Chapter 5364: Beauty's Favor

Chapter 5364: Beauty's Favor
Outside the window, autumn rain patters softly, and rainwater from the roof flows down a rain bell and pours into a stone mortar below the window, making a tinkling sound, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere.

The air inside the study was filled with the aroma of tea and the wafting fragrance of sandalwood.

Fang Jun racked his brains and tried his best to persuade her, but he could only give up in the face of Princess Jinyang's stubbornness and unwavering conviction.

When faced with a girl who has taken a liking to him and has secretly developed feelings for him, it's always difficult to be too harsh with one's words...

After drinking two cups of tea, Princess Jinyang had her maid bring two plates of pastries. Taking a bite of the osmanthus cake, she sighed softly and said, "I wonder how Ninth Brother is doing now? That island in the south is isolated overseas, and the land is full of miasma. Is it too harsh for him? He is a prince of the Tang Dynasty, and he has been pampered since childhood. Will he be able to adapt to such an environment? What if he suffers from acclimatization problems? Is the medicine he brought with him sufficient?"

Hearing Princess Jinyang mutter to herself, her beautiful face filled with worry, Fang Jun said helplessly, "I have already instructed the navy to keep an eye on the situation there, and we will do our best to support Prince Jin if he needs anything. But Your Highness must also understand that human strength has its limits, and fate is unpredictable. If Prince Jin is truly unlucky, then no one can save him."

Everyone's life is full of ups and downs. Although it is said that "human will can overcome nature", whether one is blessed with good fortune and health, or whether one succeeds in building a career, luck is often an unavoidable and important factor.

Man proposes, God disposes.

Princess Jinyang poured tea, her clear eyes sparkling: "How could I not know that my brother-in-law is the most magnanimous and kind-hearted, and would certainly not make things difficult for Ninth Brother? It's just that whenever I think of the days when I lived with Ninth Brother in Lizheng Palace and enjoyed the company of my father, I miss him deeply and cannot sleep at night."

Among all the siblings, the bond between Prince Jin and Princess Jinyang, who grew up together under the care of Emperor Taizong, was indeed deeper. Therefore, when Prince Jin left the capital for his fiefdom, Princess Jinyang not only felt reluctant to part with him, but also emptied her entire treasury and gave it all to Prince Jin, Li Zhi...

At this moment, she kept nagging Fang Jun, hoping that, out of respect for her, the navy would provide more support to the Prince of Jin.

Fang Jun said softly, "All good things must come to an end. This applies to fathers and sons, husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. Prince Jin has his own life to live, which may be full of thorns, but he must walk it step by step. Should he stay in Chang'an to enjoy wealth and honor while being confined to his freedom, or should he wander outside and create great achievements again...? Perhaps Prince Jin yearns for the latter more?"

"You also have your own life. You can't place your feelings on someone who is vague and unreliable. Instead, you should break free from constraints, take steps, and create your own wonderful life."

Seeing Fang Jun begin to persuade her again, Princess Jinyang asked curiously, "Could it be that His Majesty has given my brother-in-law a death order, that he must persuade me to agree to marry?"

Fang Jun shook his head: "How could His Majesty do such a thing? Although he is very angry that you are disobedient, his affection for you has not diminished in the slightest, and he would never force you to do anything."

Princess Jinyang blinked her bright, watery eyes: "Since you all hope that I will get married as soon as possible... then you, brother-in-law, can choose my future husband."

Fang Jun asked, puzzled, "Hmm? What does Your Highness mean by that?"

Princess Jinyang smiled, her beauty exquisite, a hint of mischief in her smile: "Whatever man my brother-in-law tells me to marry, I will marry him, bear his children, and raise them as a wife and mother. What's wrong with that?"

Fang Jun: "..."

Just imagine it, it seems hard to accept...

Princess Jinyang's eyes sparkled: "Why isn't my brother-in-law saying anything?"

"This..." Fang Jun had a headache: "Marriage is a major event, and it should be decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. Even if the parents are no longer alive, one should still obey one's elder brother. How can outsiders interfere? After all, it is difficult to predict whether marriage will be happy or bumpy. Many times, it depends on luck. It is not that one can have a smooth life just because the other person is of upright character and outstanding ability. A person of low character and humble background may not necessarily have a bad life... It concerns one's lifelong well-being, and no one can bear the responsibility."

Princess Jinyang stared at him, scrutinizing every expression on his face: "Is your brother-in-law unable to take responsibility, or is he simply unwilling to let go?"

Fang Jun felt guilty: "What's there to be reluctant about when a man and a woman get married? Even after marriage, they'll still be relatives."

Princess Jinyang smiled without saying a word, her expression quite smug.

Fang Jun sighed and remained silent.

The other person saw right through the little bit of filth in my heart, and I felt so ashamed that I didn't know what to say...

Princess Jinyang rose, walked barefoot to Fang Jun's side, knelt down, and embraced Fang Jun's left arm. With a bright and charming smile, she said, "I only need to know my brother-in-law's feelings. I won't pester you for any titles or responsibilities. If you have someone in your heart and someone you love, you will be happy even if you are alone with your books. Even if you are alone, you will have no regrets."

Fang Jun turned his head to look and saw willow-leaf eyebrows, starry eyes, almond-shaped cheeks, and peach-like face.

It is precisely because of the immense favor bestowed by a beautiful woman that one cannot bear it, and the allure of her captivating gaze is most irresistible.

*****
As time slowly progressed, the negotiations underway in Taixi Fengcheng gradually made progress. Xu Jingzong planned to present this negotiation document as a New Year's greeting to His Majesty at the New Year's Day Grand Court Assembly, so he gradually loosened his grip on some unimportant points, but he remained firm on the most crucial ones.

He didn't dare to let it go.

This situation was achieved by the Tang army through hardship and sacrifice. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, things that could not be obtained on the battlefield have been acquired through negotiation, but there has never been a case where something obtained through war was lost at the negotiating table.

If he, as the instigator of the negotiations, is suspected of "traitoring the country," he will not only face the wrath of the military, but also incite public anger and condemnation within the country.

Having finally secured this opportunity to lead the negotiations, Xu Jingzong was hoping to use this achievement to advance his career. How could he possibly risk his own life?
Therefore, although he was extremely worried and eager to end the negotiations, he dared not make significant concessions.

He dared not bear the infamy of "losing sovereignty and humiliating the country," and the Abbasid Caliph Sheikh, the chief negotiator, dared not do so either!
Xu Jingzong at least has a lot of past achievements to his name, but Sheikh is a criminal. If the negotiation results are not ideal and he is condemned by the Arabs, he is very likely to be pushed out by the Caliph to act as a scapegoat to appease public anger!
Both sides wanted to end the negotiations quickly, but neither dared to make significant concessions, so the negotiation process remained difficult, with heated arguments and red faces at the negotiating table.

After the day's routine negotiations concluded, an angry Xu Jingzong summoned Pei Huaijie, Ren Yaxiang, Su Dingfang, and Yang Zhou together.

"The Arabs are stubborn and unrepentant. If this continues, when will the negotiations ever end? We must use some means!"

Pei Huaijie nodded in agreement: "Since the Arabs can't see the situation clearly, we have to teach them a lesson. Order Xue Rengui's troops to advance across the Frisian River and attack Damascus!"

Su Dingfang and Yang Zhou held their teacups and drank tea without making a sound.

Pei Huaijie frowned, displeased that Su Dingfang had not responded: "Did Governor Su hear me speak?"

Su Dingfang nodded: "Although I'm getting older, I'm not deaf yet."

Pei Huaijie suppressed his anger: "Since that's the case, then give Xue Rengui the order!"

He had long been tired of staying in Taixi City.

He thought he could gain some merit and improve his predicament in the court, but unexpectedly, Xu Jingzong firmly controlled the entire negotiation, leaving him no room to maneuver. Staying any longer would only be a waste of time.

The food in Taixi was very different from that in the Tang Dynasty, which caused him to suffer from acclimatization problems and he fell ill several times after arriving in the city.

Su Dingfang shook his head: "Xue Rengui belongs to the Anxi Army, while I am the naval commander. How can I give orders to Xue Rengui?"

Pei Huaijie was also taken aback: "Then who is Xue Rengui under command?"

Yang Zhou smiled and said, "Of course, I am under the command of the Grand Protector of Anxi, or perhaps... the Grand Commandant."

Pei Huaijie: "..."

Therefore, if you want to mobilize Xue Rengui's troops, you either need to send a letter to the Anxi Protectorate or have Fang Jun issue the order.

But these two cities, one in Jiaohe City and the other in Chang'an City, were more than ten thousand miles away from Taixi Feng City. By the time they reported back, it would be too late...

How could he not see that the military's attitude was that they did not want to participate in the war?
Pei Huaijie gritted his teeth and said, "Then let the navy sail upstream to attack Mari. As long as we open up the road to Damascus, the Arabs will be anxious and any conditions can be met."

Su Dingfang glanced at him, then lowered his head to drink his tea.

Yang Zhou countered, "What if the Abbasid Caliphate reacts too aggressively, abandoning peace talks and instead amassing a large army to fight us to the death? How should we respond then?"

After a pause, he added, "The strategic objective of this two-pronged attack on Mesopotamia is to force the Abbasids to sign a peace agreement, not to wage a full-scale war against them here. If this affects the strategic objective, who will bear the responsibility?"

Pei Huaijie roared in anger: "I'll take the blame!"

It wasn't that he couldn't endure it, but rather that he felt extremely frustrated.

Despite serving as the deputy envoy for negotiations under the title of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he had absolutely no say and was completely suppressed by Xu Jingzong throughout the process. Even the military ignored him and treated him with utmost contempt, rejecting any suggestions he made and causing him to lose face.

If he doesn't explode, who will take him seriously?
He was willing to bear responsibilities that were not rightfully his.

Su Dingfang put down his teacup and said calmly, "This responsibility is not one that anyone can bear... You cannot bear it."

Pei Huaijie's face turned from red to green. He said no more, stood up, threw the teacup hard on the ground, smashing it to pieces, and then turned and left.

However, no one cared about his anger.

Xu Jingzong, who had remained silent while Pei Huaijie raged, finally asked, "Taking Mari is definitely not an option, as it could very likely lead to an overreaction from the Abbasids. But what if we mobilize warships and troops to make a feigned attack on Mari? After all, the Abbasids also prefer to reach a peace agreement. We dare not risk challenging their bottom line, but they dare not gamble either."

Su Dingfang thought for a moment and nodded, "Okay, but it can only be a gesture. The vanguard cannot leave Taixi Fengcheng by more than 30 miles."