Lu Qing was exasperated by Si Xitong's complex and ever-changing divination. She scratched her head and said, "Your Highness, to avoid any errors in the divination recently, may I stay by your side and serve you for the time being?"
Si Xitong didn't like being around outsiders, so she didn't agree. But thinking about the divination Lu Qing had mentioned, she decided to try it herself.
Is it accurate or not? If it is… The thought stopped, and Si Xitong's face paled even more. No, this absolutely cannot happen!
This person was then kept under observation for a few days.
"You may leave now! I will be at Jianzhang Palace for the next few days, you can come over."
Having received consent, Lu Qing beamed with delight: "Your Highness is becoming more and more opinionated."
"Own opinion?" Si Xitong raised an eyebrow, pursed her lips, and said nothing more.
At Lanzhang Palace, a military captain is reporting on matters concerning Jianzhang Palace.
"Marshal, the Mistress summoned that Mohist disciple inside for quite some time and then dismissed us, so we didn't hear the details," the guard said. "Should we arrest the guards of Jianzhang Palace for interrogation?"
Xie Lanzhi raised her hand to stop her: "You don't need to keep an eye on Madam, you just need to keep an eye on that woman."
The personal guard said, "This humble general will certainly guard the marshal's rear area well, and prevent any women from getting close."
Xie Lanzhi felt her subordinates were misunderstanding something. She wasn't jealous at all; this woman was different from Li Li—not a rival in love. On the contrary, the other woman was the trigger for the Little Phoenix Empress's storyline.
She chased the person away.
They timed it perfectly and figured the little phoenix would be arriving at Lanzhang Palace soon.
Sure enough, the other woman returned.
The sound of Xiao Xiu receiving the emperor echoed into the hall.
The hostess gave a soft "hmm," and Xie Lanzhi lay down on the edge of the bed, assuming a napping posture.
She could hear footsteps nearby, faint and undisturbed. It seemed they had no intention of calling her.
Xie Lanzhi couldn't hold back any longer. She immediately opened her eyes and saw a magnified, exquisite face. Even with her natural beauty and stunning looks, she was still startled by her beloved.
"Fu, Fu Feng." She glanced to the right and saw that the woman was already squatting by the bed. She held onto the edge of the bed with her arms, quietly leaning over her body and dangling in the air, her dark eyes staring at her.
It's like looking at... a mysterious and profound object.
For some reason, Xie Lanzhi had this feeling of déjà vu. She guessed it must be related to that sorceress Lu Qing.
Her little phoenix also underwent some changes.
Si Xitong stared at her longingly, without saying a word. She just kept staring at her.
Xie Lanzhi had no choice but to turn over and change her position so that she could see her. Si Xitong naturally moved over as well. This time, she lifted her skirt with her slender fingertips and sat on the edge of the bed with her back to Xie Lanzhi, lost in thought all alone.
She used to tell her everything first. Now she just keeps it all to herself.
Xie Lanzhi never expected that Lu Qing's appearance would bring such a big change to Little Phoenix.
She couldn't help but ask with concern, "Little Phoenix, is something troubling you? Tell me, I'll help you..."
"Lanzhi always treated me like a child."
"Is it because you've always treated me like a child that you haven't made any moves towards me?"
The tone was almost certain.
She stared at the woman who had been silent just moments before. Suddenly, she stood up, her back to the woman, her hair cascading gracefully down her waist, but her tone was firm and unyielding: "Also, Lanzhi seems rather careless and neglectful of others today."
Xie Lanzhi was slightly taken aback. "Disorganized, carefree?"
Her little phoenix said she was carefree.
Does she still treat her like a child? Nothing's happened? What kind of reaction should she make to her?
The following day, the two thrones in the Golden Palace were empty, and their owners were nowhere to be seen.
The ministers whispered among themselves, wondering why the two emperors, who were always diligent and hardworking, had both skipped the morning court session.
Wu Qiu also looked puzzled.
The others rushed to ask him what had happened. Wu Qiu couldn't answer either, so he could only reassure everyone to calm down.
On the street, a mother and daughter browsed various shops and picked up a lot of things. Behind them, a group of Jin soldiers were all carrying gifts, their hands full, not even having a knife to take out.
Qianqian was dazzled by the prosperity of Tianjing: "Mother, there are so many things that we Hu Xiongnu don't have. No wonder Father said that the Central Plains is a land of great resources and outstanding people. But Father also said that there are wars everywhere now, but I haven't seen anyone die here."
The little girl's unintentional words made Lu Qing suspicious. Her daughter was right; even the most powerful northern Xiongnu, without external threats, would not be as prosperous and captivating as this unclaimed Central Plains.
No wonder Aqina has always coveted the South.
But... how could there be such splendor before His Highness has even arrived at the palace? Indeed, that Marshal Xie is very suspicious.
Lu Qing went to the clothing shop and, while changing her daughter's clothes, whispered to her, "Before, there were too many spies at Zhaixing Tower, so I didn't dare to ask you. Now that His Highness's people are behind you, I'll ask you what you said you saw on Marshal Xie that day. Tell me."
Qianqian blinked and said, "Sister's clothes are exactly the same as Princess Sister's. They're both sparkly."
It really was her.
Could it be that there really are two emperors? Lu Qing's expression suddenly became extremely serious: "If that's the case, these two have a harmonious relationship and are inseparable."
They will eventually reunite, but will inevitably separate again!
Marshal Xie might even be His Highness's enemy!
With a formidable enemy at hand, and burdened with her father's command to assist His Highness, she naturally could not stand idly by.
Lu Qing put down the jacket her daughter had chosen, then carried her out of the changing room. Just as they stepped out of the clothing store, two dark figures silently appeared overhead, one in each hand, wielding a sickle and a meteor hammer. With a "whirl," they hovered over Lu Qing's head.
"Mother, they've caught up with us!" Qianqian cried out in terror.
Lu Qing couldn't react in time and could only toss her daughter to safety while reaching into her clothes for bottles and jars. But she was no match for the assassin who launched the sneak attack.
Oh no! In a panic, Lu Qing grabbed one at random and was about to throw it away.
"Die! Traitor!!" The meteor hammer and the long chain sickle were about to smash Lu Qing's head open and draw blood.
Suddenly a gust of wind swept through the street. As the wind subsided, the black-scaled armor descended from the sky. A golden halberd in a person's hand moved like a dragon. With a sweeping motion, the scythe and hammer clashed, their blades colliding with a crisp, resounding clang. The blade flashed and sparks flew. The meteor hammer made a piercing sound, but the spikes were severed. The scythe, however, was directly cleaved in two.
The two assassins were taken aback.
"Who dares to meddle in other people's business?!"
"How dare you block my Xiongnu territory!"
"How dare you act so arrogantly on my turf?" The man's calm tone concealed a murderous intent. The two men were forced back several steps by a fierce gust of wind emanating from the meddlesome man's blade. Before the man appeared, the blade was already there, and the killing intent emanated from above.
The two assassins looked up and saw a black cloak fluttering like a flag, long legs bent at the knees, then straightened up and suddenly pressed down on their shoulders, like a giant cauldron weighing a thousand pounds, causing the stone slabs beneath their feet to crack, their knees hitting the ground, and they gritted their teeth to withstand this monstrous force! However, the second attack, with the long halberd retracted, slashed at their necks from behind.
A woman's voice rang out from the second floor of the guest building: "Please make sure to leave someone alive."
Chapter 84 I am a woman
The long halberd paused, its fierce momentum halting, and the unstoppable wind in mid-air transformed into a force that slammed into the backs of the assassins' heads, instantly stunning them.
Thump! The two assassins collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
As Xie Lanzhi landed, her black boots with red trim stepped onto the assassin's back. She stood there without moving an inch, her gaze indifferently glancing at Lu Qing.
"Strange, a monster!" Lu Qing's scalp tingled. She seized the opportunity to scoop up her daughter and run behind the Jin soldiers. The Jin soldiers threw down their gifts and then remembered to draw their swords to protect her.
Because the assassin appeared so quickly and was dealt with so quickly by the female general in front of them, ordinary people barely had time to react.
The battle was over as soon as the passersby turned around.
If it weren't for the woman's cool voice coming from the second floor of the restaurant on the right, drawing attention to a female officer apprehending a criminal, many people wouldn't have noticed.
The people crossing the street realized what was happening and immediately pushed and shoved to the side, shouting, "Yes, someone is going to kill someone in the street!"
"Go report this to the authorities immediately!"
The slanting shadows cast on the street made the golden halberd in her hand gleam sharply. Xie Lanzhi stood holding the halberd, looking up at the second floor.
Their eyes met, and both of them were startled.
Si Xitong bit her thin lips slightly, her gaze reflecting the dark figure. No one dared to approach her on the street, and she stood on the ground, subduing two assassins with a single move.
The verses behind her suddenly felt incredibly guilty.
Si Xitong lowered her voice and coldly warned, "If I hold you accountable again later..."
Zhang Ju lowered his head, not daring to utter a sound.
Xie Lanzhi moved her feet away, and the Jin soldiers quickly collected the weapons that had fallen to the ground and carried the person away.
Xie Lanzhi led Lu Qing and her daughter directly through the first floor, up the stairs, to the hostess's private room on the second floor.
Now she no longer needs to use her light-footed skills to attract attention.
Xie Lanzhi appeared on the second floor, and the beautiful figure leaning against the balcony railing turned to face her.
Si Xitong was emotionally agitated, but with outsiders present, she stubbornly asked, "I would like to ask the Marshal why he is here?"
"I also want to ask you, why did you say I was lax yesterday?" Both of them were in a bad mood yesterday, and today they ran into each other because of the same intelligence to capture the assassin, which intensified the already lingering tension between them.
Not wanting to be distracted by her, Si Xitong reminded her, "Marshal, please understand the situation. This is my intelligence!"
Xie Lanzhi leaned the Changjian against the tea table, freeing her hands as she walked towards Si Xitong: "It's also my intelligence. Even your people are mine."
Domineering and resolute. It seems to contradict her attitude.
Si Xitong: "You!"
Xie Lanzhi also lowered her voice and reminded her, "Can you handle this? Do you know martial arts? Don't be fooled by how easily I subdued those two; they are both top-notch masters."
As soon as he finished speaking, the only outsider on the second floor was finally noticed by the two masters.
Zhang Ju stepped forward under pressure and said, "The meteor hammer and the sickle chain are both weapons ranked within the top twenty in the martial arts world, and both... are coated with poison. Even a slight injury will be fatal. According to intelligence, these two assassins are also top-tier experts on the list."
Lu Qing met his gaze with a blank stare, hiding to the side trembling and not daring to speak, because the aura from that side was too domineering.
Xie Lanzhi pressed her gums slightly, knowing that her competitive spirit was extremely strong. Once it was aroused, it would never end, and she wouldn't listen to any reasoning. Since they were both women, they couldn't reason with each other. So she gave up competing with her and handed the assassin over to Zhang Ju.
Si Xitong conceded a step, turned her head and bit her lip, and ordered, "Drag her to the Department of Cautious Punishment. I want to watch you interrogate her myself."
"Excuse me, Marshal, please don't stick to me like a bean curd cake again later."
"Little Phoenix." Forget about some marshal, let's just say her name directly.
"Marshal, just say my name directly."