Chapter 212 Everything is ready

Not only was Song Zhimian curious about what Xiao Huaijin and Ruan Xingzhi had said, but the second prince of Biao Kingdom was also very curious about what Xiao Huaijin had said.

“Xingzhi, what did that King Qi say to you? You look very unwell. Did he find out something?”

Upon returning to the official post station in Sun City, the Second Prince immediately summoned Ruan Xingzhi to his room.

Ruan Xingzhi certainly couldn't tell the Second Prince of Biao what Xiao Huaijin had said.

If he were to say it, he was genuinely afraid that the second prince of the Biao Kingdom would cut off his head and send it to Xiao Huaijin, then claim it was the Biao Kingdom's sincerity.

After thinking for a while, Ruan Xingzhi finally sighed.

“Your Highness, I have great confidence in Mr. Bai’s skills. His disguise is definitely not a problem.”

There are some things that I, Ruan, do not wish to hide from Your Highness.

That Prince Qi did indeed threaten Ruan.

He said…” Ruan Xingzhi paused deliberately, looking embarrassed.

"What did he say?" the second prince of the Biao Kingdom pressed.

“He said that as long as he is here, there is no way to negotiate peace. One day, he will lead the Southwest Army to crush the Biao Kingdom and make us all his prisoners!” Ruan Xingzhi said slowly.

The second prince of Biao Kingdom...

Although he was angry, the second prince of Biao Kingdom knew that what the King of Qi said was probably not just said in anger.

If the Great Yu wanted to, the Southwest Army could easily crush the Biao Kingdom.

"He...he's gone too far!" The second prince of the Biao Kingdom could only manage to utter this one sentence after a long pause.

Seeing that the Second Prince believed what he said, Ruan Xingzhi felt much more at ease.

He knew very well that if he could gain the support of the King of Da Yu by sacrificing himself, the second prince would not hesitate to cut off his head.

What he needs to do now is to get the peace talks between the two countries moving forward as quickly as possible.

"Your Highness, what do you think of what General Huangfu said recently?" Ruan Xingzhi subtly changed the subject.

The second prince of the Biao Kingdom was immediately distracted.

He's thinking about what Huangfu An said: "Show your sincerity."

What is their sincerity? What kind of offering would be considered a sign of sincerity to Da Yu?

"Xingzhi, what are you thinking?" The Second Prince quickly lowered his voice.

Ruan Xingzhi did not answer directly, but asked another question instead.

"Does Mr. Bai have his own opinion on this?"

The second prince shook his head.

"I asked Mr. Bai about this issue. Mr. Bai said that there is no rush at the moment. He wants to find out first what Da Yu wants."

He also said that we shouldn't let the people of Chongqing know our trump card yet.

The best way is to let the people of Chongqing make their demands. Once they do, we can negotiate a better deal!

But I think that's inappropriate.

The eldest son returned to Mandalay, supposedly under house arrest, but in reality he was always by his father's side.

He would seize any opportunity to sow discord between me and my father.

I must produce some results here.

"Xingzhi, tell me, what kind of sincerity does the Great Yu want us to show?" The second prince of the Biao Kingdom stared at Ruan Xingzhi.

Without hesitation, Ruan Xingzhi replied, "Shijie City!"

The second prince of Biao Kingdom was stunned. "Shijie City? They want Shijie City? How is that possible!"

If Shijie City were given to Dayu, then the Biao Kingdom would truly be on the verge of collapse.

Seeing the expression on the face of the second prince of Biao Kingdom, Ruan Xingzhi quickly put on a sorrowful look as well.

"His Highness has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Biao Kingdom, which is a great blessing for the people of Biao Kingdom."

But Your Highness, the biggest problem you need to solve now is to prevent the Crown Prince from having any opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

What you need to do is to quickly appease Dayu, so that Dayu has no chance to send troops, and try to facilitate this peace talk.

Once the peace talks are successful, you will be His Majesty's successor to the throne, and no one else can compare to you.

Since Dayu wants Shijie City, then let's give it to them.

"There will be plenty of opportunities to get it back later!" Ruan Xingzhi advised.

The second prince of the Biao Kingdom still shook his head.

"No! Shijie City is too important to Biao Kingdom. It is the second largest prefecture city in Biao Kingdom. If Shijie City is lost..."

Moreover, even if I wanted to facilitate this peace talk, my father would not agree.

If the boss finds out about this, he'll definitely stir things up behind the scenes.

"Then... I'll be the one captured and taken back to Mandalay." The second prince of the Biao Kingdom looked troubled.

Ruan Xingzhi understood. The Second Prince didn't mean he didn't want to give it, but rather that the Emperor of the Biao Kingdom wouldn't agree.

That's really how it is...

"Your Highness, I have a plan that you may try!" Ruan Xingzhi lowered his voice.

"What method? Tell me quickly!" The second prince of Biao Kingdom immediately looked at Ruan Xingzhi.

"Your Highness can first send a letter to His Majesty. Those who attended the peace talks today are all Your Highness's confidants, and no one else knows what was discussed."

At this point, Your Highness can report the contents of the discussion to His Majesty.

Your Highness only needs to say in your letter that what Dayu wants is half of the territory of Biao Kingdom, and that is why today's peace talks did not continue.

In the letter, Your Highness can attribute the reason why Dayu offered such conditions to some of the actions of the First Prince in the past.

For example, they targeted the caravans of Dayu and harassed Linglong Town on the border.

That's why the Dayu side demanded that the Biao Kingdom give up half of its territory.

If they do not agree, the Southwest Army will march in force and head straight for Mandalay!

All of this was caused by the eldest prince.

Your Highness, think about it. His Majesty is getting old and has no desire to fight. Besides, even if he wanted to fight, he couldn't win!

In that case, the Crown Prince in Mandalay will surely be disliked by His Majesty. If you then propose to give Sikkim to Dayu, do you think His Majesty will disagree?

Even if Your Majesty feels a little distressed, isn't it easier to accept compared to losing half of the territory of the Biao Kingdom?

"In this way, Biao Kingdom won't have to fight with Dayu anymore, you've also made the Crown Prince disliked by His Majesty, and more importantly, giving Shijie City to Dayu will also appease Dayu's anger. Isn't that killing three birds with one stone?" Ruan Xingzhi said slowly.

The second prince of the Biao Kingdom found it increasingly reasonable as he listened!

Yes, first present Father with an impossible condition, and then slowly reveal the final condition...

Father doesn't want war, so it's already a good thing that the eldest son isn't imprisoned.

"What about the Da Yu region..." The second prince of the Biao Kingdom looked at Ruan Xingzhi.

"Don't worry! The emperor of Dayu is in the north. The southwestern army is currently focused on stability. Unless they are pushed to the brink, they will not be able to invade Biao Kingdom."

"This is a perfect opportunity to eliminate the Crown Prince's power!" Ruan Xingzhi laughed.

The second prince of Biao Kingdom was relieved.

The best opportunity has finally arrived...

...

After leaving the room of the second prince of the Biao Kingdom, Ruan Xingzhi returned to his own room.

A servant boy came over, poured Ruan Xingzhi a cup of tea, and then stayed.

Ruan Xingzhi glanced up and immediately saw the jade pendant in the servant's hand; it was a token of the Third Prince.

Ruan Xingzhi smiled and gestured for the servant to come closer.

"Tell His Highness this when you get back..."

...

Xiao Huaijin listened to the news brought by the official post station. Song Zhimian sat to the side, and Wei Yanli also returned after finishing his business.

"Did the Second Prince of Biao really say that?" Xiao Huaijin asked with a smile.

"Yes! I've had sharp ears and eyes since I was little, and I heard it all clearly!" an inconspicuous man said in a low voice.

Xiao Huaijin nodded, gesturing for the man to leave.

"Song Zhimian, you were right. That Ruan Xingzhi is trying to provoke the Second Prince and the Third Prince into a fight!" Xiao Huaijin said.