King of Chu was about to be assassinated by the Crown Prince of Chu, and would die within half a year.
Xiao Yunzhou never imagined he would hear such explosive news from his daughter's mouth.
When Xiao Yunzhou arrived at the waterside pavilion and saw the King of Chu standing with his hands behind his back, his hair gray but his posture still straight, he couldn't help but be distracted.
Who could have imagined that a great hero of his generation would die at the hands of his own son?
Xiao Yunzhou felt no schadenfreude, only a sigh.
"Xiao Yunzhou, I didn't expect to see you again after just one night," the King of Chu turned around upon hearing footsteps behind him.
But when he saw the palace servant holding a swaddled infant behind Xiao Yunzhou, the corner of his mouth twitched.
The spies hadn't concealed it from him - this coward Xiao Yunzhou, when not cultivating the Dao, was all about romance and children, spoiling his not-yet-one-year-old little princess to high heaven!
The King of Chu now seriously doubted whether Xiao Yunzhou was normal.
"Is this the little princess you got last year?" The King of Chu took a closer look at Xiao Chuchu in the swaddling clothes, noting that she indeed had red lips and white teeth, and would surely grow up to be a stunning beauty.
But the King of Chu, considering the presence of experts in Jing Country, couldn't help but advise Xiao Yunzhou, "She's just a small child, is it necessary to carry her around everywhere?"
In his early years, when his first child Yun Wu was born, the King of Chu had also been extremely doting, because she was the child he had longed for ten years, and held special meaning.
Moreover, he didn't have a crown prince at that time.
Although now when the King of Chu thought of his good-for-nothing Crown Prince, he was at a loss for words, he still believed in his heart that males were superior to females.
"No matter how much you dote on her, you can't make her the crown prince, can you? Throughout history, those who inherit the throne have always been male," the King of Chu sighed lightly.
Xiao Yunzhou's gaze flickered.
In the swaddling clothes, Xiao Chuchu's little face was complex, and she couldn't help but mock inwardly, [How true that I laugh at the world's lack of insight.]
[What's the real difference between men and women? Isn't it just a difference in physiological structure? Why can't women be emperors?]
[Ah, for others who favor sons over daughters, they might just end up miserable in their old age with no one to care for them.]
[King of Chu, you're going to die an unclear death.]
[In the novel, on the third day of your return journey from Zhou Country, you're done in by your son, the Crown Prince.]
[You return to the palace with an arrow wound, disoriented, and the Crown Prince puts on a show of filial piety, attending to you day and night by your bedside, giving you medicine.]
[But in reality, he's replaced all your medicine with slow-acting poison! Not only does your wound not heal, but you become even weaker!]
[He's completely destroyed the iron constitution you had in your youth when you could fight for three days without sleep.]
[How tragic, King of Chu! That's what you get for favoring sons over daughters!]
Xiao Yunzhou's eyebrows trembled violently as he listened, and even his expression when looking at the King of Chu carried a hint of sympathy he couldn't suppress.
In the future described by his fairy daughter, Xiao Yunzhou himself was also harmed, but at least it was by a non-blood relative, the favored consort.
That was much better than the King of Chu being harmed by his own flesh and blood!
Xiao Yunzhou looked at the King of Chu, unable to suppress a feeling of superiority, and shook his head with a tsk.
"?"
"...?"
The King of Chu looked at Xiao Yunzhou, completely baffled. Where did this sympathy and contempt come from?
Just considering this habit of being overly sentimental about children and carrying the little princess everywhere, the King of Chu felt he was far superior to Xiao Yunzhou!
But just as the King of Chu was about to puff up his mustache and glare, Xiao Yunzhou spoke again.
"Chu Yuan, by seniority, I should call you Uncle. But since I am the Emperor of Jing Country, we are peers, so I'll just call you Old Chu."
"..." The King of Chu opened his mouth, his dignified square face almost losing its shape.
Old Chu?
Who did Xiao Yunzhou think he was addressing? Had Jing Country grown too bold? Even if Jing Country and neighboring Wu Yun Country were tied together, they still wouldn't have as much money and troops as Chu State!
But Xiao Yunzhou's next words left the King of Chu frozen in place, "Old Chu, I know you came today to ask about that vixen..."
The King of Chu glared.
Xiao Yunzhou coughed and quickly backtracked, chuckling, "Ahem, you came to ask about the future of Chu State and the matter of the Crown Prince of Chu."
The King of Chu took a deep breath.
That's right, he was concerned about the future of Chu State!
If Chu State's fortunes could last until the next generation of royal grandchildren grew up, he didn't want to depose the Crown Prince.
Unlike him, the Crown Prince had his Crown Princess give birth to a royal grandson at sixteen.
In another seven or eight years, when the royal grandson became a young lord, he could ascend to the throne and rule the country with the assistance of several ministers.
No matter how intelligent Princess Yun Wu was, she was still female.
Not only would the court officials disagree with her succession, even the King of Chu himself couldn't quite accept passing the throne to a woman.
How could he face his ancestors in the underworld?
Once a princess is married off, she belongs to another family!
"Old Chu," Xiao Yunzhou patted the King of Chu's arm sympathetically, "let me give you a piece of advice."
"It's like a commoner's pigsty. If a pig has a deadly disease, you need to deal with it early, don't let it affect the other pigs."
"!"
"..."
The King of Chu was dumbfounded. Who was he calling a pig? Who was he comparing to pigs?
Xiao Yunzhou was getting into it now, "You hem and haw, reluctant to deal with it, raising that diseased pig to maturity, even intending to use it for breeding, as a stud."
"Old Chu, aren't you causing a huge disaster? How can your pigsty be good in the future? Later on, the pigs in your family, your neighbors' families, your entire village will all be sick, and you won't even have time to cry, I'm telling you!"
The King of Chu opened his mouth, unable to utter a word. He was so angry he almost laughed!
If anyone else dared to mock his Crown Prince as a pig, to mock his Chu State as a pigsty, the King of Chu would certainly have them dragged away and beheaded!
But the person opposite was Xiao Yunzhou, the Emperor of Jing Country!
What's more, when Xiao Yunzhou said these words, he exuded a strange sincerity, as if he wholeheartedly wanted the best for Chu State, as if he felt sorry for the people of Chu State, these "pigs"!
The corner of the King of Chu's mouth twitched. This Xiao Yunzhou was truly more insulting and infuriating than his father had been!
But Xiao Yunzhou clearly didn't feel he had said anything wrong, "Don't refuse to listen, Old Chu. You've eaten the five-flower pork from our Jing Country, right? The taste is quite good, with an even distribution of fat and lean. We raise them well, you know why? It's because we take good care of the breeding pigs and then carefully raise the piglets."
"It's all under the care of the former Chief Minister..."
The King of Chu could no longer speak, gritting his teeth, he said, "Xiao Yunzhou, I didn't come here today to ask you!"
"I came to ask the expert!"
Xiao Yunzhou, cut off mid-sentence, wasn't angry, but rather seemed prepared for this.
He promptly pulled out a silk pouch from his sleeve and squinted at the King of Chu. "Old Chu, take a look at this first. Then think about what you're willing to offer in exchange for the rest of the information."
The King of Chu paused, then took the pouch while muttering, "Xiao Yunzhou, don't try to pull any tricks on me!"
But as soon as he opened the pouch, his eyes widened in shock.
Inside were four large characters that read: "King of Chu's Death Trap!"
"!"
The King of Chu instantly jolted, his eyes darting up to glare at Xiao Yunzhou.
Xiao Yunzhou turned his head to glance at Chuchu in Wei Zheng's arms, noticing that she had already fallen asleep out of boredom during their earlier discussion about pig farming.
Not wanting to disturb his daughter, Xiao Yunzhou lowered his voice and said to the King of Chu, "Old Chu, how much silver are you willing to pay for this information?"
"Your life as an emperor, if it's truly saved by my people from Jing Country—I want Chu State to reduce the price of iron ore by 30% and sell it to Jing Country!" Xiao Yunzhou had already thought this through before coming.
The King of Chu's expression suddenly turned sharp. "Xiao Yunzhou, you've got quite an appetite!"
"Shh, keep it down. Don't wake my little princess," Xiao Yunzhou narrowed his eyes. "Otherwise, Old Chu, even if you beg me, I won't tell you about the death trap."
"!" The King of Chu felt a sudden pain in his teeth.
Damn it, this infuriating daughter-doting fool!
How aggravating!
