Volume 1, Chapter 31: Did Liu Yue Grow Wings?

"What? But he committed regicide! That is the gravest crime of treason. You wouldn't just spare him, would you? You want to reward him?" Xiao Ruoqing asked in astonishment.

She had dreamed of nothing but eliminating the Cheng family! Yet now, Fan Xiu was suggesting that they should be rewarded? Was he insane? Had he lost his mind?

Fan Xiu couldn't help but reach out and pinch Xiao Ruoqing's cheek, laughing, "Are you stupid?"

"Ah! Don't pinch my face!" Xiao Ruoqing shrieked. She angrily swatted his hand away and glared at him with indignation.

Outside the door, Ying, who had been squatting on the ground, watched the haughty yet mistreated Xiao Ruoqing. She was so moved that she was already in tears. To think that the majestic Empress of the Great Yin was being bullied like this by a penniless scholar!

*Damn you, Fan Xiu! You truly deserve to die for daring to bully Her Majesty like this! How could you do such a thing!*

Inside the room, Fan Xiu raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I won't pinch your face. You were talking about killing the Cheng family, right? Wait a moment."

As he spoke, Fan Xiu took a piece of paper and a brush, drawing a simple map upon it.

"Look here," Fan Xiu said, pointing to the map. "This is Xuzhou, bordering the capital. If the Empress moves against the Cheng family, they will inevitably revolt. Even if the Yan Mountains stand between Xuzhou and the capital, it remains the greatest threat to the seat of power!"

Xiao Ruoqing said in a low, firm voice, "They wouldn't dare!"

Fan Xiu smacked his lips and replied, "This isn't a matter of whether they dare or not. Suppose the Cheng family makes a move against the Empress; if the assassination fails and they realize you are coming for them, rebellion becomes their only path to survival. At the slightest sign of trouble, they will rise up immediately!"

Xiao Ruoqing frowned. "The terrain of the Yan Mountains is treacherous, and the capital is heavily fortified. We can dispatch reinforcements from Ningzhou and Yangzhou at any time. Furthermore, General Han Xiong is stationed in Yongzhou City; he would never permit the Cheng family to revolt!"

Fan Xiu shook his head and smiled. "While the Yan Mountains block the Cheng family, they also block the capital's heavy troops! If I were the Cheng family, I would secretly control Xuzhou, launch a surprise attack on Youzhou and Liangzhou, and seize the entire western region of the Great Yin!"

As he spoke, Fan Xiu drew several circles on the map, his brush finally landing on the far west.

"Once the Cheng family controls Youzhou and Liangzhou, General Han Xiong's Yongzhou becomes an isolated city. He would either be crushed by the combined forces of the Xingye Kingdom and the Cheng rebels or forced to defect to the Cheng family. The imperial reinforcements would never reach Yongzhou before it fell," Fan Xiu explained.

Xiao Ruoqing stared at the map Fan Xiu had drawn, her almond-shaped eyes trembling. If things were truly as Fan Xiu described, the entire Great Yin dynasty would be torn apart in an instant. Moreover, based on his analysis, such a scenario was not only possible—it was all but inevitable.

"Therefore," Fan Xiu tossed the brush onto the table, "in this situation, what the Empress should be considering is not how to deal with the Cheng family, but how to appease them. Do you understand now?"

Outside the door, Ying was absolutely stunned by Fan Xiu's analysis. As a close aide to the Empress, she didn't even need to look at the map to understand what it depicted. She often sparred with martial generals and analyzed military situations using the sand tables of the Great Yin.

Because of this, she was intimately familiar with the geographical distribution of the realm. Fan Xiu only needed to sketch it out for her to grasp the full picture, which made her even more shocked. How could Fan Xiu have such a profound understanding of the situation in the Great Yin? His analysis even surpassed that of the generals who had led armies for years! How did this man manage such a thing?

Inside the room, Xiao Ruoqing took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She had indeed planned to return to the capital and seek revenge against the Cheng family. Thankfully, she had encountered Fan Xiu! Hearing his analysis, she realized just how much risk her plan had entailed. No wonder Fan Xiu had been able to earn seven taels of silver on his very first day of business; he truly had some talent.

"Fan Xiu, then what do you suggest we offer as a reward?" Xiao Ruoqing asked.

Fan Xiu rubbed his chin for a few seconds before saying, "The greater the reward, the better. It would be best to find a pretext for it. That way, not only will we stabilize the Cheng family, but we can also use 'the tiger to devour the wolf.' Xuzhou is not home to only one family, heh heh!"

Xiao Ruoqing’s eyes lit up, and she couldn't help but give him a thumbs up. "Brilliant! What a masterful stroke of using one enemy to destroy another! By doing this, the other noble clans will grow distant from the Cheng family, perhaps even move against them and weaken their strength!"

"Smart girl!" Fan Xiu pinched Xiao Ruoqing's cheek again.

It had to be said, her cheeks were truly comfortable to pinch. Her skin was so smooth and soft that it felt like it might yield water with the slightest pressure; he couldn't get enough of it. *Oh, I really want to give her a kiss.*

"You're pinching me again," Xiao Ruoqing said, pushing his hand away indignantly.

"Heh, I can't help it."

"Let's talk business!" Xiao Ruoqing glared at him. "Then what? What do you think should be done next? How can we turn the tide for the Great Yin?"

"Give me a kiss, and then I'll tell you," Fan Xiu said, leaning his face forward with an expectant, cheeky expression.

"You!" Xiao Ruoqing gritted her teeth and glared at him. "How can you be so shameless?"

"What need have I for shame in front of my wife?" Fan Xiu replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Don't push your luck!" Xiao Ruoqing said angrily.

Fan Xiu’s eyes darted around, and he suddenly exclaimed, "Look! Liu Yue has grown wings!"

"What?" Xiao Ruoqing turned to look at Ying in a daze.

Ying was also startled, her eyes widening as she pointed at herself in confusion. *Wings? Me? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?*

*Wait!*

Just then, she saw Fan Xiu sneakily leaning his face toward Xiao Ruoqing's. *Oh no! That scoundrel is trying to take advantage of Her Majesty!* Just as she was about to call out a warning, Xiao Ruoqing turned her head back and said, "She..."

Before she could finish, Fan Xiu’s face was right before her. Their lips met.

Xiao Ruoqing’s eyes widened instantly, and her mind went blank. Although she had kissed Fan Xiu before, it had only been on the cheek. But now, their lips were pressed together. Even though this wasn't the first time—when they were fleeing and hiding in a ruined temple, Fan Xiu had stolen a kiss—she had been severely wounded at the time and couldn't see anything. She had felt nothing but the pressure of him against her before he scurried away.

But this time, they were face-to-face, watching each other as they kissed. And having already kissed him once before, the sensation of their lips meeting now left Xiao Ruoqing feeling completely dazed, her entire body trembling uncontrollably.

Fan Xiu savored the softness and gentleness of her lips, the breath hitting his face, and that faint, sweet fragrance. It was a marvelous feeling. When he had stolen that kiss before, her lips had been chapped, and he had felt nothing. But this was entirely different. He felt as if he were floating. He slowly closed his eyes, wanting to savor these red lips properly.

"Scoundrel! How dare you!"

At that moment, a cold, killing-intent-filled shout rang out. The next second, Ying drew her sword and charged toward them.