Chapter 62: Tarot Divination; Little Xi Uses Love Tarot to Cheat…
At the end of that long dream, Ying Xi went from unease to tranquility.
His tense body gradually relaxed, his breathing became even and fine, and after sweating it out, he rested peacefully for the entire morning.
Upon waking, only his hatred was distinct. Ying Xi recalled that in his past life, after Emperor Yuan Tai passed away and he inherited the throne, he had wanted to capture that shadow guard leader. However, Shadow had long since returned to the jianghu and vanished.
“Your Majesty, please drink your medicine.” Yu Jing handed over the medicine bowl. Ying Xi finished it.
Yu Jing advised, “This time, the rebels in Jiangnan are suing the Imperial Court for peace. Your Majesty need not be overly anxious. Let them stew for a few days, let them feel the pressure of Great Qin, so they become even more panicked.”
Ying Xi knew Yu Jing meant well.
He wanted him to rest more, but Ying Xi disliked looking weak and sickly.
He spoke rationally to Yu Jing, “Li Yilong wants to stall for a year. If I let him stew for a few days, I would be granting his wish without costing him anything.”
Yu Jing hurriedly bowed. “Your Majesty is wise.”
Ying Xi ordered, “Summon the officials to the main hall for a council.”
This gathering brought together civil and military officials of the third rank and above; it was a meeting of the true core members of the court.
The Secret Archives Bureau contributed two maps.
The first was the Map of the Realm’s Mountains and Rivers.
This map was several zhang¹ long and wide, depicting the distribution of cities and the flow of mountains and rivers throughout Great Qin with detailed strokes.
The other was a distribution map of the various commanderies in Yangzhou, the area controlled by the rebel army.
The Dragon Throne was located in the center of the main hall.
The massive map of the realm was unrolled and spread flat on the floor of the Weiyang Palace’s main hall. The officials stood in lines on either side of the map.
Yu Jing announced, “The Emperor has arrived!”
The Grand Eunuch led the way, while the Captain of the Guards stood valiantly by his side, hand on his sword.
The officials bowed down. “Long live our Emperor, long live, long live.”
“Rise.”
Ying Xi took his seat.
Tiantong whispered, “Your Majesty, this view is really great~”
It was as if the mountains, rivers, and courtiers were all prostrate at his feet. Viewing the map of the entire territory from the center of the hall gave birth to a heroic and magnificent feeling from the bottom of one’s heart.
Ying Xi nodded faintly. “En.”
Of the two rows of officials below, one side was civil, the other military.
Since last night, the news of the peace offer had spread throughout Chang’an.
With the matter dragging on until this afternoon, a decision had to be made during this court session. Most people had already prepared their drafts in their minds.
An important representative of the civil officials stepped forward. “Your Majesty, this minister believes that the Jiangnan rebels are awed by the Dragon’s might and have actively sued for peace. This is a good opportunity to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“As for Jiangnan’s request to retain their military and political structures for a year… the Jiangnan army is merely a hundred thousand thief soldiers, scattered across various commanderies.”
“After a year, even if Li Yilong still has rebellious intent, the people of the South will yearn for peace. Li Yilong, having become the Prefect of Yangzhou, will have an unjust title and improper words; he will long have lost the rallying power of a ruler. This minister believes we can agree to the peace talks.”
“This minister also believes it is feasible.”
“This minister seconds the motion.”
“…”
Voices of agreement surged like a tide, gradually forming a consensus.
Su Xueyi asked, “If it is less than a year—if the thief Li only wants to stall for a few dozen days, but deliberately set the condition for a year to confuse the public and make the Imperial Court plan for a year—what should be done then?”
When Su Xueyi asked this, the hall fell silent for a few breaths.
Then, intermittently, officials answered, “Then we must make two-handed preparations. We can negotiate peace, but also be ready for war at any time.”
Su Xueyi’s eyes curved slightly.
The Prime Minister cupped his hands toward the Emperor, his brow carrying a refined and romantic air. Seeing that expression explicitly asking for praise in public, Ying Xi was secretly amused.
Fifty-one ‘Xu Fangxin Gift Boxes’ were indeed quite effective.
But praising him was unnecessary. With that personality prone to pride, the more he was praised, the more troublesome he became. It was better to ignore him directly.
—”Minister Xie, tell us how we should fight.”
The person named and the person ignored reacted simultaneously.
Su Xueyi looked dejected for a moment, but immediately, that frustration transformed into his pupils releasing an even stronger intensity of delight.
Su Xueyi actually said, “This minister deserves ten thousand deaths; Your Majesty, please forgive me. This minister should have thought of this situation long ago. Instead, bringing it up only now has caused the Holy Majesty to worry.”
Su Xueyi bowed deeply.
The Xu Fangxin Gift Box is good, Ying Xi thought. The Emperor raised the corner of his mouth slightly, gaining a deeper understanding of the Dating System.
Xie Qianli, wearing armor today, stood in the same rank as the Imperial Guards, Longwu Army, and other military officials. Hearing Su Xueyi’s plea for forgiveness just now, the sword-like eyebrows beneath the rim of his helmet furrowed slightly. If anyone observed carefully, he looked very much like he was disgusted by someone’s excessive ingratiation.
Ying Xi saw that bit of reaction.
However, he didn’t think of it in a jealous direction.
After the long dream last night, seeing this man again today, Ying Xi adjusted his posture on the Dragon Throne for no reason, his breathing lightening.
“Minister Xie?”
“Present, Your Majesty.”
Xie Qianli stepped out of the ranks, turning sideways to point at the map of the realm, his silhouette sharp and clean. “This subject believes we should divide our forces into two routes. One route follows the river down from Jingzhou, and the other passes through Yuzhou and Xuzhou to press directly onto Yangzhou.”
“If we fight a quick battle, catching the enemy off guard, the two armies can converge at the enemy’s new capital. The battle could end in as little as two months.”
“Compared to peace talks, this minister supports war.”
Compared to waiting a year, Ying Xi could afford to fight a war for two months.
Ying Xi nodded slightly.
“Does Minister have candidates for the commanders of the two lines?”
Xie Qianli said, “The naval commander of Jingzhou, Xie Meng. His ancestral home is Chang’an. This man once served in the Imperial Guards and has always been brave.”
He elaborated, “In a forced crossing battle against enemy forces, Xie Meng led several soldiers, weapons wrapped around their waists, and dove shirtless to the bottom of the water.”
“The river water was bone-chillingly cold. Of these dozens of vanguard soldiers, none were swept away by the current, and they seized control of the bridge.”
“Later, because Xie Meng knew the nature of water well and was skilled in water warfare, he joined the navy and became a high-ranking general of the Jingzhou Navy.”
Someone interrupted, “He is surnamed Xie and his ancestral home is Chang’an. Is this a member of your Xie family?”
“Is Duke Xie’s command of the Longwu Army not enough? Must you also dip your finger into Great Qin’s navy?”
The court never lacked mutual accusations. Naturally, someone immediately dragged the rhythm off track. The topic shifted from how to fight the rebels to whether Xie Qianli wanted to seize the opportunity to grab more military power.
Ying Xi hated being interrupted when discussing important matters.
He pulled the topic back.
Ying Xi asked, “What is the relationship between Xie Meng and Minister Xie?”
Xie Qianli answered frankly, “He is a brother of my clan.”
Sure enough, as soon as the words were spoken, there was a small uproar in the court.
People speculated about the Duke of Ying’s intentions and whether the Emperor would fly into a rage.
But two different flashes of thought rose in Ying Xi’s heart.
One said: Allowing the Xie clan to control troops heavily again is dangerous.
The other was completely opposite.
Because Xie Qianli told the truth, and because of the relationship between Xie Meng and the Xie family, he believed Xie Meng would not collude with the Jiangnan army.
At least for this war, he can be used…
Ying Xi often had contradictory thoughts about Xie Qianli, feeling he was sincere yet fearing he was pretending.
He was unusually happy because the other expressed loyalty, and felt reassured seeing him actively recommend the Xie family’s connections for his use.
But he was terrified that eventually, he would be unable to leash this beast.
The Emperor’s relaxed posture gradually tightened.
Ying Xi sized up Xie Qianli and defended him for the moment. “Selecting talent from within one’s internal circle does not require avoiding relatives. Zhen appoints people on their merits alone. Gentlemen need not overthink.”
The officials fell silent.
Xie Qianli nodded slightly.
The moment Xie Qianli nodded, Ying Xi remembered the dream. The youth in the dream had just sprouted up, his limbs long and slender, full of dynamic energy as he jumped down from the magnolia tree.
And that youth had now grown into a fierce, heroic man.
“Ooh~ Adultery detected! Your Majesty is looking at the big wolf-dog!”
Below the stage, the debate on war or peace continued endlessly.
Tiantong‘s crisp voice was very obvious.
They shared vision. Ying Xi’s gaze fell on Xie Qianli and didn’t leave, which caused Tiantong intense excitement.
To achieve its goal, Tiantong spoke in a manner befitting Ying Xi’s style: “Does Your Majesty think falling in love with him has the best cost-performance ratio?”
Ying Xi retorted, “Can love be measured by value?”
“Eh!” Tiantong was stunned, then immediately ashamed.
The Dating System immediately provided feedback on Ying Xi’s statement.
System Reward: Charm Points +500
Regardless of his true thoughts, Ying Xi remained eloquent, seizing the opportunity to fight for his own interests.
Thus, the System was deceived and lost five hundred Charm Points for nothing.
Ying Xi hooked the corner of his mouth. After tricking the silly System, he tricked the System Assistant.
He absolutely didn’t mention that he was indeed sizing up Ju’er just now, and said calmly, “Regarding whether to fight or make peace, Zhen needs to make a decision, and must borrow a tool.”
Acquired: Limited Edition Love Divination Tarot x1.
Use Immediately!
It turned out the Tarot consisted of many cards with different suits.
The Tarot floated, and text prompts appeared on the interface:
“Please explain the love question you wish to consult on, and draw three cards after finishing your expression.”
A translucent golden light screen lay horizontally between Ying Xi and the officials.
Tiantong didn’t understand. “This is for divining love confusion. Your Majesty, what does this have to do with state affairs?”
Ying Xi didn’t answer but asked, “Is the divination accurate?”
Tiantong patted its chest to guarantee, saying proudly, “Of course, we are the strongest Dating System. Guaranteed effective, guaranteed accurate!”
Ying Xi nodded. This Dating System couldn’t be judged by common sense. Since it had miraculous functions, he would utilize them properly.
Thus, Ying Xi explained to the cards, “There is a common girl in Chang’an who admires the scenery of Jiangnan. If the North and South negotiate peace, she wants to immediately marry the future Prefect of Yangzhou as his wife. Will she be peaceful after marriage?”
It never expected the Emperor to connect love divination to the trend of the political situation. Tiantong was dumbfounded.
The Major Arcana cards refused no one, shuffling in mid-air in front of Ying Xi.
Ying Xi drew one.
The card face flipped over, revealing a young man carrying a bundle with a comical expression.
The young man looked like a Hu (foreigner), as if he had secretly escaped from home. His azure eyes were still looking behind him, as if afraid of being caught by someone, unaware that he was about to step into an abyss in front of him.
The Fool
Even though Ying Xi couldn’t read the Western script, he could perceive the obvious danger from reading the image!
Ying Xi’s back tightened.
His long eyelashes trembled lightly, deep gray ripples flowing in his eyes.
System prompt: “Please draw another card.”
After the cut, Ying Xi chose carefully.
The second card slowly turned over.
Ying Xi’s figure froze; his right hand held onto the Dragon Throne, slowly tightening on the dragon head of the armrest.
The Fool
—It was still that young man about to step into the abyss!
He could already feel that, separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, Li Yilong might be deceiving Great Qin.
If drawing the card twice both meant misfortune for a Chang’an woman marrying the Yangzhou Prefect…
Then it was extremely likely that a war between North and South was inevitable!
“Please draw the third card,” the System said.
In fact, Ying Xi had long harbored thoughts of war.
But Ying Xi, like the other officials, also harbored luck in his heart. After all, unification by force carried risks and burned money.
But even if there was a tiny possibility of being deceived, he couldn’t indulge this luck.
It wasn’t just about believing the divination; Ying Xi suddenly figured it out.
If the North and South were to be unified, making a decision would inevitably involve bearing risks.
Then he would rather place this risk on fighting, using military force to reclaim the lost land.
Ying Xi pursed his lips imperceptibly.
He had just picked up the third card, but there was no need to draw it.
Ying Xi swiped away the system interface.
Before his eyes, the court officials were still arguing their respective cases for the benefits of war versus peace.
The Emperor cleared his throat. “Ahem.”
At the same time, the officials fell silent, once again cupping their hands neatly toward the Emperor. “Your Majesty.”
Ying Xi said, “Issue a decree to Li Yilong. Zhen accepts the peace negotiation but does not accept the traitor’s one-year agreement. Order him to immediately open the city and surrender. Zhen will spare his life and grant him titles and official positions in our dynasty.”
His voice was calm and majestic, the echo lingering in the hall.
The murderous intent revealed in his calmness was chilling.
The officials who were arguing just now immediately had solemn faces.
Ying Xi said haughtily:
“If Li Yilong does not surrender, the mighty army will go south, and jade and stone will burn together. Zhen will personally lead the army to trample the new capital and take his head.”
—Your, Your Majesty wants to lead a personal expedition!?
All the officials were caught off guard and dizzied by the Emperor’s decision.
And in a corner of the Dating System, the third Tarot card slowly drifted down, the face impressively facing up:
The Fool!!!
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