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Chapter 609: Chapter 358 Negotiations Begin_2
Chapter 609: Chapter 358 Negotiations Begin_2
After a moment, the Yue Emperor's reaction came swiftly, her lips curling into a slight smile before she spoke, "It seems Junwan has not given up yet." Your next read is at M V L
The Yue Emperor had pretty much guessed what Wu Junwan intended to do by volunteering to go to North Country as a hostage, most likely eyeing those mysterious weapons of North Country, along with its secrets.
If Wu Junwan could uncover the secrets of North Country and obtain the blueprints for manufacturing its weapons, perhaps she would still have a chance to turn her fortunes around.
It was just that...
At this moment, a look of concern appeared on the Yue Emperor's face.
The North Prince was a lascivious man, and her dear friend was as beautiful as a celestial; sending her to North Country to be a hostage, she feared the North Prince might take an interest in her.
The Yue Emperor had no desire to see her dear friend defiled by that despicable man.
With this in mind, the Yue Emperor said to the female soldier kneeling outside the curtains, "What has Xue'er been doing lately?"
The soldier immediately replied, "Your Majesty, lately, Lord Murong has been frequently visiting the North Prince Mansion, but she returns here every evening."
Upon hearing this, a trace of displeasure appeared on the Yue Emperor's face, "She returns in the evening?"
In the Yue Emperor's eyes, if one wanted to control the North Prince, Lord Murong Xue'er needed to engage in relations with him, yet if Murong Xue'er was returning in the evenings, it meant she hadn't shared the North Prince's bed, and thus, had not yet secured control over him.
The Yue Emperor had always assumed relations between men and women took place at night, so she believed that Murong Xue'er and Lu Chen had not been intimate, but for her plan to succeed, it was imperative Murong Xue'er sacrificed herself.
At that time, the Yue Emperor said, "Send a Pigeon Letter to Xue'er, instructing her to find a way into the North Prince's bed."
Her dear friend was about to head to North Country, and she had to control the North Prince before Wu Junwan's departure in order to prevent any designs he might have on her.
Just one night's sleep with Lu Chen, and he would fall deeply in love with Murong Xue'er, thereafter losing interest in all other women. That way, by securing Murong Xue'er's position, the North Prince could be manipulated for her use,
Upon hearing the Yue Emperor's command, the soldier kneeling in the sleeping chamber immediately said, "Yes, Your Majesty! This servant shall send a Pigeon Letter to Lord Murong at once!"
The Yue Emperor said icily, "Dismissed."
"This servant shall take her leave!"
The female soldier then rose and left the sleeping chamber.
At this time, the Yue Emperor muttered to herself, "I hope my Curse Pattern will work as intended. So long as there are no Celestials in North Country, it should remain undetected..."
Several days later.
North Country.
In the Hall of Political Affairs.
The Great Wu delegation, after almost a month's wait in North Country, finally got an audience with the North Prince.
Unlike the last visit by Great Wu's envoys to North Country, this time there were no seats for them; they could only stand in the middle of the great hall, even Prince Wu Ming, as they were representatives of the defeated nation.
Wu Ming stood in the center of the great hall, looking up at Lu Chen on the throne, his heart heavy with discomfort, his fists involuntarily clenching.
After all, he too was a prince of an empire, even a contender for the Crown Prince, yet now he had to stand before a prince of a vassal state, a humiliation he had never before experienced.
But as much as he felt aggrieved, Wu Ming neither acted impulsively nor spoke recklessly.
Lu Chen also noticed Wu Ming's discomfort and said with a smile, "Prince Wu Ming, I did not expect to meet you so soon again; your departure from North Country seems just like yesterday, and I have been looking forward to another conversation with you."
At these words, Wu Ming let out a cold laugh, struggling to control his emotions as he spoke, "It seems the North Prince is unaware that the Great Wu delegation has been in North Country for some time. Had you known, I presume you would have met with us earlier."
Lu Chen responded indifferently, "Alas, there has been so much to attend to lately; there's no helping it. Your emperor sent troops to attack North Country, causing significant destruction, and we have been busy with rebuilding everywhere."
Wu Ming immediately caught the implication in Lu Chen's words, sensing that negotiations were about to start.
Without delay, Wu Ming said, "North Prince, let's cut to the chase. What does North Country require to end this war and forgo a counter-attack against Great Wu?"
Before Lu Chen could reply, Li Rui from within the hall spoke up, "Prince Wu Ming certainly is impatient."
Negotiations of this sort did not necessitate the personal intervention of Prince Lu Chen; the officials from North Country present in the hall could handle the bargaining.
If Lu Chen personally engaged in the bargaining, it would diminish his stature; it was sufficient for him to simply affirm or deny the results of the talks.
Li Rui continued, "Great Wu attacked North Country, causing a tremendous number of soldier deaths, destroyed many of our cities, resulting in significant losses for North Country, and forcing civilians into exile. If Great Wu sincerely wishes for peace, they must show genuine goodwill."
Without hesitation, Wu Ming said, "Great Wu is willing to offer ten million taels of silver as compensation."
As soon as Wu Ming finished speaking, the Minister of Revenue from the small court stood up and said, "Prince Wu Ming, you're not jesting with us, right? Ten million taels of silver is hardly enough to provide pensions for our fallen soldiers!"
At that moment, an envoy from the Great Wu delegation stood up and said, "North Country hasn't lost many men; there's no need for so much pension money."