The Crown Princess is busy fishing

The king then nodded slightly.

"You two are so sincere, I am very pleased."

In that case, the agreement was revised accordingly, and a formal contract was signed three days later.

We hope that Envoy Xiao will immediately send troops to suppress the bandits, and that subsequent trade arrangements will be prepared simultaneously.

"May our two countries henceforth work together in times of peace and prosperity."

Xiao Yunqing and Lin Yuge exchanged a smile and thanked each other in unison.

After leaving the palace, Lin Yuge breathed a long sigh of relief:

"It's finally done. All these twists and turns were worth it."

Xiao Yunqing put his arm around her shoulder:

"There are still tough battles to fight, but with my wife by my side, I have confidence in everything. Let's go back and prepare for battle!"

The three-day deadline passed in the blink of an eye. As dawn broke, Xiao Yunqing and Lin Yuge led their delegation into the palace once again.

Inside the main hall, the brand-new agreements were neatly arranged.

The King of Xingluo led his ministers to the signing ceremony in a solemn manner.

With both parties signing and sealing their seals, the act of writing marked the beginning of their joint efforts to resist the enemy and build trade routes.

After the ceremony, Xiao Yunqing immediately ordered the navy to set out on the expedition.

Inside the harbor, warships stood in formation, majestic and imposing, sailing in a grand procession towards the pirate stronghold.

Lin Yuge stood on the shore, watching the fleet sail away until the sails disappeared into the horizon.

He then turned around and discussed the expansion of the docks and the selection of a site for the trading post with officials from the Star Luo Kingdom.

Half a month later, news of naval victories came frequently. Xiao Yunqing skillfully used tactics, with the main force launching strong attacks and small boats launching surprise attacks.

Amidst the roar of crossbows, pirate strongholds were breached one by one, and the remaining pirates scattered and fled.

After a month of hard work and maneuvering, the anti-banditry operation along the coast of Xingluo Kingdom finally achieved a great victory.

The trade agreement was successfully implemented, and all matters proceeded smoothly and steadily.

Meanwhile, the envoys from the Kingdom of Garan were getting impatient and came to urge them on multiple occasions.

Thinking that the situation there might be urgent, Lin Yuge and Xiao Yunqing decided not to delay any longer.

He then bid farewell to the King of Xingluo.

The next day, with the enthusiastic farewell of the people of Xingluo, they set sail again, heading straight for Garan.

After a long voyage, the fleet finally broke through the vast waves and arrived at the Garan Sea.

When the ship docked smoothly at the port of Garan, everyone disembarked.

Xiao Yunqing mentioned that he needed to meet with King Garan as soon as possible to discuss important matters.

The envoy's expression changed, his eyes darted around, and his lips trembled, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

“Envoy Xiao, this... it is probably not appropriate to meet with the King at this time. The King is... he is very busy with state affairs and really has no time to spare.”

The voice trembled violently, and large beads of sweat rolled down the forehead.

The eagerness and anticipation they had when they first arrived in Daqian were completely gone.

Xiao Yunqing frowned slightly, stepped forward, and spoke in a tone that, though not harsh, carried an imposing air:

"My lord, back in the Great Qian Dynasty, you spoke earnestly, wishing you could immediately bring reinforcements to relieve the urgent crisis facing the Garan."

Now that we have arrived at our homeland, meeting with the king to discuss important matters is of paramount importance. Why is there an unwarranted delay?

Could it be that something unexpected has happened in the court, leaving you without a clear direction?

The envoy swayed slightly and hurriedly wiped away his sweat.

He glanced around nervously and lowered his voice, saying:

"Envoy Xiao, please don't ask any more questions. To be honest, the domestic situation is turbulent and unpredictable."

The maritime force that coveted the temple seemed to have an inside agent; many officials in the court had been bribed by them, and their spies were everywhere.

I fear that if I rashly bring the two of you into the palace now, word might leak out and attract the wrath of villains.

If anything were to happen to either of you, I would die a thousand deaths to atone for it!

I hope you two will understand and help us eliminate the pirates first; we can discuss the rest later.

Lin Yuge raised her eyebrows slightly, keenly sensing something amiss.

After looking around, he asked in a soft but sharp voice:

"My lord, you keep preventing us from contacting the locals and only urge us to send troops. Aren't you afraid that we will be completely in the dark and fall into danger?"

Furthermore, is your evasive behavior truly only for our safety?

The envoy's knees buckled, and he nearly knelt down, waving his hands repeatedly to explain:

"I have absolutely no intention of deceiving you! It's just that the situation is critical, and every moment of delay will cause the people more suffering."

The coastal fishing villages have been almost completely slaughtered; the horrific scene is unbearable to witness. We urge you two to immediately send troops to rescue the people from this suffering.

Xiao Yunqing and Lin Yuge exchanged a glance, both seeing the doubt and seriousness in each other's eyes.

Xiao Yunqing remained silent for a moment, then said with a cold expression:

“My lord, since you say the people are suffering, how can we sit idly by and do nothing?”

However, this military expedition to suppress the bandits was by no means a rash act. It was not carried out without seeing the King of Garan, understanding the situation in the court, or knowing the underlying interests involved.

Sending troops hastily will only result in heavy losses and futile efforts.

You should return to the palace first and tell King Garan the truth: we will wait at most two more days, and we must arrange a meeting after two days.

Otherwise, the Great Qian delegation would have no choice but to turn back, and the Kingdom of Garan would have to clean up this mess themselves.

The envoy looked distressed and wanted to persuade him again, but Xiao Yunqing stopped him by raising his hand.

"Stop talking. The time limit has been given. You can decide for yourself how to proceed."

After saying that, Xiao Yunqing put his arm around Lin Yuge and turned to walk towards their temporary residence.

Upon returning to her residence, Lin Yuge frowned, pacing back and forth in deep thought:

"Yunqing, the waters of the Kingdom of Garan are probably very deep. The envoy's evasiveness suggests there's something fishy going on in the court."

"That maritime power might have intricate connections with influential figures in the court; if we act rashly, we risk becoming pawns."

Xiao Yunqing nodded, his gaze deep:

“What you say is absolutely right, so we can’t just wait around these next two days.”

As he spoke, he called out, "Mo Nan!"

"Master, what are your orders?"

Mo Nan quickly pushed the door open and came in.

"Go and lead men to secretly investigate various places in Garan City, especially around the residences of princes and nobles and the places where court officials often gather. Be sure to find out some solid information."

"Yes! I will do it now."

Mo Nan accepted the order and left.

Xiao Yunqing ordered everyone else to stay inside and wait patiently for news.

Two days passed quickly, and Mo Nan returned with his men, his expression solemn.

Before they could even rest, he reported to Xiao Yunqing and Lin Yuge:

"Your Highness, Your Highness's Wife, the situation in the Kingdom of Garan is more complicated than we imagined."

It has been confirmed that King Garan died more than half a year ago, and now the court is in chaos with fierce infighting within the royal family.

The king's younger brother, Prince Maikun, occupies the palace and wields great power.

The eldest prince, Curry, was driven out, but Curry was not about to give up. He gathered a group of his old followers outside and was waiting for an opportunity to launch a counterattack.

Lin Yuge frowned slightly and pressed for an answer:

"Then who exactly are the envoys who came to the Great Qian seeking help from?"

Mo Nan cupped his hands in greeting and replied:

"It's Maikun's men. Judging from the situation, he probably invited us to send troops this time because he wanted to use the delegation to suppress Kuli."

He wanted to use the power of the Great Qian Dynasty to eliminate dissidents and consolidate his own throne.

"What about the princesses of Nagaran Kingdom?"

"What was the envoy's plan when he brought them along?" Xiao Yunqing asked immediately.

Mo Nan snorted coldly:

"Those princesses were probably coerced by Maikun. He intended to use them as bargaining chips to negotiate with Daqian and gain more benefits."

Unexpectedly, we didn't act as he anticipated, which is why the princesses weren't needed.

After hearing this, Lin Yuge couldn't help but sigh:

"What a clever scheme! They're clearly planning to use us as pawns and drag the Great Qian delegation into their throne struggle."

They think they can just sit back and reap the benefits without lifting a finger? Do they really think we're so easily fooled?