Chapter 55: A Date with a Beauty

The Zen room of the Fengyi Palace.

Xiao Fengyi, who had her eyes closed, opened them.

She looked at Yang Wu, who was so elderly and frail that he seemed to be trembling with every step, on the verge of death.

She did not rise to greet him as she normally would have.

Instead, she simply said faintly, "Sit."

As if she were the true master of this Tiansheng Palace.

Yang Wu obediently sat down on the straw meditation mat opposite Xiao Fengyi without a word.

Their eyes met, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. Both of them were unnervingly calm.

Xiao Fengyi spoke first: "I have three conditions."

Yang Wu nodded: "Speak!"

"First, the people outside were all trained by my Xiao clan. I hope..."

Yang Wu interrupted Xiao Fengyi: "They are of no consequence."

"Second is Jin'er. I know you won't kill him, but you are old. I want you to find a way to ensure he lives out his life in peace."

"I am old and do not have much time left. How can I ensure his peace for a lifetime?"

Xiao Fengyi stated, "Allow the Xiao clan to settle in Jin'er's fief."

Yang Wu's aged face darkened: "Impossible!"

Xiao Fengyi did not press the matter further and offered another option: "Then bestow a marriage between Fu'er and Yang Zhan."

Yang Wu frowned: "That matter is difficult to handle. Last night, when I heard you suggest betrothing your daughter to Yang Zhan, I agreed, and later I even spoke to Yang Zhan about it."

Xiao Fengyi's gaze flickered: "And the result?"

"Do I look like someone who succeeded?"

"Yang Zhan refused? How can you say that? Our daughter is a branch of jade and leaves of gold—is she not good enough for a mere martial brute?"

Yang Wu looked at Xiao Fengyi helplessly: "You know Yang Zhan's temperament and disposition quite well. When he first met you years ago, he called you 'Elder Sister-in-law,' did you forget? This fellow has no idea what fear is. Defying an imperial decree is nothing more than a trivial matter to him!"

Xiao Fengyi's brows furrowed deeply: "You are the Emperor, think of something!"

"What can I think of? To avoid agreeing, he didn't even care for the position of Supreme General!"

"..."

At that moment, Xiao Fengyi suddenly realized that in this world, the only person who could leave this ruthless, cold-hearted emperor with an unfathomable mind utterly helpless seemed to be Yang Zhan.

Yet at this very moment, Xiao Fengyi's eyes grew brighter, and the resolve in her heart hardened even more.

"Can't you think of a way? You are the Emperor, and haven't you always believed that Yang Zhan is loyal? If you truly issue an imperial edict, would he actually dare to defy it?"

"He truly would!"

"Could it be that he is disloyal?" Xiao Fengyi stared at Yang Wu, feeling somewhat bewildered!

Upon hearing this, the very aura seemed to deflate from Yang Wu's body.

With utmost helplessness, he said, "His loyalty is to Great Xia, not to me as the Emperor. It is utterly impossible to make him collude with foreign states to disrupt Great Xia, but if necessary, he would dare to draw his sword against me!"

"..."

Xiao Fengyi was once again speechless: "You, as the Emperor, have finally met your nemesis—and one you promoted with your own hands, at that!"

Yang Wu sighed with emotion: "It is also because he is truly formidable, single-handedly reversing the offensive and defensive dynamics between our Great Xia and the barbarian state. It is a blessing for the Great Xia Dynasty!"

Xiao Fengyi was silent for a moment: "Let me see him."

"Will he listen to you?"

"That is my concern."

"Very well, have him come later."

"Have him come at night."

Yang Wu's aged face sank: "Have a foreign official come to my inner palace at night?"

"Even my daughter's peerless beauty fails to catch his eye. Do you think he'd care for those foolish women in your inner palace who only know how to vie for favor?"

Yang Wu did not dwell on Xiao Fengyi's rebellious words and deeds.

Instead, he looked at her calmly: "A foolish woman acting recklessly is not terrifying. What is terrifying is a smart woman acting recklessly."

Xiao Fengyi looked back at him placidly: "After I see Yang Zhan, success or failure, I will give you peace of mind."

"State your third condition."

"If the second condition succeeds, there will be no third condition."

"Very well. Tonight, I will have Yang Zhan come to see you!"

With that, Yang Wu coldly stood up and left.

...

Qiuyun thought she was dead for sure.

Closing her eyes, she faced it with a sense of resignation.

Only her right hand was clutching a large ingot of gold and silver—it was so massive that one hand could barely manage to grasp it.

Yet her knuckles were white from the grip, clearly exerting great force, perhaps reflecting her lingering tension or reluctance.

Thud!

With a muffled sound, Qiuyun's consciousness plunged into darkness.

Finally, her hand relaxed.

Yang Zhan picked up the gold and silver ingots, pondered for a moment, and then stuffed the money back into Qiuyun's garments.

At that moment, Yang Zhan gave an order: "Lin Jiang!"

A figure in black suddenly flashed out.

"Master!"

"Just call me General, lest people find it strange to hear!"

"Yes, Master!"

Yang Zhan paused and looked at Lin Jiang.

Realizing his mistake, Lin Jiang immediately lowered his head: "General!"

"Clean up the corpse inside. Lock Qiuyun up for now, and find a way to extract the specific details of the Martial King's intelligence network in Tiandu City!"

Lin Jiang hesitated slightly: "Earlier, when the General used the threat of death, she still refused to speak. This subordinate fears we may not get anything out of her."

"Take your time!"

Prompted, Yang Zhan asked, "How is the situation in the northeast?"

Lin Jiang gave a detailed report. After listening, Yang Zhan turned his gaze toward the distance and waved his hand.

Without delay, Lin Jiang dragged Qiuyun down into the celestial prison.

Meanwhile, watching not far away, a carriage was speeding along so fast that, due to the accumulated snow, it pulled off drift-like maneuvers.

It startled the horses into neighing, farting, and kicking up their hooves!

Even so, it managed not to overturn and came to a halt right at the entrance of the celestial prison.

Soon, the driver jumped down quickly, and a middle-aged man in official robes emerged from inside.

Seeing Yang Zhan, his expression of anxiety instantly transformed into a smiling face.

"My Lord, this subordinate has come to fetch you!"

Chen Bo, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, had arrived quite early.

"My Lord, please board the carriage quickly. Soon, the envoys of the Fenglin Kingdom will arrive at the Court of State Ceremonies. This subordinate already notified the Fenglin envoys yesterday that the chief envoy will arrive in person today!"

As he spoke, Chen Bo looked as though he wanted to pull Yang Zhan along, yet didn't dare, clearly torn between urgency and anxiety.

Yang Zhan smiled: "Sorry to trouble you, Minister Chen. Please."

"You first, My Lord!"

Without standing on ceremony, Yang Zhan boarded the carriage first.

Chen Bo followed, and soon the carriage started moving.

This time it ran a bit slower, evidently because Chen Bo felt reassured now that Yang Zhan was aboard.

Chen Bo's eyes flickered slightly: "My Lord, this subordinate is still unaware of the agenda for these negotiations. I only know that three members of the Fenglin royal family have been captured. What kind of price should we demand from the Fenglin Kingdom?"

"Did you not go see the Emperor or the Crown Prince?"

Chen Bo looked solemn: "My Lord, just moments ago, this subordinate received an imperial decree stating that the General is to handle this entirely on your own discretion, and all matters shall be subject to the General's decision!"

Yang Zhan replied, "Today, there is only one word: drag it out!"

Chen Bo was startled: "Drag it out further? My Lord, this subordinate heard some news—true or false—that the Great Martial Army guarding the northeast border, along with many soldiers, have been surrounded by the Fenglin Kingdom. If we drag it out longer, supplies will run short, and coupled with the bitter cold, they might freeze to death. If the negotiations fall into a deadlock and the Great Martial Army suffers, I fear your humble servant and you, My Lord, will become the sinners responsible for the deaths of those border soldiers."

Yang Zhan nodded: "I know, which is why we must drag it out."

"Why?"

"In your opinion, why does the Fenglin Kingdom hold this trump card yet grow anxious, coming to look for you every day? If it were me, I wouldn't be anxious at all. Let's see who panics first."

Chen Bo froze, then his eyes lit up: "Could this news be false?"

"It's true!"

Chen Bo's face immediately turned bitter: "If something happens to the Great Martial Army..."

"Am I not the one making the decisions?"

Chen Bo nodded: "The General makes the decisions."

"Then do as I say. Stop the carriage!"

Chen Bo was taken aback: "My Lord..."

"I want to get off. You go handle things today, and send any updates to the celestial prison!"

"My Lord, where are you going?"

"A beauty awaits!"

With that, Yang Zhan stepped down from the carriage.

Left behind, Chen Bo watched with a mixture of astonishment and dismay as Yang Zhan walked toward a nearby woman with an exquisite figure whose face was veiled in light gauze.

"What on earth is His Majesty thinking, having him serve as the chief envoy..."

Recovering from his daze, Chen Bo panicked: "Turn the carriage around, head to the Secretariat!"

"Yes, My Lord!"