Xu Youyan was sweating profusely and tried to dissuade him.

"Yes, Your Majesty, we must not cede this territory!"

"Do you expect me to stand by and watch my daughter die?!"

Yun Beiye smashed the teacup in his hand on the ground.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Your health is of utmost importance!"

"All you do is try to persuade me, but what solutions do you have?"

The ministers looked worried and lowered their heads, whispering among themselves when they heard Yun Beiye's question.

"Oh dear, what should we do..."

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of Western Chu is going too far. He said he would give us a day to consider it."

"I think it would be wise to send a letter to the King of Western Chu."

Xu Youyan had a flash of inspiration and suggested.

"Was the exchange of the Ninth Princess of Nanyang for the five prefectures of You and Ji at the behest of the King of Western Chu, or was it an unauthorized action by the Crown Prince of Western Chu, who was willing to antagonize Nanyang in order to consolidate his own position?"

"I believe that this will clarify the difference between the two."

"There is still a chance for this matter to turn around."

"Yes, Your Majesty, Lord Xu is right."

The other ministers nodded in agreement.

Yun Beiye pondered Xu Youyan's words for a moment, then said, "Zhao Zhongquan, bring me paper and pen. I want to write a letter and ask the King of Western Chu how he disciplines his son!"

"They actually resorted to such despicable means!"

"Nanyang has been a friendly ally of Western Chu for decades. Has he completely forgotten all those past relationships?!"

Zhao Zhongquan quickly prepared pen, ink, paper and inkstone. Yun Beiye, with a hint of anger, wrote the letter and ordered someone to rush it to the Western Chu Palace overnight.

"Zhao Zhongquan, bring me the map!"

Upon hearing Yun Beiye's words, Zhao Zhongquan's heart tightened, and he turned to retrieve a map from the bookshelf.

The ministers, whose expressions had just eased slightly, were startled again, their hearts trembling with fear.

Could it be that His Majesty is still going to cede territory to save his daughter?!

"If there is no letter from the Western Chu Imperial Palace by tomorrow, neither Jinzhi nor Jinyu will receive a letter from Duoduo."

"Then we'll have no choice but to cede it."

Yun Beiye's tone was firm, carrying an undeniable and irrefutable force.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

The officials knelt down in unison, kowtowing frantically, their voices of dissuasion ringing out.

Yun Beiye rubbed his temples: "So be it. If Western Chu has the ability to take it, then we'll see if they have the ability to defend the five prefectures of You and Ji!"

"My mind is made up. You may all leave now!"

Yun Beiye waved his hand, ignoring the kneeling officials, and began drawing circles on the map with his brush.

...

Inside the Cui Xiang Lou, Yun Duoduo pouted unhappily, touching her flat stomach.

"Hey, call your boss over here for me!"

The guards remained silent. The two guards standing at the door exchanged a glance. They both knew that Yun Duoduo was not easy to deal with, so they simply ignored her.

"Have him bring me some food!"

"Hurry up, or I'll kill myself!"

Upon hearing that the child might be in mortal danger, the guards at the gate panicked.

This brat!

They're really tough to deal with!

The kids in Nanyang are all incredibly clever.

"Quick, go find the boss. I'll guard this place."

Left Guard sighed helplessly and went to find Xi Jing.

He knew that the Crown Prince was currently indulging in wine and women, and if he were to be disturbed, he would certainly be in trouble.

"I'll go this time, you go next time!"

After saying that, Zuo Yi stomped his foot and reluctantly walked up to the third floor.

Before a cup of tea could be brewed, Xi Jing walked in with his men, looking at Yun Duoduo with obvious impatience.

"What's wrong with you now?"

Seeing that the person behind Xi Jing was carrying food, Yun Duoduo beckoned to the person behind him.

"You drama queen, I'm hungry!"

"Untie me right now, I want some pastries."

Yun Duoduo placed her bound hands on her stomach; she was starving.

The guards behind Xi Jing observed Xi Jing's expression.

Xi Jing shook his head slightly: "We cannot untie them."

This little thing is too cunning; who knows what mischief it's up to?

"You drama queen, if you arrest me, does your father know?"

Seeing that he had no intention of untying her, Yun Duoduo had no choice but to pick up a piece of pastry with her mouth and wolf it down.

Oh my god, I'm choking!

Yun Duoduo felt a sharp pain in her neck from being constricted.

"My father? What business is it of yours whether my father knows or not?" Xi Jing's expression was somewhat wary.

“Nanyang and Western Chu have maintained friendly relations for generations and have never waged war, so the border is peaceful.”

"In order to consolidate your own position, you did not hesitate to arrest me in exchange for the city of Nanyang. Have you ever thought about whether your father, the emperor, would agree to this?"

"Even if your father didn't say anything, even if you were lucky enough to become the King of Western Chu, do you think Nanyang would let you go?"

Yun Duoduo stared straight at him: "If Father Emperor were to exchange me for the Five Continents of Youji, do you think the soldiers of Nanyang would be able to swallow this insult?"

“If Father hadn’t exchanged the five continents of Youji for me, I would have died at your hands.”

"You've damaged the royal dignity. Do you think Father will let you off the hook?"

Yun Duoduo ate another piece of pastry.

It's better to be well-fed than to starve!

"Hmph, the army of Western Chu is definitely no worse than that of Nanyang."

Xi Jing's voice was no longer as confident and forceful as it had been at the beginning.

"Even if the Western Chu army is strong, what if Nanyang joins forces with neighboring countries to attack Western Chu?"

Moreover, the Zhenbei Army led by Brother Jinzhi is far superior to the troops of your Western Chu!

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