Chapter 51
Song Guansui's gaze finally met Qin Lingfeng's, his eyes filled with mockery.
General Qin,
He emphasized the word "general" with a sarcastic tone.
"What right does a defeated general have to discuss terms? If it weren't for the person in my arms..."
He paused deliberately, lowered his head, and lightly touched Jiang Manyan's earlobe with his lips. Only after feeling the body in his arms stiffen instantly did he continue with satisfaction.
"...Compassionate and mindful of past affections, you plead desperately. But by now, you are already one of the countless white bones outside the city."
He emphasized the word "old flame" with extreme force, like a poisoned dagger stabbing viciously into Qin Lingfeng's heart.
Qin Lingfeng's forehead veins bulged, and he almost slammed his fist on the table, but his father, Qin Moxuan, held him down firmly under the table.
Jiang Manyan could no longer endure this torment. He tried to sit up from Song Guansui's embrace, wanting to say something. At least, to buy the people of Jincheng even a moment's respite.
But as soon as he moved, Song Guansui's arms around his waist tightened suddenly, the force so great that he groaned and instantly lost all his strength, forced to sink deeper into that aggressive embrace.
"how?"
Song Guansui lowered his head and whispered intimately and dangerously in his ear in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
"Does Yan'er think your brother's offer is unreasonable? Or... are you feeling sorry for him?"
The last three words sent a chill down my spine.
As he spoke, he raised his eyes and looked defiantly at Qin Lingfeng, whose face was ashen, as if to say: See, you don't even have the right to ask him to defend you.
Jiang Manyan closed her eyes, her lips pale, and stopped struggling.
He knew that any expression of emotion would become a weapon for Song Guansui to attack Qin Lingfeng, and would completely collapse this already difficult peace talks.
He became the most silent figure in the negotiation, held in Song Guansui's hand. Every seemingly intimate touch was the cruelest torture inflicted on Qin Lingfeng on the other side.
Qin Lingfeng could only watch helplessly, swallowing all his anger, heartache, and tears of blood.
The peace talks, from beginning to end, were permeated with a bloody atmosphere even stronger than that of the battlefield.
The suffocating atmosphere inside the tent was almost freezing.
Just before Qin Lingfeng was about to argue his case again, Jiang Manyan, who was tightly held in Song Guansui's arms, suddenly gasped very softly, her body slumped slightly, her forehead pressed against Song Guansui's neck, her voice weak and trembling with unbearable pain.
"Brother...I...I feel a little dizzy...I feel unwell..."
This sudden turn of events interrupted the tense negotiations. All eyes immediately turned to him.
Song Guansui frowned slightly, looking down at the pale face and trembling eyelashes of the person in his arms. That fragile appearance instantly overwhelmed his interest in continuing to humiliate his opponent.
Without any hesitation, he picked Jiang Manyan up horizontally.
That's all for today.
He left those words unquestionable, then picked up Jiang Manyan and left the negotiation tent, leaving behind a room full of people with various expressions.
...
Jiang Manyan was gently placed on the couch covered with a thick velvet carpet by Song Guansui, and she sat beside him.
Jiang Manyan stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Song Guansui's neck, burying her face in his chest like a frightened little animal seeking protection.
"I'm sorry, brother..."
Jiang Manyan's voice was muffled and nasal: "It's my fault for being useless and disturbing the important matter."
Song Guansui enjoyed this initiative of dependence, and the violence in his heart was soothed a little. He pulled the other person back onto his lap and stroked the delicate nape of his neck with his fingertips.
"Is it really worth apologizing for such a small thing?" Song Guansui's tone was unusually gentle.
Jiang Manyan gently shook her head in his arms, tilted her face up, and her honey-brown eyes shimmered with tears, filled with helplessness and longing.
"This is no small matter..."
He timidly leaned closer and, like a dragonfly skimming the water, planted a kiss on Song Guansui's lips, a kiss that carried a hint of appeasement.
After a brief touch, he seemed shy as he buried his burning cheeks in the other's neck again, speaking softly in a voice only the two of them could hear.
“Brother, I’m really scared…” He tightened his grip on her arm.
“I fear that if they are driven to the brink, they will launch a desperate counterattack. Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. If my brother is injured in the slightest, I... I will die a thousand deaths to atone for it.”
He raised his misty, tearful eyes, his fingertips carefully tracing the hem of Song Guansui's clothes, and continued to whisper.
"I'm also afraid... afraid that people will say my brother is a warmonger, that I'm a jinx who caused turmoil in Cangzhou, and that my brother's reputation will be damaged..."
"I'm an insignificant person, so I don't care what people say about me, but it's different for my brother. My brother should be perfect..."
These words truly struck at the one point that mattered to Song Guansui—he couldn't let Yan'er live in the shadow of rumors.
Seeing that Song Guansui's eyes flickered slightly as if he was thinking, Jiang Manyan pressed her advantage, her voice becoming even softer, almost like a murmur.
“Brother, if we can give them a way to survive and live in peace, they will surely be grateful for your kindness.”
“A prosperous and compliant Southeast is the true testament to your achievements, far better than a mess rife with war and constant bloodshed, isn’t it?”
He pleaded almost in a whisper, his warm breath brushing against Song Guansui's ear.
"I only want my brother to live a peaceful and prosperous life, and I also want to be able to accompany him wholeheartedly with a clear conscience... Otherwise, with war raging and me unable to rest day and night, how can I... be a good companion to my brother?"
After saying that, he seemed to have used up all his courage and strength, and completely collapsed into Song Guansui's arms, his body trembling slightly. He stopped talking and waited for the verdict with silent dependence and weakness.
Song Guansui looked down at the docile body in his arms, which seemed to rely entirely on him, and felt the deliberate flattery and hidden wisdom in it.
How could he not know this was a scheme? But this scheme was wrapped in sugar, and its ultimate goal seemed to... indeed align with Song Guansui's philosophy, along with the slow-burning cigarettes—"enjoying life in peace."
He remained silent, his fingers slowly combing through Jiang Manyan's long hair behind her back, a turbulent undercurrent surging in the depths of his eyes.
Banquet City Army, Main Camp
Sunlight shone on the tired and complicated faces of the three people inside the tent.
The peace talks have been concluded, but there is not a trace of joy.
Qin Moxuan poured a cup of hot tea for his wife and children, and the rising steam temporarily dispelled some of the chill.
He looked at his son, who had been silent since returning, and broke the silence first.
His voice was deep, with a barely perceptible hoarseness.
"Feng'er, I'm sorry you had to go through this today."
Qin Lingfeng suddenly raised his head, his eyes still bloodshot. He twitched his lips as if to say something, but in the end, he could only let out a short, bitter laugh and shake his head.
Shen Qingyuan reached out and gently placed her hand on her son's clenched fist, her gaze tender yet filled with heartache.
“Mother knows you’re suffering. Seeing that child Manyan being… you sit there, fighting for what seems like a fair outcome for us, for these three cities in the southeast.”
Qin Lingfeng's voice was extremely hoarse due to suppression.
"I'm not wronged. He's the one who's wronged."
He took a deep breath, as if only then could he continue speaking.
"I know what he wants! But that's precisely why I'm even more heartbroken."
Qin Moxuan sighed, his expression grave.
"Your father and mother have been planning for many years, and it seems to have a deep foundation, but compared with the accumulation of the central area over thousands of years, it is still like an ant trying to shake a tree."
"If we recklessly start a war today, we might gain temporary satisfaction, but in the end..."
He paused, his tone heavy with sorrow.
"The ones who shed their blood were our soldiers and innocent civilians. We... cannot afford to lose, nor can we afford to gamble."
Qin Lingfeng closed his eyes tightly.
"I understand."
When he opened his eyes again, he saw the pain he had forcibly suppressed and a clear sense of reason.
“I want to kill Song Guansui and take Manyan back more than anyone else. But… Father, Mother, Manyan built Jincheng and protected the people. Everything he did was not for the purpose of becoming a king or a tyrant, but to allow ordinary people to live and live with dignity.”
His voice trembled slightly.
"If I were to start a great war today to take him back, leaving corpses strewn across the fields and turning the three cities into scorched earth... then what difference would there be between me and Song Guansui? Wouldn't I be... personally destroying what he cares about most?"
Shen Qingyuan's eyes reddened slightly, and she gripped her son's hand even tighter.
"Good child... Your parents are relieved that you could think of this."
Her voice was choked with sobs.
"We also grieve for the sacrifice of Slow Smoke. There are truly no winners in this war. Our forbearance today is not for survival, but to preserve the flame."
Qin Moxuan's gaze sharpened, revealing an unyielding tenacity.
"The autonomy these three cities enjoy today is the foundation for the future."
He looked at his son, his eyes filled with entrustment and expectation.
“Feng’er, a temporary retreat does not mean permanent defeat. Gather your strength and wait for the right opportunity. You must become stronger, strong enough to truly protect everything you care about, instead of being forced to watch helplessly as you are today.”
Meeting his father's gaze, Qin Lingfeng felt the anger and resentment surging in his chest gradually settle into a deeper and more resolute strength.
He gripped his mother's hand tightly and looked at his parents.
"I understand. This road is difficult and slow, but I will keep going."
He gazed out at the boundless darkness of the night, as if making a vow to himself.
"I will make Yancheng, Jincheng, and the entire Southeast District a force that no one dares to offend. When that time comes..."
He didn't say anything more, but his tightly pursed lips and the rekindled flame in his eyes said it all.
"Commander, City Lord Yu has arrived!"
...
Peace Talks Tent
The atmosphere inside the tent remained heavy, but compared to the previous tense standoff, there was a noticeable hint of calm.
Song Guansui remained in the main seat, while Jiang Manyan sat quietly to his side, slightly behind him, her eyes lowered and silent, like a delicate porcelain doll.
Song Guansui tapped the armrest lightly with his fingertips and spoke first, his tone calm yet carrying an unquestionable authority.
"Let's not dwell on the past. If we're going to negotiate, we need to show sincerity. The three cities in the southeast can retain the name of autonomy."
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in the eyes of both Qin Lingfeng and Yu Mobai.
Qin Lingfeng steadied himself and immediately grasped the core issue.
"Since it is an autonomous region, military power, official administration, and laws should be exercised autonomously by us, and the central area should not interfere."
Song Guansui raised an eyebrow and sneered.
"General Qin knows how to take advantage of a situation. You can retain some military power to maintain local order, but the number of troops and the specifications of equipment must be reported to and approved by the central district. As for the laws and regulations governing officials... they must not contradict the fundamental legal code of the central district."
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