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Chapter 390 - 390: What If I Don’t?

“It’s too beautiful. It’s like a painting.”

Qiao Mai walked to the lake, scooped up a bit with her hand, and licked it with her tongue. As she guessed, the lake should have a mine underneath it.

The salinity and alkalinity were high. What could be underneath?

She squinted her eyes, using her spiritual power to explore beneath the lake. The lake was deep, about tens of meters, and her spiritual power covered the entire area.

In the center of the lake was a volcanic crater underneath. The crater was about ten meters below the lake surface.

Fortunately, Qiao Mai found the volcano stable after careful observation and wouldn’t undergo any changes in the next hundred years.

Withdrawing her spiritual power, she sighed in relief. As long as there were no changes, it was good.

In the face of natural forces, she felt how insignificant she was. She couldn’t match the forces of nature even with her powerful cultivation.

The others also walked over, curious. “Did you find anything unusual?” “Nothing. We could only row a boat here. There’s not even a fish in there, not much to see.”

“Let’s rent a few boats, take a trip, and return to barbecue here. After all, we brought ingredients with us.”

“Sounds good. Let’s arrange it.”

After a while, several large boats approached, each with boatmen. They stopped by the shore, lowered long ladders, and everyone was assigned to a boat.

Leaving a few people to guard the carriage, Magistrate Gao followed them onto the largest boat, which was luxurious with tables and chairs.

The five of them sat down. The boat started and floated on the water, feeling like lying on a horizontal plane.

The blue lake water and the gentle breeze were enjoyable.

The empress leaned over and looked down. “The lake is so beautiful. It’s a pity there are no fish or shrimp; otherwise, the lake would come alive.”

“Then there would be more fishermen. With more people, it gets messy. This is good.”

Qiao Mai lazily leaned back in her chair. It was especially quiet around, and the warm sunlight on her face made her want to nap.

Magistrate Gao couldn’t help but size up Qiao Mai. He had heard of her reputation, but this was the first time he saw her. Seeing her now, he realized how obedient the emperor was to her.

There weren’t many boats on the lake, but their arrival attracted attention. Several other boats approached them.

Qiao Mai raised her eyes and didn’t feel any hostility. She let them be.

Eager for excitement, many tourists greeted them actively. They didn’t recognize the others but Magistrate Gao. “Mr. Gao, do you have time to tour the lake?”

“I’m accompanying a few friends.”

“Are they from the capital?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s have a meal together later?”

“No. You guys enjoy.”

Magistrate Gao felt uncomfortable with the enthusiasm of the passengers on the boat. The emperor glanced at him.

“It seems like you don’t interact much with the commoners?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, but I dare not. The situation in Suzhou is complicated, and a little carelessness can lead to irreparable consequences.” “Your Gao family seems to have quite a few secret guards. Why not transfer some of them over?”

“The Gao family indeed has trained secret guards, but they are only used to protect family members. We dare not use them for such matters.”

Magistrate Gao replied somewhat nervously. The old emperor snorted, “Forget it. I won’t make things difficult for you. We’ll talk after the Golden Dragon Guard completes the investigation.”

“Yes, Mr. Huang.”

The boat circled the lake and returned to the shore. Everyone began to set up tables, build fire pits, and assemble grills, creating a lively atmosphere.

Servants brought lamb, fish, and some seafood that had been cleaned in advance, skillfully marinating them.

They began roasting the meat once the fire was ready and the iron grills heated up.

Soon, the aroma wafted far away. Magistrate Gao sat on the side, occasionally wiping his mouth.

Qiao Mai brought out various beverages. Yuan Jiaqi gave Magistrate Gao a bottle, startling him. He quickly stood up and took it with both hands.

“The weather is perfect for this. Try it.”

Magistrate Gao watched as everyone took turns sipping from the bottle. He also took a cautious sip. Oh, it was refreshing and comfortable.

At this time, several groups of people walked toward their campsite.

The guards immediately became wary. Qiao Mai flicked her finger, and a barrier enveloped them.

Some young people tried to approach, but they were repelled by an invisible force and fell to the ground with a thud.

Those people stood up, staring strangely at the group inside. They tried to touch the barrier but fell to the ground again when they exerted force.

Magistrate Gao saw this and grinned. “Mr. Huang, look at those young men and ladies. They are the children of the military commanders. They often bully others in the city. My family members were also victims, so I sent them back to the capital quietly.”

“I figured that out. They don’t seem to be easy to deal with.”

“Hehe, Madam Qiao is teaching them a lesson. I’ll watch.”

The people outside the barrier were tossed around, dirty and embarrassed. The guards and servants burst into laughter when they saw this.

Magistrate Gao was also pleased. Much of the long-suppressed frustration in his heart dissipated.

After playing with them, Qiao Mai dispelled the barrier. She picked up a skewer of roasted lamb and started eating. Those people were scared off, and none dared to provoke them.

However, some people set up their camp near theirs but didn’t dare to cause trouble.

While everyone was eating, drinking, and enjoying the scenery, a group of people arrived.

They approached from the direction of Suzhou. It was a team of over a thousand soldiers.

As soon as they arrived, they surrounded the campsite.

The guards and servants watched in place, but no one was nervous. After all, with Qiao Mai protecting them, what could a thousand people do?

A general dismounted and came to the emperor, carefully examining him.

“I am the garrison commander of Suzhou City. May I ask what kind of magic you used to play around with my children?”

Qiao Mai smiled. “The main culprit is here. Do you think I was playing around?”

“Yes.”

“Is this a capture order for us?”

“Yes.”

“But we are here to enjoy ourselves. What if we don’t want anyone to spoil the fun?”

“Sorry, but you must come with us.”

“What if we refuse?”

The commander gestured to his soldiers, but there was no reaction from anyone. He gestured again to no avail.

Qiao Mai coldly faced him, and a wave of pressure descended. The commander immediately knelt in front of the emperor.

The old emperor reached out and patted his face.

“Xiao Yicheng, you’re quite audacious. You’ve used the authority I gave you to mess around here. You’ve become daring.”

The commander widened his eyes and lifted his head. “Your, Your Majesty?”

“You’re supposed to defend the country, yet you colluded with local forces, making things difficult for the magistrate. Now, you still want to arrest people. Who gave you the authority?”

“I, I just heard them say…”

As the pressure from Qiao Mai intensified, his knees sank deep into the ground, and he let out a miserable cry.

“You are arrogant just because you have a bit of military power, taking advantage of the distance from the capital.”

“You, are you Royal Consort Qiao?”

“Not bad. You have a keen eye.”

Qiao Mai glanced at the emperor. “Since he rushed over, let’s deal with him quickly. These thousand people are suffocating in anticipation.”

The emperor clapped his hands lightly, and two Golden Dragon Guards stepped forward.

“Take him away and bring the other guards to take over the garrison. Send one more Golden Dragon Guard to the West Fate to find Fan Sizhe. Let him send a capable commander to replace the one here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Xiao Yicheng’s face turned pale. He had always been cautious.

But as soon as he heard about his children suffering, he rushed over and hit a wall..