"I heard from Xuanlou that His Majesty the King of Li has mobilized a large number of people to the capital of Li Kingdom?" Shen Qianmo looked at Nalan Rong indifferently, seemingly casual, but in fact, she was carefully observing Nalan Rong's every expression.
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, Nalan Rong first narrowed her eyes, then a smile appeared on her face as she looked at Shen Qianmo with a mixture of scrutiny and doubt. A few thoughts flashed quickly through her light blue eyes.
Shen Qianmo discreetly withdrew her scrutinizing gaze, casually picking up her teacup, her mind racing. Nalan Rong's expression revealed his uncertainty. He wasn't sure if Shen Qianmo knew his plan.
Since that's the case, she might as well pretend she doesn't know.
"That's right. It's for better control of Kyoto." Nalan Rong pondered for a moment and replied calmly. He wondered what Shen Qianmo was up to. He'd test her then and see how she would handle it.
Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow. Was she testing her?! Just what she wanted. She wanted to see how Nalan Rong would handle this question. A faint smile played on her lips, her eyes dark and unfathomable. She said calmly, "Control the capital? Hasn't the capital already been under His Majesty the Prince of Li's control for a long time? But Qianmo really doesn't understand why His Majesty the Prince of Li isn't deploying troops at this time, but instead is gathering experts to the capital. What is his intention?"
When Nalan Rong heard Shen Qianmo's words, she looked up and saw that the woman's dark eyes were half-smiling and half-smiling, revealing no emotion. The smile at the corner of her mouth was faint and showed no clue.
Was she asking this question because she already knew what he was thinking and was deliberately testing him, or did she genuinely not know his intentions?
This Shen Qianmo is both real and fake; even he can't grasp how much she actually knows.
Seeing Shen Qianmo's leisurely smile, Nalan Rong slowly smiled back. Since Shen Qianmo had taken the initiative to find him, it must be to test him; and since it was to test him, it meant she was uncertain.
"To be honest, I did have another purpose in gathering these experts. However, it involves the secrets of the Li Kingdom, so I cannot disclose it," Nalan Rong replied with a smile.
Upon hearing Nalan Rong's reply, Shen Qianmo's smile remained unchanged, but inwardly she cursed, "How cunning Nalan Rong is! He thinks he can get away with this with just a 'secret of the Li Kingdom'?!"
She was perfectly aware of Nalan Rong's intentions. However, she wanted to pretend not to know, so she naturally went along with Nalan Rong's words, "Since it concerns the secrets of the Li Kingdom, Qianmo will not ask any further questions, but Your Majesty the King of Li should not forget the agreement with Tianmo!"
Three-point threat, three-point probing.
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, a barely perceptible glint of excitement flashed in Nalan Rong's eyes. Since Shen Qianmo hadn't noticed his true intentions, he could secretly make his plans. He was no stranger to Shen Qianmo's martial arts skills; he wouldn't act rashly without thorough preparation.
“Of course I won’t forget,” Nalan Rong replied with a smile.
Shen Qianmo sneered inwardly. On the surface, however, she pretended to still not quite believe it, carefully looked at Nalan Rong, and revealed an expression that said she would continue to monitor him.
Nalan Rong wasn't stupid; she knew her own limitations. If she acted too foolishly, it would arouse Nalan Rong's suspicion, so she had to act this way, a mixture of truth and falsehood.
"I hope His Majesty the King of Li will not have any other intentions! Otherwise, it will only be the Li Kingdom that suffers." Shen Qianmo looked at Nalan Rong with a hint of warning in his dark eyes.
Nalan Rong didn't flinch, meeting Shen Qianmo's dark eyes in unison. Their light blue eyes met, both equally deep and equally imposing.
After a long while, Nalan Rong withdrew his gaze and laughed, "Li Kingdom is only this big. Even if it has ambitions, it's useless."
Shen Qianmo also withdrew her gaze, glancing subtly at Nalan Rong's back. She had a feeling that there was someone behind Nalan Rong. She could sense a faint presence, but upon closer inspection, she felt as if there was nothing there at all.
That's impossible. With her martial arts skills, if someone really existed, she couldn't possibly be completely oblivious. But why does she have this strange feeling? If such a person truly exists, then Nalan Rong will be even more difficult to deal with. It seems I really need to be cautious.
“It’s really boring to always talk about national affairs.” Xuan Lou saw that the two of them were silent, pursed his lips slightly, and said gently.
Nalan Rong raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xuan Lou. Xuan Lou was the young master of the Seven Absolutes Manor, a status that was quite special in the eyes of anyone who aspired to dominate the world.
If he could bring Xuanlou under his control, then the Li Kingdom wouldn't be in a rush to acquire weapons. But given the relationship between Xuanlou and Shen Qianmo, is it even possible for him to bring Xuanlou under his command?!
According to his intelligence network, Xuan Lou is a seemingly gentle but actually indifferent person. Why would someone like him be willing to follow Shen Qianmo?
"What is Xuanlou planning to do?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow and teased, "Could it be that he wants to get married?"
Xuan Lou felt a flicker of embarrassment when he heard Shen Qianmo's teasing words, but he quickly regained his composure and laughed, "Qianmo, what are you joking about?"
Nalan Rong looked at Xuan Lou and Shen Qianmo, a knowing glint in his eyes. Xuan Lou's change in expression had happened in an instant, yet he had noticed it. When embarrassment appeared on Xuan Lou's face, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.
If he wasn't mistaken, Xuan Lou had fallen for Shen Qianmo.
Love is truly a harmful word. Since that's the case, if he controls Shen Qianmo, it's equivalent to controlling the power of Tianmo and Qijue Manor at the same time, which would be a win-win situation.
A calculating smile crept across Nalan Rong's face before her eyes returned to their usual calm. She pointed to the stage in front of her and said with a smile, "Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let's enjoy the play. As you all know, I dislike listening to these political matters while watching a play."
Shen Qianmo looked up at the stage. There was no denying that Liufangzhai's opera was indeed excellent; no wonder it attracted so many people to watch.
Seeing that the wariness on Shen Qianmo and Xuan Lou's faces had dissipated and they were focused on watching the show, Nalan Rong smiled almost imperceptibly and said, "I've heard that Empress Tianmo has a good capacity for alcohol?"
Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow, a hint of understanding flashing in her eyes, and asked with feigned surprise, "Who told Your Majesty, Prince Li?"
"The Demon Palace Master, Mo Chi, is exceptionally elegant and a master of wine. He once got Li Sanfu, who called himself the Wine Immortal, drunk, leaving him utterly humiliated. This is a story widely circulated throughout the martial world." Nalan Rong looked at Shen Qianmo with a playful smile.
Shen Qianmo's dark eyes concealed his emotions, and a faint smile played on his lips as he said, "It was just a matter of using some tricks."
She did indeed use tricks when drinking with Li Sanfu. You see, Li Sanfu calls himself the Wine Immortal, so his alcohol tolerance is naturally beyond the reach of ordinary people. Although her alcohol tolerance is also very good, she had no need to compete with Li Sanfu head-on. The reason she made Li Sanfu lose so badly that day was only because she used some tricks.
"Whether it's really drinkable or not, we'll find out when we try it another day!" Nalan Rong seemed to be getting excited, looking at Shen Qianmo with a curious expression.
"Alright, alright. We'll definitely have a drink another day, but it has to be agarwood wine, okay?" A glint of light flashed in Shen Qianmo's eyes, as if she had also become interested, and she greeted him with a smile.
A cold smile crept across her mind. She wondered why Nalan Rong would suddenly bring up the time she got drunk during the hottest days of summer; it turned out he was using that as an excuse to invite her for drinks. Presumably, when he invited her for drinks, Nalan Rong had already prepared everything and was ready to make his move.
From this perspective, this drinking party was nothing short of a trap. There must have been something tampered with the drinks. That's why she chose agarwood. Agarwood is indeed a fine wine, and it's a wine she's always enjoyed. She likes agarwood because of its sweet taste and its unique aroma; if something else were added, she could easily tell.
This is why Shen Qianmo specifically reminded Nalan Rong to drink agarwood. No other poisons can be added to agarwood, otherwise it will be easily detected. This is something only a master of poisons would know. Presumably, even if Nalan Rong had poison, he might not understand these principles of toxicology.
Furthermore, even if Nalan Rong knew all this, she wouldn't doubt her, because she loved drinking agarwood, which was common knowledge throughout the martial arts world.
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's agreement, Nalan Rong's smile widened, a deep light flashing in his eyes. He laughed, "Although agarwood wine is precious, my Li Kingdom has its own! I'll make sure you drink to your heart's content."
Shen Qianmo felt relieved. It seemed that Nalan Rong was unaware of the effects of agarwood, which was perfect. She would see what tricks Nalan Rong was up to. She smiled and said, "Then thank you very much, Your Majesty Prince Li."
While watching the opera, they subtly probed each other before dispersing.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted!" As soon as Shen Qianmo returned to the inn, she stretched and immediately changed from a shrewd and wise look to a lazy one.
Xuan Lou looked at Shen Qianmo gently, a smile spreading across his lips. Now, Shen Qianmo seemed as lazy as a cat and as cunning as a fox, seemingly without any sharp teeth or claws. But if you had seen the murderous intent and ruthlessness on her face, you would definitely think that she was actually as fierce as a wolf and as decisive as a leopard.