Aqi and Xu Yuehuai exchanged a secret glance. They understood that the general's intention was to restrain them through peace talks and prevent them from getting involved in the struggle for the throne of the Mingyue Kingdom.
The general in front of them might be a subordinate of some other force besides Wu Hanqing.
Facing the armored general before him, Ah Qi's gaze was firm and his tone calm, yet it contained an undeniable power.
“General, I returned to the Dark Moon Kingdom not to vie for the throne,” Ah Qi said in a deep voice. “I only want back what rightfully belongs to me.”
Upon hearing this, the general's lips curled into a cold smile. His eyes held a hint of mockery, as if he were watching a clown's performance.
“Nothing in this world ever truly belongs to one person,” he said slowly. “If you want to take something, you must rely on your own abilities. In my opinion, you don’t have those abilities.”
Upon hearing this, the guard behind Ah Qi flew into a rage. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.
However, Ah Qi raised his hand to signal him to calm down.
He took a deep breath, looked directly at the general, and said, "I will prove to you that I have this ability."
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
The standoff between the two sides seemed imminent. However, at this crucial moment, Xu Yuehuai suddenly burst into laughter. Her laughter was clear and melodious, like a spring breeze, instantly easing the tense atmosphere.
Xu Yuehuai walked forward slowly, her eyes sparkling with wisdom.
“General, why are you so tense?” she said with a smile. “Ah Qi just wants to take back what is rightfully his, which doesn’t mean he wants to be your enemy. Why don’t we sit down and have a good talk? Perhaps we can find a solution that we can both accept.”
The general looked at the beautiful woman before him, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. He slightly softened the sharpness in his gaze and slowly nodded. "What you say makes sense," he said in a deep voice. "Then let's sit down and talk, as you say."
A struggle for power and destiny temporarily subsided at this moment.
However, the standoff between Ah Qi and the general was far from over. Their respective guards still gripped their swords tightly, watching each other's every move with vigilance.
Xu Yuehuai, with her keen insight and witty remarks, tried her best to defuse this invisible tension.
Sunlight streamed through the clouds, illuminating Ah Qi and the general, creating a scene of interplay between light and shadow.
The conversation between the two continued, but beneath this seemingly calm surface, undercurrents were swirling, teeming with unknown dangers and opportunities.
Xu Yuehuai's smile grew even brighter; she seemed quite accustomed to this atmosphere. She knew that to win this game of power, she needed not only wisdom and courage, but also patience and perseverance.
Now, she is using her wisdom and charm to strive for more opportunities and possibilities for Ah Qi.
Meanwhile, Ah Qi wasn't idle either. He took out an exquisite jade pendant from his pocket and looked at the general with a determined gaze.
“This jade pendant was given to me by the wizard,” he said slowly. “His people told me that the former King of Mingyue actually left a will before his death, which did not specify that the current king should inherit the throne.”
The general took the jade pendant and examined it carefully. A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes, as if he hadn't expected Ah Qi to produce such a thing.
“This jade pendant truly belongs to the Wizard!” he said in a deep voice. “If what you say is true, I will not stop you.”
Ah Qi assured the general once again that everything he had just said was true. His voice was firm and powerful, but the general only looked at him coldly, his eyes filled with suspicion.
Xu Yuehuai also chimed in, saying she could testify to this. Her voice trembled slightly, but it was filled with unwavering determination.
She knew this was the only thing she could do.
The general sneered and questioned Xu Yuehuai, "What makes you so confident? You're just a lowly maid; how could you possibly know so much?"
Xu Yuehuai took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Because I saw the imperial edict with my own eyes," she said.
Her voice was calm, yet it conveyed a sense of determination and courage.
The general was clearly taken aback by Xu Yuehuai's tone. He remained silent for a while before speaking again.
"You're just a maid, how could you possibly have the chance to see the imperial edict?" His words were full of disdain and doubt.
Xu Yuehuai knew that she had to tell the truth now in order to make the general believe her. "It was more than half a month ago, there was a fire in the ancestral hall of the Mingyue Kingdom's palace." She began to recall the scene at the time, "That fire was to kill people to cover it up, and I was in that ancestral hall at the time."
The general fell silent, a hint of seriousness creeping into his eyes as he looked at Xu Yuehuai. He was beginning to believe what Xu Yuehuai had said.
He had certainly heard about the fire, and at the time he thought it was just an ordinary fire, but now it seemed that it was not so simple.
"So how did you escape from the fire?" the general asked.
Xu Yuehuai took a deep breath and began to recall the scene. She recounted how she escaped in the chaos and how she narrowly escaped death. Her language was vivid and descriptive, making the reader feel as if they were there.
Her descriptions of scenes, characters, and psychological details are so vivid that they are deeply moving.
However, she did not reveal that it was Ah Qi who saved her, so as not to make the general wary of Ah Qi's power.
The general listened more and more intently, his eyes filled with surprise and admiration. He hadn't expected a mere maid to possess such remarkable eloquence, much less that she had personally experienced such a perilous event.
Xu Yuehuai finished telling her story, and a brief silence fell over the room. The general remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "Your words are very convincing," he said. "I will send someone to investigate this matter."
Aqi and Xu Yuehuai both breathed a sigh of relief. They knew this was a good start. Although the general still had some doubts about their words, he had begun to seriously consider the matter.
"Thank you," Ah Qi said gratefully to the general. "I know you are a reasonable person and will definitely find out the truth of this matter."
The general didn't speak, but simply nodded. He knew he had to find out the truth of the matter, otherwise he would not only get himself into trouble, but also plunge the entire country into chaos.
Ah Qi told the general that he was leaving with his men. His words were firm, leaving no room for negotiation. His brothers behind him immediately straightened their backs, ready to leave with him.
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