The Prodigal Son

Betting on both sides?

Qin Yu looked at Yan Li with a puzzled expression.

He understood, but not completely.

"By now, the Crown Princess should have already led my sons and a group of royal family members to surrender the Imperial Seal to Xiao Yanguang!"

"Even if Bei Qi doesn't treat them well, they probably won't mistreat them!"

"And here I am, trying to get Suhe Baoyin to surrender to you!"

"If you were to destroy Northern Qi in the future, out of consideration for me, you wouldn't have the heart to exterminate them all, would you?"

"Tell me, isn't this like betting on both sides?"

"Our Yan state has always been fickle, and I suppose I'm just following in its footsteps!"

Yan Li spoke with a smile, but his words were full of self-deprecation.

Qin Yu felt that his high-sounding words were actually the truth, while this statement seemed more like a lie.

If he really wanted to bet on both sides, he should have brought a few members of the royal family with him.

Qin Yu sighed inwardly, then asked, "You could have said these things to Xue Shuai and the others, why did you have to tell me?"

"It's more useful to tell you than to tell them."

Yan Li shook his head and smiled to himself, "They're old. The future of Da Ning belongs to you!"

Qin Yu chuckled and teased, "I say, even at a time like this, you're not still trying to instigate me to rebel, are you?"

"You don't need to rebel."

Yan Li smiled. "I bet you've already climbed into the Empress of Da Ning's bed, haven't you?"

"You guessed it?"

Qin Yu was somewhat surprised.

"Is there even a need to guess?"

Yan Li smiled bitterly, "You've rendered so much service to Da Ning, the Empress of Da Ning has already given you everything she can! Either she'll give herself to you, or she'll have to kill you!"

Overshadowing one's master with one's achievements has always been a major taboo.

If the emperor of Da Ning were a man, Qin Yu would either have to rebel or face certain death unless he encountered a wise and benevolent ruler!

However, the Empress of Da Ning was a woman!

Besides being ruler and subject, they can also be husband and wife!

Qin Yu was knowledgeable in military affairs, but not so much in politics.

Zhao Luan married him; Zhao Luan was in charge of politics, and he was in charge of military affairs.

It's a match made in heaven!

Qin Yu smiled and asked again, "Now that you know everything, do you still want to die?"

Yan Li: "You figured it out?"

"nonsense!"

Qin Yu rolled his eyes at him. "If you're not so eager to die, you could just send someone to talk about these things. Why come here yourself? Besides, from what I know of you, you're a proud person. You would definitely rather die for your country than live a life of subservience under someone else's roof."

Upon hearing this, Yan Li burst into laughter: "You really understand me! That's why, even now, I'm willing to drink with you, my enemy who destroyed my country!"

Seeing the smile on Yan Li's face, Qin Yu couldn't help but sigh helplessly: "It seems I can't persuade you anymore."

"Please don't try to persuade me!"

Yan Li smiled, "Do you still remember what we said when we parted ways in the State of Chu?"

"Remember."

Qin Yu nodded slightly, a hint of reminiscence on his face. "We both said that if we met on the battlefield, we would leave each other with a complete corpse!"

He had predicted this outcome last year.

But he never expected that he and Yan Li would meet again in this way.

They didn't meet on the battlefield, but Yan Li walked right into their trap.

"right!"

Yan Li smiled. "I also said that I would take honor in taking your life!"

"So, you also want me to take pride in taking your life?" Qin Yu retorted.

Yan Li shook his head and smiled, "Even if I begged you to take my life now, you wouldn't agree!"

How could Qin Yu possibly kill him at this time?

Suhe Baoyin was almost about to surrender to them, so wouldn't killing himself at this moment add more variables to the matter?

Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't kill him at this moment.

Qin Yu sighed softly, "Alright, since we've come this far, I respect your choice."

"That's right!"

Yan Li patted Qin Yu's shoulder, "Neither of us are sentimental people, so let's not say anything sentimental! Let's have a few drinks today!"

"good!"

Qin Yu readily agreed.

The two chatted for a while inside the tent, and then the servants finally brought in the wine and food.

It wasn't a lavish meal, but it was basically the best dish the army could offer.

Qin Yu poured Yan Li a cup and asked with a smile, "Do you feel uncomfortable drinking with me, the enemy who destroyed my country?"

"fine!"

Yan Li smiled frankly, "As the Crown Prince of Yan, I certainly wish I could tear you to pieces!"

"But from Yan Li's perspective, or from an outsider's perspective, I don't hate him that much."

"The Great Yan has come to this point not only because of your wicked schemes, but also to a large extent because of our own reasons."

"If we have to talk about hatred, we should hate ourselves the most..."

Although Yan Li seemed relaxed, he still couldn't help but sigh when talking about the fall of the Great Yan Dynasty.

He was ultimately not as relieved as he appeared on the surface.

However, he accepted the result!

Ultimately, the State of Yan paid the price for its fickleness and prioritizing profit over righteousness.

In fact, although they might lose, they shouldn't have lost so thoroughly.

If they hadn't been so desperate that they resorted to trickery to make Bei Qi and Da Ning wear each other down, and had kept Yan Wujiu stationed in Xiaxing, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation so quickly.

But now, it's too late to say anything.

Since they made their choice, they must bear the consequences of it.

Hearing Yan Li's words, Qin Yu couldn't help but ask curiously, "How do you plan to make us and Bei Qi weaken each other?"

"Want to know?"

Yan Li's lips curled up, but her gaze fell on Qin Yu's wine glass.

That means, it goes without saying.

"Fine! I'll drink it!"

Without saying a word, Qin Yu picked up his wine cup and drank the wine in one gulp.

"We brought this on ourselves!"

A bitter smile flashed across Yan Li's face as he frankly told Qin Yu in detail about their initial plan with Yan Wujiu.

In fact, Suhebaoyin initially disagreed with withdrawing troops north of the Panjiang River.

He informed Suhe Baoyin of the plan via secret letter, which is why Suhe Baoyin withdrew his troops.

Upon hearing Yan Li's words, Qin Yu's face twitched slightly.

After a long silence, Qin Yu shook his head and smiled, "You're dreaming! Even if you've set a trap, it's not necessarily true that we and Bei Qi will jump into it!"

Yan Li chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Back then, we would have clung to even the smallest straw with all our might; we wouldn't have thought about these things."

That was their only chance!

Even knowing the chances were slim, they had no choice but to gamble.

Otherwise, even if they defeat the Ning people, the Northern Qi will gradually erode them.

It's a gamble, why think about so much more?

Qin Yu was surprised.

Also!

Taking a gamble offers a chance; not taking a gamble is a slow death.

With a sigh, Qin Yu pressed on with curiosity, "Why did you tell me about that secret passage? Aren't you afraid we'll use it to launch a surprise attack on Panshan Pass, imprison the Northern Qi army, and even capture your wife and children?"

Faced with Qin Yu's question, Yan Li's face immediately flashed a smile, "Si Long will also tell Xiao Yanguang about this secret passage."

"..."

Qin Yu's lips twitched slightly, and he was speechless for a moment.

"Ha ha!"

Upon seeing this, Yan Li burst into laughter, "That's why I said I'm betting on both sides!"