The king suddenly stood up and glared at the old minister.
"You want me to hand over my sister to that traitor? Are you insane?!"
"Your Majesty, at this point, this is the only way."
The old minister said with a bitter face:
“Lu Yan is an ambitious man. If we do not agree to his conditions, he will surely lead his army south.”
"At that time, Java will face annihilation."
"This..." the king hesitated.
Although he loved his younger sister dearly, he also understood that if Java were to perish, Aisha would not escape the same fate.
"Your Majesty, this old minister seconds the motion!"
Another minister stepped forward.
"For the future of Java, we must make sacrifices!"
"I second that opinion!"
"I second that opinion!"
More and more officials came forward to express their support, and the king's expression grew increasingly grim.
"Absurd! Even if I die in battle, I will never hand Aisha over to Lu Yan!"
The Javanese king roared, his body trembling slightly beneath his dragon robe.
He suddenly flicked his sleeve, sweeping the memorials on the table to the ground.
"A bunch of short-sighted fools! To save their own lives, they're willing to sacrifice my own sister!"
The ministers inside the palace were terrified and dared not utter a sound.
The old minister who had just proposed the marriage alliance turned ashen-faced with fright.
He fell to his knees with a thud, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy:
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! This old minister was only thinking of the country and its people!"
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.
A guard rushed in, flustered, and loudly reported:
"Your Majesty, Duke Jin Xuanming of Wu State has returned!!"
"Let him in!"
The king waved his hand impatiently, as if grasping at the last straw.
"If he brings back the snow lotus, I might spare his life; otherwise..."
Jin Xuanming walked into the main hall, looking exhausted.
He knelt on one knee, and before he could even speak, the king impatiently asked:
"Where's the snow lotus? Have you found it?"
Jin Xuanming's expression changed, and he stammered:
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Your Majesty is incompetent; I failed to find the Snow Lotus..."
"What?!"
The king suddenly stood up, grabbed Jin Xuanming by the collar, and roared.
"You good-for-nothing! I sent you to find the Snow Lotus, and you returned empty-handed! Now that Haixia Pass has fallen, what is your punishment!"
When Jin Xuanming heard the news of the fall of Haixia Pass, he was struck dumb as if by lightning.
He never expected that Haixia Pass would fall into Lu Yan's hands just a few days after he left.
His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, his face pale, his lips trembling, unable to speak for a long time.
"Hai... Haixia Customs... How... How could this be..."
He muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Haixia Pass is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is heavily guarded. How could Lu Yan possibly break through it so quickly?
He raised his head, staring blankly at the king, and asked in a trembling voice:
"Your Majesty...is...is this true?"
The king was furious and shoved him to the ground, roaring:
"You still have the nerve to ask me? I ask you, why did Haixia Pass fall?"
"As the Duke of Wu, you neglected your duties, causing Haixia Pass to fall into enemy hands. What is your punishment?"
Jin Xuanming was terrified by the king's roar and immediately kowtowed, begging for mercy.
"Your Majesty, spare my life! I...I know my crime! I deserve to die ten thousand times over!"
He quickly explained again:
"Your Majesty, I did not intend to delay, but... but..."
"And what is it? Tell me!"
The king was furious and wished he could kick this good-for-nothing bastard to death.
Jin Xuanming's eyes darted around, and suddenly he thought of something, so he quickly said:
"Your Majesty, I remember now! The fall of Haixia Pass must have been caused by that Night Owl! He must be a spy sent by Lu Yan!"
"Night Owl?"
The king frowned, the image of the taciturn man flashing through his mind.
"He saved Aisha, how could he be Lu Yan's spy?"
"Your Majesty, you are unaware of this!"
Jin Xuanming hurriedly said:
"The timing of that night owl's appearance is too coincidental, and he is highly skilled in martial arts. There must be something fishy about this!"
"I suspect that he deliberately approached the princess in order to seize Haixia Pass!"
The king pondered for a moment, then shook his head:
"If Night Owl is truly Lu Yan's spy, he could easily kidnap Aisha and use her to blackmail us. Why go through all this trouble?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Xuanming immediately became anxious:
"Your Majesty, you must not be deceived by him! Lu Yan is cunning and treacherous; this might just be one of his schemes!"
"He first gained our trust through Night Owl, and then, with our help from within and without, seized Haixia Pass!"
"this……"
The king hesitated, though he didn't entirely believe Jin Xuanming's words.
However, this possibility cannot be completely ruled out.
"Your Majesty, I believe it is better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't!"
Jin Xuanming continued to fan the flames, "If we don't take precautions soon, it will be too late to regret it!"
In the imperial court, the ministers began to discuss the matter animatedly.
Some support Jin Xuanming's view, believing that Night Owl is indeed suspicious.
Some, however, believed the king was right; the owl had saved the princess and was unlikely to be a spy.
For a time, the court was in complete chaos, with all sorts of voices mingling together, making everyone dizzy and confused.
"Enough!"
The king slammed his hand on the armrest of his throne, and the hall fell silent instantly.
"Let's set this matter aside for now and wait until I find out the truth! Jin Xuanming, you abandoned your post, causing the fall of Haixia Pass. You cannot escape your punishment. Guards, take him to prison and await your judgment!"
Two guards dragged Jin Xuanming out, and the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The king slumped onto the dragon throne, rubbing his throbbing temples.
The news of the fall of Haixia Pass struck him like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely stunned.
He knew in his heart that although Jin Xuanming had made a mistake, it did not warrant death.
Moreover, now is a time when we need manpower, and losing a key general is tantamount to cutting off our own arm.
"Wait!"
The king spoke in a deep voice, and the guards immediately stopped in their tracks.
Jin Xuanming collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, raising his head in terror.
The king sighed.
"Jin Xuanming, I will spare your life for now, considering your past merits. Now that Haixia Pass has fallen, do you have any good plans to retake it?"
Jin Xuanming, as if grasping at a lifeline, hurriedly kowtowed and said:
"Your Majesty is wise! Your subject... Your subject has a plan that may be feasible..."
To save his life and to atone for his mistakes, he had no choice but to take the risk.
Tell me about it.
The king rubbed his temples, looking exhausted.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, I think we might be able to... take advantage of Her Highness's feelings for that night owl..."
Jin Xuanming carefully chose his words, observing the king's expression.
The king's brows were furrowed, and his face was terribly grim.
What exactly are you trying to say?
"Your Majesty, I think we can...we can use Her Highness to lure Night Owl here, capture him, and use that to blackmail Lu Yan, forcing him to return Haixia Pass!"
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