Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 193: Chapter 191: Win or Lose

"A prisoner?" Li Hongzhao sneered sarcastically, "Chu Zhiyuan, what dream are you dreaming!"

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Two prisoners?"

"I don’t know any Evil Sect."

"Ten, then." Chu Zhiyuan said, "With the utmost sincerity, it can’t be more."

"Twenty!" Li Hongzhao said lightly, glancing at him with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.

"Twenty..." Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "Returning twenty prisoners to the battlefield, I don’t know how many Da Jing soldiers will be killed. Ten is already the limit, it can’t be more."

Before returning the prisoners, their thumbs must be severed to prevent them from wielding weapons again, preventing them from returning to battle.

It seemed that Li Hongzhao did not understand the intricacies of this.

Da Jing and Da Meng never exchanged prisoners; they either killed them directly or sent them to work as laborers in the mines until they died of exhaustion.

"No matter how many Da Jing soldiers they kill, it’s not more than those killed by the Evil Sect!"

"The Evil Sect can’t stir up trouble," Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "There are so many experts in the Military Suppression Department, we’re worried there’s no one to capture. They’re just delivering achievements to us!"

"Once the Evil Sect practitioners make their move, the impact will be severe!" Li Hongzhao pouted, "If a massacre occurs, Da Jing’s reputation will be utterly destroyed!"

"When the Military Suppression Department didn’t have so many experts before, they didn’t succeed. Now with so many masters, can they cause chaos?"

She suddenly laughed.

Chu Zhiyuan frowned and stared at her.

At this moment, a young maid gently knocked and entered, presenting a veil, "Your Highness, this is from Miss Qu, never used."

"Hmm, very good." Li Hongzhao took it, carefully caressing it, smelled it, and then put it on, covering her stunning and captivating face.

Chu Zhiyuan felt a slight melancholy.

Li Hongzhao was hateful, but her beauty was truly pleasing to the eye.

Li Hongzhao put on the veil and immediately felt confident, playfully smiling, "Well, can you still recognize me?"

With the veil on, her charm was not diminished.

This allure did not come merely from her face, but also from her figure, her posture, and her eyes.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Your Highness, unless you blindfold me, it’s useless, I never lie."

"Oh—?" Li Hongzhao didn’t take it seriously, pouting under the veil.

Never lies?

No one dares to claim that!

This is the biggest lie itself!

Chu Zhiyuan stared into her phoenix eyes and said slowly, "These Evil Sect practitioners are not causing trouble in Yujing, but elsewhere!" _{𝚗o𝚟pub.𝚌𝚘𝚖}

With the veil on, only her bright eyes were visible, and the brilliance that was previously taken by her facial beauty returned, revealing her eyes were exceedingly beautiful.

With a slight change to the standard phoenix eyes, the corners were a bit longer and lifted slightly, becoming more charming and graceful.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Outside Yujing, given the Evil Sect practitioners’ temperament, the impact has to be significant, which is... Taizhou!"

He focused intently on Li Hongzhao’s beautiful eyes.

Li Hongzhao blinked her eyes, her gaze shimmering, smiling yet not smiling, "Chu Zhiyuan, then you should head to Taizhou!"

"So it is Taizhou!" Chu Zhiyuan said slowly.

Taizhou City is about a hundred miles from Yujing, located to the south, at a critical point on the way to Yujing.

Though not as prosperous as Yujing, it’s among the brightest spots of the world.

A tragedy occurring in Taizhou City would certainly alarm all of Da Jing, enough to stir the entire Martial Arts world.

Li Hongzhao pouted, "Guess all you want, does this mean you don’t want to exchange?"

"Of course, we’ll exchange, one for ten. Just think about it, Your Highness actually profits greatly!"

"Heh!" Li Hongzhao sneered.

"Initially useless information now saves Da Meng soldiers’ lives, how could the Da Meng army not be grateful to Your Highness?"

"..."

"Miss this chance, and there won’t be another." Chu Zhiyuan said with emotion, "If you can’t seize it, Your Highness will regret it for life!"

"What will I regret!"

"Haha, Your Highness’s ambition is quite evident."

"Chu Zhiyuan, your nonsense is becoming more outrageous!" Li Hongzhao pouted, "I don’t want to talk to you."

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Shall we settle it then? One Evil Sect practitioner, ten Da Meng soldiers. And if it’s a Grandmaster, then thirty soldiers, how about that?"

"Fifty!"

"...I’m afraid there aren’t that many Da Meng prisoners." Chu Zhiyuan said.

"Doesn’t matter how old, as long as they’re Da Meng soldiers!" Li Hongzhao said.

"Alright then, fifty it is." Chu Zhiyuan solemnly nodded.

If he were still the Junior Minister, he couldn’t make the decision, and would need to consult with the doctor, who would consult with the Left Vice Minister.

Now that he’s the Left Vice Minister, he can make the decision.

Just a word to Chief of Staff Prince Zhuang would suffice.

Exchanging one Evil Sect practitioner for ten Da Meng soldiers sounds like Da Meng is gaining, but these Da Meng soldiers will lose their combat ability and become ordinary people.

The destructive power of one Evil Sect practitioner is hard to quantify; it could be one or two, or perhaps ten or even more.

——

Chu Zhiyuan took his leave.

Li Hongzhao sat at the table without moving, resting her chin on her hand, the veil removed, revealing her stunning face once more.

At this moment, her beautiful face was heavy with contemplation.

Carefully recalling her verbal exchanges with Chu Zhiyuan, she wondered if she had suffered again, whether Chu Zhiyuan had gleaned any secrets.

Su Qiuyan appeared silently in the room.

"Mr. Su, that guy is truly bizarre!" Li Hongzhao asked Su Qiuyan for help, "Can my eyes really reveal anything?"

"I can’t see anything." Su Qiuyan smiled.

"So was he just fooling me?"

"Doesn’t seem like it."

"Next time I see him, I really need to wear the veil, can’t let him see my face."

"At the moment, it’s not very useful, should you really blindfold yourself?"

"...Annoying fellow!" Li Hongzhao felt particularly unlucky, encountering such a jinx.

Originally, with her means, and the assistance of Da Meng spies and various forces, she thought she would be at ease in Yujing City, toying with Da Jing and Da Zhen.

Instead, she ran into this guy.

Always opposing her, ruining her plans every time.

"Mr. Su, do you think I lost again this time?"

"If you gained what you wanted, how can it be called a loss?"

"...True." Li Hongzhao immediately showed a charming smile, "If we can exchange for Da Meng prisoners, it would truly be an incredible feat."

"These Da Meng prisoners won’t be able to return to the battlefield."

"Hmm—?"

"I’ve seen ancient records, the exchanged prisoners had their thumbs cut off, unable to wield weapons again."

"...Despicable fellow!" Li Hongzhao gritted her teeth, "I didn’t even think of that, told him he couldn’t be that generous!"

Su Qiuyan chuckled.

Li Hongzhao reflected, "But it doesn’t matter, getting those people back won’t increase much strength, the key is the impact on morale and spirits."

Su Qiuyan gently nodded, "Raising Your Highness’s prestige in the army will be crucial, Your Highness indeed made a big profit this time!"

Li Hongzhao immediately beamed with joy.

The more she thought, the more wonderful it seemed.

Something of seemingly little use could bring such benefits, she felt her maneuver turned decay into magic, transforming waste into treasure.