Chapter 468: A Matter of Timing and Fate; I Am Truly Fortunate

’He just wanted me to give him a bath. It wasn’t some impossible task.’

Ji Qingwu silently chastised herself. ’I was overthinking things.’

Zhao Mingyan reached out and picked up the cotton washcloth, but she snatched it away from him again.

He said in surprise, "Ah Wu, what are you doing? You should go. The water is getting cold."

Ji Qingwu bit her lip and said, "No, let me do it."

This time, Ji Qingwu was no longer hesitant. She scrubbed his body with all her might, not missing a single spot, even those underwater.

Even when she encountered an obstruction, she simply took a deep breath, lifted it, and continued to scrub.

Ji Qingwu didn’t even notice the panting by her ear growing more and more ragged. Right now, she had only one goal.

And that was—to get him clean all over, with no spot left untouched!

Zhao Mingyan was finally experiencing what one might call a sweet burden.

Especially after the bath beans were applied and her soft, pliant hands began to roam all over his body.

Zhao Mingyan’s brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

Ji Qingwu was completely immersed in her task. When she had finally washed him until he was spotless, she panted lightly, tossed the washcloth aside, and gazed with satisfaction at the male form before her, as if admiring her own handiwork.

Lifting her fair, flushed face, she asked, "How does Your Majesty find it?"

Zhao Mingyan did not stint on his praise. "Excellent."

Ji Qingwu shook her head, a little smugly.

Then Zhao Mingyan added, "But there is still room for improvement."

Ji Qingwu asked, "What room for improvement?"

Zhao Mingyan’s arm shifted slightly, and his hand, underwater, cupped her bottom, pulling her flush against his chiseled abdomen.

"Why don’t we explore it together?"

Not just once, but several times.

*

After Yu Wen Tianqing was captured, he was imprisoned in the same place as Gao Zhao Yue.

They waited a long time, until night fell and midnight approached. Finally, the Emperor of Beili appeared.

Ji Qingwu had been drowsy, but Zhao Mingyan peppered her face with kisses, telling her he was going to see the people from Xijin.

She immediately perked up and insisted on going with him.

Lifting the flap of the spacious military council tent, Ji Qingwu saw that there were more than a dozen people inside.

The Beili Army that had been dispatched earlier had already returned in batches. The Hu Brothers were back, but Feng Xiang and Wei Ting had not yet returned.

When the Hu Brothers saw Ji Qingwu, they cupped their fists in salute, and she returned the gesture with a faint smile.

When Gao Zhao Yue saw Ji Qingwu also following behind the Emperor of Beili, she felt the woman was very different from when she had seen her the day before. Though she still had the same ethereally lovely face, with skin so tender and youthful, her eyes—moist and bright as they were—held a certain clingy affection. Anyone could see that the Emperor of Beili was her beloved, the person she trusted most.

’When a woman is smitten, she can’t break free.’

Gao Zhao Yue snorted coldly and turned her gaze back to the Emperor seated in the place of honor. "Tianqing brought only a hundred men. He truly came to sue for peace. We hope our two nations can cease hostilities."

"Cease hostilities?"

Zhao Mingyan said calmly, "Very well."

Yu Wen Tianqing asked suspiciously, "You’re willing to agree? Just like that?"

Zhao Mingyan raised a hand. Li Yuzong stepped forward with a document and announced in a loud voice, "Xijin shall cede the three hundred li of grassland west of Yingchou Gorge. Beili will establish a trading post there, permanently garrisoned by three hundred Mystic Armor Guards."

Yu Wen Tianqing said, "I knew you wouldn’t let Xijin off so easily."

But these terms were not entirely unacceptable. Just as he was mulling it over, Li Yuzong took a breath and continued in his high-pitched voice.

"The Fourth Prince of Xijin, Yu Wen Tianqing, shall be sent as a hostage; Beili’s garrisoned troops shall have free passage through the Yumen Trade Road; Xijin is forbidden from breeding adult stallions for ten years; any troop movement exceeding one thousand soldiers must be reported thirty days in advance..."

Many more articles followed. The more Yu Wen Tianqing listened, the darker his expression became.

Listening from the side, a glint flashed in Ji Qingwu’s eyes.

’By suppressing Xijin’s military power, there will be no more trouble. And by taking Yu Wen Tianqing as a hostage, Xijin will be without a suitable heir to the throne, which will surely lead to internal strife.’

’If Xijin agrees, they won’t have the capacity to contend with Beili for at least a decade or more.’

The moment Li Yuzong’s voice fell, Yu Wen Tianqing, his face ashen, said, "These terms are outrageous! Making me a hostage in Beili? You might as well just kill me now."

Gao Zhao Yue remained relatively calm. She declared loudly, "Do you think we have no other recourse? My clan’s Magic involves more than just Beast Taming and using Gu!"

"It’s just that I, too, have grown weary of the struggles on the battlefield. Otherwise, if we fought with our backs against the wall, we wouldn’t necessarily lose to Beili."

The Heavenly Moon Clan did indeed possess many secret techniques unknown to the world. Gao Zhao Yue was not lying.

Emperor Wu Su sat calmly behind the long table. He had instructed Li Yuzong to draft twelve articles, but he didn’t expect them to agree to all of them.

The first three were the most crucial.

’In a negotiation between two nations, there must always be some give and take.’

Zhao Mingyan picked up a cup of tea and drank it slowly.

"There’s no hurry. The two of you may think it over carefully."

But at that moment, Ji Qingwu suddenly brought out a potted plant and placed it on the table in front of her. She flicked one of its slender leaves with her finger.

"Xijin, do you wish for your nation to be annihilated?"

Hearing her clear and melodious voice, everyone in the tent turned to look at her in unison.

Gao Zhao Yue said sharply, "In my presence, you are far too arrogant, little girl!"

Zhao Mingyan shot her a cold glance and said, "Perhaps we should add another article: you will go and stand vigil for Yu Wen Shuo."

Chilled to the heart by his frigid gaze, Gao Zhao Yue gritted her teeth and said, "A starved camel is still bigger than a horse! For Beili to think it can completely annihilate Xijin is nothing but a dream!"

The corners of Ji Qingwu’s lips curved up as she said breezily, "It’s not difficult. It will just take a hundred years."

She tapped the object in front of her and explained, "This herb is also known as Yin Yang Cutting Grass. It can be eaten, or it can be burned to ash and then used. If this medicine were to be scattered in the rivers of Xijin, what effect do you suppose it would have?"

Gao Zhao Yue and Yu Wen Tianqing stared at her in horror.

The Beili generals in the tent gasped, and the Hu Brothers were particularly stunned.

Ji Qingwu said slowly, "Not a single person in all of Xijin would be able to bear children. A hundred years from now, with no successors, the nation will cease to be a nation. It will be utterly destroyed."

The negotiation ended in an eerie silence.

And it achieved an unexpected result.

Gao Zhao Yue agreed to the terms, and Yu Wen Tianqing also agreed to go to Beili as a hostage. They had no other choice.

Seeing the matter resolved so smoothly, Ji Qingwu winked at the Emperor seated in the place of honor, then picked up the potted herb and left.

Chi Rui watched her walk away, his face filled with admiration.

Thinking of his future life as a hostage in Beili, Yu Wen Tianqing clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Though Gao Zhao Yue was resentful, she could only accept their fate. She patted her son’s back.

Zhao Mingyan glanced at the document, now stamped and signed, stood up, and spoke lightly.

"Timing and fate... My fortune truly is good."

Li Yuzong had rarely seen the Emperor look so pleased with himself, and he couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

The Beili generals in the tent also began to laugh heartily.

The laughter shook the tent. Among them all, the Hu Brothers laughed the loudest.

’If they’d known being a soldier could be this much fun—never getting pushed around or having to hold back—they would’ve signed up ages ago.’