The seductive princess is no longer being pursued; the aloof prime minister is facing a crematorium.

Chapter 186 Why are you still insisting on this?

A quarter of an hour later.

Jiang Jinshuang dusted off the hem of her skirt, raised her eyebrows, and looked at the assassin lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

Their gazes returned to Wen Fengcang.

Wen Fengcang was kicked in the abdomen by Jiang Jinshuang, and his face turned pale and ugly.

He clutched his lower abdomen, coldly raising his eyes to stare at her: "Who exactly are you...?"

Jiang Jinshuang dusted off her hands and walked step by step to Wen Fengcang.

She was clearly not as tall as Wen Fengcang.

But she held her chin high, looking down at him with an air of superiority.

She's used to seeing people this way.

"What nonsense are you talking about, Your Highness? I am Princess Zhaoming, Jiang Jinshuang."

Sweat beaded on Wen Fengcang's forehead: "Your martial arts were taught by Prince Ruiyang?"

Jiang Jinshuang smiled but remained silent, only looking down at him.

Wen Fengcang frowned slightly, unable to decipher her expression.

Jiang Jinshuang didn't want to waste any more time or words on him, so she said directly, "Wen Fengcang, the position of the Northern Huai Monarch is yours now, and it won't fall into the hands of anyone else."

She paused, then smiled, "But you don't want another prince to ascend the throne, yet you want to maintain a loving father-son relationship with your father. Is there such a good thing in the world?"

"I'll give you the throne, but Wen Fengcang, I want you to kill your father. What do you say?"

Wen Fengcang frowned even more deeply, looking at Jiang Jinshuang as if she were a madwoman: "Why should I turn against my father just because of your words?!"

"Because compared to your philandering, cruel and heartless father, what you want more is the throne."

Jiang Jinshuang smiled faintly, her tone gentle and patient: "Wen Fengcang, kill him, and I will grant you the throne of Beihuai. I can assure you that no one can pull you off the throne again."

She coaxed gently, her eyes clear and deep: "Anyone who tries to pull you down from the throne, I will take care of them for you, how about it?"

Forging an alliance can be very useful.

However, dealing with Wen Fengcang doesn't require any gentleman's alliance.

That kind of thing is only useful for people like Pei Du who restrain themselves.

To form an alliance with Wen Fengcang means to go along with his corrupt practices and let him personally hand her leverage over his weaknesses.

—She could give him the throne of Beihuai, or she could prevent another prince from appearing in the world.

But on the condition that he kills the current ruler of Beihuai, his father.

Jiang Jinshuang rarely uses insidious and vicious methods, and she would never let others kill each other.

But the monarch of Beihuai was an exception.

She couldn't let Yanjue suffer any injustice.

As for the Lord of Beihuai, she would never allow him to live.

Jiang Jinshuang had actually considered whether it would be better to let Yan Jue personally kill the Northern Huai Monarch.

But on second thought, I decided to forget it.

Yan Jue was born with detached emotions, and he didn't show much outward affection even for his own mother.

But Jiang Jinshuang knew in his heart that when he dug Yan Jue out of the pile of dead bodies, he was unconscious and cried for a long time in his dream.

Jiang Jinshuang believed that if she ordered Yan Jue to kill the Northern Huai Monarch, Yan Jue would definitely obey her orders and do so without hesitation.

But no.

Even if that beast is ruthless and vicious, he is still Yanjue's father.

She couldn't let Yan Jue bear the guilt of killing his father.

—Then let Wen Fengcang bear the consequences.

She didn't care about Wen Fengcang.

As long as the inkstone inscription is in good condition, that's fine.

Jiang Jinshuang thought that she would teach Yanjue how to be a good person and how to express her emotions. Yanjue was so smart that she would be able to walk through the world alone, without any worries or concerns.

She didn't want Yan Jue to bear the burden of killing his father. Therefore, she would handle such ruthless methods and deals herself.

There's no need to know the secrets of inkstone making.

Jiang Jinshuang looked at Wen Fengcang, whose eyes were slightly moving.

She knew that Wen Fengcang was moved.

This condition is actually not bad for him.

His relationship with his father was not particularly close, and power was certainly more reassuring than that faint affection.

Wen Fengcang blinked and stared at her intently: "So, the reason you made me do those things was actually to sow discord between me and Father Emperor, so you could sow discord between us, right?"

Jiang Jinshuang's smile spread across her face: "What a clever little dog."

Wen Fengcang lowered his head, unusually offering no rebuttal.

Jiang Jinshuang took a few steps back and smiled casually: "Since His Highness the Crown Prince has agreed, then I will wait for your good news."

After a pause, Jiang Jinshuang said, "Your Highness, rest assured, if you encounter any difficulties in assassination, you can come to me, and I will help you devise a plan."

After saying that, Jiang Jinshuang turned around and said, "Your Highness, please make yourself at home. I will take my leave now."

With that, Jiang Jinshuang lifted her foot to leave.

"Wait a moment." Behind him, Wen Fengcang's voice was cold and deep.

Jiang Jinshuang stopped in her tracks.

She turned around and chuckled, "Is there anything else?"

Wen Fengcang raised his eyes, his gaze towards Jiang Jinshuang filled with complex emotions.

"When Prince Ruiyang went to war, he carried a long sword. Later, in a battle, the sword was broken into three pieces by the combined attack of fifteen Beihuai soldiers."

Wen Fengcang paused for a moment, still staring at Jiang Jinshuang: "That broken sword is in your hands now, isn't it?"

Jiang Jinshuang remained noncommittal and shrugged.

Wen Fengcang took a deep breath: "Could you give me that broken sword?"

Jiang Jinshuang's eyes widened, looking puzzled: "What do you need that for?"

Wen Fengcang finally raised his chin: "Add to favorites."

Jiang Jinshuang frowned, naturally not believing his nonsense.

Wen Fengcang: "Consider it a token of our alliance. Your Highness, how about giving me that broken sword?"

Jiang Jinshuang smiled nonchalantly: "I'm really sorry, but I've already given that broken sword to someone else. Your Highness will be late."

Wen Fengcang frowned: "Who did you give it to? I'll go find it."

Jiang Jinshuang pursed her lips: "I have no obligation to tell you, and Your Highness, that was just a broken sword."

Wen Fengcang chuckled softly and lowered his head.

"That's right, it's just a broken sword..."

After saying that, Wen Fengcang slowly stood up, turned around and left.

His back view seemed somewhat forlorn.

Jiang Jinshuang frowned, but didn't pay much attention, and turned back to the princess's residence.

It was already evening when they returned to the princess's residence.

After having dinner, Jiang Jinshuang strolled over to the side courtyard where Yan Jue lived while she was digesting her food.

Sure enough, at this hour, Yan Jue was still practicing his sword.

Jiang Jinshuang didn't disturb him. She sat on the stone bench under the tree as if she knew the way well, and watched him practice swordsmanship while resting her chin on her hand.

The sword technique was completed.

Yan Jue sheathed his sword and walked to Jiang Jinshuang's side.

He poured a cup of tea and pushed it in front of Jiang Jinshuang.

Jiang Jinshuang looked at the seven-tenths broken sword on his back, narrowed her eyes, and said with a half-smile, "Yanjue, give me back this broken sword, and I'll give it to someone else, okay?"