"Your Highness, Your Highness, Minister Yan requests an audience."
Their conversation was interrupted by the guard's announcement. Lu Qingwan smiled, "Shall we guess what Yan Songlin is here for?"
"This man is a stranger to this prince. Of course, he is not here to report on the Qin court's affairs to me.
Besides that, the only matter worthy of my interaction with him would be the issue of Nangong Che.
Since this is a foregone conclusion, there is no fun in guessing, is there?"
Lu Qingwan pouted with a lack of interest and stood up to open the door.
As soon as she showed her face, Yan Songlin was startled.
He truly did not expect the dignified Princess Consort to personally open the door for him. He bowed through the crack in the door, having already completed the salute before his words could catch up.
Lu Qingwan, however, had already spoken, "Minister Yan, please come in."
Yan Songlin followed in, bending and bowing, and only straightened up after performing his full courtesy before Si Fengwu.
Si Fengwu was equally blunt, "What business do you have with me?"
Yan Songlin had long heard that Si Fengwu did not play by the rules. Seeing his directness, he dared not bring the circuitous ways of officialdom before Si Fengwu.
Thus, he emulated Si Fengwu and frankly asked, "Just now by the shore, Your Highness mentioned to Chang Zaiqing that the Crown Prince of Nanqi, Wu Lie, is still alive. Is this true or false?"
Feeling that his words might imply snooping, he quickly added, "His Majesty has instructed this subordinate to pay close attention to Nanqi's movements. If this matter is true, this subordinate must report the situation to His Majesty. I beg Your Highness for your understanding."
"Nangong Che is indeed still alive. In a few days, this prince will have people make a grand show of sending him back to Nanqi.
You may report what has happened here truthfully to my imperial brother, especially the matter of Nangong Che being alive. Ensure this news is spread as quickly as possible.
This prince wants Nangong Che to return to Yedu alive. You should know what to do, right?"
Yan Songlin nodded repeatedly, "This subordinate understands."
Yan Songlin was, after all, an official of the imperial court. As soon as Si Fengwu finished speaking, Yan Songlin knew his objective.
The current Emperor of Nanqi was Nangong Che's elder brother. During the palace coup, the unfavored eldest prince had transformed into the Emperor of Nanqi, while the Crown Prince who had been showered with all the love since birth had become a fugitive.
Now that Nangong Che was returning, Nanqi would surely be in turmoil. For Da Qin, this was an excellent opportunity to watch the tigers fight from the sidelines.
Even though Yan Songlin was not familiar with Si Fengwu, he had no pressure in executing such an order.
He was about to take his leave after receiving the command, but Si Fengwu called him back, "Yazhou and Danzhou are adjacent. How much do you know about the Prefect of Danzhou?"
Yan Songlin, who was already preparing to depart, stopped upon hearing this. "Your Highness, replying to you.
Chang Zaiqing, the Prefect of Danzhou, is rumored to have been an advisor to the current Emperor of Nanqi before entering officialdom. He is skilled in both civil and military arts and is highly trusted by the Emperor of Nanqi.
However, for reasons unknown, after his master ascended the throne, he was banished to the desolate region of Danzhou.
Starting from a county clerk, he reached the position of Prefect ten years ago and has remained there ever since."
Si Fengwu raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. Lu Qingwan, understanding his meaning, said, "According to Minister Yan's description, your evaluation of Chang Zaiqing seems rather high!
May I ask, Minister Yan, is what you have said known to those around Chang Zaiqing, or did you investigate it yourself?"
Yan Songlin was momentarily stunned. "Nanqi covets Da Qin. After this subordinate took office, I had people investigate the identities and backgrounds of all officials in Danzhou.
I discovered that Chang Zaiqing's records had been erased. Thus, I specifically had someone investigate further, so what this subordinate said are Chang Zaiqing's true records.
However, Your Highness, is there a difference between information that is publicly available and information that I personally investigated, when it is all the same content?"
Lu Qingwan smiled, "How can there be no difference?
Minister Yan, you must know that the last place Nangong Che was seen before disappearing from public view was precisely Danzhou!"
Yan Songlin was surprised, then clasped his hands and said, "This subordinate will immediately submit a memorial to His Majesty to report the situation here. If necessary, this subordinate will have people assist Your Highness in escorting the Crown Prince Wu Lie back to Yedu."
Si Fengwu nodded slightly, finally allowing him to leave.
As soon as Yan Songlin left, Lu Qingwan burst into laughter, "What kind of luck is this? We've encountered Nangong Che's mortal enemy as soon as we arrived!
It's as if heaven itself cannot stand it and is helping us punish those two ambitious schemers who are short on talent but big on ambition!"
Si Fengwu also couldn't help but smile, "Chang Zaiqing must have gone back to verify the situation.
Once he confirms that Nangong Che is alive, the Emperor of Nanqi will undoubtedly spare no effort to silence him before Nangong Che returns to Yedu and appears in public.
Incidentally, let's leak some information to Liu Hanyan.
Let Nangong Lie scare Nangong Che and the others. It's better than actually killing them.
If that were the case, it would have been better to have them die by our hands from the start."
Since Nangong Che and Liu Hanyan had left Illusionary Night Island alive, making them die was never the primary objective.
Using them to wear down the Emperor of Nanqi and secure more tangible benefits for Da Qin and Tianfeng was the most important thing.
Lu Qingwan chuckled, "So, what are we going to do? Are we still going to protect Nangong Che and his two sons?"
"There's no need for that. Once the news spreads, Liu Hanyan and the other interested parties in Nanqi will protect him."
As he spoke, he directly called out to the roof, "Tell our people that if anyone attempts to assassinate Nangong Che and his two sons within Nanqi's borders, they need not bother protecting them.
Just ensure their own safety and make a clean retreat."
A voice from the void responded, "Yes," and silence returned to the room.
Lu Qingwan quietly sidled up to Si Fengwu, "Didn't we agree to pick up Father King and Mother Consort and return to Zhongzhou together? Why the sudden change of plan to the posthouse?"
"My imperial brother and I have discussed it. My father and mother's past experiences will not be publicly disclosed. It will only be said that my imperial brother had been searching for them for a long time and has finally achieved his wish.
This time, I will not return with them. I will pick up Yuan'er on the way back. Father Emperor and Mother Empress will represent my imperial brother at my coronation ceremony."
Lu Qingwan sat back down in her seat, "This means their future residence has been decided?"
Si Fengwu nodded, "It has been decided. Father King and Mother Consort will reside permanently in Zhongzhou."
Si Fengwu's words were heavy, and his emotions were deeply hidden.
Lu Qingwan hugged him tightly, "It's good that it's decided. From now on, we can be at ease."
He knew Si Fengwu's sense of loss.
No child did not yearn for parental closeness and care, and Si Fengwu was no exception.
But he had long passed the age of enjoying his parents' company. If Si Rui'an and Gu Shenci remained in Tianfeng, he would be uneasy and restless.
But now that the two were going to Zhongzhou, he felt as though he had been abandoned once again.
This contradictory feeling could not be resolved, nor could it be expressed, so he could only digest it himself.
And all Lu Qingwan could give him was a firm and strong embrace.