Upon hearing this, Ye Qingyu didn't think that he was any particularly imposing or domineering in Zhao Qingyao's eyes; he only felt that he had been used as a pawn.
He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Second Princess, Zhao Wuyou is a cruel man with a powerful army. I have only come to see you off, and I have only brought a few hundred soldiers with me..."
Lu Tu waved his hand dismissively: "General Ye's martial arts are unparalleled. He knows women on the bed and shoes off the bed. Let alone Zhao Wuyou's strong army, even if he has a million soldiers, so what? With General Ye's imposing presence, he can subdue the enemy without a fight!"
Ye Qingyu's eyelids twitched violently. This kid Lü Tu clearly had no good intentions, mocking him like this. He lowered his voice and cursed, "You damn Lü Tu, how dare you make fun of this general?"
Lu Tu chuckled: "You insulted my mother, I won't hold it against you today, but I'll remember it."
These words stunned the Jinyiwei guards around them. How dare Lu Tu, a sixth-rank Zhaowu Colonel, threaten a second-rank general?
Prince Duan spoke up: "What my elder sister said is right. General Ye, even if you don't bring many men, as long as you are here again, Zhao Wuyou will not dare to have any ulterior motives. I remember that you had a private relationship with him, so you should write him a letter and order him to give up a part of the land to Lü Tu."
Zhao Qingyao glanced at Lü Tu: "How many did you want again? More won't do!"
How could Lü Tu not try to get his hands on it at this point? He quickly said, "I don't want much! Pangjia Village, 80 li northeast of the border between the two towns!"
At this moment, even someone as dull as Yun Tian could sense something was amiss: "It seems you've had your eye on this juicy piece of meat for a while now, your target is so clear."
Lu Tu had already laid his cards on the table, so what was there to be afraid of admitting? "Of course, with more mineral resources under my control, I will naturally shoulder greater responsibilities!"
Prince Duan became interested upon hearing this: "What responsibility? Tell me about it."
Lu Tu declared loudly, "I am willing to escort the Second Princess to the Wuhuan royal court for a marriage alliance!"
Even Zhao Qingyao herself was shocked by these words.
At this moment, she had no idea what Lu Tu was planning to do. Everyone knew that the journey to escort the bride was the most dangerous. It was alright within the Great Yu Dynasty, but once they left the Northern Great Wall, everything was uncertain.
This is also why the current emperor sent Ye Qingyu here. Moreover, Ye Qingyu only sent the person here, not to the Wuhuan royal court. After all, given the cunning of the Wuhuan Khan, Ye Qingyu was unwilling to take any risks.
The current emperor was even less willing to send Ye Qingyu into the tiger's den, as he was a general whom he had personally promoted.
All eyes turned to Zhao Qingyao; only she could decide the outcome of the matter.
Zhao Qingyao stared coldly at Lü Tu, her eyes devoid of any emotion: "Aren't you afraid of death?"
Lu Tu said resolutely, "For the princess, I fear nothing!"
To outsiders, it was just a show of loyalty, but only Zhao Qingyao and Lü Tu knew its true meaning. Zhao Qingyao understood that Lü Tu was trying to coerce her.
He wanted Zhao Qingyao to help Lü Tu quickly acquire the land in Pangjia Village so that Lü Tu would have the manpower to complete the secret mission they had discussed earlier. Otherwise, Lü Tu would have no choice but to personally send her to the Wuhuan royal court, and they would all perish together.
To be honest, Zhao Qingyao was indeed a little angry at this moment. As the second princess of the Dayu Dynasty and the current emperor's older sister, she had never been wronged like this before, not even by the late emperor.
Unexpectedly, on the border of Wuchuan, a mere captain dared to treat her like this.
Strangely enough, Zhao Qingyao actually had a strong urge to give it a try. Unconsciously, her competitive spirit, which was no less than that of a man, was aroused by Lü Tu.
She shouted, "Fine! I agree! General Ye, immediately write a letter to Zhao Wuyou ordering him to hand over Pangjia Village, saying it's on my and Prince Duan's orders. Two months later, Lü Tu will escort me to the Wuhuan royal court!"
"Yes, sir!" Seeing the determination in Zhao Qingyao's eyes, Ye Qingyu knew that the die was cast. Even if he was unwilling, he had no choice but to do as Zhao Qingyao said, even if it benefited Lü Tu.
Ye Qingyu immediately wrote a letter by hand, then stamped it with his general's seal and handed it to the soldiers of the Shence Army, instructing them: "Send it to Zhao Wuyou at top speed, then return to report!"
"yes!"
After all this was done, everyone dispersed, and Lü Tu was naturally called to Zhao Qingyao's side by the maid.
Zhao Qingyao was no longer as decisive as before. She took a sip of tea, but was suddenly choked and coughed repeatedly.
"Your Highness, has your cough flared up again? I'll go and fetch a doctor for you."
Zhao Qingyao coldly stopped the palace maid, her meaning clear: the maid had spoken out of turn and revealed her illness to Lü Tu.
Lu Tu did not comment on this, and stood quietly the whole time, waiting for Zhao Qingyao to continue.
After a long while, Zhao Qingyao's sickly flushed face finally eased considerably, and she slowly said, "Do you think my body can hold out until the Wuhuan royal court?"
Lu Tu spoke frankly: "It's difficult."
Zhao Qingyao gave a bitter smile: "I think so too. Even a nine-out-of-ten chance of survival would be considered optimistic. My chances of survival are ten out of ten."
Lu Tu shook his head: "Not necessarily."
"Um?"
"Because I am here, the princess will not die."
Zhao Qingyao gave Lü Tu a deep look: "If you spoke to me like this in the capital, you would have lost your military post by now. But this is Wuchuan, and I am not that high and mighty second princess. I am just a weak woman whose life hangs by a thread."
The usually assertive Zhao Qingyao is showing weakness to Lü Tu? Lü Tu isn't stupid, of course he wouldn't believe such a thing. No matter what, she has lived in the palace since childhood.
"Captain Lü, have you forgotten our agreement?"
Lu Tu cupped his hands and said, "This humble general would never forget this for a moment."
"Then tell me, how can I get through this ordeal?"
"Didn't the princess mention her plan before? If I follow the plan, you won't be able to go to the Wuhuan royal court, and the emperor might even send you back to the capital."
“But you’re too slow. It’s been a month, and you haven’t made a single move. It makes me uneasy. I’m asking you this: should I trust you or not?” Zhao Qingyao’s voice suddenly rose, filled with authority.
Lu Tu suddenly smiled easily: "Princess, do you still have a choice? You can only trust me and bet on me. And you don't need to complain about me. I can cure the smallpox epidemic in Wuchuan in just one month. You should be able to see my ability."
"What are your plans for the next step? I really don't have much time left."
"Next, I plan to launch a blitzkrieg against the Seri tribe of the Karasuma!"
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