Si Fengming had always been a gentleman, and these past few days since their reunion, he had been as gentle as a spring breeze, never once showing anger towards Lu Qingwan and Feng Xiwu.
This outburst of shouting and reprimand left both of them stunned.
Lu Qingwan blinked her eyes rapidly, nudging Feng Xiwu with her elbow. He, usually calm and collected, seemed unusually flustered.
He spoke with a hint of pleading, "Imperial Brother, have you forgotten? I have four hundred thousand Black Armored Cavalry under my command! The combat effectiveness of the Black Armored Cavalry is self-evident, and with the firearms and cannons that A'wan will equip us with, while not enough to match the entire Da Qin, it will be sufficient for self-preservation."
Si Fengming froze. Lu Qingwan pinched Feng Xiwu hard. "Who told you to mention that?"
She pinched the flesh on the back of Feng Xiwu's hand and calmly added, "Imperial Brother may not know, but my strength does not lie in troop deployment. Perhaps you should look at this before deciding whether to be angry?"
Lu Qingwan produced a book without a cover and respectfully presented it.
Si Fengming did not take it immediately, instead looking at her suspiciously. "What is this?"
"Oh, you'll know if you look!" Yan Ruozhao pushed him impatiently, but did not reach for it herself.
Si Fengming took the booklet Lu Qingwan handed him and began to read. Lu Qingwan turned to meet Feng Xiwu's curious gaze and then whispered to him.
Before long, both brothers revealed expressions of shock. The difference was that Si Fengming looked at Lu Qingwan in disbelief and asked, "Are the things recorded in here true?"
While Feng Xiwu exclaimed, "When did you think of getting these?"
"As soon as I knew you were in Da Gan, my beastly army had already set out." Lu Qingwan tilted her small head proudly. "Didn't you notice that Xia Qiong and Bai Yu haven't appeared since we arrived in Zhongzhou?"
Feng Xiwu's eyes curved, showing a hint of an expression similar to Lu Qingwan's when she was overly happy. "So, you set up the Golden Eagle formation in Da Qin and had them carry various birds and beasts to gather intelligence for us?"
"Not entirely." Lu Qingwan pointed to her eyes. "Many people came on our wedding day, and I accidentally discovered some secrets. Most of the information about court officials was obtained that day."
Si Fengming, listening from the side, understood only half of it, but from Feng Xiwu's reaction, he knew that Lu Qingwan possessed a mature and comprehensive intelligence network. Fearing that too many eyes might expose Lu Qingwan's intelligence system, Si Fengming did not probe further into the source of the intelligence. He only marveled, "Sister-in-law truly is a hidden dragon and a crouching tiger. If I were to sell these things, I could fund an entire national treasury."
Gu Xingzhi, intrigued by the exaggerated words of the two brothers, craned his neck, looking pathetically at Lu Qingwan. "Princess of Qin, may I see it?"
Lu Qingwan smiled. "Since the item has been given to His Highness the Crown Prince, it belongs to the Crown Prince. Lord Gu should ask him."
Gu Xingzhi then pitifully went to fawn over Si Fengming and, as he wished, obtained the item that piqued his curiosity like a thousand itching claws. Upon seeing it, he was utterly stunned.
"The defenses of the Nine Provinces, their interconnections, their attitudes towards Zhongzhou, and their combat readiness... If this were presented to Emperor Gengshi, he would die on the spot?"
Emperor Gengshi, who considered himself the King of the Nine Provinces, was unaware that none of the provincial kings were sincerely loyal to him. In fact, kings like the King of Qing Province and the King of Liang Province had long been plotting for the throne.
"The most laughable is the King of Ji Province." Si Fengming said sarcastically. "Emperor Gengshi ascended the throne from the position of King of Ji Province. To protect his own base, he specifically enfeoffed his own younger brother as the King of Ji Province. He probably never dreamed that even his own brother was eyeing his imperial throne."
As he spoke, he changed the subject and said to Feng Xiwu, "Since we're going to deal with him, let's not waste any more time. The King of Qing Province entered the capital without authorization. To prevent the King of Qing Province from rebelling, Emperor Gengshi has issued orders to all parts of the Nine Provinces, widely inviting all provincial kings to Zhongzhou to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Da Qin's founding. Nine kings gathered in Zhongzhou – this is an opportunity that occurs only once in many years. If you want to seek justice for your father and mother, your Imperial Grandfather, and your Imperial Grandmother, there is no better opportunity than the national ceremony."
Feng Xiwu and the others were astonished. "At this time, to widely invite the nine kings to Zhongzhou to attend a national ceremony, is Emperor Gengshi insane?"
"Exactly. Besides, the national ceremony is on the nineteenth of July. It's almost here. If he issues the order now, who can possibly arrive in time?" He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing. "It's been about two months since the King of Qing Province departed. If he issued the order to summon the nine kings to the capital during this period, it seems plausible. However, Your Highness, Emperor Gengshi has not yet issued a public order. How do you know he will invite all the provincial kings to the capital? What is he thinking at a time like this, inviting all the provincial kings to the capital?"
Lu Qingwan gently tugged at Feng Xiwu's sleeve. "Is there a problem with Emperor Gengshi inviting all the provincial kings to the capital at this time to celebrate the 400th national anniversary?"
"There is no law that explicitly prohibits the emperor from summoning several provincial kings to the capital simultaneously. However, some time ago, several provincial kings jointly rebelled when they came to the capital for year-end reports, and they even succeeded. After that, the provincial kings came to the capital separately for reports, and the emperor never summoned more than two provincial kings to the capital at the same time. This has become an unwritten rule in Da Qin. For over a hundred years, no one has broken this rule."
Lu Qingwan nodded solemnly with an expression of gaining new knowledge. "Indeed, behind every outrageous rule, there must be an even more outrageous precedent."
The others were amused by her playful yet somewhat sensible words. "In short, Emperor Gengshi's widespread invitation to all provincial kings to the capital is ostensibly to celebrate the national ceremony together, but in reality, it is to make them check and balance each other, and to prevent the King of Qing Province from rebelling. I must say, although his method is risky, it is indeed effective. It is unlikely that we can bring down Emperor Gengshi through force alone this time. Therefore, Fengwu, you and your sister-in-law's intelligence system must be utilized!"
...
With such a request, Lu Qingwan and Feng Xiwu were naturally duty-bound. However, what no one had anticipated was that the King of Qing Province had arrived early.
Early in the morning, Lu Qingwan had not yet woken up when she heard the voices of Feng Xiwu and Si Fengming talking.
"The King of Qing Province has already arrived in Zhongzhou and will be in the imperial city within half a day. The Emperor has ordered me to entertain the King of Qing Province and to ensure he is appeased until the other provincial kings arrive. He wants you and your sister-in-law to immediately enter the palace to attend to him." Si Fengming held the imperial decree, his expression so grim that not a trace of his usual gentlemanly gentleness remained.
"What 'attend to him'? It's clearly making you hostages!" He said angrily. "Listen to me. Now, immediately, take your sister-in-law and Yuan'er and leave the capital for Youzhou. Before the King of Qing Province enters the city, you can still get out. Go immediately to find your maternal grandfather. The Emperor's secret orders have been out for more than ten days. Grandfather is probably on his way. Once you meet him, you will be safe."