Chapter 164 Following
Mu Xi spoke frankly: "His Majesty is unwilling to give up 100,000 shi of grain, but if we can rescue the people without losing 100,000 shi of grain, General Bai might as well think it over carefully. That would be a great achievement, and it would benefit both of us."
Bai Su's advantage might be that he could receive a generous reward.
For Mu Xi, having someone like Zhu Mingjun, who holds a title of nobility, might make things easier for her in the future.
After all, in the eyes of the King of Yu, the four feudal lords were either as loyal and honest as possible, or as incompetent and useless as possible.
"Honest and loyal" is, frankly speaking, a matter of the other party's feeling, but "incompetent and useless" has objective evaluation standards.
For example, Zhu Mingjun was arrogant, extravagant, and dissolute, neglecting state affairs.
For example, she was born a woman, which inherently carries the prejudice of being looked down upon by men.
If Zhu Mingjun is rescued, given his special status, King Yu will surely want him to retain Zhu Mingjun's position.
With Zhu Mingjun as the "benchmark" standing there, if someone who is fond of male homosexuality and has caused such a big mess can continue to be a feudal lord, why can't she, a female heir who has made great contributions and received a special pardon?
Since Bai Su had acknowledged Mu Xi, he said without hesitation, "Although I hate and despise Zhu Mingjun, if Your Highness wishes to save him, I will do my utmost."
"General Bai, you don't need to be modest in front of me by referring to yourself as 'this humble one.' You are a heroine among women, and I will rely on you in many ways in the future." Mu Xi genuinely liked the image of a female general. "As for rescuing Zhu Mingjun, I guarantee it will be absolutely beneficial to both of us."
Since kowtowing, Bai Su has maintained a subordinate's posture and has not sat casually next to Mu Xi as before.
She bowed even more deeply and said, "A woman like me is not worthy of the title 'General.' Now, thanks to the Prince's kindness and his help in turning my life around, how dare I be presumptuous in front of him? I only wish to serve the Prince and do my part, so that I can be worthy of the brothers who risked their lives to follow me."
"There's no need for him to serve me faithfully, but would General Bai be willing to provide unconditional support?" Mu Xi had already made some plans the moment he took a liking to Bai Su.
Bai Su raised his arm and said, "Bai Su will do his utmost to be loyal and devoted, and will never waver in his loyalty."
Mu Xi stood up: "I'm not talking about now, nor just during this pirate raid in the southern border of Pingding, but after that..."
Bai Su was taken aback. He looked up and met Mu Xi's gaze, which was filled with unwavering determination. Gradually, he seemed to realize something and resolutely promised, "No matter what situation the Crown Prince faces in the future, as long as Bai Su is needed, Bai Su will go through fire and water without hesitation."
“I don’t want General Bai to risk his life to save me…” Mu Xi knew that Bai Su had probably misunderstood her meaning. “If someone like Zhu Mingjun can become a feudal lord, why can’t I, who have disguised myself as a man for so many years as the heir of Jinfang, become one? I have been a female heir for so many years, so why can’t I become a female feudal lord in the future? If I become a female feudal lord one day, I certainly can’t only have male generals under my command; female generals will be indispensable. General Bai, would you be willing to follow me then?”
Bai Su's eyes lit up when he heard the words "female consort," and when he heard Mu Xi say that she could become a real female general, his mouth dropped open even wider.
My computer crashed again... and I had to restart...
With a thud, he knelt heavily again: "Your Highness... Your Highness... If one day... no, even if that day doesn't come, from this day forward, I, Bai Su, swear to be loyal to Your Highness to the death. Whether Your Highness succeeds or fails, as long as it brings honor to us women, Bai Su... no, your subordinate... will be loyal to you through life and death, even unto death. If I break this oath..."
“Sigh…” Mu Xi had to interrupt and pulled Bai Su again, “I said, General Bai doesn’t need to make any solemn oaths. We can each act according to our own conscience.”
Despite Mu Xi's words, Bai Su silently finished reciting the vow in his heart before standing up.
Mu Xi stepped back and sat back in her chair, gesturing for Bai Su to sit down as well.
Bai Su gently shook his head, refusing to sit down, and remained standing as a subordinate.
Mu Xi didn't press the matter further and returned to the main topic: "How to rescue Zhu Mingjun can be discussed later. This second matter is a bit tricky. Dai Rong... what do you plan to do with him? If he shows up again, will he obediently follow the words we've prepared?"
This could not have been said more tactfully.
At this point, Dai Rong no longer needed to stay, or even could stay.
Mu Xi has the title of "Envoy to Pacify the South" and the "military command token." As long as he can find a reason to kill Dai Rong, everything else will be easy.
On the contrary, since Dai Rong is alive, Mu Xi doesn't believe Bai Su can persuade Dai Rong to cooperate, otherwise none of this would have happened.
If Dai Rong doesn't cooperate, or if the couple has already fallen out and harbors resentment, then it would be a big problem if she suddenly came out and exposed them one day.
Bai Su naturally understood: "He... Dai Rong is currently being held captive in the east wing of this villa. I know his character well; he has always been loyal, but he was used to a life of luxury and was not very willing to handle military affairs. However, there are many matters to attend to in the southern border, which is why he fell into Zhu Mingjun's trap..."
"He knew that Zhu Mingjun was colluding with pirates, yet he still colluded with Zhu Mingjun. How can that be called loyalty?" Mu Xi's questioning was perfectly reasonable.
For the first time, Bai Su's face showed a look of pity: "He's not an irredeemable villain. If he hadn't taken too much of that 'pleasure pill' and become hopelessly addicted, he wouldn't have ended up like this. We... after all, we were husband and wife, and we have two sons and a daughter..."
Seeing Bai Su's genuine predicament, Mu Xi was unwilling to instigate murder: "Dai Rong is your husband, and you know his temperament best. I have no right to interfere with how he handles things; at most, I can only remind you of the seriousness of the matter. A person on drugs can hardly be considered human. If you can't handle him, and he betrays you one day... it won't just be you and me who die."
Bai Su also knew the seriousness of the matter and desperately assured him: "I know what is important, please rest assured, Your Highness. Not to mention that day, even if there is the slightest sign of trouble during this period, not only me, but also those seven generals, we cannot afford to lose them."
"Very well, since that's the case, then everything is settled." Mu Xi had settled everything she could think of for the time being, and there was nothing more to say.
Bai Su suddenly felt apologetic: "Uh... this kidnapping incident... was a misunderstanding. Now that I know the prince's identity, I should do everything I can to apologize to him immediately, but there is only this one secret villa in Xunlong Mountain..."
"Don't worry about these trivial matters. I'm sure you're not having an easy time either, but you haven't mistreated me these past few days." Mu Xi waved her hand, then thought of something else, "As for your female soldiers in black, they're all naturally dull and stiff, so there's no need to make them pretend to be deaf and dumb anymore."
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