As Zhao Shi'an spoke so casually, Yin Sheng's face instantly turned angry.
"You think you can use me to threaten the Grand Princess? Don't be delusional."
Zhao Shi'an, looking confident, said, "Whether it's wishful thinking or not, we'll find out by trying."
Yin Sheng's chest heaved; he was very angry.
But he was trying hard to control his emotions, and after a moment he slowly relaxed.
What do you want?
He didn't believe deep down that the Grand Princess would offer anything to Zhao Shi'an in exchange for him.
Perhaps that would have been the case twenty years ago, but now...
Feelings have long been worn away by time.
"The Tiger Tally of Military Power in Jiaozhou".
Yin Sheng suddenly clenched his fist on his knees.
"You have quite the nerve! Even if the Grand Princess really gave you the tiger tally, would you dare accept it? Aren't you afraid the Emperor will be wary of you? Emperors have always been suspicious; sooner or later..."
Zhao Shi'an interrupted him before he could finish his long-winded explanation, saying, "How do you know that it's me who wants this tiger tally?"
"What do you mean? If you don't want the tiger tally..."
His expression turned quite interesting as he thought of something.
"It is the Emperor."
Everything Zhao Shi'an did was at the emperor's behest.
First they eliminated him, then the wise prince, and then the eldest princess…
Yin Sheng suddenly stood up, glaring angrily at Zhao Shi'an.
"You dog emperor, it's understandable that he eliminated me and the Prince Xian. Jiaozhou has only been back for a little over twenty years, and the Prince Xian is incredibly powerful. But the Grand Princess helped him ascend the throne. If it weren't for Lian'er back then, how could Jiaozhou have returned to the court? He's ungrateful!"
"May the dog emperor die a horrible death, may all of you die a horrible death, my Lian'er was ultimately wronged, she was willing to sacrifice her marriage for the court, but you treated her like this."
Even when he was captured at the tea shop and imprisoned in this courtyard, he wasn't this angry.
Now this person seems to have had their sore spot touched, and they've completely changed.
Zhao Shi'an calmly watched Yin Sheng's anger.
After Yin Sheng finished speaking, he simply nodded slightly.
"The Emperor's smooth ascension to the throne was indeed due to the help of the Grand Princess. This is a matter between the two of them, aunt and niece. I am merely a subject."
Yin Sheng pointed at Zhao Shi'an in a frenzied manner.
"Nonsense! You dare say these ideas weren't yours?"
Zhao Shi'an met his gaze, and after a moment said, "So what if it was me? The Grand Princess did a good job in taking back Jiaozhou, but wasn't it she who volunteered to marry into Jiaozhou back then? Otherwise, she would have been sent to a desolate land for a political marriage. She just chose a better place."
"After being brought back to the capital, she received a level of courtesy that even the Empress did not receive. If she had relinquished her military power and remained in Jiaozhou back then, do you think the late Emperor would have disagreed?"
"For more than twenty years, how many opportunities did she have to hand over the military power in Jiaozhou and let the imperial court completely control Jiaozhou, but she didn't."
"In your heart she is great and selfless, but now these are all her choices."
Zhao Shi'an's words made Yin Sheng so angry that his fingers trembled.
"That was your doing! Why should she have to go through the marriage alliance? Why should she have to hand over the Tiger Tally? It was something she worked so hard to get! You're all robbers!"
Zhao Shi'an shrugged indifferently.
“I never claimed to be a good person. If the Grand Princess understands the current situation, she will naturally exchange her military power for you and your son. If she still insists on holding onto something she is unable to protect, then I have plenty of ways to make her let go of it.”
This was the first time Zhao Shi'an had made no attempt to hide his evil nature in front of Fang Qing.
He also admitted that Yin Sheng was right.
"To possess a treasure is to be guilty of a crime." If you are unable to protect something, you should let it go. This is the principle for surviving in this world.
Zhao Shi'an didn't look at Yin Sheng again, took Fang Qing's hand, and turned to leave.
Yin Sheng's curses echoed from inside the room.
Only after Zhao Shi'an led Fang Qing out and got into the carriage did he have the courage to look at Fang Qing.
At this moment, his gaze made it easy for Fang Qing to understand his meaning.
Fang Qing squeezed his hand.
"Qing'er, I know I'm despicable. I just want the court to be stable as soon as possible so that we can live a peaceful life... Although these may sound like excuses, that's really what I think. Believe me."
Fang Qing gripped his hand tightly.
"Of course I believe you."
It was only Zhao Shi'an's strong thoughts that made the system feel a sense of crisis about its existence, which led to these events.
However, it seems they are destined to never live a peaceful and stable life.
"No one's life is always smooth sailing and peaceful, it's good that we're together."
Zhao Shi'an's fear was instantly soothed by Fang Qing's words.
As long as they're together, that's enough.
That seemed to make sense, but he couldn't bear to see Fang Qing suffer with him, so he could only work harder for their future.
Fang Qing thought the Grand Princess had already returned to the capital, but not long after Zhao Shi'an sent out the message, the Grand Princess actually asked to meet with Zhao Shi'an.
Fang Qing was standing next to Zhao Shi'an when the letter was delivered. She glanced at it and couldn't help but ask, "Hasn't she returned to the capital yet?"
“If she returns to the capital, the emperor will definitely punish her. She might as well wait until the situation here stabilizes, play the innocent, and return to the capital with Fan Li. Then, the emperor will not punish her because of Fan Li’s sake.”
"Are you going to meet him or not?"
"Of course we have to go, otherwise what's the point of all this work?"
"I'll stay with you."
Fang Qing blurted out these words without thinking.
Her main concern was that the system might come up with some new tricks.
"No need, we're just going to talk to the Grand Princess. Whether we can reach an agreement is another matter. I can't take you on this risky trip."
Zhao Shi'an's attitude was very firm, so Fang Qing didn't insist.
On the appointed day to meet the Grand Princess, Fang Qing woke up early. After the two had breakfast, Zhao Shi'an left, taking only Xiao Liu and another subordinate with him.
The Grand Princess and the others agreed to meet on the ship.
Zhao Shi'an's ship slowly docked next to the Grand Princess's ship. Xiao Liu went over to tell the Grand Princess to come over, and the Grand Princess's people came over to tell Zhao Shi'an to come over.
Neither side would back down, so in the end Zhao Shi'an and the Grand Princess stood on the deck of their respective ships to talk.
The river surface in the twelfth lunar month is truly cold.
Zhao Shi'an was strong and healthy. Fang Qing even made him wear an extra layer of clothing to keep warm when he went out, and he didn't feel uncomfortable at all.
On the contrary, even though the eldest princess was wrapped in a heavy cloak, she still felt the cold wind blowing into her bones.
Her frail body swayed unsteadily, and before she could even speak, she was choked by the cold wind. The old woman next to her quickly helped her catch her breath.
Zhao Shi'an appeared relaxed and at ease.
"The weather is nice today."
The Grand Princess glared at him angrily.
There was a thick fog early this morning, and it hasn't dissipated on the river by this time of day. Where can you find good weather?
He was just trying to annoy her.
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