Ye Qingxue knew he had figured it out, so she didn't say anything more.
He simply said, "Since His Majesty has already promised the other party 400,000 shi of grain, then the grain must be sent, but it absolutely cannot be as much as 400,000 shi."
"It all depends on how much and how it is given in order to temporarily maintain peace between the two countries, prevent the people on the border from suffering, and not drastically reduce the grain reserves of our Great Zhou."
Yun Zhuo said, "Alright, I understand what you mean. Princess Lingyang is about to enter the city. We will negotiate with their people again, either by offering medicine or cloth, and secretly replace the grain."
"They will only send the goods when they meet one of our conditions, trying to drag out the timeline as long as possible and keep the risks within our control."
Ye Qingxue breathed a sigh of relief.
Talking to smart people is so time-saving and effortless.
Chunqian brought up the food, a bowl of soft, well-cooked noodles. "The divine doctor said that since Miss has just woken up, she cannot take too much tonic; she can only take it gradually."
Ye Qingxue had said everything she needed to say, and was just waiting for Yun Zhuo and Zhuang Xin to leave. She loved noodles and was indeed hungry.
Zhuang Xin was also anxious to wait for Yun Zhuo to leave. They had already been delayed for a long time, and he was afraid that the court officials would report them, which would be detrimental to his prince.
But Yun Zhuo doesn't seem to have any intention of leaving.
Seeing everyone looking at him, Yun Zhuo cleared his throat and said, "I'll leave after you finish this bowl of noodles. We've already wasted time, so a little more won't make a difference."
When I calmed down, it felt like a dream.
In my memory, she was always so resilient.
I really don't want to leave.
I was afraid that if I turned around, I would suddenly wake up from the dream, as if looking at her for a moment longer would prolong the dream.
Ye Qingxue took a bite of noodles and a sip of soup from Chunqian's hand. Throughout the whole process, she could feel Yun Zhuo's intense gaze.
What does he mean?
Because they had fought side by side, he felt a sense of camaraderie with her, just like he felt with Zhuang Xin.
Or perhaps, he also harbors some romantic feelings for her?
The fact that Pan Heng, the son of the Minister of Rites, likes her shows that she is not bad at all and is a likable person. So, could it be that Yun Zhuo also likes her a little?
Why did she think of "also"?
Ye Qingxue looked up at Yun Zhuo and met his intense gaze.
Yun Zhuo said, "Is it delicious? I'll go to the palace later and borrow a few imperial chefs from Father to cook for you so you can recover as soon as possible."
Ye Qingxue said, "Now that Your Highness has said that, I'm really starting to look forward to it."
Yun Zhuo smiled slightly.
Light streamed in through the window, half of it falling on Yun Zhuo. Ye Qingxue looked at his face—
Her eyebrows were like swords, slanting upwards towards her temples; her eyes were dark and deep, like tempered iron; a sweep of her eyes was like a frost blade cutting through the air; and her red lips held a hint of a smile.
It's like a famous instrument covered in dust, its brilliance hidden beneath its luster.
How could a man have such a sharp and clear appearance, and be so stunningly beautiful?
Her heart raced, and she quickly lowered her head to eat her noodles.
Ye Qingxue finished all the soup and noodles, and her stomach felt a little bloated, probably because she hadn't eaten this much in a long time, but she felt a sense of satisfaction from finally being full.
Yun Zhuo stood up: "I will come to see you again after the princess enters the city—I will bring the imperial chefs from the palace."
Ye Qingxue asked, "Does Your Highness intend to go and greet Princess Lingyang like this?"
Yun Zhuo looked down at his clothes and found nothing amiss. He raised an eyebrow and looked at Ye Qingxue.
Ye Qingxue's eyes held a hint of a smile: "He's too handsome. Since Princess Lingyang is here for a political marriage, and Your Highness is of such noble status, Your Highness should go to receive her like this. I'm afraid Princess Lingyang will fall in love with Your Highness at first sight."
Yun Zhuo frowned slightly. "Then I will disguise myself and conceal my original appearance. I will reveal my true appearance once she has confirmed the marriage prospectus."
He immediately went to Xiangsi Zi and asked her for medicine powder and half a mask to cover half of his face, while the other half of his face was red and swollen.
When he came out to see Ye Qingxue, he had changed his appearance. Ye Qingxue couldn't help but laugh; he was indeed very ugly.
Zhuang Xin: "..." I can't bear to look!
Yun Zhuo, however, had no concern about her appearance whatsoever.
Ye Qingxue said, "Your Highness, how about we make a bet? Even if you're an ugly monster, Princess Lingyang will still take a liking to you!"
After a moment's thought, Yun Zhuo simply said, "Alright, let's take a gamble!"
Let's bet on whether their guesses are true.
If he was this ugly, and Princess Lingyang still insisted on marrying him, it can only mean that this marriage alliance was a complete conspiracy!
It was not that Princess Lingyang humbled herself and traveled thousands of miles to marry into the Great Zhou in order to save her country and its people.
After Yun Zhuo and Zhuang Xin left, Ye Qingxue felt that emptiness again.
Her initial emptiness wasn't due to Yun Zhuo, but rather because of... Xiao Bao.
After she was pulled into the darkness, she heard Xiao Bao calling her "Mother, Mother, Mother—" He dragged out the last syllable.
Just before she woke up, she heard Xiao Bao's last words: "Mother, remember to take me with you!"
His urgent, sorrowful, and helpless tone was filled with deep fear—fear that she wouldn't take him away.
"Chunqian, where's Xiaobao? I've been awake for so long, why haven't I seen him?" Ye Qingxue asked.
On her way to change, she specifically looked at her palms, and the red marks had disappeared. She didn't even feel any toxins in her body.
Who did this? The *Abrus precatorius*?
The only person Ye Qingxue could think of was Xiangsizi.
Chunqian and Xialu exchanged a glance, knowing that they couldn't fool Ye Qingxue about this, and there was no need to hide it from her, so they told Ye Qingxue everything that had happened related to Xiaobao.
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