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Wei Tingyu continued speaking as he strode towards the side chamber, carrying Ren Ruyi in his arms! He clearly saw a smile involuntarily gra
Wei Tingyu continued speaking as he strode towards the side chamber, carrying Ren Ruyi in his arms! He clearly saw a smile involuntarily grace Ren Ruyi's lips in his peripheral vision. This young woman truly was like a little fox!
Now that Ren Ruyi had fully let loose, Wei Tingyu naturally stopped being reserved! After entering the side chamber, he closed the large door behind him and immersed himself in that irresistible embrace of tenderness.
"Marquis!" After the storm subsided, Ren Ruyi lay contentedly on Wei Tingyu's chest, quietly listening to his powerful heartbeat drumming against her own. At this moment, her pretty face was slightly flushed, completely different from her image as a cold-faced killer!
"Are your injuries healed?" Wei Tingyu looked at the beautiful young woman curled up in his arms and chuckled, amused.
"With the Marquis tending to my injuries, of course they're healed!" Ren Ruyi's mind was completely filled with Wei Tingyu at this moment, and she wasn't afraid of the teasing in his eyes. She immediately lifted her head and said.
Wei Tingyu nodded at this. Once this young woman let loose, even gods and demons couldn't hold her back! In front of him, she completely disregarded what shyness was! However, it was fortunate that Ren Ruyi only showed this side of herself in his presence!
"But so that your concubine can accompany the Marquis for a long, long time..." However, Ren Ruyi blinked again at this moment, looking at Wei Tingyu and directly saying, "I beg the Marquis to teach me that move to defeat the enemy with one palm! That way, your concubine won't get hurt easily in the future..." As she spoke, her eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at Wei Tingyu, and her small face involuntarily tensed up.
It was only then that Wei Tingyu realized what this young woman had been trying to achieve all this time?! So, she wanted to learn his move that killed Ning Yuanzhou with one palm strike! But if she wanted to learn it, she could just learn it; did she need to go to such great lengths? Couldn't she have just said so directly?
However, Wei Tingyu's palm strike itself had no special technique; it was purely by relying on the immense internal energy within his body that he directly shattered Ning Yuanzhou's head, nothing more! So when he told Ren Ruyi this, the young woman's eyes immediately widened again. She had previously thought that Wei Tingyu's powerful palm strike must be related to the internal energy within his body. She just hadn't expected that after projecting internal energy, it could completely disregard techniques, and could exert such great power simply by touching the enemy's body. So that meant all those fancy techniques were useless! Ren Ruyi then made up her mind to diligently cultivate the internal cultivation method Wei Tingyu taught her! As long as she mastered powerful internal energy, she naturally wouldn't fear any opponent!
Wei Tingyu watched Ren Ruyi's little eyes darting around in his arms, her face once again showing that determined expression, as if she was already envisioning herself sweeping across the world with profound internal energy in the future! One must say, compared to Zhao Zhangru and Li Jia Wuniang Leshan, those two little martial arts fanatics, Ren Ruyi was the true martial arts fanatic!
"This minister believes that Anguo may not harbor malicious intent!" The next day, in the Wuguo court, a minister stepped forward and spoke eloquently to the Regent King Danyang, Yang Xingjian, before him. "In the battle of Tianmen Pass, Anguo also suffered considerable losses!"
"It is understandable that they wish to exchange hostages for money!"
Wei Tingyu was also present in the court at this time, but as a foreign minister, he had no intention of speaking; he merely quietly observed the movements and expressions of the people in the court. From the news he received from the Six Paths Hall, he already knew earlier that Anguo intended to demand a hundred thousand taels of gold in exchange for Emperor Wu's return! He just hadn't expected that the Regent King Danyang of Wuguo would actually invite him to the court meeting. Of course, this was ostensibly done under the pretext that since the two nations had already formed an alliance, such a major matter should naturally not be concealed. However, Wei Tingyu certainly wouldn't be easily swayed by just a few words. This was a hundred thousand taels of gold! Not a hundred thousand taels of silver! Wuguo could squeeze it out of its national treasury if it really tried, but after that, life would be difficult! Moreover, even if the money was thrown into Anguo's military camp, it was still an unknown whether it could cause a ripple and bring Emperor Wu back! Furthermore, how could King Danyang wish for Emperor Wu to return so quickly? After all, once he returned, his position as regent would be gone!
Wei Tingyu had these thoughts, and other Wuguo ministers naturally did too!
"What if they take the money and don't release him?" At this moment, an opposing minister stood up and said directly, "Is His Majesty's northern exile not enough? Do we need to add His Royal Highness King Danyang as well?" Because Anguo demanded that the special envoy sent to deliver the gold and bring back Emperor Wu must be a prince of Wuguo. And King Danyang, as regent, naturally wasn't willing to take this risk personally. His shoulders couldn't help but twitch upon hearing the minister's words.
"Anguo is treacherous! They want to seize our Great Wu's gold mines! Yet you say it's understandable? Their intentions are punishable!"
"When did this old minister say to send His Royal Highness King Danyang to Anguo? Is His Royal Highness King Ying not a prince?"
And sure enough, the two factions of ministers immediately began to chatter and argue, both sides having ample reasons to support their arguments. Only Chancellor Zhang Song at this moment frowned and kept his eyes closed, not clearly siding with either party. What an old fox! Wei Tingyu glanced at Zhang Song and couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No wonder this guy could sit in the position of Grand Chancellor of Great Wu! His calculating ability was probably unmatched in the Wuguo court!
"Stop arguing!" And at this moment, King Danyang finally couldn't hold back, letting out a loud roar to stop the noisy arguments in the court, then took a deep breath and said, "If I am unwilling to serve as an envoy to welcome His Majesty back, then I cannot escape the blame of disloyalty and disfraternity from my countrymen!"
"If I serve as an envoy, then our Great Wu might face the danger of national extinction!"
Speaking of this, King Danyang showed a very troubled expression, looked at the important ministers in the court, and then said, "Ministers! If you had two cups of poison wine before you! One containing arsenic, and one containing red-crowned crane's crest... how would you choose?" As soon as King Danyang said this, the Wuguo ministers began to whisper and consult with each other again. And from their conversations, Wei Tingyu could tell that most of these people had been swayed by King Danyang's analogy. It seemed that no matter how they chose, there was no absolute certainty, and if anything went wrong, it would lead to the destruction of their nation and families! Only Chancellor Zhang Song, the old fox, now opened his eyes and looked at King Danyang. At this moment, the expression in his eyes seemed to completely see through the other party, and there was even a hint of disdain at the corner of his eye.
"But the question is, why must we choose one cup?" And King Danyang was still performing on the dais.
"Exactly! The Anguo people must also be scratching their heads about how to settle His Majesty!" And sure enough, at this moment, a minister, as if having conspired with King Danyang, stepped forward and said, "If our country doesn't pay the ransom, do they dare to threaten His Majesty's life?"
"We can definitely stall for some time, so that they no longer hold a rare commodity!"
As soon as these words were uttered, even the most obtuse ministers in the court understood King Danyang's meaning: he simply did not want to welcome Emperor Wu back at this moment. And this court debate was merely a formality! Wei Tingyu also understood why this fellow had invited him to come along. Since the outcome was already predetermined, his actions were nothing more than a show for the court and foreign envoys. He truly was the epitome of someone who wants to have his cake and eat it too!
"Nonsense! His Majesty is in distress, yet you show not a hint of urgency. Are you still fit to be ministers?!" Of course, there were still some upright ministers in the Wuguo court. Even though they knew King Danyang's intentions, they still stepped forward and angrily rebuked him. For a time, the two factions of ministers resumed their incessant arguing.
But Wei Tingyu no longer paid attention to these squabbling people; after all, Emperor Wu's life and death had nothing to do with him, a foreign minister! His attention had instead shifted to a window on the side of the main hall. His extraordinary hearing naturally picked up that a person with extremely light breathing was secretly peeking into the court through the window. And this person had no martial arts skills whatsoever...
"Your Royal Highness, Regent!" Wei Tingyu smiled slightly, cupped his hands to King Danyang on the dais, and said, "This matter is an internal affair of your esteemed country. Whether or not to welcome your esteemed Emperor back... or who to send to welcome him, is not something a foreign minister like myself can comment on!"
"Therefore, I beg to be excused first, and I ask Your Royal Highness and all the esteemed officials not to take offense!"
"Marquis Wei, please do as you wish!" King Danyang was momentarily stunned, then smiled and nodded at Wei Tingyu. Originally, he had only invited Wei Tingyu here as a witness, just so he would hear his reasons for not welcoming the Emperor back, lest his reputation be tarnished and spread to the Central Plains. There was no point in keeping Wei Tingyu here any longer, so he immediately smiled and made a gesture for him to depart slowly. For Wei Tingyu, the Marquis from the great Central Plains, the Regent King Danyang of Wuguo still showed great respect, at least on the surface!
Wei Tingyu ignored the ministers who smiled and nodded in farewell, or those who were still arguing, and strode out of the main hall. However, he did not leave the palace directly after exiting; instead, his figure flashed, and he appeared at the side of the main hall. As expected, he saw a figure dressed in a dark blue eunuch's uniform peeking in through the window. And from her petite figure, it was clear that this was definitely a girl disguised as a eunuch! Of course, this little "eunuch" was completely engrossed in the arguing ministers inside the hall and didn't notice Wei Tingyu approaching from behind her!
Wei Tingyu checked the adjacent side hall and found it empty at the moment, so he grabbed the person's arm and quickly pulled her into the side hall. This girl, disguised as a eunuch, was naturally no match for Wei Tingyu in terms of strength and was pulled aside without any suspense. By the time she reacted, she was already inside the side hall... And because Wei Tingyu's movements were too quick, her hat fell off, and then a cascade of black hair flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall! Without the external disguise, what now appeared before Wei Tingyu was truly a petite and adorable girl, whose demeanor somewhat resembled Li Jia Simiang Haode. Of course, looking at her current dazed and bewildered expression, her personality should also be similar to Haode's!
"How dare you!" Wei Tingyu looked at the bewildered young woman before him, who seemed not to have fully recovered, and immediately put on a fierce act, asking, "Who are you? How dare you eavesdrop on the court meeting?"
"I..." The other party was startled by Wei Tingyu's gentle reprimand, but she finally came to her senses. She instinctively wanted to answer the question, but as soon as she uttered a word, she reacted again.
"You don't recognize me?" The young girl blinked and asked, her expression growing even more puzzled as she looked at Wei Tingyu's face. It makes no sense! How could someone who speaks in the Wuguo court not recognize me?
"Do I need to recognize you?" Wei Tingyu, of course, already knew her true identity, but this was a good opportunity to tease her. So, he widened his eyes, put on a fierce look, and said, "Speak quickly! Otherwise, I'll execute you on the spot!"
"You... you wouldn't dare!" The young woman immediately took Wei Tingyu seriously upon hearing his words, combined with his expression and stern tone. She shivered in fright, but still bravely raised her small head and looked at him, saying, "How dare you! You don't even recognize this princess?!"
"Oh! So it's Princess Yang Ying!" Wei Tingyu had naturally known her identity for a long time. Now, seeing the young woman's puffed-up expression, he immediately cupped his hands and said, "A misunderstanding!"
"Misunderstanding?" Yang Ying immediately grew smug upon hearing that the other party recognized her, her small nose almost pointing to the sky. In her opinion, this guy would surely kneel and beg for mercy immediately, since the palace maids and eunuchs in the palace were all very afraid of her! However, she didn't expect the other party to merely cup his hands; let alone kneeling, he didn't even intend to bow! This immediately made Yang Ying indignant!
"Who are you? Why haven't I seen you before, this princess?" Of course, although Yang Ying was mischievous at this moment, she wasn't a fool. Her eyes darted, and she began to inquire about Wei Tingyu's identity.
"I am Wei Tingyu, Marquis of Jining! I am not from Wuguo!" Wei Tingyu naturally had nothing to hide and directly nodded to Yang Ying.
"You're the Marquis of Jining from the Central Plains?" Yang Ying blinked. Although she was in the inner palace, she had certainly heard about this matter. However, she had always thought that this Marquis, who served as a special envoy, would be an old man with a white beard! She hadn't expected him to be so young, looking only a few years older than herself!
"Your Royal Highness is of noble birth; how can you disguise yourself as a humble eunuch and casually eavesdrop on court meetings?" To this princess, who appeared to be about the same age as the two youngest girls of the Li family, Wei Tingyu naturally softened his voice and asked with a smile.
"I..." This made Yang Ying a little embarrassed. After all, the other person was an envoy from a foreign country, and her princess identity didn't seem to work very well in front of him. Moreover, she had indeed been caught red-handed secretly listening to the court meeting. Besides, she was still wearing a eunuch's clothes! If she really made a scene and called a group of people to see, wouldn't she be the one who lost face?
"I'm just worried about Imperial Brother..." Thinking this, Yang Ying also helplessly pouted, then explained softly. Wei Tingyu also nodded silently. A young girl of this age naturally didn't understand matters of state; for her, it was simply a sister worrying about her brother's safety. What was there to scold about that?
"Besides, in this imperial palace, besides Imperial Brother and Imperial Sister-in-law, who treats me as a real princess?" Yang Ying, seeing the understanding expression in Wei Tingyu's eyes, suddenly felt a sense of trust towards him and immediately said in a low voice. Hearing her aggrieved words and seeing the pitiful expression on her face, Wei Tingyu's heart naturally melted considerably. That's right, if she were truly a favored princess who had everything she wanted in the inner palace, she wouldn't have disguised herself as a eunuch and secretly run to eavesdrop on court meetings. Of course, the reasons behind this were internal affairs of the Wuguo imperial palace, and Wei Tingyu was not clear about them, but he was simply not surprised by such a situation.
"Your Royal Highness must not belittle yourself so! Even if Your Royal Highness's birth mother is of low status, you are still of royal blood!" Wei Tingyu looked at the pitiful Princess Yang Ying and said directly.
"But... when Eldest Sister called me a low-born wretch, she never treated me as Father Emperor's daughter!" Princess Yang Ying was indeed deeply moved by Wei Tingyu's words at this moment! However, she was still full of sorrow for the past and couldn't let go!
"Since Princess Yang Ying is ten times more beautiful than the Eldest Princess!" However, when facing such a young girl in her melancholic teenage years, Wei Tingyu's smooth-talking skills naturally flowed out, and he immediately said, "You must also allow the Eldest Princess to have a heart ten times smaller than yours!" After all, it was just about making a girl happy. Even if Wei Tingyu hadn't seen what the Eldest Princess looked like, he could still say it so boldly and carelessly. No matter how old a woman is, complimenting her beauty is always right! And indeed, the little princess's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing Wei Tingyu's words, and she even showed a very sweet smile. Her two small dimples made Wei Tingyu's eyes flutter!