My enemies became my companions

Chapter 126: The Queen's Chess Game

On the stone bricks, beside the palace gate, the eunuchs and palace maids who were standing guard hung their heads and dozed off. When they heard footsteps, they forced themselves to wake up, knelt respectfully on the ground, not daring to look up. They only saw the hem of their cloud-like clothes swaying in the wind, and behind them, followed several female officials in colorful clothes.

A graceful lady in a red robe with gold thread stood by the famous Lianyin Lake in the palace. The palace maid beside her held a silver box with bait in it. Looking around, she could see countless almost withered lotus pods on the Lianyin Lake. She twisted her handkerchief, grabbed the bait and threw it down. This way, she could see the koi carp tumbling without getting her hands dirty.

At first, dozens of fish came over attracted by the scent, and then hundreds came, splashing water everywhere. The lotus pods are now dry, but one can still imagine the beauty of spring and summer when koi fish are swimming in the green lotus.

"Your Majesty, the King of Annan sent a memorial last night, as well as a letter of inquiry."

The female palace lady Su Xin spoke slowly.

"I'm afraid he suffered a lot of casualties in the capital, so he's going to withdraw his troops."

An Hou didn't even turn her head. She saw the koi carp tumbling and gathered her fox fur.

She had just woken up and should have rested and not walked around. But once she was still, those images kept haunting her, making it hard for her to breathe. She slept lightly last night, so this morning she wanted to come here to see the koi and relax.

The female official nodded respectfully and said:
"I guess so. One of the letters of inquiry is for the emperor, and the other is for you. We have all read them. Combined with the report from the Ministry of War, the King of Annan should be returning to Southern Xinjiang."

"Southern Xinjiang, Southern Xinjiang, the place where the evil cult is entrenched."

An Hou thought of someone and sighed softly.
"Remember that Prince Xiang was also in collusion with the Southern Border Demon Cult, otherwise he wouldn't have been confiscated and exiled."

The female official Su Xin could not hear the hidden meaning behind the words and just responded.

"The King of Xiang is just a man without a vision. His vision and wisdom are probably far inferior to those of the late Princess of Xiang."

Queen An chuckled, fell silent, and then asked:

"How's the situation at Zhigesi?"

"The Queen's decree has been issued. Captain Chen has become famous recently. The officials in the Zhige Division are very welcoming and interested in him. It is said that they all want to meet him."

The female official hesitated to speak.

"Everyone wants to meet him..."

Queen An sneered:
"What they said sounded nice, but warriors like to fight. They just wanted to test him. They drafted a transfer order to transfer some people away, and then transfer them back after he has established a firm foothold."

"Yes, ma'am."

As soon as the female official Su Xin finished speaking, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw the Master of the Magpie Pavilion walking towards her.

Su Xin took a step back and tactfully gestured to the people around her. All the female officials and palace maids stepped back, leaving only the nameless old lady standing beside Empress An.

"Mammy, is everything arranged?"

An Hou didn't look away.

"Of course it's all right. Wuyonglou and the daughter of the Chen family have both taken the bait. However, there is still one more move that the queen has not arranged yet."

The nameless old lady said softly.

Queen An naturally knew what that idle move was.
"You mean Concubine Dong? Before, the timing was not right and there were too many changes. It was not the right time to use her, but now it seems that the time is almost right."

"Goryeo women are docile. They were famous for their kindness even during the Tang Dynasty. When the late emperor first ascended the throne, he issued several decrees ordering Goryeo to send envoys to pay tribute, just for beauties like Concubine Dong."

When the nameless old lady said this, she paused, sighed and said:

"But when Concubine Dong entered the palace, the late emperor had already entered the Xuanmen Gate and wanted to chop off his corpse. He also lost his beauty and never set foot in the concubines' courtyard. The Korean concubine had no place to display her charm. Even an old man like me felt that it was a bargain for Captain Chen."

The old lady sighed, but Queen An did not respond, her eyes were dim and unclear.

The koi were still fighting for food. The nameless old lady took a look and asked:

"Your Majesty, apart from Imperial Concubine Dong, what should we do next?"

"Chen Zunming is closely related to the sword armor. If that's the case, try to use the gap to divide them and arrange for him to investigate the Yinjianshan case."

The Queen Mother gave the order slowly.

She still remembered the scenes in the underground palace, and also remembered that Chen Yi asked her, who was possessed by Tushan, to kill Jianjia. She guessed that the two had a close relationship, but as to what kind of relationship it was, Chen Yi did not say, and Jianjia never revealed it either. It was difficult for her to grasp the fact that they were traveling together and killing each other.

....................................

At the Min Mansion one day ago.

There was an old man in the family. He was standing upright in the courtyard, watching Min Ning swinging the knife again and again, his face relaxed, and even though he tried to be serious, he still couldn't hide the joy in his eyes.

Min Ning was sweating profusely from swinging the sword. He sheathed the sword, turned around and saw Min He was still there. He couldn't help smiling.

"grandfather."

Min Ning walked slowly.

"Yes, you are better with a knife than your father."

Min He praised subconsciously, but Min Ning's eyes became lonely after he smiled.

The old man noticed something and said in a gentle voice:
"Grandpa said the wrong thing."

"nothing…"

Min Ning shook his head and then asked:

"How are Dad and Mom down there?"

"They are not as good as grandpa. Their souls are not in shape and have already entered reincarnation."

Min He talked about the affairs of the underworld with a sigh.

"Grandpa is in the underworld. He was appreciated for his loyalty and righteousness when he was alive. He also has martial arts skills. He is the patrol officer of the King of Hell, specializing in catching evil ghosts that cause trouble. He is different from your father and mother." Grandpa's soul has been back for several days. Even though it was not the first time Min Ning heard him talk about the situation in the underworld, he still found it incredible every time he heard it.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. If we talk too much, we'll break the rules and the King of Hell won't like it."

Min He waved his hand.

"Is it against the rules to talk about the Prime Minister's case?"

Min Ning couldn't help but ask.

For so many years, she wanted to get to the bottom of the Xiangguo case so that she could avenge her family and her relatives who died in an untimely manner. However, Min He always avoided the topic since he met her.

"This is about the Heavenly Family. This is for your own good. Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk about something else."

Min He stopped Min Ning from asking any more questions.

"No distractions... Did you lend it to that guy called Chen Yi?"

The young hero's cheeks flushed. After all, Wu Za Nian was a family heirloom sword, but she had lent it out so easily. Now that her grandfather asked about its whereabouts, she could only stammer:

"Ah, um...did your sister tell you that?"

Speaking of Chen Yi, Min Ning suddenly thought of something and then thought over the words again in his mind.

"Of course Ming'er told me."

The old man frowned, thinking of Min Ming's situation, and sighed:
"She has suffered a lot these years. Your father is useless and doesn't listen to teachings, so the burden of the family fell on her. She raised you all by herself and gave you the idea to disguise yourself as a man and inherit the hereditary military position of the Imperial Guard."

Although the Min family could not be said to have had a glorious past, Min He had risen from scratch and risen to the position of pacification commissioner, making them a well-to-do family in the capital. They thought their family was wealthy enough to be passed down for three generations, but their family fell into decline in one day, and all was lost. They even had to send their eldest daughter to work in a brothel to make a living.

In an ordinary scholarly family, the head of the family would probably be furious and would have expelled Min Ming from the family long ago. However, Min He understood that no matter what happened, he could not blame his daughter.

What's more, Min Ming was a prostitute who had never been married. At most, he was just a servant who played the zither, so at least he still retained his dignity.

When the old man's melancholy thoughts gradually faded from his face.

Min Ning hesitated for a while, then took out the prepared words at the right time:

"Grandpa, that guy named Chen Yi has always admired you."

This is a big deal. Since her grandfather mentioned Chen Yi, she can't miss the opportunity.

"It's rare that even after I die, there are still people who respect me."

Min He spoke with a sigh and a calm expression, but Min Ning noticed the old man's vague eyebrows twitching, and it seemed that he had become more interested.

Min Ning took a deep breath. She would not miss this opportunity, so she said what she had practiced several times:

"He said that there are so many martial arts masters in the world, famous and unknown, and the top ten on the martial arts list has changed one after another. He can't remember all but a few of them. But even if he wanders around in the martial arts world in the future, he will always remember an old senior who is not on the martial arts list, and that is you, Grandpa."

Min He took a deep breath, his brows relaxed, and he sneered:

"He seems to be a smooth-talking kid. I want to know why he doesn't remember those martial arts masters, but only remembers an old man like me?"

Min Ning immediately said:
"He said... everyone has martial arts skills, but loyalty is different. He has seen so many masters, but you are the only one."

Min He stood there in a daze, his eyes wide open, his lips trying hard to hide the impulse that was rising up. He put his hands behind his back and tried his best to appear calm and composed.

He nodded slightly and said:

"Alas, I'm afraid that boy has made a mistake."

Hearing this, Min Ning knew that it would definitely work.

The palms and backs of her hands were sweaty from nervousness, and she said helplessly:

"I have rejected him many times, but... he insisted on meeting you and learning a few moves. If possible... he is willing to become a disciple of our Min family. I couldn't persuade him, so I told you, Grandpa, and I will do whatever you say."

Seeing his granddaughter being filial, Min He laughed and then said:

"He thinks highly of me, an old man, so if I don't let him come over, it will make him feel cold."

"Grandpa is still good at understanding the ways of the world..."

Min He's eyes were full of joy as he said:

"What's the worldly wisdom? You should be polite. You are a straightforward girl and you can't bend. Fortunately, you are disguised as a man, otherwise I would be worried that you would be deceived by someone."

The young man looked oddly composed.

That series of words had nothing to do with Chen Yi. The pervert only mentioned Min He when he was talking to her. At other times, he didn't even remember who Min He was.

Of course, these words were not made up by Min Ning himself, but were taught by Min Ming. With Min Ning's straightforward and chivalrous character, he could not have come up with such eloquent words.

In order to let Chen Yi meet his grandfather, Min Ning talked to her sister. The brothel girl, who was used to the gossip and hypocrisy, naturally knew how to speak sweet words. When she made this request, she actually thought that her sister would not help her, but she never thought that after thinking for a while, her sister didn't say much.

Before he uttered the words, Min Ning practiced them several times, fearing that he might make a mistake. But once the words came out, they came out surprisingly smoothly. Perhaps with someone he cared about, he would have more thoughts and speak more fluently.

Min Ning loosened the handle of the knife, which was wet with sweat.

In order to avoid being discovered by her grandfather, she could only make the excuse of going to rest and walked out of the courtyard with her head slightly lowered.

I will check my statement with Chen Yi later...

It would be bad if they don’t match.

She shook her hands, sweat dripping onto the ground, and then a sense of guilt swept through her heart, and she belatedly realized that her ears were a little hot.

When did I learn to... cheat both sides?
(End of this chapter)