The secret of Yaoshun Island!
Hearing those words, Jun Beiyue slowly slid his longsword back into its sheath, his narrow eyes narrowing slightly.
That Nanny Qin would dare use the secret of Yaoshun Island to threaten her — what did that mean?
It meant Nanny Qin knew the secret of Yaoshun Island. If it wasn’t Xuanyuan Lige who had sent her to find it, then it was the Empress of Eastern Qin herself!
The only ones who could openly and legitimately reach Yaoshun Island were the ships of the Eastern Qin imperial house!
A tiny island like this wasn’t beyond Jun Beiyue’s ability to seize — but Yaoshun Island was a troublesome place, an extremely insular one. If Jun Beiyue forced his way onto the island, it would only arouse the suspicion of the Nanzhao royal family.
And of all the troubles he could invite, none was worse than suspicion from the Nanzhao royal house.
So Jun Beiyue had had to go the long way around — attacking Eastern Qin in order to gain jurisdiction over Yaoshun Island.
He wondered whether the Empress of Eastern Qin, if she ever learned that Jun Beiyue had conquered the whole of Eastern Qin merely for the sake of that one small island, would be humiliated enough to cough up blood.
Speaking of coughing up blood — the one who most wanted to right now wasn’t the Empress of Eastern Qin at all, but Minhan Mudeer!
Though he’d lost the war, he, like Wanyan Lie, was open-minded and willing to own his defeat — a man who could lose gracefully.
It was just that he’d been hoping with all his heart for another face-to-face meeting with Jun Beiyue, only to find that Jun Beiyue had already left, leaving Jun Beichen behind to accept the Xiongnu’s surrender of command.
Of course, all that was beside the point — the situation in the northern frontier was something Jun Beiyue had no time to worry about right now.
“What secret of Yaoshun Island do you know?”
Jun Beiyue was cautious by nature. Guxi, Ziqing’s most capable mercenary, had long since infiltrated Yaoshun Island — but so far she had only managed to win the trust of the island’s High Priestess, without ever uncovering the secret of the totem.
As for the lying tongue of Baili Weisheng, who claimed to be Yaoshun Island’s guardian — Guxi had confirmed that he had nothing to do with the island at all. Long ago he had simply snuck onto the island by sea and stolen away some enchanting fragrance.
Even Baili Weisheng didn’t know the secret of the totem.
How could Nanny Qin possibly know it?
“The secret of the totem!” Nanny Qin said it plainly — she’d come to bargain, and there was no need to beat around the bush.
Hearing this, Jun Beiyue’s narrow eyes narrowed further, dangerously. “What secret?”
“If I tell you now, will this old body still get to live? Prince Yao, this old body came here specifically to discuss this with you. Shouldn’t you first help this old body up?”
With a bargaining chip in hand, Nanny Qin, now calm, no longer feared Jun Beiyue.
If she had been afraid, she wouldn’t have come at all — she had already made sure the silk handkerchief bearing the imprint of the totem’s secret was safely tucked away elsewhere.
As she spoke, Nanny Qin put on a composed smile and reached out her hand toward Jun Beiyue.
Jun Beiyue only gave a cold snort and stepped back several paces. “And what if you do know?”
“It’s not that I know it — I’m the only one who knows it. Even if you had that boy Guxi search for another year or two, he’d never find the totem’s secret. Because…”
Nanny Qin deliberately trailed off, waiting for Jun Beiyue to help her up.
Was this a threat? She hadn’t even revealed the truth yet, and this old woman already dared to threaten him, Jun Beiyue — how utterly delusional.
Jun Beiyue said nothing, shot Nanny Qin a look of disdain, and turned at once to leave.
Nanny Qin panicked, and her voice suddenly turned sharp. “Jun Beiyue! The secret of the totem has already been destroyed by me — there is only one imprinted copy left, in my hands. If you dare to destroy Eastern Qin, I will destroy that copy, and you will never learn the totem’s secret for the rest of your life!”
“Wasn’t Eastern Qin already destroyed?” Jun Beiyue asked back, deadly serious.
Nanny Qin was so furious her teeth clenched, and she very nearly lunged at him. “You! You…!”
“Enough nonsense. What will it take for you to hand over the imprinted copy?” Jun Beiyue asked coldly. Since Nanny Qin could even call out Guxi’s name, what she said couldn’t be too far from the truth.
Besides, Yaoshun Island had always belonged to the Eastern Qin imperial house — once one knew the secret, obtaining the totem’s mystery wouldn’t be terribly difficult.
Only then did Nanny Qin calm somewhat. Drawing several deep breaths, she said, “The northern frontier. I want you to return the northern frontier to Eastern Qin, allow Her Majesty the Empress to attend the peace conference, and…”
“And what else?” Jun Beiyue said coldly. This old woman’s appetite was not small at all.
The northern frontier plateau could be called a natural barrier against the Xiongnu, its geographic position excellent. In the entire northern campaign, that plateau had been the hardest nut to crack.
And this old woman spoke of it so lightly.
“Hand Bai Mengmeng over to me!” When Nanny Qin spoke the name “Bai Mengmeng,” she ground her teeth especially hard — for it was Bai Mengmeng’s betrayal that had made the Empress of Eastern Qin lose so catastrophically, lose the entire central region in a single battle, and be forced to submit to Minhan Mudeer.
All of this was that little wretch Bai Mengmeng’s doing!
The Empress of Eastern Qin thought of that wretch day and night, wishing she could tear her to pieces with her own hands!
And Nanny Qin’s own hatred for Bai Mengmeng was no less than the Empress’s.
This demand was rather unexpected to Jun Beiyue — but as far as he was concerned, it was one he could grant.
“As long as she’s willing to go with you, this prince will let her go without question,” Jun Beiyue said with a cold smile.
“So does that mean Prince Yao agrees to the first two conditions?” Nanny Qin raised an eyebrow. The first two were the real crux of the matter — Bai Mengmeng was at most a side condition.
“The northern frontier plateau… that’s no small thing,” Jun Beiyue said with a cold snort.
“It’s no small thing, indeed — but compared to the totem’s secret, this old body believes Prince Yao can weigh which matters more,” Nanny Qin said, brimming with confidence now that she held the bargaining chip, utterly at ease.
She had made up her mind to hold firm on this condition and not budge — she refused to believe Jun Beiyue wouldn’t agree.
She had thought this demand through carefully — ask for more, and it would enrage Jun Beiyue; ask for less, and the deal wouldn’t be worth her while.
She had expected Jun Beiyue to hesitate a while, but to her surprise he didn’t dwell on it at all, asking directly, “Where is the item?”
“You agree?” Nanny Qin needed a definite answer.
“Once I see the item, this prince will give you a written pledge,” Jun Beiyue said coldly.
Nanny Qin immediately burst into laughter. “Prince Yao, no need for a written pledge. Simply acknowledge Eastern Qin’s sovereignty over the northern frontier plateau at the peace conference, and have both the Xiongnu and Da Zhou withdraw their troops. This old body will make certain the imprinted copy is delivered.”
“And why should this prince trust you?” Jun Beiyue asked back with a cold smile.
“Prince Yao may certainly keep this old body here as collateral, with this old body’s very life as the pledge,” Nanny Qin said in earnest. She knew that with such a vast gap in strength between them, playing games with Jun Beiyue would only ever end badly for herself.
“Your life isn’t worth much,” Jun Beiyue said bluntly, without ceremony. “Once the imprinted copy is in this prince’s hands, this prince will withdraw the troops.”
As if afraid Jun Beiyue might change his mind, Nanny Qin hastily said, “Very well! This old body hopes Prince Yao’s word is as good as gold! Farewell!”
The corner of Jun Beiyue’s mouth curved slightly, but he said no more.
Of course he had no intention of stopping Nanny Qin, nor of haggling further — because in truth he had been holding on this whole time, and he couldn’t afford to drag things out any longer. If he did, he would give himself away. The cold poison had already gathered again, sealing off many of his meridians.
Watching Nanny Qin leave, Jun Beiyue finally exhaled a long breath.
A mere northern frontier plateau — its position was good, but it wouldn’t affect the overall situation. Leaving Eastern Qin to stand as a buffer for Da Zhou against the Xiongnu’s front door seemed, in fact, not a bad choice.
Of course, all of this still depended on how the negotiations went at the peace conference — for now, he had no spare thought to give it.
All that mattered now was starting over, and driving out the cold poison as quickly as possible.
He wondered whether Sha Qiuzi had managed to find Ziqing yet…