newbobooks Chapter 314: No Benefit Whatsoever
Chapter 314: No Benefit Whatsoever
As her voice faded, the figure at the end of the bamboo grove suddenly stopped. For a long while, without turning to look at her, he asked in a low voice, "How long?"
"Three years!"
Sikong Jin thought for a moment and then replied.
"One year!"
Emperor Beizun uttered these two words briefly. Xu Ran turned around, looked at her calmly, and the frost in her eyes was slowly melting away. "I can't wait that long."
Sikong Jin felt a headache coming on. Seeing the determination in his eyes, she remained silent for a long time before finally giving in and nodding, "One year it is."
Who knows what might happen this year? Maybe things will turn around. If all else fails, we can always have a secret relationship and appease him. He should be easy to talk to, right?
"Sikong Jin, if you dare to renege on your words, I will kill you!"
The man's tone was fierce, but a hint of barely suppressed joy had already surfaced in his eyes, and the gloom that had shrouded his aloof and elegant face vanished instantly.
Sikong Jin shrugged, replying innocently, "I'm a good person, I won't shirk my responsibility to you, don't worry. By the way, does your imperial kitchen still have anything to fill my stomach? I'm a little hungry."
"I have them delivered to my bedchamber. What would you like to eat?"
As he spoke, Di Beizun turned around and continued walking forward.
Sikong Jin raised an eyebrow, thought for a moment, and then reluctantly got up and followed, ordering the dishes she wanted to eat as she went.
"Quite a lot. I've heard that your Great Zhou's Golden Jade Chicken is excellent, as are honey-roasted pigeon, Eight Treasure Golden Stew, Imperial Secret Recipe Char Siu, and Crispy Jade Roasted Goose..."
We ordered a whole bunch of dishes, at least twenty.
"Oh, right, the wine, there's more wine. It has to be the 'Centennial Mongolian King' wine, fragrant and delicious. It's the tribute wine that our Dayong gave you, you have to bring it out. And a fruit platter too..."
This is wonderful! It's not easy for her to come to the Great Zhou Dynasty. How could she possibly miss such a great opportunity to see this beautiful and magnificent palace? These are things that you can't eat even if you have money under normal circumstances!
Di Beizun glanced sideways at Sikong Jin, who had already walked up to him and was chattering incessantly—as expected, she never forgot to show her shameless and opportunistic nature, no matter where she went. If given the chance, she would definitely not hesitate to take advantage of him and fleece him!
……
When they returned to Longteng Palace, it was already very late at night. When Eunuch Xu received His Majesty's order for the Imperial Kitchen to prepare food and wine, he was wide-eyed – when did His Majesty start liking to eat such greasy food as a midnight snack?
And they're all meat dishes!
His Majesty has always had a light palate...
However, he dared not question His Majesty's words. He relayed the message to the Imperial Kitchen as quickly as possible, and the Imperial Kitchen then prepared the dishes and delivered them to Longteng Palace. Thereupon, he saw the handsome Minister of Works sitting in front of His Majesty.
She has absolutely no image to speak of!
The dishes had just been served, and before His Majesty could even speak, the Minister of Works had already started eating with his chopsticks—or rather, he was using both chopsticks and his hands—devouring the food with great gusto!
Where did this starving ghost come from?
Eunuch Xu glanced at Minister Sikong with some disdain, then subconsciously looked at His Majesty, only to see His Majesty smiling at Minister Sikong opposite him, even raising his hand to pour him wine, without the slightest hint of disgust on his face!
Hasn't Your Majesty always despised these impolite and rude people?
Xu Gonggong was somewhat puzzled, so he waited silently to the side, and then he seemed to faintly hear their conversation.
Sikong Jin unceremoniously took the wine poured by Di Beizun and drank it all in one gulp. She still held a freshly torn roasted pigeon leg in her hand. Perhaps realizing her eating manners were too unseemly, she couldn't help but glance cautiously at Di Beizun, explaining, "Di Beizun... oh, no, Your Majesty, I usually eat very elegantly. I was just too hungry. I haven't had a chance to enjoy a meal from your Great Zhou Dynasty on this journey."
"The capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty is several thousand miles away from Yanmen Pass. You've managed to get here in just a few days. Your speed is quite impressive."
Di Beizun rarely responded to her, and while picking up his chopsticks, he served her food with an elegant and noble air. Sikong Jin naturally accepted it without hesitation.
"It's an extremely urgent matter, so of course we have to get on with it. By the way, find me a place to get a good night's sleep tonight, because I have to leave tomorrow morning."
Sikong Jin was preoccupied with the matter at Hangu Pass, and of course, she hadn't forgotten that Ji Wuge and the others were struggling in dire straits. Thinking of this, she subconsciously touched the military tally hidden in her sleeve, took a sip of wine, and couldn't help but frown as she asked, "Hmm, by the way, how did you know that Tuoba Yu was unwilling to send troops? And how did you know that I had spoken to Tuoba Yu?"
Di Beizun raised his eyelids and looked at her calmly. "I know very well what kind of person the Heavenly Saint Emperor is. In that situation, you could only ask him, Tuoba Yu. However, it was within my expectations that he would not agree to your request."
Sikong Jin nodded. "That makes sense. So how did you know he wanted me to go back to the Heavenly Saint Imperial City with him?"
After thinking for a moment, Sikong Jin asked him this question again.
This time, Di Beizun did not answer, but silently lowered his head and took a sip of wine.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Sikong Jin didn't bother to ask anymore. Anyway, that was all in the past. "Actually, on the way here, I was really worried that you wouldn't lend me troops. By the way, if you lend me 200,000 troops, aren't you worried that your ministers in court will object?"
That's when I thought of this problem. Lending troops to her would not benefit their Great Zhou in the slightest, especially with an army of 200,000!
Such a generous gesture!
He'll probably be under a lot of pressure later on.
Are you worried about me?
Upon hearing this, Di Beizun suddenly stopped what he was doing and silently watched her.
Sikong Jin raised her eyebrows, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "I guess so. I'm afraid that if I fight halfway through, you'll suddenly withdraw the army. If that happens, I'm doomed."
A faint smile appeared on Di Beizun's devilishly handsome face. "I will definitely wait until you finish this battle. You don't need to rush. Rest at Longteng Palace for a day first, and it won't be too late to set off the day after tomorrow."
Sikong Jin shook her head. "The longer we delay, the more dangerous it will be. I'll eat, take a nap, and then leave. If we return victorious from this battle, I'll find an opportunity to come and thank you."
She didn't know how many days they could hold out, and the march would take some time, so she was naturally worried that they wouldn't make it in time.
"The 200,000-strong army consists of well-equipped cavalry. They are divided into crossbow formations, thunderbolt formations, and other types. They are familiar with various battle formations and are a battle-hardened army. You can rest assured."