My wife, Wei Gui, was 1.9 meters tall and fought against the Tang dynasty for the throne.

Luoyang Palace.

Empress Xiao lay reclining on the couch, holding a scroll of poems in her hand, with several secret reports spread out on the table in front of her.

The female official knelt at the lower end and reported in a low voice on the recent developments in the court and among the people.

"Your Majesty, Supervisor Li, by exercising his power over the canal transport, controlled the transport capacity of grain ships and never over-transported grain. When the troops withdrew from the front lines, the army's grain reserves were almost exhausted, and he was extremely careful with the amount of grain he had.

Even more remarkably, with mountains of munitions piled up in Zhuojun and the entire court at a loss, he had already dispatched thousands of empty ships northward, which are now being transported south to Liyang day and night.

Empress Xiao paused slightly as she turned the pages of the poem manuscript.

She put down the poem manuscript and picked up the copy of the prophecy—"Peach and plum trees, floods surround Yangshan. Peach and plum trees, do not speak carelessly. Yellow sparrows carry grass into the pass, Luoyang girls pick up door halberds." She glanced at the sentence on the poem manuscript again—"The golden fortress is strong in vain, ants burrow inside."

A slight smile played at the corners of her lips.

It wasn't laughter, it was amusement.

"Where is His Majesty's journey so far?" she asked.

The female official replied, "Your Majesty, His Majesty's imperial entourage has arrived in Liyang and will soon arrive at Xianren Palace."

Empress Xiao stood up, straightened her clothes, and said calmly, "Prepare the carriage for Xianren Palace." She paused, "His Majesty's boat is about to arrive. I will go to the temporary palace to greet him and also go to the Buddhist hall to pray for blessings."

Xianren Palace, on the banks of the Luo River.

Li Ju walked along the embankment for a while, squatted down to examine the tenon and mortise joints of the sluice gate, and then stood up to look at the water level upstream.

Yang Guang's entourage is about to arrive; the destination is Xianren Palace.

He needed to confirm the safety of the canal embankment and sluice gates in preparation for the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

Changsun Wuji followed behind, holding the inspection record in his hands, and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency, it was reinforced last month, the sluice gate is operating normally, and there is no leakage in the canal embankment. The people from the Censorate also came to inspect it the day before yesterday and couldn't find any problems."

Li Ju nodded and was about to speak when a fast horse galloped from the direction of the imperial palace.

"Director Li! Her Majesty the Empress has arrived and is already in the main hall of the temporary palace. She has summoned all the officials of the Water Conservancy Bureau to an audience to inquire about the preparations for welcoming Her Majesty."

Li Ju straightened his clothes and led Changsun Wuji and the others to the temporary palace.

In the main hall of the imperial palace, Empress Xiao sat in the main seat.

She was dressed in a crimson-purple casual dress, without a phoenix crown, only a red-gold hairpin, her voluptuous figure faintly visible beneath the fabric.

The woman in her forties was very well-maintained, with fair and smooth skin, and a languid charm rarely seen in young girls in her eyes and brows, while also hiding a deep and unfathomable shrewdness.

All the officials of the Water Conservancy Bureau knelt on the ground and reported one by one on the preparations for the canal embankment, sluice gate, wharf, and boats.

Empress Xiao listened, occasionally asking a question or two in a flat tone, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"You may all leave." She waved her hand.

The officials kowtowed and filed out.

"Minister Li, please stay," Empress Xiao suddenly said. "I have a few more questions to ask you about regarding water conservancy matters."

Li Ju paused and stopped.

The palace doors slowly closed behind them.

Only two people remained in the hall. The candlelight flickered slightly, casting Empress Xiao's shadow on the wall, making it appear tall and large.

Empress Xiao rose and slowly walked to Li Ju.

They're too close.

He was so close he could smell her natural fragrance—not a strong scent of cosmetics, but a faint, ripe fruit-like aroma.

Li Ju stepped back, cupped his hands, and asked, "What does Your Majesty wish to inquire about?"

Empress Xiao did not abdicate.

She looked at him with a calm gaze, yet it was like two bottomless ancient wells.

"I have read the poem you wrote."

Li Ju's heart tightened.

"‘A fortified city may be impregnable, but ants can burrow into it.’ She read these two lines aloud, her tone unhurried. ‘It was written before the Liao campaign. Minister Li was truly prescient. He could foresee the outcome of the Liao campaign, and even more so—he could foresee the future.’"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Li Ju's forehead.

Empress Xiao did not stop, and continued, "I have also heard a nursery rhyme—'Peach and plum trees, floodwaters surround Yangshan Mountain—'"

Li Ju suddenly looked up, his pupils contracting slightly.

His back was covered in cold sweat, which soaked through his undershirt.

Their eyes met, and Empress Xiao's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, locked onto him.

"You are the one who has undergone the biggest change." She said, emphasizing each word.

The hall was deathly silent.

The candlelight flickered, making a faint crackling sound.

Li Ju clenched his fists, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

He quickly calculated in his mind—how many steps from here to the gate? Are there guards outside the palace gate? Is Chen Wu here? If—

He suppressed his surging thoughts, his voice low and restrained: "Is Your Majesty going to punish me?"

Empress Xiao looked at him and suddenly smiled.

The smile wasn't deep, but it carried an enigmatic meaning.

She slowly shook her head.

"If I wanted to take you, I wouldn't be meeting you here in private."

She emphasized the word "privately," with a slight upward inflection at the end, carrying a hint of ambiguity.

Li Ju was stunned.

He looked at her, and in those deep eyes he saw something he had never seen in anyone else's eyes before—not admiration, not courtship, but a penetrating, almost cruel clarity.

This woman is too clever and too shrewd.

Empress Xiao turned around, walked back to the main seat, sat down, picked up her teacup, and slowly took a sip.

When he looked up again, the sharpness in his eyes had subsided, replaced by a calm and composed demeanor.

"I want to make a deal with you."

Li Ju remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, please speak."

"If one day the dynasty changes hands and the land is taken over—" She put down her teacup and looked at him, "you must treat the people of the previous dynasty well, especially the Xiao clan."

Li Ju was deeply shaken.

For the mother of a nation to utter such words is tantamount to treason.

But he showed no sign of shock; he simply lowered his eyes and said calmly, "Why does Your Majesty trust me? What if we lose?"

Empress Xiao smiled.

His smile was genuine, and there was even a hint of approval in his eyes.

"Losing is losing. I was merely placing a bet." She paused, her gaze becoming distant. "The world is in turmoil, and the empire... His Majesty cannot hold it. I am simply leaving a way out for my clan. It's just a self-preservation tactic commonly used by aristocratic families."

She looked at him, her eyes sparkling, "However, I am more interested in you."

Li Ju understood.

Just like the Zheng family, they bet on both Li Yuan and him.

The Empress was just another Zheng Jibo, only her bargaining chips were much heavier than Zheng Jibo's.

"What if I do not respond?"

Empress Xiao said calmly, "Then you won't be leaving this palace today."

His tone was casual, as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

Li Ju remained silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your subject agrees."

Empress Xiao nodded in satisfaction, stood up, and walked to him.

"Words are no proof." She raised her hand and lightly tapped his chest with her fingertips. "I want you to leave me something—"