Lan Ting Shuang sat there with a solemn and dignified air, but the words she spoke made Lu Qing Wan's heart leap into her throat.
"Don't you two be so preoccupied with your own affairs. Take a good look, aren't the paths to fame of all these people on this list remarkably similar to that of the Qin Consort!"
Lu Qing Wan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly looked. The sight made her feel as if half her soul had departed.
As Empress Lan had said, all the people listed had experienced a drastic change in personality after a serious illness, after which their fame soared. Some went from being illiterate commoners to learned scholars.
Some transformed from gentle scholars into powerful martial artists.
Each of them possessed exceptional talents, yet upon closer examination, no one could clearly explain the origin of their skills.
Looking through the list one by one, Lu Qing Wan was almost certain that the people recorded here had either time-traveled or been reborn, in short, they were individuals who had experienced fortunate encounters.
And Lan Ting Shuang seemed to consider herself and these people as belonging to the same category.
As her thoughts churned, she concealed all her emotions and calmly said, "They all appear to be people who have had extraordinary encounters.
What is the Empress Dowager trying to tell us by showing us this?"
Empress Dowager Lan stared at Lu Qing Wan with composure. After a long while, unable to discern any flaws in Lu Qing Wan's expression, she withdrew her gaze.
"I wish to make a deal with you two."
Lu Qing Wan and Feng Xi Wu exchanged glances, neither responding.
Empress Lan did not become impatient and continued on her own, "I know that you two are not ordinary people.
My conditions are not many. I only wish for you to continue to keep that secret and, during the reign of the new emperor, ensure the safety of Prince Rui, no, now King of Jizhou. Ensure his safety.
Just these two conditions. They should not be difficult for you, should they?"
She, who had once been the mistress of the inner palace and was now the Empress Dowager of Jizhou, even when her maternal clan rebelled and her own maid attempted to assassinate Lan An and was discovered, remained unshaken. Today, she had personally come to the Qin Prince's manor.
Although Lu Qing Wan and Feng Xi Wu said nothing outwardly, they both suspected in their hearts that she had other requests.
To their surprise, Lan Ting Shuang's persistent talk was still about Si Feng Chi's safety.
Lu Qing Wan, while sympathetic to her maternal love for her son, felt something was amiss.
Feng Xi Wu spoke one step ahead of her, "The Empress Dowager was born and raised in Zhongzhou. She is all too familiar with the conduct of the major aristocratic families in Zhongzhou.
As long as my imperial brother and I promised not to make things difficult for Si Feng Chi, and as long as he doesn't court disaster himself, we will naturally not trouble him.
Such a trivial matter, is it worth you coming here in person?"
All transactions are based on trust in one's own strength and an understanding and affirmation of the opponent's character.
Lan Ting Shuang dared to negotiate with Feng Xi Wu and Si Feng Ming in front of civil and military officials and various feudal lords to guarantee Si Feng Chi's life, first and foremost because she knew that Si Feng Ming and Si Feng Qi's parents and teachers were all true gentlemen who kept their promises.
She knew that as long as the deal was struck, her promised assurance would not be violated.
Feng Xi Wu also understood this, and therefore, he knew even better that Lan Ting Shuang's visit today was far more than just asking them not to trouble Si Feng Chi.
Indeed, Lan Ting Shuang's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, "What I want is not just for you not to trouble him, I want you to protect him.
Of course, I can also guarantee that at least during my lifetime, he will not infringe upon your interests in the slightest.
Even, if necessary, I can have him assist the new emperor in stabilizing the throne."
This was a powerful bargaining chip.
Jizhou was the closest place to Zhongzhou, with open terrain and fertile land stretching for thousands of miles.
It also bordered the Tujue to the north, with lush pastures. The second largest horse farm in Da Qin was in Jizhou.
With the strong support of the King of Jizhou, Si Feng Ming would be like a tiger with wings.
However, it was precisely because of this that Feng Xi Wu and Lu Qing Wan became even more vigilant.
Connecting this with the document Lan Ting Shuang had produced, Lu Qing Wan's sharp eyes narrowed, "The Empress Dowager's personal visit is likely not because she is worried that the Qin Prince and my King will trouble the King of Jizhou, but rather because the King of Jizhou has other powerful enemies, right?"
Lan Ting Shuang lowered her eyes with a bitter smile, "I knew I couldn't hide it from you. Fine, since I've come to you, you deserve to know."
She said with feigned helplessness, "Does the Qin Consort know where I obtained this information?"
Her gaze fixed on the parchment, her seemingly calm eyes looked like she was staring at a time bomb.
Lu Qing Wan pursed her lips, "Empress Dowager, please don't beat around the bush. Let's be direct, it's better for everyone."
Lan Ting Shuang also had no mood to skirt the issue. Her eyes, filled with both fear and disgust, stared at the parchment.
When she spoke again, her voice trembled slightly, "The people on this list, not all of them have actually died."
Feng Xi Wu was extremely surprised, "What do you mean 'not all of them have died'?"
"That was the way they were arranged to die by someone."
Although she felt extreme fear, once she started speaking, Lan Ting Shuang's words gradually became coherent.
"The people on this list were all individuals with fortunate encounters and exceptional talents, but most of them initially only gained renown within their own small circles.
Just like the Qin Consort, whose name as a divine doctor was thunderous in the former dynasty's Shangjing, but in Da Qin, she was just another commoner.
Yet, someone deliberately found them, coercing and enticing them to use them for their own purposes."
Lan Ting Shuang seemed to recall something terrifying. She closed her eyes, pinched herself hard, and then continued.
"Those who were deceived from the beginning and willingly served them joined their ranks, becoming their lackeys.
Those who were more intelligent, vigilant, and proud had their bones broken and their spirits crushed. If they could be made to compromise, they were turned into their tools. Those who truly could not be used were truly tortured to death."
Lu Qing Wan and Feng Xi Wu were greatly shocked by the secret Lan Ting Shuang suddenly revealed.
However, "What does this have to do with us?
Empress Dowager, what exactly do you want?"
If Lu Qing Wan and Feng Xi Wu had initially believed that Lan Ting Shuang was simply asking them to cover for Si Feng Chi, they were now truly confused.
This person, who seemed quite calm and organized, spoke in such a disjointed manner that it simply muddled them.
Lan Ting Shuang saw their confusion and knew that speaking so abruptly would not gain their trust.
Therefore, she uttered a shocking statement, "I know that one of you is the master of Wufeng Hall, and the other is the Saintess of Lunhui Temple.
But do you know that you yourselves are also targets of the other party?"
This thunderclap stunned them both. Lu Qing Wan's hand already reached for the dagger in her sleeve, "Empress Dowager, you know too much."
Going in circles, never getting to the crucial point, and only digging up their secrets. If it weren't for Lan Ting Shuang appearing quite lucid, Lu Qing Wan would have suspected that this person was trying to force her and Feng Xi Wu to kill her.