Whew!
Ashley breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed that Her Highness the Princess had a very good impression of Emperor Lin Yi of Great Liang.
Since peace talks are unreliable, let's use a marriage alliance as a breakthrough.
This would lay the foundation for a marriage alliance, making things much simpler. All they had to do was have their princess become the Great Liang's woman; a few words in his ear would be all it took.
With that thought in mind, he no longer hesitated and took out a letter from his pocket and handed it over.
He then said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this is a letter personally written by His Majesty the Third. Our Emperor wishes to betroth Princess Anne to you as a testament to the friendship between our two nations, which will surely become a celebrated story!"
A personal letter from Bill III?
A smile flashed in Lin Yi's eyes as he took the so-called handwritten letter. Upon reading its contents, he immediately understood its meaning.
Besides the warm greetings, this also reflects Bill III's emphasis on peace, followed by allowing the Great Liang trade route to pass freely through the Frostwest Empire, and finally, Princess Anne's matter.
The old emperor was really going to use his daughter as leverage, but unfortunately, his gift list was still lacking compared to that of the Great West Empire. This old man really thought his daughter was priceless!
His gaze swept over Ashley and the others, and his eyes became playful.
Say yes!
Ashley stared intently at Lin Yi, wishing he could agree on Lin Yi's behalf; he was extremely nervous at this moment.
Even Princess Anne couldn't help but clutch her skirt, looking at this supreme man from Great Liang, wondering if he would choose to accept her.
Unfortunately, Lin Yi didn't let them have their way.
He calmly shook his head and smiled, "I've heard that Princess Anne has her own principles, and even wants to choose her husband through a sword contest, which has silenced the entire West. I admire Anne's principles, so I don't want to force her. Let's discuss this later!"
What a joke! You think you can just start fighting whenever you want, and then you think you can just start negotiating? There's no such thing as All Under Heaven.
One Princess Anne isn't enough!
She may be beautiful enough, but she's not worth the entire Frostwest Empire.
Forehead!
Upon hearing this, Ashley's heart skipped a beat; sure enough, this Great Liang had an enormous appetite.
What they call for forcing someone to do something against their will is nothing but high-sounding rhetoric!
He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, it's all just rumors. Her Highness the Princess has long admired Your Majesty, and her dowry..."
"No need for further words, my mind is made up!"
Lin Yi waved his hand, interrupting him directly, and said solemnly, "I have heard that the West yearns for freedom, and I thought that your country was full of nobles who pursued freedom."
Now it seems that your emperor has disappointed me somewhat, as he still engages in this kind of arranged marriage.
Anne's yearning for love is sacred and profound; how could I possibly clip her wings? Wouldn't that be a terrible spoilsport?
At this moment, His Majesty the Emperor transformed into a freedom fighter, fighting to protect the freedom of the beautiful young princess, his face filled with righteous indignation.
The dowry is only a few dollars, what good is it?
"This is going to be difficult!"
Princess Anne gave Lin Yi a deep look, and a bitter smile appeared on her face. As expected of the powerful ruler of the East, he was indeed not someone a woman could control.
Such a man is a ruthless and powerful figure, but also a poison to women.
She had already prepared for the worst, fearing that her father's intentions were not so simple to fulfill, and that Lin Yi was clearly not someone to be trifled with!
Anne didn't say anything more. She knew in her heart that Lin Yi's attention was no longer on her. The current situation was clearly an attempt to blackmail the Frostwest Empire!
She couldn't help but glance at Ashley; now it was up to the ministers to see how they would manage the situation and minimize the damage.
Arranged marriage?
Upon hearing this, Ashley's face stiffened, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with freedom. Her Highness the Princess is also pursuing her own love..."
"It doesn't matter, free love is the only way!"
Lin Yi waved his hand, interrupting him, and then added, "As for the friendship from the Frostwest Empire, I will remember it in my heart, so you can rest assured."
Damn it!
Ashley couldn't help but swear. What's the point of keeping it in your heart? You should say it out loud, write it down, and then both of you should write it down in writing.
This way, at least there's one guarantee. It's ridiculous to keep it in your heart; if you say you've forgotten it, who can retrieve it?
However, since the other party had already given him the order to leave, he couldn't say much. This wasn't the time to offend Great Liang, so he could only force a smile and say, "Your Majesty is indeed learned, knowing about the freedom of the West. Ashley is very impressed."
However, Anne has long admired the Emperor, so why not stay in the palace today and learn about the culture of the Great Liang from him?
Since negotiations have stalled, let's plant a seed of conflict first.
He simply couldn't believe Lin Yi had such strong willpower; his princess's charm was unparalleled.
"Very well then, the princess can stay in the palace. I will have the Empress take care of her. As for any difficulties you may have, just go to Grand Commandant Zhang Fei. I will instruct him to take care of you!" Lin Yi agreed with a troubled expression.
Upon hearing Zhang Fei's name, Ashley's expression stiffened, as if he were looking at something unreliable.
Zhang Fei's favoritism is utterly ridiculous!
When he stepped out of the main hall and saw the people outside, his expression turned extremely ugly, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth and say, " Morandi!"
It turned out to be an envoy from the Great West Empire, and he was there too.
"Haha, looks like arriving early isn't enough, timing is key!"
Seeing Ashley's ugly expression, Morandi's smile almost overflowed. This was fantastic news; it was obvious that the negotiations had fallen apart.
This would greatly increase the chances for the Great West Empire.
"Hmph, your Great West Empire won't get its way!" Ashley glanced at him, his face grim.
"Cut!"
Morandi scoffed, "That's not necessarily true."
Since the Frostwest Empire couldn't reach an agreement, it was the Great West Empire's turn. They had already reached a majority agreement, and now it was just a matter of finalizing the decision; it was practically a done deal.
It's a sure thing!
"Hmph, the military campaign by the Great Liang against the Yamata Nation will not harm the West in the short term. Your plans are likely to be dashed!" Ashley glanced at him and couldn't help but sneer.
Upon hearing this, Morandi frowned.
He had heard about this before, and it was probably true. If so, then this matter needed to be reconsidered; at the very least, whether Great Liang would send troops to help was uncertain.
Fortunately, the two sides already had a relationship, so there was at least a foundation for discussion.
Alusi said in a deep voice, "My lord, it seems the negotiations with the Frostwest Empire haven't gone well. The Great Liang will likely lean towards us in principle. However, as Ashley said, the Yamata Nation will probably tie up the Great Liang's military forces; it's said they've mobilized 400,000 troops."
"It's alright, this matter can still be discussed!"
Morandi's eyes flickered. This was not necessarily true. The Great Liang had more than 400,000 troops; they had over a million more.