Episode 25
Cui Xingzhou arranged in private to keep a close eye on Liu Miantang's whereabouts, especially during spring hunting. He had a premonition that she would take action, so he secretly set up a protective net.Liu Miantang quietly sneaked into the Spring Hunting Forest, took advantage of King Sui's unpreparedness, and shot an arrow. Although it missed the vital point, it was enough to cause chaos.She was about to shoot another arrow, but Lu Wen appeared in time, stopped her impulse, analyzed the situation rationally, and led her out of danger.Cui Xingzhou intercepted the pursuers at the right time, buying valuable time for Lu Wen and Liu Miantang.
Faced with King Sui's anger and arrest order, Cui Xingzhou took his time and skillfully blamed himself for Liu Miantang's arrow. At the same time, he used the secret of King Sui's private mining of iron ore as a bargaining chip, forcing King Sui to swallow his bad breath.Choose to be patient.Lu Wenze placed Liu Miantang next to Shi Xueji, not only to protect her, but also to trust Shi Xueji's ability.When Shi Xueji first met Liu Miantang, she was attracted by his temperament. Liu Miantang was also aware of Shi Xueji's intelligence and his love for Lu Wen. She used words to test and express her yearning for sincere emotions.
After the spring hunting, Lu Wen and Liu Miantang climbed to the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise and talk about the future.Liu Miantang bluntly stated that the purpose of this trip was revenge. He knew that the road ahead was difficult and did not want to drag Lu Wen down.Although Lu Wen was reluctant to give up, he respected her decision and promised to give her full support.Liu Miantang left the capital with his companions. Cui Xingzhou watched him go away with mixed feelings in his heart. He knew that he would never see him again, but he became more determined in his mission - to go to the border and persuade King Sui's old troops to submit to the imperial court.
After Lu Wen thought deeply under the crabapple tree in the Prince's Mansion, he made a far-reaching decision - to marry Shi Xueji as his queen, in order to consolidate his alliance with Shi Yikuan of the Ministry of War and stabilize the imperial power.Although Shi Xueji knew that this marriage was not out of love, she also understood her responsibilities and mission. On the wedding night, she couldn't help but ask Lu Wen for confirmation, but what she got was a calm analysis of interests and power.That night, Lu Wen left alone on the pretext of correcting the memorial, leaving Shi Xueji alone to face this cold palace marriage.
Cui Xingzhou arrived in the northwest and dealt with King Sui's old troops.These old foxes appear neutral on the surface, but in fact they have their own agendas.Cui Xingzhou was well aware of the complexity and adopted a hard-to-get strategy. On the surface, he agreed with their decision, but in fact, he secretly planned to disintegrate their alliance step by step and pave the way for the unification of the imperial court.
