My wife has a secret

Chapter 208 Storm
……

After dinner, Xu Qing and the other person were arranged to stay in the guest room.

The Yang family's guest rooms have a sense of understated luxury, with reproductions of famous paintings from past dynasties hanging on the walls and traditional hand-painted red curtains set against yellow lights.

As soon as Shen Shuangxu and Xu Qing entered the room, the latter felt the awkward atmosphere because there was only one set of bedding on the bed.

According to the current plot development, the two who are nominally husband and wife will share the same bed and sleep together.

"tonight……"

Shen Shuangxu took a glance at the situation in the room and knew what Xu Qing, who was standing at the door, was thinking.

She said in a very calm tone: "I will just stay in the chair in the hall tonight."

Before Xu Qing could answer, there was a knock on the door.

He was standing at the door and opened the windows, and saw the youngest sister of the Yang family who was previously in the front hall standing outside the door.

The little girl had a slender waist and legs, a jade neck and a pointed chin, and the front of her clothes was slightly raised. She was an extremely beautiful little girl.

"looking for me?"

Yang Caiyun blinked her watery eyes and said in a humming childish voice, "I'm not looking for you, I'm looking for my sister in the room."

Facing the Yang family of Huangling Pass, Xu Qing felt a little dreadful and worried.

"What are you doing with her?"

"I'm looking for my sister to tutor me. I heard that Sister Shen in the capital city is well versed in astronomy and geography, and is an incredible figure. The teacher I hired at home also said that he is not as good as my sister."

When it comes to ancient studies, it is not Xu Qing's area of ​​expertise.

Because the ancient Chinese literature of the past was different from that of today, in his time, there was no requirement for everyone to study the Four Books and Five Classics.

"Uh……"

Seeing Xu Qing turning his head towards her, Shen Shuangxu remained as cold and calm as usual. She slowly got up from her chair and walked to the door.

When passing by Xu Qing, she whispered, "Husband, from now on, just tell Shuang Xu about this kind of thing. You don't have to look at Shuang Xu's expression."

Unlike the relationship between the Yang family and the Xu family, the outside world often believes that Shen Shuangxu is Xu Qing's legal wife and they have a very close relationship.

If there are discrepancies between the name and the actions, it will definitely arouse suspicion from others.

Yang Caiyun, who is young but shrewd, saw the attitudes of the two and thought that Xu Qing was worried about his wife and didn't want her to work too hard.

Thinking of this, she became a little worried about her elder sister's feelings.

However, seeing the extremely beautiful Shen Shuangxu walking towards her, she still forced a smile and walked forward to hold her arm.

"Sister, sister..."

Not long after, the two figures, one big and one small, disappeared in the courtyard of the guest room and walked towards the residence of the three sisters of the Yang family.

Xu Qing shook his head and closed the door.

Just as he turned around and wanted to lie down on the bed for a while, he suddenly found a fair and delicate face in front of him.

The sudden appearance of the facial features startled Xu Qing. He took two steps back unexpectedly and bumped into the door frame behind him.

When did this person come?
Are you here to kill yourself?

As soon as Xu Qing had doubts in his mind, he took in the outline of the woman's face. Perhaps because she felt his gaze, a blush appeared on her cheeks.

"Young Miss Yang... No, are you the unknown heroine?"

Seeing the deep look in the woman's eyes like a cold winter, Xu Qing suddenly woke up and recognized the identity of the woman in front of him.

When Yang Xianning heard Xu Qing mention the title of female hero, she unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

What she was most worried about was that Xu Qing would not recognize her and would force her to tell him everything.

Xu Qing recognized his identity and saved himself a lot of trouble.

On the other side, Xu Qing's heart was also in turmoil.

Previously, he had always thought that the heroine and the eldest daughter of the Yang family only looked alike. After all, the two had not seen each other for many days, and their dress was very different, so he had almost forgotten each other's appearance.

When he saw the female knight dressed in tight clothes again, Xu Qing suddenly realized that Yang Xianning and the female knight were the same person.

Because the woman in front of him had the Yang family's badge hanging around her waist.

"Since we last met in the capital, are you okay?"

The situation was a bit awkward, so Xu Qing had to change the subject.

Before, I had always thought that the heroine came from some martial arts sect. Now that I know that she is the head of the Yang family, the famous female general of Huangling Pass, it feels a little unreal.

But if you think about it carefully, such an identity is worthy of her martial arts.

Apart from anything else, the fact that she was decisive and calm in killing people in Liangjiaqu and fighting against a hundred enemies alone was enough to show that she had an extraordinary background and had experienced even more dangerous situations.

"That day in Shangjing City, when I saw the envoys taking action, I did not stay there."

Yang Xianning still told the other party the reason for leaving without saying goodbye. For some reason, she was afraid that this little thing would cause the other party to mind.

At first, Xu Qing didn't quite understand why the heroine left. After all, they had agreed to return to Qi together. Now that he saw the heroine's true form, he didn't have any extra thoughts.

"So that's it."

But in the conversation between the two, there was awkwardness and embarrassment everywhere.

"I didn't go to the capital with the identity of the Yang family because the court had just experienced turmoil. My sister and I wanted to personally attend the coronation ceremony of the saint to see what kind of person she is."

When talking about other things, Yang Xianning seemed much calmer.

"But I didn't expect so many things to happen along the way. Plus, I didn't want to get close to you, so I didn't tell you my real name."

"You're welcome, General Yang."

Seeing this, Xu Qing bowed and said, "I can understand."

Facing this formal etiquette, Yang Xianning raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at Xu Qing, her almond-shaped eyes filled with anger, and a hint of anger rose in her heart, "Are we so unfamiliar with each other?"

Hearing Yang Xianning's coquettish words, Xu Qing thought of their past experiences and their struggle for survival in the mountains of Liao Kingdom.

Although both of them were intentionally keeping their distance, it had to be admitted that this journey of life and death brought them much closer together.

More importantly, they are no longer a corrupt official and a female knight, but a married couple with a legal status.

Just when Xu Qing was about to answer something, there was a crisp knock on the door.

Accompanying this was Shen Shuangxu's cold tone.

"Husband, open the door."...

Capital city, the imperial palace.

The magnificent palace sparkles in the sun, giving people a sense of incomparable majesty.

The gilded dragon-carved throne in the hall was covered by layers of pearl curtains, and inside sat a noble woman wearing an imperial robe, looking down on the world.

In the thousands of years of recorded history, this is the only empress who ascended the throne as a woman.

At the bottom of the hall, rows of ministers stood in a row with their sleeves fluttering. Behind them, special musicians rang bells and struck chimes, and the music sounded melodious.

"His Majesty."

After a while, the music faded away, and Liao Yue, wearing the attire of a first-rank official, walked out of the queue and reported the achievements of the delegation's visit in the hall.

In theory, this matter was the job of the Honglu Temple, but the responsibility of being sent to the Liao Kingdom was huge, and the highest official in the Honglu Temple was only a third-rank official and could not bear such a heavy responsibility.

Therefore, the news sent back by Prime Minister Shen was sorted out by the Honglu Temple and summarized by Liao Yue, the Minister of Justice.

"The news came back from Shangjing City that the Liao Emperor was very happy about the arrival of the delegation. Not only did he personally welcome the Prime Minister in the palace, he also specially arranged a three-day banquet to entertain the members of the delegation."

Liao Yue's words caused discussion and praise in the court.

"The Liao Kingdom is now under attack from both sides, with threats from the Jin Kingdom and the Mongols, so it naturally dares not act rashly in front of our envoys."

"That's right! Our Qi Kingdom is vast and rich in resources. In recent years, it has become the strongest country among the Three Kingdoms. Even if the Liao people are given the courage, they dare not disrespect us."

This time, Qi State sent all the money and grain, and the time chosen was exactly Liao State's weak point. Anyone with a discerning eye knew what was going on.

Liao Yue was too lazy to argue in front of these sycophants and continued to talk about the treaty of peace talks between the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister.

"The Liao Kingdom has agreed to become a brother country with our country. From now on, the Liao Emperor and the Saint will address each other as sister and brother. Not only that, the Liao Kingdom will assume the responsibility of an alliance and exchange its own cavalry and military equipment with our country."

After hearing what Liao Yue said, the ministers in the hall looked at each other in disbelief.

It is common knowledge that the riding skills of the people in the north are extremely advanced, because most of them are of nomadic origin and are good at fighting on horseback.

Moreover, the Liao Kingdom had been at war for many years and was very experienced. If the Qi Kingdom could allow its soldiers to absorb the enemy's advantages, the Qi Kingdom might be able to turn defense into offense and become the advantageous party.

Is the Liao emperor crazy to agree to such generous conditions?
"Not only that, the Liao Kingdom also agreed to take trade with our country a step further, allowing the Qi Kingdom's imperial merchants to trade unimpeded, enjoy the same privileges as the Qi Kingdom's imperial merchants, and be exempted from taxes."

After Liao Yue said this, the other ministers could no longer contain their excitement and the situation became a mess.

Everyone thought that the delegation sent by the empress, carrying gold, silver and food, was an act of humiliation and loss of power. But who would have thought that the Liao Kingdom would give up so much for a small profit.

"The Imperial Merchants can do business in Liao and are exempt from taxation. Doesn't this mean that Liao's money will flow into our country?"

"Yes! And I heard that the Liao Kingdom's war horses are excellent, suitable for long-distance raids and looting. If we can get their war horse stallions, we will be able to train our country's elite troops."

"But why did the Liao Kingdom make such a big concession? What was the Liao Emperor thinking?"

"Needless to say, of course, it is the spring that is approaching, and the Liao Kingdom's situation is getting worse and worse. It is difficult to fight against the Jin Kingdom... If we seize this opportunity, we can make the Liao Kingdom become our vassal without us noticing."

"Yes, these Liao people are desperate and are trying all kinds of methods. This is our chance to take advantage of the situation."

After about an incense stick of time had passed, the ministers in the hall were still immersed in the joyful atmosphere and unable to extricate themselves. After all, throughout history, the Han people in the north and south were one family.

But ever since the Hu people moved south and seized large tracts of territory while taking advantage of the corruption and internal strife of the previous dynasty, this situation of division between the north and the south has taken shape.

For countless years, everyone has thought about conquering the barbarians and restoring unity, but no one has been able to do it.

Even the first two most powerful emperors of Qi had to retreat and defend themselves because of various problems with the national treasury and food, and they deployed heavy troops in the Huangling Pass area.

The news brought back by the delegation was extremely favorable to Qi State. It might be able to break the stalemate and usher in a turning point that is rare in a thousand years. The ministers in the court were of course excited.

"All right."

Lianhua Jun, who was wearing the attire of a female official, made a soft sound in front of the bead curtain, which immediately eliminated the noise in the entire hall and made it extremely quiet.

As a female official beside the empress, her words and actions were often in line with the empress's wishes, and no one dared to disobey her.

The sandalwood lit on the platform was filled with smoke.

One can see wisps of fragrance seeping through the beaded curtains, diffused around the empress, making her image look like a statue of a deity.

"Liao Yue, you are in charge of the affairs of the Honglu Temple. Please share your thoughts."

The empress's voice is like the evening breeze gently blowing over the fine sand, with a unique texture that makes people linger.

But no one dared to have any evil thoughts, because everyone knew how the empress came to power, and the throne she sat on was almost made of dead bones.

The woman's voice was like the evening breeze blowing gently over the fine sand, with a unique texture that made people linger.

Liao Yue was well versed in the ways of being an official, and knowing that the empress was considering the Liao Kingdom's intentions, he read out the intelligence and ideas he had compiled in advance.

"In reply to your Majesty, I think the Liao Kingdom's actions are not normal, and there is something strange about them... But according to the information I obtained from Chengxuanfang, the Liao Kingdom's treasury is indeed empty and it is difficult for it to survive until the middle of this year."

Liao Yue continued, "Although there has not been continuous drought in the north, the harvests have been poor for several consecutive years and famine will soon break out."

"In other words, you also think that the Liao Emperor was forced to make concessions to us?"

The empress's voice echoed in the hall. After thinking for a moment, Liao Yue confirmed his thoughts and answered, "My humble opinion."

The other officials stood up, bowed to the throne, and said loudly: "Shen Shoufu has made great contributions. Ma Xi, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, also believes that the Liao Kingdom is already a spent force."

"is it?"

Different from the happy expressions of the ministers in the palace, the empress remained extremely calm and did not show any joy in her tone.

"Report! Urgent report!"

Outside the hall, a loud roar was heard. The person who came was a sturdy man in official uniform. His feet were covered with mud and it seemed that he had just arrived from the outskirts of the capital.

When they saw that the official uniform of the messenger was inscribed with the seventh rank, all the officials and ministers present were shocked, because according to the rules of Qi State, officials of this rank were not qualified to set foot in the Golden Palace.

The fact that he was so eager to enter the palace meant that the letter in his hand was an express letter sent eight hundred miles away and contained vital information.

Lianhua Jun frowned slightly and spoke on behalf of the empress.

"explain."

"Urgent report from Huangling Pass: Liao has secretly transferred its troops and assembled 300,000 troops on the border between the two countries, preparing to attack Huangling Pass soon."

When the surrounding officials heard the news, they were all furious.

"What? Didn't Liao just cease fire with Jin? How could they gather so many troops?"

"Yes! Could it be that the intelligence from Huangling Pass is wrong? Didn't Minister Liao just say that the Liao Kingdom has shown weakness to our country and made concessions in every aspect of the contract?"

(End of this chapter)