In all fairness, given the current tense situation within the Great Yan Dynasty, staying on the sidelines or playing both sides between the court and the sects to reap benefits would both have been fine options for the Dachao people.
Unfortunately, the late Dachao king's arrangements had thrust Jiayi directly over the fire. What room for maneuver she might have once enjoyed was now reduced to a simple binary choice.
Either side with the sects, or side with the imperial court. There was no third option.
The morning light spilled into the room alongside the bustling hum rising from the waking streets. With the pot lid removed, the rich scent of meat from the blue-and-white vessel drifted into every corner. Four people and a dog sat around the low table eating breakfast in silence, the only sound being the big yellow dog scarfing down its food like a starving ghost.
Life required ceremony, and life required style.
Chewing slowly on the delicious meal he had prepared, Xu Yuan gently stroked the Linlang incarnation curled beside his feet, occasionally casting a sidelong glance at the Western Regions girl across the table, who kept her eyes lowered as she ate in silence.
If he were in Jiayi's position, choosing between the two military factions of the Great Yan court and the Great Yan sects, Xu Yuan would have chosen the latter without hesitation.
For whether looking at the imminent crisis before them or the long-term outlook of the Great Yan Dynasty, the sects held absolute initiative.
Siding with the sects offered far better odds of winning than siding with the court.
This was precisely why Nalan Ting had offered his own heart to the sects.
However, when considering any matter, personal factors had to be weighed as well.
From the macro perspective of the entire Dachao tribe, interests naturally took precedence—after all, if they lost, they might become the next Barbarians. But looking at things from Jiayi's personal standpoint brought entirely different considerations.
Ultimately, it came down to the sects' excessively brutal treatment of the previous Great Desert Divine Maiden, using her directly as a vessel to incubate the Insect Saint's offspring. For Jiayi to cooperate with the sects would be tantamount to surrendering herself entirely.
Yet nothing was absolute.
Lost in thought, Xu Yuan suddenly raised his gaze to Jiayi and said softly, "Actually, you don't need to worry too much. The situation today is different from fifty years ago. The sects might treat you far better than they treated the previous Great Desert Divine Maiden. Though, based on the intel we have, they seem to have secretly groomed a puppet of their own."
Jiayi looked up, her gaze quiet and calm. "Over the past ten years, my prestige has already spread among all the tribes. In terms of legitimacy, no one is more suited than I am."
Hearing this, a flicker of amusement crossed Xu Yuan's eyes.
The cautionary tale of the previous Divine Maiden had, after all, placed a heavy weight on the Prime Minister's Manor's side of the scale in Jiayi's mind.
The girl was bargaining.
To think that having had her beliefs shattered just moments ago, she had gathered her thoughts and recovered this quickly.
Scooping a spoonful of the fragrant dragon meat stew with a wooden spoon and savoring it for a moment, Xu Yuan gave a light laugh. "You're right, but you're also the most likely to slip out of control, aren't you?"
As he spoke, he pointed the wooden spoon in his fingers toward her and smiled. "Your reputation is far too renowned. Even a young master like me, who rarely stepped out of the capital, has heard of your ambitions as the Great Desert Divine Maiden. Dachao has a self-sufficient system of its own. Once you are elevated to power, the sects will find it very difficult to control you from the outside.
"A puppet turning on its master has happened more than once or twice in history."
Jiayi gently set her porcelain bowl on the low table and sat upright on her knees, graceful and poised. "What the late king could do, I can do as well."
Xu Yuan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So you intend to entrust the future of the Dachao people entirely to the mercy of the sects? After all, if you side with them, the moment Great Yan's civil war erupts, 'outsiders' like you will inevitably be dragged onto the deadliest front lines."
Hearing this, Jiayi's rosy lips curved into a faint smile as she said evenly, "Is there any difference? If we choose you, wouldn't Dachao's situation be the exact same?"
*Cut the nonsense. If you want to cooperate, state your terms.*
Understanding the underlying meaning, Xu Yuan retorted at an unhurried pace, "If I told you right now that I wouldn't send Dachao warriors to a suicidal front, would you believe me?"
Insiders and outsiders were treated differently. Regardless of which side the Dachao people joined, they would inevitably be used as cannon fodder.
Jiayi knitted her brows slightly. Taking a deep breath, she stated her condition directly: "Three times."
Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, and he chuckled. "Three chances to disobey orders?"
"Yes."
"Impossible."
Before Xu Yuan could speak, Li Junwu flatly rejected it.
She glanced at the girl beside her, with whom she had shared hardships for months. "On the battlefield, military orders are paramount. Commands must be obeyed strictly and instantly. A momentary delay can trigger a chain reaction."
Jiayi gritted her teeth almost imperceptibly, a surge of helplessness rising in her heart, but her gaze remained fixed on Xu Yuan in silence.
The authority to decide did not rest with Li Junwu, but with the man sitting across from her.
Xu Yuan simply shrugged and murmured, "I don't understand military affairs, so I defer to Junwu."
With that, he paused, raised an index finger, and said with a low chuckle, "However, I can promise you one thing."
Jiayi looked straight at him, saying nothing.
Seeing she had no intention of playing along, Xu Yuan shrugged again and said dryly, "I guarantee that you will stay alive."
"Pfft—"
Jiayi's laugh, clear as a silver bell, held a touch of mockery. "If I die, do you have another puppet you can prop up?"
"Indeed not."
Xu Yuan answered crisp and clean, his tone showing not the slightest ripple as he spoke softly and deliberately: "Still, I ask that you not underestimate this term. As I said earlier, history is rife with puppets turning on their masters. If the sects will find it hard to control you from the outside, so will we."
"..." The tranquil emerald depths of Jiayi's eyes shifted.
Xu Yuan tapped his finger lightly against the low table, his gaze calm and deep. "Death snuffs out the lamp. As long as you're alive, there are many, many things you can do, aren't there?"
Jiayi pondered for a moment, then suddenly broke into a brilliant smile, an unusual glint flashing in her rippling green eyes. "Are you dropping hints?"
Xu Yuan smiled noncommittally and said clearly, "Few things in this world are completely ideal. The sects have schemed and invested in the Western Desert for decades, while we have almost no preparations. If we want to turn the tables against the wind, taking risks is unavoidable."
Jiayi trailed a slender finger over the blue-and-white porcelain pattern of the cup before her. Lowering her eyes in thought for a while, the corners of her red lips curled upward slightly. "You certainly have some nerve."
Xu Yuan waved a hand dismissively. "It's just a matter of everyone relying on their own abilities. As far as my Chancellor's Manor is concerned, even if we give you an opportunity, you'll only end up becoming a second Nalan Ting."
Looking up at him, Jiayi spoke slowly, "It seems I misjudged you. You're not entirely a profligate lecher whose mind is filled only with women."
Hearing that, Xu Yuan promptly raised an eyebrow. "Hey, give you a little sunshine and you think you're blooming?"
The Western Regions girl remained completely unfazed, seemingly certain he would not resort to any drastic action. She murmured, "Did I say something wrong? I saw everything that happened last night with my own eyes."
Xu Yuan didn't want to bother answering her, but the washboard Saintess was watching, so he snorted, "Last night? After I laid out the pros and cons to you last night, I lay down quietly on the bed to rest. Where did this profligacy come from?"
"..."
Jiayi felt a little perplexed at his reaction.
This was clearly a throwaway comment meant to pass in a heartbeat; why had this man bothered to rebut it?
Glancing at the black-dressed girl beside her and noticing the amusement in her golden eyes, Jiayi understood everything in an instant.
Pausing briefly, Jiayi said flatly, "Junwu was on the bed last night as well."
"She was cultivating."
"Then why were you rubbing her thigh?"
"She asked me to massage it herself."
"Great Yan has an old saying: men and women should not touch."
The Western Regions girl seemed to relish the sensation of dancing through a minefield, offering an ambiguous, cold smile. "Even for a massage, it shouldn't reach the inner side of a woman's thigh, should it?"
"..." Xu Yuan was speechless.
In the ensuing silence, Xu Yuan realized he couldn't quite explain himself.
Trying to clarify would only make it sound dirtier.
Still, it didn't matter—Li Junwu would step in.
Ambiguous as it sounded, it really had been an innocent massage.
As long as his good bro joined him in pushing back, everything would be fine.
With that thought, Xu Yuan glanced at his good bro across the table, hoping she would back him up.
And then,
he saw his good bro resting her chin in her hand, gazing at a forty-five-degree angle up at the azure sky beyond the window lattice, a faint, ambiguous smile playing upon her lips.
"..." Xu Yuan.
Damn it. His good bro was here for the drama too.
Seeing the slightly embarrassed look on the man's face, Jiayi felt a strange, sour thrill of vengeance stir in her chest.
She loved the feeling of this jerk hating her guts while being unable to do a thing to her.
As that emotion flashed through her, she heard the man named Xu Changtian say softly to the woman at his side: "Could you do me a favor?"
Tianye, having leisurely enjoyed the spectacle while trying to figure out Xu Yuan's relationship with the two women, smiled upon hearing his request. "You want me to go bring Linlang into the manor?"
Xu Yuan smiled faintly and said in a low voice, "If you're unwilling, I have another candidate. Mr. Huang is still staying in Zhenxi Manor, after all."
Tianye tilted her head in thought, then chuckled teasingly, "Never mind, I'll go. If I stay here, I'll only get in the way of you dealing with the little Divine Maiden sister across from you~"
Hearing that, Xu Yuan glanced at the dignified, elegant girl opposite him, narrowing his eyes with a smile. "Don't talk nonsense. I merely want her to understand her place and position."
"Ehh~~"
Tianye drew out the syllable, saying with a beaming smile, "Then you'd better hurry. Once Linlang enters the city, this little Divine Maiden sister, as Its incarnation vessel, will have strength far beyond what you can match."
"Is that so? Then thanks for the reminder. Remember to take my coat with you."
With that, Xu Yuan locked eyes with the girl across from him and said with a smile, "Divine Maiden, you may hand over the token now."
"..."
Jiayi's heart beat a little faster. She opened her mouth to say something, but in the end, she merely rose in silence, retrieved a jade-green gemstone from her luggage, and handed it to the black-dressed girl.
Tianye took it, beamed at her with a sweet smile, and said with deep meaning, "Good luck to you, little sister~ Xu Yuan has plenty of ways to torment people."
With those words, Tianye vanished in an instant.
Once more, only three people and a dog remained in the guest room.
As silence settled over the room, Xu Yuan rose from the low table without haste, looking down at the Western Regions girl sitting gracefully across from him.
Jiayi unconsciously bit her lip, her eyes darting around the room.
She glanced at the woman beside her.
Li Junwu was still gazing at the sky.
She glanced at the Linlang incarnation.
As man's best friend, the dog actually had a reaction.
It looked up, glancing at its master, then looked at the strange man who had fed it meat. After a moment of hesitation, it gave a soft *awoo* and buried its head back into devouring its food.
"..." Jiayi.
Xu Yuan smiled faintly. Stepping forward, he asked in a leisurely tone, "Divine Maiden, I'm quite curious. Am I really as obsessed with women as you make me out to be?"
"..." Jiayi.
Chapter 628