Chapter 301 Is this also part of the script?
"We are sorry that we cannot do this, but..."

Shen Cheng paused for a moment and said, "If we can't find His Highness Bai Jun, but if we find his daughter who is also missing, will it be possible?"

Yan Yin was surprised and almost blurted out: "You found His Highness Bai Jun's daughter?"

Shen Cheng smiled and said, "If your Baiye Country needs it, our Astrology Palace can help find it."

Yan Yin didn’t quite understand the meaning of this sentence at first. What did it mean that he could help find it if needed?
But she was the regent after all, and she immediately understood the meaning of the words - the Astrology Palace was willing to create a fake princess for the White Night Kingdom and announce to the outside world that it was the Astrology Palace that found her.

To be honest, Yan Yin was a little moved for a moment.

It’s not like she hadn’t thought about creating a fake princess to boost morale before.

However, whether it is His Highness Bai Jun or his daughter, there are countless people watching them throughout the Baiye Kingdom, and it would be too easy to be exposed if they find a fake one.

Once discovered, Baiye Kingdom would not only become a laughing stock, but it would also severely damage Yan Yin's credibility and authority, and he might even be forced to step down.

So Yan Yin didn't dare to do such a thing, and even began to doubt the purpose of the Astrology Palace.

Because the Astrology Palace was falsifying information for the Baiye Kingdom, they were completely gambling with their reputation.

And what benefit would it bring to the Astrology Palace if they helped Baiye Country escape from its predicament? Was it worth the risk?

Facing Yan Yin's doubtful look, Shen Cheng chose to tell the truth: "We in the Astrology Palace hope to end the current chaotic situation in the empire and completely restore unity and peace, so we decided to form an alliance with the Baiye Kingdom to fight against the aggressive Qin Wangling and Yongle City."

"An alliance?"

Yan Yin was a little stunned for a moment.

Why didn't you tell me such an important thing earlier? Why did you suddenly bring it up during the meeting?
If the two major forces want to form an alliance, at least the two top leaders must reveal this intention in their mutual communication, and then the people below will study and calculate the pros and cons of the alliance.

Finally, the two sides went through several rounds of consultations and negotiations to discuss various details and responsibilities. After both sides confirmed that everything was correct, they chose an auspicious day to form the alliance.

How could it just pop up out of nowhere like that?

"We at the Astrology Palace certainly hope to have more exchanges with you."

Shen Cheng explained: "But time is running out. The Qin King may invade at any time, and the war may start at any time. We don't have any extra time to waste. It's better for us to be straightforward and not have too much red tape."

Yan Yin thought of the secret report she had received a few days ago and swallowed back the words "Let me think about it again".

What Shen Cheng said made sense, there was no time to waste.

But Yan Yin still had a lot of doubts in his heart.

The Astrology House has always maintained a neutral stance, why did it suddenly come to an end?
Moreover, they obviously have better choices, there is no need to choose the weakest Baiye Kingdom.

In addition, the prophet was suddenly assassinated some time ago, and the Astrology Palace changed its style of behavior immediately afterwards, which really makes people have to be more cautious.

After thinking for a while, Yan Yin finally spoke: "Your Excellency, I can sense your sincerity in your words, but the alliance is a matter of great importance after all, so I hope you can answer some questions."

Despite having too many doubts, Yan Yin was really unwilling to give up this opportunity of pie falling from the sky.

If they could really form an alliance with the Astrology Palace, it would be a huge boost for the Baiye Kingdom both in terms of public opinion and strength. The suggestion made by the Astrology Palace - finding a fake princess - might really be able to solve the current predicament of the Baiye Kingdom.

Shen Cheng nodded: "Just ask me anything, I will tell you everything I know."

He knew that convincing a huge force to form an alliance was not something that could be accomplished with just a few words, so he showed great patience and answered every question.

Yan Yin expressed the doubts in her mind, such as why the Astrology Palace changed its neutral position, why it chose to ally with the weakest Baiye Kingdom, and what benefits would this bring to the Astrology Palace?
These questions should not have been asked by Yan Yin herself, but should have been figured out through slow investigation and trial.

But as Shen Cheng said just now, time is running out and there is no more time for Yan Yin to come slowly.

Shen Cheng was not surprised at all about her doubts, because Ji Chan had already told him about these questions.

As for why Ji Chan knew it so clearly, it is intriguing.

"The reason why the Astrology Palace changed its neutral position is because the prophet had predicted before he was assassinated that the entire Eternal Empire would be plunged into a terrible future of civil war. By then, the entire Eternal Empire would be devastated and countless casualties would occur. The civil war would even cause the entire empire to collapse and cease to exist."

Shen Cheng's voice was neither hurried nor exaggerated, but Yan Yin had already felt the terrifying future from his simple description.

What the prophet said will surely come true - this is the consensus of every resident of the Eternal Empire.

"In order to change this future, the prophet had already decided to change the Astrology Palace's usual neutral position before he was assassinated and choose to ally with the White Night Kingdom. This actually does not bring much benefit to the Astrology Palace and may even cause heavy casualties to the Astrology Palace. But this is the prophet's wish, and the Astrology Palace can only comply unconditionally."

Shen Cheng looked at Yan Yin and said, "As for why you chose Baiye Country, I believe you know it better than I do."

The corners of Yan Yin's mouth twitched slightly, and finally he gave a bitter smile.

Of course she could guess why the Astrology Palace chose the Baiye Kingdom. The reason was that the Baiye Kingdom was the weakest at the moment. By forming an alliance with the Baiye Kingdom, the Astrology Palace could gain enough voice.

If it were the other two forces, when the prophet was assassinated, the Astrology Palace would not be able to compete with them on the same stage, and it would even be likely to become a vassal and be swallowed up.

"Thank you, Special Envoy, for your help."

Yan Yin first expressed her gratitude to Shen Cheng, and then hesitantly said: "I deeply regret the death of the prophet. I have always admired the prophet very much and have never doubted her divination results. However, the prophet said that the future of the Eternal Empire will fall into a serious civil war until the entire empire ceases to exist. Will the other two blood kings sit idly by and do nothing?"

The conflict between the three major forces has a long history, and the reason why they have not fought is because of the suppression of the three blood kings.

Although Bai Jun is missing now, the two blood kings Qin Hao and Jin Xing are still around and they should not sit idly by and watch the civil war break out.

"You're right."

Shen Cheng agreed with Yan Yin first, and then told her the truth: "What if something happened to the other two blood kings? For example, Qin Hao has also disappeared, and Jin Xing in Yongle City is just an imposter."

Yan Yin stared at him blankly, and suddenly her eyes widened: "Did the prophet tell you this?"

Shen Cheng nodded.

Yan Yin suddenly became excited.

If something happens to the other two blood kings, it means that the three major forces are back on the same starting line.

Yan Yin didn't even care whether it was true or not, and couldn't wait to spread the news, but on second thought, she realized that it was inappropriate.

When Bai Jun disappeared, everyone knew about it, making it impossible for Bai Ye Country to cover up the matter.

And now, if Qin Hao and Jin Xing really got into trouble, Qin Wangling and Yongle City covered it up tightly, had already prepared countermeasures, and even found impostors.

Even if Yan Yin publicized it widely, not many people would believe it, unless the prophet himself came out to expose their concealment.

But the prophet had already been assassinated.

Thinking deeper, Yan Yin's heart sank - if the three blood kings were in trouble, it meant that no one could suppress the contradictions anymore, and civil war would most likely break out. Is this the future that the prophet saw?
Seeing Yan Yin's uncertain expression, Shen Cheng gave her the right to choose: "We have said everything we need to say, and now it depends on your choice."

Yan Yin was already inclined towards forming an alliance.

Even the conservatives in parliament would never reject a powerful external aid like the Astrology Palace.

However, Yan Yin did not rush to agree. Instead, she looked at Xiao Qingque, who had been sitting beside her and remained silent, and said, "Is this the Princess Baijun you prepared?"

Shen Cheng nodded: "Yes, I'm sure you will be satisfied."

"You, the Astrology Palace, are really well prepared."

Yan Yin laughed, then her expression turned serious: "But there is one thing I have to remind you of. There are too many eyes watching. If we create a fake Princess Bai Jun, there is a high probability that she will be discovered. Once discovered, we will all suffer a great backlash."

Shen Cheng smiled confidently: "Please rest assured, we have already considered the issues you mentioned."

He told Yan Yin all of Xiao Qingque's conditions, and Yan Yin did not expect that Xiao Qingque actually met the characteristics of the missing princess so well.

Especially when Yan Yin heard Shen Cheng say that Xiao Qingque looked quite similar to Bai Jun, she became even more interested.

"Can I see the face of this beautiful lady?"

Of course Shen Cheng would not refuse. He raised his hand to signal Xiao Qingque to take off the veil on her face.

Xiao Qingque had received training in the Astrology Palace during this period, so her movements were no longer as casual as before. She raised her hand with an elegant posture and slowly took off the veil from her face.

When Yan Yin saw Xiao Qingque's face, his interested expression turned into surprise.

The next second, she suddenly stood up from the chair and screamed: "Sister?!"

"what?"

Xiao Qingque was stunned for a moment.

Originally, he wanted to use his appearance to give Yan Yin a little shock.

But when Yan Yin opened her mouth, she was shocked.

No, this sister.

Even if you think I look like a relative and want to claim me as your relative, you can't get my age wrong.

At my age, as beautiful as a flower, I should be your younger sister, so how come I became your older sister?

Not to mention Xiao Qingque, even Shen Cheng and Ning Qing were confused by Yan Yin's sudden word "sister".

Yan Yin took two steps forward excitedly, as if wanting to observe Xiao Qingque's face up close.

Xiao Qingque subconsciously dodged backwards, and her dodging action finally helped Yan Yin calm down a little from her excitement.

She opened her eyes wide and looked carefully at Xiao Qingque's face, and found that there were subtle differences between him and the person she had been thinking about day and night; they were not the same person.

But such a similar appearance is enough to prove that there is a very special relationship between the two parties.

"This little sister."

Yan Yin asked Xiao Qingque anxiously, "Who is your mother? Is she still alive?"

Xiao Qingque didn't know how to answer and could only look at Shen Cheng and Ning Qing.

The questions she asked were not in the script.

Shen Cheng had no choice but to ask, "Your Excellency the Regent, is there something wrong with the people we prepared?"

"No, it's absolutely true."

Yan Yin turned her attention to Shen Cheng and quickly requested, "Please tell me the origin of this little sister. This is very important to me."

Shen Cheng and Ning Qing looked at each other and had a guess in their minds, but they still couldn't believe it.

Otherwise, this would be too much of a coincidence, right?

Shen Cheng recounted Xiao Qingque's origins, of course omitting the existence of Du Tianming. He only said that he and Xiao Qingque left the Eternal Empire when they were infants, and he didn't know who his parents were.

After listening to Shen Cheng's story, Yan Yin almost couldn't control her emotions again.

"Yes, you are the missing princess of our Baiye Kingdom."

Yan Yin tightly grasped Xiao Qingque's shoulders with both hands and said excitedly: "You are the descendant of His Highness Bai Jun, and the only daughter of His Highness Bai Jun who has disappeared."

Xiao Qingque looked at Shen Cheng blankly: "Is this also part of the script?"

Shen Cheng frowned slightly, unable to tell whether Yan Yin was serious or just acting to make Xiao Qingque's identity more realistic?

"I know you think I'm acting, but this is definitely not acting."

Yan Yin turned to look at Shen Cheng and Ning Qing, still very emotional: "Twenty-one years ago, it was not only His Highness Bai Jun and his daughter who disappeared, but also his wife, my sister."

Shen Cheng and Ning Qing looked at each other subconsciously. They had never heard of this matter before.

Seeing that Shen Cheng and Ning Qing were still in doubt, Yan Yin seemed to remember something. She quickly took out her cell phone, opened the photo album, and found an old photo hidden deep in the album.

Then, she placed the phone in front of Shen Cheng and Ning Qing: "Look, this is a photo of me and my sister."

Shen Cheng and Ning Qing took a closer look and found that the old photo in the phone was indeed a photo of the two of them.

These are two women, the younger one is about ten years old, with a delicate and pretty face.

The older woman was already an adult, with a gentle smile on her face.

What surprised Shen Cheng and Ning Qing was that this older woman looked 90% similar to Xiao Qingque.

Then they turned to look at Xiao Qingque, then looked at the photo again, looking back and forth between the two.

Unless they are particularly familiar with each other, at first glance, people would think that Xiao Qingque and the woman in the photo are the same person.

This photo is unlikely to be forged, because Yan Yin could not have anticipated that they would come, let alone expect that they would bring a fake princess like Xiao Qingque who looks extremely similar and prepare fake photos in advance.

In other words, Yan Yin's former sister did look almost exactly like Xiao Qingque.

(End of this chapter)