Qiao Man stared at him for a long while, feeling jealous. In terms of appearance, Fei Yuan was more pleasing to the eye, and it was undeniable that she liked him.
Unfortunately, Fei Yuan was too stubborn. Once he made up his mind, he would never change his mind. Just like her former colleague, he wanted to die with his partner.
There was no better way to deal with Fei Yuan except to make his mental power collapse or completely erase his mental power. Fu Yin had a way to crack the former, and the latter was her biggest secret weapon that could not be used easily, but she also couldn't refuse the help that came to her door.
Her thoughts raced as she spoke again, "I think this is a great idea, exactly what I want. However, based on my understanding of Shen Huaixu, she probably wouldn't want to know that you have such an idea. Besides, there's no need for you to do this. Given Shen Huaixu's position in the heart of the Great Jin Emperor, no one should be able to stop his daughter from marrying anyone she wants."
Fu Yin was silent for a moment, then uttered a name and said no more.
When she heard the name, a look of realization crossed Qiao Man's face. Recalling some of the news she had received recently and combining it with what she had seen before, she felt that it was not impossible.
There was a hint of pity in her eyes as she looked at Fu Yin, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. She extended a hand to Fu Yin and said, "In that case, it's a pleasure to work with you."
When the sky was just getting light, Shen Huaixu heard Fu Yin's voice.
"You slept soundly."
There was a hint of grievance in his voice.
It took Shen Huaixu a while to wake up, but he didn't open his eyes. "I fell asleep waiting for you. Did your meeting with Qiao Man go well?"
Fu Yin felt a little guilty, "It went pretty smoothly."
Hearing his words, Shen Huaixu became more sober. She opened her eyes and asked, "Fairly, smooth?"
"I'll tell you, don't be angry."
Shen Huaixu closed his eyes and said, "Well, I'm not angry. Go ahead."
Fu Yin hesitated for a moment, then quickly recounted the conversation between him and Qiao Man, "... This will make her believe that I am sincerely cooperating with her, and it will also prevent her from taking action against you... What do you think?"
Chen Huaixu opened her eyes wide and looked at the darkness above her head. She felt that Fu Yin's excuse was outrageous but also had a hint of rationality. She quickly reviewed the whole thing in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it was not impossible. It was just that there were some details that Fu Yin did not mention, but she felt that they should not be avoided.
"From what I hear, you guys mean to take me as a hostage? Qiao Man knows you can enter and exit the space at any time. Is she at ease?"
Fu Yin pursed his lips in dissatisfaction with Shen Huaixu's reaction and stated the demands they had made after reaching a cooperation agreement: "Not counting as a hostage, she should have a way to suppress me. She promised me that she can visit you anytime. She needs me to fake my death and cut ties with Dajin, as well as a map of Qinzhou's border defense layout as a stepping stone for sincere cooperation."
"Just these two things? It seems that she is really conceited and thinks that I can't cause any trouble in her territory." Shen Huaixu pulled the corner of his mouth with a faint expression.
“Chen Huaixu, you are the most powerful person I have ever met. She can’t compare to you.”
Coming from the mouth of the tall Fei Yuan, such words really didn't match his temperament. Miraculously, Shen Huaixu heard a very naive certainty in these words.
A smile flashed across her eyes. "Now you know how to flatter? Why didn't you feel that way when you were acting on your own?"
"I know you have a way to prevent Qiao Man from finding you, but that would be too hard, and... I'm afraid you won't agree." Thinking of what he had said before to gain Qiao Man's trust, Fu Yin's ears started to burn.
Chen Huaixu understood Fu Yin's concerns and did not have much objection to it. Compared to hiding and running away all the time, it would be more interesting to fall into the hands of the enemy and let her serve him well.
"As long as you agree to the fake death, I have no objection. As for the border defense layout, she is probably testing your loyalty to the Great Jin. She can't do anything. She is only the eldest princess now, and the young emperor still hates her. Unless she goes through Qin Xiao, she can't reach into the military camp. Tomorrow I will ask the shopkeeper about Qin Xiao's situation." After saying this, Shen Huaixu paused and said, "It's not impossible to take them as hostages. Tell Qiao Man not to touch my people and find a few more people to serve me. It would be best if she hired a good cook."
There was a smile in Fu Yin's voice, "Okay, I'll remember that."
Chen Huaixu didn't know when Fu Yin left the space. He only remembered that before going to bed, he was still thinking about finding out about Qin Xiao's situation tomorrow.
She was awakened by Xiaoman the next day. There was no light in the basement of the restaurant, and it was still like night during the day.
When Chen Huaixu opened her eyes, she was still in a trance for a moment. After washing up and having breakfast brought by the maid from the restaurant, she asked Xiaoman to call the shopkeeper.
"I wonder what the young lady wants to ask today?" The shopkeeper quite liked the little girl in front of him. Not only was she generous, but every time she smiled she looked like a little fox.
"I'm sorry to bother you making another trip. I invited you here today because I want to know how many wives and concubines Qin Xiao, the Prime Minister of Nanxia, has in his harem."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiaoman handed over more silver. The shopkeeper lifted the red cloth and took a look, and he knew what was going on.
Then he recounted Qin Xiao's life story one by one, and made a particularly detailed addition to Qin Xiao's family situation. This man spoke like a storyteller, and from time to time he mixed in his own insights. Shen Huaixu felt very sorry that he didn't have a handful of melon seeds in his hand.
After the shopkeeper finished his spittle flying, Shen Huaixu began to think carefully about Qin Xiao.
He lost his father at a young age, and his mother remarried, leaving him to live with her and her stepfather. His mother was always subservient, even daring to speak out when he was pushed into the freezing water of a lake by his stepfather's children in the dead of winter. When he was older, he married a woman from a wealthy family. She was arrogant and bossed him around, and he had no choice but to endure this for the sake of his own future.
After that, he rose to prominence by stepping on the Yue family. After he gained power, his wife died for no reason, so he took in several concubines, and the position of his wife remained vacant.
——Would such a person wholeheartedly help Qiao Man ascend to the throne? Shen Huaixu found it difficult.
Not only because Qiao Man was a woman, she subconsciously felt that Qin Xiao's ambitions must be big.
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