Chapter 762: Cat with Nine Lives (I)

“How’s the relationship between Bogao and the governor of Liuzhou?”

Lady Qi took off her winter cloak and handed it to the maid.

“Our relationship is good. In the past, the two of us would always go to…” Huang Song trailed off naturally as his gaze clashed with his wife’s stern eyes. He immediately swallowed his next words. It would be really inconvenient to mention his dissolute past. “…In short, our relationship is good. ”

Fortunately, Lady Qi did not bother to argue about the part that he’d left out.

“I think that the Liuzhou governor is quite ambitious. After the conversation with her today, I think she resumed her identity as a woman out of her own initiative, not as a passive actor.” Lady Qi sat down and lifted the cup of tea that the maid had poured. She took a sip to moisten her mouth and uttered these astonishing words.

Huang Song frowned and said, “That’s impossible, Lanting’s identity was hidden well. If not for what happened today, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to discover it. Besides, what’s the benefit of resuming her identity? If Lanting was a man, considering that she had been conferred the title of Wanzhou’s governor, she could act in concert with her father to seat herself firmly in the north. The imperial court is dying and is obviously beyond help. The imperial court is merely having its last rally before death… Other than creating more trouble for herself, what benefits will she get by resuming her identity as a woman? If her identity was kept hidden, her future would be limitless, so why would she do it?”

As for marriage and an heir?

Compared with her future, that was not a problem.

As for the matter of an heir, she could privately find a man she liked and bear a child for herself. Wasn’t that simple?

As for the child’s father, she could either keep him around or kill him. There was no shortage of solutions for dealing with this that would keep her secret forever.

If not for someone else exposing it or her making a stupid mistake, how could her real identity be found out?

How could she be discovered?

Who would suspect that the companion he spent his days with, who had cuddled courtesans and accompanied him to drinking parties with female entertainers, was a woman herself?

Whether it was her speech or mannerisms or her style of working, he had never seen the slightest flaw.

As for Jiang Pengji’s appearance, according to the common practices of the day, many men acted more femininely than she did.

Lady Qi rolled her eyes at her husband. “This is a woman’s instinct, what do you know about it? I had a pleasant talk with the governor of Liuzhou today. It didn’t feel like she was experiencing the slightest bit of unhappiness about her identity being revealed. She did not seem the least bit perplexed or to have the slightest hesitation about external affairs. On the contrary, she looked prepared. If this really is the case, the Liuzhou governor is definitely more ambitious than I expected!”

Faced with his wife’s speculation, Huang Song gave only one response.

“Oh.”

Lady Qi said, “What’s with that ‘oh’? Give me a better reaction.”

Huang Song laughed and said, “What reaction can I give? Lanting is ambitious, but it’s not as if I only found out about it now. Don’t we still have a good relationship now? Let’s talk about future affairs at a future time. I can’t possibly break all friendly ties with Lanting because she’s too ambitious.”

Lady Qi said, “You need to be prepared. Look at Haozhou. It’s situated in the border areas to the north and south…”

Based on how the two of them were currently expanding, there would inevitably be a day when their interests clashed.

Huang Song laughed, raising his hands to take his lady into his arms. The couple’s postures were intimate.

He whispered, “I know what’s on your mind, but now is not the time yet. Lanting seems to be very powerful and influential because she had seized the northern territories, but that’s just a superficial view. For the next few years, there’ll only be cooperation between me and her, not conflict. Your worry is a little premature.”

“Why?” Lady Qi was astonished.

Huang Song said softly, “The forces in the north do not only refer to the Liu family, but also the tribes from the northern borderline. As long as the tribes of the northern borderline are not eliminated, Lanting’s power will be constrained there. I would be digging my own grave to start a dispute with her. She’ll expand northwards with peace of mind. Meanwhile, I’ll expand southwards from the north. We’re allies who do not interfere with each other. Whenever she resolves the problem of the northern borderline will be the time when we stand on completely opposite sides, understand?”

Personal affairs were separated from their official business.

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It was not only Jiang Pengji who could see this clearly, Huang Song understood it too.

People were friends when their points of view were united. People became enemies when their points of view split. Whether one was a friend or an enemy depended on their position.

“Originally, I thought that Lanting’s odds of success against the forces of the northern borderline were poor. Now that I look at it, I think it’s more likely that both forces have an equal chance of winning.” Huang Song looked down slightly and said, “In terms of aspiration and appetite, there are only a few in this world who can surpass her. It’s unfortunate that she’s not actually a man.”

Lady Qi raised her hand and pinched the soft flesh at his waist.

Baring her teeth, she said, “What’s wrong with being a woman? A woman can’t achieve great things?”

“Madam, I didn’t mean that… It hurts, it hurts, let go, my skin will turn purple…”

Huang Song repeatedly begged for mercy, but Lady Qi only let go after a while.

“So you hope that she can gain victory in the northern borderline?”

“The tribes of the northern borderline are a foreign race. How many innocent people have they slaughtered? Naturally, I hope that Lanting will win. If that is beyond her power, I must do my utmost to help.” Huang Song secretly sucked in a breath of cold air and rubbed at his stomach pitifully. His wife had such strong hands.

Oh, it was not good to provoke a woman.

As he rubbed, he complained, “Ah, wife, you’ve caused extra complications. I have to spend some money from my secret stash again.”

Her ears perked up. “You’re saying that I caused extra complications for you?”

Huang Song bit her earlobe and laughed. “If you had given something else, others would have thought that I was just on good terms with Lanting. It would also be normal for you to visit her and show your gratitude as my wife. But you gave her rouge and face powder. Even if Lanting didn’t mind, it’s difficult to guarantee that outsiders will not gossip maliciously and drive a wedge between us. To be on the safe side, I have to pay her a visit in person tomorrow and give her a doubly generous gift with a solemn attitude.”

Lady Qi pouted but said nothing.

Huang Song continued, “…Otherwise, if someone else deliberately insults Lanting in the future and the lady of the house always has to step in for everything, guess what will happen? Not only will she dispatch those people, but she’ll also deal with me. Just in case, we’ll take a financial loss now to prevent a disaster.”

One had to admit that Huang Song had at least some understanding of Jiang Pengji.

Lady Qi said, “Deal. I’ll go to the storeroom and pick out some good ones.”

The couple had finally met again after a long period of separation. Left by themselves, the newlyweds clung to each other all night.

As soon as the sexual activity ended, the panicked voice of a maid could be heard from outside.

At the same time, Jiang Pengji, who was getting ready for bed, received a similar piece of news.

“The body is gone?”

Jiang Pengji sported a cloak to guard against the cold. She held a bamboo scroll in her hand. The servant reporting to her had no color in his face.

The servant said with a shiver, “Yes, I heard an evil wind blowing. The bones and other remains of the body are gone.”

His lord was the primary force behind killing the monster. It was difficult to guarantee that the monster would not come to make trouble for his lord after it resurrected.

The servant’s face turned gray when he thought about a monster watching the residence from somewhere in the dark.

“If it’s gone, it’s gone. Is such a fuss necessary?” Jiang Pengji waved and dismissed the servant.

Looking at the light from the lamp, Jiang Pengji reached out and played with the flame.

“She was killed and resurrected thrice. I expect that a portion of the popularity points stored by that subsystem were used…” she murmured in a low voice. There was a horrifying and cold light in her eyes.

“A few more times and I can close the net.”