The Demon Prince

Li Lingxi gave him a disdainful look:

"Li Shunhua is eager to prove herself and get the court to acknowledge that women can command troops. As long as she believes she can win, she will willingly walk into the trap!"

She paused:

"Besides, she is the daughter of the Emperor of Great Xia. If she loses, won't Great Xia's reputation be even more humiliated in front of you?"

Park Tae-hun finally sat down, picked up his tea, but didn't drink it.

"Hahaha! That makes sense. However, Ya Guan's connection has also been severed. Xie Yuheng is dead, and Shen Yan has become the top scholar. I've heard that this person has real talent and learning, and he won't be easy to deal with."

Li Lingxi glanced at the teacup:

"Shen Yan is also one of my men."

Park Tae-hun was quite surprised:

"Oh? Really?"

"Born into a poor family, with no roots or connections," Li Lingxi continued.

"If Xiao Xingyue can elevate him, then I can naturally elevate him as well."

"Give a scholar fame, give him a smooth path, and then give him a reason to bow down, and he'll naturally become sensible."

Park Tae-hun was finally relieved:

"Alright! Then let's proceed according to plan. We'll initiate a wager with the Emperor of Great Xia, arrange for the Elegant Officials to make Shen Yan lose, and the Military Officials to make the Eighth Princess of Great Xia lose. Let me, Gou Li, take a big bite out of Great Xia!"

Xiao Xingyue's eyes were deep.

Park Tae-hun continued:

"The king has arrived."

Back then, the old king led his army to invade the Great Xia, but was killed by Xiao Junlin in the northern border.

The hatred for the murderers of his father and mother is irreconcilable, and the king hates the Xiao family to the bone.

Now that Xiao Junlin is dead, only one heir remains in the Xiao family. The king hopes that the Xiao family line will end.

Park Tae-hyun's voice had a hint of ferocity:

"If you can also handle this matter well, the benefits promised to you by the king will be increased by another 30%!"

Li Lingxi clenched her fists tightly inside her sleeves, her anger barely contained.

Xiao Xingyue's reminder came from behind the screen, so softly that only she could hear it.

He was telling her to stay calm.

Li Lingxi gritted her teeth, and when she spoke again, Lu Chengzhang's voice did not tremble in the slightest:

"Xiao Xingyue is greedy for credit, so he will inevitably act rashly."

Li Shunhua is impatient and reckless.

Although Shen Yan appears to be in power, he is actually still under the control of this official.

The plan remains the same; you continue to place your bets. The bigger the bets, the more devastating the consequences for Da Xia.

As for Xiao Xingyue, I have my own ways to kill him and satisfy Queen Gou Li.

Park Tae-hun finally got up:

"Very well! From now on, you, my lord, will be my eternal ally!"

He retreated to the doorway and left.

After the door closed.

Once she was sure the footsteps were far away, Li Lingxi felt as if her bones had been removed, slumped into the chair, her hands still trembling:

"Xiao Xingyue, how was my acting?"

Xiao Xingyue stepped out from behind the screen, his expression solemn:

"Fully flawed."

Li Lingxi's face turned pale: "Huh?"

"The situation is not good." Xiao Xingyue sighed.

"He might try to test the waters again."

Li Lingxi gripped the edge of the table tightly:

"What should we do then?"

"You stay here and continue to pretend to be Lu Chengzhang. Be prepared for him to launch a surprise attack at any time tonight," Xiao Xingyue said seriously.

Li Lingxi looked out at the dark courtyard, her earlier courage completely gone:

"Me alone?"

Her voice was much softer:

"No, I can't be alone tonight... I'm scared."

Xiao Xingyue didn't laugh: "Then I'll stay."

Li Lingxi breathed a sigh of relief, but quickly realized something:

"That's not a good idea, there's only one bed in the room."

Xiao Xingyue was very calm:

"Then let's sleep as usual."

Li Lingxi frowned:

What is vegetarian sleep?

Xiao Xingyue took off his outer robe and casually draped it over the screen:

"I just don't eat meat; I'm a respectable person."

Li Lingxi looked at him suspiciously.

While she was still hesitating, Xiao Xingyue pulled her onto the bed.

"Lord Lu, it's time to retire for the night."

The lights were off, and the two lay on the bed fully clothed, separated by a thin blanket.

Li Lingxi kept her eyes open, not sleepy at all.

The wind outside blew through the bamboo shadows, and the window paper was covered with swaying black shadows, like ghosts.

She lowered her voice and tried to say something:

"Xiao Xingyue, do you think they might be spying on us from outside?"

Xiao Xingyue also lowered his voice:

"Very likely, so Sixth Princess, please don't make any noise."

"Okay." Li Lingxi had just finished replying when her waist suddenly loosened, and she froze abruptly.

"What are you doing? Why are you taking my clothes off?"

Xiao Xingyue's voice was very low:

"I told you not to make any noise."

Li Lingxi grabbed his hand, her face burning hot.

"Xiao Xingyue, you bastard, didn't you say you were a vegetarian? Ugh—"

……

the next day.

When Gou Li's delegation entered Beijing, the city's east gate was completely blocked.

The caravan was long, and the horses' hooves pounded on the cobblestones.

At the very front was Gou Lizheng, who was dressed as a caravan manager last night, but today he had changed into envoy's formal attire.

But that face was still the same as last night, her eyes constantly scanning other people, like a snake hiding in the grass.

He was followed by Gou Liwu and Park Jung-yeol.

This man was extremely tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back. He had a curved sword hanging at his waist, with the scabbard inlaid with animal bone.

He rode his horse without reining it in, and the horse's head repeatedly rammed into the people on the street, causing the crowd to retreat in fear, but he just smiled smugly.

Further behind was a vermilion-lacquered carriage with a gold canopy. The curtain was lifted half an inch, revealing Queen Jin Yueji of Gouli Kingdom inside.

Jin Yueji was young, but her features were strikingly beautiful.

Her fingers rested on the car window, her nails painted dark red. When she looked at the gates of the Great Xia city, there was no respect in her eyes, only hatred that had been building up for many years.

Beside the last carriage walked a female scholar named Chiba Shōri, a renowned talented woman from Gou Li.

She wore a blue and white robe with a thin belt around her waist, and her figure was tall and slender with a voluptuous chest.

Her face was cold and aloof, with sharp eyebrows and eyes, unlike a beauty raised in a boudoir, more like someone who uses a pen as a knife.

She held a scroll in her hands, the cover of which was written with the four characters "Bian Xue Jiu Zhang" in the official script of the Great Xia Dynasty.

The scholars on the street looked at it and their faces fell.

Some readers have heard of the book "Bian Xue Jiu Zhang". It tells the story of several battles between the previous ruler of Gou Li Kingdom and Xiao Junlin, the king of Da Xia Town, from the perspective of Gou Li.

The book describes the previous ruler of Gou Li Kingdom as a domineering monarch who shot out one of the eyes of the town's king, Xiao Junlin, and even made Xiao Junlin kneel down and beg for mercy.

This book glorifies Gou Li's invasion and vilifies Xiao Junlin to the extreme, and therefore has been resisted by the Great Xia.

The fact that they are openly offering this book today reveals their sinister intentions.

Xiao Xingyue stood on the second floor of the restaurant, watching the convoy enter the city. Li Lingxi, wearing a bamboo hat, sat next to him.

She had dark circles under her eyes; she was exhausted by Xiao Xingyue last night, that liar!

On the contrary, Xiao Xingyue was full of energy. It wasn't that he was lustful towards the Sixth Princess, but the flowers were in full bloom, and if he didn't pick them, he would seem to lack romantic understanding.

"You bastard! That Park Tae-hun, is that the same Park Tae-hun from last night?" Li Lingxi whispered.

Xiao Xingyue nodded:

"Yes, he's the chief clerk during the day and in charge at night; this guy's got quite a full workload."

Li Lingxi gritted her teeth:

"They really dared to come; even the king is here. It seems they're taking a big gamble."

Xiao Xingyue looked at Jin Yueji's carriage:

"Her parents died in the North, at my father's hands. She came here in person, and it's not just for the money."

Li Lingxi gripped the teacup tightly: "She wants to humiliate you?"

Xiao Xingyue smiled:

"Then she has to wait in line. There are plenty of people in Kyoto who want to humiliate me. She's late."

Now that things have come to this, it's time to eat.

Let's go, the show's about to begin.