"I've found that you're really different from others," Wu Yurou took a deep breath. "I have no regrets about losing to you."
Su Mingyu gave a faint smile. "Actually, there's no such thing as winning or losing. Matters of the heart are all about mutual consent. What others say doesn't count for much."
But as they were on this topic, Su Mingyu remembered something. "Last time, King Yu told me that the child in your belly was Gu Ruobai's... Why did he say that?"
Wu Yurou was first taken aback, then let out a wry laugh. "King Yu actually wanted to use this as a ploy to drive a wedge between you and Gu Ruobai."
Su Mingyu more or less understood what was going on after hearing this. She squinted and smiled. "Of course I didn't let him succeed. My trust in Gu Ruobai can't be eroded by such a small misunderstanding. Moreover, I never believed his words from the start."
Looking at Su Mingyu like this, Wu Yurou really felt inferior. "I'm no match for you after all."
"There's no need to compare," Su Mingyu said, raising her eyebrows. "I just believe that he would never do such a thing."
Wu Yurou shrugged and suddenly grabbed Su Mingyu's hand and placed it on her belly.
Su Mingyu was startled at first, but when she felt the soft cotton there, she immediately understood.
Withdrawing her hand, Su Mingyu looked at Wu Yurou and they exchanged a knowing smile. "Does King Yu know that your pregnancy is fake?"
"Of course not," Wu Yurou squinted. "If he thought I was really pregnant, I'd have to find a father for the child in my belly. Do you think King Yu could bear his princess having a child with someone else?"
"Why couldn't he?" Su Mingyu blurted out almost without thinking. "A man like him doesn't care about raising someone else's son. He just wants to achieve his own goals. Once he truly ascends the throne, how many sons can't he have?"
As she spoke, Su Mingyu told Wu Yurou about how King Yu had swapped Su Yueyue's child.
Wu Yurou covered her mouth in surprise. After a long while, she said dejectedly, "I'm sorry. I never thought my fake pregnancy would cause such great harm to others."
Although Wu Yurou had clashed with her in many ways, she was indeed an upright person. So Su Mingyu patted her on the shoulder. "I know. This has nothing to do with you. It's just King Yu's personal desires at play."
"Then... what on earth should I do now to obtain his secrets?" Wu Yurou seemed to be comforted. Her eyes were no longer as panicked as before. Instead, they were filled with determination.
"How did you know about his plan to rebel?" Su Mingyu was a bit confused. Logically speaking, for such a major matter, even if King Yu was fully confident, he shouldn't let others know.
"I... actually, I just guessed," Wu Yurou bit her lower lip. "Because he suddenly came to see me yesterday. It seemed from his tone that he wanted to borrow troops from our country."
Su Mingyu understood. Borrowing troops was such a major matter that it could only be an exchange between two countries. How could two people contact each other privately? This was obviously fishy.
"Do you have any trustworthy acquaintances in your country?" Su Mingyu's eyes lit up as she came up with a plan.
"I have a childhood sweetheart..." Wu Yurou didn't understand why she was asking this.
"Since he wants to borrow troops, let's find someone who can lend him troops," Su Mingyu's dark eyes sparkled.
Wu Yurou thought for a moment and immediately understood. "You want me to find someone to act with me and then deceive him into revealing his military secrets?"
Su Mingyu nodded. "But that person must be someone with a certain prestige in your country."
Wu Yurou understood. "After all, King Yu is a very cautious person. If we find an ordinary person to act with me, he might see through it."
"So, you need to write a letter first. Go back and find that person you can trust completely, and then discuss with him. You should seem reluctant but also a bit willing when dealing with King Yu."
As she spoke, Su Mingyu lowered her voice and leaned over to whisper in Wu Yurou's ear. "Most importantly, the price you ask for must not be too low. This is a big deal that might even lead to a conflict between the two countries. If you agree for just a small profit, King Yu will surely be suspicious."
Wu Yurou nodded. "It seems you've thought more deeply than me."
"Then I'll go back and make arrangements first," Wu Yurou said as she got up. After saying goodbye to Su Mingyu, her complexion improved significantly, and even her steps were lighter.
Watching Wu Yurou leave, Su Mingyu frowned slightly. "Xia Mian! Xia Mian!"
Not long after, Xia Mian walked up nervously. "My lady, what's the matter?"
"Xia Mian, I remember... you once said that there were quite a few people in the mansion who liked the clothes from our Sinan Pavilion, right?"
"Yes... but I've also tempted them with the clothes. They're not willing to take such a big risk for just a few pieces of clothing," Xia Mian frowned, looking a bit dejected.
"It doesn't matter. You go and tell King Yu that as the weather is getting colder day by day, I want new clothes, and only those from our Sinan Pavilion," Su Mingyu looked at Xia Mian, her eyes glinting with calculation.
"This..." Xia Mian was a bit hesitant. "Will King Yu agree?"
"Don't worry. It's just making a few clothes. He'll still give me this much freedom," Su Mingyu leaned over and whispered something in Xia Mian's ear. Only then did Xia Mian bite her lower lip and nod.
King Yu was reading in the study when he suddenly heard the maid outside say that Su Mingyu wanted to see him. This was the first time Su Mingyu had voluntarily asked to see him since she was locked up.
King Yu didn't think much and put down the paper and pen in his hand, then walked towards Su Mingyu's courtyard.
But when he entered the courtyard, all he saw were pieces of torn clothes on the ground.
"What's going on!" King Yu's face darkened.
Seeing this, Xia Mian quickly walked up. "Greetings to Your Highness."
King Yu looked at Xia Mian coldly. "What's this?"
"Your Highness, my lady has been in a bad mood these days... She cut these clothes herself," Xia Mian pursed her lips and pretended to be very scared.
"In a bad mood?" King Yu raised his eyebrows and let out a cold snort from his nose. "Isn't it just because Gu Ruobai left? Is she so heartbroken?"
"It seems it's not all because of that..." Xia Mian lowered her head very low, looking a bit nervous.
"Then what is it?" King Yu looked down at Xia Mian. "If you can't take good care of your lady, you have no reason to stay here."