Seeing that Wanyan Puruо had softened, Shen Zhizhong took a sip of wine and smiled: “This old minister is merely serving as regent now. Today’s actions are already presumptuous. Naturally, the specific conditions must wait until the nation’s ruler ascends the throne before decisions can be made.”
The conversation circled back, forcing Wanyan Puruо to release Prince Ling’an.
But Wanyan Puruо was clear-headed—she couldn’t let Shen Zhizhong lead her around. Prince Ling’an was a bargaining chip. The reason they could negotiate now was because he hadn’t been caught yet, the situation was undecided, and both sides actually couldn’t afford the consequences of the other winning. So each side stepped back, seeking a compromise solution where each could gain some benefits.
Seeing Wanyan Puruо’s silence, Shen Zhizhong continued: “How about this—Your Highness the Princess can lay out your conditions, and I’ll have the Ministry of Revenue calculate them first. This will provide a basis for future decisions.”
Shen Zhizhong kicked the ball to Wanyan Puruо.
She wanted to know exactly how much money was left in the treasury so she could gauge what level to price at. Great Qi’s victory was still obvious now—if the Yu Dynasty could buy peace with money, why not?
But precisely because she couldn’t fathom what price range the other party had in mind, if she spoke rashly and quoted too high, negotiations would break down; too low and she’d suffer a loss. The negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.
Wanyan Puruо beckoned, indicating for the maidservant to pour her wine. The maidservant somehow seemed flustered and accidentally wet her dress. Wanyan Puruо unusually didn’t lose her temper, using the opportunity to get up and change clothes.
When she returned, she was already confident.
“Three hundred thousand in annual tribute—how about that?”
Shen Zhizhong slammed his wine vessel onto the table with a bang. Like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, everyone chimed in. Some showed anger, some slapped the table hard, and the impulsive ones directly stepped forward to curse Wanyan Puruо for asking an astronomical price.
“It seems the Princess did not come to negotiate with us in good faith today. Since that’s the case, let us part ways here.”
Shen Zhizhong delivered the final blow, decisively flicking his sleeves and leaving, taking all the ministers with him.
Wanyan Puruо was stunned. How had Shen Zhizhong flicked his sleeves and walked away? Shouldn’t he be the one desperately trying to continue negotiations?
Now she was in an awkward position—she couldn’t leave easily either. Her intuition told her this negotiation wasn’t a losing proposition, but she also couldn’t appear too eager, as if she would definitely accept this deal. She was clear that she had fallen into Shen Zhizhong’s trap and could only continue waiting in Jinling.
But aside from this, she still felt something was suspicious.
……
On this dark and windy night, a man carrying a bulging bundle hurriedly left through the back courtyard of his residence. He cautiously looked left and right, and only after confirming no one had seen him did he run frantically along the base of the alley wall.
But just as he turned out of the lane, two men suddenly blocked his path. These two were tall and burly, their faces shrouded in darkness so their features couldn’t be seen clearly—only the large sabers each held in their hands were visible.
The man was none other than Minister of Personnel Ding Xu. With guilt already weighing on his mind, seeing this scene startled him. He instinctively stepped back, tripped over his own heels, and fell onto his bottom.
“Lord Ding, Her Highness the Princess invites you for a chat.”
Two guards escorted Ding Xu to a dark alley where an inconspicuous carriage was already waiting.
A lantern hung outside the carriage, revealing the hazy silhouette of someone inside.
The anxious Ding Xu didn’t dare offend the noble lady in the carriage and fell to his knees with a thud.
“Your Highness, you must protect me! I stole intelligence for you, but who knew tonight was a trap set by Shen Zhizhong—he gave everyone different prices! I’m now in mortal danger and had no choice but to flee!”
The person in the carriage remained silent for a long time.
Ding Xu looked up anxiously, threw caution to the wind, and continued: “Your Highness, I’ve also obtained an absolutely secret piece of information—the Candlelight Bureau spy codenamed ‘Goose’ in the court is Xie Queshan, who committed treason years ago! I know many other things too. As long as you keep me safe, I’ll tell you everything!”
“Is that so?” A middle-aged man’s voice came from the carriage, and a hand lifted the curtain. “Lord Ding is so loyal, yet I knew nothing of it. Or perhaps I should call you… Daman?”
Ding Xu looked at the person in the carriage in surprise.
Several shadow guards silently surrounded them, and a sword pierced through Ding Xu’s chest.
Xie Zhu stepped down from the carriage with a grave expression, gazing at Ding Xu lying on the ground. Tonight, Shen Zhizhong had executed a series of interconnected schemes—not only making Wanyan Puruо voluntarily stay, but also using the opportunity to root out the spy. He had Xie Zhu intercept Ding Xu halfway and extract the intelligence he knew from him.
But what he had just revealed… actually mentioned his nephew, Xie Queshan.