The heavy snow was falling and the whole place was covered with silver.
The Prince of Jin and a group of advisers sat in the warm greenhouse to discuss matters.
Although the Jin Palace announced an uprising, it made little progress. It had both wins and losses in battles with the court, and had occasional frictions with small groups of peasant uprisings in the surrounding areas.
Moreover, the number of people coming to seek refuge is not as many as imagined, and those prominent families are all in a wait-and-see stage.
Everyone is very anxious and morale is low.
When the Prince of Jin saw that this was not feasible, he proposed to annex the Palace of the Prince of Wei, his ally, first.
Although they were allies, they stabbed them in the back at the critical moment, which made him sick.
Everyone responded and thought it was okay.
Once all the fiefdoms of the Prince of Wei were incorporated into the territory, we would have the strength to compete with the imperial court for the world.
How to do it? Everyone worked together and agreed that they could not do it openly, so they could only plot secretly and disintegrate from within.
Everyone was discussing heatedly, and Prince Jin gradually had some ideas in his mind.
He knew a secret about the Prince of Wei's Palace that he could exploit. If used well, he could cause chaos in the Prince of Wei's Palace.
At this moment, a subordinate shouted anxiously outside, "Prince, this is not good."
The Prince of Jin's face changed, "Let someone in."
The subordinate stumbled in, his face terrified. "The prince is in trouble..."
The Prince of Jin looked over with a cold look, and the subordinate was startled. He realized that he had said something wrong, and hurriedly explained, "Prince, we just received a tip that the Du family army is going to join forces with the Prince of Wei's Mansion to attack us."
There was silence at the scene and everyone was shocked.
The expression of the Prince of Jin changed drastically. "What did you say? How is this possible? The Du family army just finished fighting and needs some time to rest."
The subordinate immediately delivered a piece of intelligence. The Prince of Jin quickly browsed through it. After reading it, his face changed drastically and he passed the intelligence to the counselor around him.
Everyone took turns looking at it, and their faces looked unhappy.
"Xiliang General sold supplies to the Wei Palace. Are they crazy? This counts as aiding the enemy! Aren't they afraid of being blamed by the court?"
Instant noodles? It is said that this is the magic weapon that has enabled the Du family army to win every battle, and it has always been a secret treasure.
This time, he actually sold it to the Prince of Wei’s Palace. What was he thinking?
"Princess Qingping also sent people to the Prince of Wei's mansion for a secret discussion. I don't know how she persuaded the Prince of Wei to join forces to divide up our fiefdom of the Prince of Jin's mansion."
The counselors were furious. "She has such a wolfish ambition and wants to establish herself. What a Princess Qingping! The Emperor trusted her so much that he broke the rules for thousands of years and appointed her as a female official. Haha, this is her reward."
"A woman actually wants to be independent? Is she crazy? Women have long hair and short knowledge. They only know how to daydream all day long."
Even though they were cursing, the information revealed in it made them terrified.
The reason is simple. Xiliang and Prince Jin's Palace are adjacent to each other, and the Du family army is famous for its fighting ability.
If they join forces with the Prince of Wei's Palace again, will they still have a chance to survive?
No, we can't let them form an alliance.
"Is this a mistake? How could the officials of Xiliang agree to such a ridiculous plan? Is there no one to control her? Why doesn't Commander Du suppress her?"
The Prince of Jin was not surprised. If Mu Wanqing was a law-abiding person, she would not have reached her current high position.
She is an ambitious person who dares to think and do.
"Everyone, don't be nervous. I can assure you that the Du family army will not rashly start a war with our Jin Wang Mansion. They have been fighting for so long and are already exhausted. They don't have the ability to fight anymore..."
Before he could finish his words, a hurried voice came from outside, "Prince, the Du family army attacked Xucheng by surprise, and Xucheng requested reinforcements."
Xucheng is not far from Fufeng City. It is an important military base of the Prince of Jin’s Mansion and has iron mines!
The Du family army chose this city to attack because they had their sights set on the target and wanted to kill it with one move.
All counselors: ...
I didn't expect to be slapped in the face so quickly.
The Prince of Jin's face turned green, "Is Du Shaoxuan crazy?"
The Du family army has been stationed at the Xiliang border for a hundred years. They are loyal and have repelled foreign enemies countless times, making them very powerful.
But there has never been a civil war!
Without the imperial summons, no army could mobilize troops without authorization. How dare the Du family army break the law?
Some people couldn't help but complain, "Mu Wanqing didn't keep her word. She said she wouldn't start a war again. How could she just start a war without even saying hello?"
However, some people have different opinions. "What does the dispatch of the Du family army's elite troops have to do with Mu Wanqing? She can't make the decision for the Mu family army."
"Last time she also brought the Du family army."
“It’s different.”
The counselors actually started arguing, "Why do you always speak for Mu Wanqing?"
"I'm just telling the truth. Never mind. There's no point in talking about this now."
This is not the most exciting operation, more exciting ones are coming soon.
"Sir, this is a letter from Commander Du."
Everyone looked at each other, what the hell?
It was a letter from Du Shaoxuan. He wrote three simple and clear lines: Do you want to start a war? If not, give me some silver! Just consider it as military funds for the army.
Anyway, the point is, it would be best if you give it to me, but if you don’t, I’ll just rob you of it. Anyway, I have the iron ore to compensate for it.
Damn, who told you to attack? The Prince of Jin couldn't help but swear.
"When did Du Shaoxuan become so shameless? He asked for two million taels right away, why didn't he just rob it?"
He was so angry that he didn't care about his image anymore and wanted to tear Du Shaoxuan into pieces.
One of the subordinates spoke weakly, "This is robbery."
"Ah, I understand. The Du family army has spent all their family assets and has no money left, so they come here to beg for money."
This explanation is very reasonable. Although they are all from Da Qi, you have started the rebellion, so there is nothing wrong with the Du family looking for trouble with the rebels.
Everyone looked at each other, speechless.
"Md, how did the Du family army learn the barbarian tricks?"
When the barbarians had nothing to eat, they came out to plunder and ran away after grabbing things.
The Prince of Jin felt extremely powerless. He and Du Shaoxuan were indeed natural enemies. They had been at odds since childhood and they couldn't get along even when they grew up.
"What now?"
A counselor said cautiously, "It's better to give money to avoid disaster."
The face of the Prince of Jin was not good, and someone could not help but shout angrily, "What? How can this be possible?"
"Two million is definitely not enough. Give them 100,000 or 200,000 to get rid of them." A hint of ill intent flashed in the counselor's eyes. "Also, we need to make Xiliang sign an agreement to never invade the fiefdom of the Prince of Jin's Mansion."
The others thought about it and said, "I think it's feasible. Just think of it as giving money to a beggar. Oh, and we can use the materials we don't need to pay for it."
"With the agreement in hand, we have the leverage. Are we still afraid that they will turn the tables?"
The opinions of the crowd were quite consistent, and they all tended to give it, but the details needed to be discussed in detail.
The Prince of Jin had mixed feelings, they spoke so nicely, but in fact they were all afraid of the Du family army and did not dare to confront the elite troops of the Du family army directly, right?
"Aren't you afraid that Xiliang will tear up the agreement?"
The subordinate laughed and said, "Sir, we can send the agreement to the capital right away and kill them with the help of the civil and military officials."
Others excitedly echoed, "I think it's feasible."
The matter was settled. The Prince of Jin wrote a reply personally, inviting Du Shaoxuan to come in person to talk things out.
He knew Du Shaoxuan's character very well and felt that he could definitely gain the upper hand in the negotiations.
Not long after, he received a reply, "What? Mu Wanqing is here to negotiate? The location is set in Xucheng?"
His reaction was too big, and his subordinates were a little surprised. "Is there something wrong?"
Can the Prince of Jin say that he is a little afraid of Mu Wanqing? Mu Wanqing is too coquettish, she must not do that.
He wants face!
Backyard, Jingge
Mu Jinyao was dressed in gorgeous clothes and surrounded by pearls and jade, looking as graceful and elegant as a blooming peony.
The prince and princess were sidelined, and the crown prince's wife was away, so she was the number one person in the backyard, in charge of the palace's household affairs.
She managed the Prince of Jin's Mansion in perfect order, demonstrating strong management skills. She was also gentle and considerate, winning the heart of the Prince of Jin.
"You want me to negotiate on your behalf? Negotiate with Xiliang? I must have heard it wrong."
"That's right. If Xiliang sends Mu Wanqing, it would be fair for us to also send a woman." The Prince of Jin did not beat around the bush and made his request directly.
"Of course, the negotiation is a cover, you are just a figurehead, your most important task is to find a way to convince Mu Wanqing to form an alliance with me."
This time we are not talking about poaching, but only about forming alliances.
Such an important matter as negotiation should naturally be put in charge of by a trusted person, but Mu Jinyao is not capable of that.
Mu Jinyao was stunned again, "Alliance?"
Last time he failed to recruit people, all his efforts were in vain, and he was also cheated by Mu Wanqing. Has he forgotten all that?
Ambitious people are usually thick-skinned, black-hearted and shameless.
As long as the goal can be achieved, what does it matter if we use any means?
The Prince of Jin had a complicated look on his face. "I have to admit that she is smarter than the average woman. Xiliang didn't get into trouble under her leadership, and the army's logistics supply was also fine. She is a powerful character. I want to make friends with her, share what we have, and benefit from each other."
In fact, he had been keeping an eye on Xiliang's movements.
Having suffered a great loss last time, he wanted to make a comeback, but Xiliang was like a solid block and he had no idea where to start.
He saw Mu Wanqing's powerful governing ability and unparalleled means.
However, Mu Wanqing also has weaknesses. She wants to be independent, and this is where he can strike.
Where there are weaknesses, they can be exploited.
Mu Jinyao pursed her lips. This bastard was lying to her.
He said he wanted to make friends with her, but he actually just wanted to trick Mu Wanqing. She didn't know the specific plan, but he pushed her out to rush in front. What a man.
The problem is that Mu Wanqing is not an ordinary person, and it is still unknown who can beat whom.
She knew Mu Wanqing's methods very well. She was able to kill countless people at the age of fourteen. Now that she is older, she must be even more powerful.
"It's very difficult. Mu Wanqing is a stubborn person and she doesn't like you or me."
The Prince of Jin had no confidence at first, but after discovering Mu Wanqing's weakness, he felt okay again.
"Nothing is difficult in the world if one is determined. Let her name her price. There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests." The Prince of Jin hesitated for a moment and made a promise. "If you can accomplish this, I will enthrone you as the queen."
Mu Jinyao was silent for a moment, thinking so far ahead, without even a glance, she was already thinking about the candidate for the queen.
Are all men so fond of imagining things? Or is this guy just more daring to dream?
She looked at him affectionately, as if she was looking at her own faith, her eyes full of affection, "Yes, for your great cause, I will do my best, even if it costs my life, to help you accomplish it."
The Prince of Jin was very satisfied with her. She was smart but not revealing, capable but not ostentatious, gentle and considerate, and she was deeply in love with him and was willing to die for him.
This is the woman he wants!
What kind of woman is Mu Wanqing? No man can stand her, not even one.
Hey, why do I think of her again?
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