Huzi knew that his prince was currently in a fit of anger and didn’t dare ask too many questions. He simply took a broom and dustpan to sweep the floor clean, then instructed someone to bring in fresh charcoal braziers, and personally brewed a pot of light tea for Pang Xiao.

Seeing that Pang Xiao’s expression had somewhat cleared, Huzi finally voiced the doubts in his heart. “Why would His Majesty suddenly think of peace talks? We’ve been holding the advantage in the war all along. If anyone should be seeking peace, it ought to be Great Yan, not us. Why must we be the ones to propose this first?”

Pang Xiao lifted his robes and settled into the round-backed chair, the corners of his lips curving into a mocking arc. “Isn’t it quite obvious?”

Huzi scratched his head. “Master, I don’t understand.”

“We’ve been at war with Northern Ji for many years, and after victory, we took over a complete mess of devastation. Then we went to war with Great Yan again, and the northern Tatars have been continuously raiding our borders, burning, killing, and plundering. Ji Zeyu’s garrison in the north also needs provisions for men and horses. How much silver do you think remains in our national treasury?”

“But, but our Great Zhou has strong soldiers and sturdy horses…”

“No matter how strong the soldiers or how sturdy the horses, they need to eat their fill to have the strength to fight. When His Majesty ascended the throne, he immediately declared war on Great Yan – was it truly just to unify the realm?”

Huzi blinked his large eyes, and after a long while let out a drawn-out “Oh!”

“I understand now! His Majesty has his eye on Great Yan’s fertile lands, and since they’re soft persimmons, he wants to use war to sustain war.”

Pang Xiao poured himself a cup of tea and slowly sipped it.

Huzi paced around on the ground for a few circles, then slapped his forehead. “This time His Majesty doesn’t truly want peace talks either, does he? Most likely the silver at the front lines isn’t enough, so he’s temporarily claiming peace talks, first coaxing out a sum of silver to continue beating those soft persimmons of the Yan court?”

Pang Xiao nodded, staring at the white porcelain teacup in his hands, his gaze unfathomable.

“Tsk tsk, this is getting interesting now. Those useless fools of the Yan court are desperate for peace talks with us. This time they’re probably coming with twelve times the sincerity, otherwise that old dog Yuchi wouldn’t have made Qin Huaiyuan offer up Fourth Miss Qin. If the peace talks succeed but they discover they’ve been deceived, won’t that stir up their people’s indignation?”

“The Yan court’s popular indignation was stirred up long ago.” Pang Xiao’s long, callused fingers turned the teacup one rotation at a time. “That old dog Yuchi dotes on his demonic empress and harms loyal officials. Whether it’s Imperial Physician Tang’s death, Sun Yuanming’s death, or the complete annihilation of Duke Dingguo’s household, each and every one of these incidents shows the people of Great Yan how incompetent their muddle-headed ruler is, how he disregards the lives and deaths of his people and soldiers out of cowardice, and how whenever he faces danger, he pushes his subjects out to block the knife for him. After all this, the military and civilians of Great Yan have long lost all hope in their muddle-headed ruler. And this is exactly what our emperor wants.”

Huzi said with understanding, “So that’s why His Majesty demanded Sun Yuanming’s brains back then – to prevent the Yan people’s anger from being released, making them hate their muddle-headed ruler even more?”

“Correct.”

With this explanation, Huzi understood everything even more clearly.

This round of peace talks wasn’t just about swindling silver to use Great Yan’s money to fight Great Yan, but also to use Qin Huaiyuan’s good reputation to once again stir up Great Yan’s military and civilian dissatisfaction with their muddle-headed ruler.

Last time, to please Great Zhou, the muddle-headed ruler and demonic empress demanded the brains of the great talent Sun.

This time they simply threw away all face – grown men actually hiding behind a woman’s skirts, pushing out a beautiful young girl.

Even if that old dog Yuchi felt at peace with himself, any Great Yan man with even a shred of backbone would only feel humiliation and fury.

After all, Great Zhou had just executed twenty thousand Great Yan prisoners! Twenty thousand fine men could never return home!

These twenty thousand people had parents, relatives, and friends.

The hatred of murder runs deeper than the sea, yet instead of avenging them, their muddle-headed ruler killed all the men of Duke Dingguo’s household to please Great Zhou, and now he was even offering up Grand Preceptor Qin’s daughter!

Under such circumstances, if Great Yan still wanted to unite from top to bottom, it would be even more difficult.

Huzi couldn’t help but give Emperor Zhou a thumbs up for his shrewdness.

“His Majesty is truly brilliant! But what do you plan to do this time? Last time when you refused to massacre the city, His Majesty immediately ordered the execution of Great Yan prisoners, still achieving his goal of frightening that old dog Yuchi while conveniently stripping you of your Grand Marshal position. If you interfere again this time, His Majesty will be even more furious. Who knows what might happen then – your Huben Army fights too fiercely and only obeys your commands, which has long made people wary.”

“No matter what, Fourth Miss Qin can only be mine.” Pang Xiao set down his teacup with certainty.

“I knew Master definitely likes Fourth Miss Qin!”

Pang Xiao sneered coldly. “Who says I like her?”

“Ah?” Huzi stared with his mouth agape in surprise.

“Can’t I keep her by my side to look at like a painting?”

Huzi lowered his head and secretly pursed his lips. “Fine, whatever Master says goes.”

Pang Xiao’s long index finger tapped the tabletop, and after a moment he said, “Ever since I was injured saving her, she’s only sent her maid to check on my condition, never once coming to see me herself. Is this how one treats a lifesaver? Tomorrow you tell Bingtang to inform her young miss that if Fourth Miss Qin won’t come see me, I’ll go to her door to see her.”

With that, Pang Xiao stood and walked toward the inner chamber.

Huzi pursed his lips again.

Still saying he doesn’t like her? Just look at how abnormal his behavior has become.

Someone who previously showed no interest in women was now actually playing the rogue and rolling around to force a young lady to come see him!

If the Old Madam and Grand Madam knew about this, they’d probably grin so wide their mouths would be crooked.

Amitabha Buddha, finally their precious son (grandson) doesn’t have the strange habit of sharing peaches with men!

At this time in the capital city, news that Great Zhou had actively sought peace, that the Emperor had arranged for Grand Preceptor Qin to preside over the talks, and had even ordered Grand Preceptor Qin to offer up his legitimate daughter had already created a storm throughout the city.

Nobody knew exactly who was spreading it, but everyone was saying: Great Zhou’s Minister of War, some Lord Lian, was a lustful man with sadistic tendencies who had tortured and killed countless young girls as beautiful as flowers.

This news instantly spawned several versions, each iteration more horrifying than the last, making many women and families with daughters break into cold sweats for Grand Preceptor Qin’s daughter.

The soldiers in the army, commoners, examination candidates, and court officials with any conscience were already grieving over the misfortune that had befallen the lifelong warrior Duke Dingguo’s entire household. Now hearing again that Duke Dingguo’s granddaughter was to be sent to an old lecher for defilement, with not only her chastity in danger but her very life at risk, everyone was beside themselves with fury!

Many teahouses and wine shops had people secretly discussing this matter, cursing the muddle-headed ruler. This forced the Emperor to send yamen officials to patrol the streets, arresting everywhere those treasonous subjects who dared speak ill of His Majesty. For a time, the entire capital was shrouded in a tense atmosphere.

In the Qin household, Qin Yining naturally also received the news.

Unlike Madam Sun, who fainted from fright upon hearing this, and unlike Bingtang and Song Lan, who cried until their eyes were swollen, she appeared very composed and calm, even able to sleep peacefully through the night.

The next morning, just as Qin Yining had risen, she heard a maid outside reporting: “Fourth Miss, someone from the Master’s side has been waiting outside since before dawn. They say it’s the Master’s instruction, requesting that you join him for breakfast in the outer courtyard.”