Princess Ashiya's noble gaze swept towards the direction where the people of Yulin were seated. "I have heard that Yulin has come to Luoyi as guests. As the host, how could I not come to meet you?"
Luoyi was undoubtedly Yulin's territory.
Now, Princess Ashiya, standing there so brazenly, claimed to be the mistress of this place. The provocative intent was quite clear.
Princess Ashiya was overtly provocative.
What if Yulin's national strength and financial resources surpassed those of the Turkic people? In the end, they still lost to the Turkic people.
As the defeated party, they should adopt a humble attitude.
Han Jingyu's expression was not pleasant to behold.
The Seventh Prince's fists were clenched so tightly that they made cracking sounds.
If the one who spoke these words were not a young girl, his fists would have flown out by now.
The Second Prince, who had been continuously eating and drinking, paid no attention to other matters.
General Muman had also not expected Princess Ashiya to be so arrogant. Considering that he still had to negotiate with Yulin later, he actively diffused the awkwardness by introducing, "This is the youngest princess of our Khan."
In plain terms, she was young and ignorant. If Yulin were to quibble over it, it would be Yulin's fault.
"Our Yulin women, at the age of three, must learn etiquette, and by five, they must have memorized all sorts of ways to entertain guests. My grandfather once said that our Yulin women were too restrained, and it was precisely their restraint that was valuable. I did not believe him at first, but now, upon meeting Princess Ashiya, I realize my grandfather was right. Compared to Princess Ashiya, our Yulin women are indeed too full of propriety and courtesy."
As for what the antonym of "full of propriety and courtesy" was, let the Turkic people ponder that for themselves.
When Ji Zizhao spoke these words, whether in her speech, demeanor, or tone, she was exceedingly tactful and gentle.
General Muman always felt that the meaning behind these words was not praise, but he could not find any fault with them.
Princess Ashiya, who completely failed to understand the meaning, proudly raised her eyebrows, "Naturally, your Yulin women cannot compare to us Turkic women."
Ji Zizhao smiled and nodded, "Princess Ashiya's true nature is indeed something our Yulin women do not possess."
Han Jingyu, whose face had been tense all along, almost burst out laughing upon hearing these words.
He could see it now. The Grand Princess Ronghe was not only sharp-witted but also possessed a very sharp tongue.
"Pfft!" The Tenth Prince, giving no face at all, burst out laughing.
Princess Ashiya frowned and looked at him, "What are you laughing at?"
The Tenth Prince rolled his dark, clear eyes and said with a wronged expression, "Aren't jokes meant to be laughed at?"
Behind Han Jingyu sat the Yulin envoys who had accompanied them for the peace talks. Their eyebrows were tinged with a hint of amusement.
Facing Yulin's obvious amusement, Princess Ashiya, no matter how slow she was to react, sensed that something was amiss. She turned and glared furiously at Ji Zizhao, "How dare you disrespect me! Believe it or not, I will have someone drag you out and cut you into a thousand pieces right now!"
Ji Zizhao's eyes were calm and unperturbed. "What I just said was merely its literal meaning. How it should be understood is subjective, depending on the individual. However, you are right about one thing, Princess Ashiya. I do not believe that anyone can drag me out and cut me into a thousand pieces."
If you want to accuse me of scolding you, produce evidence. If you cannot produce evidence, then shut up obediently.
As a Grand Princess, Ji Zizhao was indeed not as delicate and pampered as a princess. However, she was representing Yulin on this occasion, and she was not someone that a mere Turkic princess could order killed with a flick of her lips.
Princess Ashiya trembled with anger, wishing she could personally step forward and slap Ji Zizhao.
General Muman quickly blocked Princess Ashiya, who was about to step forward, and said, "My son has prepared an archery performance for tonight. Your Highness Princess, please do not miss it."
Upon hearing Mu Shizhen's name, Princess Ashiya finally calmed down.
She gave Ji Zizhao a resentful glare before reluctantly taking her seat at the main table on the Turkic side.
Ji Zizhao played with the teacup in her hand, her gaze lingering on Princess Ashiya's parting glance with a hint of contemplation.
This Turkic princess seemed to harbor intense hostility towards her.
The banquet continued, and soon, Turkic soldiers entered carrying a tray.
On it was a set of exquisite bows and arrows.
It seemed that General Muman's earlier words were not just idle talk.
Mu Shizhen, who had been silent all along, picked up the bow and arrows. Before he could stand up, he began to fiddle with them while still seated.
His movements were fluid and extremely dashing.
The Turkic people conquered the world from horseback, so men were proficient in archery from a young age.
Xie Jingqi couldn't help but sneer, "What's there to show off about? It's just something anyone with hands can do."
Just as he said this, General Muman happened to overhear him. However, he showed no anger. Instead, he smiled and suggested, "I didn't expect Yulin's Seventh Prince to have such a free and easy disposition. Since that's the case, why not have a friendly competition with my son? Let the outcome be a mere form of entertainment."
As General Muman finished speaking, Mu Shizhen stood up and walked to the center of the hall.
Even though tonight was clearly a negotiation between two countries, a catalyst was always needed to initiate the discussion.
General Muman, indeed a seasoned veteran of the battlefield, seized upon the Seventh Prince's words to propose a competition.
Compared to the young Turkic general who had been proficient in archery since childhood, how could the Seventh Prince be a match?
If the Seventh Prince lost the competition, before any negotiations even began, Yulin would already have lost the upper hand in terms of morale.
Thus, in the subsequent negotiations, Yulin's envoys would likely be led around by the Turkic people.
And even if the Seventh Prince were to miraculously win...
The ensuing problems would likely be even more severe.
Han Jingyu glanced helplessly at the Seventh Prince, who was causing trouble.
Really, if you weren't the Emperor's son, whether you could live to this age safely would be a question.
Ji Zizhao, however, did not feel that the problem lay with the Seventh Prince.
The bows and arrows were already prepared. It was clear that the Turkic people intended to use a competition to overwhelm Yulin as a starting point for the negotiations.
It was obvious that even if the Seventh Prince had not spoken, the Turkic people would have found a way to request a competition.
Xie Jingqi had never known fear since the day he was born.
Upon hearing the Turkic proposal, he even placed his hands on his knees, ready to stand up.
Han Jingyu, as if casually, placed a hand on the Seventh Prince's shoulder. "Your Highness, Yulin absolutely cannot accept this challenge this time."
Xie Jingqi looked utterly speechless. "Why are you so cowardly?"
Han Jingyu, "..."
This wasn't a matter of being cowardly or not, was it?
"Seventh Prince, the Turkic people are clearly trying to suppress Yulin's morale with this, so that during the upcoming negotiations, they can stand on higher ground and crush Yulin, making Yulin agree to their demands to the greatest extent. And if Your Highness wins, it will give the Turkic people an excuse to claim Yulin disrespected them, and they might even present more cunning demands."
It was their Yulin that had lost Luoyi.
Therefore, whether they won or lost, Yulin was walking on thin ice at the moment.
Facing the Seventh Prince, who had never cared about state affairs, Han Jingyu was trying to persuade him with his life on the line.
Xie Jingqi looked at Han Jingyu silently for a moment before saying again, "You've said so many things I don't understand. In fact, you're just a coward."
Han Jingyu, "..."
So all my efforts to wear down my lips were in vain, right?
"Why does Your Highness the Seventh Prince so desperately want to compete?" Ji Zizhao suddenly turned to look at the Seventh Prince.
"Naturally, to win."
Who competes with the intention of losing?
"And after winning?"
"..."
It had to be said that Ji Zizhao's question had touched upon the Seventh Prince's blind spot.
Ji Zizhao paused and then said, "Since Your Highness the Seventh Prince has not thought about what to do after winning, why not stall for time first."
Xie Jingqi, "..."
What did she mean?
Compared to the completely bewildered Seventh Prince, Han Jingyu pondered for a moment and then understood Ji Zizhao's intention.
His whole body trembled with excitement.
How had he not thought of doing it this way!