Lu Tianzhuo’s body trembled, not daring to lift his head. He knew that although Li Zhijie appeared unrestrained and tolerant, he was a man of his word, and this matter likely left no room for maneuvering.

“Don’t you want revenge? If the princess remains in Jin for a political marriage, you’ll stay with the princess in Jin. Won’t there be more opportunities for revenge then!” Li Zhijie’s lips curved in a cold, thin smile. “At least you won’t have disappointed your adoptive father, and you’ll have fulfilled our master-servant bond.”

Lu Tianzhuo knew that Li Zhijie’s decision not to kill him was already an act of tremendous mercy.

“Thank you… Your Highness.” Lu Tianzhuo kowtowed.

“Your Highness!” Li Zhijie’s Xiliang guard rushed in hurriedly. Upon seeing Lu Tianzhuo kneeling on the ground, he was momentarily stunned before reporting to Li Zhijie, “That General Bai from Jin has arrived, alone…”

“Faster than expected!” Li Zhijie raised his hand to touch the wound near his heart, lowering his gaze to stare at Lu Tianzhuo, who remained kneeling. “So… is the second son of the Bai family, Bai Qingqiong, alive or dead?”

Lu Tianzhuo’s voice was calm and gentle: “Already beheaded at my adoptive father’s grave…”

Li Zhijie looked down at Lu Tianzhuo: “What are you still kneeling here for? Since you want to sow discord between Jin’s ruler and ministers… why don’t you find a way to inform Jin’s Crown Prince about Bai Qingyan’s private meeting with this prince?”

“Yes!” Lu Tianzhuo quickly rose and respectfully withdrew.

Li Zhijie saw Bai Qingyan in neat riding attire, with a quiver at her waist and holding the Sun-Shooting Bow. He chuckled softly: “Princess Zhenguo…”

“Is my second brother in Prince Yan’s hands?” Bai Qingyan stood several zhang away from Li Zhijie.

“When Xiliang soldiers were cleaning the battlefield, they picked up this thumb ring. Seeing it wasn’t an ordinary item, they turned it in. Unexpectedly, someone recognized it as belonging to the second young master of the Bai family, so it was sent to Princess Zhenguo’s mansion.” Li Zhijie smiled lightly.

Bai Qingyan swiftly drew an arrow, her expression grave as she pulled a full bow aimed at Li Zhijie: “So Prince Yan used my second brother’s thumb ring to deceive me here. Do you want to set a trap to kill me? Or… do you want to sow mutual suspicion between Jin’s ruler and ministers, preferably making the Emperor abandon me? Prince Yan’s schemes are truly shallow!”

“Shallow doesn’t matter – if it’s useful, it’s a good scheme.” Li Zhijie’s lips curved into a smile. “Of course, if Princess Zhenguo kills this prince here, and Princess Zhenguo dies here today, Jin presumably won’t wage war against Xiliang again, nor would it have the capability to do so. For this idle prince… to exchange lives with Jin’s great general would be worthwhile.”

Though Li Zhijie’s manner was frivolous, when necessary… he possessed the integrity to sacrifice his life for his Kingdom! But not today.

Bai Qingyan drew the Sun-Shooting Bow even fuller: “I’ll give you one more chance – is my second brother in your hands or not?”

Li Zhijie drew the iron-ribbed folding fan from his waist, tapping it against his palm. Hidden archers emerged from concealment, all aiming their arrows at Bai Qingyan.

Li Zhijie smiled: “Miss Bai, aren’t you afraid that if you kill me, your second brother won’t survive either?”

Bai Qingyan’s expression remained grave: “So does Prince Yan simply want to kill and frame someone, or do you wish to use my second brother to negotiate conditions with me?”

“Princess Zhenguo is straightforward. This prince heard that Emperor Yan wishes to seek the High Righteousness County Princess’s hand in marriage for his brother, the Ninth Prince of Great Yan. Coincidentally, this prince developed feelings for the High Righteousness County Princess during our journey together. Tomorrow, this prince intends to propose this matter at His Majesty’s birthday banquet. I hope Princess Zhenguo can assist this prince in achieving this wish. If so… this prince will naturally return the second son of the Bai family.” Li Zhijie’s peach blossom eyes sparkled with brilliant mirth.

Bai Qingyan’s lips curved upward.

Li Zhijie wanted to establish before the Emperor and Crown Prince that she had close private dealings with Li Zhijie, even reaching some agreement with him – willing to marry her sister to Prince Yan Li Zhijie to consolidate their pact.

Thus, Li Zhijie could both marry Xiao Si and threaten her at will, while also making the Emperor and Crown Prince suspicious of her. What a resounding calculation indeed.

Contrary to Li Zhijie’s expectations, he heard the whistling sound of an arrow cutting through the air. His eyes widened as he retreated two steps, opening his iron-ribbed fan to block, but his speed couldn’t match that of the swift arrow. Not only did he fail to block the fierce, incoming feathered arrow, but the arrowhead pierced directly through Li Zhijie’s recently healed wound, grazing his scapula as it penetrated and knocked him down, driving deep into the tree behind him with the arrow shaft still quivering.

“Your Highness!”

“Who dares move?”

By the time everyone reacted, Bai Qingyan, holding a feathered arrow, had already stepped on Li Zhijie’s chest, drawing her bow full with an arrow aimed at Li Zhijie. If she released… Li Zhijie would die instantly.

“Don’t move!” Li Zhijie clenched his teeth, signaling the archers not to act rashly. Covering his wound, he smiled at Bai Qingyan: “Princess Zhenguo killing Xiliang’s Prince Yan within Jin territory – it seems Princess Zhenguo not only doesn’t want your second brother back, but hopes the two countries will continue warring!”

“If my second brother is already dead, yet I’ve been deceived by you, it would be equivalent to handing you my fourth sister as a weakness. If my second brother is still alive and learns I traded my fourth sister for him, he definitely wouldn’t allow himself to remain living! You shouldn’t have used my second brother to bargain for my fourth sister. You lost because you don’t understand the Bai family’s principles.” Bai Qingyan looked coldly at Li Zhijie.

Li Zhijie’s peach blossom eyes contracted.

“Might as well tell Prince Yan – the gift you sent to my mansion has already reached the Crown Prince! My fourth sister should have already made it known to everyone that Prince Yan holds my second brother! During negotiations, you never mentioned having my second brother in your hands. Instead, after the peace treaty was signed, you used my second brother to secretly arrange a meeting with me. Tell me… even if I kill you today, who in Great Jin would blame me? Xiliang would probably owe Great Jin an explanation!”

Li Zhijie’s expression changed slightly, forcing a smile: “Just because you say that’s a gift I sent doesn’t make it so, does it? Couldn’t it be that Miss Bai, harboring resentment after I sowed discord between you and the Crown Prince at Qiushan Pass, intends to frame me for your murderous purposes?”

Bai Qingyan’s lips curved, her eyes filled with killing intent: “Then let’s see whether the Crown Prince believes you, an enemy prince, or me, Princess Zhenguo who serves Jin loyally!”

Seeing Bai Qingyan’s hand about to release the bowstring, Li Zhijie’s pupils trembled: “Don’t you want your second brother to live?”

“Swear by your Xiliang Heaven God that my second brother is in your hands and still alive!” Bai Qingyan’s eyes held a terrifying, murderous aura.

Hearing the words “Heaven God,” all the Xiliang archers slightly lowered their heads, then raised them again with eyes full of fury fixed on Bai Qingyan.

Li Zhijie clenched his teeth, staring at Bai Qingyan.

Xiliang people worshipped the Heaven God from childhood. Their reverence and worship of the Heavenly God was ingrained in every Xiliang person’s bones. To lie while swearing by the Heaven God was blasphemy – Xiliang people would rather die than blaspheme the Heaven God.

At Youhua Road, he couldn’t swear the oath. Now, he still couldn’t swear it.

“As expected…” Though her heart twisted with unbearable pain, Bai Qingyan’s eyes remained calm as still water.

“Make that bastard Xiliang Prince Yan Li Zhijie hand over my second brother!”