Josh was in a daze that night. He had no idea how he got back to his room and he even did not sleep all night.
Gu Jinke was in a very good mood. He worked all night long, and even early the next morning, he told Xun Ji to start the action.
The people of the Barbarian Country were in a panic all of a sudden, and the country was in a precarious situation. The ministers below were undercurrents, and they were weighing the pros and cons of each other as they exchanged looks. The Barbarian King saw the occasional strange looks on their faces, but he only thought it was because the little princess was defeated and fled back to the royal court in a panic. In order to boost morale, she decided to hold a palace banquet to inspire the confidence of the ministers, and then either send troops to resist the Great Jin or surrender to the Great Jin, pay tribute and settle down to subdue the rebels in the Barbarian Kingdom.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she expressed this intention, the ministers in the court responded one after another, resulting in the smooth holding of the palace banquet. Some ministers in the court even took the lead in expressing their attitudes.
"King, the Jin army is advancing like a hot knife through butter. Our Barbarian Kingdom is losing more and more. There are also more and more rebels in other territories. However, the harvests have been poor in the past two years. We can't hold out any longer. For the sake of our Barbarian Kingdom, it is better to stop the war first, recuperate for two years, and eliminate the internal enemies."
As soon as she finished speaking, many ministers responded. The Barbarian King, who was originally reluctant to surrender, saw this scene and felt that the situation was hopeless. However, she could not rebuke these ministers because what they said was the truth and represented the voice of the majority. She could only choose to remain silent and nod: "I will think about it carefully."
Immediately, several ministers smiled.
Gu Jinke immediately knew what was going on in the Barbarian Kingdom's court. She knocked on the desk and said, "It seems that the situation in Barbarian Kingdom should be more serious."
Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible for her and her group to just casually lobby and find so many people willing to support her.
Xun Ji stood at the bottom and said, "Yesterday I went around their capital city. Even in the richest capital city, about half of the people are now poorly clothed and hungry. Their slave market is even more cheap, half of them are sold and half are given away."
Xun Ji looked up at Gu Jinke, hesitated for a moment and said, "The royal city is still relatively good. According to the information I have collected, the rebels outside the royal city are already cannibalizing their own children."
Gu Jinke frowned, but soon relaxed. She had some guesses about the situation of the Barbarian Country, but it would be more shocking if she said it out loud.
When she went to Qingcheng Prefecture, she was afraid of discovering such a human tragedy in Qingcheng Prefecture.
She propped up the table and took a deep breath: "Let's make this quick and easy!"
The Barbarian King's Court gave her a feeling that it was too depressing.
Xun Ji nodded and went back to do his thing. Just as he reached the door, he saw Li Yuxin and Qiao Xi coming towards him arm in arm.
She paused for a moment and bowed, "Mr. Li, Mr. Qiao."
The two men returned the greetings, but compared to the energetic Li Yuxin, the usually bright and cheerful Qiao Xi seemed a little listless, and his voice was hoarse.
They had fought side by side all the way and had a good relationship. In addition, these two young masters were devoted to His Highness, so Xun Ji treated them with great respect and courtesy. He immediately showed concern: "What's wrong with Young Master Qiao? Did you not get enough rest last night, or..."
Caught a cold? If this is true, we need to dispatch a medical officer to prepare the medicine as soon as possible, so as to avoid hurting the body by delaying treatment.
Li Yuxin also looked over with a smile, he naturally noticed that something was wrong with Qiao Xi early this morning, but Qiao Xi was vague, and Li Yuxin always felt that he was hiding something from him, and immediately looked forward to Xun Ji's question. Xun Ji had just left, and Gu Jinke, who was sitting in the study, must have heard their conversation. He really wanted to know what excuse Qiao Xi would use.
Qiao Xi rubbed his brows and said, "It's okay. I just didn't sleep well last night. I feel a little tired today."
After hearing this, Xun Ji felt relieved, bowed and left in a hurry.
Li Yu didn't believe it: "Really? Mr. Qiao slept well along the way, why didn't he sleep well yesterday? Is there something worrying you? Why don't you tell me and let Yu Xin help share your worries."
Qiao Xi choked up. Should he share with Li Yuxin what His Highness had said last night...
As he thought about it, his face suddenly turned red. He turned his head slightly and coughed a few times. When he turned back, he saw Gu Jinke standing lazily at the door, looking at him with a smile.
The feeling from last night came back again, and Qiao Xi felt his legs go weak. He turned his head and met Li Yuxin's scrutinizing eyes.
Josh: …
Gu Jinke leaned against the door, looking at his dilemma, a smile flashed across his lips: "If Mr. Qiao didn't sleep well, there is no need to follow any rules, you should go back and rest first."
Her tone was also lazy and nonchalant, but perhaps it was an aftereffect. All that filled Josh's mind was last night's warm breath, her low teasing and questions, and... the intimacy between the two of them.
He knew he couldn't stay here any longer today, so he could only bow and say goodbye: "Your Highness is right, I will retire first and rest up."
However, he did not want to give Li Yuxin, who was as clever as a fox, an opportunity to take advantage of him, so he immediately took his hand and said, "Ah Xin, how about..."
Who is Li Yuxin? He immediately guessed that there might be something fishy going on. Before Qiao Xi could speak out, he interrupted him and said, "That's right. I am also very worried about you. Why don't you go back and rest first? I just happen to have something to ask His Highness."
Josh could only leave by himself.
Gu Jinke and Li Yuxin were the only ones left in the huge courtyard. Gu Jinke stood up straight from the door. She looked at Li Yuxin and said, "Ask if you have anything to ask."
Li Yuxin is such a smart man, it is impossible for him not to see the clues from the two people's actions. Instead of letting him waste his energy guessing, it is better for Gu Jinke to ask.
It just so happened that Gu Jinke also wanted to come clean. The deeper the debt she owed him, the more guilty she would feel.
Li Yuxin originally had some guesses. After all, Qiao Xi's abnormality was too obvious. The rival knew his rival. Qiao Xi was usually calm and composed, and he acted in an orderly and successful manner. He couldn't think of anyone else except Gu Jinke who could make such a steady man like him become secretive and timid. But now, looking at Gu Jinke's serious expression, Li Yuxin, who originally wanted to ask, became timid.
If there really was something going on between the two of them last night, and Gu Jinke rejected him… As soon as he thought about the consequences, his face turned pale. He pursed his lips, then suddenly raised his eyes and shook his head, smiling, "I don't have anything to ask."
Gu Jinge frowned instead: "Li..."
Seeing her expression, Li Yuxin panicked. He hurried forward and covered Gu Jinke's lips with his hand. His eyes were charming and beautiful, but contained a hint of pleading. Gu Jinke paused.
He covered Gu Jinke's lips, leaned in and carefully kissed the back of his hand, and said in a low voice: "Your Highness, please don't say anything. Please don't say anything. As Xin said, from now on, I will follow you to the ends of the earth."
Gu Jinge was silent.
What she feared the most was actually this kind of scene. She looked at Li Yuxin's eyes, reached out and gently touched his hair, and decided to speak. To such a good person, she should tell everything clearly.
She reached out to take Li Yuxin's hand, her lips moving and her eyes determined, but Li Yuxin knew that she probably said something he didn't want to hear. Gu Jinke's hands were extremely strong and he couldn't persuade her at all. Li Yuxin's eyes showed anxiety, then he raised his head and blocked her lips with his.
Don't say it, Your Highness, he doesn't want to hear it.
He blocked Gu Jinke's lips, then attacked her immaturely and recklessly. He wanted her to have no time to care about him.
Gu Jinke was pushed against the door. She clamped Li Yuxin's hands, and Li Yuxin obeyed her obediently. Only his lips were disobedient. He stumbled and bit her to attack her with intense emotions.
Soon, their lips were wet, and Li Yuxin finally stopped. He climbed onto Gu Jinke's neck, breathing rapidly, and looked up at Gu Jinke, his beautiful phoenix eyes full of sparkle.
Gu Jinke turned her head away, avoiding his captivating eyes, and fell silent. Since he told her not to speak, she would not say anything.
Seeing such a silent attitude, Li Yuxin pursed his lips, savoring it a little, but also feeling relieved. A light bulb went off in his head, and he suddenly felt that he understood something.
Although he felt sad, he was not going to say anything, as His Highness was not completely without affection for him.
Thinking of this, she felt happier. She leaned into Gu Jinke's arms and slowly calmed down.
Gu Jinke touched his hair.
The banquet at the Barbarian King's court was held in a grand manner, probably to prove the luxury and power of the court. The scale of the banquet was quite large and the cost was even extravagant.
Gu Jinke looked at the brightly lit palace, then thought of the ordinary people he saw huddled in groups on the street corners during the day. Suddenly, he understood more deeply what it meant: "The rich are feasting and drinking, while the poor are freezing to death on the streets."
She looked up at the sky, and the snow was falling again. Tonight, who knows how many people will freeze to death in this royal court. She sighed softly, and Xun Ji stood behind her: "Your Highness, it's snowing, and it's cold outside. Let's go back to the house and rest."
Gu Jinke nodded: "Xun Ji, I don't want the tragic scene of the Barbarian Country to happen in Dajin at all."
Xun Ji smiled and looked at the figure in front of him, his eyes full of fiery submission: "Your Highness, I won't do that."
She believed in His Highness. As long as His Highness was around, the people of Jin would never fall into such a situation. The current princess was a good princess, and she would be a very good queen in the future.
Gu Jinke also smiled and reached out to catch a snowflake: "How is the army?"
Xun Ji responded: "It has already come in quietly."
Gu Jinke nodded: "Then let's end everything at tomorrow's palace banquet."
Xun Ji nodded.
The second day's palace banquet was under colorful lanterns. In order to ensure that everything went smoothly, Gu Jinke and Xun Ji disguised themselves and sneaked into the royal court of the Barbarian Kingdom to make final preparations. This time, Li Yuxin and Qiao Xi were outside to support them.
After Gu Jinke and Xun Ji entered, they disguised themselves next to the little princess. Based on her status and close relationship, she was undoubtedly the person closest to the Queen of the Barbarian Country. Following her would make it most convenient to deal with the queen.
It's not that other people couldn't sneak in, but Gu Jinke was not as familiar with them as the little princess. In order to ensure the smooth progress of this banquet, the Barbarian King mobilized the military forces around the royal court to guard it.
Gu Jinke had already discussed with the army to take action together, so while waiting, he followed the little princess Wanqi Hong around in the banquet, toasting each other. After three rounds of wine, most people in the hall were already tipsy. The Barbarian King covered her face and burst into tears, mourning her dead soldiers, the country in chaos, the poor harvests every year, and the death of her sister who she had raised.
The ministers felt the same way and were all saddened. They took the trouble to comfort the emperor and look to the future. As the only surviving daughter of the Lord of Bamen City, the little princess naturally had to express her opinion. She brought Gu Jinke and Xun Ji to toast and comfort them.
The Barbarian King lost his composure in public, hugged her and cried bitterly. Gu Jinke stood behind and watched. It actually felt like the end of a royal court. She stroked the dagger on her arm, calmed down and waited.
The little princess hugged her and cried bitterly, and then the little princess Wanqi Hong persuaded the Barbarian King in a very filial way, and the Barbarian King stopped sobbing. The two wiped their faces with the help of the palace servants, and began to drink with red eyes. After a few toasts, the Barbarian King's eyes fell on Xun Ji and Gu Jinke behind Wanqi Hong: "Are these your personal guards?"
Wanqihong's hand holding the wine glass froze for a moment, but she still nodded. However, the Barbarian King seemed to be just sighing for a moment. He looked at Xun Ji and Gu Jinke with true feelings, and tears fell again. He was grateful: "If it weren't for your loyal support along the way, I would not only lose my sister who I have been close to since childhood, but also probably my sister's only blood. You did a great job! You deserve a reward!"
As she spoke, her voice gradually became more excited, and her face, which was originally flushed due to the drunkenness, became even redder, causing the ministers to look over here, and some even agreed: "Your Majesty is right!"
"Yes, yes, yes. If it weren't for the guards risking their lives for each other, we probably wouldn't be able to see the little princess today."
"It's a reward, it's a reward."
The hall suddenly became lively, but Gu Jinke felt something strange in his heart. But everything seemed reasonable. The barbarian king was provoked by his ministers and immediately ordered the waiter who served wine to him: "Pour some wine. First, give me a glass of wine. Then I will promote you to a higher position, give you beauties and jewels!"
The waiters on the left and right poured a glass of wine and handed it to Xun Ji and Gu Jinke respectively.
Xun Ji and Gu Jinke frowned. They were not planning to eat or drink anything in the royal court, but now it was difficult for them to get off their horses. Gu Jinke could naturally choose not to drink, but a conflict would probably arise immediately, and there was still some time left before the time they had agreed with the Duke of Zhenguo and the Fifth Princess.
If they drank it...they were wearing the uniforms of the barbarian guards, and the barbarian wine glasses were big, so there was no covering at all, and it would be impossible to fake it.
Gu Jinke and Xun Ji took the wine glasses and hesitated a bit, then they saw the wine waiters on both sides were already pouring wine for the Barbarian King again. They stood on the left and right, holding up the wine jugs, and the wine flowed into the cups, which the Barbarian King then raised and drank.
Then the Barbarian King looked up at them and glanced at them casually: "Drink, why don't you drink?"
The little princess in front had her back to them and her expression could not be seen clearly.
Gu Jinke bowed, picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp, and Xun Ji did the same.
The Barbarian King clapped his hands and laughed, "Very good, very good! Tomorrow morning, I will reward you with official positions and beauties. Tell me what you want."
Xun Ji bowed in return: "It is our duty to protect the little princess, and we dare not ask for the king's reward."
The Barbarian King laughed loudly: "Having such a daughter..."
She smiled and praised the two of them, and drank several more glasses of wine before her eyes turned to other places with interest. The three of them breathed a sigh of relief and avoided the Barbarian King's sight. Xun Ji then grabbed the little princess and asked, "What happened just now?"
The little princess shook her head in panic: "I didn't show any flaws, and it wasn't arranged by me. It must have been my aunt who was in a good mood."
Gu Jinke moved his body and found that he did not feel any discomfort anywhere, so he felt relieved.
And then they continued to keep their eyes on the Barbarian King, who was their target tonight. As time was getting closer, the three of them slowly approached the Barbarian King. With the little princess' cover, their behavior was not too abrupt, and they successfully walked to the side of the Barbarian King. Gu Jinke calculated the time in his mind, then approached Xun Ji, and scanned the hall with a slight movement of his eyes, then nodded almost imperceptibly.
"ah!"
"There's an assassin!"
No one knew where the first scream came from, and then the whole hall was thrown into chaos. Xun Ji took advantage of the first scream and stabbed the Barbarian King with the dagger in his hand, knocking him unconscious and controlling him.
Everything happened unexpectedly. Before the guards and palace servants around the Barbarian King could react, the Barbarian King had already been held hostage. At the same time, a firework exploded outside, and someone reported in a panic: "Oh no! Oh no! The Jin people are coming in!"
The palace was in even greater chaos. When Gu Jinke controlled the Barbarian King, he also secretly controlled the little princess. The people who had been arranged in advance in the palace took the opportunity to shout, "It's bad. The Jin people have come in and the Barbarian King has also been killed by the assassin. Let's run away!"
At this moment, some barbarians who still had some loyalty and patriotism in their hearts raised their heads and leaned towards the first seat. The barbarian king was lying there with his head tilted to one side. Blood was oozing from his chest, which had actually dyed a large area red. It seemed that he was indeed dead. The people in their hearts felt even more desolate as if the situation was hopeless. Now that there was no hope, everyone valued their lives and fled.
"Run! The king is dead!"
"Run quickly. If the Jin army enters the city, neither you nor I will survive."
What's more, the palace servants rolled up the gold and silver objects and valuables in the hall and ran out in panic.
There was absolutely no power to resist. Gu Jinke watched all this and winked at Xun Ji. Xun Ji nodded, tore off the Barbarian King's conspicuous outer robe, and led his men directly out of the hall. This would not only deter other people who were ready to make a move, but also allow them to join up with the main army.
Gu Jinke leaned towards the little princess in front of him and smiled: "Little princess, let's go too."
The little princess looked at everything in front of her, trembling with fear and followed Gu Jinke out of the palace.
Only after leaving the palace gate were there some resistance. Before that, the palace was filled with ministers and palace servants who were powerless and in a complete panic. After leaving the palace gate, there were soldiers who had come to rescue the emperor, and they were still trying their best to stop the ministers and palace servants who were in a mess, and would not allow these people to leave the palace easily.
However, the ministers and palace servants felt that their lives were in danger and there was no hope, so the two sides started fighting among themselves.
But such a stalemate would obviously not last long. Gu Jinke could hear the sounds of fighting outside the palace while standing on the steps. The barbarian soldiers were unable to cope with both ends.
Gu Jinke looked at all this, curled his lips in satisfaction, and looked at the little princess beside him: "What do you think about me making you the Barbarian King?"
The little princess Wanqihong had lost her arrogance and domineering attitude. She knelt down in fear after hearing this and said, "I dare not."
Gu Jinke smiled and stood with his hands behind his back without saying anything. This was just a suggestion. The sounds of fighting outside were getting louder and louder. Gu Jinke could vaguely see torches. Outside the hall, the situation was no less severe, with blood flowing like a river. It was a tragic scene. Snow was falling outside, but it could not cover the bright red on the ground.
Gu Jinke looked up at the sky and suddenly missed the capital of Jin State very much.
But she would be able to go back soon, she thought.
At this moment, the little princess Wanqihong, who was kneeling at her feet, suddenly hugged her calves and said, "Master, ... I apologize."
She began to tremble, and her teeth chattered, as if she was extremely frightened.
Gu Jinke frowned and looked down at her, and saw Wanqihong holding her legs and explaining: "The wine you drank in the palace before has aphrodisiac effects."
It was a special wine produced in the palace of the Barbarian Kingdom. People usually drank it together to nourish their bodies. But if you drink the wine alone, it can have an aphrodisiac effect. The barbarian king in the palace was extremely licentious. Sometimes when he wanted to favor some unwilling girls from good families, he would reward them with such mother-and-child wine. However, since it did not harm the body, it was not well known.
The Barbarian King really had no plans against Gu Jinke and the others, otherwise they would not have been stabbed without any preparation. Instead, she felt that this was a reward. Giving Gu Jinke such wine and rewarding him with a beauty at the end of the banquet showed his sincerity.
The young princess Wanqihong suddenly developed a desire for revenge and wanted to embarrass Gu Jinke, so she didn't say anything. However, as time was getting closer and blood was flowing like a river in the palace, this greatly stimulated her. Fear overcame the pleasure of revenge, and she had no choice but to confess to Gu Jinke.
Gu Jinke's face suddenly darkened, he kicked Wanqihong away and stepped on her neck: "I drank Zijiu, is there anything wrong with Xunji drinking it?"
Wanqi Hong shook his head: "No, only the sub-wine of the mother-sub-wine has this effect."
Gu Jinke gritted his teeth and said, "Go, go find me the mother wine."
She remembered that this person said that mixing the mother and the child would be a very tonic.
Wanqi Hong lowered her head: "After the medicinal effect evaporates, the mother wine is useless. This is specially developed by the palace. It contains tonic substances, so there is no antidote."
She looked at Gu Jinke: "Master, if you don't have two beauties by your side, or you just pick a man to favor you, the medicine will work."
Gu Jinke wished he could cut Wanqi Hong into pieces. She, Li Yuxin and Qiao Xi were all just putting on an act! She could only order people to tie up Wanqi Hong, and then go find a pond and some ice water.
Perhaps the medicine was taking effect, and a ball of heat rose in her lower abdomen, making her whole body feel hot.
The author has something to say:
Yeah yeah
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