Chapter 405: Boarding the Huaiyin King’s Ship

Chapter 405: Boarding the Huaiyin King's Ship

The Huaiyin King thought to himself, "You sure are confident."

But he kept a straight face.

"You and Master Song—" he asked, feigning ignorance.

"We've stayed in touch all along," Qin Xiaoyao said.

"My husband isn't really siding with Minister Shen; he's there in body but not in spirit."

Seeing the Huaiyin King's confusion, Qin Xiaoyao suddenly remembered that people in this era didn't know about the Three Kingdoms, let alone the idiom she had just mentioned.

"Uh, I mean, he's physically with Minister Shen, but his heart is with me," Qin Xiaoyao explained.

The Huaiyin King glanced at Qin Xiaoyao, putting on a skeptical look.

"It's true! Ever since we met at the Ministry of Rites, we've been meeting in secret pretty often."

"Also, what happened to Shen Rong had to do with my husband," Qin Xiaoyao added, fearing that the Huaiyin King wouldn't believe her.

The Huaiyin King finally perked up with interest.

Qin Xiaoyao continued, "Shen Rong is actually not dead."

"My husband devised a plan for her and Meng Xuan to fake their deaths and disappear."

"My husband did all this because he didn't want to marry Shen Rong," Qin Xiaoyao said with a touch of pride.

Her husband was truly good to her.

Seeing this, the Huaiyin King couldn't help feeling a twinge of envy.

These two sure loved flaunting their love in front of him, huh?

Well, he had to admit, he was a bit envious.

If only he had a wife who truly understood him and trusted him wholeheartedly, life would indeed be much better.

"Ahem—so that's how it is."

"No wonder the Prime Minister's daughter's death came out of nowhere, and the funeral was rushed through so fast," the Huaiyin King replied.

Qin Xiaoyao's face lit up with a smile again. She felt a huge weight off her shoulders.

Previously, she hadn't told the Huaiyin King all this to protect her husband.

Heaven knew how upset she had been, seeing her husband having the Huaiyin King think he was a scoundrel.

"So, Your Highness, you can count on me."

"As long as I step in, I'll make sure to talk my husband into working for you," Qin Xiaoyao said, as if ready to stake her life on it.

The Huaiyin King smiled and nodded.

He took a sip of his tea, looking down.

After taking a sip, she put down the teacup again.

"Then, let's proceed as Qin Xiaoyao suggested."

"If our grand plan succeeds, I will certainly appoint Master Song as the Prime Minister. As for you, Qin Xiaoyao, I will grant you the title of Grand General King, commanding the military forces of Great Jin. How does that sound?" The Huaiyin King looked at Qin Xiaoyao.

Qin Xiaoyao's heart skipped a beat.

But only for a moment, then she bowed to the Huaiyin King in a respectful bow.

"My husband truly has the talent to be a Prime Minister. Your Highness making him Prime Minister will surely benefit the state of Great Jin."

"As for me—"

"I have no great desire for power and authority."

"Once our goals are achieved, I hope Your Highness will allow me to resign from my position in the army, retaining only the title of Marquis Xiaoyao."

Qin Xiaoyao smiled, "Then, I can focus on managing my century egg business, selling our workshop's century eggs nationwide, even to other countries."

She and her husband, one skilled in politics and the other in military, if both held great power, even if the Huaiyin King initially trusted them, it wouldn't be long before he became suspicious.

They had no intention of conquering the realm, so why trouble themselves?

In their family, it was enough for her husband to have power and influence, so no one dared to challenge them.

As for her, she could focus on business.

Becoming a successful entrepreneur would also give her a great sense of achievement.

She really couldn't hold back anymore, wanting to experience the excitement of combat.

When the time came, she could also offer her services to the Huaiyin King to lead troops into battle, which shouldn't be a problem.

The Huaiyin King's eyes narrowed.

He hadn't expected Qin Xiaoyao to be so generous.

"Master Song is truly fortunate," he remarked without hesitation.

Since ancient times, a husband's honor brings honor to his wife, but this didn't apply to Marquis Xiaoyao.

Marquis Xiaoyao possessed extraordinary martial skills, courage, and strategy, a natural-born commander.

Countless men were forced to defer to her.

She could easily achieve greatness on her own.

Yet, she willingly gave up these, just to support her husband.

Of course, he would never allow both husband and wife to hold great power simultaneously.

Not just him, anyone in that position wouldn't allow that kind of arrangement.

Now, hearing that Marquis Xiaoyao wanted to resign, which was good news for him, yet he felt a bit conflicted.

Because Marquis Xiaoyao was like a razor-sharp sword. Wherever the blade reached, it was invincible.

If he wanted to dominate the world, he couldn't do without Marquis Xiaoyao.

But Song Rui was even more important to her at the moment.

After all, before she could dominate the world, she still needed Song Rui to help her ascend to the throne of the Jin kingdom.

"Hehe, I actually feel quite fortunate," Qin Xiaoyao responded cheerfully.

Seeing this, the Prince of Huaiyin sighed inwardly once again.

Why didn't he have such luck to obtain such a wonderful person like her?

"Alright. Go ahead and give it a try. I'll be waiting for your good news," said the Prince of Huaiyin, raising his teacup towards Qin Xiaoyao.

Qin Xiaoyao's lips curled into a smile, and she picked up her teacup, toasting the Prince of Huaiyin from across the room.

Then, she downed the tea in her cup in one swift gulp.

Seeing this, the Prince of Huaiyin thought to himself, 'Like a cow chewing peonies.'

"Well then, Your Highness, I'll take my leave now."

"Once the matter is settled, I'll come again," Qin Xiaoyao said, already standing up.

In front of others, it was better not to get too close to the Prince of Huaiyin.

The longer she could keep her relationship with the Prince of Huaiyin hidden, the better.

"Mm," the Prince of Huaiyin responded, not making any effort to keep her.

Qin Xiaoyao walked out of the Prince of Huaiyin's tent, her steps light and her spirits high.

Seeing this, Chu Jin, who had been waiting outside, quickly approached.

"My Lord, how did it go? What did the Prince say?" he asked eagerly.

Qin Xiaoyao turned her head to look at Chu Jin, her face full of smiles.

"This time, you did an amazing job!" she praised Chu Jin.

Chu Jin's face lit up with joy, and he felt relieved instantly.

"It was all my duty," he said immediately.

"My Lord, about sending people from the Warfire—"

"Once I get back, I'll issue the order to transfer the people to you," Qin Xiaoyao said briskly.

After all, those from the Warfire had already been trained pretty well. And for now, she had no tasks for them.

It would be good to have them lead the special training team.

Now that she had boarded the Prince of Huaiyin's ship, the stronger his power, the better for her.

"Thank you, My Lord!" Chu Jin quickly bowed to Qin Xiaoyao, excited.

Qin Xiaoyao gave Chu Jin one last glance and then left quickly.

She needed to arrange for someone to send a message to her husband, to share her good news.

Meanwhile, as soon as Song Rui returned to the Prime Minister’s residence, he received a secret signal from Qin Xiaoyao, asking to meet him tomorrow morning.

Song Rui was both happy and somewhat helpless about this.

Previously, the Prince of Huaiyin had sought him out, so he naturally understood why his wife was so eager to find him.

Song Rui sighed and stashed the small item his subordinate had brought.

At that moment, an attendant's voice called from outside the door.

"Sir, someone from the main courtyard is here. The Prime Minister wants to see you."

Song Rui was startled.

"Understood," he called back.

He quickly straightened his appearance and headed out.