Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play

Xie Jue said, "The vassal king system has been abolished and will not change for anyone. Even if Mudan City has a governor, you are still a Commandery Prince with three thousand private soldiers, and your clan will not be bullied in Mudan City. I will follow your suggestion to choose a suitable governor for Mudan City and grant you the greatest extent of authority there. The people of the entire Sannan do not need to migrate southward; in the minds of the people of Mudan City, your authority still remains. If the vassal king system must be restored, that is very difficult. The decrees we implement won’t change arbitrarily in less than half a year."

"It sounds good in name, granting the greatest extent of power, but you and I both know, if I pass away and the title is taken away, who will protect my descendants?"

"Your title as Commandery Prince can be inherited, and I can promise you that. If you don’t believe me, it can be written into the surrender treaty, in black and white, and every emperor will acknowledge it."

"Fine, since Prince Yan promises, we are willing to trust you, but we have one more condition, which is that Prince Yan must acknowledge his identity as a member of the Sannan Royal Family," said the King of Sannan. "After our royal family surrenders, we need someone to protect us. I don’t trust anyone else; I only trust blood relations."

Mr. Gu was also shocked and for a moment didn’t know how to record it. Does the Prince have to admit his identity as a member of the Sannan Royal Family? If he admits it, he will often be attacked in the court in the future, almost cutting off his official career. Even if Sannan returns, for a long time, the Sannan Royal Family will remain the rulers in people’s minds. It will take time for them to slowly accept surrender. If there is a high-ranking prince, the people might, under his name, incite many disturbances. Acknowledging his identity as a member of the Sannan Royal Family is of no benefit to Xie Jue; Xie Jue is more aware of it than anyone.

He also does not hope that after surrender, the people of Sannan or the Sannan King would create chaos using his identity. Therefore, he has never publicly acknowledged his identity, even though it was announced to the world by the King of Sannan, Xie Jue has never been heard admitting it.

Fang Chuning sneered, "When I was in Jiangnan, I often heard that the people of Sannan were clever and cunning, and you really are no different from the rumors. You’d rather drown yourselves and drag others to accompany you. If Ting Feng admits his identity, the disturbances you create in the future can all be blamed on him. Now, though the Xie brothers are deeply bonded, no brotherhood can withstand repeated accusations of rebellion. If you don’t want to live a peaceful life, then we’ll negotiate differently."

Han Ziqi joked, "General Fang is really a protector, huh? Prince Yan hasn’t said anything, why are you quick to jump out? Is there anything wrong with us Sannan surrendering and wanting a strong backer? You don’t have to be so petty. After we surrender, we just want to live quietly and peacefully, seeking only protection. Besides, Prince Yan is originally a bloodline of our Sannan Royal Family."

"Prince Yan was born in the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, raised there. Whether in Beining or Sannan, children follow their fathers, not mothers. You all stop twisting words and confusing people. No matter where his birth mother is from, his father is the Marquis Zhenbei, so he is the son of the Marquis Zhenbei." Fang Chuning didn’t mind Han Ziqi’s ridicule. He is indeed protective, not wanting Ting Feng to get stained by any shadow of Sannan, leading to estrangement from Xie Xun. He is Ting Feng’s only brother, and it would sadden Ting Feng if they grew apart.

The Third Prince said slowly, "General Fang, we have all surrendered, with hundreds of thousands of troops having disbanded. What waves can we cause? We merely want the Prince to acknowledge his maternal family identity, to provide us with protection. There is nothing wrong with that either."

For the first time, the King of Sannan and his sons stood on a united front; at the final stage of the negotiations, they could only work together against outsiders.

Xie Jue knew that in negotiations, it’s you step back a little, and I do the same. Beining is strong enough that if the King of Sannan insists on not having a fief, he can acknowledge his maternal family identity.

Fang Chuning still wanted to argue, but Xie Jue grasped Fang Chuning’s hand under the table, soothing his anger, "Fine, after the surrender, when you visit the capital, I will acknowledge my maternal family identity in the court."

"Ting Feng!" Fang Chuning shouted angrily. Xie Jue shook his head gently, and under the watchful eyes of all, Fang Chuning had to suppress his anger, reluctantly accepting it.

The specifics of the negotiation followed, with Mr. Gu confirming everything with the Sannan Royal Family. Once the main conditions were discussed, there was no issue with minor details. Xie Jue did not excessively entangle himself with them; it was merely granting some additional power.

Once the conditions regarding land and the royal family were agreed upon and confirmed, they signed and sealed. The most important surrender document of the negotiation was to be presented during the audience with Xie Xun, but minor details were to be written in black and white and signed ahead of time, requiring a total of more than ten copies. After signing the key clauses of concern to the King of Sannan, he seemed spiritless, looking listlessly, while Han Ziqi and the Third Prince led the negotiation.

Having learned from the Beiman High Priest’s previous cases, Mr. Gu sincerely asked if the Sannan High Priest had any requests. Yet the Sannan High Priest said, "The original regulations of the Priest Court remain, Beining can not interfere freely, and our Priest Court will no longer engage in government affairs, focusing only on the people’s prayers and royal family ceremonies."

Xie Jue was somewhat surprised. The High Priest, having a status equivalent to the King of Sannan, would naturally be abolished after surrender, losing almost all of his power in Sannan. Xie Jue and Fang Chuning originally thought this High Priest might make excessive demands like the Beiman High Priest, trying to manipulate people with faith. Unexpectedly, the High Priest had no such intention, making things simpler for Xie Jue.

"Agreed!"

The High Priest looked deeply at Xie Jue, with a trace of disappointment in his eyes, yet his expression remained very calm. Xie Jue’s refusal to inherit Sannan left the High Priest extremely disappointed.

The existence of the High Priest was to protect the Sannan Royal Family. With the royal family gone, the priests lost their direction and meaning. Xie Jue was, in his mind, the best candidate for the King of Sannan, but unfortunately, Xie Jue had no interest in the throne of Sannan.

The negotiations continued into the night, with many details gradually being finalized. The King of Sannan invited Xie Jue and Fang Chuning to stay in the palace for a meal. During this diplomatic meal, everyone in the Sannan Royal Family was in a heavy mood, especially the eldest prince, who hadn’t appeared during the negotiations and was glaring at Xie Jue with almost palpable hatred.

Xie Jue and Fang Chuning did not mind the eldest prince’s rudeness. In their original plan, they would return to the inn after dinner. In the following days, Mr. Gu would be able to finalize the specifics with Han Ziqi, allowing them to return to Beining within five days. Xie Jue had already started worrying about how to face the difficulties presented by the Great General when he returns to Bin City, and how to mediate the tension between the Fang family father and son.

However, no one expected an incident to occur during this seemingly ordinary palace banquet.

The King of Sannan set himself on fire in the palace and was burned to death.