This is the main reason why he sent the others away. He only recently learned about He Jiuniang's identity and then thought about winning her over.
Whoever can associate with someone like He Jiuniang has already won half the battle.
He didn't believe it before, but his time in prison eroded his will, forcing him to bow down to a woman.
He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan are from the same family. If they can win over both of them at once, the chances of Dongting winning this battle against Beiyan will be much greater.
Just like their failure that night, it was all about He Jiuniang's handful of medicinal powder.
Thinking back to that night, the Third Prince gritted his teeth in hatred. It was the most shameful coup in history and the biggest blunder of his life. If he hadn't turned Lu Baichuan and his wife against him, he wouldn't have had the face to return to Dongting.
Meanwhile, He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan were both frowning. They had just learned that her biological father was likely not the Duke of Mu, but the Prince Xun who had been exiled twenty years ago. She was looking for an opportunity to inquire about him when the Third Prince of Dongting said that she had the blood of Dongting people flowing in her veins.
What's going on? Could it be that the man who was with Jiang Ruoya back then was someone else?
He Jiuniang clenched her fists. She was determined to find out the truth and bring everyone who had hurt Jiang Ruoya back then to justice.
“I say to this prince, you should have evidence for your words. I could also say that you have my blood in your veins. Are you going to kneel down and kowtow to me, my dear son?”
He Jiuniang rolled her eyes. They wanted to morally blackmail her, but that was fine. As long as she had no morals, it was someone else who would be blackmailed.
The Third Prince gritted his teeth in anger. This woman had humiliated him time and time again. Once he got out, he would definitely find a chance to get revenge for the humiliation he had suffered today!
Xinran stood anxiously by, saying repeatedly, "You have the blood of Dongting flowing in your veins. If the Northern Yan royal family finds out, do you think you'll still be as carefree as you are now? You are a member of Dongting, and the Northern Yan royal family will not let you go! Only by cooperating with us and ensuring the safety of our lord can we protect you!"
The way you're saying this makes it sound like He Jiuniang is about to die.
"Thank you, but I don't need it."
He Jiuniang smiled at her politely, which made Xinran so angry that she had a heart attack.
I've never seen her so polite before!
"I'm just an orphan, drifting from place to place since I was little. You casually claim I'm from your Dongting, but do you have any proof? When I suffered as a child, you didn't stand up for me. Now that I'm capable and useful to you, you come to claim kinship. What, does your Third Prince really want to acknowledge me as his mother? No way! I can't give birth to such a bastard! My son is adorable!"
He Jiuniang's tactic of first being polite and then resorting to force left Xinran speechless.
Xinran looked to the Third Prince for help. The Third Prince didn't speak, but just gritted his teeth. Xinran didn't say anything more. There were some things she couldn't say just because she wanted to. After all, she still had to protect the people on their side. If she said it out loud and He Jiuniang turned around and told the Northern Yan royal family, wouldn't that be an admission of guilt?
"You are indeed a member of our Dongting. One day you will know that if you can rescue me, I guarantee your family will enjoy endless wealth and luxury for generations to come..."
The third prince struggled to sit up, speaking weakly; it was truly remarkable that he had managed to hold on until now.
Now he can agree to any condition He Jiuniang proposes. He must live, otherwise all his years of hard work will have been for nothing.
He Jiuniang didn't tolerate his bad habit at all. He was so secretive when he needed something from others. Did he really think he was something special just because he was a prince?
She looked down at the Third Prince and said, "Let me tell you, I really don't care about your money. Besides, you're the one asking me for a favor. You can't even finish your sentence, how can anyone believe you?"
The Third Prince hadn't expected her to be so hard to fool. Seeing that she wouldn't listen to either soft or hard tactics, he could only say, "I can only tell you that your biological father is a member of our Eastern Court and holds a high position of power, but I won't say who he is unless you let me out."
"Oh."
He Jiu Niang's sarcasm was too obvious, making the Third Prince very uncomfortable. He had already said so much, why didn't she believe him?
He glanced at Xinran, who continued, "Your mother was the youngest daughter of the former Marquis of Wu'an. After she came of age, she married the eldest son of the former Duke of Mu's family, who is now the Duke of Mu. But before that, your mother fell in love with someone else and became pregnant with you. The person your mother fell in love with is from our Dongting, and he is your biological father."
That's all they can say!
He Jiuniang was also taken aback. The fact that they were able to find the Duke of Mu's mansion meant that it wasn't just a fabrication.
According to Lu Baichuan's information, wasn't the person who was with Jiang Ruoya the King Xun? How did he become a member of the Eastern Court?
It seems there are still many doubts in this matter that need to be investigated, and we cannot draw conclusions easily.
Although she didn't care who her biological father was, she just wanted to find him.
This news was somewhat useful to He Jiuniang, so she actually helped the Third Prince with his medical treatment. However, she couldn't truly cure him; she could only make him feel better than he did now, at least he wouldn't die.
In addition, she made some changes to ensure that even if the Third Prince was cured of his illness by someone else, he would still have to beg her for the antidote, thus guaranteeing that he would never be able to escape.
"Behave yourself. I'll send someone to give you the antidote every day. If you dare to run away, you won't even know how you died. Oh, by the way, I make the antidote every day on the spot. Tell your men not to get any funny ideas. No one has ever been able to steal anything from me unscathed."
After saying that, she got up and left with Lu Baichuan. She went to the jailers' rest area to write a prescription, and then had someone go to the pharmacy to get the medicine and brew it for the Third Prince.
Although the Third Prince deserved to die for all the bad things he had done, he was a prince and a crucial link in maintaining stability between the two countries for the time being. He Jiu Niang herself didn't care, but the people did.
Regardless of the era, ordinary people are always the ones most affected by war.
In the prison, the couple barely interacted. Lu Baichuan remained calm, as if the matter had nothing to do with him; he was simply a guide who brought the doctor in to treat the troublesome person.
But as soon as he left the prison, his expression turned serious, and he said, "There is a traitor among the prison guards. If he hadn't been seriously ill, he probably would have been rescued long ago."
He had been observing the prison guards around him without making a sound. Some of them were unremarkable, but a few were obviously guilty and didn't look innocent.
There weren't many jailers in the prison, but the fact that so many of them looked guilty speaks volumes.
Furthermore, Lu Baichuan suspected that the problem wasn't just with the prison guards; it was clear that there was a mole within the higher-ups.
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