Eternal Night - Chapter 54
Lord Ma beamed with joy. He knew that even if the draft agreement couldn't be signed, the sickly Prince Duan's witty banter would still infuriate the other party.
Sure enough, as soon as he responded, Lord Qian slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Nonsense! How dare a mere child cause trouble!"
Yongye slammed his teacup down on the table, his face turning cold as he stood up and said, “Your country sent a letter to plead for peace, and His Majesty personally appointed me as the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies and the chief envoy for the peace talks. Your country requested me to lead the negotiations, yet you resorted to insults. This back and forth continues. Do you intend to continue this war?”
Lord Qian's mouth gaped open, realizing he had spoken carelessly in his haste and made a mistake. His eyes reddened with anxiety. However, he was also flexible and immediately bowed deeply and said with a smile, "It was my fault. I have long heard that Prince Duan is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and the heir is naturally well-read and courteous. It was my slip of the tongue."
Yongye smiled and said slowly, "How could I possibly blame Lord Qian? I am in poor health; let's talk again tomorrow." He then helped his attendant away gracefully.
The officials from both countries were left looking at each other in bewilderment, and then they had no choice but to disperse.
Lord Qian sighed and murmured, "Princess, you have killed me."
Negotiations continued on the second day, with the two sides still deadlocked over the land.
Yongye was incredibly bored. Watching the officials from both countries slamming their fists on the table and hurling insults at each other without regard for their image, he suddenly got annoyed, stood up, stopped coughing, and said indifferently, "Fine, we won't cede any land."
The hall was completely silent.
The Chen officials were utterly astonished, then overjoyed. The area a hundred li south of Sanyu Pass was Chen's natural barrier; not an inch could be ceded. The two delegations had argued about this for half a month, but surprisingly, the chief envoy, who led the negotiations, resolved the matter with a single sentence the very next day.
Lord Qian asked cautiously, "Is what the Envoy said true?"
"What? Is Lord Qian upset that I don't want the land? Then..."
Lord Qian quickly interrupted him with a smile, saying, "What the Envoy says makes sense. Let's not talk about land."
The officials of Anguo were sweating profusely, staring at Yongye, wondering what he was up to. Deputy Envoy Ma was already frantically trying to pull at Yongye's official robes.
Yongye smiled and ignored him, then recited the price quoted by Prince Duan in one breath.
The Anguo officials finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The envoy grew increasingly furious as he listened. Gold and silver were one thing, but the 100,000 catties of pig iron absolutely could not be allowed to flow into Anguo. In these chaotic times, pig iron was a crucial war resource, urgently needed by every nation. Chen produced pig iron, yet Anguo demanded Chen's entire year's production—how could the envoy possibly agree?
Just as Lord Qian was about to shake his head, Yongye continued, "Consider this Princess Yuxiu's dowry. Saying less would be unfair to your princess."
The Chen official was shocked and stood up angrily, saying, "Princess Yuxiu is so noble, how dare Anguo use her as a hostage for a marriage alliance? This is outrageous!"
Yongye closed his eyes and remained silent.
The envoy from Anguo was also stunned by his words. This was something that had not been mentioned beforehand. Lord Ma was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and jumping up and down. Seeing Yongye's peaceful silence with his eyes closed, he didn't know how to answer.
Just then, the tinkling of jade pendants was heard, and a soft voice said, "Add another thousand warhorses. Your Excellency, this condition is granted by Yuxiu."
"Princess!" Lord Qian and the Chen officials bowed to the ground.
Yongye opened his eyes to find Princess Yuxiu, dressed in women's clothing, standing in the doorway. Yuxiu was draped in a silk palace gown, her beauty breathtaking. Her chin was still habitually slightly raised, and she only glanced at him briefly, exuding an innate royal arrogance. He thought of Qiangwei; compared to her, that girl was still more endearing.
Yongye smiled, stood up, and bowed: "Li Yongye, Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, greets the Princess."
Is this the veiled, purple-robed youth from a few days ago? He's a bit slender, but his back is impeccably straight. His crimson official robe accentuates his heroic spirit, and he resembles a graceful, upright bamboo shoot. His features are so exquisitely beautiful that there's not a single flaw. A hint of amazement flashed in Yu Xiu's eyes, immediately reminding her of the legendary, celestial-like Princess Consort Duan. She then recalled how Yong Ye had tumbled to her feet in fright, and a mocking, disdainful expression tugged at the corner of her lips as she nodded slightly in return.
Yongye smiled and said, "Since the princess can make the decision, we will draft a reply. I will take my leave now."
"Your Highness, please wait a moment. Yu Xiu has a question and would like to ask Your Highness to come here." Yu Xiu ignored Yong Ye's repeated use of the term "subordinate official," her voice gentle but her tone leaving no room for doubt.
The princess clearly knew about the Wandering Valley's plan, which is why she agreed so readily. Yongye was curious about what the princess wanted to say to him, and gladly agreed.
He silently followed the princess out of the main hall. His jade-sleeved palace dress trailed on the floor like a peacock spreading its tail. The maids kept a distance of three zhang from them so that the princess and Yongye could talk.
Turning past the corridor, there was a small courtyard surrounded by wisteria. As she descended the steps, the princess stopped. Turning back to Yongye, she smiled and said, "You did very well. It's just... you asked for too much."
These words, spoken by a sixteen-year-old girl with a reproachful tone, made Yongye think that people at this age are probably precocious. But the meaning of these words… A glint flashed in Yongye's eyes. Could Youli Valley really be connected to the Chen Kingdom? Or was that organization established by the Chen Kingdom? The Chen Kingdom's ambitions are far too great. However, if they were willing to send even the Chen King's daughter to the An Kingdom for a marriage alliance, what wouldn't they do?
Yongye pretended not to understand and said matter-of-factly, "It is only right that the State of Chen should pay reparations to our country after its defeat!"
The princess looked at him with a mocking gaze, but Yongye met her gaze directly, without flinching. He hoped for this from the princess, and even more so, he hoped she would mention Youli Valley. He couldn't wait for her to confirm the relationship between Chen Kingdom and Youli Valley. He couldn't help but smile.
Yu Xiu was captivated by his smile. Yong Ye wasn't much taller than her, yet he forced her to raise her chin even higher. "I will be waiting for you at Shili Slope outside Sanyu Pass during the Mid-Autumn Festival in August."
Yongye heard this with regret and replied noncommittally, "This humble official is unwell, and it is uncertain whether I will go to greet the princess."
Under the warm spring sun, they appeared to be a perfect couple from a distance. However, one was arrogant, and the other indifferent. Yu Xiu glanced at Yong Ye, adjusted the shawl around her arm, and said imperiously, "Go down." With that, she descended the steps.
Yongye smirked, secretly extending a foot to step on the hem of the princess's skirt, smugly anticipating her tumble. He thought to himself, "I'll step on your little tail and teach you a lesson for being cocky!"
Caught off guard, Yu Xiu suddenly leaned forward. She reacted quickly, turning around to regain her balance, but Yong Ye's foot landed firmly. He simply reached out, and Yu Xiu landed precisely in the crook of his hand.
The two looked at each other, both seemingly feeling awkward.
Yongye immediately released her grip. Yuxiu was about to fall to the ground when she let out a soft cry and turned around and leaped up again. But her skirt ripped open with a loud tear.
Yongye blinked, then froze.
Yu Xiu's face flushed red. Embarrassed, she gathered her skirt and exclaimed, "This is outrageous!"
"This humble official has disturbed the princess; I shall take my leave now." Having achieved his goal, Yongye lowered his head to indicate that he should not look at anything improper.
"roll!"
Yongye turned and took a step, then turned back and took out the princess's jade pendant, presenting it with both hands. "By the way, if the princess has been searching for this, I have unfortunately found it." He looked at the princess, who was trembling with anger but had no choice but to take the jade pendant, and was extremely pleased with himself. He suppressed a laugh and said, "The princess will be marrying into our country, so please return to Chen as soon as possible to make preparations. I will not stay any longer and must return to my official post to report."
"The envoy himself is proposing marriage; may I ask for whom he is doing so?" Yu Xiu instantly regained her composure.
Yongye thought to herself, "You invited me to be the chief envoy just to marry into our dynasty. As for the three princes, you can marry whichever one you want; I suppose you don't care." But she smiled and said, "This humble official dares not presume to guess His Majesty's intentions. This humble official takes his leave. By the way, the princess's angry appearance only adds to her charm. Also, if you raise your chin too often, you'll get wrinkles on the back of your neck."
His sarcastic and flippant words were spoken softly, yet Yongye felt he was truly acting in the princess's best interest. Seeing Yuxiu's expression change again, he quickly turned and strode away, showing no trace of his frail, sickly self who needed assistance. This infuriated Yuxiu, who gritted her teeth in anger.