pappabearbooks Chapter 516 A Test, a Trial, an Assault: Xu Fenghua was shocked.
Chapter 516 A Test, a Trial, an Assault: Xu Fenghua was shocked.
She didn't know what had happened.
I felt a strange, bittersweet feeling welling up inside me.
She didn't know what this feeling was, or why she felt this way.
She is Xu Fenghua, the young lady of the Northern Border, and Consort Hua of Qin Mu.
She should hate him, and she should wish he were snatched away by another woman.
But why does the thought of him being alone in a room with that courtesan make her feel so bad?
She shook her head, banishing the thought from her mind.
I can't think about these things, I can't think about them at this time.
She had to stay calm, analyze the situation, and find out Qin Mu's true intentions from every detail.
He is not the kind of person who can be seduced by women.
Everything he does has a purpose.
He went to the brothel not to find the most beautiful courtesan.
His meeting with Su Wan was definitely not just for listening to music and drinking.
So why is that?
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
What is Su Wan's identity?
Is he a spy?
Is it a chess piece?
still is……
Her fingers slowly tightened inside her sleeve, her nails digging into her palm.
Just then, Qin Mu's voice suddenly rang out, very soft, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet private room.
"Want to know what I had Su Wan do?"
Xu Fenghua's body trembled violently, and she raised her head to look at Qin Mu.
He leaned back on the soft couch, one hand supporting his chin, a half-smile playing on his lips, his gaze fixed on her face, calm as still water.
She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.
She shook her head, her voice very soft.
"Your Majesty... I don't know."
Qin Mu smiled and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the armrest.
"She is a spy from the Northern Barbarians."
Xu Fenghua's pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had been pricked by a needle.
The teacup in her hand fell to the ground with a clatter, shards of porcelain scattering everywhere, and tea spilled all over the floor.
She was completely unaware of what was happening; she simply stared wide-eyed at Qin Mu as if he were someone she had never seen before.
Spy from the Northern Barbarians?
That courtesan?
Was the courtesan standing on the high platform, reciting poetry and shedding tears, a spy from the Northern Barbarians?
Her mind went blank.
Isn't that the most beautiful courtesan in the brothel?
How could they be spies from the Northern Barbarians?
How did Qin Mu know?
When did he find out?
Seeing her shocked expression, Qin Mu's smile deepened.
"I had her deliver a letter to Xu Longxiang in the name of Northern Mang. The letter stated that Northern Mang wished to unite with the northern border to jointly destroy Qin."
He paused, his voice becoming even softer, as if he were talking about something utterly ordinary.
"What do you think Xu Longxiang will choose?"
Xu Fenghua's pupils suddenly contracted to their limit, then suddenly dilated to their maximum size.
Her mouth opened, and a "hoarse" sound came from her throat, as if someone had grabbed her by the neck.
Only one thought was in her mind—this was a trap.
Qin Mu dug a pit for Xu Longxiang, a huge, bottomless pit.
The Northern Barbarians had no intention of allying with the Northern Border.
That letter was fake; it was forged by Qin Mu.
But what if Xu Longxiang believed it? What if Xu Longxiang actually went to keep the appointment? What if Xu Longxiang actually made contact with the people of Northern Mang?
Then he would truly be guilty of treason and collusion with the enemy.
Her fingers clenched tightly inside her sleeve, her nails digging into her palms. The sharp pain brought her back to her senses.
Xu Fenghua's lips trembled violently, her voice was hoarse, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from her throat.
"Your Majesty... why... why are you doing this?"
Qin Mu looked at her, his gaze calm as still water.
"I just want to see just how bold my Prince Zhenbei really is."
Xu Fenghua's heart was in her throat.
She knew she had to speak up for the North, she had to plead for her brother, even if it was just a single word, even if it was all in vain.
She couldn't appear indifferent in front of Qin Mu, otherwise it would be tantamount to admitting that the Northern Border had ulterior motives.
She took a deep breath and gradually suppressed the surging, turbulent waves.
She raised her head to meet Qin Mu's gaze, her eyes slightly red, her voice hoarse but firm.
"Your Majesty, I dare to speak up for the Northern Frontier."
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow, leaned back in his chair, and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the armrest. "Speak."
Xu Fenghua pursed her lips, her fingers clenched tightly in her sleeve, her knuckles turning white.
She gritted her teeth and squeezed out the long-suppressed worry and earnestness in her heart, little by little.
"Your Majesty, my younger brother, Xu Longxiang, has been taught by our father since childhood to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic, and would never dare to have the slightest disloyal thought. He has guarded the northern border for many years, resisting the Northern Barbarians and ensuring the peace of the northern frontier of Great Qin, and has never been negligent. I guarantee with my life that he would never do anything to harm Great Qin or Your Majesty."
Her voice trembled slightly, yet she spoke each word slowly and deliberately, as if she had dug them out from the depths of her heart with all her might.
Her eyes reddened further, tears welling up, but she stubbornly held them back.
Qin Mu looked at her for a long time.
It went on for so long that cold sweat seeped down Xu Fenghua's back, and her fingers trembled slightly inside her sleeve.
A slow smile crept onto his lips.
"Sigh, I know. I was just testing the waters. Isn't that how emperors are? Suspicious and paranoid, seeing threats everywhere. Don't you think so?"
His voice was very soft, as if he were talking about something extremely ordinary.
Xu Fenghua felt a sudden sense of relief, as if a stone that had been hanging in the air for a long time had finally been lifted off the ground.
But she dared not relax, dared not reveal any flaws.
She simply lowered her head and spoke softly.
"Your Majesty is wise. Your Majesty is foolish and only knows that Your Majesty has worked hard and exhausted yourself for the country. Your Majesty... Your Majesty's heart aches for you."
Her voice was very soft, as soft as a petal falling on the water, gently swirling in a circle.
She knew she had overstepped her bounds, but she couldn't help herself.
She didn't know if she was being sincere or not; she just felt that at this moment, this was what she wanted to say.
Qin Mu looked at her, and the smile on his lips deepened.
He reached out and gently patted the back of her hand, a very light and gentle gesture, like soothing a frightened cat.
"Consort Hua, you have served me for so long, you should know what kind of person I am. I will not suspect my subjects without reason, much less wrong an innocent person. I do these things simply to see who is truly loyal to the Great Qin."
Xu Fenghua's heart skipped a beat.
She understood.
He was giving her a warning, and also telling her—I know whether your brother has any ulterior motives.
You don't need to plead for me; it won't do any good anyway.
I know what I'm doing.
She lowered her head, her voice hoarse. "Yes, Your Majesty understands."
Qin Mu stood up, walked to the window, and opened it.
A night breeze swept in, carrying the chill of early winter, and ruffled the stray hairs at his temples.
He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the deep night outside the window, his voice very soft.
"Consort Hua, tell me, what kind of person was your younger brother when he was a child?"
Xu Fenghua was slightly taken aback, then looked up at his back.
She didn't know why he suddenly asked that question, or whether he was testing her or just chatting casually.
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke, her voice soft and filled with a tender reminiscence.
"My younger brother... was very quiet and didn't like to talk when he was little. While other children were running around and playing outside, he preferred to stay alone, reading, practicing swordsmanship, or sitting in the courtyard in a daze."
Her gaze fell upon the deep darkness of the night, as if through the darkness she could see the distant North, a place she could never return to.
"Father said he was too cold-hearted, not like a child. But I know he wasn't cold, he just... kept everything inside. He wouldn't say anything when he was wronged, bullied, or even when he fell and bled. He would just bear it all alone, until he couldn't bear it anymore."
Her voice grew softer and softer, almost as if she were talking to herself.
"Later, his father died in battle, and he single-handedly shouldered the responsibility of the northern border. He was only sixteen years old then, knowing nothing and knowing nothing. He gritted his teeth and learned, gritted his teeth and persevered, and gritted his teeth and pulled the northern border out of the storm. Looking at his back, I felt that he was like a mountain, which would never fall."
Her tears finally fell, silently streaming down her pale cheeks.
She didn't wipe away the tears; she just let them flow.
Qin Mu turned around, looked at her, his gaze calm as still water.
"He's like a mountain? I think he's more like a sword. A sword without a sheath, its sharpness fully exposed, capable of harming both others and oneself."
Xu Fenghua's body trembled violently.
She looked up at Qin Mu, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.
She didn't know if he was praising her or being sarcastic, or if he was complimenting Xu Longxiang or warning her.
Qin Mu walked up to her, stopped, reached out, and gently wiped away the tears on her face.
The movement was very light and gentle, like wiping a fragile piece of porcelain.
"Don't cry. I didn't say I was going to do anything to him. I was just... curious."
Xu Fenghua bit her lip, swallowing back the surging sourness little by little.
She lowered her head, her voice hoarse.
"Your Majesty, I...I thank Your Majesty on behalf of my brother for sparing his life."
Qin Mu smiled, a faint smile that carried an indescribable complexity.
"Not guilty? I haven't even sentenced him yet. What's your hurry?"
Xu Fenghua's heart jumped again, but she dared not say anything more.
She just stood there with her head down, like a rabbit trembling in front of a wild beast.
Qin Mu turned around, walked back to the soft couch, and sat down.
He leaned back in his chair, propped his chin on one hand, and gazed at the deep night outside the window.
"Consort Hua, tell me, if one day your brother really rebels, whose side will you stand on?"
Xu Fenghua's pupils suddenly contracted, as if she had been pricked by a needle.
She didn't know how to answer.
She couldn't say she was on Xu Longxiang's side; that would be a capital offense.
She couldn't say she was on Qin Mu's side, because that would be betraying her brother, the Xu family, and the Northern Border.
She could only remain silent, her head bowed, letting her tears flow silently.
Qin Mu looked at her, smiled, and said:
"Alright, I won't make things difficult for you. Go back and rest."
Xu Fenghua bowed deeply, her voice hoarse. "Yes, Your Majesty. This concubine takes her leave."
She turned around and walked towards the door.
He took two steps, then stopped without looking back.
"Your Majesty, I...I don't know what the future holds. All I know is that, now, I am your Consort Hua."
She stepped across the threshold and disappeared into the night outside.
Qin Mu leaned back on the soft couch, gazing at the empty door, a smile still playing on his lips.
His fingers tapped lightly twice on the armrest, making a "tap-tap" sound, like some kind of old timer.
Outside the window, the night breeze blew, stirring the lanterns under the eaves, causing the candlelight to flicker and the light to dance.
The distant sound of drums, deep and muffled, came one after another.