“Since this matter has been settled, this old slave won’t disturb you further. Old Madam Wang, please take good care of yourself. The Wang family’s good days… are yet to come!”

After Wei Zhong finished speaking, he bowed to Old Madam Wang, withdrew from the main room, went to the side room to bow to Fourth Madam Wang Shi, and then took his leave.

That Wang Dingkun and Wang Liu Shi couple were pale as death, desperately pleading with Fourth Madam Wang Shi. Nanny Guan protected Wang Shi behind her, and seeing Wei Zhong leave, she escorted Wang Shi back into the main room to see Old Madam Wang.

Wang Dingkun and Wang Liu Shi tried to follow, but were blocked by the guards. The couple had just called out “Aunt” when the guards drew their swords, frightening them so much that they hurriedly fled from Changsong Courtyard.

Wang Shi worried that Bai Qingyan, to protect Bai Qingjue’s marriage prospects, had said something about using the Wang family as an example… and that her mother couldn’t handle it. As soon as Wang Shi entered, Old Madam Wang grasped her daughter’s hand and began to cry, startling Wang Shi and making Nanny Qin’s eyelids jump.

But then Old Madam Wang raised her hand to stroke her daughter’s hair, choking up: “I originally thought my daughter was ill-fated, having married her ideal husband… but he was always away at war, and now my son-in-law passed away at such a young age, and even Little Seventeen…”

When Old Madam Wang mentioned Little Seventeen, it was heart-wrenching pain. Her tears flowed freely as she forced an ugly smile: “But I never expected… even though my son-in-law is gone, my daughter still has someone protecting her! His Majesty… truly shows deep affection and righteousness toward you and A’Jue. Even with A’Jue away, he protects you so well. I, as your mother, am deeply ashamed!”

She was Wang Shi’s birth mother. Knowing full well that Wang Shi had a gentle nature, she had allowed Wang Shi to be manipulated by that couple. Instead, it was her daughter’s nephew-in-law’s niece who couldn’t stand watching and stepped in to protect her.

“Fortunately, you married into the Bai family with such family values! Your father can rest in peace!” Old Madam Wang patted her daughter’s hand.

“Mother, don’t frighten your daughter…” Wang Shi’s face was deathly pale, not understanding what had happened, afraid her mother might do something desperate.

“Don’t be afraid!” Old Madam Wang wiped away her daughter’s tears. “Our Wang family’s good days are ahead! This is what His Majesty said. Mother… must take care of her health, and still needs to see A’Jue get married!”

Hearing her mother say this, Wang Shi immediately burst into tears, nodding repeatedly.

Xiao Rongyan, in order not to arouse suspicion, did not stay long in the palace. After playing with the two children for a while, he left the palace and returned to the guest house.

Inside the guest house, the Yan Kingdom envoys who had nearly failed in negotiations with Da Zhou today were sitting with worried faces, waiting for their Regent to return.

Hearing that their Regent had been kept in the palace by the Da Zhou Emperor, the Yan Kingdom envoys were even more anxious.

When they learned that Xiao Rongyan’s carriage had returned, the Yan Kingdom envoys hurried downstairs to greet him. Upon seeing Xiao Rongyan emerge from the carriage, Yan Kingdom’s Minister of Revenue personally extended his hand to help Xiao Rongyan down, asking: “Your Highness, you weren’t mistreated in the palace, were you?”

The Minister of Revenue hadn’t forgotten that the last time the Regent came out of the palace, he had been injured. Although the Regent didn’t speak of it, these Yan Kingdom ministers couldn’t help but worry.

“Nothing happened, it was just about Zhong Xingxiao’s matter.” Xiao Rongyan walked toward the courtyard while asking, “How did today’s negotiations with Grand Commandant Lu and the others go?”

“Da Zhou presented several demands. First… the National Uncle must remain in Da Zhou until Da Zhou investigates the assassination case of Da Zhou’s Minister of Personnel, Liu. Second… Da Zhou demands hostages, requiring our Yan Kingdom to send Second Prince Murong Ping and General Xie Xun… and also…”

Xiao Rongyan’s steps paused, and he turned to look at the Yan Kingdom Minister of Revenue, his black eyes deep beneath the silver mask: “And? Surely they don’t want the Empress Dowager?”

“Da Zhou wants the Regent as a hostage in Zhou.” The Yan Kingdom Minister of Revenue’s brows were tightly furrowed, his inner rage barely containable. “We’ve heard of taking princes as hostages, but never of demanding a Regent and General as hostages!”

“Now, Da Zhou, using our Yan Kingdom’s past betrayal of alliance and backstabbing as justification, says they fear our Yan Kingdom will again be duplicitous and stab them in the back. Therefore, they must have the Second Prince, General Xie Xun, and Your Highness – these three capable warriors – as hostages in Da Zhou. Otherwise, they say that while our Yan Kingdom appears to want to surrender on the surface, we’re planning to buy time to get through this crisis and have our main forces return to Yan Capital for defense, then wage war with Da Zhou. In that case… Da Zhou would be at a loss!”

What most infuriated the Yan Kingdom Minister of Revenue was that Da Zhou’s reasoning was sound and well-founded. With Yan Kingdom’s precedent of backstabbing, when Da Zhou now said that to demonstrate Yan Kingdom’s sincerity, Yan Kingdom should send its generals as hostages to Da Zhou so both sides could feel secure.

“Indeed, we said that sending our Yan Kingdom’s capable warriors as hostages to Da Zhou – what if Da Zhou plays one game in front and another behind, detains our generals, and then starts a war? How would our Yan Kingdom defend itself?” The deputy to the Minister of Revenue spoke up. “That eloquent woman from Da Zhou, Lu Fenglang, then said that since Da Zhou’s founding, they have never betrayed an alliance, while our Yan Kingdom has betrayed alliances! This sounds nice… but how long has Da Zhou even existed?! ‘Since founding’… how shameless to say such things.”

Xiao Rongyan could tell that this time, all the Yan Kingdom court officials were very frustrated.

“The Second Prince is one thing, General Xie is also acceptable…” The Minister of Revenue’s voice couldn’t suppress his anger. “But who has ever taken a Regent as hostage? Now that His Majesty is young, and the Empress Dowager…”

The Yan Kingdom Minister of Revenue swallowed back the words “confused” that had reached the tip of his tongue, only saying: “The Empress Dowager is weak, and everything in Yan Kingdom requires the Regent’s decisions. If the Regent is detained here, what surrender can our Yan Kingdom speak of? We might as well directly admit defeat!”

Earlier at Honglu Si, when the Yan Kingdom Minister of Revenue spoke these words in anger, Fan Yugan replied: “Fine… directly admitting defeat isn’t impossible either, but considering Yan Kingdom’s previous natural disasters and man-made calamities, who knows how many bad debts are on the Ministry of Revenue’s books. If you want to directly admit defeat, please have the Minister of Revenue organize Yan Kingdom’s treasury accounts properly. If the treasury is empty… or even owes money to local areas, then please have Yan Kingdom make up the shortfall first, then we can discuss directly admitting defeat and merging into Da Zhou. Da Zhou doesn’t accept junk!”

The Yan Kingdom officials nearly came to blows with Fan Yugan, and for nearly half an hour afterward, both sides engaged in mutual verbal attacks, accomplishing nothing substantial.

Later, it was Wang Hanbing who spoke up to control the situation, and both sides resumed discussing the main topic.

These past few days of negotiating surrender with Da Zhou had been truly… with Yan Kingdom at fault first, and their weaknesses firmly grasped, they lacked confidence and could only endure daily humiliation.

“Regent, this matter requires careful consideration. Da Zhou is now unyielding on every point. Under no circumstances can you be held hostage in Da Zhou. The Second Prince and General Xie are currently our Yan Kingdom’s available great generals. If they are truly held hostage in Da Zhou, our Yan Kingdom would be equivalent to handing over our killing blade to Da Zhou!” Wang Hanbing’s voice was heavy.