newbobooks Chapter 355 A Meeting of Minds: The Person Who Understands Qin Mu Best Is Actually Zhao Qingxue
Chapter 355 A Meeting of Minds: The Person Who Understands Qin Mu Best Is Actually Zhao Qingxue
"Issue my decree."
Qin Mu finally spoke, his voice soft but carrying an undeniable authority.
He sat up straight.
There was no languor, no smile, in those deep eyes at this moment.
There was only one kind of cold light, like a thousand-year-old icy pool.
"Issue General Han Zhong, the General Who Guards the South, to lead 50,000 troops to the southwestern border immediately. Wipe out the Moon Goddess Cult without leaving a single one alive. All those who colluded with the Moon Goddess Cult, regardless of their official rank, shall be escorted back to the capital and handed over to the Ministry of Justice for strict interrogation. The ringleaders—no matter where they flee to—shall be brought back and brought to justice."
Wang Ben stepped out of the queue, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to go."
His voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the hall.
Qin Mu looked at him and shook his head.
"Han Zhong is familiar with the terrain and customs of the southwestern border region, so he is the most suitable candidate. General Wang—" He paused, "I have other plans."
Wang Ben was slightly taken aback, then lowered his head.
"This humble general obeys the order."
Qin Mu's gaze swept over the assembled officials in the hall.
"Is there anything else?"
No one speaks.
No one moved.
They even suppressed their breathing to a minimum.
Qin Mu nodded.
"Then let's adjourn the court."
He stood up, his dark dragon robe cascading down his shoulders, the hem trailing on the ground, creating a faint breeze.
Zhao Qingxue also stood up and followed beside him. Her moon-white skirt overlapped with her black dragon robe, then separated and then overlapped again.
All the officials knelt down in worship.
"Respectfully seeing off His Majesty—Respectfully seeing off Her Majesty the Empress—"
Qin Mu took Zhao Qingxue's hand and walked out of the palace gate.
The morning light streamed in from outside the door, engulfing the two figures.
Outside the hall, sunlight bathed the ground in a golden glow, like a road leading to the future.
Qin Mu walked ahead, his pace slower than when he arrived, unhurried, as if he were taking a stroll.
Zhao Qingxue followed beside him, her gaze falling on his profile, on that handsome face illuminated by the morning light, which now carried a hint of contemplation.
She looked at him for a moment, then spoke.
"Do you want to go in person?"
Qin Mu paused slightly.
He turned his head and looked at Zhao Qingxue, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"How did you know?" he asked.
Zhao Qingxue looked at him, and a slow smile curved her lips.
"Just a guess."
"I rarely see you so dedicated to anything. Checking secret files, sending people on covert investigations, getting up before dawn to attend the morning court session—"
She paused, and the smile on her lips deepened.
"So I guessed that you might want to go in person."
Qin Mu looked at her for a long time.
Then he laughed.
"The Taiyin Holy Sect was allowed to grow and become powerful because the imperial court did not pay enough attention to it, which caused irreparable damage."
"Therefore, this time, I will never let it repeat itself. It must be eradicated as soon as possible, and the roots must be cut off."
Zhao Qingxue looked at him.
"I'll go with you," she said.
The voice was very soft and faint, as if it were about something extremely ordinary.
Qin Mu turned his head and looked at her.
She stood beside him, her moon-white casual clothes gleaming softly in the morning light, her long hair blowing in the wind, a few strands falling around her cheeks.
She gently and naturally tucked the stray hairs behind her ear.
Qin Mu looked at her and nodded.
"Okay," he said.
Just one word.
Zhao Qingxue looked at him, and the smile on her lips deepened.
She reached out and gently took his hand.
The movement was very light and natural, as if it had been done countless times before.
Qin Mu looked down at the hand, then looked up at her.
She was looking at him, her eyes sparkling, a smile playing on her lips.
He gripped her hand tightly, turned around, and walked towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Zhao Qingxue followed beside him, her moon-white skirt overlapping her dark dragon robe, then separating, then overlapping again.
The morning light shone in from behind them, casting their shadows on the ground, intertwining so that it was impossible to tell whose shadow belonged to whom.
........
The next day, before dawn, the army set off.
Fifty thousand soldiers set off from their military camps on the western outskirts of the imperial city, marching in a grand procession southwest along the official road.
Banners fluttered, swords and spears stood like a forest, and iron armor gleamed coldly in the morning light.
Horse hooves pounded on the yellow earth, raising clouds of dust that were scattered by the wind, then gathered again, then scattered again, like a hazy, indestructible flag.
Han Zhong rode a tall horse, clad in black iron armor, with a long sword at his waist. His face was stern, and his gaze was fixed straight ahead.
Behind him, 50,000 soldiers formed a long line, stretching for miles and seemingly endless.
But no one knew that the commander of this army was not in the camp at that moment.
No one knew that the target they were trying to defeat was already on its way, much faster than they were.
High above, the clouds spread out beneath my feet like an endless white ocean, shimmering with pale golden light in the morning glow.
The sea of clouds was thick and dense, layer upon layer, some as heavy as mountains, others as thin as gauze, flowing slowly in the wind and changing into countless wonderful shapes.
Through gaps in the clouds, the outline of the earth can be seen.
Mountains and rivers are like ants, streams like threads, and town houses are like chess pieces scattered on a chessboard, so small they are almost invisible.
Qin Mu stood with his hands behind his back atop the clouds, his moon-white robe fluttering gently in the wind.
Three women stood behind him.
Jiang Zhaoyue stood behind him on the left, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her clothes.
This wasn't her first time flying, but every time she stood here, her heart still pounded as if it were about to jump out of her chest.
Looking down at the boundless sea of clouds, and at the mountains and rivers that appeared and disappeared between the gaps in the clouds, she felt a sense of awe and unease.
What she revered was this power.
This is not human power, but divine power.
What troubled her was that she didn't know why she was able to stand here, why she was able to stand behind him, and why he was carrying her across mountains and rivers.
She was merely a concubine, a pawn sent from the North, a woman who almost became a traitor.
He disregarded past grievances and forgave her, keeping her by his side and letting her stand here to see the most magnificent scenery in the world.
Her eyes stung, and she quickly lowered her head, not daring to look at the sea of clouds or at him.
Zhao Qingxue stood behind him on his right, her back ramrod straight.
She held a long sword in her hand, its scabbard pure white and inlaid with several pale blue gems. It was a heirloom of the Li Yang royal family, named "Frost Moon".
This wasn't her first time flying; ever since that night at the Nujiang ferry crossing, she had flown with him many times.
From Daqin to Liyang, from Liyang back to Daqin, from Daqin to this imperial city, from the imperial city to this sea of clouds.
Every time, she felt it was magical, incredible, and unreal.
She lowered her head and looked down at the sea of clouds below.
The sea of clouds surged in the morning light, like a white, boundless ocean.
Her gaze pierced through the gaps in the clouds, landing on the land that was drawing ever closer.
Mountains, rivers, towns, fields.
Those places that she used to have to walk for ten days or half a month to reach are now right under her feet, in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
She remembered how she looked when she first stood here.
At that time, she was hung under the beam by Sister Hong, slapped countless times, and hit on the body with a wooden stick. She was covered in injuries and looked disheveled.
He carried her up into the clouds, and she was so frightened that her legs went weak. She knelt on the clouds, her forehead touching the flowing white mist, with only one thought in her mind.
He is not a human being, he is a god.
At that time, she hated him, hated him with a vengeance, hated him to the core.
She hated him for ruining everything she had, hated him for crushing the Emperor Taizu's edict, and hated him for swallowing up the three-hundred-year-old foundation of Liyang.
What's the use of being hateful?
Can hatred make her fly?
Could hatred allow her to stand here, overlooking this land she once thought she could never cross?
I wish I could.
Zhao Qingxue's fingers slowly tightened on the hilt of the sword.
Her gaze fell on Qin Mu's back, on that moon-white figure that remained motionless in the wind.
The intense, turbulent emotions that had once threatened to tear her apart had gradually subsided, she didn't know when it started.
Zhao Qingxue began to accept her fate, and then discovered that accepting fate wasn't so terrible.
Her lips twitched slightly, a very faint curve that was almost invisible in the morning light.
Yunluan stood at the very back, her dark blue outfit clinging to her body in the wind, outlining her slender and upright waist.
She held a dark silver rapier in her hand, the sword still sheathed and the blade not yet revealed, yet she was already in a state of readiness to strike at any moment.
Her gaze swept around, across every cloud, and over every corner where someone might be hiding.
This is her habit, and also her duty.
No matter where, no matter when, whether in the sky or on the ground, she must ensure His Majesty's safety.
This is the meaning of her existence, the only reason she lives.