knife

Chapter 498 What if it's true?

"Who is Zhou Xingxing?" In the palace, Jiang Qian thought for a long time but could not find any trace of this person in her memory. She looked back at He Han and asked.

He Han had lived in Danyang his whole life, and if something had happened in the past with a prestigious sect like the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Saber, he should have some recollection of it.

"Stephen Chow, Stephen Chow!" He Han murmured, "That name seems familiar!"

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Empress Dowager, I remember now! Zhou Xingxing was also a disciple of the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade Sect, and the sect leader of that time had high hopes for him. In his early twenties, he was already at the peak of the eighth rank and was hailed as the disciple of the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade Sect with the best chance of advancing to the Innate Realm."

"What happened next?" Jiang Qian pressed.

"Later, for some unknown reason, Zhou Xingxing met a woman!" He Han said, "At first sight, he was captivated by her and, without thinking twice, followed her. This woman was a member of the Divine Cult, and Zhou Xingxing, blinded by lust, actually joined the cult. It is said that the former leader of the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade Sect was so angry that he vomited blood and expelled Zhou Xingxing from the sect, forbidding him from ever setting foot in the sect again!"

"Who is this woman? How can she possess such great charm?" Jiang Qian laughed. Even as the Empress Dowager of a nation, she would be delighted to hear such extraordinary tales.

He Han looked at Jiang Qian and said, word by word, "Empress Dowager, it was later proven that this woman was He Qingqiu!"

Jiang Qian spat out the mouthful of fragrant tea she had just taken a sip of, turned to look at He Han and said, "This Zhou Xingxing, could he be the later Tai'an City Lord Zhou Zhi?"

“I guess so!” He Han said.

Jiang Qian was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter: "So that's how it is! So that's how it is! I knew it! Li Dachui was so eager to go to the Cloud Mist Mountain Cult headquarters, there must have been a reason. Now it's all clear. Are Li Dachui and Zhou Xingxing just master and disciple? Could he be Zhou Xingxing's son?"

He Han shook his head, "I don't know about that. But according to the news from the scene, Li Dachui is using the authentic Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber. He doesn't bully people. For those whose skills are not as good as his, he only tests their control of the saber. So far, he has defeated three elite disciples of the Five Tigers Breaking Gate Saber."

Jiang Qian scoffed, "He pretends not to bully people, but actually bullies them to death. How can someone like him, a master of innate skill, compare to the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade?"

An eunuch hurried in and whispered a few words in He Han's ear.

He Han smiled and said, "Kang Zhen, the deputy commander of the Tiger Legion, has left the camp."

“Kang Zhen will only humiliate himself if he goes back!” Jiang Qian said, “Send out the order that Kang Zhen is not allowed to go back and fight this Li Dachui.”

"Yes!" The eunuch who had just entered immediately left again.

"Empress Dowager, what exactly is Li Dachui's intention in going after the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade?" He Han asked, somewhat puzzled. Jiang Qian smiled and said, "What could his intention be? He simply wants to sow seeds of suspicion in my heart. If I'm not mistaken, if Li Dachui displays his might and defeats all the masters of the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade, he might eventually stage a charade of recognizing his ancestor. The Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade hasn't had a single Innate Realm master for all these years. Once they find out that Zhou Xingxing is now Zhou Zhi, an Innate Realm master from beyond the Great Wall, wouldn't they be overjoyed?"

“But six or seven out of ten disciples of the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade Sect serve in the military, and many of them hold high positions. This Li Dachui really never does anything useless! Every move he makes has a purpose!” He Han gasped.

“So, I won’t allow Kang Zhen to go back! Even though Kang Zhen is a master of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan, how many moves can he withstand in front of Li Dachui?” Jiang Qian laughed. “Kang Zhen is now the most powerful of the current generation among the Five Tigers Breaking the Gate Blade. If he doesn’t make a move, it’s not a loss. And those of Zhou Xingxing’s generation won’t make a move either. That’s how this matter ends.”

"Should we summon Kang Zhen and talk to him about this? Otherwise, he'll keep complaining to the Empress Dowager!" He Han said.

“That works too! Kang Zhen has always been loyal, so we can’t let him think I’ve neglected him!” Jiang Qian said with a smile.

"Your Majesty, I once heard Lin Yunqi mention something, but he told it to me as a joke. I also thought it was absurd and just laughed it off. Later, it was confirmed by many sources that it was just a rumor and was indeed false. This Zhou Xingxing is really a very thoughtful person!" He Han said.

"whats the matter?"

"For a time, there was a widespread rumor outside the Great Wall that Li Dachui was the posthumous son of Li Zemin and He Qingqiu!" He Han said.

Jiang Qian stared at He Han in astonishment: "How come I didn't know about this all this time?"

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry, because it was soon confirmed that this matter was deliberately fabricated by Zhou Xingxing. Linghu Ye was involved in the purge of the Qin Crown Prince's faction back then. If Li Dachui were truly Li Zemin's posthumous son, how could Linghu Ye have allowed him to live so freely and secretly develop to this point?" He Han laughed and said, "Zhou Xingxing did indeed want to use his relationship with He Qingqiu to fabricate Li Dachui's background and then plot to seize the world. However, a lie is a lie, and the truth of the matter was quickly discovered. Zhou Xingxing's fabricated story was full of loopholes and could only be taken as a joke. Since it was just a joke, why bother to offend Your Majesty's ears?"

Jiang Qian disagreed: "If Li Dachui hadn't gained power, this whole thing would have been a joke. But now that Li Dachui is the number one person in Beiting, even if it's fake, it can become real. That makes things really interesting!" He Han said, "Your Majesty, Li Dachui really wants to fabricate his identity as a noblewoman in front of everyone. I don't think that will earn him any points; it will only make him lose points!" He Han continued, "It's not as good as Linghu Ye, who is open and aboveboard and wants to change the dynasty. Li Dachui's actions will only make him a laughingstock and won't bring him any benefits."

"What if it's true?"

“How is that possible?” He Han said, “It is said that Linghu Ye investigated in great detail and confirmed that this matter is false.”

“Truth and falsehood are intertwined, and sometimes it’s really hard to tell!” Jiang Qian said softly, “When He Qingqiu died, she was the number one martial artist in the world, fighting four innate masters alone, killing three and seriously injuring one. Would such a person really let her unborn child die with her? Did she really have no backup plan or arrangements?”

Jiang Qian's words made He Han, who was originally full of confidence, become somewhat suspicious.

The sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. The two turned to look outside the hall and saw Lin Yun rushing over like the wind. "Empress Dowager, I have just received the latest intelligence! Something terrible has happened!"

(End of this chapter)