“I demand that you cede Gua Zhou and twelve border cities of Cloud Pei as conditions for a ceasefire!” Qing Yun said.
Na Zhan laughed loudly, “That’s impossible!”
Hearing this, Qing Yun also laughed coldly, “Indeed, his life isn’t worth that much!” As he spoke, Ji Hua’s broadsword obediently rested on Na Yanxing’s neck. “Shall I help you kill him?”
Seeing this turn of events, Na Zhan remained silent for a while, then sighed and said, “I’m surprised how you managed to capture him. I’ve been searching for him for seven years without a single lead! However, if I were you, I wouldn’t play this card so early!”
Qing Yun’s face turned cold upon hearing this, “If I were you, I wouldn’t send any diplomatic mission to Mizan at this time! You’re quite surprising yourself, aren’t you?”
Na Zhan caught the hidden meaning in these words. As if suddenly regaining his advantage, he smiled and leaned back in his chair, interlocking his hands, mirroring Qing Yun’s posture.
“My Queen Guanying is a very charming woman. I didn’t expect that even a hero like King Jing Tian would be so affected by her!” Na Zhan said with a smile.
Qing Yun’s brow furrowed deeper, “Oh? You seem quite at ease. Is it your hobby to send your wife into the hands of bandits?”
Na Zhan’s gaze sharpened, and he said calmly, “How interesting. Sending her to Mizan was merely to draw Ruo Wen away. But now it seems to have had an additional effect. Do you like her that much? Enough to meet with me for negotiations at the height of the war? It seems I’ve overestimated you as an opponent.” His words were filled with undisguised sarcasm, his eagle-like eyes staring fiercely at Qing Yun.
“How long have you been together? A day? Two days? Not even a month, right? Have you slept with her? How many times? I’m truly amazed at how righteous you are in confronting me. Have you forgotten she’s my wife? Her name will be engraved on Cloud Pei’s founding stone for this lifetime!” As he spoke, he took a sip of tea, his movements neither hurried nor slow.
Hearing this, Ji Hua swiftly turned the broadsword from Na Yanxing’s neck to point at Na Zhan, his eyes flashing with hostility. Of course, Guang Zhaoyun, standing behind Na Zhan, wouldn’t tolerate this, and his long sword was immediately unsheathed, fiercely meeting Ji Hua’s blade.
“You seem to have forgotten…”
Amidst the tense atmosphere, Qing Yun’s low laugh broke the silence, “You seem to have forgotten that I’m the one setting the conditions!”
Faced with Na Zhan’s sarcasm, Qing Yun looked self-satisfied. He also took a sip of tea and smiled, “That’s right, I do like her. Not being able to have her makes me want her more. What of it? Which man hasn’t loved a beauty before? There’s no shame in it. On the contrary, it’s you who should be ashamed, of using a woman who submits to you for military tactics. I should be the disappointed one, shouldn’t I?”
Na Zhan felt somewhat irritated by this implicit criticism, “Speak up! What do you want?”
Qing Yun smiled, “I’ve already told you.”
Na Zhan also smiled, “And I’ve already said, that’s impossible! If you don’t want to waste time, propose conditions that both sides can accept. Otherwise, we’ll both perish, and history will judge the victor and the vanquished on the battlefield!”
Qing Yun looked at Na Zhan, knowing in his heart that he would never agree to those conditions. A cornered dog will leap over a wall, a fish will thrash when dying. Mere Na Jingyi’s son wasn’t enough to destroy the prosperous kingdom Na Zhan had built with his own hands.
After pondering for a moment, Qing Yun said coldly, “Snow Plain, Gua Zhou, Weak Water, Jian Du, these four fallen cities will belong to Tiandu! Moreover, there will be a thirty-day ceasefire between the two countries! My conditions are that simple!”
Hearing this, Na Zhan sneered, “Taking four fallen cities, just 300 li from Cloud Pei’s border, yet not promising a complete ceasefire? Do you call these simple conditions? After thirty days, you can still bring your troops to our gates, and you’ll have occupied the best positions, firing directly onto Cloud Pei’s soil. Isn’t that a bit selfish?”
Qing Yun snorted with laughter, “If you’re so afraid of me, you can surrender now!”
Na Zhan glanced sideways at Na Yanxing, who was being firmly restrained nearby, then turned back and said, “In fact, I have other options, don’t I? For instance, I could destroy the flag, refuse negotiations, and we could fight for three years or so. Cloud Pei certainly has that capability!”
Qing Yun took a sip of tea, looking at his reflection in the cup, “Don’t waste time. I don’t mind killing someone here.”
Na Zhan’s expression turned cold, and he finally fell silent.
In 318 CE, the 34th King of Cloud Pei, Na Jing, passed away, leaving behind nine concubines and seventeen sons. Only the seventeenth prince, Na Yanxing, was his biological son, not yet four years old, illiterate, and without support. The Grand King Na Qida, prioritizing the nation’s foundation, resolutely chose Na Zhan as king, bestowing upon him a scroll of nation-building strategies, and then passed away.
This earth-shattering secret was gradually buried along with Na Qida’s departure. From then on, the one sitting in Guanghan Hall receiving three kowtows and nine bows was no longer of Cloud Pei’s true dragon bloodline, but Na Zhan, whom the Grand King had picked up during his travels in the desert. Na Zhan was a born genius. In thirteen years of personal rule, he had made Cloud Pei dominate the world, establishing achievements surpassing any king in history. The people’s worship and protection of him reached unprecedented heights. However, to this day, no one knows that this seemingly perfect king has no royal bloodline. It truly fulfills the wise Rong Ruo’s verse: Blood doesn’t hinder fate, people don’t follow a doomed ruler!
Na Zhan held deep respect and gratitude for the Grand King. To fulfill his wishes, he exhausted himself, managing countless affairs daily, never a day without laboring for state matters. To this day, his actions could be said to be beyond reproach in the eyes of heaven and earth. However, there was one thing that troubled him—the whereabouts of the late king’s only son, Na Yanxing, remained unknown despite seven years of searching.
An enemy, if unable to perceive the most vulnerable scar in your heart, cannot truly become your enemy.
Without damaging Cloud Pei’s territory, exchanging the life of this innocent, secluded prince for four fallen cities and a thirty-day ceasefire—even if Na Zhan was extremely reluctant, he would have to nod in agreement to such conditions. They both knew that for the sake of beauty, it was King Jing Tian who was at a disadvantage.
Na Zhan adjusted his sitting posture and, seeing the obvious anger in Qing Yun’s eyes, said with a bitter smile, “Let’s sign the agreement then! You must hand him over to me, and only then will I agree!”
Qing Yun sat up straight and said calmly, “The person will be released after thirty days. It will be written in the agreement.”
Na Zhan looked at him, “How do I know you won’t go back on your word after thirty days and use this tactic again?”
Qing Yun laughed loudly, “If this tactic still works after thirty days, then you truly are incompetent!”
As he spoke, Tiandu’s civil official, Shaman Wu Jishi Hun Ran, walked in from outside, carrying a tray with a stack of brocade scrolls on it.
Na Zhan watched as Hun Ran opened the brocade scroll before him. The already written ceasefire agreement was reflected in his eyes. With a sigh, he finally removed the jade ring from his thumb and stamped the Cloud Pei royal seal on it. He had lost this game of chess again.
Seeing that he had stamped the document, Qing Yun stood up to leave, but Na Zhan called out to him, “One last question, how were you so certain I would agree to your conditions, just for him?”
Qing Yun turned back with a light laugh, “If that were the case, you wouldn’t have agreed to peace talks in the first place. This is karma, Na Zhan, karma for you using Huang Beishuang!”
“Karma, is it?” Na Zhan looked up at him, “If it weren’t for Queen Guanying being a thorn in your heart, you would have played the Na Yanxing card only after entering our territory. Then I would have been truly helpless, wouldn’t I?”
“Hmph!” Qing Yun gave him a hateful glance, no longer bothering to respond. He strode out, his resounding voice carrying an unspoken urgency, “Ji Hua, leave your 70,000 men here to garrison and monitor Cloud Pei! Liao Zhen, mobilize the troops immediately and head to Fen Tian! Not a moment’s delay!” As he spoke, their figures gradually receded into the distance.