Ji Zizhao wore a gentle smile, not one of courtesy, and her expression towards the Turks was unusually serene.
However, her hushed words told a different story. "From the moment we set foot in Luoyi, the Turks have been subtly suppressing us. All they want is to gain the upper hand during tonight's peace talks, to overwhelm Yulin with their sheer presence, forcing us to agree to their terms unconditionally. Of course, Your Highness the Seventh Prince probably won't understand what I'm saying."
Xie Jingqi felt an immediate discomfort. "Ji Zizhao, who do you think you're looking down on?"
Han Jingyu watched the Seventh Prince, whose very hair seemed to spark with anger, and his heart leaped into his throat.
Ji Zizhao, however, calmly turned slightly and looked at the Seventh Prince with utmost sincerity. "But even so, Your Highness the Seventh Prince remains the key target for the Turks to suppress Yulin."
Xie Jingqi blinked in surprise, and after a long moment, his handsome face cleared as if the clouds had parted. "If you want to say I'm important, just say it. No need to beat around the bush. Don't worry, he's just a mere Turk. He'll need another year to defeat this young lord."
"If Your Highness the Seventh Prince wins, the Turks will likely call Yulin arrogant."
"So you want me to lose?"
"If Your Highness the Seventh Prince loses, it will only embolden the Turks further."
Xie Jingqi was speechless.
Neither able to win nor allowed to lose, even the Buddha himself wouldn't be this difficult to please.
"But Your Highness the Seventh Prince can stall."
Ji Zizhao's voice was light, like a murmuring stream, making one involuntarily lean in to listen carefully.
"Currently, Yulin is in a difficult predicament precisely because the initiative is in the hands of the Turks. Your Highness the Seventh Prince can completely deviate from the expected course and catch them completely off guard."
Han Jingyu, sitting beside them, was truly impressed.
The best strategy now was to make the Turks fall into disarray themselves.
This way, the initiative would naturally fall back into Yulin's hands.
However, any matter, no matter how logical, was utter nonsense to the Seventh Prince, who always preferred to solve things with his fists rather than words.
Xie Jingqi looked at Ji Zizhao reluctantly. "So you're still not letting me crush that Turk brat?"
Facing such a stubborn Seventh Prince, Han Jingyu truly wanted to sigh.
Ji Zizhao, however, remained neither annoyed nor angry.
Her decision to support the Seventh Prince was not an impulsive one.
She would not give up halfway now.
"What if the Turks' objective cannot be achieved through Your Highness, and even worse, they are led around by the nose by Your Highness? And finally, when they are enraged and helpless, Your Highness delivers the fatal blow? What do you think, Your Highness the Seventh Prince?"
Xie Jingqi blinked, only one word filling his mind.
Bliss.
He then looked at Ji Zizhao with renewed suspicion. "You really promise to let me crush that Turk brat?"
Ji Zizhao smiled and nodded. "This humble subject would not dare deceive Your Highness."
Xie Jingqi was then…
Elated.
He suddenly found Ji Zizhao much more pleasing to his eye.
In the brightly lit hall, Ji Zizhao, dressed as a man, was not as enchantingly beautiful as Princess Ashiya, but her beauty was a source of joy.
It was the kind of beauty that made one want to look again, and again, and continue looking.
The Turks, of course, could never have imagined that beneath Ji Zizhao's gentle and sincere smile lay a web of intricate calculations.
Mu Shizhen, seeing that the Seventh Prince of Yulin had no intention of standing up, frowned and inquired, "What is the meaning of the Seventh Prince of Yulin's behavior?"
Xie Jingqi leaned back in his chair. "What's it to you what my meaning is?"
Mu Shizhen was taken aback by the Seventh Prince of Yulin's audacity, his face darkening. "In that case, the Seventh Prince of Yulin is afraid and dares not compete."
"Heh heh heh..."
The sound of clenched fingers could be heard.
It was evident that the Seventh Prince's hands were itching again.
Ji Zizhao, however, looked at the Seventh Prince and gently shook her head.
Xie Jingqi reluctantly released his fist and raised an eyebrow at Mu Shizhen, saying, "This prince fears nothing. What is there to fear in a mere competition?"
Mu Shizhen seized the opportunity. "Since that is the case, the Seventh Prince of Yulin, please proceed."
Xie Jingqi found this amusing. "I haven't even stood up yet, what are you inviting me for? Where are you inviting me to? Are all you Turks as rushed as you, or are you the only monkey? Don't say I didn't warn you; it's better to act with a bit more composure. Monkeys don't fare well. Even if they aren't whipped and scourged, they'll be missing a patch of fur on their behinds."
These words included General Mu Man, who stood beside them.
Mu Shizhen, almost gritting his teeth, tightened his grip on his bow and arrow, about to aim at the Seventh Prince without a second thought.
Fortunately, General Mu Man quickly stepped forward and pulled his son's hand away.
The Turks were currently negotiating peace with Yulin.
Even if the Turks were the victors, they could not harm the life of the Yulin prince.
If they truly angered Yulin into resisting the Turks with all their might, the Turks would gain no advantage.
General Mu Man looked at the Seventh Prince and smiled. "The Seventh Prince of Yulin is indeed fond of joking. It is merely for entertainment. If the Seventh Prince of Yulin truly does not wish to, then so be it."
If the Seventh Prince of Yulin truly dared not accept the challenge, that would be even better.
Then, they, the Turks, could use this as a leverage point to demand...
"Yo! The monkey isn't talking anymore, and now your old man has to step in?" A loud voice directly interrupted General Mu Man's thoughts.
General Mu Man snapped back to attention and saw the Seventh Prince of Yulin, with half-closed eyelids and a leg swinging back and forth, looking at him and saying, "I knew it. Where there's a father, it's not a son's place to call the shots."
Indeed, the Seventh Prince's reputation for being detested was not for nothing.
Even Han Jingyu, sitting beside him, felt as if he were about to have a heart attack.
Now he finally understood why, despite years of struggle for power among the princes in the court, no minister was willing to stand by the Seventh Prince.
General Mu Man's face turned ashen.
Mu Shizhen was so angry his teeth nearly shattered.
Princess Ashiya, seeing her beloved being bullied, could not stand idly by. "The Seventh Prince of Yulin, no matter what he says, is still sitting there without moving an inch. If that's the case, he should have said from the beginning that he didn't dare to compete. After all, my A'Zhen is the youngest and most valiant general of our Turkic people."
Even the princess had spoken up, showing that the Turks had deviated from their original plan.
Ji Zizhao, seeing Princess Ashiya speak, also smiled and said, "Our Seventh Prince merely likes to joke. However, when it comes to martial arts, our Seventh Prince is also second to none."
Xie Jingqi knew this was Ji Zizhao's signal to begin the fight.
Already restless, Xie Jingqi stretched lazily and stood up. "Seeing as you Turks are so earnestly begging, this young lord will humor you."
All the Turks were speechless.
You're the one glued to your chair, refusing to get up, yet you claim we're begging you?
General Mu Man squeezed his son's wrist, giving him a subtle, meaningful glance.
Originally, he had not intended to embarrass Yulin too much.
Since Yulin was so unappreciative, he would make Yulin taste defeat once more.