Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 772 - Four Hundred and Eighty-Five: Secret Plot

Chapter 772: Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty-Five: Secret Plot

Perhaps the cold winter wind was too bleak, as Li Junqing’s eyes showed a moment of stiffness when he looked at Xu Yuan:

"You... what did you say?"

Xu Yuan slowly turned his eyes back, his golden pupils shimmering with a dim light under the moon, brimming with a smile:

"I said, let’s go kidnap the two of them."

"....."

Li Junqing licked his lips, glanced at Xu Yuan in front of him, and then at the carriage traveling on the bustling street below, his facial expression becoming quite animated:

"Do you know who they are?!"

"Not so loud."

The voice was a bit loud, Xu Yuan leaned on one hand against the wooden railing of the terrace, raising his other hand to his ear: "You just said it, the third princess of the Xi’en Empire, the fourth in line to the throne of the Kingdom of Xi’en."

At the sound of this indifferent voice, Li Junqing couldn’t help but curse:

"Xu Changtian, are you addicted to messing with other nations’ envoys?! Last year, you killed a prince from the Great Desert, and now you’re planning to kidnap the princess of the Xi’en Empire? This is a beheading offense..."

"Snap."

Xu Yuan suddenly slapped Li Junqing on the shoulder, interrupting his speech:

"Yunqing, who do you think would dare to chop off my head within the Dayan Territory?"

"....."

Li Junqing opened his mouth to speak but then hesitated, finally managing to squeeze out a sentence:

"I am not the same as you, and besides, you killed an envoy prince from the Tatar people last year, and this year, war broke out. Many Border Army generals have used that incident to attack the Prime Minister...."

"Stop."

Xu Yuan interrupted again, chuckling: "I don’t have that much influence. Even without that incident of mine, would the Dayan and the Dachao Royal Court really not have gone to war? Others might not understand, but you, Yunqing, should know, shouldn’t you?

"Hyenas, once they smell blood, will keep following you even if you throw a bone at them willingly."

Saying this, Xu Yuan paused for a moment, raising a finger to point upward:

"Those two would never pacify the Dachao Royal Court, so that incident with the Tatar prince really isn’t important."

Li Junqing’s voice lowered slightly:

"You’re putting the cart before the horse. What the Dayan Empire needs now is time, and negotiation is the best way to stall for time."

"Ah... unwilling to admit defeat, is it?"

Xu Yuan exhaled softly, folding his arms in front of him, leaning against the railing, and looking sideways at Li Junqing: "Then let me ask you, how long will it take for you to sort out the Sects’ affair? And how long can negotiations defer the situation? One year? Or two years? Heh."

"...." Li Junqing fell silent.

And Xu Yuan’s expression seemed to peer into his thoughts, as he shook his head gently:

"I know what you’re thinking,

"After all, from your standpoint, even if you completely fail in all your strategies and arrangements on the Eastern Isles, you could still survive on your identity as the Third Prince of the Great Yan. But if you kidnap O’Reilly now, that really would leave you no way out."

"...."

Having listened carefully, Li Junqing sighed softly, no longer pretending, and asked with a resigned air:

"Since you know, why would you still suggest such a plan to me?"

Xu Yuan’s eyes narrowed with mirth:

"You just have to not fail, right?"

Li Junqing’s eyes twitched, suppressing the urge to smash his fist into Xu Yuan’s smug face, he retorted sarcastically:

"Changtian, you talk as if it were easy, why don’t you try going to the Eastern Isles?"

Xu Yuan was adamant:

"No, I’m afraid of death."

"You’re afraid of death, and I’m not?!"

"Tsk, don’t get so worked up, how about you listen to me explain my reasons first?"

Xu Yuan hastily gestured for him to calm down, his thumb and forefinger forming a circle, raising three fingers: "I have three reasons for wanting to kidnap them."

Li Junqing took a couple of deep breaths and nodded slightly:

"Go ahead and explain, but I must remind you, don’t think the kidnapping can be concealed from everyone. O’Reilly, on her way to Di’an City, must have prepared for the possibility of harm and would certainly have a way to send the message back to the Eastern Isles."

At this, Xu Yuan laughed and nodded:

"Rest assured about that, I’ve already taken it into consideration."

Speaking, Xu Yuan slowly brought his middle finger together and said,

"Firstly, as you just reminded me, the fact that O’Reilly has lost contact will inevitably be transmitted back in some way. Once they recognize the attitude of the Dayan Empire, they will go all out to conquer the entire Dongying Island in preparation for war."

Li Junqing interrupted abruptly,

"Shouldn’t that be bad news? If the Xi’en Empire’s attitude toward Great Yan remains unclear, such actions would be no different from declaring war outright."

"Declaring war?"

Xu Yuan murmured, his voice tinged with disdain,

"An empire that launches a direct surprise attack on Dongying, do you think that after they have defeated Dongying Island and completely understood the internal situation of Great Yan, they will choose to trade with Great Yan?"

"....."

Li Junqing fell silent, lifting his eyes to gaze at the round moon in the dark sky for a few moments before saying softly,

"But Great Yan’s navy isn’t strong. If Dongying falls completely, what do you plan to do about naval warfare then?"

The fourteen states of Central Plains are abundant and fertile, with seventy to eighty percent of the land still undeveloped and untapped. There is no need for a strong navy to expand outward, which is why naval technology has been left in an undeveloped state.

Xu Yuan’s response was ambiguous,

"That is indeed bad news, but it could also be seen as good news."

"How so?" Li Junqing frowned.

Xu Yuan carefully chose his words and asked in a low voice,

"If the Wo people are completely defeated, do you think that just by lending you that one battalion of elite troops, we could turn around the entire situation on Dongying Island?"

"Certainly not."

Li Junqing immediately gave a definitive answer, "After all, this is a national war. Even if your promise comes to fruition, and coupled with the Imperial Guards my father has given me, it will only have the effect of a ’surprise force’ in the battle of Dongying......"

At this point, Li Junqing sighed lightly,

"Alright, I think I understand what you mean. If the Wo people can hold the line, then we need not worry about the attitude of the Xi’en people. But if the Wo people fall to the Xi’en people too easily, then there is no need for me to go anymore. We’ll have to wait until my father and the others have settled everything and then clean up these sea interlopers."

"Yes, going there would be a waste of time."

Xu Yuan nodded, then closed his ring finger, "Now for the second point, we can extract a great deal of information about the Xi’en Kingdom through interrogating O’Reilly, from the imperial strength, to the methods of cultivation, and even the power struggles within their ranks. I suppose you have no objections to this?"

"What if they have means to resist interrogation?"

"Then we respond accordingly. Whether it’s the imperial decree prisons, the sky cellars, or our own Black Prison, there should be plenty of means available for interrogating people."

"And the third point?"

"The third point, and the most crucial one,"

As Xu Yuan spoke, he brought his little finger together and clasped it into a fist, saying with a lewd smile, "You... you have a thing for her, don’t you?"

"......" Li Junqing.

"Haha, just kidding."

Xu Yuan laughed out loud and looked at Li Junqing’s constipated expression, whispering with a laugh,

"In any case, even if conflict is inevitable, we might as well take the initiative."

Li Junqing snorted lightly, tapping his fingertips on the railing,

"Then how should I explain to my father? Many people already know that I summoned them tonight. If anything happens to those two, I will certainly be implicated."

"Pfft."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan immediately chuckled, enunciating each word,

"Didn’t His Majesty send you there, which already indicates that he has entrusted you with full authority over the Xi’en Empire affair? Besides, don’t you think the things we want to obtain are things that he hasn’t thought of?"

After a moment of contemplation, Li Junqing nodded,

"Alright, but those two won’t be easy to handle, and I don’t have any undercover agents at my disposal."

"Hmm-hmm."

Xu Yuan snickered and turned to walk back from the balcony into the chamber,

"In half a month, arrange to meet those two outside of Di’an City. I will orchestrate it, and there will be no mistakes."

Li Junqing turned back to gaze at Xu Yuan’s retreating figure and asked in a low voice,

"Are you planning to ask Lou Ji for help?"

"Lou Ji is busy with other matters for the time being."

Moonlight poured into the room and a cool breeze caressed the curtain, as Xu Yuan’s voice emanated from the silent chamber,

"That day, I will bring Xu Changge."