The Empress’ Livestream

Jiang Pengji looked very surprised after she listened to Wei Ci’s opinion. It was as if she had discovered a new continent.

 She said, “Zixiao, I thought that you were the most righteous of us all. I didn’t know that you have such a crafty side.”

 ‘Come to think about it, it shouldn’t have been surprising. After all, is there even any advisor that doesn’t have a scheming mind?’ Jiang Pengji thought.

 She said, “What you’ve said is true. The Red Lotus Group is different from the Tsing Yi Army. The Red Lotus Group uses nonsensical doctrines to fool ignorant civilians. Their ideas are persistent and difficult to root out. It won’t end well if they secretly spread their cult and influence the civilians under our rule. Tossing them to someone else could be a good way of using what little value they have to us.”

 Wei Ci sighed. He knew that she was teasing him and joking around with him with her words. If she spoke in such a manner to someone unfamiliar with her, they would think that she was mocking them.

 “All’s well as long as you don’t despise it,” replied Wei Ci.

 Cupped her cheek with one hand, Jiang Pengji adjusted the campfire with her free hand, causing the fire to burn more vigorously. “Mhmm, I don’t despise it. In fact, I quite like it.”

 Despite the conversation being perfectly normal, Wei Ci felt his ears redden involuntarily.

 Watching from nearby, Feng Zhen for some reason felt that he had witnessed some public display of affection.

 “Tsk — Seems like I don’t have to meddle in their affairs.” Feng Zhen shrugged. As a sickly person who had consumed too much Hanshi powder, he really hated winter and summer.

 He climbed back into the carriage and blocked the entrance securely to prevent cold air from entering. He then sat and warmed himself with a hot water bottle.

 After a snowy and windy night, the soldiers boiled water, soaked the dried meat, and cooked porridge for breakfast in the morning.

 Jiang Pengji ordered the soldiers to tell An Cui to come over so they could have breakfast together.

 “The conditions are crude and limited, Brother An, but please make do with the meal. I will treat you to a proper meal some other day when there is a chance,” Jiang Pengji said generously and politely. An Cui was not an insolent person, so he quickly accepted the invitation and held a casual conversation.

 Dried meat, broth, and porridge. The food was indeed crude, but given their current situation, it could be considered extremely plentiful.

 To add some flavor, condiments had been added to the broth, making it smell delicious.

 The livestream started at the scheduled time. The audience who had been waiting for a while flooded the channel, some saying hello and extending their greetings.

 The livestream channel soon reached 150,000 viewers, the maximum number of audience members it could accommodate. The channel had become so famous that everyone knew about it. It was extremely difficult to obtain entry to the channel. Whoever got a seat in the livestream would definitely take a screenshot to show off in their Weibo or Wechat Moments.

 As the audience entered, they realized that other than the streamer, the pretty Wei Ci, and the mean Feng Zhen, there was a stranger present.

 Eat Rice Dumplings on Dragon Boat Festival: “Eh? Who is this guy that is allowed to have breakfast with the streamer and everyone?”

 Eat Snacks on Children’s Day: “I don’t recognize him. I don’t think he has appeared before. Do any seniors who have been following the channel for a long time know who this guy is?”

 Stir-Fried Mushroom: “I don’t recognize him either. He probably appeared last night after the livestream ended… Wait, he seems to have been mentioned yesterday. The soldiers found someone lying unconscious by the road, almost buried in the snow, and the streamer sent some men to rescue the person. Maybe it’s him?”

 Forever 18: “Maybe. If he is the person they saved yesterday, he must have some important background or ability.”

 The screen of the livestream was full of comments discussing An Cui. The more serious members of the audience were discussing his identity and background, hoping to find clues. Meanwhile, the less serious members of the audience only had their eyes glued on An Cui’s looks and figure, commenting on every part of him from head to toe.

 Streamer V: “His name is An Cui, and he is indeed the person who was saved by the soldiers yesterday.”

 Jiang Pengji sent a bullet screen comment and continued to have breakfast, her expression calm.

 After finishing her meal, she was in no rush to continue her journey. She affectionately asked An Cui, “The world is in such a chaotic state at the moment, Brother An, do you have any plans?”

 An Cui had been starving for a long time, but he still maintained his pride and habits, only eating as much breakfast as it took for him to feel 80% full.

 Hearing Jiang Pengji’s question, An Cui looked somewhat lost. Then his expression changed to one of determination, and he said in a sonorous tone, “The beasts of Nanman have trampled the mountains and rivers of my country and enslaved the people of Nansheng. I will give it my all to take revenge on the barbarians.”

 Yes, he wanted revenge.

 Even when he had been semi-conscious and stranded in the snow the night before, the last thought had been on seeking revenge.

 Had the beasts of the four factions of Nanman not trampled Nansheng, destroyed his house, slaughtered his family, annihilated his country, and stepped on his self-esteem and pride, how else could he have ever been reduced from a lofty nobleman with a great future to his current stray-dog-like state?

 His nation had fallen and he could not return to his home. Thinking back on the days where he’d drifted from place to place and endured many hardships, An Cui couldn’t help but tear up.

 Jiang Pengji said, “Seek revenge? The four factions of Nanman have strong military power. Brother An, I’m afraid that your hopes have a slim chance of coming true.”

 If the four factions of Nanman were easy to defeat, Nansheng wouldn’t have been annihilated.

 An Cui’s face was pale. His gaze flitted over his arm as he lamented, “I also know that it is difficult, but how can I be resigned to my fate before I even give it a try? Initially, I wanted to borrow troops from your country to attack Nanman, but I didn’t expect that Dongqing would also be so turbulent…”

 A few years before, the four factions of Nanman had almost conquered the capital city of Nansheng. The other countries on the Central Plains had all sent troops to assist Nansheng.

 But the four factions of Nanman were cunning and crafty. When faced with the reinforcement troops from the four countries, they’d chosen to slowly retreat while still occasionally putting up a fight.

 At first, the nobles of Nansheng thought that the four factions of Nanman were afraid of the reinforcement troops. They only realized later that the four factions of Nanman were actually smart.

 The troops of Nanman slowly retreated, occasionally putting up a fight and avoiding head-on fights with the reinforcement troops. Doing so, they conserved their military power to the greatest possible extent.

 The other four nations were not goody-two-shoes. They demanded payment for coming all the way to help Nansheng fight their battle, and the payment they demanded was not small.

 The four factions of Nanman did not suffer many losses in terms of military power and could stage a comeback at any time. Nansheng, however, could only grit its teeth and bear with it, giving the reinforcement troops of the other four nations plenty of remuneration in the form of land, money, provisions, military equipment, or even people.

 After the reinforcement troops left, as expected, the four factions of Nanman had attacked again. Some of the nobles and in-laws of the royal family sold information and military intelligence to Nanman to bolster themselves, ensuring that the annihilation of Nansheng would be unavoidable.

 An Cui had initially wanted to borrow some troops from Dongqing, but he hadn’t expected Dongqing to be unable to even fend for itself.

 Jiang Pengji pretended to give him advice. “Why don’t you try your luck at Zhongzhao?”

 An Cui couldn’t stop laughing bitterly.

 He’d almost died on the way while escaping to Dongqing when his life was threatened several times. He didn’t know if he could survive the journey to Zhongzhao if he was to set off again.

 “To be honest, I had my motives for trying everything I could to sneak into the Red Lotus Group.” An Cui exhaled deeply, a determined look on his face. “The Red Lotus Group uses its doctrines to delude the people. They have gathered tens of thousands of believers already. They don’t just operate in northern Dongqing, but spread their doctrine in other places as well, tricking citizens into joining them. The Group appears to be similar to Buddhism and Taoism, but it is no different from a cult.”

 Jiang Pengji secretly raised an eyebrow. Just then, she was still thinking about how she could bring up the possibility of cooperation with An Cui, but he took the initiative to do so before she said anything.

 His words led to the goal that he was going to reveal next.

 Jiang Pengji took the opportunity. Looking worried, she said, “The Red Lotus Group is indeed toxic. If they are given leeway to anchor themselves and promote their ideology in northern Dongqing, within two or three years, all the citizens of northern Dongqing are going to be deceived by these cultists and join them…”

An Cui joined his hands together in a salute and bowed, then said sincerely, “To be honest, I initially sneaked into the Red Lotus Group hoping to infiltrate their ranks and use them as means for revenge. However, after understanding their doctrine, I realized that the situation is pretty bad. Judging from the current situation, if you don’t act fast to prevent future troubles, their existence will drag on, and they will become a thorn in your side! Brother, you must take precautions.”