Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"Chief of Staff Lin, a man claiming to be an envoy of the Prince of Kang requests an audience."

"Bring him in."

Inside the Bianliang Palace, Lin Fei was not surprised at all when he learned that the Kang Prince's Mansion had sent someone; he didn't even raise an eyelid.

Because all of this was within his expectations.

Before long, Qin Chuan entered the Bianliang Palace and immediately bowed to Lin Fei: "General Lin, I am Qin Chuan, here on behalf of His Highness Prince Kang to negotiate with you."

Lin Fei asked directly, "What do you want to talk about?"

Qin Chuan: "His Highness Prince Kang is the ninth son of the late Emperor, and it is only right that..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Fei interrupted him, "How do you know the late emperor is no longer alive?"

Qin Chuan was taken aback: "The two rulers were captured and taken to the Jin Kingdom, so their chances of survival are slim, therefore..."

"So you're certain they perished?"

Lin Fei's direct question left Qin Chuan speechless.

"Whether the emperor of the Song Dynasty is still alive needs to be carefully verified; it cannot be determined based on just a few words from you."

"General Lin, I..."

"If there's nothing else, you can go back now. Bianjing has just been recovered, and I have a lot of things to take care of. I don't have time to waste."

Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan steeled his resolve and asked, "May I ask General Lin, is Prince Kang considered a prince of the Song Dynasty?"

Lin Fei: "Yes, what do you want to say?"

Qin Chuan: "Since that's the case, shouldn't you, as a prince of the Song Dynasty, enter the capital and take charge of the overall situation?"

Lin Fei closed his eyes briefly: "You mean, you want me to hand over Bianjing?"

"That's right!" Qin Chuan declared righteously, "Bianjing is the capital of our Great Song Dynasty, and Prince Kang is the ninth prince of the Retired Emperor."

Now that the two emperors have perished, the capital is leaderless. It is only right that someone enters the capital to preside over the administration and ensure the stability of the Song Dynasty.

At this point, Qin Chuan glanced tentatively at Lin Fei.

Lin Fei, however, remained unfazed, his expression calm and undisturbed.

He could only grit his teeth and continue, "Therefore, according to the royal etiquette of the Song Dynasty, Prince Kang can act on behalf of the emperor and oversee the country on his behalf."

General Lin, being a native of Chu and the descendant of the Minister of Revenue of the Great Chu, should surely understand that what I said is entirely correct, shouldn't it?"

Lin Fei calmly replied, "Go on, I'm listening."

Qin Chuan: "Now that Bianjing has been recovered, His Highness Prince Kang should enter the capital to take charge of the government. As for whether he is qualified to become the Emperor of the Song Dynasty,..."

A decision can only be made after the two emperors return to court. Therefore, I, Qin, humbly request General Lin to allow Prince Kang to enter the capital and assume the duties of an emperor!

Lin Fei gently stroked his cheek with his fingers, seemingly deep in thought.

After a moment, he spoke: "What you said makes a lot of sense. It is indeed reasonable for Prince Kang to enter the capital, and I have no reason to stop him."

Qin Chuan's eyes lit up, but Lin Fei raised his hand to stop him from speaking.

"But Bianjing was recovered with the support of my Chu Kingdom. It seems that King Kang did nothing in the process. If we just hand over Bianjing like this, even if I agree, my soldiers will not."

Qin Chuan said urgently, "Admittedly, His Highness Prince Kang's performance in resisting the Jin people has not been as expected, but His Highness Prince Kang is also worried about the fate of our Great Song Dynasty day and night..."

Lin Fei: "I'm sorry, but I'm from Chu and receive a salary from the Chu state. I simply cannot empathize with King Kang's feelings and thoughts."

That kind of rhetoric is useless. I only look at Prince Kang's actions. During the process of my independent brigade annihilating the main force of the Jin army and recapturing Bianjing, I didn't see him anywhere.

Furthermore, even during the siege of Bianjing by the Independent Brigade and the rebel army, you secretly sent people to continuously obstruct the defensive line from Xizhao County to the capital.

How should this be accounted for?

"There must be some misunderstanding here. I implore General Lin to see the truth." Qin Chuan bowed and lowered his head. "It's just that Prince Kang's subordinates mistakenly believed that your army was composed of Jurchen spies."

They intervened only then, but after investigating the matter, His Highness Prince Kang had already severely reprimanded them.

On behalf of the Prince Kang's Mansion, I express my deepest apologies to General Lin.

Lin Fei: "It's laughable that you think you can get Prince Kang into Bianjing with just an apology. Do you know how much money and resources the Independent Brigade spent to take Bianjing?"

Qin Chuan: "General Lin, please tell me, what would it take to allow Prince Kang to enter the capital and take charge of the government?"

Lin Fei: "Considering that the two countries are considered friendly nations, go back and tell Prince Kang that as long as he covers the military expenses of the Independent Brigade and the righteous army during this period, he can come to Bianjing whenever he wants."

Qin Chuan was taken aback: "It's that simple?"

"Do you perhaps have a better suggestion?"

"No, no, no, General Lin misunderstands. It is only right that Prince Kang should bear the military expenses after the Independent Brigade captured Bianjing; there is no doubt about that."

However, with the Song Dynasty currently in turmoil, Prince Kang's household doesn't have much money, and he probably can't afford this military expense in the short term.

Lin Fei: "I understand the situation in your country. It's really unrealistic to expect you to spend such a large sum on military expenses right now."

"Then let's do it according to this agreement. Take a look for yourself."

Lin Fei tossed a rubbing of a contract to Qin Chuan for him to look at.

"Fifteen million taels of silver were for military expenses, plus four million taels for food and supplies, totaling nineteen million taels."

"If your country repays this debt, principal and interest, within five years, Bianjing will naturally be handed over to you."

Lin Fei took a closer look and frowned.

Military spending is really this outrageous?

But when I thought that the problem could be solved with money, and that I could even pay in installments, I didn't take it seriously.

"I must return and report to Prince Kang before I can make a decision on this matter."

"please."

Lin Fei made a gesture of invitation, but didn't even have the desire to stand up.

Although Qin Chuan was unhappy, he returned to Guangling reluctantly for the sake of the overall situation.

"Humph."

As soon as Qin Chuan left, Lin Fei couldn't help but let out a cold snort.

"The bait is ready, just waiting for you to take the bait."

……

Guangling County.

"Hahaha! That's great!"

When Qin Chuan returned to the Kang Prince's Mansion, he told Wang Boyan about what he had seen and heard from Lin Fei, which made Wang Boyan so happy that he burst into tears.

Huang Qianshan couldn't stop smiling: "Alright, agree to their terms. Not just 19 million, but 100 million taels!"

Once Prince Kang enters the capital, he will be a prince of the Song Dynasty.

Wang Boyan nodded in agreement: "That's right. Once Prince Kang ascends the throne, as long as he announces that the two emperors are no longer alive, then they are no longer alive. At that time, who in the world will dare to question him?"

Huang Qianshan: "That's right. Once Prince Kang ascends the throne, we should immediately repair relations with the Jin Dynasty and order Yue Fei to return to the capital. From then on, we can divide the country along the Yangtze River and rule the Jin Dynasty separately. This way, the foundation of the Song Dynasty can be preserved forever!"

The two were so happy they were practically beside themselves with joy.

Sitting at the main table, Zhao Gou glanced at them and suddenly asked, "Is it really that simple? Could there be a trap involved?"

"Your Highness, there is no need to worry!"

Huang Qianshan replied with a smile.

"We will take the elite troops of Guangling with us. If they dare to act disrespectfully towards His Highness, we will launch a fierce attack on Bianjing. I doubt they will dare to do anything."

Zhao Gou nodded. No matter how smart he was, he couldn't possibly see through the high-level schemes of a game at such a young age.