The negotiations stalled over the twelve cities.
They couldn't move past it.
It had been two days, and Wang Qiancheng was already running out of things to scold about.
Lin Yuan wanted the twelve cities of Wei City, but Great Li was only willing to give nine.
Yet, Lin Yuan insisted on the twelve cities, not one less.
But if Great Li lost the twelve cities of Wei City, then from the King down to every minister, all would be recorded in history, cursed by posterity.
On the third day, the Demon Hunter Army stationed in Huaicheng attacked again.
Wei City fell.
Since negotiations had stalled, Lin Yuan decided to show Great Li with actions. If they didn't agree, they would continue fighting. The Demon Hunter Army still had half its forces unused, and Lin Yuan's God of War, Ji Jinmo, had not yet donned his armor. If Great Li refused to cede territory and pay reparations, then Lin Yuan would fight its way into Great Li's heartland. By then, there would be no need for territorial concessions or reparations; Great Li would simply become a vassal state of Lin Yuan!
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
On this day, the Emperor's roars and curses echoed through the Great Li Imperial Palace once more.
Great Li compromised. The peace talks concluded with Great Li agreeing to cede twelve cities, finally bringing the long-standing conflict to a complete end.
The twenty-third day of the first lunar month.
The Great Li envoys withdrew from Lin Yuan.
"Your Highness!"
Yu Chengxuan stood outside the imperial city, gazing at the grand and magnificent imperial palace of Lin Yuan.
The envoys were all waiting for him to board the carriage. Ji Fei approached Yu Chengxuan and softly called out, "Your Highness," reminding him that the envoys were watching and waiting, and it was time to mount the carriage.
Yu Chengxuan turned and got into the carriage, lifting the curtain and ducking inside.
"Depart!"
Ji Fei commanded.
The procession that had arrived with great fanfare left in silence. Great Li had lost from beginning to end, from the marriage alliance to the condemnation, and finally to the request for peace talks after initiating war.
Yu Chengxuan, once a hotly debated heir to the throne, was now draped in the cloak of a 'loser.' This trip to Lin Yuan had come at a heavy cost.
Yu Chengxuan paid no mind to the thoughts of others. He lifted the curtain of the carriage window and looked out at the streets of Lin Yuan.
This parting, who knows when they would meet again.
Luan'er, farewell!
...
Yu Chengxuan had left.
He had left Lin Yuan, not even having a chance to bid farewell to Nan Shiying.
But in reality, there was nothing to bid farewell to.
After Yu Chengxuan's departure, Huian moved back to the post station from the imperial palace. The post station and the surrounding civilian residences had been repaired, and the residents had moved back.
Ji Hong had set the wedding date. After the first lunar month, on the seventh day of the second lunar month, it was an auspicious day for a wedding, a good date for holding a wedding banquet.
At most, in less than a month, Huian would be married into the Nan family.
Following Lin Yuan's wedding customs, she was preparing her dowry.
Nan Shiying had Green Wan take a set of jade hairpin and clasps to the post station, as a contribution to her dowry. When Green Wan returned, she held a bolt of Huan Jin Sha in her hands. This was a special type of gauze unique to Great Li. When the sun shone on it, it resembled a sky filled with rosy clouds, like shimmering gold, hence the name Huan Jin Sha.
"Your Highness, this is the princess's return gift to you."
Green Wan presented the bolt of fabric to Nan Shiying. Sunlight streamed through the window onto the unfolded gauze, making the cloud-filled fabric shimmer with iridescent colors, exceedingly beautiful.
"Put it in the cabinet. After the start of spring, use this gauze to make a magnificent feather robe for Little Man."
"Yes!"
After Green Wan put away the fabric, she returned and picked up the teapot to pour tea for Nan Shiying. Nan Shiying suddenly remembered something and asked Green Wan, "Get me my dowry list and the deeds for the appended farmlands and businesses."
Hearing this, Green Wan put down the teapot and went to the private treasury to retrieve the items, handing them to Nan Shiying. "Your Highness, this is the dowry list, and these are the deeds for the farmlands."
Nan Shiying picked up the dowry list and scanned it at a glance. She then handed the list back to Green Wan. "Have Lan'er check the dowry against the list."
"Yes!"
Green Wan gave the list to Lan'er and returned to serve.
Nan Shiying separated the farmlands from the deeds. She set the farmlands aside and picked up the deeds.
There were four deeds in total.
There were two cosmetic shops on Yunlan Street, and on Changling Street, there was one textile shop and one tea house.
These shops were located in four prosperous areas. However, during the New Year period, not a single person had sent a ledger, nor had there been any income.
She had originally planned to inspect them after the New Year, but with so many things happening, she only remembered them now. The shopkeepers of these four establishments were truly... well.
"Green Wan, have the Royal Mansion's guards seal these four shops and bring their shopkeepers and ledgers before me."
Green Wan took her orders and went to find Jia Huan.
The shopkeepers of these four establishments were foolish, utterly foolish!
Jia Huan led the Royal Mansion's guards and quickly rushed to the four shops. They sealed them, apprehended the people, and seized the ledgers. Their actions were so swift that the patrol guards didn't even have time to intervene.
When the patrol guards arrived, a token was thrown at them.
Upon seeing the token, they dared not obstruct any further.
However, Li Hao couldn't help but question, "This is the capital, the very foot of the Emperor. Even a Prince cannot disregard law and order."
Jia Huan smiled and said, "Sir, please understand. These four shops are the Princess Consort's dowry. The New Year has already passed, yet the shopkeepers of these four establishments have not presented this year's ledgers to Her Highness. It is said that the profits from this year have been pocketed by the shopkeepers. Her Highness is truly angered, which is why she ordered us to apprehend them and check the accounts. We have no intention of disregarding the laws of the land."
Li Hao fell silent for a moment. While the Royal Mansion's actions were a bit excessive, it couldn't be denied that this was a family matter. If a household servant made a mistake, it was naturally within the master's right to punish them.
However, were the shopkeepers of these four establishments out of their minds to dare embezzle the Princess Consort's money?
Since it was a family matter, it was no longer within the patrol guards' jurisdiction. Li Hao led his contingent of patrol guards away.
The shopkeepers of the four establishments were brought to the Royal Mansion.
One by one, they were as frightened as quails.
Nan Shiying sat in the hall, looking down at the four shopkeepers who wished they could bury their heads in the ground. She toyed with the jade ring on her finger and said with a smile, "You four have quite the audacity to embezzle my money?"
Nan Shiying's voice was neither loud nor soft, but to the ears of these four, it sounded like a suddenly struck death knell, startling them into trembling and making their scalps tingle.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, please see reason. Even if I had the courage of a leopard, I would not dare to embezzle your money! There must be some misunderstanding, some misunderstanding!"
One of the shopkeepers spoke with a choked voice. When had he ever embezzled Her Highness's money? Even if he had a hundred more chances, he wouldn't dare to embezzle her money!
"Misunderstanding?"
"These four shops of yours are all my dowry. In the first year, you don't even come to pay respects and present the ledgers, and you still dare to cry injustice?"
"Dowry... dowry?"
Upon hearing this, the shopkeepers of the four establishments froze on the spot.
When did these shops become Her Highness's dowry? The mansion... no one in the mansion had told them!!