Chapter 84: There was a hint of obsession hidden in the orange cat's dark eyes. He kissed...
There was now a solemn silence in Changming Palace.
The envoy sent by the State of Yan this time was the Crown Prince of Yan, Yan Kun, who was also the eldest son of Queen Yan.
Yan Kun was exhausted from the long journey and his face was full of fatigue. He was kneeling in Changming Palace and was already extremely anxious about the situation of Yan State.
"I beg His Majesty King Xiao to send troops to support the Kingdom of Yan!"
Yan Kun knelt on the ground and kowtowed, his face looking urgent and anxious, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion.
"The Chu army is approaching, and Yan has already lost three cities. If no reinforcements arrive, the Chu army will reach Yong'an in less than a month! If His Majesty King Xiao is willing to send troops, Yan will pay tribute every year and will never be an enemy of Xiao!"
The king leaned back on his seat with an indifferent expression, the fabric of his black robe hanging down, and his whole body exuded an inviolable gloomy majesty.
The hand resting on the armrest had distinct joints, and the slender fingertips were tapping slowly on the armrest, obviously with a bit of nonchalance.
After hearing Yan Kun's words, Xiao Yu raised his eyes lazily. When his eyes fell on Yan Kun's trembling shoulders, his tone was as cold as ice.
"Annual tribute? Yan State can barely protect itself these days. Why bother making such empty promises?"
Yan Kun's body stiffened, his forehead resting on the ground, and his voice became more urgent.
"If Your Majesty, King Xiao, does not believe this, Yan is willing to send the royal son to Xiao as a hostage... I only ask Your Majesty, King Xiao, to consider that our two countries are neighbors and share a deep bond, and send troops to rescue Yan!"
Xiao Yu chuckled softly upon hearing this, his dark eyes filled with mockery. "When King Yanwen allied himself with other kingdoms to try to counterbalance the Xiao Kingdom, didn't he consider that the loss of one's teeth would only harm the other?"
Then the narrow eyes slightly raised, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed across the dark eyes.
"What if I insist on bringing the Crown Prince of Yan to Xiao as a hostage?"
Yan Kun was shocked when he heard this, and his face instantly flushed. He was the Crown Prince of Yan State, and would inherit the throne of Yan State in the future. How could he be held hostage in another country?
Xiao Yu's words were clearly meant to humiliate him.
Yan Kun had not expected Xiao Yu to be so heartless, and he immediately suppressed his embarrassment and argued.
"Chaohua is the Princess of Yan State, and now the Queen of Xiao State. This kinship is naturally the best sincerity. How can Your Highness sit idly by and watch the country of your in-laws perish?"
"Relationship?" Seeing Yan Kun shamelessly mentioning Yan Shu, Xiao Yu's eyes turned even colder, "Prince Yan Wen was so cold to Princess Hua back then, and now he's thinking about this relationship?
He stood up and walked down the steps of the palace, the corner of his black robe brushing the railing heavily, and finally stopped in front of Yan Kun, looking down at him condescendingly.
"We can ask the Xiao Kingdom to send troops, but only if King Yanwen is willing to cede half of Yan Kingdom's cities to the Xiao Kingdom. If he agrees, the Xiao Kingdom army will support us within three days."
Yan Kun suddenly looked up, his face was as pale as paper, his lips were trembling, but he couldn't say a word.
How could my father easily cede half of the cities of Yan State?
But when he looked at Xiao Yu's cold eyes, he knew that this was the bottom line given by the other party and there was no room for maneuver.
Seeing Yan Kun's distraught look, Xiao Yu's eyes turned cold. He flicked his sleeves and walked towards the outer hall, leaving Yan Kun kneeling there in despair.
…
After dinner, candlelight flickered in the Baohua Hall.
After taking a bath, Yan Shu was sitting on the soft couch by the window, fiddling with the fresh flowers on the table with Qingtao.
They were a few freshly picked branches of Mirabilis jalapa, their petals a soft lavender color, radiating a soft sheen under the light.
This flower is also known as rouge flower, not only because its color is as bright as rouge, but also because its seeds can be ground into white powder and used as facial powder. The texture is delicate and smooth, comparable to the finest rouge and powder, hence the elegant name.
However, today Yan Shu is not using these flowers to make rouge, but plans to use these mirabilis to dye her nails.
In fact, Yan Shu originally wanted to use Impatiens balsamina to dye her nails. After all, the color dyed by that flower is the brightest and most lasting.
But it is still spring now and the Impatiens has not yet bloomed, so I can only settle for the second best and choose the Mirabilis jalapa.
When fresh Mirabilis jalapa petals are crushed, they can exude a light purple or pink purple juice, which can be dyed on nails to create a fresh and elegant color. Although not as strong as that of Impatiens balsamina, it has its own gentle charm.
Qingtao was helping to pick the petals into a white porcelain bowl, while Yan Shu was holding a small stone pestle, carefully pounding the petals into a paste. The pale purple flower juice gradually seeped out, emitting a rich and sweet fragrance.
When Yan Shu was busy with her work, she heard the eunuch serving outside announce that the king was coming.
When Qingtao and other palace maids in the hall saw King Xiao coming, they bowed and retreated.
In an instant, they were the only two left in the huge inner hall.
Yan Shu put down the stone pestle, looked up at Xiao Yu, and a smile immediately filled her watery eyes, and she deliberately looked at him coquettishly.
"When you came, they all left. I haven't even painted my nails yet."
As she spoke, she stretched out her hand to Xiao Yu, and waved her slender and white fingers in front of him.
"Since they have all left, Your Majesty, please paint my nails for me."
A hint of smile appeared in Xiao Yu's dark eyes, and he walked over and sat down beside her after hearing that.
After taking a look at the things on the small table, he understood.
Then he picked up the small brush, dipped it in a little flower juice, and carefully pinched Yan Shu's fingertips.
His movements were surprisingly gentle, the brush avoiding her fingers and evenly staining her nails with the flower juice, even cleaning the edges neatly.
The light purple color makes the back of the girl's hand look even whiter and plumper.
Yan Shu looked at his meticulous appearance, her eyes full of surprise, and couldn't help but sigh softly.
"I didn't expect that Brother Xun is so good at nail polish. From now on, these ten nails of mine will be handed over to you."
Xiao Yu lowered his head and replied "Okay". His warm breath swept across the back of her hand, making Yan Shu feel a little itchy.
After applying the lotion on one finger, Yan Shu quickly took some softened reed leaves and asked Xiao Yu to gently wrap the leaves around her fingertips and tie them with a thin cotton thread.
Yan Shu smiled at him and said, "Wrap it like this overnight, and the color will be solid by tomorrow."
After Yan Shu finished speaking, she waited obediently for him to continue dyeing the next nail. Suddenly, she heard Xiao Yu ask her softly.
"Yan Kun came to me today to ask me to send troops to save Yan State. What do you think, Shushu?"
Her other hand, which was pounding the flower juice, paused for a moment, then returned to normal, speaking in the same tone.
"I can also guess what King Yanwen is thinking. He must think that now that I have become the Queen of Kingdom Xiao, he wants you to help him unconditionally."
Thinking of the cold treatment she received in the Yan Palace in the past and King Yan Wen's indulgence in Yan Ruxue's bullying of her, a trace of indifference flashed across Yan Shu's eyes.
"My mother and I have long been abandoned by him. Now that my mother has come to Xiao State, I have no ties to Yan State anymore. Brother Xun, you don't have to worry about me in this matter. Just do what you want."
When Xiao Yu heard this, the last bit of worry in his heart disappeared.
Since Shushu has no affection for Prince Yan, he also has his destiny.
He put down the reed leaves in his hand, leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
He knew that his Shushu no longer cared about the past, but he couldn't ignore it.
What King Yanwen owed Shushu, he would make him return it bit by bit.
By the time Xiao Yu had wrapped Yan Shu's ten fingers with reed leaves, it was already dark outside the yard.
After taking a bath, Xiao Yu hugged the little girl who was lying on the couch admiring her nails in his arms. Just as he was about to tighten his arms, she gently pushed him away.
"Oh, go slower." Yan Shu looked up at him, her eyes full of innocent complaints, "Please don't damage my nails. I still need to check the color tomorrow."
Xiao Yu chuckled when he heard this, "If it breaks, I'll fix it for Shushu."
But despite saying so, Xiao Yu still slowed down his movements and held the girl tightly in his arms. His nose was filled with the fragrance of her hair and the sweet scent of rouge flowers.
The two of them snuggled together and talked for a while. Just when Xiao Yu thought the girl in his arms had fallen asleep, he suddenly heard the girl's soft voice.
"Brother Xun, did you know that Chu and Yan would go to war?"
Xiao Yu's eyes darkened, and he lifted a strand of the girl's hair and brought it to his lips and kissed it.
"Shushu guessed it?"
The war between Chu and Yan was not only because Chu was already eyeing the war covetously, but also because of his involvement.
He also expected that the State of Yan would be defeated by the State of Chu and turn to him for help.
This plan was not only for the half of the city of Yan State, but also to relieve the hatred of Shushu who was bullied in Yan Palace in the past.
"Will Shushu blame me?" Xiao Yu hugged Yan Shu tightly in his arms, his voice a little low.
Yan Shu shook her head in his arms. King Yan Wen didn't care about her and her mother's life or death, so why should she care about them?
Although they were both princesses, she had never received any fatherly love from King Yanwen since she was young. Now, asking her to worry about him and Queen Yan was definitely impossible.
Yan Shu is not a saint and cannot be indifferent to the past events.
What's more, in today's chaotic world, the strong prey on the weak. The seven countries will inevitably devour each other. It all depends on who has the ability.
Yan Shu raised her head and kissed Xiao Yu's neat chin, looking at his dark almond-shaped eyes with a hint of soft light.
"No matter what the outcome, I just want you to be safe."
As soon as Yan Shu finished speaking, a kiss with the scent of snow-covered pine wood fell on her.
Xiao Yu lowered his eyes, his crow-feather-like eyelashes drooped, casting two silhouettes under his eyelids.
There was a hint of obsession hidden in his dark eyes, and he kissed her very seriously.
The little girl seemed to feel the affection and responded little by little by looking up.
Inside the tent, there was naturally another spring-like entanglement.
…
Three days later, the Xiao army, with its banners covering the sun, marched from the border to the Yan capital Yong'an and arrived in half a month.
Xiao Yu was wearing heavy armor, with a bronze sword hanging from his waist. He stood in front of the formation, his pair of narrow, dark eyes like an eagle's, cold and intimidating.
The Chu army originally thought that Yan State was already in their pocket, but they were suddenly attacked by the Xiao State army, and their formation was instantly in chaos.
King Xiao personally led the vanguard to charge, and wherever the Chu army went, corpses were scattered all over the ground. In just half a day, the Chu army was completely defeated.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the King of Chu had no choice but to lead the remaining troops to flee, abandoning their armor and armor, and the siege of Yong'an was thus lifted.
Upon hearing the good news, King Yanwen personally led all the officials out of the city to welcome Xiao Yu. With a flattering smile on his face, he held Xiao Yu's hand and thanked him repeatedly. However, once the agreement to cede the city was mentioned, he repeatedly avoided the question.
After entering the palace banquet and drinking three rounds, King Yanwen finally couldn't hold back. He stood up with a wine glass in his hand and walked towards Xiao Yu at the table, his tone filled with earnestness and temptation.
"Your Majesty, Prince Xiao, has saved Yong'an from danger, which is truly a great favor to the Yan Kingdom. However, that half of the city was obtained with great effort by our ancestors. If we cede it now, I will be ashamed to face our ancestors."
Seeing that Xiao Yu had a calm expression and was just sipping the wine slowly, Prince Yanwen took another step forward and lowered his voice with deliberate intimacy.
"King Xiao, you've forgotten that Chaohua is my daughter, and now the Queen of Xiao. In terms of seniority, you and I are father-in-law and son-in-law. How can a father-in-law and a son-in-law demand territory from each other? I have always loved Chaohua, and today I hope you, my dear son-in-law, will show some mercy and not be so cruel."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly became quiet.
Xiao Yu slowly put down his wine glass, raised his eyes to look at King Yanwen, without any warmth in his eyes, and asked in a cold voice.
"Xiao must not dare to take the title of virtuous son-in-law from Prince Yan. When Prince Yan abandoned Yan Shu in the cold courtyard and let her be bullied, how could he not think of the father-daughter relationship?"
Xiao Yu's expression was calm, but every word he spoke was as cold as ice.
"If Prince Yan truly cares about Yan Shu, he should remember that you disregarded her safety and sent her to the Xiao Kingdom to marry that beastly Prince Xiao Wei. If she hadn't been lucky enough to have everything she has today, she would have died in the Xiao Palace long ago. Now Prince Yan is using the deep love between father and daughter as an excuse. Don't you think it's ridiculous?"
King Yanwen's face turned red and white. He opened his mouth but had no words to refute. He could only retreat back to his seat in embarrassment, thinking to himself that Xiao Yu knew so much about Yan Shu's past. It seemed that he would have a hard time getting away with ceding the city.
Seeing this, Xiao Yu sneered and said no more. He only ordered his generals to set up camp in Yong'an on the spot and be careful to prevent the Chu army from returning.
So this stay lasted another ten days.
The Xiao army camp was set up around the outside of Yong'an City. For ten days, soldiers patrolled the city continuously. The cold gleam of swords and knives was so dazzling that King Yan Wen couldn't sleep or eat.
He sent people into the camp several times to test the waters, but was always rejected by Xiao Yu on the grounds that "the Chu army is not far away and the city defenses need to be strengthened."
When the food supplies of Yan State gradually ran out and even the food supply to Xiao's army became unsustainable, Xiao's army remained motionless.
King Yanwen then realized that Xiao Yu had made up his mind and there was no room for maneuver.
In desperation, King Yanwen had to summon all his ministers and grit his teeth to sign the land cession contract.
So in the end, half of the cities of Yan State that were close to Xiao State, along with the household registration books, treasury grain and grass, were all handed over to Xiao Yu.
When the document was written, King Yanwen's face was as pale as paper, but he dared not utter a word of complaint.
He knew in his heart that if he delayed any longer, this half of the country would no longer be his. He was afraid that Xiao Yu would go straight to Yong'an and seize his kingdom.
Only after Xiao Yu's deputy general confirmed that the deed was correct did he order the camp to be disbanded and return home.
…
While Xiao Yu was away on the expedition, Yan Shu was also busy in the palace.
In addition to dealing with some daily affairs in the harem, there is another interesting thing happening these days.
Yan Shu sat on the soft couch by the window, holding a little orange kitten in her arms.
The cat was covered with fur that alternated between milky white and orange. At this moment, it was rubbing against Yan Shu's palm with its eyes closed, making a faint "meow" sound.
Yan Shu took the goat milk handed to her by Qingtao, and took a small piece of warm milk cake from her lunch box. She broke it into small pieces and mixed it with the goat milk in the porcelain bowl.
The little orange cat immediately came forward, took a light taste with the tip of its pink tongue, and then quickly licked it with its little tongue, as if it was afraid that someone would snatch it away. The kitten's face was covered with milk stains.
Seeing this, Yan Shu couldn't help but chuckle, touched the little guy's soft head, and coaxed him in a gentle tone.
"Eat slowly, don't choke."
This little orange cat was picked up in a long alley at the corner of the street ten days ago when she and Madam Hui were shopping.
At that time, it was soaked and shivering, and could not find its mother. It just opened its big black eyes and meowed at Yan Shu. Yan Shu felt extremely pitiful for the kitten, so she picked up the kitten and brought it back to the palace.
Now, after more than ten days of careful care, the little orange cat has gained a little weight and has gradually become more lively.
When Yan Shu and Qing Tao were having fun with the kitten, a loud voice suddenly came from outside the palace: "The King has arrived——"
Yan Shu was slightly stunned and stopped teasing the cat.
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