53: Chapter 53 Being too smart isn't always a good thing!

Xia Jin looked Princess Jiang Rou up and down, a flash of surprise appearing in his eyes.

Aside from the initial tremor upon seeing him, this woman was able to regain her composure so quickly and converse with him neither humbly nor arrogantly. This level of Heart-Nature and courage was truly the first time he had encountered it among the women he had met.

"Are you not afraid of this Prince?" Xia Jin's voice betrayed no emotion. He walked forward slowly, heading straight to Princess Jiang Rou, the distance between them shrinking instantly to only a foot.

The aura of the Spirit Wandering Realm, even though Xia Jin did not deliberately reveal it, caused Princess Jiang Rou's heartbeat to accelerate uncontrollably. Yet, she maintained that calmness on her Face, though her fingers hidden in her sleeves quietly clenched.

Seeing Xia Jin approaching his precious daughter, Jiang Qianjue almost stumbled as he rushed over, spreading his arms to block in front of Princess Jiang Rou.

His Face was deathly pale, cold sweat dripping from his forehead, yet he still gritted his teeth and looked up at Xia Jin: "You... what are you doing? This is my Fenglin Imperial Palace. You are mere two people. If... if you continue to be so presumptuous, do not blame Me... Me for being impolite!"

"Hmm!?" Xia Jin's gaze shifted from Princess Jiang Rou, glancing indifferently at Jiang Qianjue. That single look made Jiang Qianjue feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"Are you threatening this Prince?" Xia Jin sneered, pointing at the dozens of guards in the distance and shaking his head. "Do you truly think this bunch of trash can stop this Prince?"

A surge of Qi, even more majestic than before, erupted from him as the center! It pressed down upon everyone in all directions!

"Thump!" "Thump!"...

Except for Jiang Qianjue and Princess Jiang Rou, whom Xia Jin deliberately bypassed, all the guards, eunuchs, and even those concubines present, under this pressure, felt their knees go weak and uncontrollably knelt to the ground!

"Your... Your Majesty! Save me!" One of the more petite concubines looked at Jiang Qianjue, trembling in fear.

Jiang Qianjue's Face flushed red, veins bulging, but he could only grit his teeth and remain silent. Because he knew very well that if he spoke, the other party would not pay him any mind at all.

Princess Jiang Rou's expression changed slightly. She took a deep breath and bowed to Xia Jin once more: "Your Highness Prince Jin... please show mercy!"

"Since you have spoken, this Prince can sell you some Face!" Xia Jin watched the still stubborn look in her eyes, a flash of interest appearing in his own.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and the Qi that had swept across the entire scene instantly receded like a receding tide.

"Huu—ha—" As the pressure dissipated, heavy gasps and suppressed sobs of those who had survived a catastrophe immediately sounded on the Lanyue Terrace. Those who had knelt on the ground were limp, almost collapsed from exhaustion.

Princess Jiang Rou also breathed a sigh of relief at this moment. After a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke, "This Prince's goal, Princess Jiang Rou understands. Fenglin Kingdom can submit to the Great Xia."

Upon these words, Xia Jin's eyes paused imperceptibly, and he could not help but narrow them slightly. He was clearly somewhat surprised that the other party had answered so decisively. He had not yet spoken, yet this woman had already guessed his purpose for personally coming to Fenglin Kingdom? And she had agreed to submit to the Great Xia so straightforwardly?

While Xia Jin was somewhat surprised, Jiang Qianjue, on the other hand, looked as if he had been struck by lightning. He turned his head abruptly to look at his daughter, his hands gripping her shoulders tightly: "Rou'er! You... what nonsense are you spouting?! Behind you stands the top Sect of the Central Region, Xuanyin Valley! Valley Master Leng is even an existence at the third level of the Spirit Wandering Realm! With Xuanyin Valley backing you, why should we in Fenglin Kingdom fear him? Why... why must we kneel and submit?!"

As a monarch of a nation, Jiang Qianjue also had his own dignity and pride. How could he be willing to surrender without a fight and be subservient to others? He looked fixedly into Princess Jiang Rou's eyes, hoping that she was only speaking as a temporary measure.

Looking at the somewhat frantic Jiang Qianjue, Princess Jiang Rou fell silent. A complex expression appeared on her Face, but in the end, she could only sigh helplessly.

"Father, you should wake up! Can you not see it yet?" Princess Jiang Rou removed his hands from her shoulders, then her gaze fell back onto Xia Jin. "If this Prince Jin was truly afraid of the Xuanyin Valley behind me, he would not have come tonight!"

"Clearly, he has enough confidence to deal with Xuanyin Valley, or rather... he does not fear Valley Master Leng at all. Do you think I am right? Your Highness Prince Jin!" After speaking, a trace of bitterness flashed in Princess Jiang Rou's eyes.

"You woman, you make this Prince feel that you are a bit too smart!" "But sometimes, being too smart is not a good thing." Xia Jin's gaze fell on Princess Jiang Rou, "Especially... for a woman."

Princess Jiang Rou's fingers hidden in her sleeves trembled slightly and involuntarily: "Your Highness Prince Jin's words, Princess Jiang Rou will take to heart."

"Very good. Three days from now, be prepared for the surrender. My Great Xia will dispatch officials and troops to formally take over Fenglin Kingdom."

"Very well!" Princess Jiang Rou nodded in agreement, "But Princess Jiang Rou has one request, hoping Your Highness will grant it. After Fenglin Kingdom submits, whether it be the royal family, officials, or the common people, I implore Your Highness to treat them as Great Xia citizens, rather than viewing them as slaves or defeated enemies."

After speaking, Princess Jiang Rou's gaze fixed intently on Xia Jin's eyes. Xia Jin suddenly laughed, but then a sharp glint flashed in his eyes: "That is naturally no problem. However, this Prince also has one condition."

Princess Jiang Rou's heart tightened, and she had a faint, ominous premonition: "Your Highness, please speak."

"Three days from now, after the surrender ceremony is complete, you..." Xia Jin raised his hand and pointed at her, "will accompany the Great Xia envoys to the Great Xia capital, and from then on, reside in the Great Xia palace."

"What?!" Before Princess Jiang Rou could respond, Jiang Qianjue beside her had blood-red eyes. No longer caring about fear, he roared hoarsely: "Xia Jin! Do not go too far in bullying people! Rou'er is the future crown prince of my Fenglin Kingdom; how can she be treated like merchandise? If you insist on this, even if my Fenglin Kingdom has to fight a bloody war with the whole nation and everyone dies in battle, we will definitely fight you to the end!!"

Xia Jin raised an eyebrow: "You are overestimating yourself and underestimating this Prince."

"If you want to be 'shattered', this Prince does not mind personally grinding all of Fenglin Kingdom into powder. Do you want to try it?"

"You...!" Jiang Qianjue was trembling all over with anger, but under the gaze of Xia Jin's cold eyes, he felt as if something was stuck in his throat and could not say another word.

"Father!" Princess Jiang Rou suddenly blocked in front of Jiang Qianjue and glared fiercely at him, "Leave this matter to Rou'er to handle; please do not interfere anymore!"

She turned back, facing Xia Jin, and bowed solemnly: "Your Highness Prince Jin's condition, Princess Jiang Rou... agrees. Three days from now, after the surrender is complete, I will accompany the Great Xia envoys to the Great Xia capital."

Xia Jin withdrew his gaze, and a smile appeared on his Face once again: "Very good. Knowing the times and knowing when to advance or retreat. This Prince likes talking to smart people."

"Let's go, Little Wei!" Xia Jin did not continue with any more nonsense, turned around, and walked outside.

"Master, wait for this servant!!" Eunuch Wei, who had been in a state of shock, hurriedly regained his senses and followed Xia Jin as he left.

The night wind blew by, carrying a hint of chill.

Jiang Qianjue seemed to have all his strength drained away and collapsed to the ground: "Rou'er, it is this father's incompetence, it is this father's incompetence..."

Princess Jiang Rou stepped forward and gently supported his arm, only shaking her head softly.

Just at this moment, from the shadows on the side of the Lanyue Terrace, an old woman walked out silently and appeared beside Princess Jiang Rou in the blink of an eye.

"Young Miss."

The old woman bowed slightly to Princess Jiang Rou, a trace of shame on her Face.

Princess Jiang Rou released her hand supporting Jiang Qianjue and turned to Granny Sun, unable to help but frown: "Granny Sun, you did not appear just now. Was it... because you were wary of something?"

Upon hearing this, Granny Sun's expression became incomparably grave. She looked in the direction where Xia Jin had disappeared, remained silent for several seconds, and then spoke slowly.

"Young Miss, I apologize. This person... this old woman cannot see through him."