Qiu Jingfan was stunned because he didn't expect Lin Yuxin to appear here!
"What brings you here, Princess?"
Although Qiu Jingfan was surprised to see Lin Yuxin here, he was also very curious about why she had come.
He had previously tried to get close to this woman and seduce her, but she didn't play by the rules. He had no interest in that now, especially with the regent watching him like a hawk behind him.
"It seems you recognize me. So, was your previous meeting premeditated?"
Hearing his address, Lin Yuxin raised an eyebrow, strode over, and sat on the empty stone bench.
Li Xiaochen then sat down between the two of them, blocking Qiu Jingfan's staring gaze.
"Hehe! But it didn't work out, did it? I was just curious about the legendary Princess Pingning and wanted to get to know her."
Qiu Jingfan didn't say that his original intention was to seduce someone; he didn't want to get beaten up.
"Yeah?"
Lin Yuxin didn't believe it, but she didn't ask any further questions, since he was a prisoner now anyway.
"Is there something you need, Princess?"
Qiu Jingfan asked the same question again.
Lin Yuxin tilted her chin, looked at Qiu Jingfan, and asked with a curious expression:
"This princess is very curious, how does the Second Prince have the confidence to stay away from Zhao for so long without worrying about any changes in Zhao?"
"What do you mean?"
Qiu Jingfan frowned and asked, puzzled, but a sense of foreboding crept into his heart.
“The State of Zhao sent a message yesterday, demanding that we release you, or they will attack our border.”
Lin Yuxin smiled and said.
"You can still laugh after all this? Then why don't you release me right now? Otherwise, if my father and you start fighting, it will be a lose-lose situation! You won't come out unscathed either!"
Qiu Jingfan frowned as he looked at Lin Yuxin. This woman was really abnormal; how could she laugh like that?
"I am laughing because I have just received news that the Zhao Kingdom has changed. The Zhao Kingdom has abdicated and the Fifth Prince has succeeded to the throne. And you should be familiar with the Fifth Prince, right? The first thing the Fifth Prince did after ascending the throne was to attack the Xia Kingdom, but he did it in your name."
"If I'm not mistaken, if we release you, you'll be beheaded on your way back, and you won't be able to return to Zhao."
"Moreover, we are not clear about the internal situation of the Zhao state. Whether it is as rumored, that the Zhao emperor wishes to abdicate or for other reasons, we cannot know."
Lin Yuxin lowered her hand from under her chin and tapped it rhythmically on the stone table, while casually recounting the fabricated and ambiguous news she had made up.
Although these reports have not yet been confirmed, the timeline suggests that the events in Zhao are largely the same, and the fifth prince is the ultimate beneficiary.
But the tapping sounds from Lin Yuxin's hands struck Qiu Jingfan's heart with every single one, making his heart pound.
After hearing Lin Yuxin's words, he questioned her with a disbelieving look:
"Impossible! How could Father abdicate so easily? Besides, Father is in very good health; there's no way he would abdicate now. You must be lying to me!"
"Believe it or not, I've come here today to tell you that the gate is right here. You can leave whenever you want. Your Zhao Kingdom is in such chaos that you certainly can't go back. There's no use in us keeping you here, so you can leave!"
Lin Yuxin said very generously.
"You're really that kind?"
Qiu Jingfan calmed himself down and looked suspiciously at Lin Yuxin and Li Xiaochen, who had been silent the whole time.
Li Xiaochen, such a strong-willed person, is actually willing to be a mere foil to this Princess Pingning today? It's clear that this princess is extraordinary, and it seems some of the rumors are true.
"It's not that we're being kind, it's just that keeping you here wouldn't do us any good. We might as well let you go back. As for how you want to go back, that's none of our business."
Lin Yuxin shrugged and spoke with an indifferent expression.
Qiu Jingfan remained silent, pondering the veracity of the message. If it were true, leaving now would be like throwing himself into the lion's den. He knew how ruthless his fifth brother was.
He definitely won't let me go. He might really kill me halfway through, just like Lin Yuxin said, and then frame Xia Guo for it.
Qiu Jingfan pondered for a moment, then looked up at Lin Yuxin and said earnestly:
"Princess, you didn't come here today just to tell me this news, did you? Please tell me your requests and purpose all at once!"
"Heh! What a clever person!"
Lin Yuxin smiled and praised, "Although the Second Prince still died in the end!"
Lin Yuxin mentally complained, then spoke again:
"I have indeed come here today to discuss a deal with you!"
"What transaction?"
Qiu Jingfan looked at Lin Yuxin with a puzzled expression.
"We will help you return to your country and assist you in becoming emperor, but you must sign a contract with us to maintain friendly relations with the Xia Kingdom for a hundred years and not attack our country."
Lin Yuxin suddenly became serious, looked at Qiu Jingfan with a solemn expression, and said earnestly.
Qiu Jingfan was stunned by Lin Yuxin's words. He couldn't understand how such words could come from a woman's mouth, and how she could represent the Xia Kingdom in making decisions? How could a mere woman discuss matters of state like this? Was the Xia Kingdom really so magnanimous?
For a moment, Qiu Jingfan's mind raced with thoughts. He quickly regained his composure, looked at Lin Yuxin, and asked seriously:
"How can you be sure that the Emperor of Xia will agree to what you're saying? Besides, sending me back to Zhao is a life-or-death situation. Would you really risk your life with a foreign prince like me? Furthermore, how do you plan to make me the emperor?"
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