The King of Chu stood on the boat, finding it difficult not to notice Xiao Yunzhou in the crowd.
After all, the relationship between Jing Country and Chu State had been tumultuous since the previous generation.
The King of Chu had clashed with Xiao Yunzhou's father several times.
Xiao Yunzhou resembled his father, allowing the King of Chu to recognize him at a glance.
Xiao Yunzhou was in the same position; after ascending to the throne, he had obtained a portrait of the King of Chu from his father.
At this moment, just a fleeting glance in the crowd was enough for them to lock onto each other!
Two generations of monarchs, rulers of two countries, their gazes intersected.
In an instant, sparks flew as they read the meaning in each other's eyes.
The King of Chu quickly narrowed his eyes, softening his sharp gaze somewhat.
"Jing Country has made great progress. I never imagined that meditation could be used to govern a country, huh."
Xiao Yunzhou and the King of Chu tacitly returned downstream.
As night fell, two boats sailed from their respective territories towards the center of the river.
The two monarchs sat on their respective vessels, engaged in a battle of wits.
The King of Chu's first words couldn't help but mock Xiao Yunzhou's meditation-based governance.
But before Xiao Yunzhou could respond, the King of Chu cleared his throat and conceded slightly, "Today's dragon bone water wheel for irrigation in Jing Country is quite impressive."
Such praise would have been impossible a decade ago.
But now, faced with absolute technological superiority, Jing Country had achieved it!
Successfully making the proud King of Chu bow his head!
Xiao Yunzhou was moved, but quickly chuckled and pretentiously picked up his teacup, hiding his overly excited expression!
The King of Chu indeed observed Xiao Yunzhou closely, trying to discern his expression, but upon seeing his calmness, the King of Chu couldn't help but furrow his brow.
The King of Chu had to proactively bring up the next topic, "Has Jing Country truly found an otherworldly expert?"
He had heard that the heir of a mystical family possessed mastery over the five arts of mysticism: mountains, medicine, physiognomy, fortune-telling, and divination.
"Is this dragon bone water wheel also the result of the expert's guidance?" The King of Chu clearly coveted this expert, inadvertently revealing his eagerness.
Xiao Yunzhou took a pretentious sip of tea, "Indeed, there is an expert, but we didn't find her."
The Little Princess, his daughter, was reincarnated into his family, into Jing Country!
"Chu State need not harbor any hopes," Xiao Yunzhou chuckled, "The expert belongs to Jing Country; she won't help you."
The King of Chu's mouth twitched. How had this Xiao Yunzhou become even more irritating than his father?
"Then why did you help Yun Wu?" The King of Chu wasn't a fool; he narrowed his eyes at Xiao Yunzhou.
Clearly, Xiao Yunzhou had given the expert's guidance in a sealed envelope to Yun Wu, allowing her to expose his royal brother, showing their favor towards Yun Wu.
The King of Chu remained vigilant, looking to Xiao Yunzhou for an explanation, "Surely this expert of Jing Country doesn't simply enjoy meddling in others' affairs."
Xiao Yunzhou paused.
His fairy daughter, rather than enjoying meddling in affairs, was more interested in gossip.
A few days ago, when she was eavesdropping on the Crown Prince of Chu from the corner of his bed, Little Princess, only half a year old, was thoroughly entertained!
As a father and king, he certainly had to satisfy his child's curiosity.
Moreover, every move of Little Princess contained heavenly guidance, and they, as mere mortals—
Thinking this, Xiao Yunzhou looked at the highly suspicious King of Chu, "How can we mortals fathom the thoughts of an expert?"
"...?" The King of Chu stared. They were emperors, after all!
Had Xiao Yunzhou's meditation practice addled his brain?!
But Xiao Yunzhou continued to speak eloquently, "Your Majesty, whether the expert wishes to help Yun Wu is beyond my control. We can only act according to the expert's mood. Yun Wu possesses intelligence and talent; if the expert is willing to guide her, it shows she has the virtues and divine favor of heaven. Naturally, Jing Country will assist her as well."
"..." The King of Chu was astounded by Xiao Yunzhou. Could this expert be his ancestor?!
"Where is this expert? I wish to meet them personally. If they truly have such abilities, I'd like to ask some questions concerning my Chu State." The King of Chu finally expressed his desire.
Xiao Yunzhou had long known that this was the King of Chu's purpose for coming. Hearing this, he let out a cold laugh.
He would never let his adorable Little Princess meet this strange uncle!
"Impossible," Xiao Yunzhou narrowed his eyes, "If Your Majesty is sincere, it will depend on the expert's mood, whether she's willing to answer your questions."
"It will be the same as before, in the form of a sealed envelope."
The King of Chu frowned deeply; otherworldly experts indeed had their quirks.
"Then how can he prove that he truly has real abilities and isn't just deceiving me?" The King of Chu refused to back down.
[Oh my, I've read many web novels about mystical fortune-tellers, and they all have this kind of skepticism plot.]
Xiao Chuchu, nestled in Liu Chaniang's arms inside the cabin, was enjoying the show.
She watched this historically significant meeting between the two monarchs from afar, and upon seeing the King of Chu's doubt about Jing Country's expert, she couldn't help but comment internally.
[Proving the expert's abilities is simple.]
[For example, the expert could divine that the King of Chu has a coin-sized wound on his right buttock, a result of his recent roleplay session with the Queen.]
[He insisted on having the Queen dress up as a fox spirit while he played the role of a scholar, then had the fox spirit seduce him before he pounced on her... This kind of bedroom play, I saw it on the live stream I exchanged for with system points two days ago. It really opened my eyes!]
[The King of Chu must be nearly sixty, right? To still have such interests, he's quite vigorous in his old age!]
Xiao Yunzhou, who had just taken a sip of tea, spat it out entirely.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
The King of Chu: "??" His face was bewildered.
Xiao Yunzhou waved his hand, "The wind was too strong, I choked."
[The roleplay itself wasn't the issue, but in his excitement, the King of Chu knocked over a nearby brazier, and a spark burned a coin-sized mark on his buttock!]
[Haha, it's still so funny to think about!] Xiao Chuchu couldn't contain her inner laughter.
But soon her little face also turned slightly red, [I'm just a baby, I shouldn't be seeing such adult scenes. It wasn't intentional; the King of Chu and the Queen said they had important matters to discuss, and I got curious.]
[Who would have thought that for 100 points, I'd exchange for a roleplay scene~]
[As a little baby, I was deceived by the King of Chu. It's all his fault. If it's roleplay, just say so, why claim to be 'discussing important matters'.]
Xiao Yunzhou listened, torn between laughter and tears, using tremendous self-control to maintain his expression.
Now, he could barely look at the gray-haired King of Chu directly.
Even a glance reminded him of his daughter's vivid mental descriptions!
The fox spirit and the scholar, what an beautifully awkward image.
Xiao Yunzhou cleared his throat softly, suppressing the urge to laugh. "Here's the deal: King of Chu, you'll perform three good deeds in our Jing Country. Consider it accumulating good karma and also showing your sincerity to the master."
"I'll go ask the master first thing tomorrow morning."
The King of Chu was taken aback.
Perform three good deeds in Jing Country?
For a monarch, this wasn't a difficult task. That very night, the King of Chu ordered his guards to help clear weeds along the shores of Jing Country, and even gave silver to random Jing Country citizens they encountered!
After completing the three deeds, the King of Chu, still somewhat skeptical, spoke to Ji Duan on the boat, "Who knows if this master is really capable? Xiao Yunzhou is quite cunning, tricking me into doing favors for Jing Country first!"
No sooner had he said this than a soldier rushed in from outside.
"Your Majesty, a message has arrived from the shore of Jing Country!"
A silk pouch was presented before the King of Chu.
As soon as he opened it and saw the first three characters that read 'fox spirit', the King's body stiffened, and his face quickly contorted.
Impossible!
How could anyone know about the emperor's bedroom affairs?
The King of Chu felt as if the master had him by the throat!
