She tried to hide her reluctance, but it couldn't escape Feng Xiwu's keen eyes. Almost without hesitation, Feng Xiwu said to her, "Don't overthink it. Yue Yuanting wants to sell the Great Qian Royal Army, but he'll have to see if this King agrees first."
Lu Qingwan looked up in surprise and met Feng Xiwu's unusually stern gaze.
"Believe this King. It will only take a small sacrifice. Let the Great Qian Royal Army and Xue Liangchen on the southern bank of Emerald Lake discover the issue with the military supplies and provisions. Then, the Xuanjia Army will swiftly act to save them from peril.
The gruesome scene of mountains of corpses you imagine, this King will not allow it to happen."
It was an unexpected answer, yet Lu Qingwan felt it was exactly what Feng Xiwu would do.
He possessed both the decisiveness of a general and the rational compassion of a ruler.
Lu Qingwan suddenly recalled that common, clichéd saying from the Great Heavenly Dynasty: your kindness must have an edge.
Wasn't that describing Feng Xiwu right before her?
Knowing that the Great Qian Royal Army on the southern bank of Emerald Lake was controlled by Feng Qingheng and would not easily pledge allegiance to him, he decided to let them witness the unreliability of the one they were loyal to and the brutality of the Northern Wei cavalry.
However, he also knew that those Great Qian Royal Army soldiers were merely following orders and did not deserve to die. Thus, he had already arranged for the Xuanjia Army to be ready to save them from the curved blades of the Northern Wei cavalry.
Lu Qingwan, considering herself intelligent, felt that even if she were to handle these Great Qian Royal Army soldiers, she couldn't achieve the same level of convincing results as Feng Xiwu.
"We've been crossing the Emerald River for some time now. By now, shouldn't the two sides have engaged in battle?"
"Not only have they engaged, but within three days, the news of the Royal Army's crushing defeat should reach Shangjing."
The dining table was already laden with delicacies. Feng Xiwu expertly served Lu Qingwan a few of her favorite small dishes.
"With this King here, you don't need to worry about anything. Eat first, rest a while, and then this King will take you to see Prime Minister Wen."
With even the Royal Army on the southern bank of Emerald River taken care of, Lu Qingwan had no doubt that Feng Xiwu was truly ready to take over Great Qian, with only the east wind lacking.
And that east wind was themselves.
As long as they made their move, Feng Qingheng's feeble west wind would be completely overpowered by their east wind.
No longer burdened by the affairs of various factions, she was finally able to enjoy the feast with peace of mind.
The journey had been arduous. She hadn't felt tired on the road, but the moment they stopped, the accumulated fatigue of several days surged in.
After finishing her meal, Lu Qingwan, too sleepy to wait to return to her room, nodded off, her head dipping precariously close to her bowl.
Feng Xiwu watched, both pained and anxious. When she finally put down her chopsticks, he immediately picked her up and carried her back to their room.
Exhausted to the extreme, Lu Qingwan, however, slept restlessly. She woke in the night, and before she could even figure out what time it was, Feng Xiwu was also awake.
Lu Qingwan, groggy-eyed, asked him, "Are we going to the Prime Minister's manor now?"
Feng Xiwu looked at her, her eyes too tired to fully open, and said with concern, "If you're really that sleepy, we can go another time. It's not that urgent."
"Let's still go. I'm too tired, my bones ache, and I can't sleep. I'll catch up on sleep tomorrow after we're done."
Prime Minister Wen was the head of Great Qian's officials and the spiritual leader of all those who had once been loyal to Emperor Jingyou.
Most of these men were selfless, valuing the Great Qian dynasty more than their own lives.
If they were not appeased, whether they opposed Feng Xiwu's ascension to the throne of Great Qian or chose to sacrifice themselves for the country when the capital was besieged by troops, it would be a great loss for both Lu Qingwan and Feng Xiwu.
...
That night, the two entered the Prime Minister's manor through the back door.
Before their arrival, they had sent a message via their shadow guards to the manor. By the time they arrived, Prime Minister Wen was already awake.
The elder, in his seventies, dressed in a loose Taoist robe, waited in his study. Upon seeing Lu Qingwan and Feng Xiwu, he greeted them with his usual formality.
"Your humble servant pays respects to the Prince and the Princess Consort."
Knowing that the elder had always ingrained etiquette into his bones, neither of them dodged the greeting.
Only after Prime Minister Wen stood up did Feng Xiwu personally help him to a seat, saying, "Apologies for disturbing you so late at night."
"There's no need for apologies. We both understand the current situation. I imagine your return at this time must have caused that person quite a bit of trouble?"
Prime Minister Wen shook his head with a bitter smile. "This old man labored his whole life for Great Qian, and in the end, I was held captive by the Emperor of Great Qian to be used as a hostage to threaten a foreign prince. If this were to get out, it would be a laughingstock!"
Lu Qingwan slyly glared at Feng Xiwu from the corner of her eye. "We agreed we were just coming to ask for help. Why did you have to tell Prime Minister Wen about the disgusting things that scoundrel Feng Qingheng did?"
Prime Minister Wen's heart was solely dedicated to the Great Qian dynasty. Despite his affection for Feng Xiwu, when he was unaware of the truth, he had agreed to Feng Qingheng's proposal of her marrying into the Qin kingdom.
He had been filled with remorse and regret afterward, but he hadn't changed his mind.
Now, knowing that he had become a hostage of Feng Qingheng, used to threaten Feng Xiwu and Lu Qingwan, how must the old man be feeling?
Feng Xiwu looked at her accusing glance with bewilderment. Prime Minister Wen quickly explained from the side, "Princess Consort, there's no need to blame the Prince. This old man, along with Elder Chi and Prince Nan, had already displeased His Majesty over the past year.
He never concealed his despicable intentions from us.
He even requested that I, Scholar Chi, Prince Nan, and the heir of Prince Nan write letters of appeal separately to you and the Prince, asking you two to use the Qin army to help Great Qian resist the Northern Wei cavalry.
None of our three families agreed, and only then did he himself send envoys to meet you and the Prince..."
Prime Minister Wen's tone was quite sarcastic. "To this day, His Majesty, knowing that Great Qian is on the brink of collapse, still refuses to bow to you and the Prince.
He even naively believes that the Prince would aid Great Qian out of consideration for the late Emperor."
As he spoke, he suddenly knelt down towards the two of them.
Lu Qingwan and Feng Xiwu were both startled. Not to mention that Prime Minister Wen was already in his seventies, but given that he had cared for Feng Xiwu as his maternal grandson for so many years, neither of them could allow the elder to kneel before them!
They quickly went to help him up. "Prime Minister Wen, what are you doing? Let's talk things through properly. We are the younger generation, how can we possibly accept such a grand gesture from you?"
Prime Minister Wen stubbornly pushed them away. "No, Prince, Princess Consort, let this old man speak thus."
He was already advanced in age, and his heart had been injured the previous year. His frailty had worsened over the past year.
Lu Qingwan and Feng Xiwu were afraid of hurting him, so they dared not support him forcefully, and could only let him have his way.
To their surprise, as soon as the two of them stepped back, he directly bowed down, and with a kowtow, said mournfully, "This old servant has failed the Prince. This old servant bears half the responsibility for the humiliation the Prince has endured over the years due to Feng Qingheng."
He spoke with such seriousness that no one could dismiss his words as a momentary impulse. Lu Qingwan quickly asked, "Prime Minister Wen, what do you mean by that?"
"In the early years, before Wen Yayue moved to the Southern Estate, she repeatedly tried to sow discord between the Prince and the late Emperor, intending to have the Prince ascend the throne so she could become Empress Dowager.
In my anger, I went to Shou Kang Palace to advise Wen Yayue to behave herself.
In my rage, I brought up the Prince's background, but little did I know that Feng Qingheng overheard it."