Leertai cupped his hands and said, "Today's exposure of past sordid matters is enough to demonstrate my sincerity in cooperating. I hope Your Highness will reconsider. If you have any requests, I will do my utmost to fulfill them."
They adopted a very humble attitude towards cooperation.
Without any hesitation, the Prince of Jin and Qu Nian began to list their conditions, one by one.
Tang Zhuyun listened attentively, but also felt a bit of a headache.
Ren Yingying was even more direct, covering her mouth and secretly dozing off.
The way these men argued so fiercely and haggled over every penny put even the women who were bargaining to shame.
Thankfully, she doesn't have to do these things.
The negotiations dragged on all night, but a preliminary consensus was finally reached.
Seeing Leertai leave, Ren Yingying, who had already dozed off several times, thought she had missed something.
"Have you signed the agreement?" she asked.
Actually, Tang Zhuyun was somewhat surprised at first, as she hadn't left anything on paper.
But then I realized what it meant.
It's just a piece of paper.
Aside from potentially adding charges of treason to each other, it serves no other purpose.
Qu Nian stood up and glared at Ren Yingying, who was leaning back in her chair, fast asleep and practically drooling. "Aren't you leaving?"
It's already dawn, and you're still drooling over her handsome man? Humph!
Ren Yingying yawned and stood up lazily. "Why did you have to call me over?"
This man must be vindictive and retaliating against her for faking amnesia.
He's training the hawk!
It felt like I was dozing off in a history class in a past life.
Who can understand the struggle of wanting to sleep but being afraid to, yet unable to stay awake?
Qu Nian glared at her again, determined not to tell her that if the Prince of Jin wanted his woman to listen, he would have to bring his own woman along.
Can he lose?
Bringing Ren Yingying along to flaunt their relationship, only to have it hurt so much that it makes their own heart, liver, and lungs tremble – what kind of human suffering is this?
Ren Yingying didn't get a reply from him, but she didn't care. She was already used to Qu Nian's erratic behavior.
This person's temper is harder to fathom than a dog's.
She let it go and stopped thinking about it.
She finally had a chance to vent to Tang Zhuyun.
"Tangbao, did I miss something? What's the connection between Ertai and Heman?"
"Leertai!" Qu Nian said through gritted teeth.
She called him "Ertai Ertai" so affectionately.
Why doesn't she call me affectionately?
The Prince of Jin squinted at him and said slowly, "Niannu— "
Qu Nian exploded. "Jianqi!"
Ren Yingying looked completely bewildered. "What kind of secret code are these two exchanging?"
Tang Zhuyun was too embarrassed to say it, but Prince of Jin reminded her to Qu Nian it.
Fortunately, Ren Yingying didn't pry, but waited for Tang Zhuyun's answer.
Tang Zhuyun said, "Leertai is Heman's posthumous son, that's the only connection."
"I knew it! I thought so too. All that Heman did was produce something, right? What was Leertai thinking, risking his life to avenge him?"
Leertai spoke with heartfelt emotion, expressing his desire to avenge his biological father and uphold justice.
They seized power, and now they've even seized a sense of justice?
That's outrageous.
It's said that there's no love or hate without a reason, but their father-son relationship is inexplicably strange.
That's ridiculous.
Qu Nian blushed with anger.
The Prince of Jin is still here, he's still here, what do you mean by "something came out"?
It's no wonder his mouth is swollen from being hit.
Besides, what if she starts to see me like that in the future?
Ren Yingying felt she had been wronged.
She genuinely doubted Leertai's motives.
Tang Zhuyun, however, was used to it and said, "It's just an excuse. When you're poor, no one cares even in the bustling city; when you're rich, even distant relatives come calling. It's just that Leertai wants to seize power and is looking for a pretext."
Ren Yingying stroked her chin and said, "I don't think this is reasonable."
"Um?"
"Leertai grew up in the Central Plains," Ren Yingying said. "He should be living a peaceful life. Why did he have to get involved? If it were me, I definitely wouldn't want to."
Why give up a comfortable life of leisure and basking in the sun to do something so dangerous?
That's really asking for trouble.
Tang Zhuyun said, "Don't forget, there are always people around him who are instilling in him the idea of revenge and restoration."
Every child starts as a blank slate.
"I know. But Tangbao, do you think he looks like he's suffering from a terrible tragedy?"
Compared to Leertai, Qu Nian suffered even greater bitterness and hatred.
Tang Zhuyun: "... Some people are just very calculating. Well, whatever Leertai's true intentions, he wants profit, and hopes to get what he wants from everyone."
As for whether it's like raising a tiger that will turn on you and bite you back, Prince of Jin is currently overwhelmed with problems and can't afford to worry about that.
The current situation is the worst possible scenario for the Prince of Jin.
Beset by internal and external troubles.
He didn't want to betray the country or the people, so he prioritized external defense before internal stability. However, baseness is the passport of the base, and some people couldn't wait any longer.
What exactly happened to this Consort De?
Didn't she always win the Emperor's heart with her gentleness, virtue, understanding, kindness, and non-contention?
Aside from bringing Xiao Wu into her palace to compete for the emperor's favor, it seems that she didn't do anything outrageous.
Even before, because of Meng Yulan, he had intended to help her.
What happened to trigger her and turn her into this, or has she always been like this, just hiding it well before?
In any case, now that she is strongly supporting the Eighth Prince, she needs to return to the capital as soon as possible to understand the situation and respond accordingly.
Qu Nian glared at Ren Yingying: "It's not my business, why are you so concerned?"
Ren Yingying: "I don't care about your affairs!"
Stop trying to glorify yourself.
Tang Zhuyun couldn't help but laugh.
Qu Nian pulled Ren Yingying out the door.
Prince of Jin was not sleepy at all, and carefully instructed Tang Zhuyun on what to do after he left.
Since he didn't have much time, he planned to leave that evening.
Tang Zhuyun packed his things, listening to his reluctant words of advice.
"Qu Nian will lead the troops to continue attacking the Northern Yi for me, but he wants to take Ren Yingying with him."
"No," Tang Zhuyun said immediately, "I cannot make the decision for Yingying."
Even though she was already struggling, she could shamelessly accept her best friend's help, but she couldn't ask her best friend for anything in return.
"You don't need to ask; Qu Nian will figure it out herself," said Prince of Jin. "I'm just mentioning it to you; whether she goes or not won't affect the overall situation."
Tang Zhuyun nodded. "Okay. Anything else?"
"Next up is Linlin."
"Linlin?" Tang Zhuyun's heart trembled upon hearing this. "What happened to Linlin?"