Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 694: Chapter 533: Seeking Wealth or Seeking Beauty?

The crowd was left speechless, but Zhou Mu remained unfazed, raising an eyebrow at Gu Changsheng. ”Changsheng, my love, what do we have that could be compared to Red Sun Valley and an army of two hundred thousand?”

At these words, Gu Changsheng blinked innocently. ”Then tell me, are they after wealth or beauty?”

Dammit, she had just these two things, no more—if indeed there was anything more to be had!

Heaven and earth as my witness, she spoke the absolute truth!

”Red Sun Valley is the only fertile land in the Southern Border, surrounded by mountains and rich in resources. They surely aren’t lacking in wealth!” Zhou Mu cast her a sideways glance and spoke with a wry smile.

Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but laugh jovially, rubbing her hands together and gazing eagerly towards the city walls. ”So you mean, they’re after beauty? After beauty, huh, hehe, I like the sound of that!”

”Gu, Chang, sheng!” Zhou Mu uttered through clenched teeth as he looked at the woman before him who had no sense of propriety. ”Remember, you are already betrothed, you are to be my wife!”

”Calm down!” Gu Changsheng dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand and a look of eagerness. ”How could I possibly forget about that? But given the poor and treacherous lands of the Southern Border, it’s rare to have any fun. Why not let me enjoy myself?”

”Rest assured, I stake my reputation that I will absolutely not be unfaithful!” Gu Changsheng thumped her chest decisively. ”Even if there were three thousand Ruo Shui, I would only choose to drink from your scoop. Heaven and earth as my witness, I really just want to have some fun!”

This promise of three thousand Ruo Shui but taking only one scoop pleased Zhou Mu, and his expression lightened considerably. He picked up the Glazed Cup and sipped lightly. ”What they want is to take control of the Southern Border with legitimate reason. This Huaheng Cangyue indeed plots deep.”

”Pssh, don’t be so suspicious, suspecting others without cause. What if they want something we haven’t even considered?” Gu Changsheng, unable to resist, retorted.

”How about making a bet with me?” Zhou Mu, watching the endless debate atop the city walls, provocatively suggested. ”If what they want is you, then you will spend a night with me. How about it?”

”Spend a night?” The corner of Gu Changsheng’s mouth twitched.

Their conversation, as if no one else were present, eventually became too much for Borjigin Nian, who interrupted with a wave of his hand and an embarrassed tone. ”Hey! Will you two ever stop? We are on the verge of battle here, with war looming if negotiations fail. And yet, you’re flirting here—is that appropriate?”

”Yes, is that appropriate? Evildoer, you’re becoming more bewitching by the day! Little Monk Bu Jie? Where is Little Monk Bu Jie? Hurry up and take care of him!” Gu Changsheng, hearing this, immediately echoed the sentiment, looking around for the absent Little Monk Bu Jie. She touched her nose and began to speak sheepishly, ”Even if you don’t take him away, at least convert him or something. It would be great if you could get him to enter into monastic life—I’d be liberated at last!”

With that, Gu Changsheng cast a warning glance at Zhou Mu. This evildoer, he was really going too far!

Shameless!

Teasing her so skillfully, and becoming less and less discerning of the time and place! She was about to lose all her face because of him!

Sniffing, Gu Changsheng found dealing with this man utterly hopeless, so she just looked toward the city walls, raised her voice, and spoke in a rascally manner, ”Hey, Huaheng Cangyue, you’ve performed your grand play long enough. Let’s talk frankly now!”

Atop the city walls, Huaheng Cangyue turned around, his wise aged eyes gazing down at the woman below, remaining silent.

”Huaheng Cangyue, you’re giving me Red Sun Valley and two hundred thousand soldiers for free. Normally, I wouldn’t have any reason to refuse such a windfall from heaven,” Gu Changsheng said with a curved lip, lifting her head to continue. ”However, I, Gu Changsheng, never like to take small advantages because I believe there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world!”

At this point, Gu Changsheng’s voice deepened, her gaze intense as she stared at Huaheng Cangyue and declared solemnly, ”I must take Red Sun Valley. Your army of two hundred thousand must either submit to me for my use, or be annihilated, leaving none alive.”

Gu Changsheng’s statement was as domineering as it was brazen.

At her words, the people atop the city wall were initially stunned, but then the crowd erupted.

”Gu Changsheng! You are far too arrogant. Do you really think our Huaheng Clan, like the Xiangka Clan, is a pushover that you can boast so wildly about?” Huaheng Mantian stepped forward and pointed at Gu Changsheng, yelling loudly, ”You want our army of two hundred thousand to be wiped out with none surviving, with just your eight hundred soldiers? Gu Changsheng, you’re truly not afraid of your tongue twisting in the wind!”

”Too arrogant! Mother, a person like her, even if she’s a descendant of the Phoenix Clan, is not worth our loyalty!”

”Clan Leader, please reconsider this!”

”We beg the Clan Leader to think it over!”

”...”

The people behind Huaheng Cangyue were immediately filled with righteous indignation again, trying to persuade her.

”Shut up! This matter is for me to decide, and I won’t allow any interference!” Huaheng Cangyue’s gaze towards Gu Changsheng also took on a hint of sharpness as she waved her hand dismissively, cutting off the words of those behind her.

Feeling Huaheng Cangyue’s piercing eyes, Gu Changsheng hooked up the corner of his mouth in a smile, blew on his fingertips, and continued, ”Huaheng Cangyue, given that you were once a servant of my maternal family, out of regard for our past ties, I do not wish to engage in a full-blown war with the Huaheng Clan. So let’s speak plainly. Huaheng Cangyue, if you hand over Red Sun Valley and two hundred thousand troops, what is it that you seek? Are you asking for wealth or for beauty? Speak your terms, and if they are reasonable, I might reluctantly agree, to avoid the hassle of a battle, the stench of gunpowder and blood—it’s rather unpleasant, isn’t it?”

Gu Changsheng’s attitude, far from being pleasant, was rather infuriating, and even Huaheng Cangyue, who had experienced all facets of life, had to suppress several urges to lash out in order to calm herself and respond, ”Prince Changsheng is a wise man. What my Huaheng Clan seeks is quite simple and should be effortless for Prince Changsheng!”

Gazing down from atop the City Gate at the woman below, Huaheng Cangyue spoke solemnly, ”My Huaheng Clan is willing to offer everything we have for just one Imperial Prince! I wonder, does Prince Changsheng consent?”

”Oh?” Gu Changsheng, upon hearing this, responded at once, lifted an eyebrow at the man behind him whose face had already darkened to the color of the bottom of a pot, and then looked up again, ”The Huangheng Clan really is generous, offering all they have as a dowry, all for an Imperial Prince’s position?”

”Indeed! If Prince Changsheng welcomes a man from my Huangheng Clan as your husband and agrees that after your hundredth year, a daughter born from the Imperial Prince is to inherit the great rule of the Southern Border, my Huaheng Clan will immediately offer our loyalty,” Huaheng Cangyue said confidently.

”Haha...” Upon hearing these words, Gu Changsheng burst into laughter, his laughter wild and wicked, carrying an untamable arrogance...

”Lady Changsheng, why are you laughing? How can you still laugh when my lord is about to explode!” Yuan Bao got up from the ground, standing beside the carriage, tugging at Gu Changsheng’s skirt, whining... Hadn’t he noticed his lord’s face had turned dark?

This was a harbinger of great trouble!

”Huaheng Cangyue, living up to the reputation of a crafty old fox, you really are playing a good hand!” Ignoring the tearful Yuan Bao at his side, Gu Changsheng spoke with a laugh.

An Imperial Prince? What the hell would she want with an Imperial Prince?

Is this supposed to be some matriarchal era?

She’s someone who already has a son!

The Huaheng Clan really has wild ambitions, to have set their sights on this!

In the Southern Border, where women are respected, if she were to welcome an Imperial Prince of Huaheng into her home, and then appoint a daughter of Huaheng descent as the sovereign, the Huaheng Clan would then rightfully become the Imperial Family!

Compared to the Xiangka Clan, which seized the throne and was despised by the world, the Huaheng Clan’s machinations were deep and inscrutable!

No wonder they’ve been able to contend with the Xiangka Clan for so many years!

Just this patience alone, the ability to endure and to wait, was far beyond the ability of ordinary people!

”Prince Changsheng, I have no selfish intentions! I have led the Huaheng Clan for decades to achieve our current stature. My loyalty to you, after all, requires an explanation to my people and to my soldiers,” said Huaheng Cangyue with a helpless smile. ”Prince Changsheng, I do this for your own good. Although I’ve heard that when you wandered the Central Plains, you betrothed yourself to Prince Mu of Great Zhou, yet in our Southern Border, it is common for a woman to have multiple husbands. Wealthy households have such arrangements all the time, not to mention the Imperial Family?”

”According to the customs of the Southern Border Royal Family, apart from the Phoenix Clan, which may marry into the Wuchang Clan every thousand years, all husbands they take must be from the Southern Border Miao Ethnic Group. Prince Changsheng, as a descendant of the Phoenix Clan, you cannot take marriage lightly. Belonging to the Phoenix Clan, you can only marry men from the Southern Border Miao Ethnic Group—it’s common knowledge! The marriage you formed in the Central Plains was one thing, as you had not yet returned to the Southern Border. But times have changed. If you wish to rule the Southern Border, you must marry a man from the Southern Border Miao Ethnic Group!” Huaheng Cangyue spoke persuasively.

”Oh?” Interrupting the crowd behind her, ready to speak, Gu Changsheng blinked his Phoenix Eyes, leisurely observing Huaheng Cangyue.

”Prince Changsheng, I do not mean to boast, but in my clan, there are a few young men of exceptional appearance. Though they may not be as stunning as His Royal Highness Prince Mu, they are rare beauties among the Southern Border Miao Ethnic Group. If Prince Changsheng is willing to form a marriage alliance with my Huaheng Clan, you can choose anyone you want from my clan’s young men. If it pleases you, Prince Changsheng, to choose more than one, that would be even better!” Huaheng Cangyue said, her face brimming with smiles.

With half of the Southern Border as a dowry, Gu Changsheng had no reason to refuse! It seemed more than likely that this would be settled!

Thinking this, a smile couldn’t help but appear on Huaheng Cangyue’s face. Through the ages, the Phoenix Clan had taken husbands from clans on the decline, fearing the chaos that influential families could wreak. There was a reason why the Phoenix Clan had ruled the Southern Border for a thousand years!

And now, she had come across such an opportunity! An opportunity to rightfully claim the throne of the Imperial Family!

”Evildoer, it does sound rather tempting, doesn’t it? What do you think?” Gu Changsheng, stroking his chin, grinned back at the proud man reclining on the couch...