Chapter 49

Chu Chenji looked at Qin Zheng, whose brows were furrowed tightly, and his guess became clearer.@@novelbin@@

He asked, “Why do you say that?”

The reason why the Kingdom of Chu was annihilated was not only due to internal turmoil but also external threats.

When the rebels captured Bianjing, the Northern tribes had already invaded the Hexi Corridor.

Why was she so certain that the Hexi Corridor should not have been taken by the Northern tribes at this time?

Qin Zheng’s mind was filled with the explosive news from the letter.

At this moment, when Chu Chengji spoke up, she suddenly came to her senses.

Her heart tightened abruptly.

Her wariness of him was gradually diminishing.

She was so overwhelmed by this news that she only focused on pondering the reasons for the deviation in the northern war situation and the original plot.

She completely forgot that if the Crown Princess were to learn of these changes in her family, she might despair.

Crying and seeking solace now would only seem insincere.

Moreover, compared to crying and pretending in front of Chu Chengji, Qin Zheng was more eager to find out the root cause of the loss of the Hexi Corridor.

After all, that was the fundamental reason for this marriage alliance.

Since there was a deviation from the original plot and it wasn’t caused by her and the Crown Prince, there must be other variables.

Unable to pretend to be grieving upon hearing the bad news from home, she could only show a demeanor of “Although I am saddened, I must remain calm and composed to save my family from danger.”

Moreover, the matters of the village had just been put on the agenda, and the issue of provisions had not yet been resolved. Being calm and composed would leave a better impression than crying at the first sign of trouble.

In a prosperous era, soft and delicate beauties were pleasing, but in turbulent times, survival was difficult.

Once a delicate flower lost its protection, it would only be trampled into the mud.

Qin Zheng said, “South of Yumen Pass, Shazhou, Suzhou, Ganzhou, and Liangzhou are supporting each other. If Yumen Pass falls, even if Bianjing changes hands, the court is powerless to resist the enemy.

However, Liangzhou is adjacent to the northern desert. Once Liangzhou falls to the Northern tribes, it is equivalent to a wolf putting its fangs on the throat of the northern desert.

Even if the Governor of Liangzhou cannot wait for reinforcements from the court, as long as he’s not foolish, he will seek assistance from the Northern Marquis. When lips are gone, teeth will be cold. The Northern Marquis cannot ignore it.”

Although Chu Chengji felt that it was somewhat suspicious that all the counties in the Hexi Corridor had fallen into the hands of the Northern tribes, after hearing Qin Zheng’s analysis, he couldn’t help but look at her with a new level of respect.

Initially, he was surprised by her talent in architecture, but now he suddenly realized that she understood the overall situation of the world better than many arrogant strategists.

Chu Chengji nodded in approval. “If all the counties in the Hexi Corridor have fallen into the hands of the Northern tribes, Liangzhou will become a stronghold for the Northern tribes to attack the northern desert from behind. The Northern Marquis cannot ignore it unless… it’s already too late to send reinforcements.”

Qin Zheng’s heart suddenly raced. “If Liangzhou falls and the Northern Marquis doesn’t send troops to resist the enemy, when this news spreads throughout the world, people will not care whether the Northern Marquis was unable to send troops in time. They will only curse him for sacrificing Liangzhou to save his own strength.”

Qin Zheng’s fingers were tightly interlocked, and even her lips were pressed white with tension.

Chu Chengji looked at her quietly and stated the cruel truth, “The Hexi Corridor cannot be retaken now. All the Governor of Liangzhou can do is minimize the public outrage against him brought by the court. Anything that is lifted high and then dropped will fall the hardest. The people think that the marriage alliance will bring peace. If the princess ‘escapes’ from the marriage, the public outrage will reach its peak.”

Chu Chengji didn’t continue with his words, but Qin Zheng understood.

The people would turn their anger toward the court, but at this time, if the court blamed everything on the princess, they could absolve themselves of any blame once again.

After all, it was much easier for people to condemn a woman than an entire nation.

No matter what the outcome, once Qin Sheng embarked on this marriage alliance, she would become a discarded pawn.

Calling it “escaping from marriage,” if she, a weak woman, were taken away in the Northern Regions, it would undoubtedly be a dead end for her.

Even after her death, she would still be condemned by the world, just like the Crown Princess in the original book.

Comparatively, smoothly marrying off to the Northern tribes seemed to be the best path for Qin Sheng.

However, the Northern regions were bitterly cold.

Not to mention the climate differences due to geographical latitude, the nomadic tribes followed the water and grass, living without a fixed abode.

For a delicate woman like Qin Sheng, going there would be akin to entering the jaws of a tiger.

The Northern tribes were notorious for their barbarism.

In their eyes, women were their private property. When a father died, his son would inherit his father’s concubines, and if a brother died, his widow would marry his younger brother.

Unable to adapt to the environment, unable to communicate, facing differences in diet and cultural customs, feelings of homesickness, and the malice of foreigners, all these factors combined would burden a woman who ventured to a foreign land, leading to mental illness even if she didn’t go mad.

In the world Qin Zheng originally inhabited, many princesses married off as peace offerings died early.

She, at least, had survived this time by borrowing the Crown Princess’s body. Knowing that Qin Sheng would go on this marriage alliance path, Qin Zheng naturally couldn’t bear to watch the Crown Princess’s sister jump into the fire pit like this.

In the original book, both the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had died.

Li Xin felt that the Qin family posed no threat to the New Dynasty only after their deaths.

Hence, he was unwilling to let them leave the capital easily, leading to this marriage alliance issue again.

Qin Zheng clenched her palms tightly and met Chu Chengji’s gaze. “What if my sister has an ‘accidental death’ on the way?”

Chu Chengji’s eyebrows raised slightly, indicating for her to continue.

Qin Zheng continued, “The Governor of Liangzhou would surely create the illusion that my sister ‘escaped from marriage’.

He wouldn’t directly send troops to attack the marriage procession; there are plenty of desert bandits outside the pass.

When the time comes, the troops clashing with the court’s marriage procession will undoubtedly be disguised as desert bandits from the Northern tribes.

If an agreement can be reached with the Governor of Liangzhou and his men rescue my sister, faking her accidental death, the court will lose its marriage princess.

At that time, the Governor of Liangzhou can spread rumors, claiming that the marriage princess died in a foreign land, blaming Li Xin’s failed governance of the Chen Kingdom.

Li Xin won’t be able to blame my sister anymore and will have to bear this loss silently.”

Qin Zheng had considered the idea of “abducting the bride,” but even if the bride were taken by desert bandits, her reputation would be tarnished.

Therefore, staging an “accidental death” was more prudent. Afterwards, she could return to the Qin family under a new identity as an adopted daughter.

Chu Chengji looked at Qin Zheng with even more admiration in his eyes.

He asked, “How can we ensure that the Governor of Liangzhou won’t use your plan but actually harm your sister?”

This question indeed stumped Qin Zheng.

After a moment of contemplation, she said, “We can use a delaying tactic. First, we tell him that we have evidence that Li Xin handed over Liangzhou to the Northern tribes. We must ensure the safety of my sister before handing over the evidence to him.”

Chu Chengji’s lips unconsciously curled up slightly. “What if he demands the evidence after rescuing the person?”

Qin Zheng shamelessly replied, “By then, Minzhou will have been captured by the Prince of Huaiyang. Li Xin fears that the Prince of Huaiyang will advance northward in one go, so he will definitely order Shen Yanzhi to move south to confront the Prince of Huaiyang. Once news of our actions spreads, as long as the Governor of Liangzhou isn’t foolish, he won’t touch my sister again.”

It was akin to them doing the Governor of Liangzhou a favor.

The fact that Li Xin was likely to hand over the Hexi Corridor to the Northern tribes alone would be enough to unify their front with the Governor of Liangzhou.

The reason Qin Zheng was so clear about the plot of the Northern tribes taking over the Hexi Corridor was mainly because the male and female leads had interacted after that disastrous battle.

The male lead was the son of the Governor of Liangzhou, a dashing young lord from the Northern tribes.

The female lead was the lonely daughter of the Governor of Liangzhou. Both of their fathers died in that conflict, with the vice-general of the female lead’s father personally blaming her father for recklessly pursuing the enemy, leading to the annihilation of the entire army.

In the original book, the reason for the disastrous defeat was all attributed to the female lead’s father’s pursuit of the enemy.

The court lavished rewards and condolences on the male lead, who had taken control of the Northern tribes’ army.

Later, when the Di tribe attacked Beiting, the court intervened to assist, and after the male lead defended Beiting, he submitted to the New Dynasty.

The female lead always believed that her father had been wronged and, though relegated to slavery, always wanted to vindicate her father.

The male lead harbored resentment toward the female lead’s family and bought her back, intending to torment her.

However, he gradually developed feelings for her because she firmly believed in her father’s cautiousness and suspected something amiss about the battle.

He secretly investigated it.

The female lead’s cold and aloof demeanor resembled that of the Crown Princess, and she fell into Shen Yanzhi’s hands several times while trying to uncover the truth about the battle.

Through her, Shen Yanzhi saw a glimpse of the Crown Princess’s shadow and warned her not to investigate further, lest she attract trouble.

After many twists and turns, the male lead finally discovered that it was a jealous general in the court who, fearing that the female lead’s father would surpass him in military exploits, gave the female lead’s father false intelligence, leading to the deaths of both fathers.

He also bribed the vice-general to frame the female lead’s father.

Now, looking back, did Shen Yanzhi know that the mastermind behind the defeat in Liangzhou was the Emperor?

Was he afraid that the male and female leads would continue to investigate and be silenced by the Emperor?

After all, once the Governor of Liangzhou died and Beiting was under attack from both sides, the male lead only had the option of surrendering to the court.

But why did Li Xin change his original plan this time?

Qin Zheng was lost in thought about all of this.

Chu Chengji looked at her with an unusually gentle gaze. “If you were a man, I’m afraid you would be a renowned strategist under the heavens.”

His eyes showed undisguised admiration, transcending mere affection between a man and a woman, purely appreciating the talent she displayed at this moment, and even feeling a bit proud of her.

Qin Zheng had always been afraid of revealing too much and attracting trouble, but now she felt a sense of peace.

Whether it was because Chu Chengji had a deep understanding or because he had enough patience to accompany her, regardless of the reason, being with him was extremely comfortable.

He knew what not to ask and always maintained an appropriate distance, making him appear reliable without exerting any pressure.

Several times, she had unconsciously let down her guard around him.

Qin Zheng often felt that if she were to fall into Chu Chengji’s hands one day, she wouldn’t feel unjust.

She propped up her chin with one hand, her bright eyes half-lifted, exuding a cold yet slightly lazy charm. “Since I’m not a man, would you be willing to let me be your strategist, Husband?”

It was meant as a joke.

Unexpectedly, Chu Chengji’s lips curled slightly. “It seems that my chief strategist has emerged.”

As the spring warmed up, bees and butterflies fluttered among the wildflowers in the courtyard.

Qin Zheng felt a bit intrigued by his faint smile.

She turned her head to look outside the courtyard, then cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Husband, you should write a letter to the Governor of Liangzhou. Once Sheng’er sets off on the journey of marriage, I will contact my brother and mother to leave the capital.”

The court also feared that Qin Sheng might flee before the marriage, so they might have already sent troops to surround the Qin residence.

Only after Qin Sheng boarded the bridal sedan would the restrictions on the Qin residence be relaxed.

Mrs. Qin and Qin Jian must leave the capital; otherwise, if news of Chu Chengji’s uprising in Qingzhou spread, the Qin family would become a target for the court, just like the people from the Grand Tutor Lu’s Family residence.

While helping Chu Chengji grind ink, Qin Zheng suddenly remembered the Lu family being escorted to Minzhou and glanced at him subconsciously. “Husband, the Lu family… have you figured out a way to rescue them?”

Chu Chengji teased, “It depends on the people and circumstances.”

In military strategy, timing, location, and people’s harmony were crucial.

By saying this, he implied that the location and timing for ambushing the prisoner transport had already been arranged.

But how would they descend the mountain while the Qi Yun stronghold was surrounded by Shen Yanzhi’s men?

Qin Zheng thought for a moment and then realized the key.

The people trapped in the Two Dam Mountains couldn’t leave, but the group of Lu family members who were secretly heading to Qingzhou to meet him could still succeed.

She stole several glances at him, He hesitated, then asked, “Is there anything you want to ask?”

Qin Zheng smiled coyly. “Husband, did you sell the silk boat to Wujun to buy grain from the Lu family?”

Wujun was under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Huaiyang.

If the stronghold’s people had bought large quantities of grain from other rice merchants, they would likely have been reported to the Prince of Huaiyang.

But since the stronghold’s people had replaced their grain and had not been discovered by the Prince of Huaiyang, they must have received help from the Lu family.

Chu Chengji smiled lightly. “Ah Zheng, are you revealing all your previous secrets to me today?”

Qin Zheng blushed at his use of “Ah Zheng” and muttered softly as she ground the ink, “You never told me these things before.”

In fact, she was just being stubborn.

If he had told her these things before, she wouldn’t have dared to respond.

Chu Chengji didn’t expose her little scheming and continued writing. “The Lu family found the refined iron cable used to repair the Suo Bridge.”

Qin Zheng’s heart skipped a beat, but she quickly calmed down and estimated the distance between the back mountain and the cliff on the opposite side.

She asked, “Among the weapons you retrieved, were there bed crossbows?”

Chu Chengji paused with his brush and looked up at Qin Zheng, the corner of his mouth curling slightly deeper. “Yes.”