"Well, what do you think?"

While Nalan Yunzhi was competing with Duan Yunfei for Feng Lingyan, Hua Qingcheng, who was far away in Youzhou, was sitting quietly in the hall in the front yard of the government office, engaging in a tense negotiation with the envoys from Lengyue Kingdom.

Hua Qingcheng was wearing a gorgeous princess's palace dress. She casually glanced at Wen Chengyuan and his group who were sitting opposite her and had heavy dark circles under their eyes.

Right now, Ye Maochun was still in confinement after her childbirth, so Hua Qingcheng was in no hurry to leave Youzhou. After all, it was the Princess of Lengyue Kingdom and Prince Luo who were trapped in the dungeon, not her. Why should she be anxious or distressed?

Just yesterday, Wen Chengyuan received a message from his trusted confidants in Lengyue: their Emperor, Gongyang Yingyi, had abolished Gongyang Jieying's title of Crown Princess and appointed the Third Princess, Gongyang Jiezhen, as the new Crown Princess. Furthermore, the Empress had gone to the Emperor to argue, but this ultimately led to the Emperor's rage leading to a stroke, and the Empress subsequently fainted from shock...

Regardless of the facts, the current situation is that the court of Lengyue Kingdom has been completely controlled by the noble king Dongguo Chuxiong, and is only waiting for Gongyang Jiezhen to return to the country to take over as the new princess and take charge of the overall situation.

Upon hearing the news, Wen Chengyuan secretly pondered a countermeasure. She had long harbored discontent with Gongyang Jieying, but had never found the right opportunity to take action. Now, upon hearing that Gongyang Jieying had been abandoned, and that this was still unknown within the Laifeng realm, Wen Chengyuan realized this was the perfect opportunity. She needed to act swiftly and finalize the negotiations. Only in this way could they regain their new crown princess—Gongyang Jiezhen—with minimal losses.

So, she feigned embarrassment and said, "Your Highness, these fifteen cities are truly too many..." As she spoke, Wen Chengyuan's shrewd eyes swiveled around, and she spoke again, "Can the conditions for ransoming Prince Luo be lowered a bit? We are willing to use six cities as compensation in exchange for Princess Gongyang Jieying and Prince Luo Gongyang Jiezhen. This is truly the greatest sincerity we can offer!"

Then, she pretended to be pitiful and continued to explain, "You also know that our Lengyue Country is located in the bitter cold of the north, with scarce resources and a harsh climate. How can it compare with your country of Laifeng? You have fertile land and abundant products there! Therefore, the six cities are definitely a huge fortune for us..."

Wen Chengyuan looked dejected and bargained with Hua Qingcheng.

"Hehe..." Hua Qingcheng chuckled faintly, "When your country assembled an army of 500,000 and attempted to attack our Youzhou, didn't you ever consider the enormous manpower, material, and financial resources it would consume? Now that you've been defeated and have to endure the humiliating consequences of ceding territory and paying compensation, isn't this just reaping the fruits of your own actions? Now that things have come to this, how can you still have the nerve to blame others?"

"Your Highness, that's a bit harsh..." Wen Chengyuan's expression turned grim, but she still managed to suppress her anger and smiled. "It is true that our Lengyue Nation provoked this war, and we don't deny that. But as the saying goes, admitting one's mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue! We have now acknowledged our mistakes and are willing to make compensation in exchange for peaceful coexistence between our two countries. Isn't that acceptable?"

Hua Qingcheng sneered, her eyes sharp as a knife as she glared at Wen Chengyuan, "Do you think paying a few cities will solve the problem? I'm telling you, that's not enough! You, the Lengyue Nation, must shoulder all the responsibilities, or you won't be able to take Gongyang Jieying and Gongyang Jiezhen from me!"

Seeing this, Wen Chengyuan knew Hua Qingcheng was difficult to deal with, so he secretly signaled to his attendant. The attendant understood and immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, please calm down. Our Prime Minister is also sincerely seeking peace. We hope you will show mercy and spare us. How about we add two more cities?"

Hua Qingcheng pondered this for a moment. She knew that Wen Chengyuan wouldn't agree to any more cities she asked for. Furthermore, she didn't want to make things too awkward; war wouldn't benefit either side.

So, she slowly said, "Alright, since you're so sincere, I'll make a concession. Eight cities, plus five million taels of silver—this is my bottom line. If you agree, then we can sign the alliance immediately. If you don't agree..."

Hua Qingcheng's eyes, once calm as water, suddenly flashed with a hint of coldness. Her tone was frivolous yet filled with an unquestionable authority as she slowly spoke, "Since that's the case, I will have no choice but to personally escort your Crown Princess and Prince Luo through Youzhou City for a parade. This will allow the people of Youzhou City to see who nearly destroyed their homes."

"After these two have endured the wrath of the people of Youzhou, I will dispatch someone to escort them back to the capital and hand them over to the Empress Mother for her fate. Whether they will be executed by lingchi (slicing of flesh and blood) or subjected to tattooing and eternal enslavement... that will all be up to the Empress Mother!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Chengyuan's expression instantly turned extremely grim. She knew that the princess from Laifeng Kingdom was a person who would keep her word. If Gongyang Jiezhen really suffered such a great humiliation, she would be doomed upon returning home.

After some careful consideration, Wen Chengyuan realized that since she had already decided to join Gongyang Jiezhen, she might as well do her a favor. So, she gritted her teeth and nodded vigorously, saying, "Okay, we agree."

Hua Qingcheng raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a charming smile of satisfaction, and said softly: "In this case, let's start preparing for the signing." As soon as the voice fell, representatives from both sides quickly put pen to paper, and a heavy covenant was born in the midst of flying dragons and phoenixes.

The covenant clearly stated: Lengyue Nation was willing to offer eight fortified cities within its vast territory and five million taels of silver as bargaining chips in exchange for the freedom of the Gongyang sisters, Gongyang Jieying and Gongyang Jiezhen. Furthermore, Lengyue Nation was required to allow at least ten days for full preparation. On the 28th of this month, the two sides would meet in person to finalize the transaction: one side would hand over the cities and money, and the other would release the hostages.

Hua Qingcheng watched the Lengyue Kingdom's envoys gradually retreat into the distance, a wave of emotion welling up in her heart. This dispute was finally over, and she could soon put down the heavy burden on her shoulders and return to the capital with peace of mind.