Sometimes, words can be extremely hurtful. Just like before a battle between two armies, if the marshals of both sides have fiery tempers, there's bound to be a round of cursing.
At this moment, Si Junlin was extremely sarcastic towards Yu Wenshan. But he also subtly praised the ancestors of the Southern Border for their wisdom and valor. This stark contrast left Yu Wenshan's subordinates completely bewildered.
In fact, a person like Yu Wenshan was never popular. It was likely that she had always treated her subordinates badly.
"A Zhu! Attack!" Seeing that she was about to lose the hearts of her people, Yu Wenshan was eager to shut Si Junlin up. So she and a trusted subordinate rushed forward with their swords in hand.
Naturally, the people Long Xiaojiu brought from the Long family stepped forward to block them. Before they could start fighting, Long Xiaojiu shouted angrily, "Stop right now! Anyone who dares to fight will be imprisoned in the Southern Jail!"
This punishment completely humiliated Yu Wenshan. But she knew that with the queen sitting in the palace, these servants wouldn't dare to act rashly. So she could only leave resentfully, leaving behind a threat that they'd better wait and then marching out with her people.
"Uncle Emperor... I'm so glad you're here." Long Xiaojiu seemed to have reverted to her childish self. She stepped forward and grabbed Su Wan'er's hands, showing extreme intimacy.
Si Junlin gave a light cough to remind them. Not to mention the impropriety of physical contact between a man and a woman in broad daylight, the original owner of this body was watching not far away. It wasn't appropriate for them to act so intimately.
"Si Junlin, you don't have to stay here. Why don't you go back first?" Only then did Su Wan'er remember that he was still there. But she suddenly felt that he was of no use this time, so she wanted to get rid of him.
Si Junlin was immediately furious. How could she be so ungrateful? "You're getting bolder and bolder, woman. I can't leave yet. I still have important matters to attend to."
Su Wan'er tried to negotiate with him. "I'll talk to Xiaojiu alone." This man always looked gloomy when he saw Xiaojiu. It would be so uncomfortable for them to talk with him watching.
"Don't even think about it! Let go of her!"
Long Xiaojiu seemed to be frightened. Originally, her impression of Su Wan'er's body was still that of the Queen of the Jin Kingdom. Now that Si Junlin was scolding like this, she was naturally a bit scared.
"Sit up straight, both of you. Tell me exactly what the situation is in the palace now." If the Yu Wen family managed to get rid of the Grand Elder, who would be the next in power? This matter couldn't be solved simply by getting rid of the Grand Elder. If they wanted to get rid of the Yu Wen family and support Long Xiaojiu back to power, they had to eliminate all potential threats. It would be best to get rid of all the people in the Yu Wen family who could pose a threat to power.
"Get rid of the Grand Elder? Queen... Oh, no, Your Majesty the Emperor, how can we just get rid of the Grand Elder like that?" Long Xiaojiu seemed very dissatisfied with the first step of her plan.
"Why not? To deal with the Yu Wen family, the first person to get rid of should be this Grand Elder." Si Junlin said it as if it were the most natural thing. But then he remembered that the Grand Elder seemed to have feelings for Long Xiaojiu. So he couldn't help but look at Long Xiaojiu a few more times. It would be best if Long Xiaojiu didn't reciprocate the Grand Elder's feelings. Otherwise, if she had the slightest inclination, this matter would be very difficult to handle.
"But the Southern Border has been managed by the Grand Elder for a long time. If we rashly get rid of him, the whole country might fall into chaos."
"Chaos in the whole country? The Southern Border is just a small country, not even as big as four or five cities in the Jin Kingdom. With me sitting here, how could there be chaos?!" Si Junlin frowned. By then, if the Southern Border lacked officials or money, the Jin Kingdom could surely support them. It was just a small Southern Border. How could there be chaos?
"Yes... Your Majesty the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom is truly wise and powerful. But the Southern Border has very different customs from the Jin Kingdom. I'm afraid that even you won't be able to control the situation." Long Xiaojiu seemed to have great confidence in the Grand Elder's rule over the Southern Border.
"What do you mean by that? Isn't there you, the Holy Maiden?" What was this Holy Maiden for? If he didn't know the reason behind her words, he would have disposed of this Holy Maiden along with the Yu Wen family long ago.
"Si Junlin, what's your tone? Can you please watch your words?" Su Wan'er was already annoyed. Xiaojiu had been speaking respectfully and reasonably. What was Si Junlin being so arrogant about? Being the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom was indeed something to be proud of, but he didn't conquer this kingdom himself. He just inherited the throne. The Southern Border was at least an independent small country around here. Wasn't it better than those vassal states that had already submitted to the Jin Kingdom?
"What's my tone? Maybe we should ask what's your Xiaojiu's tone? I'm here as the ruler of a country to negotiate with her to avoid a war between the two countries and to support her as the next ruler of the Southern Border entrusted by the Jin Kingdom. But she's here singing the praises of the Yu Wen family's elder. I really don't know what she's thinking." If Long Xiaojiu really had feelings for the Yu Wen family's elder, then she couldn't be used!
"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Jin Kingdom, since you've said so much, I have nothing more to say. If you want to go to war, then let's fight to the end. Even if the Southern Border can't defeat you, we won't let you just annex us like this." Long Xiaojiu was also getting angry. Indeed, if the Jin Kingdom and the Southern Border went to war, the Southern Border didn't have much hope of winning. But now Si Junlin was clearly acting as if the Southern Border had already been conquered by the Jin Kingdom. She was still the Holy Maiden of the Southern Border after all. If she was made to obey now, who knew what would happen when the Southern Border truly became a vassal of the Jin Kingdom.
"See? This is exactly what I was worried about." Si Junlin glared at Long Xiaojiu and then frowned as he walked out to wait for Su Wan'er.
"Xiaojiu, I know you're still reluctant to give up on the Grand Elder. Don't worry. The Jin Kingdom treats its vassal states very well. It won't be as overbearing as Si Junlin. He's just afraid that something might go wrong in the future and is worried about the Yu Wen family. You've just come back today. Take a good rest. We'll talk about this another day."
Su Wan'er rushed out. Sure enough, Si Junlin was waiting for her outside with a gloomy face.
"Si Junlin, what's your attitude? Didn't we agree? As long as it doesn't affect the overall plan, it's okay to spare the Grand Elder's life."
"Spare his life? I'm afraid your Xiaojiu has more in mind than just sparing his life. I advise you to be careful. Do you really think she's still the Xiaojiu who was completely devoted to you, her Uncle Emperor? She might even turn against us!" Si Junlin had seen too many people who were opportunistic and treacherous, as well as many who were firm in their betrayal. So he couldn't help but think of Long Xiaojiu in this way.
"Si Junlin, our current goal is to avoid a war between the two countries and let the Southern Border become a vassal of the Jin Kingdom with as few casualties as possible. If we achieve this goal in the end, what does it matter if the Yu Wen family still holds power in the Southern Border?"