The court officials were in an uproar, their eyes blazing with anger as they stared intently at Li Guanyan and Wang Xianjia.
Despite their fury, they were helpless. When the previous emperor passed away and Qin Liuli seized the throne, she did not summon the Heavenly Strategy General for the coronation, effectively excluding him from the court.
At that time, the Empress decided to follow the previous emperor’s will, allowing Li Guanyan to leave the Great Jin court and become a force stationed at the border.
As for the Black-Robed Prime Minister Wang Xianjia, the Empress had no idea he had faked his death and was still alive.
This led to the situation where neither of them were court officials of the Great Jin, but they followed the previous emperor’s will and assisted the Great Jin as relatives of the royal family, making their presence legitimate.
Moreover, the Great Jin was currently fighting on multiple fronts and in a perilous situation. Having the assistance of the Heavenly Strategy General and the Black-Robed Prime Minister was undoubtedly a blessing in disguise, and no one could afford to turn away such help.
A hoarse laugh emanated from under the Black-Robed Prime Minister’s cloak, sounding both triumphant and mocking.
The laugh seemed to say: I love how you despise me but can’t do anything about it.
The Minister of Personnel quickly stepped forward to mediate, saying:
“Everyone, please listen to me. Although the Heavenly Strategy General and the Black-Robed Prime Minister are not citizens of the Great Jin, they are generously offering their help in this national crisis. We should not be so aggressive.”
With a peacemaker stepping in, the atmosphere relaxed. The crowd reconsidered and found the reasoning sound, their anger gradually subsiding.
Li Guanyan raised his head, his gaze locking onto the Empress. He said calmly:
“We’ve said enough nonsense. It’s time to discuss the real matter. Wang Xianjia and I came to assist the Great Jin of our own volition, without being summoned. Your Majesty might have been wary a few days ago, but today, on the eve of the decisive battle, we are still here. Surely, Your Majesty can set aside your suspicions and discuss the specifics of the unification war?”
Hearing this, everyone was shocked, exchanging glances.
Li Guanyan and Wang Xianjia were not summoned by the Empress but came to offer their help on their own initiative?
Some felt guilty, realizing they had misunderstood them, and quickly apologized.
The Empress’s eyes were deep as she looked at Li Guanyan, her thoughts unknown. After a long while, she was about to speak.
Suddenly, a figure stepped forward.
The Black-Robed Sword Saint said indifferently:
“The national strategy set by the Empress and the Prime Minister is a top secret. It cannot be casually disclosed. It concerns the rise and fall of the Great Jin and must be treated with caution. Do not ask what you shouldn’t.”
Li Guanyan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Meng Qingzhou, frowning, “Who are you? What gives you the right to speak?”
“Your Majesty’s personal guard, Meng Qin,” Meng Qingzhou replied.
“So it’s you… I didn’t expect the Space-Time Sword Saint, who shook the Wilderness, to be subdued by Her Majesty,” Li Guanyan said, a glint of light flashing in his eyes at the mention of Meng Qin’s name. He continued:
“You have the right to know. I will explain briefly. I lead a hundred thousand elite border troops, currently stationed outside the city. Wang Xianjia’s three thousand trained death warriors are also on standby. In this sense, the Great Jin and we are allies. Isn’t it reasonable to share our plans?”
Meng Qingzhou smirked inwardly.
The Heaven-Watching Pavilion had been stirring up trouble in the Sky State and the Wilderness for thousands of years, preventing unification and causing endless wars and countless deaths. They were the true culprits.
As a lackey of the Heaven-Watching Pavilion, it was easy to guess their intentions in suddenly appearing in the Great Jin.
Either they were eyeing the Empress’s potential and wanted to recruit her into the Pavilion as a candidate.
Or they came specifically to sabotage, believing the true emperor had not yet appeared and that the Wilderness should not be unified at this time.
At other times, Meng Qingzhou might have just laughed it off, adhering to a principle of indifference.
But now, his wife was in the Great Jin Palace, indebted to the Empress. As her husband, he should repay the favor.
As long as he could thwart the Heaven-Watching Pavilion’s plot, it would be enough to repay the favor of the Emperor Grade Divine Water.
With this in mind, Meng Qingzhou decided to help the Empress win this national war, but he couldn’t afford to offend the Heaven-Watching Pavilion.
The Pavilion’s power was too vast, and Meng Qingzhou didn’t want to make enemies, especially since he was only helping the Empress as a favor, not dedicating his life to her.
He had to stop them without offending them, which was a difficult task…
“Indeed, allies should be honest with each other. But recently, the Great Jin has made many enemies. In just a month, we’ve conquered the southern Wilderness, subdued the eastern neighboring countries, and even attacked the Western Buddhist Kingdom. You know all this.”
“Being the target of many, we’re bound to have spies infiltrate. You want Her Majesty to reveal our entire plan in front of everyone…”
Meng Qingzhou took a few steps forward, patted Li Guanyan on the shoulder, and smiled warmly, “Brother, aren’t you making things difficult for Her Majesty?”
Li Guanyan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he took an imperceptible step back.
In that instant, when Meng Qingzhou’s hand touched his shoulder, a faint Sword Sense pierced through his sleeve, stabbing a certain spot on his arm like a needle.
That was… the tattoo!
Every member of the Heaven-Watching Pavilion had an invisible tattoo, only visible through a specific Divine Power.
“You…” Li Guanyan’s expression turned cold, and he instinctively spoke.
However, in the court, even the faintest sound was as loud as a shout.
Everyone looked over with curious eyes.
The court officials exchanged glances, puzzled.
Why was the Empress hiding the truth? The Empress had already informed the court of the plan and had purged the palace with a thunderous hand. It was unlikely for spies to be hiding.
Minister of Personnel Fan Chen silently looked at the Empress.
The Empress rested her chin on her hand, watching the scene with interest. She glanced at Fan Chen and made a shushing gesture with her slender finger on her red lips.
Fan Chen nodded, then folded his hands into his sleeves and quietly observed.
Yes, the Empress must have her reasons for doing this! As ministers, we must not act smart.
Many court officials involved in the Present Village project warned their subordinates and friends: Do not interfere, just watch the Sword Saint perform.
“Don’t ask, we’ll talk later,” Meng Qingzhou whispered, raising an eyebrow as if they were on the same side.
Li Guanyan and Wang Xianjia exchanged a glance, nodded slightly, and looked at Meng Qingzhou with changed expressions.
Had the Space-Time Sword Saint been recruited by the Heaven-Watching Pavilion?
Wang Xianjia smiled inscrutably, coldly thinking: No wonder. The Space-Time Sword Saint, hailed as the greatest prodigy of the Wilderness, must have been targeted by the Pavilion’s Great Beings long ago. If he didn’t submit, he would be dead.
…………………..
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