The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 566: Chapter 566: Brave but Witless

Thinking of the recent mess at Duke Zhongyong Mansion, Ye Chutang lowered her gaze slightly, hiding the expression in her eyes.

’The Xie Family... no, perhaps... Xie Anjun, and Wazhen?’

Xie Pei quickly finished reading the scroll. After contemplating for a moment, he looked up and said:

”Crown Prince, we cannot agree to these conditions.”

Ugle immediately frowned, and his expression soured.

Everyone was also taken aback, not expecting Xie Pei to refuse so bluntly!

Ugle’s gaze swept over Xiao Chengqi, Emperor Muwu, and the others before he asked, ”Does your word carry any weight?”

He naturally recognized Xie Pei. He had heard the name mentioned by his royal father on more than one occasion.

In his youth, Xie Pei had indeed been a fierce general. Even his royal father spoke of him with a faint trace of admiration.

But times had changed, and Xie Pei was old now.

Moreover, Ugle had heard a great deal about the Xie Family’s affairs before coming to the capital. The family had once been prosperous, but with Princess Huan Ning married into their household, they were inevitably entangled with the Second Prince, Xiao Chengxuan. The fact that Xie Pei could even appear here today was already beyond Ugle’s expectations.

Emperor Muwu said nothing.

Xie Pei said, ”Since Your Majesty has asked for my opinion, I must speak frankly. Several of these terms are simply too excessive. I believe they cannot be accepted.”

Seeing that no one around spoke up to refute Xie Pei, Ugle grew anxious.

His expression hardened. ”It seems you have no intention of negotiating in good faith!”

Xie Pei, however, remained impassive. He set the scroll down, sat with solemn dignity, and spoke calmly.

”Crown Prince, since you are so well-informed about affairs in the capital, you must be aware of more than just what is common knowledge. How could you not know how exorbitant these conditions are?”

He clasped his hands in a salute toward the throne.

”His Majesty’s empire is vast and prosperous; it is not that we cannot provide these items. But the crucial question is—what does Wazhen offer in exchange?”

Ugle scoffed. ”On this trip to the capital, we brought a great deal of supplies and even generously gifted you warhorses! Is that not enough?”

Xie Pei suddenly chuckled.

”They say the Crown Prince is valiant in battle, intelligent, and agile. Yet, in my view, that is not the case at all.”

”You!”

Ugle shot to his feet, his face livid with rage.

Xie Pei continued, ”For you, the Crown Prince of Wazhen, to say such a thing... do you truly believe that what you have brought is equivalent to the demands on this scroll? If you’re not saying this deliberately, then you must simply be short-sighted and ignorant!”

When had Ugle ever been berated so directly to his face? And in front of so many people, no less! He was utterly infuriated!

”If this is the extent of Wazhen’s sincerity, then I advise the Crown Prince to take his men and return home at once!” Xie Pei’s tone turned cold, suddenly laced with a deadly aura. ”Even if it means war, we will never suffer such humiliation!”

With that, Xie Pei violently swept the scroll to the floor!

THUD.

The object landed in the center of the grand hall, emitting a muffled sound.

Dead silence.

The atmosphere was taut, ready to snap at any moment!

Ugle was both shocked and furious.

He had never imagined Xie Pei’s stance would be so unyielding!

From the sound of it, he was even willing to declare war again!

Ugle immediately looked toward Emperor Muwu, only to see the Emperor sitting on the high throne, his expression as placid as still water, betraying no emotion.

’His silence was a form of approval!’

The words in Ugle’s throat churned, but in the end, he swallowed them back down.

He took a deep breath.

”Why such a fierce reaction, Marquis Zhongyong? Did I not just say these conditions are negotiable? I hope you all know that my royal father has long hoped for peace and wishes for these talks to benefit both our nations. A prolonged conflict helps neither side, does it not?”

He was finally yielding.

The aura around Xie Pei subsided, and he became mild-mannered once more, seemingly no different from an ordinary old man. It was as if the person who had just been arguing so vehemently was not him at all.

”Your royal father is a brilliant strategist who cares deeply for his people. Wazhen is truly fortunate to have him. If these talks can indeed succeed, your contribution, Crown Prince, will be remembered for ages and immortalized in the annals of history.”

His words were exceedingly courteous, and these few phrases were enough to extinguish the flames of Ugle’s anger.

Ugle’s expression also softened.

”Well said.”

...

The negotiations continued.

This time, Ugle’s attitude had clearly softened a great deal.

Officials from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites joined the fray, looking as if they wanted to pull out an abacus right then and there to calculate every last detail down to the penny.

The atmosphere was much more harmonious than before.

Ye Chutang’s gaze swept impassively across the room, finally resting on Xie Pei for a moment.

After saying his piece, Xie Pei spoke no more, yielding the floor for the detailed discussion.

He simply sat there, as if a mere spectator.

If one hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, no one would believe that he had been the one to first break through Ugle’s defenses—a tough nut to crack.

Ye Chutang murmured softly,

”Marquis Zhongyong certainly understands Wazhen very well.”

’No wonder Emperor Muwu sent him.’

Princess Qingyang heard her and nodded in agreement. ”Isn’t that the truth! He helped the Grand Ancestor conquer the realm back in the day! Marquis Zhongyong is a truly formidable man. Even though he’s getting on in years, he’s as sharp as ever. When he makes a move, it’s always brilliant! Did you see how awful Ugle’s expression was earlier? Ha, he didn’t dare talk back! If he really provoked another war, Wazhen might not be able to withstand it. Then he would become a traitor to his own people!”

Ye Chutang nodded in agreement. ”Indeed.”

Wazhen couldn’t afford to fight, but Ugle couldn’t lose face, so he adopted a very tough attitude from the start. Little did he know that Xie Pei wasn’t buying it.

With just a few words, he had forced Ugle to reveal his hand.

Not everyone possessed such skill.

Ye Chutang suddenly had an inkling of where Xie Anbai got his devil-may-care attitude from.

Xie Pei looked dignified and venerable, but in truth, he was sharp-witted and exceptionally skilled at assessing a situation.

’What a pity—’

”As for that Ugle, I think he’s all bluster and no substance.” Princess Qingyang changed the subject with a shrug. ”I’d only ever heard he was a fierce and formidable warrior. Now that I’ve seen him today, he’s certainly got the physique, but—”

She tapped her own head.

”He’s got a screw loose.”

Ye Chutang took a sip of her tea.

”Didn’t you say he suffered three consecutive defeats at the hands of the Princely Heir?”

”That’s right! The last time, he didn’t even face my brother in a direct confrontation—he just took his troops and ran!” The corner of Princess Qingyang’s mouth twitched at the memory. ”So when you get down to it, you can’t even say he’s all brawn and no brains.”

Ye Chutang was speechless.

Suddenly, her brow furrowed slightly.

”Something’s not right.”

Princess Qingyang asked, puzzled, ”What’s not right?”

Ye Chutang mused, ”It’s one thing for us not to know him well, but there’s no way Mu Mu Zhen’er doesn’t know what kind of person he is. Given the situation, why would he still send this Crown Prince?”