bullyxtreme Chapter 305 Testing the Waters
Chapter 305 Testing the Waters
Chapter 305 Testing the Waters
"There are no eternal enemies in this world."
When both parties need each other to escape their predicament, resentment and hatred can be temporarily set aside.
Moreover, at this time, the Prince of Yong had not yet committed the evil deeds that would follow. Only Xu Bin knew the depth of their grudges. He could suppress his emotions and use the other party to get through the current difficulties.
The corners of Yong Wang's mouth lifted slightly.
He likes flexible and cooperative people like him; talking to him is much easier than talking to someone as inflexible as Mu Zhuo.
"I'm curious. I'm just a prince who's fallen from grace, yet General Xu is so certain that I can help you. Isn't the general overestimating me?"
He was very confident in his disguise. Even the emperor of the Brown Kingdom, who once hated and feared him, did not discover his true strength. How could a minister of the Great Yong be so sure?
He had always thought that Dayong wouldn't be too wary of the He Kingdom, nor would they know much about it, but Xu Bin's behavior made him a little suspicious.
They can plant spies in Dayong, so why can't Dayong do the opposite?
However, he didn't make a fuss about it.
He's not the emperor now, so it's none of his business to worry about this.
Xu Bin did not answer.
As the silence deepened, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
"Your Highness attempted to abduct my Great Yong princess, yet you managed to escape unscathed. Isn't that enough to prove Your Highness's strength?"
If King Yong is a useless person, it only makes the soldiers of Dayong who failed to stop him seem even more incompetent.
King Yong clearly did not expect that he even knew about this.
After all, this should be a disgrace to the Great Yong Dynasty, and they would not publicize it.
Xu Bin didn't give him time to think, retorting sarcastically, "However, there's one thing I'm very curious about. Your Highness hasn't met our Second Princess of Dayong before, has he? Your Highness doesn't seem like someone who only knows romance and poetry, so why are you so obsessed with our princess?"
King Yong lowered his eyes.
The princess of Dayong...
But he discovered her much earlier than the Emperor and Empress of the Great Yong Dynasty.
When she was still a hermit named Jing Shui, it was he who facilitated her collaboration with Yi Guan Bookstore.
They had been in contact before.
However, she was unaware of his existence.
He often wondered how she, at such a young age, had become the renowned Hermit of Still Water.
Incense making, painting...
She will acquire a lot, far more than someone her age should possess.
How much effort did she put in, and what a brilliant mind she has?
He was full of curiosity.
If she were a man, her achievements would certainly have attracted worldwide attention.
But she is a woman.
Thus, her radiant light was tinged with an inevitable sense of sorrow.
It is precisely because of this dramatic nature that her resilience and excellence are so captivating.
At that time, King Yong did not know what she looked like, but he kept a detailed portrait of her.
Of course, this was a painting he commissioned an artist to draw from memory, and Zheng Jin was unaware of its existence.
He hid the portrait in a secret compartment in his study, and no one knew about it.
He treasured this portrait as if it were a unique treasure.
His own treasure.
As for kidnapping?
That wasn't part of his plan.
It was just a sudden whim; I felt I should go see her.
He didn't have many spies in Dayong, and they were recently purged, almost completely severing his communication channels with the emperor of the Brown Kingdom.
Even though they didn't give up on this path, they achieved almost nothing.
However, as if guided by fate, he learned of Zheng Jin's whereabouts at that very moment.
His intuition was always accurate, so he followed his guidance and decided to find her and take her away.
Upon seeing her, he felt an almost guiding sense of destiny.
A thought popped into his head: It's her.
He didn't know where this feeling came from; he only knew that his heart kept urging him to take her away.
But she is the princess of the Great Yong Dynasty; how could he possibly take her away as he pleases?
Is Zheng Jin willing to go with him?
No, whether she wants to or not is not important; what is important is how he will take her away from the heavily guarded military camp.
Although time was tight, he was always lucky.
It's not that you can't give it a try.
He was cautious by nature and rarely acted solely on luck.
But this time he acted impulsively.
Xu Bin raised an eyebrow: "He acted impulsively, and then he failed."
King Yong: ...
In fact, you don't have to be so blunt and hurtful when it comes to people.
He coughed lightly: "This time, luck wasn't on my side; I ran into your eldest princess along the way..."
Xu Bin already knew what happened next without him having to tell him.
Xu Bin's expression was inscrutable.
He hadn't expected that the King of Yong would actually explain it to him.
He was in the wrong, but by saying it so bluntly, he seemed quite open and honest.
Xu Bin knew that this was Yong Wang's sincerity in seeking cooperation.
However, that's not what bothered him.
Luck is indeed mysterious, but it should be somewhat related to the fortune the princess mentioned.
The fact that King Yong said that fortune was no longer on his side suggests that Dayong's efforts were worthwhile.
If the laws of Heaven are just, they will not fear the courage to fight.
After recounting the past, King Yong suddenly changed the subject: "I naturally have the ability to make you leave, so what bargaining chips can General Xu offer to help me?"
Xu Bin gently blew on his teacup: "That depends on what Prince Yong needs."
"General Xu, you have quite the arrogance!"
King Yong remained skeptical of his words.
To put it bluntly, he's just a general. What does he represent? How capable is he?
Xu Bin smiled with narrowed eyes: "The emperor of the Brown Kingdom is pressing us step by step. No matter how powerful Prince Yong is, he will probably have a hard time dealing with the imperial power."
King Yong recalled the scene at the Winter Festival, and his face darkened for a moment.
He is usually good at hiding his emotions, and it's rare for him to be so irrational.
He clenched and unclenched his fist: "General Xu, there's no need to beat around the bush. I've already shown my sincerity, but I don't know where your sincerity lies."
Xu Bin smiled calmly: "Your Highness has many requests, and I'm just afraid I can't afford them."
He lowered his voice and said meaningfully, "Your Highness should tell me your request so I can see if I can fulfill it."
Yong Wang was unwilling to reveal his needs, while Xu Bin was unwilling to reveal his hand.
Both of them held back, neither willing to pay a heavy price.
Thus, the seemingly smooth cooperation suddenly stalled again.
“General Xu, this is putting me in a difficult position… My elder brother has always coveted Dayong. He always hopes to take a piece of Dayong and become a wise ruler who expands his territory. Last time, the entire envoy team that went to Dayong was wiped out, and only a crazy eighth brother returned. How could he not hold a grudge? Although he doesn’t care about the eighth brother, he cares about the face he lost.”
Xu Bin's expression remained unchanged: "So I know he won't let us go, but King Yong, the moment we decided to go on a mission to the Brown Kingdom, we were all prepared to lose our lives. King Yong, I sincerely want to make a deal with you, but if it comes to a fight to the death, we have nothing to lose."
King Yong looked into his eyes and saw a clear, earnest look within them.