Princess, You've Fallen For It?

Bai Yuji's eyes widened; she had never imagined the new plan would be like this.

She had heard of the Yayu.

Starting with the Yayu was indeed the best choice to sow discord between the Qin Mansion and the Demon Official.

But...

Young boys and girls?

A Fortune Bead?

Her gaze gradually sank: "Great Elder, has our bottom line for revenge really fallen so low that we would use children and pregnant women?"

He Xifeng was somewhat stunned: "Princess! These children and pregnant women are all people of the Central Plains. Nanzhao was destroyed because of the people of the Central Plains; this is merely a small price for them to pay for their atonement. Is even this unacceptable to you?"

"A small price?"

Bai Yuji was filled with shock and disbelief: "Since when must these costs be borne by innocent children and pregnant women? Even the brutal Gan Kingdom did not slaughter children and pregnant women when they massacred our Nanzhao! If we do this, what sense of propriety, justice, integrity, and honor remains for us?"

Hearing this, He Xifeng's emotions flared: "Propriety, justice, integrity, and honor? We are merely Nanzhao Remnants whose country was destroyed. In the face of national hatred and family vendettas, must we still be disciplined by the hypocritical benevolence of these Central Plains people?

Princess, I ask you, those children and pregnant women who weren't killed, where did they go afterward?

Without men, could they have survived?

Do you still remember how many corpses lay along the roads during our flight?

And those children they captured—they were raised only to kill our exiled Nanzhao compatriots!

Just because they didn't pull the trigger themselves, does that mean the sin cannot be laid at their feet?"

"Great Elder, say no more!"

"The Princess is simply kind-hearted."

"This matter came up suddenly; we must give the Princess time to process it."

The other elders stepped forward one after another to act as peacemakers.

Yet, this brought even greater shock to Bai Yuji.

She could hardly believe her ears: "Everyone, do you all agree with this approach?"

The elders looked at each other.

After a long period of contemplation.

The Third Elder finally stepped forward: "Princess! You grew up in the Imperial Court and were raised on the books of the Central Plains people; it is understandable that you cannot accept this for the moment. But when it comes to the hatred of a destroyed nation and an extinguished race, where is there room for talk of kindness and morality?

The people of the Central Plains always have benevolence and righteousness on their lips, but was it benevolence or blades that destroyed Nanzhao?"

The Fourth Elder also chimed in: "That's right, Princess! You need not heap the blame upon our own heads. You must know that it is not us, but the son of the Yayu, who will be consuming the children and pregnant women of the Central Plains.

It is not us, but their own eldest princess, who treats the children and pregnant women of the Central Plains as mere cargo.

Do you remember the Flower Boat of the Prime Minister's Son?

Women are reduced to playthings, and pregnant women are no different.

Even if we do not act, such things will not disappear.

If the people of the Central Plains themselves do not care, why should we punish ourselves with the benevolence they use to fool their own people?

Besides, what have we done?

We are merely informing Qin Yanying of what is happening!

What have we done wrong?"

Bai Yuji: "..."

She admitted that most of what the elders said was true.

In this chain of events, the Nanzhao Remnants were the ones with the least amount of guilt.

But was it reasonable to sacrifice innocent children and pregnant women?

Was her inability to understand them truly just because of her Central Plains education?

Seeing her silence, He Xifeng's tone softened: "Princess! This is a golden opportunity for Nanzhao to rise again. Think of our compatriots still hiding in the mountains, surviving on insects. If we miss this chance, how many more years must they wait? How many more people will die in all those years?

I, too, have been a pregnant woman and have raised children; how could I not feel distressed doing such a thing?

But my own children all died in that war.

I fled with my pregnant daughter-in-law, but in the chaos of war, the child did not survive.

Later, she married another man. When I returned home the year before last, she came to see me.

She had a small child with her.

I asked her if it was born to her new husband, and she said she could no longer bear children. That child belonged to their neighbors, who had fallen to their deaths while gathering herbs on the mountain, so they took him in to raise as their own.

The child was very thin, but he looked very clever. When I saw him, I felt as if I were looking at my own grandson.

I... I don't know where I'm going with this. Princess, can you understand what I mean?"

As she spoke.

She was already sobbing uncontrollably.

Bai Yuji was soft-hearted, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. After struggling for a long time, she gritted her teeth and said, "I do not oppose this plan, but its purpose is merely to incite conflict between the Qin Family and the Demon Official. The children and pregnant women are just bait. My bottom line is that before the Qin Family members arrive, we must do our best to protect the safety of the children and pregnant women!"

"But, Princess..."

"Listen to me!"

"..."

He Xifeng hesitated for a moment, then nodded heavily. "Fine! No problem! But Princess, you still need to have a word with Qin Yanying..."

Bai Yuji felt inexplicably guilty, but unable to find a reason to object, she could only nod. "Rest assured!"

Seeing that Bai Yuji was no longer being stubborn, the elders all wore expressions of relief.

At this moment.

He Xifeng suddenly asked, "By the way, Princess, after the Puppet Assembly, that boy Luo Qing suddenly found this old woman and said many agitated things. In front of the gates of the Southern Pacification Mansion, did you and Qin..."

She did not continue, appearing somewhat cautious.

In front of the gates of the Southern Pacification Mansion?

Bai Yuji pondered for a moment. "Did he tell you that I was only pretending to be with Qin Muye, but it turned into the real thing?"

He Xifeng said in a low voice, "Naturally, I did not believe him; I was just asking on the Princess's behalf."

A wave of inexplicable irritation rose in Bai Yuji's heart. She waved her hand and said, "Is the Great Elder trying to remind me not to get too close to Qin Muye?"

"This old woman would not dare!"

"Since I need to control Qin Muye, I naturally need to put on a show. He is already infatuated, and yesterday he even proposed that he wanted to marry me. Do you think such a small sacrifice is worth it?"

"It is certainly worth it!"

He Xifeng bowed respectfully, yet still said in a low voice, "However, the Princess must still be careful!"

"Careful of what?"

"Careful of being deceived by Qin Muye."

"He is deceiving me?"

"This person's personality is cowardly and twisted, but his mind is actually extremely sensitive. Just looking at how he extorted Shen Jin, one can see that this person is quite treacherous. His grasp of the situation and human nature far exceeds that of his peers. The last time the Princess returned, you said that his relationship with his father was not good, and that he even harbored resentment. Although it was verified to be basically correct, the more I think about it, the more wrong it feels. Could it be that he realized you, Princess, are soft-hearted and not hard-headed, and therefore acted that way on purpose?"

"That shouldn't be..."

Bai Yuji subconsciously wanted to refute.

He Xifeng interrupted, "Princess! Does he often show weakness in front of you?"

Bai Yuji: "..."

She suddenly felt a jolt.

The facts were indeed as she said. Although she felt that Qin Muye was truly fragile, the Nanzhao Remnants had survived until now largely due to the Great Elder's ability to judge character. Could it be that he really...

Seeing her silence, He Xifeng's tone became even deeper. "This old woman only wishes to remind the Princess not to fall into a treacherous person's trap and get yourself caught up in it. Given Qin Muye's performance, it is not impossible that he has such schemes. If that is truly the case, he would drag the entire Qin Family into the water just to save his own life. Such a callous person must be extremely cold-blooded. Of course, the Princess is wise and will surely remain on guard against him at all times."

Bai Yuji felt only chaos in her heart and could only nod. "Rest assured, I have my own judgment."

The night grew deep.

But Qin Muye was not yet asleep.

Just a moment ago, he had been immersed in controlling his puppets, having a grand discussion with Li Xingluo at the Imperial Princess Mansion about the future of the Gan Kingdom. He still did not express too much of a leaning, only emphasizing one point: the reason the ministers of the Gan Kingdom were divided over the matter of the Demon Official was simply because their military strength was not strong enough. As long as the human military force was sufficient to crush the various vassal states and the demons from beyond the borders, all problems would vanish like smoke. The key to increasing military strength lay in the innovation of weaponry.

Li Xingluo agreed with the first half but held reservations about the second, yet she still readily guaranteed that Qin Muye could display his talents to his heart's content, and that as long as she could provide it, she would do her best to support him.

Qin Muye did not continue to make empty promises. After all, he possessed the Thread-Crafter and the Craftsman Heart, and had obtained the teachings of the Gongshu Clan. He had many clever ideas in his mind, but they had yet to be put into practice, and he lacked the confidence to boast just yet.

After the long conversation, his goal had been achieved. The Imperial Princess's political stance was indeed to abolish the Demon Official, and even regarding today's rumors, her attitude was to let them be.

"Hoo!"

Qin Muye let out a sigh of relief. Whether looking at it from the perspective of destiny or his own standing, this golden thigh was one he had to cling to tightly.

However...

He sat up from the bed.

Just moments ago, he had tested the Divergent Path destiny skill. Thinking of Bai Yuji, he took a step toward the direction of her room, only to immediately sense an error, followed by a realization: his target was to the southeast.

Pushing open the window, he saw that Bai Yuji was indeed not in her room.

The hideout of the Nanzhao Remnants was in the southeast?

There seemed to be a Ghost Market over there...

Qin Muye felt a bit annoyed. Those people were like spirits formed from pure resentment; every time Bai Yuji returned, she would be filled with a heap of negative energy.

He cursed under his breath and vaulted directly out the window.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Another figure vaulted in through a different window at the exact same moment.

The two stared at each other in silence.

"Were you waiting for me again?"

"Couldn't sleep, wanted to chat with you."

"Why climb through the window? Can't you knock on the door?"

"Afraid you wouldn't open it for me."

"..."

Seeing his cautious yet expectant expression, Bai Yuji's heart was thrown into chaos.

Could this really be something that can be acted out?