Chapter 175: Chapter 176: Qi Yunzhang's grudge, she will eventually avenge.

Qi Yue’s cheeks burned and her heart raced under his gaze, to the point where she almost lost the ability to speak, when she suddenly remembered there was a very important matter she had yet to mention.

She turned her face away in haste, searching through the medicine box.

Finally, she took out a pill that emitted a blue glow.

“This is a Detoxification Pill, it can neutralize all poisons in the world. Take it now… Once you’ve taken it, you won’t have to worry about poison harming you anymore….”

She was mainly thinking about the matter with the Eighth Princess.

In case he returned and encountered that noble girl’s forceful advances, he would be able to protect himself.

“Alright, I’ll take it,” Zhao Xiyan’s voice seemed somewhat pleased, as he clearly understood the implication in her words.

After escorting Zhao Xiyan to the door, she noticed two people in green clothes had appeared at the entrance.

The two had brought three horses, one of which was obviously Zhao Xiyan’s.

Watching him mount his horse, the flapping of his robe in the air created a sound like snapping, casting blade-like arcs.

It was at this moment that Qi Yue realized Zhao Xiyan truly was leaving.

A force surged within her chest, as if it was about to burst forth from her lips, but in the end, she swallowed it back down.

Zhao Xiyan settled atop his horse, his deep eyes fixed on her steadily for a few seconds.

“Yueyue, wait for me…”

A flood of words rose to her heart, and Qi Yue suddenly had so much to say, yet could not speak.

“Okay.”

With a commanding shout, the three horses shot forward, and in an instant, only a black silhouette was left behind.

Zhao Xiyan had gone.

She had grown accustomed to his company these past days, and his sudden departure truly made her feel unsettled.

It took the entire afternoon for her to finally adjust, and the next day she continued to immerse herself in her various tasks.

With plans to reach Dongjiang by mid-April, she had many preparations to make.

The operations of the medicine factory and the pharmacy were in the hands of Huang Zai’an and her junior brother; with the protection provided by Tall, Short, Fat, and Thin, she was relatively at ease.

The only concern was Hu Chengxuan.

Since the last incident, neither father nor son had come to cause trouble again, and Hu Keqing had married the Grand Tutor’s daughter, Lin Xuexue.

Though she had emptied the Hu Family’s warehouse, they still ostentatiously held the wedding.

On the wedding day, the Prefectural Magistrate Hu threw a lavish banquet, as if to show to the world that his warehouse had never been ransacked, claiming everything was fabricated.

And as the Grand Tutor was very pleased with Hu Keqing, her dowry was sent from the distant Capital City, entering the Prefectural Magistrate Hu’s residence before even reaching the city gates.

Now that the Grand Tutor held unchallenged power and the Hu Family had formed a marital alliance, they were even more interconnected; the Emperor was confused and heedless of advice.

The matter of the Hu Family embezzling military funds and their collusion with the Donggao Fox King that was sent to the Capital City didn’t even make a splash.

Fortunately, Hu Chengxuan did consider the wellbeing of Longnan’s populace to some extent and thus remained quiet, not causing any trouble for Chu Yuntian.

But Qi Yue always felt there was something troubling undulating beneath the brief calm.

Before leaving, she made a special trip to the Prefectural Office.

Having not visited for a long time, the garden in the Prefectural Office appeared to have become even denser.

Chu Yuntian joyfully welcomed her and upon learning she had something to discuss, he led her to his study.

The table was littered with numerous books and maps, beside a lamp whose wick had burned down.

Recalling the wife of Chu mentioning how hard Chu Yuntian had been working recently, Qi Yue couldn’t help but give him a word of advice.

“Father, you must take care of your health!”

Chu Yuntian sighed deeply.

“Now all I have is this feeble body; I hope to do more for the people of Longnan.”

Since discovering that Qing Nanzun was recruiting Hu Chengxuan, Chu Yuntian had continuously been worried about the safety of the people along the Donggao front.

Not wishing to add to his burden, she thus left out the matter related to Hu Chengxuan and Qi Yunzhang’s deaths, only mentioning the longstanding interaction between Hu Chengxuan and Nanyue.

“Foster father, it was unintentional when I heard Zhao Xiyan mention that if left unchecked, the Longnan County Government might soon become a small kingdom for the Hu Family.”

She had discovered the Hu Family’s collusion with Nanyue in the documents she copied, and the fact that only the Emperor should possess such bedding in his bedroom could also corroborate this from the side.

But she couldn’t say it like that, so she had to borrow Zhao Xiyan’s name.

Doing so would more likely catch Chu Yuntian’s attention.

Indeed, upon learning that Hu Chengxuan was in league with Nanyue, Chu Yuntian immediately wanted to report to the Imperial Court, but Qi Yue hurriedly stopped him.

“Foster father, the Hu Family’s influence is vast now, and with the Grand Tutor controlling government affairs, if you submit a report, it will only bring calamity upon you.”

Hearing this, Chu Yuntian slumped into his chair, his face filled with despair.

“What should we do then? The people of Longnan will suffer!”

Qi Yue, however, thought otherwise.

Though Hu Chengxuan was cruel and ruthless, he always maintained the role of a guardian deity in the hearts of the people, which showed he had bigger ambitions.

Whether he wanted to be a local tyrant or compete with other powers, he couldn’t do it without the support of the people.

Therefore, the most at risk weren’t the common folk.

“Foster father, I’m worried that Hu Chengxuan will target you first.”

Chu Yuntian gave this some thought and instantly grasped Qi Yue’s implication, sighing deeply.

“Hu Chengxuan has wanted to move against me for a long time. Let him come; I’m not afraid of him.”

Qi Yue pursed her lips and after a long moment, she said, “Foster father, why don’t you retire and return to the Capital City?”

Chu Yuntian waved his hands repeatedly.

“That won’t do. Once I leave, this place will truly become Hu Chengxuan’s little kingdom! Even if I’m a thorn in his side, I have to make him uncomfortable!”

Seeing Chu Yuntian so determined, Qi Yue had nothing more to say.

But after much thought, she still felt she needed to do something.

Her gaze shifted to the topographical map on the wall. Looking at the long, unobstructed stretch of land between Beiyuan and Donggao, an idea suddenly struck her.

“Foster father, how about building The Great Wall along the border with Donggao to ward off the Donggao Army? That way, if Hu Chengxuan plans anything in the future, we won’t be caught between two enemies.”

“The Great Wall? What is The Great Wall?” Chu Yuntian immediately perked up.

Zhao Jingjing promptly grabbed paper and pen and sketched a section of The Great Wall.

“Foster father, the people living on the border with Donggao suffer from the Donggao Army’s harassment all year round. They will definitely support you in building The Great Wall.”

“Once The Great Wall is constructed, the soldiers on the eastern border will no longer have to exhaust themselves. They need only to station at beacons. Should an enemy force attack, our troops can then hold their ground along The Great Wall, using arrows, rocks, and fire as our weapons, to strike down from a height. The Donggao Army will surely retreat with heavy losses!”

Chu Yuntian listened intently, then pondered with knitted brows before he finally burst out laughing and clapping his hands.

“What a brilliant plan, a brilliant plan indeed. Yueyue, with this strategy, you’ve alleviated half of your foster father’s difficulties in one fell swoop! You truly are Qi Yunzhang’s daughter!”

Qi Yue blushed slightly.

This was purely an idea she borrowed; it had nothing to do with her own creativity.

“Foster father, if you decide to build The Great Wall, I am willing to donate two million silver notes.”

“Excellent, excellent. Building The Great Wall can use local materials, and with these silver notes, you can recruit locals and significantly speed up construction,”

Chu Yuntian said excitedly, his dejection swept away as he paced back and forth with vigor.

“Yueyue, with your contribution, you’ve resolved the other half of your foster father’s difficulties. I don’t even know how to thank you!”

Qi Yue quickly shook her head.

“Last time I detoxified Hu Chengxuan, I took a million silver from him. I was planning on using it for road construction, but now I will use it for building The Great Wall. The pharmaceutical factory is doing well anyway, and it’s about time I did something for the people of Longnan.”

“Good, good, good. Your father would be proud of you if he could see you from heaven!”

Her father…

Qi Yunzhang’s vengeance, she would avenge it sooner or later.

But now was not the right time. Once she uncovered the truth behind the battle at Yunling, she would make everyone involved pay dearly.