Mu Shizhen instinctively looked towards Yu Lin’s direction.
Xie Jingqi kicked the table in front of him two meters away, defiantly meeting Mu Shizhen’s suspicious gaze.
General Mu Man shook his head at Mu Shizhen, gesturing for him to stop.
The situation was sudden and the cause unknown; it was certainly not the time to jump to conclusions.
However, with the city gates in crisis, they all had to go and investigate. General Mu Man naturally did not feel at ease leaving these Yu Lin people behind.
Therefore, General Mu Man took the initiative to suggest, “With the city gates in trouble, the city may not be safe. Why don’t we invite the Yu Lin envoy, along with the Princess and the few princes, to accompany us? If there is true danger, our soldiers can protect them at any time.”
Xie Jingxi, naturally afraid of death, quickly stood up and said, “This is an excellent idea.”
Xie Jingqi, however, frowned and said, “Why should I allow you to arrange things for me?”
Before General Mu Man could speak, Xie Jingxi took the initiative to persuade, “Seventh Royal Brother, lives are at stake, do not act rashly.”
“I also agree with the Second Prince’s proposal,” Ji Zizhao also stood up proactively this time.
Xie Jingqi stared with disbelief, “Can you all be any more cowardly?”
Ji Zizhao remained silent, but her hands, hidden in her sleeves, were clenched tightly.
Although Qing Zhu’s martial arts were inferior to Lian Ju, she knew better how to coordinate with others in action.
Under normal circumstances, such a low-level mistake as allowing the Turkic soldiers to report back would never have happened.
Unless…
The plan had failed.
Even more likely!
Qing Zhu, or her second sister, had already been captured by the Turks!!
If that were the case, the Turks would not only use the two of them to accuse Yu Lin but would likely make an example of them in public!
Therefore, even if General Mu Man had not proactively suggested it, Ji Zizhao would have found a way to go along.
She absolutely could not let her second sister and Qing Zhu be harmed!
General Mu Man was quite puzzled by Ji Zizhao’s swift agreement.
However, he had no time to ponder further and quickly called everyone to gather and set off for the city gates.
At a critical moment, a voice stopped everyone. “I’m not going to the city gates!”
Everyone looked towards the sound and saw Princess Ashiya sitting on her seat with an expression of righteous entitlement.
She was the most doted-upon princess in the Turkic kingdom, having been held in the palm of Abu’s hand since childhood. Even when going out with Abu, he kept her tightly in his embrace. Now, these people were asking her to fall into a trap; were they insane?
General Mu Man, knowing that Princess Ashiya was accustomed to luxury, did not argue. He left half of his soldiers to surround the restaurant, specifically tasked with protecting the princess’s safety.
Princess Ashiya then pointed at Ji Zizhao and said, “I want her to stay and keep me company.”
Hearing this, Ji Zizhao smiled faintly, “On what grounds?”
Princess Ashiya retorted righteously, “Because I am the most respected princess of the Turkic kingdom!”
Ji Zizhao was not one to indulge others’ bad habits, especially not a princess from an enemy country. “The Turkic princess seems to have forgotten a very important matter: I am from Yu Lin. Therefore, no matter how noble the Turkic princess may be, in my eyes, she is worthless.”
“You…” Princess Ashiya glared at Ji Zizhao, her eyes nearly brimming with tears.
Ji Zizhao directly interrupted, “The Turkic kingdom has luckily won against our Yu Lin, but please do not forget, Turkic Princess, that it is also your kingdom that wishes to negotiate peace with our Yu Lin now. Since you wish to negotiate peace, you must show some sincerity, rather than allowing your princess, who lacks both education and manners, to cause trouble here with such arrogance!”
“Ji Zizhao, you scoundrel!” Princess Ashiya was truly infuriated, her heart filled with grievance and anger, making her feel as if she were being boiled alive.
Ji Zizhao raised her eyebrows slightly, “Oh? Such blatant disrespect. I am curious, is this the personal opinion of the Turkic princess, or does the entire Turkic kingdom… indeed, lack sincerity in negotiating peace with our Yu Lin?”
The Turkic envoys: “…”
Has the Princess Rong He of Yu Lin’s mouth been poisoned?
General Mu Man was stunned.
It was merely a squabble between young girls, yet in the mouth of Princess Rong He, it had escalated into a dispute between two nations!
The Yu Lin envoys looked at Ji Zizhao with sparkling eyes.
If it weren’t for the precedent of Yu Lin not having female civil officials, they would have truly wished to bring Princess Rong He to the Ministry of Rites. If Princess Rong He became their envoy, calling her an unstoppable force would be an understatement.
Truly, as the saying goes, “where a person passes, meat is left behind; where a swallow flies, feathers are plucked!”
“Perhaps I can stay and keep the Turkic princess company?” a weak voice sounded.
The Tenth Prince was looking at everyone pitifully, his small face full of innocent pleas for compromise.
“This would indeed be good. In any case, the Tenth Prince of Yu Lin will be traveling to the Turkic kingdom in the future. It might be beneficial for him to go ahead and familiarize himself with Princess Ashiya,” General Mu Man naturally could not leave Ji Zizhao behind.
When she was here, the situation was already like this.
If he truly left, Princess Rong He of Yu Lin would likely devour Princess Ashiya down to the bones.
Princess Ashiya wanted to speak again, but she saw Mu Shizhen looking at her with impatience.
Although she was still uncomfortable with Mu Shizhen being alone with Ji Zizhao, Princess Ashiya feared being disliked by Mu Shizhen more. She could only nod reluctantly.
Xie Jingqi said with great unease, “My tenth brother is honest. If you Turks bully him, I will not let you off.”
General Mu Man smiled and said, “How could that be? Seventh Prince of Yu Lin speaks too seriously.”
With that, he quickly led everyone out of the restaurant.
The early winter in Yu Lin was extremely cold, and the night wind felt like a knife cutting the face.
Han Jingyu, who was fully aware of tonight’s plan, was now deeply worried, his brows furrowed.
While the Turks were not paying attention, he subtly moved closer to Ji Zizhao.
Although he didn’t speak, the questions in his eyes were self-evident.
Ji Zizhao, who was also worried about the plan being exposed, had eyes that were dark and deep, with killing intent flickering beneath the surface.
Whether it was her second sister or Qing Zhu, she was determined to protect them.
If they were truly caught by the Turks, the only option would be a fight to the death.
Han Jingyu was inwardly startled by the killing intent in Ji Zizhao’s eyes.
If someone were indeed captured, the Turks would surely use it to threaten Yu Lin into making further concessions in the peace talks.
In this way, Yu Lin, which had finally gained the upper hand, would once again become a lamb to the slaughter, trapped by the Turks.
Princess Rong He’s desire for a fight to the death, while seemingly a risky move, was actually a swift and decisive one.
Yet, when facing such a life-or-death crisis, most people would hesitate and be fearful.
She never expected a woman to possess such courage and mettle.
The Turkic group walked very quickly, as if not giving anyone time to think, and arrived at the city gates.
In the bonfire, the city gates of Luoyi were as bright as day.
Suddenly, a soldier’s voice rang out from the northwest corner, “A discovery here!”
The so-called discovery might be an object…
Or more likely, a person!
Ji Zizhao felt her heart skip a beat.