My System Is Three Thousand Years Early

Only if a complete falling out with them had truly occurred.

Yet this contradicted what Cheng Guang previously declared about admiring the Crown Prince and wanting to join their ranks.

After Cheng Guang nodded in agreement to handle the matter, the Queen of the South Ming nodded back with considerable satisfaction. "All you need to do is take care of this matter; you don't need to involve yourself in the rest."

Sipping his tea absently, Cheng Guang nodded indifferently, glanced at the Queen of the South Ming, and began to change the subject, intentionally and unintentionally probing and gathering information.

"Auntie, what kind of strength do the people you want me to place in the Bureau of the Lamp have? The Bureau does have its strength requirements, and it would be rather difficult for me to insert too many people who are too weak," he said.

The Queen of the South Ming did not hide the information from Cheng Guang, perhaps because he had agreed to her initial request. She said with a smile:

"Their strength is not weak; they are all devoted retainers recently cultivated by the Crown Prince, so you don't need to worry about that."

Cheng Guang's eyes slightly lifted, and he asked, "How does their strength compare to yours, Auntie?"

The Queen of the South Ming looked at Cheng Guang in annoyance. "There aren't many who can compare to me; it's not feasible to cultivate retainers to my level of cultivation," she replied coolly.

Hearing this, Cheng Guang had a clear understanding.

The individuals that the Queen of the South Ming wanted him to place within the Bureau of the Lamp most likely had a Cultivation Realm below the sixth rank, equivalent to the middle level of strength within the Bureau.

Such people, ranking in the middle echelons of the Bureau, would probably also be core forces for the Crown Prince.

Cultivating a devoted retainer must have cost a significant amount of resources—even though the Crown Prince had taken on the identity of the King of South Ming and could exploit the wealth and resources of Great Zhou—it seemed that resources were still limited.

If he could round up a great number of the Crown Prince's devoted retainers, the countenance of the Crown Prince at that time would certainly be amusing.

Amid his contemplation, the Queen of the South Ming also slowly rose, preparing to leave.

Before leaving, she gave Cheng Guang another look and said with a smile:

"Nephew, the people I want you to place in the Bureau of the Lamp will come to your Mansion to find you later."

"Moreover, don't blame your Auntie for being nosy. For such matters, it's better to act sooner than later; the sooner you can place them, the less likely it is to arouse suspicion."

"If arranged close to the royal sacrifice, even if these individuals are placed among the guards participating in the ceremony, they will not be stationed too close to the central area."

"This would actually be disadvantageous," she advised.

"Pay extra attention to this yourself."

Having said that, the Queen of the South Ming gracefully departed with a sway of her lotus step.

As Cheng Guang watched the enchanting and graceful figure of the Queen of the South Ming, he carelessly observed the more prominent parts of her figure.

"Auntie's figure is really impeccable, she might even look better in black silk," he murmured with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

The Queen of the South Ming, whether she heard him or not, stumbled slightly, nearly falling over on the spot.

What was normally a dignified and noble gait became abruptly hurried.

The Queen of the South Ming clenched her teeth, and with her attendants, hastened her departure.

Although she couldn't quite grasp what black silk was, she knew instinctively that it wasn't something decent.

It could very well be something vile.

She had originally thought that after yesterday's incident, Cheng Guang had changed quite a bit since he admired the Crown Prince and she herself was his official wife, the Princess, on the surface.

In her estimation, he would treat her with a bit more respect.

Yet what was the outcome?

No change whatsoever.

If Cheng Guang had not agreed to her initial request, she wouldn't have given him a friendly face while he was sizing her up.

But now, since Cheng Guang had agreed, she still needed to use him to handle some matters, and she couldn't continue with her earlier disposition—violent and murderous at the drop of a hat.

Even though the Queen of the South Ming sorely wished to slap Cheng Guang to death at that moment, she temporarily had to refrain from acting.

It would be best to wait until Cheng Guang had helped them complete the matter before taking action.

The Queen of the South Ming returned to her carriage, the same Jade Carriage she had arrived in, and headed back to her mansion.

She lifted the curtain of the Jade Carriage, taking another look at Duke Zhen's Mansion, then let the curtain fall, her expression becoming noble and indifferent.

"Even if I don't kill you, once you help us insert people into the Bureau of the Lamp on the day of the royal sacrifice, your end will not be a pretty sight."

"If Emperor Zhou of Great Zhou dies that day, we will overthrow Great Zhou overnight. Even the Duke of the State, who is of Heavenly Human Realm, won't be much help in reversing such a situation. It is foreseeable that your power will vanish in an instant, and at that point, how I wish to play with you will be of no issue."

"If Emperor Zhou does not die that day and the matter is exposed, even if you are not killed by him, you can expect a severe reprimand from the enraged Emperor Zhou."

"The outcome will equally be unpleasant."

As the Queen of the South Ming pondered this, the affair became a test to gauge Cheng Guang's loyalties.

If Cheng Guang helped them, he could prove he was still of use, and she would spare his life for the time being, but his fate afterwards would no doubt be grim.

If he did not assist them, it would give her time to ponder how to eliminate this rather peculiar Princely Heir of Duke Zhen.

No matter the perspective, the Queen of the South Ming herself stood to gain.

Relieved by her resolution of the matter, the Queen of the South Ming felt much more at ease.

Next, a more important task awaited her attention.