Sending Troops to Zhuya Commandery, Characters Dancing Like Dragons!

[Zhang Yuzhi gently stroked the book in her hands, a thoughtful look crossing her face, as though she had become a player in the contest between two kingdoms.]

[Did the Demonkind of Jiannan Circuit truly wish to submit to the Dragon Palace, or were they merely pretending to comply?]

[Or had the Dragon Palace deliberately spread the rumor to test the waters? Perhaps it was true, but the twists behind it were too tangled to discern.]

[How would the Great Qi court respond? Would it strike with thunderous force and sweep them away in one blow, or watch quietly while plotting in secret?]

[For the moment, Zhang Yuzhi could not decide.]

[If Great Qi sent troops rashly and fell into a trap set by the demons and the Dragon Palace, would all its efforts not come to nothing? Burdened with worry, she looked up unconsciously at the golden parasol tree in the courtyard.]

[But if Great Qi held its troops back and Jiannan Circuit sided completely with the Dragon Palace, would Great Sui behind it not become a tiger with wings, eyeing Great Qi all the more hungrily?]

[Jiannan Circuit was the throat of Great Qi's northwest, only two provinces from Bianjing.]

[How could one let another sleep soundly beside one's bed? The safety of Great Qi was at stake. Nothing could be left to chance.]

[The demons of Jiannan Circuit had played their hand well. They had set an open trap: whether Great Qi sent troops or not, they could find a foothold.]

[Zhang Yuzhi prided herself on her intelligence, yet even she was caught between two choices. Her brows drew tight.]

[The guests behind Xie Yuan were lost in thought. Zhang Yuanlai's expression was especially grave. Great Sui had just defeated Great Qi once; if it won again,