Bai Hong didn't rush to respond. Instead, he glanced at the chief bandit imperceptibly. The two of them exchanged a tacit look, sizing up the truthfulness of his words.
After a moment's thought, the chief bandit winked at a small-time thug near Chu Junyi and then pointed at the official seal in front of him.
The thug stepped forward to take it, but Chu Junyi quickly put it back on himself.
The thug, taking advantage of his being alone and having hostages as leverage, boldly reached out to grab it.
Unexpectedly, Chu Junyi reached out and grabbed his hand, then forcefully twisted it backward. The thug's wrist was dislocated, not just a complete joint separation but the bone was shattered.
The other thugs got angry and surrounded them. The injured thug covered his broken wrist and let out ear - splitting cries. The whole main hall was filled with his pig - like screams.
The chief bandit and Bai Hong felt quite embarrassed. Angrily slapping the table, they ordered the injured thug to be dragged away and dismissed the subordinates who were about to attack Chu Junyi.
Chu Junyi dusted off his clothes and calmly voiced his dissatisfaction. "Negotiation requires fairness. I've been making all the efforts, while you do nothing but try to seize my official seal. What's the point of this negotiation then?"
"Moreover! If you refuse the amnesty, the imperial army dispatched by the court will soon storm into the stronghold. Compare your numbers with the imperial troops. Who has the upper hand?"
"In today's situation, it's not a matter of you winning or me losing. It's a draw, with both sides having an equal chance of success. That's why we're here to negotiate.
If you insist on refusing to negotiate, the court will have no choice but to send troops to besiege you.
By then, the innocent civilians you've held hostage will surely die, but their sacrifice for the peace and prosperity of the country will not be in vain.
I'll also fear no death and fight to the death with you! You can decide for yourselves!"
After hearing these words, all the merchants and bandits fell silent.
Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Bai Hong smiled and tried to smooth things over. This time, his tone was much more polite than before. "In that case, we'd like to invite Lord Chu to stay on the mountain for a few days. After the imperial edict arrives, we'll go down the mountain together. How about that?"
Chu Junyi's heart sank. He didn't expect that even after saying so much, they still wouldn't fall for it. Now the situation was turning against him.
Should he agree or not?
He couldn't hesitate at this moment. Once he did, his true feelings would be revealed.
If he stayed on the mountain, it would be very difficult for him to escape. And the longer the time dragged on, the more likely the truth would come out.
So, should he agree or not?
Gritting his teeth, Chu Junyi made a decision. "Release the hostages, and I'll stay with you. I can stay as long as you want!"
"That's out of the question." Bai Hong said politely. "We won't feel at ease then. Since you said the court intends to offer amnesty to us, why not wait for the imperial edict together?"
"Who says there's no imperial edict? The imperial edict is here!"
Chu Junyi's pupils dilated in shock. He turned around in disbelief, and his heart, which was already extremely tense, started beating even faster.
Li Xinyue held her head high and walked onto the steps calmly, entered the stronghold, and stepped through the threshold.
She took out a bright imperial edict from behind her waist with her right hand, held it in her palm, twirled it gracefully, and then held it high for everyone to see.
"The imperial edict is here. Everyone, kneel down to receive it!"
Chu Junyi, who had been pretending to be calm, almost lost his composure. He clenched his fist tightly in his sleeve. His eyes were filled with urgency as he tried to find a way out for her.
Yuanyang! What should he say about her?
She had dared to venture into danger alone. Was she tired of living?
Chu Junyi dug his nails into his palm until the stabbing pain brought him back to his senses and calmed his nerves.
Li Xinyue stole a glance at him from the corner of her eye. Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her heart was just as flustered.
Fu Chengyuan's army was waiting outside the mountain, but he was trapped inside. Compared to Fu Chengyuan's strategic advantage of being able to attack or retreat, he was in a desperate situation.
She also wanted to find a way out for him.
"Everyone, the imperial edict is here. Why aren't you kneeling to receive it!"
The bandits and merchants looked at each other, hesitating whether it was real or not.
At this point, Chu Junyi had no choice but to play along. "Your subject receives the imperial edict!"
Li Xinyue unfurled the imperial edict. Looking at him from the corner of her eye, she suddenly felt calm. She read out the imperial edict word by word.
"Now you've all seen the court's sincerity. Where's your sincerity? When will you release the civilians you've held captive?"
Bai Hong looked at the chief bandit, and the chief bandit looked at Bai Hong. There were still doubts in their minds, but they couldn't figure out what was wrong. After all, the imperial edict was right there.
Surely the imperial edict couldn't be fake?
Who would dare to fake an imperial edict!
But they just couldn't feel at ease.
After thinking for a long time, the chief bandit finally asked, "Who are you? Why are you the one to deliver the imperial edict?
Are all the civil and military officials in the court dead? Why don't they deliver it?"
"Do you think I, the noble Princess Yuanyang, am not qualified to deliver the imperial edict to you bandits and merchants? Do you want the emperor to come and bestow the edict on you himself? Hmm?"
Everyone was shocked!
Li Xinyue knew what they were going to ask next, so she decided to speak up before they did.
"I'm sure you all know my relationship with the Fu family." The Fu family had been trying every means to curry favor with her. She didn't believe there was anyone in the whole of Jiangnan who didn't know about their relationship.
"Precisely because of this, I can't just sit back and watch the infighting between the legitimate and illegitimate branches of the Fu family. So I happened to be the one to deliver this imperial edict.
If you keep doubting the court, do you still want to accept the rewards? Do you still want the official positions? Do you still want the amnesty?"
Bai Hong and the others were hesitant after hearing her words.
She was right. If they wanted to accept the amnesty, they would surely have to go out to receive the official positions and rewards. If they didn't go out, how could they take up their posts?
Seeing that there was hope, Li Xinyue continued, "Here's the deal. You release the hostages first. Then send a few people down the mountain to carry the gold, silver, and jewels bestowed by the court.
Lord Fu knows where the things are. After the things are carried up, Princess and Lord Chu will go down the mountain with you to receive the official seals and positions. How about that?"
"This..."
"Okay!" The chief bandit immediately made a decision.
Bai Hong suddenly had nothing to say. He always felt uneasy, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong.
So next, the bandits really went to release the hostages.
Li Xinyue and Chu Junyi were confined in the main hall. Not only were they being watched by several bandit leaders and merchants, but there were also many small - time thugs.
So many pairs of eyes were staring at them. Even the high - and - mighty princess couldn't stand it.
It wasn't fear but discomfort.
She glanced at Chu Junyi.
Chu Junyi was sitting quite far from her. These people were all very shrewd. Since they were already being closely watched, they were afraid that they might cause trouble. So Chu Junyi was sitting at the end of the long table, while Li Xinyue was sitting at the head, the seat usually occupied by the chief bandit.
The chief bandit was sitting next to her, in the deputy's seat.
Li Xinyue's heart was pounding. Logically speaking, everything should be fine by now. After all, these people had completely believed her words. But during the time when they were waiting for all the hostages to go down the mountain, she was still very nervous, afraid that something might go wrong.
She wanted to talk to Chu Junyi, but she couldn't.
Chu Junyi felt the same way, but for her safety, he leaned back in the armchair and closed his eyes to rest. He was afraid that once he opened his eyes, all his emotions would be revealed.
"Princess, how high an official position does one need to marry a princess?"
Chu Junyi's eyelashes trembled, and his hand on the armrest slowly tightened.
Li Xinyue cast a sidelong glance at the chief bandit. She was offended by his words, but for the safety of the hostages, she had to endure it.