"Good! You've got guts. You're truly worthy of being the heir to the Northern Rong royal family! Three thousand li of territory, one-fifth of the Northern Rong land! With such a hefty stake, there's no reason for this prince not to help you."
Only then did Mu Yanming look seriously at the woman opposite. He had to admit that this woman's boldness really impressed him.
Hearing that Mu Yanming had agreed, the woman took out a scroll from her bosom and threw it to him. "I won't let Your Highness engage in an uncertain deal. So, here's the map of the three - thousand - li territory. As long as Your Highness helps me eliminate the traitors in my family, the day I ascend the throne will be the day the contract is signed."
Mu Yanming raised his eyebrows and curled his lips. He opened the scroll and immediately felt even more in awe of the woman in front of him. The three - thousand - li territory was located in the northernmost part of Northern Rong. It was easy to defend but hard to attack and had maintained the border balance for many years.
That meant if he declared himself king in this area, the emperor of the Li State would no longer be able to do anything to him.
Moreover, with his large army and such a favorable terrain, if he attacked Northern Rong again, without its natural best barrier, Northern Rong would be like a pile of loose sand and would be easily defeated.
They would be no match for his brave troops.
Seeing Mu Yanming lost in thought, the red - dressed woman got a bit anxious and asked, "I wonder if Your Highness has seen my sincerity?"
Mu Yanming rolled up the scroll and threw it back to the red - dressed woman.
"Good. Since we're going to cooperate, I have only one requirement. That is, there must be a basic level of mutual trust between allies. If we can't even achieve this, the alliance will fall apart at the first blow!"
The red - dressed woman nodded seriously. She made a fist with her left hand and placed it on her chest. "Your Highness can rest assured. The people of Northern Rong value integrity above all else!"
"Good. How do you want this prince to help you?"
As Mu Yanming asked this question, the woman suddenly lowered her head shyly. After a long while, she blushed and looked at Mu Yanming.
"An arranged marriage!"
Mu Yanming was truly surprised upon hearing this. To be honest, he never expected her to come up with such a solution.
"An arranged marriage between you and this prince?" Mu Yanming looked at the woman with a smile. The woman nodded.
"That's right. Only in this way can I temporarily put my younger brother off guard. Because once I'm married off to a foreign country, he'll think I've withdrawn from the fight for the throne. In fact, I'll just use this time to recuperate. As for why I've chosen Your Highness, the Regent..."
She looked into Mu Yanming's eyes and recalled a battle three years ago. That day, she disguised herself as a man and sneaked into the military camp and then went to the battlefield.
The commander of that battle was Mu Yanming. Although Northern Rong suffered heavy losses in that battle and even lost three cities, she didn't care at all. Instead, a fleeting glance on the battlefield had stolen her heart.
After that, she often sent people to inquire about Mu Yanming's news. Learning that he liked to take a bath in Yubo Lake after training his troops, she disregarded the tense situation between the two armies and went there many times to peek at him.
Once, she almost got caught by Mu Yanming.
However, he must have forgotten all these things by now!
This went on for more than a year, and she enjoyed every moment of it. But one day, the spy told her that the Li State's army had broken camp and seemed to be retreating.
She quickly rushed to Mu Yanming's military camp and only then learned that he had been recalled to the capital.
She knew that once he left, she might never see him again. So, she chased after Mu Yanming all the way to Shenyu Pass regardless of everything. She hoped to tell him her feelings before he left, but...
But even God didn't help her. In the end, she didn't get to see him for the last time.
Although more than three years had passed since that day, the image of him in his silver - white armor, wearing a fox - fur cloak and shining brightly, had always lingered in her mind.
"Why?" Seeing that she stopped talking and got lost in thought again, Mu Yanming asked.
She was pulled back to reality by Mu Yanming's voice. She coughed awkwardly, and then put on a teasing look. "Because Your Highness, the Regent, has a handsome face like polished jade and eyes as bright as stars. Every move of yours is like that of a god. You're a rare and handsome man in this world."
Mu Yanming knew at once that he had been teased by her. Although he wasn't angry, he still kept a straight face and said nothing.
"By the way, I haven't told Your Highness yet. My name is Ata Huan. You can call me Huan'er."
Huan'er...
The face of Mo Qinghuan suddenly flashed through Mu Yanming's mind, and in an instant, many pictures appeared.
The way she smiled, got angry, was serious, and especially the way she raised her eyebrows and smiled brightly was always in his heart.
Mu Yanming sighed softly. He wondered how she was doing now. Had she recognized Lu Zixiu pretending to be him? After recognizing him, did she miss him...
Ata Huan frowned and averted her eyes when she saw Mu Yanming like this, because she knew what this expression of Mu Yanming meant.
Frowning one moment and relaxing the next, it was clearly the look of someone thinking about their beloved...
Because in the past three years, she had sat in front of the mirror countless times to see what she looked like when she missed him.
"I heard that the Regent is married. Since an arranged marriage is such a major matter, shouldn't Your Highness go back and discuss it with the Regent's wife before making a decision?"
Mu Yanming smiled. The corner of his mouth lifted into a beautiful arc, and under the refraction of the sunlight, Ata Huan was momentarily in a daze.
"She..." wouldn't mind at all, "Regarding the arranged marriage, this prince will send the border - guarding general to talk to your younger brother. As for you, since you're in such a dangerous situation, come back to the Li State with this prince now."
Ata Huan tilted her head. She was obviously very satisfied with Mu Yanming's arrangement.
"I understand that Your Highness is eager to return, but could Your Highness please give me one day? Before I leave, I still have some other things to arrange."
Mu Yanming grunted. "Good. Then this prince will wait for the princess at the Guiqu Lailai Inn between the two camps."
"Okay." Ata Huan placed her hand on her chest again. After smiling at Mu Yanming, she rode away on her horse.
Mu Yanming watched the woman and murmured, "Huan'er..."
...
In the capital of the Li State, Mo Qinghuan sent Bai Ke to the market to investigate the people who bought kerosene, while she locked herself in the Qingting Courtyard.
She leaned against the diagnosis table. There were books, writing brushes, ink, a pulse pillow, and a vase carefully selected by Dan'er on the table. The vase was empty now, but she planned to put some artificial flowers in it after she finished dealing with the current matters.
As for other places, the basic items needed for diagnosis had already been placed. Most importantly, the partition she asked for had been set up by Bai Ke.
Moreover, one could lock it from the inside after entering, which greatly improved the safety. She didn't have to worry about being discovered when she locked herself in the space to do experiments.