Huo Wei pressed his tongue against his back teeth and said impatiently, "Femme fatale, don't test my patience."
Du Gu Luanyue asked, "Is this thing extremely important to you?"
Huo Wei replied, "Yes."
She rolled her eyes and asked again, "How important? Tell me."
"As important as my life."
This thing was left by his late mother. There was another one with his younger brother, but his brother had gone missing years ago. It was the token for them to recognize each other as brothers.
His mother had told him that this dagger was as important as his life and held the secret of the downfall of their family.
Du Gu Luanyue let out a charming laugh. "It seems to be something left by a woman. Then I definitely won't give it back."
Huo Wei tightened his fingers. "Do you believe I'll strangle you right now!" He added, "Quickly take out the dagger!"
Du Gu Luanyue frowned slightly and said in pain, "I can give you the dagger, but I have a condition."
Huo Wei let go of his hand. "Speak."
She took a few steps back and gasped for several breaths. She put away her charming smile and said seriously,
"Prince of Yuzhang, it was you who proposed the plan for Northern Yan to attack Southern Chu. As long as you abandon this plan, I'll return the dagger to you. I can even help you more."
For a young general like Huo Wei who had fought his way up from the bottom, fame and fortune were very important to him, and the desire for them was insatiable.
As long as Huo Wei agreed to her condition, she could help him achieve what he wanted in the court.
Huo Wei sneered. "Delusion."
He must attack Southern Chu, for only by going to war could he gain more troops and generals of Northern Yan.
For more than a decade, he had changed his name and endured humiliation to reach this day, all for revenge.
If he didn't attack Southern Chu, he would only have influence in the west. When could he ever avenge his family?
Du Gu Luanyue's eyes turned sharp.
"Huo Wei, you've been waging wars all day long, bullying the weak and destroying countries, making the common people homeless.
Your so - called great achievements are nothing but evil deeds built on the bones of countless common people. What makes you so arrogant? One day when you go to hell, countless souls will come to collect debts from you!"
Huo Wei stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes menacing. "The femme fatale has been bewitching the emperor all day long. Before, she made the emperor skip morning court for seven days. Now she's talking about the country and the world. It's really laughable."
Just thinking about the day when the gates of Southern Chu would be breached and the flames of war would spread to her people, Du Gu Luanyue could hardly hold back her tears.
"What exactly do you want, Huo Wei? I can fulfill whatever you want, as long as you stop attacking Southern Chu. That's my only condition."
Huo Wei stared at her intently. Yesterday she was wanton and shameless, but today she was so submissive, talking about the righteousness of the country and even crying.
He was about to taunt Du Gu Luanyue, but seeing the beautiful woman weeping weakly, the words just wouldn't come out.
"Attacking Southern Chu is a must." His voice was as cold as iron.
Du Gu Luanyue bit her red lips. Good for you, Huo Wei! You're impervious to both soft and hard tactics!
It didn't matter. As the saying goes, no hero can resist the temptation of a beautiful woman. As long as she was patient enough and beautiful enough, she was confident that she could soften this hard - hearted man. It seemed that she had to take drastic measures.
She reached out to straighten Huo Wei's robe and looked at him with affectionate eyes. "Huo Wei, after you capture Southern Chu, what will you do next?"
Huo Wei pulled her hand away. "What does it matter to you? Femme fatale, quickly return the dagger to me!"
Du Gu Luanyue sobbed a few times. "Isn't it good to just leave it with me? I'll keep it for you."
Huo Wei scoffed. "What's our relationship? Who wants you to keep it for me?"
Du Gu Luanyue took his hand gently and said tenderly,
"If you had returned from Western Liao earlier, I would have already married you.
Huo Wei, I've been in love with you for many years, but you just didn't know. Now hearing that the man I love is going to massacre my motherland, my heart is bleeding."
Huo Wei sneered. "Bring out the dagger, and I'll cut open your heart. It'll start bleeding right away."
Du Gu Luanyue noticed Huo Wei's glance at her bosom and there was a playful smile in her eyes. "Okay. It would be a happy thing to die in the hands of the man I love."
Huo Wei shifted his gaze, pushed her away, and took a few steps back. "If the emperor knew about your words and deeds, you'd be in the cold palace tomorrow."
Du Gu Luanyue's eyes were full of charm. A gentle voice came from behind him.
"You lost your parents when you were young and grew up in the desert in the western border of Northern Yan. You're an orphan.
You joined the army at twelve, became a general at sixteen, led an army to destroy Liao at seventeen, and were crowned a prince at twenty. You're a true son of heaven.
You're used to wearing black robes, but you don't really like the color. You just know that when you're injured and bleeding on the battlefield, wearing black robes won't let the enemy notice your wounds, so you can still intimidate the enemy even when you're on the verge of death.
You've been risking your life to make achievements. I don't know why, but I know your loneliness beneath your pride, your solitude on the marching road, and your sadness of being alone in life and death."
Huo Wei's jaw tightened. He turned back and glared at her. "Have you said enough?" This woman actually spied on him!
Du Gu Luanyue continued, "I know all about your past. My love for you has never been a lie.
When I was in Southern Chu before, I secretly sent people to inquire about you. I even told the emperor if you could be the prince - consort of Southern Chu.
Who would have thought that fate would play such a trick on us? Now I'm your elder. You have a weak foundation in the court of Northern Yan and no one to help you in the harem. Don't be afraid. As long as I'm in the harem of Northern Yan, you'll have someone to rely on."
She took out a silk handkerchief from her sleeve and wiped away her tears. The beautiful woman's weeping was like the withered pear blossoms in spring, gentle yet full of pity.
Huo Wei pursed his lips. The hatred on his face softened a bit. "Who needs your concern? I'm here for the dagger."
The silk handkerchief in Du Gu Luanyue's hand fell to the ground. Her eyes turned red. "The eight - treasure glazed stone on the dagger was broken. I took it to repair it, and then you came and shouted at me."
Huo Wei had never seen a woman shed so many tears. He felt annoyed and didn't like the continuous flow of tears. He bent down to pick up the silk handkerchief and handed it to her. "How many days will it take to repair?"
Du Gu Luanyue didn't reach out to take the silk handkerchief. She said in a low voice, "Then how often will you come to see me?"
Huo Wei straightened his chest and said seriously, "You're the queen of Northern Yan, and I'm the adopted son of the emperor. You're my elder. Do you know what you're saying?"
Du Gu Luanyue lifted her skirt and walked back to the phoenix throne, curling up on it.
"I know, but I just want to see you. Can't you just come and visit me like you're paying respects?"
She knew that Huo Wei was not a superficial man. If she only tried to seduce him with her looks and body, it would be difficult to succeed.
She might as well change her strategy. From the outside to the inside, from the body to the heart, she would hold this lonely soul in her hands and see if he could withstand this drastic measure.
Huo Wei's cold black eyes looked over. He still held her silk handkerchief in his hand. "I'll come for the dagger in three days."
Du Gu Luanyue's delicate eyebrows moved. She stood up on the phoenix throne and looked forward like a little girl.
"I want to eat the pastries from a shop in the imperial city of Northern Yan. They have rose jam in them. Can you send them into the palace for me?"