TSFLIP Chapter 286

Feng Guang looked at the man with teary eyes, “Gu Yan, you finally came!”

She tossed the blanket aside and tried to rush toward him, but unfortunately, her hand was grabbed by Qian Qi.

Qian Qi’s face darkened, “Why has Prince Qian come to Your Majesty’s chambers in the middle of the night?”

Gu Yan casually glanced at Qian Qi holding Feng Guang’s hand and replied, “Didn’t you come as well, General Qian?”

“I am the head of the Imperial Forest Guards, responsible for maintaining order in the palace. I came to protect Your Majesty because I was concerned. What’s wrong with that? But Prince Qian, instead of staying at the royal residence, what brings you to the palace?”

Was it so strange for Gu Yan to come to the empress’s chambers in the middle of the night?

He came every night.

Of course, he couldn’t say that in front of Feng Guang. Just as Gu Yan was about to explain that he was just checking if the empress had kicked off her blanket, Feng Guang boldly spoke up.

“Gu Yan is here to sleep with me. Is that a problem?” She said it with great confidence.

Gu Yan was quite pleased.

Qian Qi froze for a moment, “So, you two have slept together?”

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?” With Gu Yan here, Feng Guang seemed to have gained a lot more confidence, even though she was still being held by someone.

Well, she was the empress. It was perfectly normal for her to favor anyone she wished.

Once she realized that, Qian Qi wasn’t as surprised anymore, though he still threw in a sarcastic remark. He said to Gu Yan, “I never thought Prince Qian, so pure and unblemished, would end up as the empress’s subordinate. Quite a surprise, indeed.”

“I may be pure, but I’m happy to be the empress’s subordinate,” Gu Yan replied smoothly. “General Qian, care to explain your purpose here in the empress’s chambers tonight?”

“To seize the palace,” Qian Qi said openly, without fear, even though Feng Guang and Gu Yan were two of the most powerful figures in the kingdom. He said arrogantly, “Does Prince Qian know why the empress ordered General Zhen Guo to manage the court before leading the army herself?”

“It was to use General Zhen Guo’s influence to wipe out the army you’ve secretly trained, General Qian.”

Qian Qi was surprised, “So, Prince Qian knew I was secretly training an army. Was it your suggestion to have General Zhen Guo take over the administration?”

“Not really,” Gu Yan responded. “The empress decided without consulting me, but her thinking is easy to guess. Having General Zhen Guo and you fight each other to the death is a good strategy.”

Feng Guang silently stared, her thoughts well-hidden. She thought no one could uncover her plans, but Gu Yan had guessed them so easily. Even though her ideas were mostly taught by Gu Yan, the fact that he could read her so well made her feel a deep sense of defeat.

Even though General Zhen Guo had retired from the battlefield, he still commanded an army of 100,000 men. His loyalty to the Eastern Cloud Kingdom was unquestionable, but that didn’t mean he was loyal to the current empress. Because he loved the country so much, he didn’t want it destroyed by this clueless empress. The military power in his hands, combined with the power General Lan Tingrong held, made the Lan family a real threat to Feng Guang, who sat on the throne.

Feng Guang didn’t need General Zhen Guo to immediately execute Qian Qi. She only needed him to realize that Qian Qi had ulterior motives.

“Two tigers fighting will surely injure one of them. This was indeed the empress’s plan,” Qian Qi said, looking at Feng Guang. “Your Majesty, I truly underestimated you.”

Feng Guang remained expressionless, “Nothing special. Don’t worship me too much.”

Qian Qi ignored her snide remark, “It’s a pity Your Majesty didn’t expect General Zhen Guo to cooperate with me.”

“He’s cooperating with you?” Feng Guang was surprised. As far as she knew, General Zhen Guo, despite being an old-fashioned conservative, would never tolerate treacherous ministers. Even though he didn’t like her sitting on the throne, he would have pushed Xia Fengya onto the throne instead, because Xia Fengya was of the royal bloodline, and only someone from the royal family could rightfully sit on the throne.