Chapter 148: The Unlucky Fool Who Picked the Wrong Opponent

shuhaige. net Chapter 148: The Unlucky Fool Who Picked the Wrong Opponent

Quan Quan Aoyu tilted his head, casually toying with a piece of warm jade in his hand as he coldly sized up the man, the corner of his mouth curling into a sneer.

"Your Northern Kingdom is fickle and treacherous; falling to this plight today is entirely your own doing."

The envoy's body trembled, sweat sliding down his forehead as he forcibly suppressed the fear in his heart:

"Crown Prince, matters have come to this, and our kingdom acknowledges its mistakes. We beg Your Highness for mercy; we are willing to unconditionally accept all conditions previously proposed by the Crown Prince,

and furthermore, to express our sincerity, we are willing to cede three border cities as conditions for Emperor Tianqi's withdrawal of troops.

Crown Prince, when two nations wage war, it is ultimately the common people who suffer. If we could turn weapons into jade and silk, ending this war, would that not be splendid? Our Northern Kingdom is willing to offer tribute every year and pay homage every season; we only beg that Your Highness show mercy and spare our kingdom this time."

The envoy took a deep breath and continued:

"In addition, we have heard that Your Highness's Crown Princess possesses unparalleled medical skills that shake the world. To express our respect for the Crown Princess, we further gift one hundred precious snow ginseng roots to Her Highness as a token of our esteem; may the Crown Princess enjoy good fortune, longevity, and health."

The envoy secretly calculated that this ancestor of Emperor Tianqi was a wife-protecting maniac; currying favor with his woman could not go wrong and might become the breakthrough point for these negotiations.

Quan Quan Aoyu continued to toy with the jade pendant in his hand, nodding secretly in his heart, thinking, 'You do have some sense,' yet his expression remained unchanged as he said casually:

"Mercy? Previously, your Northern Kingdom caused me no end of trouble. As a vassal state, offering annual tribute is your duty. Had you been sensible enough to agree to my conditions before, my troops would have long since withdrawn from Wencheng, and you would not have lost a single city or plot of land; yet you chose to be ungrateful, refusing the toast only to drink the penalty—why bother?"

Quan Quan Aoyu paused, his gaze sweeping over the envoy kneeling on the ground as he said icily:

"However, seeing your current wretched state, I will give you one more chance. I will accept your three cities, but do you think you can dismiss my Crown Princess with a mere one hundred snow ginseng roots? Are you playing games with me, or do you think my Crown Princess is only worth one hundred snow ginseng roots from your Northern Kingdom?"

"Guards!"

Upon saying this, Quan Quan Aoyu's eyes sharpened, and he beckoned for the guards to step forward.

The envoy was so frightened that he kowtowed straight onto the ground with a loud 'Bang!' that sounded painful just to hear.

Cold sweat streamed down the envoy's cheeks as he repeatedly begged for mercy:

"Your Highness, please calm your anger! This humble servant absolutely has no such intention; whatever conditions Your Highness proposes, as long as this servant has the authority to decide, I will never refuse. I only beg Your Highness to spare my life."

The envoy was nearly in tears; damn it, we even gave you our national treasure, what more do you want? Do you have any shame? Yet he dared not say it.

It's truly damned ghostly; even standing before the Northern Kingdom's monarch, he had never felt such immense pressure as this.

He was merely cleaning up the monarch's mess; was it easy for him?

Seeing the envoy's terrified and uneasy appearance, Quan Quan Aoyu spat inwardly, thinking that the people of the Northern Kingdom were truly easily scared.

But thinking of that little money-grubber's delighted expression, a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

He said unhurriedly:

"My Crown Princess has no interest in your snow ginseng. How about this: next year my Crown Princess will come of age; you shall gift her three cities as a congratulatory present, at least one of which must be rich in snow ginseng production. Additionally, add ten million gold, considered as an advance dowry for my Crown Princess. If you accept, I will immediately withdraw my troops."

The envoy's face showed difficulty, his brows locked tightly as fine beads of sweat seeped onto his forehead; these conditions were far too harsh, nearly touching the Northern Kingdom's bottom line.

The authority Princess Tuoba Hong had granted him this time happened to be stuck right at this threshold; he could neither exceed it nor retreat from it.

However, circumstances overpower people; the Northern Kingdom was now at the end of its rope and could only swallow its teeth along with the blood.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the reluctance and humiliation in his heart, and finally could only helplessly agree.

Just after the envoy departed to return to the Northern Kingdom to report, Bai Yu could not wait to ask:

"Master, why not simply annihilate the Northern Kingdom? With our Emperor Tianqi military strength, the Northern Kingdom is already incapable of withstanding a single blow."

Quan Quan Aoyu gazed into the distance, his eyes profound as if he could see through all things in the world, and he said in a deep voice:

"Although the Northern Kingdom is weak, the common people are innocent. Once war breaks out, it is ultimately those unarmed civilians who suffer. Furthermore, the Northern Kingdom is located in an extremely cold region with a harsh climate; if we press too hard and our Emperor Tianqi soldiers delve deep into the Northern Kingdom's hinterland, unforeseen variables may arise. At that time, not only will the battle situation be unpredictable, but the lives of our soldiers will also face enormous risks."

Saying this, a trace of pride floated onto Quan Quan Aoyu's face, a hint of cunning flashed in his eyes, and his tone carried a few notes of teasing:

"Moreover, I have earned this huge dowry for your Crown Princess."

Bai Yu rolled his eyes, thinking, 'I know you dote on your wife, but tormenting a single dog like me, is that fair?'

In this campaign, the Northern Kingdom was forced to sign a treaty under the city walls.

Not only did the Kingdom of Emperor Tianqi gain a large amount of gold, six cities, and rare medicinal herbs,

but the Northern Kingdom's national treasure was also forced to be handed over; the Northern Kingdom suffered great damage to its vitality and completely lost the capital to contend with the Kingdom of Emperor Tianqi.

The border cities of the Northern Frontier welcomed unprecedented peace; the common people one after another knelt in gratitude before Quan Quan Aoyu, shouting 'Long live the Crown Prince' and 'Peace and safety to Lady Lady Qingping.'

In Jingcheng, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin did not yet know that her wealth had rapidly accumulated during this campaign, remarkably making her the richest person in the Kingdom of Emperor Tianqi.

All of this stemmed from the careful planning and strategic maneuvering of Quan Quan Aoyu and Seeing Jun Jun Zijin.

They had not only won victory for the Kingdom of Emperor Tianqi but also paved a golden road for the future.

But that is a story for later.

———————

Meanwhile, upon learning that he had fallen into Seeing Jun Jun Zijin's trap, Quan Quan Tianyi brutally beat Jun Jun Zhihao, who had stolen the fake vaccine.

Killing intent overflowed from Quan Quan Tianyi's eyes, and his actions were even more ruthless and merciless.

The guards beside him dared not breathe loudly, fearing they would suffer collateral damage.

It was only bad luck that Jun Jun Zhihao, this unlucky fool, should have picked the wrong opponent a thousand or ten thousand times over.

Who in Jingcheng did not know or had not heard of the formidable reputation of Lady Lady Qingping, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin?

Logically, since they were both members of the Jun family, if Jun Jun Zhihao had not actively provoked Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, he should have been able to benefit from her status somehow.

But these words, the guards could only rot in their hearts, daring not to reveal the slightest bit.

At this moment, Jun Jun Zhihao, beaten half to death, lay on the ground gasping for his last breath, still muttering in his mouth:

"I was deceived too, Your Highness, spare my life!"

Quan Quan Tianyi was furious, his eyes bloodshot:

"You fool, ruining this King's affairs time and again."

Quan Quan Tianyi kicked Jun Jun Zhihao, so angry that he cursed crudely:

"If it weren't for your damned incompetence, how could you have fallen for the trick so easily?"

Jun Jun Zhihao let out a cry of pain, daring not to argue further, while in his heart he gnashed his teeth in hatred toward Seeing Jun Jun Zijin.

Since the family split, a plaque reading "Jun Residence" hung on the gate of the Second Branch's courtyard.

Jun Jun Zhihao, barely clinging to life, was carried back to the Jun Residence.

Li Shi, heartbroken, went mad again and rushed to the main gate of the Jun Mansion, causing a scene without a care.

The gatekeeper, seeing that woman from the Jun Residence had arrived, was terrified and quickly shut the main gate, fearing she would latch onto him with her madness.

At this moment, Xiang Xiang Junzheng and Jun Jun Zijin were not in the mansion, so the gatekeeper hurriedly ran to report to the Old Lady.

The Old Lady was accustomed to resting for an hour after her midday meal.

Miss Huasheng had just helped her lie down and stepped out of the Old Lady's bedroom when she heard the gatekeeper rushing over to report:

"Miss Miss Huasheng, that woman from the Jun Residence is causing trouble again; she is smashing the gate outside right now."

"She dares to die!"

Miss Huasheng shouted in anger.

"Let's go and see!"