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墨書 Inktalez
At that moment, the tightly shut door of the Small Tavern was kicked open. Qi Xiaomian, after forcing the door open, saw Sang Qingxiao and Huayang Master politely drinking together.
He silently fixed the door, closing it tightly again, and sat down at the table. He said to Huayang, "With such important matters at hand, you can discuss them with me. My Xiaoxiao still needs to open for business."
Huayang asked him, "Did Yongxin Marquis just hear everything?"
He heard the lord's treasonous words, actually trying to use his daughter to seize power. What’s wrong with being a daughter? Those with ability can become emperors; I am the most suitable successor for Dayu.
Here, the lord's word does not count. Yongxin Marquis is merely a human.
Your Highness, not everyone shares your ambition to reach the top.
"You misunderstand me," Yongxin Marquis replied. "I only have the determination to manage the Dayu Dynasty well. The current territory of Dayu is quite large; the money spent on expanding our borders each year is countless. I often wonder why we don’t spend this money on making life better for our people?"
Moreover, whether you have ambition or not is irrelevant. What matters is that Xuande Emperor is confused and has no successor; Great Jing is on the brink of decline.
Among the royal bloodline, you are the most capable. If you do not wish to ascend, you could at least support someone else for a few years instead of allowing Xuande Emperor’s lineage to continue ruling as they please.
Huayang Master's words made Qi Xiaomian view her in a new light, yet he still did not want to get involved in the affairs of the Dayu Dynasty.
"My Xiaoxiao just said I am a wolf."
Huayang Master quickly interjected, "Given Yongxin Marquis's capabilities, you are indeed a leading wolf. However, you are also a lazy wolf; you lack the ambition to expand your territory. If others do not provoke you, you can’t be bothered to show your claws."
Where does the lord get his confidence thinking he understands me?
Yongxin Marquis's Wolf Howl Camp is valiant and skilled in battle; they were once dispatched by Xuande Emperor for various rescue missions. One of those battles was against Wei Ting General.
At that time, Wei Ting General had captured four cities from Great Jing. You rushed to the scene and reclaimed those four cities for Dayu.
Wei Ting once told me that you had enough strength to capture even more cities, but you chose to stop. In that final battle, you held a spear to his throat but withdrew it instead, sparing his life.
You even told him that you respected his adherence to rules and did not make things difficult for the citizens of those four cities. Seeing that their lives were hard, you even provided some military rations so they could have a decent meal.
Not killing him was a kindness for those who did not starve to death.
Later on, after Wei Ting recovered from his injuries and reorganized his troops, he took back those four cities. You were right there on the border but pretended not to receive any news and let Wei Ting reclaim the territory.
Qi Xiaomian scoffed upon hearing this. "That old man! How can he spread such nonsense everywhere? Isn’t he afraid that your Great Yu Emperor will accuse him of treason?"
Wei Ting is my grandfather.
Huayang stood up and bowed, thanking Yongxin Marquis for sparing my grandfather's life. The old man had already expressed his gratitude before.
Huayang shook his head with a smile, saying it wasn't enough; if my grandfather had died in that battle, both he and Consort Qi would be in an even more difficult situation.
"Huayang Master, stop dragging me into this," I said.
"It's not dragging; I just hope Yongxin Marquis believes in my sincerity."
"What does it matter whether I believe or not? Let me say it again: I will not interfere in your internal affairs of Dayu."
But Huayang replied, "Yongxin Marquis, the call for Consort may not be up to you. Even if I know the Marquis's stance, I must act according to Father Emperor's wishes."
The master was quite confident.
Father Emperor had given many bargaining chips; Xuande Emperor would surely be tempted.
"Oh? What are these bargaining chips?"
Father Emperor is willing to cede ten cities in exchange for you.
Qi Xiaomian was taken aback by this revelation. Was he really worth that much? Ten cities was no small matter; it could account for seven or eight percent of Dayu's territory. Would Great Yu Emperor truly be willing to part with them?
Qi Xiaomian felt there must be a trick behind this.
Huayang, aware of Qi Xiaomian's disbelief, even produced the Great Yu Emperor's handwritten agreement. Five copies of the agreement were drafted, each with varying contents and resources listed.
The most significant portion was indeed those ten cities.
Should I commend Great Yu Emperor for his boldness or his cunning? This game was beyond my comprehension.
Huayang put away the agreements and said, "Don't say you don't understand; as his daughter, I don't understand either. I've tried to hint at it several times, but Father Emperor remains tight-lipped. He once looked at me deeply, making me feel as if he could see right through me."
Could that master still plot against his court and usurp his position?
Why not? Father Emperor supports brotherly strife; as his daughter, I should be allowed to participate. In the end, it's about winning or losing—if the outcome is a loss, at least my life would have been worthwhile; after all, history records the first person who plotted against the throne!
The master seemed optimistic about this.
"Since being a Consort is unavoidable, why not let us work together to make the most of it? What do you think?"
But Qi Xiaomian once again rejected her offer, saying, "What do you mean by that? How do you know I can't escape?"
After being rejected multiple times, Huayang still wore a smile. "Marquis, give it a try. If you can avoid it, that's great. If not, then we can consider collaborating."
With that, the topic was dropped. They enjoyed drinks together, chatting merrily. When it was time to leave, Huayang had Sang Qingxiao pack up some of her favorite dishes to take back to the Imperial Academy.
Once she left, Sang Qingxiao laughed, "You really are quite the charming flower."
Qi Xiaomian glared at her. "Someone's trying to steal me away, and you're still laughing? They're doing it in such a frustrating way! Sang Qingxiao, I've been marked with a price; shouldn't you offer something too?"
Sang Qingxiao chuckled. "Only ten cities? That's a bit lacking. Your private funds are worth much more than ten cities; you should redeem yourself."
Meanwhile, during the afternoon break, Qi Xiaopeng and his group managed to find the Small Tavern on their own. They were making quite a ruckus when Huo Qi arrived and knocked on their heads. "What are you doing here? You're disrupting my Xiaoxiao's business! Come on, I'll take you to your place."
Their lodging had already been prepared just down the street in an alley. People from the Jianghu were not particular about details, and they packed up quickly. In half an hour, several carts of belongings were ready, and Huo Qi led them back to the Small Tavern where Sang Qingxiao had already set up several large tables.
As everyone took their seats, Huo Qi chatted with them without any barriers, referring to Qi Xiaopeng as "silly son" with every sentence.
Qi Xiaopeng wasn't familiar with this person who had changed so much and felt intimidated. He was pushed down beside him and didn't dare to speak a word.
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