Chapter 172: Glazed Glass Wolf
When Batel walked up to Miss Yan, Jin Sui was truly startled.
Because Batel looked at Miss Yan defiantly, and Miss Yan didn’t indulge him at all, immediately crossing her arms and tilting her chin, glaring back at him.
The two were like childish elementary school students arguing over a moment’s pique, actually playing a staring game. Jin Sui was afraid Batel would say something like asking Miss Yan to be his woman.
Miss Yan is my Han Xing’s, she can’t be snatched away by you, a Crown Prince from a neighboring country!
As a result, Batel actually backed down, rubbing his dry eyes and saying to Princess Tuoya, “This Han woman is too fierce, I don’t like her.”
Princess Tuoya directly scolded, “Who asked you to like her? This is Young Master Yan’s own sister, she is our honored guest. Show some respect!”
Jin Sui felt a bit sympathetic towards Princess Tuoya; this younger brother was too difficult to handle, even less reliable than Yan Shiyi.
Moving on to serious matters, Princess Tuoya spread out a map and pointed towards the Royal Court:
“In seven days, it will be the Left Wise King’s wedding ceremony. He will definitely take this opportunity to announce his succession in front of the powerful people, leaving us with little time.”
Before anyone could respond, Batel disdainfully said, “When I appear, I will confirm his treason in front of the important officials and powerful people.”
This had always been his idea, and he didn’t even understand why his sister wanted to cooperate with Han people.
Jin Sui slapped her forehead speechlessly, glancing at Gu Changxiao. Both had been Crown Princes before, how could the intelligence gap be so large!
She directly retorted to Batel, “The Royal Court is currently controlled by the Left Wise King. If you appear, he can kill you. After you die, his succession to the throne will be even more legitimate.”
Batel stared blankly at Jin Sui, thinking she was being defiant. After a long pause, he said, “As expected of a Taoist Nun who serves the Gods, you are quite intelligent.”
Jin Sui: …
What to do when the client for cooperation is too stupid?
Tuoya glared at him, “You listen quietly!”
“Yan Jiu, what do you think we should do?”
Yan Jiu softly asked, “Are there any usable people left in the Royal Court?”
Batel interjected, “There are a few stable hands who are my confidantes. I can have them spook the horses at the banquet, causing chaos.”
Seeing everyone speechless, Yan Jiu gently replied:
“This is indeed useful. Besides stable hands, are there any other usable people? I mean generals, important officials, feudal kings who hold significant military power?”
Batel knew without being reminded how ridiculous it was to mention his confidante stable hands, but his pride made him unwilling to admit fault to the Han people. He looked at Tuoya, “Sister, are there any?”
Princess Tuoya nodded, “When my father left, he gave me a token that can command five thousand troops of the Royal Court.”
This meant there were no other external reinforcements; they had likely all been won over by the Left Wise King.
The subsequent discussion revolved around how to use these five thousand troops for an inside-and-outside operation to seize power. Regardless of how they discussed it, the conclusion was that if the Left Wise King wasn’t dead, even if they temporarily regained power, it would be useless.
Northern Frontier is unlike Great Xia; princes in Chang’an have no military power. In Northern Frontier, the powerful people all have pastures, and the herdsmen become soldiers when they mount their horses.
As long as the Left Wise King escapes the Royal Court and returns to his tribe, he can lead his army to counterattack.
Only by letting him die in the Royal Court can the Crown Prince’s throne be secured.
Honestly, if it were any other time, Jin Sui would have wished for the Crown Prince and the Left Wise King to fight to the death, plunging Northern Frontier into a prolonged civil war and crippling its national strength.
But not now! The Left Wise King is colluding with the Empress. As long as he lives, Prince Yu has a strong helper. He will also harass the border cities, so it’s better for him to die.
Moreover, looking at Batel’s intelligence, even if the Left Wise King dies, it will take him many years to gain complete control. By then, our border city will have grown and will no longer fear Northern Frontier.
Jin Sui abandoned the dangerous idea of instigating discord and profiting from the chaos, firmly supporting the killing of the Left Wise King.
After much deliberation, the core issue was that they had to infiltrate the Royal Court and directly confront the Left Wise King. Someone outside the city would provide backup, and someone inside could command those five thousand troops.
The final decision was for Princess Tuoya to enter the city, with Liu Yun strongly requesting to protect her closely.
Batel and Yan Jiu would lead troops to ambush outside the city and coordinate with those inside to retake the Royal Court upon receiving a signal.
Then, Gu Changxiao also had to enter the city. Jin Sui initially disagreed with this. The Left Wise King wanted to kill Gu Changxiao, and they had just eliminated a small squad of the Left Wise King’s men. Wasn’t this walking into a death trap?
But Gu Changxiao agreed. The reason was simple: the Left Wise King was not foolish; he wouldn’t use such a big bait to catch this giant crocodile. If Princess Tuoya entered the city alone, she would be exposed very quickly.
Gu Changxiao entering the city with the envoy would attract attention and also allow him to approach the Left Wise King reasonably.
He comforted Jin Sui, “Don’t underestimate the Left Wise King. He can have soldiers disguise themselves as bandits to attack the envoy, but if I enter the city openly, and he dares to kill a Han envoy, it would be provoking a war between two countries.
He wants to ascend the throne. During this critical period, he won’t touch me.”
He whispered to Jin Sui, “If the Left Wise King doesn’t die, none of us can return to Great Xia alive. If you don’t enter the tiger’s den, how can you catch the tiger cubs?
Don’t worry, Sui Sui. I’ve faced even more dangerous situations. This scene is nothing.”
Their whispering caused everyone at the table to look at them. Jin Sui felt the warmth of his breath near her ear, making half her face burn.
She clenched her fist under the table and said, “Then I’ll go with you.”
This suggestion, however, was met with opposition from everyone. Princess Tuoya said the Left Wise King was very lustful, especially for beautiful Han women. If she appeared among the envoy, she would surely be taken as a gift and abducted.
Yan Jiu and Gu Changxiao were surprisingly in agreement this time, both disagreeing with Jin Sui entering the city.
Jin Sui decided not to argue about it at the meeting for now. There were still a few days, and she was sure she could persuade Gu Changxiao.
Hearing that the Left Wise King was lustful, she proposed, “Since the Left Wise King likes Han women, can I disguise myself as a beauty to assassinate him?”
Yan Jiu and Gu Changxiao said in unison again, “Absolutely not!”
Even Tuoya didn’t support it, “The plays from your Central Plains are too exaggerated. Truly believing that a beauty assassination would succeed.
The Left Wise King has practiced martial arts since childhood. His archery and internal energy are extremely strong. Unless your skills are as formidable as Master Liu Yun’s, you won’t be able to get close to him.”
Jin Sui didn’t believe it. No matter how powerful, he couldn’t withstand an anesthetic needle. But this plan was indeed too immature; even Tuoya thought it sounded like something from a play.
She tried to salvage it by saying, “Then can Liu Yun disguise himself as a beauty to assassinate him?”
Liu Yun’s face immediately turned pale, and he took two steps back behind the princess with a look of terror, “I will protect the Princess.”
Tuoya smiled gratefully at Jin Sui. She thought Jin Sui had said that deliberately to get Liu Yun to be closer to her.
Little did she know that Jin Sui genuinely had this idea, but looking at Liu Yun’s height, disguising as a woman would indeed be a bit difficult.
Tuoya added that the Left Wise King was extremely greedy, especially for precious gifts from the Central Plains. He had lived in Chang’an for several years and had been collecting treasures from the Central Plains after returning to Northern Frontier.
If the envoy had treasures, their chances of meeting him would be even greater.
Upon hearing the word “treasures,” Gu Changxiao felt a bit awkward. His envoy was merely a nominal one; the border city was so poor that even their New Year’s Gifts were salted fish and kelp, looked down upon by the powerful people of Chang’an.
Where would they get treasures as tribute? Of course, the sabers of the Black Feather Camp soldiers could be considered treasures in Northern Frontier, but no one was willing to give them away as gifts.
Giving precious swords to the enemy would be like hastening their own demise!
Tuoya directly asked, “Do your Great Xia envoys not bring gifts? When we from Northern Frontier go on missions to Great Xia, we bring many cattle and sheep.”
Jin Sui answered for Gu Changxiao, “Of course, we brought some! And it’s a gift that the Left Wise King will absolutely love!”
She pretended to go to the carriage to get it. Liu Yun quietly followed.
Soon, she returned with a box and opened it in front of everyone, “It’s this!”
A lifelike glazed glass artifact appeared before everyone’s eyes. It was a wolf nearly two feet tall, with domineering and spirited wolf eyes, and a swift and powerful wolf body.
It was lustrous and transparent all over, as if it were not an earthly object, but a gift bestowed by the Gods.
“Glazed Glass Wolf. It is the earthly manifestation of the Greedy Wolf star, the totem of the wolf king of the prairie. There is only one such artifact in the world. Possessing this item means possessing the courage and ability of the wolf king.
What do you think? Will it pique the Left Wise King’s interest?”
Let alone piquing the Left Wise King’s interest, several people at the table looked at it with shining eyes.
Yan Jiu was reserved; if Yan Shiyi were here, she would have jumped up and asked, “How much silver? I’ll buy it!”
Gu Changxiao kept signaling Jin Sui, wanting to ask where she got it from. Jin Sui quietly hooked his finger under the table, signaling him to stay calm and maintain a consistent story with her: this is a special product from our border city!
“It’s a special product from the Li King’s fiefdom, the only one of its kind in the world.”
Gu Changxiao stated with certainty, “That’s right! This is indeed the congratulatory gift that this King brought from the border city for the King of Northern Frontier.”
He didn’t say who it was intended for; he was going to give it to the King of Northern Frontier, but now he had to use it for the Left Wise King as planned.
Princess Tuoya was so excited she almost cried, “If my father were still alive and saw this, he would definitely think it was a reward from the Gods.”
At this moment, Batel suddenly shouted, “You can’t give it to the Left Wise King! This is a gift from the Gods to this Crown Prince!”
Why hadn’t Batel spoken during the discussion? It wasn’t that he was truly listening to his sister and behaving.
It was because this guy was like a failing student listening to a teacher’s lecture; he had fallen asleep.
It was his personal guards who saw the Glazed Glass Wolf and, in their excitement, woke him up.
Batel suddenly leaped up and reached out to snatch the Glazed Glass Wolf. Fortunately, Jin Sui had experience coaxing rebellious teenagers.
She said with a smile, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, we are only pretending to offer it to the Left Wise King to deceive him. When you enter the Royal Court, you can snatch it back then!”
“This was originally meant to be presented to you. Ask the Princess if you don’t believe me.”
Tuoya was very reluctant to part with this treasure. She was worried it might get chipped or damaged during the chaos. But with her younger brother acting like a spoiled child, if she became his supporter again, cooperation would be impossible.
She made the final decision, “Batel, do not be rude! Miss Ji is correct. This is a treasure brought by the Li King to give to you, merely borrowed temporarily to deceive the Left Wise King.”
Batel was easily persuaded, “Alright! By the way, have you finished your discussion? What do I need to do?”
Jin Sui: …
I am now more than anyone else looking forward to you becoming the King of Northern Frontier! After all, no one wants their neighboring country’s king to be intelligent and capable.
Princess Tuoya seemed accustomed to her brother’s personality and directly said:
“You and Young Master Yan will lead the people of the Batu Tribe and provide backup outside the Royal Court. The Princess and I will enter the Royal Court together.”
Batel stood up to leave, “Alright, call me when it’s time to depart.”
Tuoya stopped him from leaving, “You want to go horseback riding, don’t you? No! I’ve told you a thousand times, you cannot stray too far from the tribe, or you’ll attract assassins!”
Batel didn’t want to argue with his sister in front of the Han people. He was so angry his face turned red, like an energetic wolf king trapped in a cage.
Jin Sui pushed the Glazed Glass Wolf in front of him, “How about you play with this?”
Immediately after, Jin Sui and the others quietly left the felt tent, leaving the siblings to talk. As soon as they stepped out of the tent, Yan Jiu said to Jin Sui:
“I’ve had someone tidy up Miss Ji’s felt tent, but there are still some of your personal belongings in my carriage. Shall we go pack them?”
Jin Sui’s mind was filled with thoughts of how much money she could make selling those glazed glass artifacts to the Northern Frontier people!
Seeing how much Princess Tuoya and her brother liked the Glazed Glass Wolf, they would probably buy it for a thousand gold.
Heh heh, I’ll only make one of that style, because I’ve already said it’s ‘unique in the world’.
But for other styles of wolves, of varying sizes and forms, I can make as many as I want! I’ll exclusively sell them to the leaders of the various Northern Frontier tribes, exchanging them for cattle, sheep, and horses. It’s guaranteed to provide the border city with an army of tens of thousands of cavalry!
She was daydreaming when she heard Yan Jiu’s words and casually replied, “Okay! Thank you, Head of the Yan Clan.”
Yan Jiu chuckled, “You still call me Head of the Yan Clan? Just call me Jiulang, like before.”
Jin Sui had only taken two steps with him when her wrist was suddenly grabbed. Turning her head, she saw Gu Changxiao with a look of suppressed anger:
“Sui Sui still needs to discuss matters of the Royal Court with this King. I don’t have time to pack things with the Head of the Yan Clan. They are just some used old items; the Head of the Yan Clan can send someone to deliver them.”
Yan Jiu was not angry at all, his voice still gentle, “Miss Ji’s belongings are all precious. Yan Jiu does not wish to entrust them to others, which is why I waited for Miss Ji to return to pack them.
In that case, I will pack them myself and deliver them to Miss Ji.”
Gu Changxiao choked, then abruptly pulled Jin Sui, “Where is the carriage? I’ll help you pack!”
Jin Sui speechlessly pointed to Yan Jiu’s luxurious carriage, then watched as Gu Changxiao strode onto the carriage, rummaged through everything, and carried a pile of items down with Liu Yun.
Jin Sui apologized to Yan Jiu, “I’m truly sorry, Your Highness is too impatient. Please don’t be offended, Head of the Yan Clan.”
Yan Jiu didn’t even look at Gu Changxiao, staring directly at Jin Sui, “Miss Ji still refuses to call me Jiulang?”
Jin Sui really wanted to say, why do you care about such things? We only have seven days to prepare. Can’t you two focus on the important matters?
She bowed to Yan Jiu and turned to lead Gu Changxiao to her felt tent.
However, her face was completely dark, scaring Gu Changxiao and Liu Yun, who were following behind, into silence. Upon entering the felt tent, Liu Yun dumped all the items in his arms onto the table.
He said as if fleeing, “This subordinate takes his leave!”
Gu Changxiao was still pretending nothing was wrong, organizing daily necessities for Jin Sui and exaggerating:
“Sui Sui, you’re amazing! You actually made that glazed glass artifact on the way.
You should have seen the looks on those Northern Frontier people’s faces when you opened the box, as if they had seen some divine artifact.”
