Un corazón puro en una vasija de jade

Capítulo 85

Yongye didn't look at her, but instead looked at Yi Zhongtian opposite him, whose forehead veins were bulging, and laughed: "Your Majesty! Yongye wishes to stay in Chen Kingdom for a while longer, and will bring the princess back to An Kingdom in August!"

"Hehe, good! Marquis Yong'an will be my brother-in-law and half-son of the Chen Kingdom. I approve." King Chen seemed to know nothing and was in a great mood.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Marquis Yong'an!" Congratulations poured in, and Yong'an returned the greetings one by one.

"You stepped on my skirt," Yu Xiu hissed in a low voice.

“Princess, there’s one more cup of wine! Smile at me, because last time… Yongye couldn’t forget it.”

Yu Xiu's eyes seemed to spit fire. She took a deep breath and broke into a beautiful smile, handing the third cup of wine to Yong Ye, who then let go. As she left, she glared fiercely at Yong Ye and said in a low voice, "General Yi has a gift for you."

Yongye Dan smiled but remained silent.

"I am quite envious that the Marquis of Yong'an has found such a beautiful woman to embrace," said Crown Prince Yan across the table with a smile.

Yongye said with a grin, "Two of the four beauties in the world are in Qi, so why does Your Highness envy Yongye?"

A hint of pride flashed in Prince Yan's eyes: "It's a pity my little sister isn't so fortunate as to marry a man of such high character and looks as the Marquis of Yong'an!"

Yongye picked up the wine and walked up to Crown Prince Yan: "Your Highness and I hit it off immediately. May I sit at the same table and chat?"

Prince Yan was simple-minded. It was rare for him to be at a banquet during a diplomatic mission, and with his subordinates and ministers so far apart, he felt lonely. So he smiled and offered his seat.

Yongye sat down casually, focusing on telling Prince Yan about the customs and landscape of Qi.

Prince Yan felt even closer to Yongye when he heard her speak of the State of Qi as if it were her own home, and how she was so approachable. He then shared some of the more amusing stories with Yongye.

Qidu Shengjing was no less prosperous than Zeya, attracting a large number of merchants.

The people of the capital are simple and honest; they leave their doors unlocked at night and do not pick up lost items on the road.

The scenery of the capital is picturesque, with red maple leaves reflecting the white snow in winter and painted boats that never sleep in summer.

Yongye's face was full of longing.

"I see that Your Excellency has a great capacity for wine, may I ask for permission to move my jade cup?" Yi Zhongtian raised his wine cup across the table.

"General Yi has a gift for me?" Yongye chuckled and cupped his hands to Crown Prince Yan: "I will definitely visit Qi when I have the chance. Your Highness, please don't forget your friend."

"It would be my great honor!"

She walked over to Yi Zhongtian's table and sat down with an air of importance: "General Yi, Yongye toasts you! You escorted the gifts all the way, and they arrived safely in Zeya. Yongye is deeply grateful!"

Yi Zhongtian merely raised his hand and downed the cup. "The Marquis of Yong'an is wise and resourceful. Those bandits misjudged him and brought about their own demise."

Yongye suddenly realized that Yi Zhongtian was actually quite tolerant. She glanced at the gentle Prince Chen and sighed, "With General Yi sitting here, no one in Feiyan Tower can match his imposing presence."

"I am but a mere warrior, not as dashing as the young Marquis of Yong'an."

"It's no big deal. Everyone gets old. The princess is only sixteen. She's not quite a good match for Yi Jun. Yong Ye is a bit weak, but he's not bad looking." Yong Ye smiled.

A look of disdain appeared on Yi Zhongtian's face as he slowly said, "The world is currently divided into three kingdoms. Qi is skilled in cavalry warfare, An is good at defense, and Chen has a famous navy. However, the ruler of Qi is old, and the princes of An seem to be dissatisfied with each other, while our emperor is in his prime. Although Marquis Yong'an is sickly, like father, like son. If we want to unify the world, what do you think, Marquis?"

"Hehe, General Yi really loves talking about the Three Kingdoms!" Yongye slapped the table and laughed. Her gaze swept over Prince Yan, and she squinted as she said, "I heard that the wealthy merchant An of Qi built fifty warships for the Qi army. I wonder how the Qi navy compares to the Chen army in terms of combat strength?"

"Lord Yong'an should think more about what will happen to the An army if the Qi navy crosses the Qin River."

"Does General Yi not know that my Third Prince has just proposed to the Fourth Miss An?"

Her implication was that An and Qi were already in the process of forming a marriage alliance, and Chen should not try to gain anything from it.

Yi Zhongtian's forehead veins bulged, and his gaze passed over Yongye to look at Crown Prince Yan, saying, "The Third Prince of Anguo is willing to marry a merchant's daughter, and Chenguo is willing to send a princess as a marriage alliance. The world is divided into three, and it is not easy to unite them."

Yongye blinked, a regretful expression on his face: "So General Yi doesn't object to Yongye marrying the princess! I was so worried about stealing the general's sweetheart!"

Yi Zhongtian was so angered by her words that his blood boiled. He snorted coldly, reached into his robes, pulled out an object, and gently placed it on the table, saying, "This was picked up by my subordinate by chance. It looks like the style of Anguo. Marquis Yong'an, please take a look at it for me."

Yongye glanced at it only once, and her blood seemed to freeze. If she remembered correctly, before leaving Anguo, she had adjusted the golden hairpin for Qiangwei. Was this the gift Yuxiu had mentioned? Qiangwei was in Yi Zhongtian's hands, but what about Yuepo?

She couldn't tell if it was the alcohol or excessive worry; a fire seemed to burn within her. She casually glanced at it and chuckled, "It's the Anguo style. However, this Marquis wouldn't want the princess wearing jewelry given by another man!"

Yongye's gaze was locked on Yi Zhongtian. She thought coldly, "Just because you're threatening me with Rose, does that mean I have to submit to you? Even if Yuepo is in your hands, unless I rescue them, losing myself will only result in one more death. I understood this in my past life."

She appeared dazed and confused, showing no sign of surprise. Yi Zhongtian couldn't tell if she was shocked or calm. He took a sip of wine and said, "I admire your composure, Marquis. I wonder how you will deal with the assassins when they come?"

Yongye chuckled: "What does General Yi think?"

Yi Zhongtian examined the hairpin, finally letting out a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his face: "Naturally, you should hide and let me capture the assassin before you come out."

What does he want? To kill Feng Yangxi? Does he know my thoughts so well? Yongye finally couldn't help but burst into laughter: "General Yi has hit the nail on the head. Of course it is so. If I don't know martial arts and don't hide, am I supposed to let the assassin kill me?"

"Yes, Your Excellency is very clever. After capturing the assassin, I will invite Your Excellency to drink with your old friends."

Yongye's heart sank to the bottom; they were truly in Yi Zhongtian's hands. She raised her cup again: "Yongye is half a son of the Chen Kingdom, how could I not help! I wish the general a swift success in capturing the assassin, thus eliminating one enemy!"

At the hour of You (5-7 PM), the music and singing ceased.

Yongye bid farewell to Prince Yan and they each boarded their carriages to return to their lodgings.

The wind and rain outside intensified, with the rain curtain falling like layers of white curtains, splashing water everywhere.

Yongye lay on the carriage, her eyes clear and bright. The thing she feared had finally happened.

Lifting a corner of the sedan chair, the rain intensified, splashing water droplets that seemed to stretch to the horizon. The sound of the water pounding against the ground pierced her heart. Yongye gripped the golden hairpin tightly.

With the lingering effects of the wine and her frail body, she should have appeared drunk to everyone.

A drunk person should be fast asleep in their room on a night like this. However, the one sleeping soundly in her room will be Yihong.