“I overestimated the Yan Kingdom.” Fan Ziruo sighed. “When I was in Qi, I often heard about the Yan Emperor’s methods and thought that under her rule, the Yan Kingdom, although not necessarily a monolithic entity, could advance and retreat together. I did not expect that the Yan Kingdom was also like the Qi Kingdom with intertwined interests.”
“Miss Li is willing but unable. There are some things she can’t make decisions about,” He Yunxiao said, making excuses for Li Xiangjun.
Fan Ziruo sensed He Yunxiao's bias towards Li Xiangjun in his words, and out of caution, she asked him to confirm, "Were her words today really said while she was drunk?"
He Yunxiao stated with absolute certainty, "It is absolutely true; the phonetics were present at the time."
Fan Ziruo knew her husband's attitude towards women, and besides, beautiful women were the most adept at deception. However, with Yin Yun's verification, even if the facts differed from her husband's description, the problem shouldn't be too serious.
"Is my husband free?" Ruobao blinked.
"Yes, yes, yes, let's go out for a stroll?" He Yunxiao said repeatedly.
"First, go and talk to Minister Li and the others, then have a private talk with the representatives of the Yan Kingdom."
"Madam, you've worked hard." He Yunxiao quickly helped his precious baby up.
“It is only right to seek benefits for the country. Speaking of which, my husband…” Fan Ziruo walked out with He Yunxiao’s help, but suddenly stopped speaking.
"What's wrong?"
"I am responsible for collecting and compiling the progress of the peace negotiations these past few days and reporting to His Highness Xiaoyue in a letter. Each time His Highness replies, he also inquires about the living conditions of the Qi people in Yan, in addition to official business."
"Isn't this great?" He Yunxiao said. Of course, there was another part, "the sisters are harmonious," but He Yunxiao didn't dare to say it.
"I always felt that His Highness's tone was a bit off. It seemed... like he was dissatisfied with me." Ruobao was quite puzzled. After all, she and Meng Qingqian had no grudges against each other, so Meng Qingqian had no reason to argue with her.
Forehead……
He Yunxiao didn't know what to say.
Given Mengbao's personality, it's perfectly normal for her to make sarcastic remarks after being wronged. It's already good that she didn't try to take advantage of Ruobao.
"Madam is overthinking it. Her Highness is not familiar with you, and she is so busy that her replies are probably drafted by someone else."
"I hope I'm just overthinking it," Fan Ziruo said.
...
Chu Chu finally fulfilled her promise to Xiao Xiao as her sparring partner when Xiao Xiao had time.
In the space of consciousness, two girls who looked exactly alike stood facing each other.
One of them had a serious expression, while the other was expressionless.
Chu Chu remembered that Xiao Xiao had stopped practicing martial arts a long time ago, and it was common for her to give up and not move for a month at a time. However, recently she had changed her ways and kept challenging Chu Chu to fights. She seemed very eager to defeat Chu Chu.
Chu Chu recalled Xiao Xiao's overly intimate behavior with He Yunxiao that day and vaguely understood some things.
Why did Xiaoxiao's skill level drop so drastically? Why was Xiaoxiao indifferent to Chu Fan? And why was Xiaoxiao so eager to defeat her?
Before taking action, Chu Chu asked directly, "Xiao Xiao, do you like He Yunxiao?"
Xiao Xiao's previously charged breath faltered, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "Chu Chu, have you even learned to use reverse psychology now? Trying to disrupt someone's mindset before the fight starts—you're using underhanded tactics. I won't fall for that! Take this!"
When masters clash, they are extremely sensitive to changes in their opponent's aura.
Although Xiaoxiao said she wouldn't buy it, Chuchu had actually noticed the momentary erratic breathing in her.
Faced with Xiaoxiao's sophistry, Chuchu said nothing. She simply subconsciously used all her strength.
The result of the encounter was naturally that Xiaoxiao was defeated.
However, compared to her previous crushing defeat, Xiaoxiao at least held out for quite a while this time thanks to Chuchu's all-out effort. That's a significant improvement.
Chu Chu: "Why has your skill level deteriorated so much?"
Xiao Xiao patted her clothes and snorted, "You've been neglecting your practice, so what?"
"I think you seem to have an unstable state of mind."
"Chuchu, you're talking a lot today."
Chu Chu thought for a moment and asked again, "Do you like He Yunxiao?"
Xiao Xiao was startled. Chu Chu had asked twice, so she probably really had figured something out. However, she was no match for Chu Chu right now, and it wasn't time to confront her.
"How could that be? What's so great about He Yunxiao? Why would I like him?"
Seeing that Xiaoxiao denied it again, Chuchu didn't say anything.
Chu Tianzun is reasonable in his actions. Right now, Xiaoxiao is denying it to the death, and there is no solid evidence, so it is indeed not appropriate to question her.
“He Yunxiao is my person,” Chu Chu said.
"So what if he is? Can you stop him from dating?" Xiaoxiao retorted.
Xiao Xiao knew Chu Chu's personality better than anyone. She knew Chu Chu liked He Yunxiao, but based on her understanding of Chu Chu, this proud and aloof girl would never say "I like you" even if she had a child with him.
As expected, Chu Chu was hit where it hurt by Xiao Xiao's words, and said indifferently, "Who he likes is none of my business."
"Then you'll regret it." Xiao Xiao curled the corners of her mouth.
"I always keep my word."
...
The previously stalled peace talks finally began to loosen after He Yunxiao obtained inside information and Fan Ziruo mediated between representatives of various parties.
During the direct talks, the presence of pro-war figures like the King of the Southwest made peace negotiations difficult to advance. However, the group came up with a solution: holding smaller meetings.
After removing those from both sides who were deliberately causing trouble, the pro-peace faction sat down together to discuss specific peace terms.
The demands of the State of Qi were very clear: to maintain stability and preserve the status quo.
The demands of the Yan Kingdom were initially vague. However, after He Yunxiao tried to extract information from Li Xiangjun and Ruobao spoke with representatives from various Yan families, the Yan Kingdom's demands gradually became clearer.
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