Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 302 - 12: The Naive Qin Dusi (Part 2)

Support orthodoxy? An army of justice?

Susu only found it amusing, "The current Emperor is not a fool. If that Sixth Prince doesn’t shed a little blood, do you think he would make such a promise?"

Everyone present was smart, naturally aware of the intrigue. Mrs. Zhao didn’t speak, but Qin Miao said, "Nothing more than ceding territory and sending annual tributes!"

After speaking, she muttered disdainfully, "Just for those little things, is it right for the good men of Great Chu to fight desperately against the Tartars? Simply absurd!"

Susu, upon hearing this, shook her head inwardly. Although the current Emperor seems a bit mad, he is not stupid. It is naturally impossible for it to be just about that territory and gold.

With fifty thousand Tartar troops about to press the border, deploying troops now not only keeps the enemy outside the country, preventing the flames of war from reaching Great Chu’s borders but also weakens the Tartar’s strength.

Furthermore, the Great Chu Army must escort the Sixth Prince directly to the Tartar capital.

Judging by the current Emperor’s disposition, he might even order Governor Qin to occupy the Tartar capital directly, either eliminating the Tatar Country or establishing a puppet Great Khan.

After all, this ruler doesn’t seem to pay much heed to the founding Saint Martial Emperor’s decrees, otherwise, the Ruan Family wouldn’t have suffered such a severe blow.

Of course, this is all Susu’s conjecture. Perhaps the current ruler is just that "noble and selfless," doing good deeds without expecting any reward?

Upon hearing these words, Susu’s imagination ran wild, but Mrs. Zhao glanced at her daughter and said, "Don’t speak nonsense. If your father finds out, won’t he scold you?"

Qin Miao secretly pouted, thinking her father wouldn’t bear to!

At this moment, Mrs. Qin came back to her senses. After all, she wasn’t truly naive and, seeing her niece like this, she laughed and embraced her, saying, "A conflict between the Tartars and Great Chu is inevitable. Your father isn’t foolish; sending troops to the Tartars can keep the flames of war away from the civilians of Great Chu."

Susu’s expression became a bit serious, and Mrs. Zhao, noticing it, asked suspiciously, "Susu, have you thought of something?"

"Although the flames of war haven’t reached Great Chu’s territory, the soldiers entering the Tartars are essentially fighting alone. It’s all well before the Sixth Prince inherits the throne, but what if once he inherits it, he turns against us?"

All three present changed their expressions, as such a possibility was not out of question!

Mrs. Zhao straightened her posture and said seriously, "Don’t worry, Susu, I will tell your Uncle Qin about it when I return."

Then she put on a serious face, looking a little troubled, "I was initially concerned that you were too young and hadn’t experienced much, but now it’s time you know about your Uncle Qin’s plan."

"Your Uncle Qin has already received news that he will surely lead troops on a campaign, but the Northwest couldn’t be without a leader. The Emperor will send Prince Ke to oversee the Northwest Camp. The matter with the Bai Family is indeed mysterious. However, your Uncle Qin also plans to follow the trail, but the Bai Family has hidden too deeply, and he has only uncovered a small amount. The Bai Family has always behaved well, and now the only unstable factor is the Bai Family’s eldest daughter, Bai Lili."

What Mrs. Zhao said next, Susu could understand but not accept.

Governor Qin means for Susu and Hong Sheng to stabilize the Bai Family, and if they are truly Tartar spies, they would likely receive news of significant changes within Tartar Country and take action at that time.

Governor Qin wants to understand the massive game that has been in play for sixty years by following this line.

Moreover, the Bai Family has deeply infiltrated Hami. With Governor Qin leading troops on a campaign, the Hami Guard is on the frontline; the entire Hami Camp will follow.

But at least half of the leaders in the Hami Guard have various degrees of connection with the Bai Family.

If no evidence is found to deal with the Bai Family at this point, it might incite a mutiny among the warriors of the Hami Guard.

Of course, in terms of the military, Governor Qin and Commander Liu have high prestige. Even if a mutiny occurs, they would have ways to quell it.

The real issue lies with the Bai Family’s intermarriage with local tribes.

In the Northwest Region, why is it said, "Beyond Yangguan, there are no old friends"? Mainly because there aren’t many Han people, and the majority are minorities.

Although minorities are warm and hospitable, they can also be xenophobic. Their warmth is directed at friends, and gaining their friendship isn’t easy.

However, over sixty years, the Bai Family has gained such a hard-to-earn friendship.

In the Hami Guard, the decisive factor in tribal affairs is not the County Magistrate appointed by the court, but the Elder Council established by each ethnic group.

According to Governor Qin, among the ten members of the Elder Council, at least two have wives from the Bai Family, and two others’ businesses are co-invested with the Bai Family.

If the local minorities stir up trouble as they deploy troops, it would be a direct loss.

So Governor Qin hopes Susu can stabilize Bai Lili.

One way to stabilize could be many ways, and the method thought up by Governor Qin, as a man, made Mrs. Zhao unsure of how to tell Susu, a fact Susu could guess.

Let Hong Sheng take a concubine or simply marry with equal status, causing a dilemma. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Not to mention as one involved, Susu looked unpleasant, and Mrs. Qin turned pale, asking, "Does my brother actually support this terrible idea with you?"

Before Mrs. Zhao could reply, Mrs. Qin continued, "I’ve discussed with my husband about adopting Susu as my goddaughter. If she becomes one, she’ll call you both uncle and aunt. Can you really accept that?"

The other three people, including Susu, were quite shocked by Mrs. Qin mentioning the adoption of a goddaughter, but this wasn’t the time to discuss this matter.

Qin Miao also felt her father’s idea was too unscrupulous, but seeing her aunt pressure her mother, she felt uncomfortable too.

"Aunt, my mother doesn’t agree, but my father says the Bai Family is too deeply hidden, and there are no gaps to be found, so they take Bai Lili as a breakthrough point. Honestly, I feel it’s quite unreliable."

Qin Miao redirected the focus onto herself, knowing her aunt couldn’t bear to scold her.

Qin Miao also had something she was embarrassed to say in front of Susu. Her father wanted Hong Sheng to use his good looks; he always felt the Bai Family was too dangerous.

But if Qin Miao hadn’t seen Hong Sheng before, it’d be fine, yet she had indeed met Hong Sheng once, and with his swarthy appearance, him using good looks for this? It’d be better to send her father!

Additionally, today, seeing Susu, it felt like Hong Sheng being able to marry Susu was due to eight lifetimes’ worth of good deeds. Daring to take a concubine? He’d get beaten to death!

Mrs. Zhao looked at her sister-in-law, slightly aggrieved, saying, "Am I really this ungrateful in your mind? Without Susu’s aunt, how would I have my four children? But you know, your brother can be quite naive sometimes, and I couldn’t persuade him otherwise, so I just told Susu his intention, whether she listens or not is up to Susu."

Can someone become a Second Rank Governor of the Northwest and still be naive?

Mrs. Zhao also noticed Susu’s confusion, giving a bitter smile, "You’ll understand when you meet your Uncle Qin. He indeed has talent in military campaigns, but in other aspects..." Facing her sister-in-law, who shares the same mother as her husband, she didn’t really know how to compliment nicely, especially since "immature" wasn’t a term back in this time.

Mrs. Qin also understood her brother’s nature from hearing this, and felt a little uneasy for wrongfully blaming her sister-in-law, noticing she stopped talking to spare herself.

So Mrs. Qin carried on the conversation, somewhat reluctantly saying, "You seem otherworldly and like an immortal, but your Uncle Qin is celestial everywhere!"