The playboy county magistrate

"The people of the Western Regions are most adept at using their influence to sow discord. This woman appears gentle and dutiful, but in reality, she is the most cunning and selfish."

"She wanted to use me to eliminate her rivals and seize my favor. Little did she know that her eagerness to instigate internal strife and stir up trouble in the palace only exposed the Western Regions' short-sightedness and greed."

"Send a message to Li Xuanzhi and the Crown Prince." The Emperor's eyes were sharp and clear. "The Western Regions have already stirred up undercurrents. We don't need to take the initiative to break the deadlock. We just need to observe the situation and go with the flow."

"Have the palace servants relay Qiluo's words from today in the Hall of Mental Cultivation to those women. Order the secret guards to closely monitor the movements of these beauties, allowing them to keep each other in check. Once the infighting has taken hold and the flaws are exposed, then we will take them down one by one and deal with them properly."

The chief eunuch immediately received the order and sent a message overnight.

Qi Luo thought she had succeeded in sowing discord and stirring up the entire palace intrigue. Little did she know that every move she made was within the emperor's prediction and under the control of his ministers.

She wanted to use imperial power to counterbalance her rivals, while the emperor took advantage of her personal desires to revitalize the overall situation and watched as the country was embroiled in internal strife.

Meanwhile, in Japan, Chiyo sat by the window, gazing through the shadows of sparse bamboo towards the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Yukina stood beside him and whispered:

"Sister, Qiluo from the Western Regions has been staying in the Yangxin Hall for a long time and has not yet come out. She must have already won first place. Who knows, she might already be arrogant and start belittling others to highlight her own excellence."

Chiyo's eyes remained completely calm as she spoke softly.

"This is to be expected; the situation in the Western Regions has always been like this. Those who are short-sighted and eager to fight among themselves will only be trapped in the narrow confines of palace intrigues and will never amount to anything."

"Moreover, if she really stirs up trouble between them tonight, she's not just adding bricks and tiles to their Western Regions, but paving the way for our Eastern Japan."

Xue Nai was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean by that, sister?"

A faint, cold smile played on Chiyo's lips. "The Western Regions' initiative to enter the fray and provoke trouble will inevitably draw the attention of the Emperor and his ministers of the Great Yong Dynasty. From then on, the focus of the inner palace will be entirely on the internal strife between the Western Regions, the Northern Desert, and the Southern Frontier."

"Only we, the Japanese, remain untouched by strife, and thus become increasingly transparent and harmless. The more they stir up trouble, the more secure we become. The more they fight, the more discreet we become."

"When everyone's attention is focused on the infighting among the three parties, that will be the best time for us to secretly develop informants to spy on the coastal defenses and wait for the situation to change."

Xue Nai suddenly realized, and a look of awe flashed in her eyes.

"Sister's insight is brilliant. They fight it out on stage while we benefit behind the scenes; it's truly the best-case scenario."

Chiyo looked up at the deep night sky, her gaze distant.

"Let them fight, let them struggle, let them distrust each other and wear each other down. The more chaotic the palace, the more opportunities Japan will have."

As night deepened, the wind rose over the palace walls, causing the eaves lamps to sway precariously.

The next day, as dawn broke, commotion broke out in the palace.

The words of discord spoken by the Western Regions beauty last night have spread like wildfire throughout the inner and outer palaces overnight.

Although no one dared to reveal the source, under the windows of the palace where the women of the northern desert lived, there were always a few palace maids whispering among themselves.

The conversation invariably turned to that Ulan from the northern desert, who was "too proud and ambitious."

These rumors were naturally whispered to the ears of Ulan in the northern desert by someone with ulterior motives.

Ulan, dressed in a fiery red Hu-style outfit, was standing in the courtyard wiping his curved knife.

She was born with a striking and flamboyant beauty, her brows and eyes carrying a unique heroic spirit and unyielding spirit from the frontier. The morning breeze ruffled her high-tied braids, making her appear like a cluster of blazing wildfire.

The maid Aymu hurriedly entered, her face slightly pale, and she hesitated to speak.

Ulan looked up, her hands still moving, and said, "Speak your mind."

Aymu bit her lip and lowered her voice.

"This morning when I went to the laundry department, I overheard the palace maids gossiping... saying that the young lady from the Western Regions, Qiluo, spoke frankly before the Emperor last night, saying that you..."

"What did you say about me?"

"They say you are strong-willed and unruly, and that you showed resentment in your eyes at yesterday's Spring Festival banquet. Afterwards, you were summoned to the palace by the Empress and given a reprimand, but upon your return, you continued to do as you pleased, privately discussing border matters. They also say that you are ambitious and untamed, and that you are not a person who is content with your lot."

With a "crack," the curved knife in Ulan's hand slammed onto the whetstone, sparks flying everywhere.

She suddenly stood up, her eyebrows raised, and her phoenix eyes almost spitting fire.

"What a barbarian woman from the Western Regions! How dare a lowly maidservant of her origins, a dancer, spread rumors before the Emperor! I am a member of the dignified royal family of the Northern Desert!"

"She says I'm untamed and ambitious? I think she's the one with honeyed words and a heart of stone! Last night, while playing the zither and attending to the night, she started sowing discord. She's trying to crush my Northern Desert to death!"

Ulan grew angrier as he spoke, tucked his scimitar into his waistband, and strode out.

Ayim rushed forward to stop him, her voice urgent.

"My lord, please calm down! That Qiluo just gained the Emperor's favor last night. If we rashly confront her now, we might just be playing into her hands, thus confirming her reputation for your impetuous nature!"

"I have acted with integrity and uprightness, why should I fear her slanderous words?!" Ulan's eyes were sharp. "She dares to speak ill of me behind my back, and I dare to confront her face to face. I want to see what tricks her clever tongue can come up with in front of the entire palace!"

Ignoring all attempts to stop her, she lifted her skirt and strode out of the bedchamber, walking through the corridors and heading straight for Ningxiang Palace.

Along the way, the princess of Mobei was full of anger and walked with a brisk pace, which was seen by countless palace servants and caused a great deal of discussion.

Inside Ningxiang Palace, Qiluo was sitting with women from the Western Regions, enjoying tea.

Last night's gentle words had sown discord in the emperor's heart, and she felt she had planted a seed of resentment. Just as she was secretly pleased with herself, she suddenly heard a commotion outside the palace.

"Western Regions Beauty! Get out here!"

A cold shout pierced the air, carrying the unique clarity and sharpness of a woman from the northern frontier, startling the maids in the courtyard into turning their heads.

Qi Luo's fingertips paused slightly, a barely perceptible smile flashing across her eyes—

finally come.

This is the moment she's been waiting for.

Last night, she deliberately brought up the topic, knowing that Mobei Ulan was strong-willed and could not tolerate the slightest provocation.

The more she "speaks frankly and with concern" before the emperor, the more likely the northern desert would lose its temper on the spot.

Whenever Ulan makes a scene, in the eyes of others, he appears arrogant and rude in the northern desert, thus solidifying his reputation as "unruly and difficult to tame".

"Sister, that barbarian woman from the northern desert is attacking!"

The Uyghur woman whispered, a hint of joy hidden in her eyes.

"Don't panic." Qi Luo slowly put down her teacup, straightened her clothes, and her face had changed to a gentle and innocent expression.

"Her arrival is just in time. The more she makes a scene, the more docile and polite we in the Western Regions appear, and the more unruly and domineering she is in the Northern Desert."

Before she finished speaking, Ulan had already strode into the courtyard.

She was dressed in a fiery red Hu-style outfit, with a curved sword still at her waist, and her eyes revealed undisguised anger.

"Qiluo!" Ulan stopped and spoke in a cold voice.

"Let me ask you, last night before the Emperor, did you speak ill of my northern frontier? Did you say that my Ulan people are unruly and undisciplined?"

Qi Luo slowly rose to her feet, her voice carrying just the right amount of fear.

"I certainly wouldn't dare to speak presumptuously. Last night I was merely serving His Majesty by imperial decree, chatting idly about the scenery. I don't know where you heard these things from..."