Jiang Wang shot the utterly tactless Qiao Lin a glare, then waved a hand, signaling him to get lost.
General Qiao, who had worked so diligently yet received no praise, left in deep grievance. Serving a marquis was like serving a monkey—their moods changed far too unpredictably.
"Ha!" In the room, Jiang Wang looked at Yuwen Duo with some embarrassment. "What a coincidence, huh?"
Yuwen Duo smiled without any warmth. "Quite a coincidence indeed... When did Prince Zhaotu arrive?"
"Just this morning. He spoke with me for a while and even gave me a horse." Jiang Wang gave an awkward laugh. "Only then did I realize he'd been joking with me last time."
Yuwen Duo wore a wounded expression. "How could you do this?"
"Do what?"
"You call me brother to my face, yet behind my back, behind my back..."
"Hey, wait. Don't make it sound like I've done something shameful." Jiang Wang cut him off. "As an envoy, isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to have dealings with a prince of your country?"
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"...I thought that with Brother Yuwen's intelligence-gathering abilities, there was no need to say anything."
"This isn't a matter of ability or not! It's a matter of attitude, of closeness and distance, of whether you're willing to be honest with me!"
"I don't understand that at all. Do you have some conflict with Prince Zhaotu?"
Yuwen Duo said gloomily, "Marquis, when you came to the grasslands, I personally went to receive you."
Jiang Wang said, "The next time you come to Qi State, I'll receive you too."
Yuwen Duo said, "I also took you to the Mirror of Heaven."
Jiang Wang said, "I thank you for that."
Yuwen Duo said, "I even helped you secure a chance to visit Divine