin Xun wiped the cold sweat that had suddenly appeared on his forehead, took a deep breath, and a look of madness spread across his face.
Arranged by Liang Xiao, Chen Changqiu's family was finally able to rest easy. Protected by the Shadow Guards, they headed to the south bank of the Hengjiang River, preparing to return to Da Qian with the army.
The members of the Returning Spring Sect, upon receiving the news, were enraged but helpless.
"These rebellious people have been causing trouble in the Peacock Dynasty for decades, and may have even obtained a lot of intelligence from the indigenous rebels of our country!" Duan Hong was sweating profusely, his face full of worry.
Everyone else was equally anxious.
They could not understand why that group was suddenly accepted by Liang Xiao.
Elise decisively ordered her subordinates, "Send people to track them to Da Qian and intercept them as soon as possible!"
At night, Qin Feng brought Zhi Rou to visit Liang Xiao and Zhuo Zifang.
"My Emperor has asked me to convey that he hopes you can be happy in Daliang, rather than worry about him. He also hopes that the Prince of Bei will have a satisfying trip to Daliang. Regardless of whether you can help my Emperor, your presence in Daliang has made the people believe in friendly relations between the two countries, and my Emperor's wisdom. The people respect my Emperor even more than before. My Emperor's initial objective has been achieved," Qin Feng said earnestly.
Liang Xiao was stunned and understood. He sighed, "If I were to be too worried here and he found out, it wouldn't be good for his illness..."
So, Liang Xiao invited Qin Feng and his wife to sit down, and also called his wives and Yue Wenxin.
"Thank you, Marquis Zhenguo, for your past indulgence..." Yue Wenxin said meekly, bowing to Qin Feng.
Qin Feng saw that Yue Wenxin was like a changed person compared to the past and felt a pang of emotion. He smiled and said, "You will be happy if you follow Marquis Anguo."
Upon hearing this, Yue Wenxin's pretty face blushed, and Liang Xiao also chuckled in amusement.
Qin Feng realized he might have misspoke and quickly added, "I've also been learning chess in my spare time recently. Do you have any other novelties that we Daliang people can benefit from?"
"Coincidentally, I brought a few decks of cards. Let's play together," Liang Xiao said with a smile.
Qin Feng looked at the deck of cards Liang Xiao took out from the cabinet, a look of confusion on his face.
"Are the numbers on these the 'numerals' you've been promoting?"
Each card in the deck had only simple patterns and numbers; they were ordinary playing cards.
Liang Xiao explained, "These are playing cards that I had people draw at home. My wives usually play cards to pass the time."
"Playing cards??" Qin Feng and his wife were taken aback.
Zhuo Zifang beside them pouted, "It's quite fun, but I always lose when I gamble..."
Liang Xiao immediately explained the rules of "Dou Dizhu" (Fight the Landlord), and Qin Feng gladly requested to try.
The three gentlemen from the two countries, under the surprised gaze of everyone present, began to play a three-player game of Dou Dizhu.
Zhuo Zifang lost ten consecutive rounds, sitting to the side dejectedly, not saying a word.
"This Dou Dizhu is quite fun, but why haven't you promoted it?" Qin Feng asked curiously.
Liang Xiao explained, "It's because I haven't figured out how to legislate to restrict gambling within the country, to avoid poisoning the people. After all, a sound-minded man should be at odds with gambling and drugs."
"What are drugs?" Qin Feng asked curiously.
"They are some addictive substances that people ingest, such as Five-Stone Powder," Liang Xiao answered vaguely.
Qin Feng pondered, "Everything has a limit. With proper official guidance, once the situation between the two countries stabilizes, Dou Dizhu can be promoted."
Liang Xiao then discussed chess with Qin Feng and chatted about everyday matters; no state affairs were mentioned that night.
After Qin Feng and his wife left, Zhuo Zifang also returned to draft the official documents for the next day.
Seeing that only Liang Xiao and his wives were around, Yue Wenxin excitedly said, "Brother-in-law, I want to play Dou Dizhu too!"
Liang Xiao looked at Luo Qingxue, "Let your sisters teach you. Your sister Qingxue is known as the Goddess of Gamblers."
Yue Wenxin looked at Luo Qingxue, "Is my sister that good? Have you played against brother-in-law? Were there any stakes?"
Hearing this, Luo Qingxue and the other two women blushed in unison, not daring to respond.
Stakes...
Liang Xiao pouted, "No need for stakes."
Yue Wenxin grumbled, "It's more fun with stakes!"
"Then sit to the side and watch your brother-in-law challenge the Goddess of Gamblers," Liang Xiao muttered to himself, pulling the blushing Luo Qingxue and Jian Qinwan to sit down.
An hour later, Liang Xiao, his face covered in lip prints, left with satisfaction.
Yue Wenxin obediently sat down and played Dou Dizhu with her sisters, no longer daring to mention stakes.
Later, Dou Dizhu also became one of the entertainment pastimes for the people of Da Qian.
The next morning, a bright red sedan chair left the Yue residence, carried all the way to the Honglu Temple.