"Let's go, Miss Jin, let's sit over there." Seeing Yue Chen walk away, Ling Heguang called out and followed closely behind, while Wei Tuo stayed behind and called Hua Cai to the pavilion on the side.
Over the past three years, as gold and silver have been consolidated into the branches of trading companies in the other three countries besides Li, the power of the Jin family has begun to recover, and the Yue Kingdom has gradually grown stronger, showing signs of having the strength to rival the Li Kingdom.
The question of Jin Yin's life or death, which had kept Li Zheng up at night, now seemed to have no doubt left.
From the initial probing to the frequent assassinations, when Li Zheng was certain that Jin Yin had defected to the Li Kingdom and finally decided to kill him, the Yue Emperor had already fully realized the immense value of Jin Yin. Without Jin Yin even having to mention it, he had already sent special personnel to protect him and kill all the people sent by Li Zheng.
After lying low for three years, Jin Yin finally revealed his true colors.
Li is a major mineral-producing country, with its mineral resources and smelting technology far surpassing the other three countries. However, its grain production is average. Fortunately, Li has gold and silver reserves year-round, so they only need to buy large quantities of grain from Liang. With a wealthy person sitting in the capital, this amount of money is just a drop in the ocean.
In just three short years, something seems to have suddenly changed.
When Li Kingdom made another request to Liang Kingdom to purchase grain, Liang Kingdom claimed that Yue Kingdom had bought up a large quantity of this year's stored grain at a high price, leaving little grain remaining, and doubled the price of grain compared to previous years.
In previous years, the Li Kingdom was wealthy and powerful, and it bought grain as if it were charity, at twice the normal price. This was a major reason why the Liang Kingdom was still willing to trade with the Li Kingdom even after being refused when it wanted to exchange weapons.
Now, with the price already doubled, it's even more unsustainable than before. Even if the country still had a God of Wealth, let alone the current Li Kingdom, they wouldn't be willing to spend money like this.
Enraged, Li Zheng raised an army.
"They've actually raised an army. Li Zheng is really something, he can't stand the slightest inconvenience." Hua Cai took a sip of tea and chuckled.
Over the course of three years, Hua Cai and Wei Tuo had become very close. The goofy nature beneath her aloof exterior had long been exposed. At this moment, she was clutching her stomach with one hand and pounding the table with the other, laughing so hard she was almost convulsing.
“Girl, you don’t know, that Emperor Li was all fierce and menacing, threatening to use his troops, just waiting for Liang to back down. But who knew that as soon as the declaration of war was issued, the Yue-Liang allied armies immediately set up their positions on the border. The general of Li hasn’t shown up for more than ten days, probably waiting for Emperor Li’s decision.” Wei Tuo wiped away the tears of laughter: “I really want to see that kid’s expression. So, Jin girl, are you satisfied?”
As Wei Tuo spoke, he suddenly winked at Hua Cai and said, "When the fighting really starts, let that kid Yue Chen go to the front line and beat that bastard Li Huang so badly that he'll run away in a panic and make you feel better."
"What does this have to do with me?" Hua Cai asked in surprise. "Besides, would the Emperor really send such a precious child to the battlefield?"
Wei Tuo held his teacup, glancing at the corner of the wall not far away: "A man has to provide a safe haven for the woman he likes, right? Otherwise, what girl would like a pretty boy who only knows how to hide under someone else's wings? Anyway, the one he likes won't."
That made sense, and Hua Cai nodded in deep agreement, feeling that sending Yue Chen to the battlefield was an absolutely reliable idea.
That madman was causing me trouble all the time. For the past three years, I've been on edge every day and haven't had a single day of peace. It's good that I'm on the battlefield; once I'm there, no one will bother me anymore.
"Going to the battlefield is great!" Hua Cai instantly expressed her full support for this decision: "By the way, you just said that a man should protect the woman he loves. Does that brat Yue Chen have someone he likes?"
Wei Tuo paused in his tea-drinking motion, his gaze shifting slightly to the person who had suddenly stopped.
"Is Jin Yatou really concerned about this issue?" Wei Tuo looked away and winked at Hua Cai.
"Of course I care." Hua Cai said with a bitter face as she drank the tea in her cup in one gulp.
On the garden path, the man saw Vetoka's slightly teasing gaze coming from not far away, and his handsome face flushed red. He instinctively wanted to turn around and run away, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move an inch.
Let's listen to it again then. I never expected this woman to actually be—
"You have no idea how much I've suffered." Hua Cai put down her teacup and rubbed her head, feeling a headache coming on. "Weber, do you know what it feels like to be on guard against assassination every single day? That shameless Yue Chen actually broke into someone's boudoir in the middle of the night. Is he even human? Tell me, what normal person could do something like that?"
Hua Cai finally seized an opportunity to vent her grievances, grabbing Wei Tuo's sleeve to prevent him from leaving: "Tell me about this kid, doesn't he know his own level of martial arts? He still does things that only a flower thief would do. If it weren't for his status, he would have died ten thousand times over by this young lady."
Yue Chen's face grew increasingly dark, and his hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of his sword, wanting to rush forward and deliver a fatal blow to that woman.
“I don’t know what the customs of your Yue Kingdom are like. Even though I, Jin Baozhu, have been married, my boudoir is not a place where anyone can come and go as they please.” Bang—Hua Cai slammed the teacup on the table. “Wei Bo, if that brat Yue Chen really has a girl he likes, then please ask that girl to speak up and persuade that brat to stop causing trouble for me. What did I ever do to him?”
Hua Cai stared at Wei Tuo with pleading eyes, her pitiful appearance almost making Wei Tuo forget the girl's formidable skills.
"Who are you calling a brat?" Before Wei Tuo could speak, a figure flashed in front of her.
Hua Cai's eyes lit up immediately. She had to admit that Wu Mu's appearance was incredibly deceptive.
Three years have passed, and the boy's childishness has completely disappeared. His eyebrows and eyes have gained a sharp edge, and his long eyebrows have turned into temples. His fox-like eyes, which were originally somewhat charming, are now exceptionally striking because of the anger in them. His thin, red lips are slightly pursed, expressing his dissatisfaction.
As her gaze shifted downwards, she noticed that the boy's figure was no longer as slender as before. His long legs instantly reminded Hua Cai of the painful memory three years ago when, when her martial arts skills were still rudimentary, she had been kicked away and had two ribs broken.
"Ugh!" Hua Cai grimaced, glancing away with a look of utter dismay.
"What's with that expression?!" Yue Chen, who was quietly waiting for Hua Cai's reply, felt uncomfortable when he saw her gaze drifting over him. He cursed inwardly for this shameless woman, staring at a man so openly, yet he couldn't help but stand up straight.
Seeing her gaze fall on his clothes, Yue Chen was just thinking about whether his outfit would be better paired with a folding fan when she turned her head away with an indescribable expression.
What's with that woman's expression?!
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