It doesn't matter what the lord is.

The girls in the Huaiwang territory are different. They always have a sense of worldliness. To put it simply, they make everyone who comes to play feel at home. Here, money can buy the happiness you want. You don't have to look at other people's faces, you don't have to rely on others, and you don't have to spend money and be a bootlicker. As long as you have enough money, there is nothing you can't get.

Therefore, in Huayue City, good wine, beauty, and money are the three most talked about things. Living a life of drunkenness and dreaming is the philosophy of this city. Here you can always see half-dressed girls lazily leaning on the railings on the balcony of the attic by the road, holding a bottle of sweet soju in their hands. If you look up, she will cast a charming glance down, lick her upper lip with the tip of her tongue, and reveal an enchanting smile.

Things like having a tongue that is so flexible that she can tie knots with cherry stems are all child's play. If you give her enough cherry stems, she can even make a bracelet for you.

Only after having a real spring breeze do you know what it means to be addicted to food.

Such a city should be a good place for rich people to have fun and entertainment, a gathering place for the rich. If you don't have dozens of gold coins in your pocket, you will feel embarrassed to spend a night here. Of course, there are always exceptions. Yunye is an exception. She is a rustic girl who has nothing to do with money, but she often appears on the streets of Huayue City these days.

This is actually quite noticeable.

Yunye, who is sixteen years old this year, can be described as stunning just by looking at her appearance, but when she stands in front of you, you will only think that she is an ordinary girl at first glance. There is no bangs in front of her smooth forehead, all combed to one side; the khaki clothes are matched with a faded black long skirt, and the long light gray braids hang down to the back. When she walks, there is no gracefulness of a girl, and her smile is full of vitality. Her big eyes keep looking around.

She is a very strange type. If someone tells you in advance that she is pretty, then the more you look at her, the cuter she becomes. You won’t get tired of looking at her even if you stand next to her for a whole day. But if no one tells you in advance, then she is like a nobody. People are basically concerned about her clothes because they are too rustic, and no one will look at her appearance carefully.

She is an outlier in this city.

But even though she was regarded as an alien by the people around her, Yunye still carefully looked at the appearance of the city.

Because she was one of the members of the envoy group sent by Lingyun City, although the leader of the envoy group, Zi Pu, had clearly told her:

——"Yunye, now that you are in Huayue City, you can no longer be as free as you were in the countryside. Although I don't know why Lord Liyi sent you here, since you are here, you represent the image of our Yunyang. You must not embarrass Lord Liyi, understand?"

Yunye understood.

But for some reason, the people they were negotiating with, Prince Kaiya of Huai and Prince Noren of Qiming, resolutely stood them up. Yunye stayed in the hotel with Zipu and the others for more than half a month. Every day, she saw them putting on makeup in front of the mirror and then going out shopping. Yunye spent a boring life in the hotel. After all, she couldn't help but sneak out to get familiar with this city that she had no chance to visit no matter how she looked at it.

After only two or three days of observation, the pigeons suddenly returned to the cage. Kaiya and Norn held a dinner without any prior notice and invited the envoys sent by Li Yi to attend the banquet. Zi Pu hurriedly drew her eyebrows in front of the mirror. When she was about to leave, she saw Yun Ye following behind her, still wearing a dress that was not presentable. She couldn't help but look a little ugly and instructed the person beside her:

"Give her one of my clothes, any one of them will do."

"Casual" means don't look for one that's too good.

Even so, Yunye thanked them profusely and changed her clothes carefully before following Zipu and the others out.

When she arrived, Yunye couldn't help but look up at the magnificent chandelier a few more times. She felt that this place was really magical. It was clearly night but it was as bright as day. The dishes on the table looked delicious. Thinking of this, her stomach started to growl.

Kaiya was still full of grace, wearing luxurious clothes, holding a folding fan and half leaning on the back of the chair, and he easily made the dinner party colorful. After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Kaiya squinted his eyes and looked at the envoy sent by Li Yi, clasped his fists, and said with a smile:

"I'm so sorry, everyone. Norn and I didn't mean to avoid each other. It's because some time ago, we heard a piece of news that shouldn't have happened. It was a serious matter, so we had to confirm the authenticity of the news in person, so we were delayed a little bit."

Zi Pu immediately showed the considerateness that is unique to mature women:

"It's okay, it's okay. I just don't know what is causing the omnipotent Prince Huai to feel distressed?"

Kaia drank his wine gracefully, as if he was talking about something unimportant:

"Some time ago, I heard that Yunyang Prince Li Yi secretly lent his army to Yunyang Third Prince Li Neng, asking him to lead his troops to attack Yuxi City. This is somewhat different from the promise we made in the letter. I wondered, how could Yunyang Prince be such a rash and untrustworthy person? It's impossible. So I executed the person who spread the rumor on the spot, to prevent some people from gossiping and stirring up trouble between our two families."

At this point, Kaia deliberately stopped talking and let Norn, who had always had a cold face, take over the topic:

"However, a few days ago, our Anbu reported that the intelligence was actually true! Li Neng has already led his army to attack Yuxi City. I called you all here today to ask, what is Li Yi's attitude? If he is willing to cooperate, we will cooperate. If he is not willing to cooperate and plays us for fools behind our backs, then you should go back and tell Li Yi to wait for the revenge from Prince Huai and Qiming!"

As soon as these words came out, the peaceful dinner party was instantly covered with a layer of frost.

38. The Lion Opens His Mouth

After Kaia and Noren finished speaking, the envoys from Lingyun City immediately became panicked.

Zi Pu was still holding the wine glass pretending to be calm, but her heart felt like it was being pressed down by a thousand-pound iron block. She originally thought that this negotiation would be easy, after all, the previous correspondence had already clearly stated most of the conditions between the two parties, and this time she just had to come over to sign and confirm.

Moreover, they were in Huayue City and had no way to get information from Lingyun City. Li Yi had never told them about this matter, so when Zi Pu heard Kaiya and Norn talk about it in a hurry, her head went blank for a moment and she couldn't respond at all.

She had only one idea, to stabilize Kaia and Norn first. No matter what they said next, this cooperation must be achieved. She saw how much her young master Li Yi hated Yuxi City. This time, she came to get help for Li Yi, which was originally a good thing to do. If she failed, her position as the consul of the envoy group would probably be unstable.

So, Zi Pu asked tentatively:

"Lord Kaia, Lord Norn, we are indeed unaware of this matter, but I swear on my life that Lord Li Yi has absolutely no intention of betraying you! Lord Li Yi will definitely give you an explanation for this matter. I wonder if you can give us some more time..."

Noren sneered and said:

"Grace? Give more grace. Who knows if your Prince Yunyang will find a new partner? I can see that you didn't intend to cooperate with us from the beginning. Today Li Yi can indulge his brother to attack Yuxi City first, and tomorrow he can kick us aside. I think Li Yi is really arrogant. Without the support of our two families, what can he do?"

Zi Pu held the wine glass, smiled carefully, and said:

"Yes! Calm down. We were wrong in this matter. If you have any requests, please feel free to ask..."

Kaiya opened his fan with a snap, fanning himself with his eyes narrowed as he spoke to Zi Pu:

"Miss Zi Pu is from Yunyang, so she may not understand the rules of our Huayue City. Here, it is common sense to drink a few glasses of wine when apologizing. My brother Norn and I are very annoyed about this matter. The rules we agreed on were changed to pieces, which is like slapping us in the face. If you want to be forgiven, you have to drink a few more glasses to get over it."

Kaia clapped his hands and said:

"Serve the wine!"

A beautiful maid came up with a pot of fine wine. Zi Pu looked over there and felt the hair on his body stand on end. That was definitely not the amount of "a few cups of self-punishment". Each maid was holding a pot of fine wine, and there were more than ten maids lined up there! If they all drank it, the mildest would be drunk and have a headache, and the worst would be the possibility of losing their lives.

But Kaia and Noren didn't care at all. Their smiles were one elegant and the other gloating, but at this moment they looked no different from evil spirits.

The smile on Zi Pu's face froze there, and he said flatteringly:

"My Lords, this is too much wine for a girl like me to drink. Can we drink together..."

Kaia waved his fan and said with a smile:

"Miss Zi Pu still wants to negotiate with us, so naturally she has to stay sober, which is understandable. You can find someone to drink for you, but only one person, and if you can't finish it, we will have nothing to talk about."

Zi Pu swallowed her saliva and swept her eyes across the faces of the girls in the envoy group. Everyone lowered their heads and didn't dare to look at her, fearing that if their eyes met, they would be chosen as the lucky one. After looking around, Zi Pu frowned and her eyes fell on the last girl who was a "newcomer". She named her:

"Yunye, come here."

Yunye was staring at the jade ring scallop dish in a daze, thinking that it must be delicious to eat, and it would be great if she could take some out for her brothers and sisters to taste as well. Suddenly hearing her own name, Yunye was stunned for a moment, raised her head, and said:

"Ah, I'm here."

Zi Pu said to her in an irrefutable tone:

"Have a drink. It just so happens that you haven't had much chance to drink before. The wines here are all of the best quality. Drinking more won't do you any harm. Just think of it as seeing the world."

Yunye said "Oh" and said softly:

"By the way, when I heard you guys talking just now, I felt like something was wrong..."

Zi Pu interrupted her and urged:

"Drink first! If you want to talk at the table, you have to drink first. This is the rule everywhere. This is a job you worked hard to get. Don't let your family down."

Yunye looked at the maid carrying the wine and frowned slightly, looking embarrassed, but she still took it and drank it one cup after another. As soon as she took a sip, she was choked by the sudden spicy taste and started coughing. Yunye opened her eyes blankly and looked at the cup. She felt that she had never touched such a strong wine before, but when she looked up and saw that everyone was looking at her, she still tried to raise the cup and swallowed it one mouthful at a time.

After drinking the first pot, Norn urged:

"How long will it take to finish drinking like this? The food is getting cold! Just drink directly from the spout."

Yunye could only take the wine jug held by the next maid. The heavy feeling in her hand made her feel bitter. When the strong liquor went down her throat, it felt like a rusty iron knife was cutting her throat again and again. What was even more uncomfortable was that after swallowing it, the spicy taste rushed back to her brain. After only two jugs of wine, Yunye's face turned red.

Zi Pu held the wine glass, not daring to even look, he just thought it was great that he was not the one drinking there.

After the fourth pot of wine, everyone started to applaud her.

Even Norn, who had shouted the most before, clapped his hands and shouted:

"Drink! Keep drinking!"

"Come on! We're halfway through!"

"You can drink a lot, Zi Pu. Your envoy group is really full of talents. Go on, another pot!"

Zi Pu smiled along and looked at the miserable Yun Ye, his hands holding the cup were shaking a little.

When she drank the eighth pot, Yunye felt as if her head was about to explode. Tears kept pouring out of her eyes, and everything in front of her became blurry. The voices of others gradually faded away, and only the buzzing sound in her ears remained between heaven and earth. She wanted to fall down because it was difficult to swallow, but the two maids quickly supported her and continued to put the spout of the pot into her mouth to pour wine for her.

After drinking more than ten pots of wine, Yunye lay on her back in the chair, reeking of alcohol, and it was unknown whether she was alive or dead.

Kaiya glanced at her and said to Zi Pu without paying any attention:

"Since Li Yi has expressed his sincerity, we can continue to talk. Because of condoning Li Neng's unauthorized actions, our trust in Li Yi has decreased. This is also human nature, right? Brother Nolan and I have discussed it and feel that it is not impossible to support Li Yi according to the previous plan, but since Li Yi does not follow the rules, we have to put forward a new condition."

Zi Pu trembled and asked:

"What...conditions?"

Kaia opened his eyes slightly, folded his fan, and said:

"We want the twenty cities in the eastern part of Yunyang."

39. Fake wine harms people

"Twenty cities! How is this possible?"

Zi Pu was so frightened that half of the wine in the glass fell out, and he said in horror:

"Lord Li Yi will not agree to this, and he does not have the power to do so..."

Kaia narrowed his eyes again, smiled and waved his hand, saying:

"Please be patient, Miss Zi Pu. We are not talking about now, but after Li Yi becomes the Lord of Yunyang. At that time, Yunyang will naturally not be the Yunyang of today. Everyone knows that some territories will disappear from Yongtian Kingdom soon, including Tiancheng Territory to the east of Yunyang. Yunyang is the closest to Tiancheng, and this piece of pie is enough for Yunyang to make a fortune. The twenty cities we proposed are actually nothing. Compared with this little thing, the current Yuxi City is Yunyang's biggest concern."

Norn sneered and continued:

"In the final analysis, Lord Yunyang is too proud to deal with Li De himself. But Lord Yunyang's other sons are too incompetent to solve the problem of Yuxi City. In this case, seeking help from outside forces is your only choice. We have a long-standing friendship with Li Yi, so it is reasonable to let us do this. Why hesitate!"

Zi Pu was breathing heavily, hesitating.

Before she came to Huayue City, Li Yi did tell her that if there were any new conditions, she could agree to them first. Now, taking down Yuxi City was Li Yi's biggest goal. For this goal, twenty cities did not seem to be an unacceptable condition, especially since these twenty cities did not need to be separated from Yunyang Territory. As long as he made some efforts to conquer Tiancheng Territory in the future, it would be fine.

In contrast, as long as the Lord of Yuxi City was alive, Li Yi's suffering continued every day, and he hadn't even turned over her card at Zi Pu for a long time. Thinking of her young master's haggard appearance, Zi Pu pondered for a moment and decided to agree to Kaiya's conditions. She knew the character of Young Master Li Yi very well. As long as this matter was kept secret from Lord Yunyang, after Young Master Li Yi succeeded to the throne, the twenty cities would be given away at will.

Thinking of this, Zi Pu nodded and was about to speak when suddenly a voice came from the corner:

"Wait a moment!"

Zi Pu looked over there and found that Yun Ye, who was originally rustic, had completely changed. The clothes that Zi Pu lent her were somewhat neutral in style. At this moment, she stood up, put her hair back and looked over quietly, with cold eyes and a slight upward smile on her lips. Her already stunning face was full of aggression after removing the rustic feeling, which made Zi Pu's heart jump.

Zi Pu was just wondering if it was fake wine that harmed her. How could a good and energetic girl like her turn into what she is now? Yun Ye was already holding onto the chair with one hand and said:

"I have already drunk the wine. Shouldn't you two give me a chance to speak?"

Kaia and Norn looked at each other and nodded at her.

Yunye raised her chin, her expression full of confidence from the inside out, her tone was a little arrogant, and with just a few words she took the initiative back into her own hands:

"I think you two may have made a mistake. Neither Lord Yunyang nor Lord Liyi has ever said that [external forces must be used]. On the contrary, I think you two are begging Lord Liyi to do this. Let's not rush to refute. Let me ask you two a few questions. Who was the one who challenged the king in the capital but was defeated by the Lord of Yuxi City in public? Who was the one who supported his brother in Fengcheng but was slapped in the face by the Lord of Yuxi City? Who is the one who took the lead in initiating negotiations this time and proposed to unite with Fangyuan of Zhaochen Family to jointly encircle and suppress Yuxi City?"

Yunye exhaled a breath of alcohol, and said in a calm tone with a hint of disdain in her smile:

"Why did you two want to help Lord Liyi? Just because of the so-called friendship? If that's true, then the twenty cities will be a little hurt. In the final analysis, aren't you two just dissatisfied with the Lord of Yuxi City and planning to use Lord Liyi to retaliate? Without Lord Liyi, you two will have no reason to interfere in Yunyang's family affairs. If you want to send troops to attack Yuxi City, you have to borrow Yunyang's way, and you will definitely be blackmailed by the Lord of Yunyang."

At this point, Yunye burped, leaned back on the chair drunkenly, and said with a smile:

"I don't know why you two adults want to ask for another twenty cities, but I know one thing very well. If Lord Liyi can send his brother to Yuxi City today, he can unite with other brothers and sisters to fight against the Lord of Yuxi City tomorrow. He doesn't necessarily have to borrow strength from you, but if you miss Lord Liyi, it will be difficult to find another opportunity to retaliate against the Lord of Yuxi City. What do you two adults think?"

Norn threw the cup in his hand to the ground and shouted coldly:

"What's your attitude!"

Yunye stared at Norn's angry face and replied politely:

"I'm just reminding Lord Norn that twenty cities are a bit too many."

Norn was about to speak, but Kaia stopped him with his fan and asked Yunye:

"Since Li Yi violated our agreement first, he must pay a price. How many cities do you think would be a reasonable price?"

Yunye raised her index finger:

"One."

Norn laughed in anger, his voice cold:

"I think you are tired of living, so you come to us and speak nonsense. When did lowly people like you have the right to speak at a dinner party? Get out!"

Although Kaia was laughing, he also shook his head:

"A city is indeed a bit too much."

Yunye stood up, placed her hands on the table, and leaned forward slightly. A few strands of hair hung down in front of her eyes, trembling slightly. Yunye did not look at the other members of the trembling envoys, nor at Norn who was screaming loudly. She spoke directly to Kaia:

"Five cities at most! The Lord of Yuxi City, Lide, only has five cities now. If he wants to exchange for twenty cities, then just give him the five cities! There are many unprofitable deals in the world, but no one has ever done a business of twenty for five. Once this kind of unfair clause is exposed, Yunyang and the two of you will be enemies forever. Now that the world is about to change, do you really want to have an enemy instead of a friend?"

After saying this, Noren stopped what he was doing and stared at Yunye.

Kaiya was also looking at her. The pressure from the two princes was very great, but Yunye was not afraid at all.

After a moment, Kaia clapped his hands and said: