Dan Country was not a militarily strong nation to begin with. Coupled with the depleted national treasury due to continuous disasters and the countless citizens lost in the calamities, facing the allied nations seeking to "act on behalf of heaven" was akin to a moth flying into the flames.
Dan Rong's lips were cracked from anxiety. Dan Heming and Xu Qingfeng had also brainstormed countless solutions, but none could dissuade the countries from their讨伐 (tǎofá - crusade/punitive expedition).
In reality, everyone knew that "acting on behalf of heaven" was merely a pretext for those nations, seeing Dan Country's decline, to launch a joint attack and carve it up. After all, Dan Country was a major grain producer; its surplus grain and fertile land were extremely beneficial to them.
"Mother Emperor, the Vermillion Bird Country's greed is too blatant. They are clearly coveting Dan Country, yet they spread rumors everywhere, fanning the flames. Their ambition is as clear as day to anyone! To ally with other nations to destroy our Dan Country—what kind of great nation conduct is this? If they have the guts, they should fight us one-on-one!" Dan Rong cursed furiously, clearly infuriated.
"The widespread natural disasters in Dan Country came and went quickly. I had intended to abdicate the throne to you, hoping to quell public opinion. I feared that someone might blame the royal family for these events. I never expected that before the people of Dan Country could express dissatisfaction, we would be surrounded by hungry wolves," Dan Heming said, her brow furrowed with deep worry.
"Alas, it must be Yan Zhi. She originally wanted to show off by marrying my younger imperial brother, but not only did she fail, she lost face completely. She must have gone back and fanned the flames. If you ask me, she really can't stand to lose. My younger imperial brother would rather remain unmarried for life than be entrusted to such a petty person," Dan Rong, out of options, began to grumble again.
After venting her anger, Dan Rong looked miserably at Dan Heming. "Mother Emperor, your son might become a slave of a fallen nation. Why don't you and Father Empress and my brother secretly escape? Those people are after Dan Country; they shouldn't hunt you to extinction. You could go into hiding…"
Dan Heming directly interrupted her, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Xu Qingfeng's gaze flickered. If his memory served him correctly, the Empress Qiao Ci mentioned by his youngest son seemed to have considerable experience dealing with such matters… However, Dan Country was now in ruins, facing covetous wolves. Could she truly turn the tide? What kind of compensation would their royal family need to offer to secure her help? Thinking of the imperial decree for marriage issued earlier, Xu Qingfeng couldn't help but offer a wry smile. Had he ultimately cornered himself? Still, for the sake of Dan Country's empire, he had to try.
He did not reveal this matter to Dan Rong and Dan Heming but went alone to Qiao Ci's residence, hoping to gauge her intentions first.
Seeing Xu Qingfeng come to the residence personally, Dan Qing was overjoyed and busied herself attending to him, even personally cooking a lavish dinner for her father. After Dan Qing went to the kitchen, Xu Qingfeng looked at the primly seated Qiao Ci, unsure how to begin. Qiao Ci was not good at discerning the thoughts of anyone other than Dan Qing. Thus, she simply sat there, continuously pouring tea and water for Xu Qingfeng.
Xu Qingfeng drank cup after cup, feeling he could not endure more, and decided to get straight to the point. "Actually, I've come today to discuss some matters with you."
"Please speak." Qiao Ci was very polite to Dan Qing's father.
Xu Qingfeng looked at Qiao Ci and said, "What are your thoughts on the other countries planning to attack Dan Country?"
Qiao Ci: Meow meow meow? How else could I see it but by opening my eyes? Of course, replying like this would be impolite, so Qiao Ci thought for a moment before commenting, "The few countries led by the Vermillion Bird Country are immoral."
A faint light appeared in Xu Qingfeng's eyes. He thought he had resonated with Qiao Ci and looked at her expectantly, waiting for her to continue. And then? Qiao Ci looked at Xu Qingfeng's encouraging gaze, unsure how to proceed, and could only stare back at him in silence. Xu Qingfeng had no choice but to hint, "Dan Country is facing wolves at its borders, in imminent peril. I don't know how to resolve this."
Qiao Ci understood immediately. So, they wanted her to handle this. She then analyzed, "This matter is actually quite simple. These countries still have some sense of shame; otherwise, they wouldn't have used Dan Country's natural disasters as an excuse. Dan Country's current military strength is not suitable for war. Therefore, to make them voluntarily cease their aggression, the problem must be solved from the root."
Qiao Ci spoke a great deal in one breath and paused to rest. Xu Qingfeng, however, thought she was playing hard to get and spoke, "As long as this crisis can be resolved, you can name any conditions you wish." Xu Qingfeng had braced himself for the worst when he came. After all, the facts were plain, and turning the situation around was incredibly difficult. If she truly had a way to resolve this crisis, even if she wanted the position of the ruler of Dan Country, he would try to persuade Dan Rong to agree, so as to prevent the people of Dan Country from suffering.
In fact, even if Xu Qingfeng hadn't come, for her and Dan Qing's future peace, Qiao Ci would have found a way to resolve this. She hadn't expected Xu Qingfeng to arrive before she even made a move.
Qiao Ci said, "I have no other thoughts besides Dan Qing. Protecting the peace of the country he resides in is also my duty. You don't need to worry about this matter; I will handle it." As for the specific method of resolution, Qiao Ci found it inconvenient to say.
Xu Qingfeng was stunned by Qiao Ci's confident demeanor. He ate the dinner without tasting it and returned to the palace in a daze.
A few days later, the council halls of the royal families leading the charge against Dan Country were all struck down by powerful heavenly lightning. It was said that the ministers attending court, including the empresses, were so terrified that they peed themselves on the spot—they really dared to do it publicly… They had just been discussing how to maximize the benefits of sanctioning Dan Country, only to be subjected to lightning retribution.
At that time, people were highly superstitious. Except for the Vermillion Bird Country, the other empresses who had clamored to attack Dan Country dared not speak further and withdrew from the alliance. The Empress of the Vermillion Bird Country, however, refused to believe it, scoffing that they were all cowards and intending to swallow Dan Country herself. It was only when continuous heavenly lightning struck her, leaving her half-paralyzed, that this matter subsided.
The Empress of the Vermillion Bird Country, suffering such a calamity, blamed Yan Zhi for suggesting the attack on Dan Country and punished her with confinement to the Imperial Princess's residence, effectively barring her from the throne forever. Although Little Spoon hadn't seen Qiao Ci make any moves, it instinctively felt that this matter was related to her and asked curiously, "Host, can you command heavenly lightning?"
Qiao Ci put on an innocent face. "Did you see me do anything?" She indeed had not acted, nor did she need to trouble herself. This realm's Heavenly Dao knew that Qiao Ci had saved it. Qiao Ci merely showed a slight intention, and the little Heavenly Dao eagerly went to execute it. Little Spoon was indeed somewhat suspicious, including the sudden death of Qiao Shan, the disappearance of Dan Country's natural disasters, and this lightning incident. However, it lacked evidence and could only continue to gnaw on its bones sullenly.
When Xu Qingfeng heard the news, he was completely stunned! Thinking of Qiao Ci saying she would handle it, were these series of events related to her? Then who… exactly was she?