Chapter 528: 615 Sacrificing oneself to serve the tiger

The attire of Princess Huixian was very distinctive of a foreign tribe, but unlike Yue Yuxi’s blonde hair and blue eyes, she had yellow skin and black hair. Her figure was delicate, with an elegant curve, and there was a mark of three petals on her forehead.

An exotic fragrance enveloped her, arousing reverie, but it seemed that a gust of wind could blow her away.

This suddenly reminded Chen Mo of Lin Daiyu in "Dream of the Red Chamber."

Her brows were like smoke drawn by a gentle touch, and her eyes seemed to hold tears.

Yet, like on the day of the grand marriage, she was veiled. Chen Mo curiously activated his Ancient Heavy Pupils and discovered her face to be exceedingly beautiful and charming.

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow, maintained his manners, and stepped forward to greet her, "Is it the illustrious Princess Huixian from your country?"

"Prince Zhen Nan, our Wan Kingdom is but a small foreign country and cannot afford the courtesy of a great nation’s prince." Princess Huixian displayed a very humble demeanor.

Her voice was soft, sweet, and pleasant, with lips a captivating shade of rose.

Chen Mo smiled warmly, "Your Highness is too courteous; please come inside.

Chun Lan, tea, please."

Chun Lan respectfully withdrew.

They faced each other across a long table, seated on the floor. Chen Mo smiled and said, "I have had pressing matters to address these past few days, which is why I have not met Your Highness sooner. I hope the Princess will forgive me."

"I dare not," Princess Huixian said as she removed the veil from her face in front of Chen Mo and looked into his eyes.

Seeing his calm gaze, devoid of any hidden emotions, she felt somewhat disappointed.

"I wonder what important matter has caused Your Highness to summon me." Chen Mo pretended ignorance, though he fully understood.

Princess Huixian understood well enough but could only suppress her temper and reiterated her request, then knelt directly in front of Chen Mo: "Our Wan Kingdom is now under the sway of treacherous ministers persecuting the royal family. We implore Prince Zhen Nan to take charge on our behalf."

"Oh, is such a thing happening?" Chen Mo feigned surprise and then said angrily: "The Han clan was recognized and conferred the throne of Wan Kingdom by the Grand Ancestor himself. How dare the Ning, mere merchants, plot against the nation? I cannot stand by idly."

Saying this, Chen Mo bent down to help Princess Huixian up by the arm.

Princess Huixian trembled all over, as if she had been electrocuted, but did not struggle, and her face brightened with delight: "Thank you, Prince Zhen Nan."

"It is but a small matter."

Chen Mo raised his hand slightly, then said, "This matter, after all, concerns diplomacy between two countries. There is no small matter in diplomacy. Even though I hold military power, I still need the consensus of the ministers..."

Princess Huixian knew well enough that this was a demand for a reward, and promptly said, "As long as Prince Zhen Nan can deploy Celestial Soldiers to suppress the Ning clan, the Great Wan is willing to present an annual tribute to the Great Song every year."

This clearly did not meet Chen Mo’s expectations, and he continued:

"Your country is several thousand miles away from our capital, with towering mountains and distant roads. Even if decisions are made later, the soldiers might not endure such long hardships..."

"All expenses for the Celestial Soldiers’ campaign to suppress the Ning clan will be borne by our country," Princess Huixian said.

Chen Mo deliberately distanced himself a few steps from Princess Huixian, then added: "Your Highness, you are unaware that our country has just repelled a group of barbarians from the Desolate Kingdom, incurring significant losses..."

Princess Huixian realized Chen Mo was speaking greedily now, but the price was too high. Hesitant, she said, "The Imperial Family has always suffered under Ning’s persecution, and more than half of the country’s annual taxes have been embezzled by Ning. I... have nothing to offer..."

"This..." Chen Mo pinched his thumb and forefinger together before speaking, "This Ning clan is truly abominable and deserves death. Once my army arrives, I shall ensure their entire clan is executed, and all their property confiscated."

Chen Mo emphasized the words ’confiscate property’ heavily.

Princess Huixian’s expression changed, understanding Chen Mo’s implication.

After the Ning clan was wiped out, Chen Mo wanted a share of their assets.

"Prince Zhen Nan... how much do you want?"

Chen Mo raised three fingers: "We’ll split it thirty to seventy."

"Thirty percent, that... that’s quite a lot, Prince Zhen Nan." The Ning clan was the wealthiest in Wan Kingdom, having controlled the government for so many years. Who knows how much wealth they had embezzled?

"No, no, no," Chen Mo shook his head. "Your Highness must have misunderstood."

Princess Huixian relaxed slightly, but Chen Mo’s next words drained her face of color.

"I meant thirty to seventy; you get thirty, I get seventy," Chen Mo stated.

"Prince Zhen Nan..." Princess Huixian felt as though all her strength had been drained.

But Chen Mo wasn’t finished. He took hold of Princess Huixian’s hand and said, "However, upon meeting Your Highness, it feels like we’ve known each other in a past life. Because of this, I’ve decided to give you ten percent—so you get forty, and I sixty."

Princess Huixian’s lips quivered, wanting to say something, but Chen Mo raised his hand to stop her, saying, "Your Highness, any further words would only hurt the bond between us."

Princess Huixian seethed with anger inside but did not reveal it. She never imagined Chen Mo could be so greedy, foster a connection? Only a fool would believe that. Nevertheless, she had to accede to Chen Mo’s terms to resolve the current situation.

She dared not retract her hand and said, "When does Prince Zhen Nan plan to dispatch the troops?"

"Your Highness does not know, Wan Kingdom’s terrain is complex and mountainous, with treacherous roads, making it difficult for outsiders to penetrate. I need first to survey the geographical situation within Wan Kingdom. Otherwise, I fear being dealt a costly blow. By my estimate, it would take merely three months to dispatch the troops."

"Three months?" Princess Huixian’s complexion shifted, realizing that by then it would be far too late.

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, and in front of Chen Mo, she removed her outer robe. Despite his protests, she did not halt but further undressed, handing the undergarment to Chen Mo.

Chen Mo was immediately stunned, for on the undergarment, there was a map depicting the geographical landscape of Wan Kingdom, rendered with absolute clarity.

Princess Huixian crossed her arms over her chest; now she wore only a bodice and underpants, looking pitifully at him, "Prince Zhen Nan, with this map, is it feasible?"

Chen Mo exhaled deeply. In the past few days, he had also consulted those knowledgeable about Wan Kingdom; its army’s strength was not significant, lacking even a First Grade Martial Artist. Now armed with this map, the accomplishment would be as easy as taking a reward for free.

"Your Highness, with this map, I estimate we can mobilize within a month," Chen Mo said.

"Still a month?"

"Your Highness is unaware that Bianliang currently suffers a shortage of provisions and needs to redistribute supplies from various locations, requiring time. One month is already very swift. Additionally, deploying troops requires time, does it not?"

"What about now?" Princess Huixian removed her bodice; tears adorned her long lashes, constantly tremoring.

Chen Mo’s breath quickened; these days, he had been nurturing his health with supplements and was at his peak.

"This... requires me to personally experience it to know," he said.

Princess Huixian closed her eyes, tears trailing down her cheeks, and nodded.