I am invincible, that's why I lie down. You're using your entire clan to rebel?

Chapter 466 My beloved concubine, why are you being so cautious today?

Zhao Qingxue paused, smiled slightly, and turned to look at Yun Suxin.

"Yes, it's me."

Zhao Qingxue readily admitted it, her eyes showing no evasion or turmoil, calm as still water, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.

Yun Suxin's expression became complicated.

Looking at the woman before her, she felt a complex mix of emotions.

You must know that the woman in front of you is the ruler of a country, whose status and power are far greater than hers. She controls a million soldiers in the Eastern Continent and is awe-inspiring throughout the world.

Unexpectedly, she also became one of the women by Qin Mu's side. Like a tamed kitten, she was obedient and docile, concealing her sharpness and claws, willingly submitting, and gentle as water.

Yun Suxin's fingers curled slightly inside her sleeve, and her voice became even softer.

"Were you also coerced by him?"

Zhao Qingxue looked at her, the smile on her lips deepening, but her eyes remained completely calm.

"That doesn't matter anymore."

Yun Suxin frowned, her voice sounding somewhat urgent.

"Don't you want to break free from his control? Then overthrow the Qin Dynasty, annex his territory, regain power, and take control of your own destiny?"

This was another breakthrough she was looking for.

Using Zhao Qingxue as a breakthrough point, he sowed discord between her and Qin Mu, making her his ally to help him escape this magnificent cage.

Yun Suxin had already made her plans in her mind.

Zhao Qingxue is the Empress of Liyang. Although she no longer holds military power, her prestige and connections remain.

There will definitely be an opportunity if she is willing to help.

Zhao Qingxue smiled, but her eyes held a chill that sent a shiver down Yun Suxin's spine.

"Based on what you just said, if I told His Majesty, how do you think he would treat you?"

Yun Suxin's pupils contracted slightly, as if she had been pricked by a needle.

She looked at Zhao Qingxue, her brows furrowing even more, her voice low.

Are you really willing to accept this?

Yun Suxin used a touch of technique in her pronunciation; she was the best at winning hearts and minds and at exploiting human weaknesses.

This is also why she was able to revive the Moon Goddess Cult.

However, Yun Suxin wasn't very confident at this point, because without her current strength, the effectiveness of her techniques would be greatly reduced, so she had no choice but to take a gamble.

Zhao Qingxue looked at her, her gaze calm as still water.

"You're unwilling now because you don't yet know His Majesty's power. Once you do, you'll understand."

A surge of immense resentment welled up in Yun Suxin's heart, and she spoke with boundless anger.

"Powerful? He's nothing but a spoiled brat who bullies the people by relying on his family's status! Nothing but a charlatan who pretends to be a god! Nothing but—"

Zhao Qingxue interrupted her, her voice not loud, but each word clear.

"Have you ever considered why he could make you lose your power? Why he could silently annihilate your army of 100,000? Why he could make your substitute willingly betray you?"

Yun Suxin's body stiffened abruptly!

What?!

Could it be that Qin Mu was responsible for my loss of power and the silent annihilation of my 100,000-strong army?

How is that possible?

Wasn't her loss of power due to her own cultivation technique?

Wasn't the silent annihilation of the 100,000-strong army due to the earth dragon turning over?

What does all this have to do with Qin Mu?

Yun Suxin didn't want to believe it, and she didn't dare to believe it!

This result was so shocking and terrifying for her!

"Impossible! You're lying to me. You're trying to break my resolve, aren't you?"

Yun Suxin shook her head, her eyes blank, and murmured in a daze.

Looking at Yun Suxin's distraught appearance, Zhao Qingxue felt a pang of pity in her eyes.

"You are no match for him. From the moment you stepped into the southwestern border region, from the moment he set his sights on you, you had already lost. You lost completely, without even a chance to recover."

Yun Suxin bit her lip, and blood seeped from it.

She pressed her head down hard, trying to banish all those thoughts from her mind.

Then he raised his head, looked at Zhao Qingxue, and said in a hoarse voice.

"And what about you? You are also a ruler of a nation, an empress who fought her way out of a bloodbath. Are you just going to accept your fate like this?"

Zhao Qingxue remained silent for a moment, her gaze falling on the deep night outside the window.

"Accept my fate? No. I just... discovered a better option."

Yun Suxin's eyes flickered, and her voice trembled slightly.

"What choice?"

Zhao Qingxue turned her head and looked at her, the smile on her lips deepening.

"Following him is much more interesting than being the emperor."

Yun Suxin was stunned.

She couldn't believe her ears; she couldn't believe these words came from the mouth of Empress Li Yang.

Following him is much more interesting than being the emperor? What kind of talk is that? Has she gone mad?

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but Zhao Qingxue had already turned around and walked towards the door.

"Get some rest. Don't think about useless things."

She stepped across the threshold and disappeared into the night outside.

The palace doors closed slowly behind her with a soft "bang".

Yun Suxin stood there, staring at the tightly closed door, feeling as if her heart had been hollowed out.

Her lips were trembling, her fingers were shaking, and she looked like a porcelain statue that had been shattered, covered in cracks.

She was unwilling to accept it; she was truly unwilling to accept it.

But what could she do?

She couldn't even leave the palace, couldn't even see Qin Mu, and couldn't even find a way to restore her cultivation.

Yun Suxin lowered her head, looking at her empty hands, devoid of any true energy, and felt a chill in her heart.

She suddenly realized that Zhao Qingxue was right.

She lost, lost completely, without even a chance to recover.

Yun Suxin stood by the window, the night breeze brushing her cheeks, but it couldn't dispel the turbulent waves churning in her heart.

She recalled what Zhao Qingxue had just said.

"Have you ever considered why he could make you lose your power? Why he could silently annihilate your army of 100,000? Why he could make your substitute willingly betray you?"

Her fingers slowly tightened on the window frame, her nails digging into the wood grain, causing a dull ache.

Yun Suxin thought about it carefully, and the more she thought about it, the more frightened and terrified she became.

The last sentence is easy to understand. She was willing to betray him, perhaps because she had ulterior motives from the beginning, or perhaps because she was tempted by greater benefits. After all, people's hearts are unpredictable, and she knew all along that Chen Ruoyao was no ordinary person.

But the first two sentences.

Her cultivation vanished, her army of 100,000 was wiped out.

She never connected these two things with Qin Mu.

Yun Suxin always believed that the disappearance of her cultivation was due to a problem with her cultivation technique, and that God was playing a trick on her.

She always thought that the 100,000-strong army was buried by an earth dragon turning over, a natural disaster, an act of God.

But what if none of this was an accident? What if it was all deliberate? What if it was all Qin Muqian's doing?

Countless images flashed through her mind.

Qin Mu's lazy and nonchalant smile, and his deep, all-seeing eyes.

His arrogant and spoiled demeanor when he "accidentally" met her in the southwestern border region, and his domineering and manipulative attitude towards her in the carriage.

If he had the power to make her cultivation disappear silently, the power to wipe out her 100,000-strong army overnight...

So who exactly is he? Just how powerful is he?

Thinking of this, Yun Suxin's back was covered in cold sweat, her inner clothes were instantly soaked, sticky and icy cold against her skin.

She dared not think any further.

But that thought, like a venomous snake, clung tightly to her heart.

If all of this really belongs to Qin Muqian, then she lost from the very beginning.

It wasn't from the moment they met on the southwestern border, but from the moment she decided to ally with Xu Longxiang and from the moment she sent a substitute to face the Qin army, that she stepped into the trap set by Qin Mu.

Yun Suxin's legs felt weak, and she could only stand up by holding onto the window frame.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the surging fear little by little.

She told herself that this was just speculation, there was no evidence, and she shouldn't scare herself unnecessarily.

But her heart was already in turmoil.

She has no heart for cultivation tonight.

She closed the window, walked back to the bed, lay down, and stared at the plain white silk curtain above the canopy. The images kept replaying in her mind, and she couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

He had no interest in cultivation.

........

Meanwhile, on the other side...

Inside the Huaqing Palace, the candles had been changed several times.

Inside the bed curtains, Xu Fenghua leaned against Qin Mu's chest, her long hair scattered on the pillow, her cheeks still flushed, and her brows showing a hint of languid contentment.

Her breathing was still a little rapid, but the rise and fall of her chest gradually subsided.

Qin Mu lay on his side beside her, propping his chin up with one hand, looking down at her with a half-smile on his lips.

His fingers gently traced her shoulder, the movement so light it was like caressing a fragile piece of porcelain.

He suddenly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of amusement and a touch of inquiry.

"My beloved concubine, why have you been so cautious today?"

Xu Fenghua's heart skipped a beat.

Her body stiffened slightly, but the stiffness lasted only a moment before she suppressed it.

She could feel Qin Mu's gaze on her face, a casual scrutiny that seemed to see right through her.

There was only one thought in her mind.

She couldn't let him know, she couldn't let him know she was pregnant, she couldn't let him know she was protecting the baby in her womb.

Xu Fenghua raised her head and met Qin Mu's gaze.

Her face turned even redder, so red it looked like it was about to bleed, but her eyes held just the right amount of coquettishness and shyness.

"Doesn't His Majesty like it?"

Her voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of coquetry, like a cat rubbing against its owner's legs.

Qin Mu looked at her, and the smile on his lips deepened.

His fingers slid down her shoulder and gently pinched her cheek.

"I like it, of course I like it. But I'm curious why you're being so cautious today."

Xu Fenghua's heart skipped a beat again.

She knew that Qin Mu was not someone who could be easily fooled.

She had to change the subject and stop him from asking any more questions.

She nestled into his arms, burying her face in his chest, her voice muffled, carrying a hint of languor and weariness.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is still waiting outside. Won't you go and see him?"

Qin Mu's fingers paused on her back for a moment.

He looked down at her, his gaze lingering on the top of her head for a moment, and then smiled.

"Alright. I'll go now. My beloved consort, please rest well."

He released her, sat up, lifted the bed curtains, and got out of bed.

He loosely draped his pale white inner robe over his body, walked to the clothes rack, took down the dark black dragon robe, put it on, and fastened the jade belt.

Xu Fenghua lay on the bed, watching his back as he walked away, and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She hesitated for a moment, and a thought flashed through her mind.

If she goes with Qin Mu, she might be able to overhear what the Prime Minister is saying and perhaps get some useful information from it.

But then she thought about it again and suppressed the thought.

Being too proactive might arouse Qin Mu's suspicion.

She's already acting a bit strangely tonight; we can't afford to give her any more away.

It's better to play it safe.

She lay down on the bed, pulled the quilt over herself, revealing only her rosy face.

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of languor from just being satisfied.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Your concubine will await your return."

Qin Mu turned around and glanced at her.

The candlelight shone on his face, casting his handsome features in a half-light, half-shadow.

The corners of his mouth held that familiar, ambiguous smile, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

He nodded and strode toward the palace gate.

The moon-white robe trailed on the ground, making a soft rustling sound.

The palace doors closed slowly behind him with a soft "bang".

Xu Fenghua lay on the bed, staring at the tightly closed door, and the weight that had been hanging over her heart for so long finally lifted.

She closed her eyes, her hand unconsciously resting on her lower abdomen, her palm pressed against the thin fabric, feeling the flat, warm skin.

She said it silently in her heart.

My child, your mother will always protect you.