Chapter 40: The Myriad Nations Conference

Cui Wangshu raised Jiang Chenbi’s hands above her head and pulled her closer, draping them around her own neck. This brought them even nearer, leaving Jiang Chenbi nowhere to hide.

With her elbows resting on Cui Wangshu’s neck for support, Jiang Chenbi pushed slightly away with her knees against the floor. Cui Wangshu released her pitiful little rabbit and tilted her head back to bite her collarbone.

“Hiss—”

Jiang Chenbi looked down into Cui Wangshu’s dark eyes, filled with desire and tenderness—an expression that could never appear in her fantasies.

A sudden clarity washed over Jiang Chenbi. Her body stiffened as she stared blankly at the person before her.

Cui Wangshu stared intently into Jiang Chenbi’s eyes, her lips curving slightly. Her voice was hoarse. “Awake now?”

Jiang Chenbi lowered her gaze and turned her head, biting her lower lip. Cui Wangshu tried to turn her face back, but Jiang Chenbi suddenly dipped her head and sought out those lips.

The kiss carried longing and grievance, hidden beneath Jiang Chenbi’s chaotic movements—until Cui Wangshu tasted the salty tear.

Cui Wangshu pulled her away slightly, wanting to see her face, but Jiang Chenbi’s nasal voice stopped her. “Don’t look at me…”

Her slender shoulders trembled faintly, her face hidden by her long hair as she turned her head aside.

Cui Wangshu’s heart clenched. The hand she had raised hovered in midair as she stared at the face obscured by long hair, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

After a long moment, Cui Wangshu undid her hair bun, letting her long locks cascade down. She took a strand from the right side and tucked it behind her left ear, using it in place of the white silk to cover her eyes completely, blocking her vision.

Jiang Chenbi watched as the woman tilted her face up toward her, awaiting her next move. The bitterness in her heart was filled by this indulgent gesture. She drew her arms back in and lowered her head to capture those lips.

Cui Wangshu’s breathing grew heavy. The hand on Jiang Chenbi’s leg suddenly gripped her slender thigh hard, her fingers digging into the fleshless limb so deeply that it overflowed between them, showing the force she used.

……

The eastern sky began to lighten with the first hints of dawn. Cui Wangshu lay on her side, propped up on one elbow, gazing at Jiang Chenbi’s sleeping face. The woman’s cheeks still held a lingering flush.

She had arrived in Luozhou just yesterday morning. After submitting her documents at the yamen office, she had gone with the Luozhou Ancha Shi to Yunyu Fang, where a large crowd of disaster victims had gathered in front of the Auspicious Palace Merchant Guild.

She had expected to encounter Jiang Chenbi, but instead met Ying Lan. Ying Lan was shocked to see her in Luozhou. This time, she had come by imperial decree, and the news hadn’t spread yet—the people of Yellow Path Palace were unaware.

Wanting to surprise Jiang Chenbi, she hadn’t asked Ying Lan to inform her ahead of time. That evening, she came to Qingcang Mountain and had Ying Lan lead her to Jiang Chenbi’s bedchamber palace.

She hadn’t expected no response after knocking for so long—instead, she heard the sound of things being smashed inside.

That was how she ended up kicking the door open and witnessing Jiang Chenbi in the throes of her Love Gu outbreak.

She hadn’t realized it before, but the First-Generation Love Gu manifested differently from her own. Those black lines writhing beneath the skin were dangerous and terrifying. Jiang Chenbi had lost all reason, unable to distinguish hallucination from reality.

Stubbornly insisting on finding a dagger to excise the Gu.

She didn’t know why she had been so angry in that moment—perhaps because Jiang Chenbi had instinctively tried to push her away, or because she couldn’t bear to see her harming her own body like that.

All those emotions erupted the instant Jiang Chenbi turned to search for the dagger. Furious and heartbroken, Cui Wangshu simply restrained her.

Her fingertip brushed the woman’s rosy lips, and the emotions in Cui Wangshu’s eyes darkened inscrutably.

Why had she cried?

The moment Jiang Chenbi’s tear slid into her mouth, Cui Wangshu’s fingers went numb. Panic surged through her heart, and even her breathing tugged painfully at it.

Gently cradling the woman’s cheek, Cui Wangshu leaned down and pressed a light, cherished kiss to Jiang Chenbi’s lips before leaving Yellow Path Palace.

She had come to Luozhou for the Myriad Nations Conference in three months’ time, when all nations would pay tribute and Kang Kingdom would send envoys again to negotiate diplomatic relations.

Great Zhao had many neighboring countries and sat at the center. Cui Wangshu navigated alliances and defenses adeptly, adhering to the principle of distant alliances and close defenses. Between nations, there were no eternal friends—only eternal interests.

The Myriad Nations Conference concerned national interests. It had always been held in the capital before, but this year she had petitioned to move it to Luozhou. With its prosperous trade and position as a hub connecting the nine provinces, it was undoubtedly the best place outside the capital to showcase Great Zhao’s might.

As Minister of Rites, Cui Wangshu’s task this time was arduous. If not for stumbling upon Jiang Chenbi’s Love Gu outbreak the previous night, she might not have stayed.

At the yamen office for handling affairs.

Cui Wangshu hunched over her desk, sorting through proposals on various nations’ interests from past years. The western border had developed impressively in recent times, but with turmoil in Kang Kingdom, Great Zhao had to prepare defenses.

If the new king shifted his attitude toward Great Zhao, it would choke their western throat. When establishing ties initially, Cui Wangshu had left a contingency—just in case this day came.

Yuan Kingdom had long been on good terms with Kang Kingdom. For this Myriad Nations Conference, Cui Wangshu intended to focus on establishing ties with Yuan Kingdom. Only by binding interests together could she distance the Kang-Yuan alliance.

Absorbed in official business, Cui Wangshu lost track of time. By the time she had drafted basic strategies, the sun was nearly setting.

Cui Wangshu rubbed her aching eyes. In a idle moment, she thought of Jiang Chenbi’s Love Gu and frowned. She wondered if it would flare up again, but her position didn’t allow her to leave the yamen office for too long, and she needed to visit Qingcang Mountain less.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

It was Luozhou’s Ancha Shi, Wang Jin.

“Minister, the unrest among the disaster victims has been resolved. Yunyu Fang’s night market is about to open—would you like to take a look?”

Cui Wangshu glanced at the words “Yunyu Fang” prominently marked on the paper before her and stood. “Thank you for your trouble, Lord Wang.”

Wang Jin smiled. “We haven’t thanked you on behalf of Luozhou’s people yet. Hosting the Myriad Nations Conference here is Luozhou’s fortune, the fortune of its people. It’s my duty to give you a full introduction to Luozhou.”

Cui Wangshu’s lips curved; she made no demurral.

Yunyu Fang was Luozhou’s most prosperous commercial district. Before curfew, its night market was not only entertainment for locals but also drew travelers passing through.

Luozhou sat at the crossroads of the nine provinces, gathering novelties from within Great Zhao and beyond. Yunyu Fang specialized in trading these goods, showcasing Great Zhao’s traditional charms to foreign travelers while embracing and absorbing the best from other lands.

As the venue for the Myriad Nations Conference, Cui Wangshu naturally had to inspect it.

Though called a “fang,” Yunyu Fang covered a vast area. At its center stood the resplendent building housing the Auspicious Palace Merchant Guild. Cui Wangshu casually mentioned Yellow Path Palace, and Wang Jin immediately briefed her on its activities in recent years.

Cui Wangshu nodded and glanced toward the middle of that building.

There, in one of its upper floors, sat Yellow Path Palace’s Palace Lord. Jiang Chenbi propped one hand on her forehead as she reviewed the ledgers Qian Yuan had prepared.

She had woken that day without seeing Cui Wangshu, but she had been lucid in the latter half of the night and knew everything that happened wasn’t a fantasy. Fortunately, Cui Wangshu had left no marks on her body—otherwise, she wouldn’t know how to explain it when visiting Qian Yuan today.

Seeing her exhaustion, Qian Yuan asked with concern, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”

Jiang Chenbi’s expression stiffened. She subtly shifted, straightening her sore waist a bit, and replied, “The Love Gu flared up; it tossed me around for quite a while.”

She wasn’t lying.

Qian Yuan worried, “You could always control it before. Why so severe this time?”

Jiang Chenbi lowered her eyes and murmured, “Maybe the injury from the imperial mausoleum hasn’t fully healed, making it worse this time.”

Qian Yuan frowned. “I’ve already sent someone to Changbai Mountain. Once the snow lotus arrives, set everything aside and rest properly.”

Jiang Chenbi absentmindedly hummed in agreement and returned her gaze to the ledgers.

Seeing she wouldn’t listen, Qian Yuan huffed and stormed off in a swirl of sleeves. Jiang Chenbi shook her head and sighed.

“Ying Lan.”

Ying Lan entered from outside and bowed respectfully. “Palace Lord.”

“Have you found out how she came to Luozhou without any notice?”

Ying Lan replied, “Minister Cui proposed holding the Myriad Nations Conference in Luozhou. The Emperor approved it directly without going through the court. It was only announced after Minister Cui arrived, and our people only learned today. Should I arrange for someone to keep an eye on Minister Cui going forward?”

Jiang Chenbi shook her head. “A Wan doesn’t like being watched. Never mind, let her be.”

Ying Lan added, “Many ministers in the court opposed this. Do you want our people to steer the courtly opinions?”

Jiang Chenbi’s lips curved upward. “The Emperor has approved it; there won’t be changes. It’s just those censors always impeaching this or that—nothing to make waves over. Ignore it.”

Since Li Cong and Cui Wangshu had shaken hands on this, there must be assurances behind the scenes. No matter how the Empress Dowager and the Emperor vied on court matters, when it came to state affairs, they would cease hostilities and cooperate.

That was why Great Zhao’s court struggles were so intense yet never invited foreign covetousness like Kang Kingdom’s did.

The Empress Dowager and the Emperor fought over imperial power—a Li family affair. But on national matters, they united against outsiders. This was why ministers uninvolved in factions hadn’t completely lost hope.

On major issues, both sides cooperated tacitly, knowing that only with a stable realm and happy people could the seized power be truly meaningful.

Otherwise, with foreign invasions and the people suffering, what use was a blood-soaked land?

Jiang Chenbi closed the ledger. “Allocate one-fifth of our liquid silver to combat this drought.”

Even one-fifth of Yellow Path Palace’s liquid silver reserves was an enormous sum.

Ying Lan’s eyes widened. “Palace Lord, that’s so much silver!”

Jiang Chenbi said, “The Myriad Nations Conference is imminent; Luozhou can’t afford trouble.”

The truths known to the Emperor and Empress Dowager were known to Jiang Chenbi as well. Like them, she sought a prosperous and powerful realm.

Ying Lan puffed her cheeks. “Fine.”

Jiang Chenbi added, “I remember I have a residence near the yamen office, right?”

Ying Lan blinked. “Yes, right next door to the yamen office. Do you have any instructions, Palace Lord?”

Jiang Chenbi hummed affirmatively. “Have someone clean it up. I’m moving there.”

Ying Lan: “……”

Leaving the fine temporary palace empty to squeeze into that small, cramped house.

But Ying Lan didn’t dare object. “Then I’ll come fetch you tomorrow.”

Jiang Chenbi’s lips curved firmly. “No, I’m going tonight.”

Ying Lan: ?