BXBX NOVEL Chapter 226 - 175 Are You Trying to Rebel?_2
“Speaking of which,” Lu Chen turned his head again to look at the intelligence in his hand, “let’s get down to business.”
The anger in his heart had almost dissipated, and it was time to discuss serious matters.
Wang Qingci then said, “Prince, the business of the Rain-listening Pavilion has already expanded to the Great Wu Dynasty. However, gathering information about the Great Wu Dynasty is not an easy task.”
“I have heard that the Princess Junwan of Great Wu is extremely formidable. She controls an intelligence network that spans the entire Great Wu. Any intelligence agencies from other dynasties that try to enter would be discovered by her.”
“Even though the Rain-listening Pavilion has successfully opened a few taverns and inns in Great Wu, 1 dare not let them inquire about anything.” Hearing this from Wang Qingci, Lu Chen’s interest was piqued, “Oh? A princess can control such a vast intelligence network? Doesn’t Great Wu have any princes? How can they allow a woman to manage such an extensive network?”
This was an era that favored men over women; even the princesses of the royal family usually had little power. They were mostly political tools used by the emperor to maintain governance.
An intelligence network that spanned the nation was nearly on par with the Shadow Guards held by the Sum Emperor. It was indeed hard to believe that a princess of a dynasty could possess an intelligence organization similar to the Shadow Guards.
Wang Qingci replied, “Of course, Great Wu also has princes, and not just a few. However, Princess Junwan of Great Wu is not simple—none of those princes are a match for her.”
At this point, Wang Qingci seemed to think of something and then continued, “Speaking of women in power, I am reminded of another person, and that woman is relatively close to North City.”
Lu Chen asked curiously, “Who?”
Wang Qingci answered, “The new Yue Emperor.”
“The Yue Emperor?” Lu Chen repeated, though he had not been very familiar with the Da Yue Dynasty that bordered North City initially.
However, recently the Rain-listening Pavilion had collected quite a bit of intelligence about the Da Yue Dynasty, but there was little information about the Yue Emperor in these reports.
Wang Qingci continued, “It is said that the new Yue Emperor is also a woman, but for some reason, there is very little intelligence about her from other dynasties.”
“Moreover, there are no voices within the Da Yue Dynasty opposing the Yue Emperor.”
“Logically, a woman becoming Emperor would definitely cause upheaval in the dynasty, discontent among various powers, but Da Yue’s interior is unusually quiet; there is absolutely no discussion about whether the Yue Emperor should or shouldn’t be the ruler.”
Listening to Wang Qingci’s words, Lu Chen said with a smile, “Now that is truly interesting—a female Emperor. I never thought that there would be such a presence in this world.”
Wang Qingci went on, “What’s coincidental is that I have heard Princess Junwan of Great Wu and the Yue Emperor of the Da Yue Dynasty are old acquaintances and have a very good relationship.”
“The Da Yue Dynasty’s stationing of two hundred thousand troops at the border with North City could likely be because Great Wu sought help from the Yue Emperor to guard against North City’s fifty thousand Heavy Cavalry.”
“However, all this is just my speculation and lacks evidence.”
After pondering for a moment, Lu Chen said, “Your speculation is not without merit.”
“Great Wu was able to gather hundreds of thousands of troops to attack Great Sum the moment conflict erupted, indicating they were already prepared. This also suggests they might have alerted their allies or friendly dynasties, which is why Da Yue’s two hundred thousand troops were moved in advance to the border with North City to monitor the Heavy Cavalry.”
“Of course, speculation is still just speculation.”
Having said that, Lu Chen looked into Wang Qingci’s beautiful eyes and said, “Since it’s easy to be exposed when gathering intelligence in Great Wu, you should not collect overly sensitive information, only what you hear from the common people.”
“In the next step, have the Rain-listening Pavilion focus on the Da Yue Dynasty, I am quite interested in that Empress there.”
Hearing Lu Chen’s words, Wang Qingci playfully chided, “Prince, you wouldn’t be planning to abduct that Empress to bear your children, would you?”
Lu Chen chuckled, then gave Wang Qingci’s buttocks a slap, causing her to let out an involuntary yelp.
“What do you know? A woman who can hold such great power and having no man oppose her becoming an Empress certainly means she is very capable and resourceful. Besides, the Da Yue Dynasty borders our North City. Wanting to understand her is only appropriate, isn’t it?”
“By the way, how old is this new Yue Emperor?”
Just when Wang Qingci had started to believe what Lu Chen said, she heard him ask about the age, and she immediately looked at him skeptically. Nevertheless, she answered, “She is only in her thirties, I think. I’m not too sure about her exact age. Since she and Princess Junwan are friends, their ages shouldn’t be too far apart.”
Wang Qingci then reminded, “Although I am not sure what you are thinking, Prince, I must remind you, I have heard the Yue Emperor has quite a few male favorites; she is not as untarnished as your women.”
Hearing this, Lu Chen looked at Wang Qingci and said, “Why do you tell me this? You don’t really think 1 am interested in the Yue Emperor in that way, do you?”
“Even if I were foolish, I would not be interested in an Empress. When a woman has such power, she will inevitably rely on men to some extent. Even male Emperors secure their positions through marital alliances, let alone a woman as an Emperor..”