Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1779 Seeking Buddha
A Buddhist shrine in the palace at night
Under the dim light of the kerosene lamp, Murong Qingwu knelt on the prayer mat, silently praying with her hands clasped together before the solemn Bodhisattva in front of her. Although she was a woman, under the influence of her family's poetry and books, Murong Qingwu firmly believed that Confucius did not speak of strange phenomena, supernatural beings, ghosts, or gods, and was not enthusiastic about the way of gods and Buddhas.

However, after marrying Ye Mingsheng, she discovered that Empress Dowager Ye Cui was a devout believer in gods and Buddhas. In order to win Ye Cui's favor, Murong Qingwu pretended to be very interested in gods and Buddhas, trying to make matters of gods and Buddhas a shared interest with Ye Cui, thereby bringing them closer together.

With Murong Qingwu's deliberate flattery, Ye Cuishi was quite satisfied with her, and the relationship between the two was relatively harmonious.

Against this backdrop, although Murong Qingwu did not believe in gods and Buddhas at first, she gradually became somewhat skeptical under the influence of Ye Cuishi.

In this extremely unfavorable situation for the Murong family, even though Murong Qingwu has exhausted all her means, she still has no confidence at all. So the only thing she can do now is to place her hopes on the gods and Buddhas, hoping that all the gods and Buddhas in the sky can protect her and the Murong family.

Just as Murong Qingwu was kneeling on the prayer mat, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. The footsteps immediately interrupted Murong Qingwu's prayer, causing her to frown slightly. At that moment, Ying'er pushed open the door and entered, saying to Murong Qingwu, who was kneeling on the prayer mat, with a hint of surprise:

"Her Majesty, something terrible has happened..."

Upon hearing this, Murong Qingwu's heart sank, but seeing Ying'er's delighted expression, she calmed down and asked:

"what happened?"

"Your Majesty, I heard that Cui Shao has fainted!"

"Yinger, what did you say?"

I said Cui Shao fainted!

Hearing Ying'er repeat the news again, Murong Qingwu still couldn't quite believe it. She immediately disregarded the fact that she was still kneeling on the prayer mat and pressed for an answer:

"What the hell is going on?"

"At first, no one was too surprised that Cui Shao didn't go to the Ministry of Revenue yesterday. After all, Cui Shao's health had been deteriorating since Cui Zibo's death, and he had often taken leave over the past year. However, after the medical school went to see Cui Shao at noon and returned, the cabinet immediately ordered a news blackout, and that's when the court started to hear some rumors!"

"Our people at the medical school just sent word that Cui Shao suddenly fainted yesterday before going to work at the government office, and he is still unconscious and his life is currently unknown!"

Murong Qingwu, who had been somewhat skeptical, finally dared to fully believe, after hearing Ying'er's detailed account, that Cui Shao, whom she had always considered a major threat, was truly ill! Cui Shao was the most meritorious official in the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty. During the establishment of the Great Qian, Ye Mingsheng relied heavily on him. Anyone recommended by Cui Shao, as long as they were trustworthy, would be given important positions by Ye Mingsheng. Furthermore, Cui Shao was a leading figure in the Liaoyang clique, which resulted in him having many protégés and associates in the court—a considerable political force…
As the saying goes, "two tigers cannot share one mountain." Her father, Murong Yuliang, had always been at odds with Cui Shao, which was why Murong Yuliang had to stay away from the central government and lie low in Jiangnan.

Cui Shao's kinship with An Miaoyi made him An Miaoyi's most important supporter, and also an important link between An Miaoyi and Empress Dowager Ye Cui.

For this reason, Cui Shao has always been a thorn in Murong Qingwu's side. If it weren't for the huge difference in their strength, Murong Qingwu would have removed this thorn long ago.

Normally, Murong Qingwu would be overjoyed to hear this news, but things are different now.

Currently, her father, Murong Yuliang, is embroiled in the political vortex in Jiangnan. Although An Miaoyi and the others are gloating, in order to avoid giving His Majesty the impression of being involved in the political struggle, they must pretend to be indifferent and stand aside.

However, if something were to happen to Cui Shao at this time, things would be different!

If Cui Shao doesn't wake up, it means the existing power balance in the court will be broken, and the court will inevitably usher in a new round of reshuffling.

This would give her father the opportunity to take control of the central government, something that An Miaoyi and the Liaoyang gang did not want to see!

Therefore, in Murong Qingwu's view, in order to prevent her father from having a chance, these people might be willing to risk angering Ye Mingsheng in order to take advantage of the current opportunity to strike at her father.

If that's the case, with these people's strong resistance, this matter will likely be difficult to resolve peacefully.
Thinking of this, Murong Qingwu's expression also became worried. Naturally, she hoped Cui Shao wouldn't wake up, but ideally, he would be alright for the time being, and that something would happen to him only after her father, Murong Yuliang, had safely passed through this ordeal. That would be the best outcome...
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Nanyang Lei Island
Under the protection of hundreds of guards, a convoy drove into Medan, the largest city on Thunder Island. As soon as the convoy entered Medan, it attracted the attention of the local Thunder Island residents.

The local residents of Rae Island are typical of Southeast Asian people, with brownish skin, a height of about three and a half feet, thick lips, wide noses, and narrow facial features.

While most of the guards in the convoy that entered the city shared similar facial features, a dozen or so of them had distinctly Han Chinese features, which seemed quite out of place on Lei Island. This is why the local residents of Lei Island cast curious glances at them.

As the caravan entered a large manor, Sun Wenheng and his son Sun Teng alighted from their carriages. Just then, a middle-aged man of short stature but with a stocky build, dressed in traditional Lei Island attire, approached, surrounded by his entourage. As he walked, he spoke in broken Chinese:
"Uncle Sun, Brother Sun, it's been so long! I've missed you dearly!"

Hearing this strange Mandarin, Sun Teng found it utterly ridiculous. Back in Lin'an, when he first met this Baya tribesman named Seraj, he couldn't help but burst into laughter. But now he had to hold it in; after all, this wasn't Lin'an, it was Lei Island, and he wasn't the same Sun Teng anymore…