"I'll go?" A drop of cold sweat beaded on Yu Qingchuan's forehead.
Liang Xiao narrowed his eyes and retorted, "Do you expect me to go?"
"No, no, no, such a trivial matter, I'll go..." Yu Qingchuan scratched the back of his head, chuckling sheepishly.
Tamamo-no-Mae watched the two of them, quite surprised.
This Marquis of Anguo didn't seem as imposing as the rumors suggested.
And this Great Hero Yu wasn't always so serious?
Zhuo Zifang immediately dispatched someone to arrange accommodations for Tamamo-no-Mae.
After the latter departed, Zhuo Zifang turned to Liang Xiao, "What is the meaning of this from Izumo? Are they too foolish, or do they think we, of Great Qian, are so foolish as to be easily fooled?"
Jian Qinwan, standing behind Liang Xiao, could no longer hold back, "Anyone would doubt their intentions..."
Ito Masamune openly obstructed Liang Xiao, was humiliated by Liang Xiao's counter-move, then brought Tamamo-no-Mae to apologize, and shortly after, this Tamamo-no-Mae incident. It might be a stratagem of self-inflicted harm!
Liang Xiao shook his head, "Perhaps we underestimate them. Ito Masamune and I have at most a personal grudge. Publicly sending Tamamo-no-Mae to seduce me would only result in embarrassment; I certainly wouldn't easily kill a foreign envoy. But can someone who serves as a national envoy be ordinary? The other party seems to intend to show weakness, making us think they are foolish and arrogant. But in reality, the Izumo people, having learned Great Qian culture, have also learned to conceal their strength."
Everyone fell into thought.
Liang Xiao continued, "Moreover, why did he travel all the way from Izumo to our Jiangnan? Just to send me a woman publicly? He likely uses foolishness as a facade, making us lower our guard due to underestimation. Perhaps he has already gone from overt to covert, contacting potential allies everywhere, such as the Southern King, the Grand Tutor, the Rejuvenation Sect, the Great Liang Kingdom, and even the Sun Moon Army and the Peacock Dynasty far in the southwest."
Zhuo Zifang then sighed, "That is plausible. He only left an action record in Jinling, and then he seemed to disappear. But Tamamo-no-Mae's sudden defection is truly strange."
Liang Xiao reminded, "She claims Ito Masamune violated her chastity last night, but look at her gait; does she resemble someone who has just suffered the pain of losing her virginity? Either she was not a virgin to begin with, or Ito Masamune did not assault her. But I believe she has her own agenda for coming here, and it may not simply be Ito Masamune's stratagem of self-inflicted harm."
"This old man can see that she seems more interested in Qingchuan?" Zhuo Zifang said.
Zhuo Xiong, standing behind Zhuo Zifang, had a flash of inspiration and suggested, "Why not turn the scheme to our advantage and widely publicize that Ito Masamune has wronged this woman?"
Liang Xiao quickly shook his head, "Let's see what develops between her and Sixth Senior Brother first, then make plans. Perhaps she is a double agent. Did you notice, the way she looked at Sixth Senior Brother was similar to how the Bodhisattva and Yue Lian look at me, full of affection. I'm very curious."
Jian Qinwan's pretty face flushed, and she chided, "You're not allowed to be smug..."
Ultimately, the Zhuo manor did not publicize Tamamo-no-Mae's matter, merely assigning maids to attend to her bathing and meals.
Tamamo-no-Mae followed Yu Qingchuan to a private chamber. Upon seeing the elegantly furnished room, she felt pleased and looked at Yu Qingchuan.
"I have caused Great Hero Yu trouble."
Yu Qingchuan said, "Ultimately, you suffered because of me, and I cannot stand idly by... But, is that Izumo ambassador truly so cruel?"
"In truth, Great Hero Yu does not believe it, yet why are you still willing to bring me here?" Tamamo-no-Mae chuckled lightly.
Yu Qingchuan gave a wry smile, "Whether I believe it or not, since you know I don't believe it and dare to follow, what if it unfortunately happens to be true? In any case, leaving it to Marquis Anguo and Lord Zhuo to decide is never wrong. But I must remind you, Marquis Anguo cannot be tempted by beauty. As for me, I possess no intelligence, I am transparent..."
"I understand," Tamamo-no-Mae said with a sweet laugh, leaning closer and hooking her arm through Yu Qingchuan's.
Yu Qingchuan wanted to break free, but then he remembered her calling herself "withered flower and rotten willow" and gave up, his face filled with awkwardness.
He had never been so physically close to his own fiancée.
"Great Hero Yu cannot bear to push away this withered flower and rotten willow, afraid of hurting my feelings, am I right?" Tamamo-no-Mae said softly.
Yu Qingchuan gasped, looking at Tamamo-no-Mae with astonishment, "You are truly adept at reading people, but I don't believe you are a withered flower and rotten willow. Why feel inferior!"
"I am not reading people; I am merely trusting my own judgment," Tamamo-no-Mae replied.
"Then you should understand that men and women should not touch each other, right?" Yu Qingchuan said helplessly.
Tamamo-no-Mae's pretty face flushed, and only then did she release Yu Qingchuan's arm, lowering her head, "I came for Great Hero Yu."
Yu Qingchuan looked surprised, "We have never met before..."
"That night, I saw Great Hero Yu's kindness towards the old beggar."
Yu Qingchuan froze.
Tamamo-no-Mae said with great sincerity, "Most people who do good deeds wish for the whole world to know, but you remained unknown, and even thought about preserving the other party's dignity and considering their safety..."
Yu Qingchuan couldn't help but curl his lips, "How could I remain unknown? Didn't you see it too..."
"That was because I was monitoring Great Hero Yu, it was a coincidence," Tamamo-no-Mae said, then again with sincerity, "Is Great Hero Yu willing to accept a withered flower and rotten willow like me?"
Yu Qingchuan answered without hesitation, "I have thought it over. If you have ulterior motives, Marquis Anguo will deal with you. If your story is true, then you have suffered because of me... But I have a mission to attend to, so I cannot take care of you. Naturally, I must send you to Mount Tian first. You will like the environment of Mount Tian."
Tamamo-no-Mae unexpectedly said, "The conflict between myself and Ito Masamune was indeed fabricated."
Yu Qingchuan was speechless, staring at Tamamo-no-Mae, utterly bewildered.
Why was she confessing this now?
Tamamo-no-Mae said word by word, "But His Imperial Majesty, whom one cannot look up to, killed my parents. I only learned of this from a former household servant before coming to Great Qian..."
Yu Qingchuan remained silent for a moment, then sighed, "I apologize, but I must report all conversations between you and me to Marquis Anguo truthfully, and he will decide."
"What kind of person do you think Great Hero Yu is?" Tamamo-no-Mae asked.
Yu Qingchuan thought for a moment and replied, "A wretched man. The only luck in this life is meeting my Master and Marquis Anguo!"
"What kind of person is Marquis Anguo in Great Hero Yu's heart?" Tamamo-no-Mae asked curiously.
"A sage! A true knight!" Yu Qingchuan answered without hesitation.
"That Marquis Anguo is respected by someone like Great Hero Yu, I am willing to believe," Tamamo-no-Mae said softly.
Yu Qingchuan quickly said, "Don't call me Great Hero Yu and I call you Tamamo-no-Mae. Just call me by my name, and I'll call you by yours."
Tamamo-no-Mae summoned her courage and said, "Then call me 'Zao Nü', will you?"
"Alright!" Yu Qingchuan readily agreed.
Just then, a guard from the Zhuo manor ran in to report, "Great Hero Yu, there is a young lady outside who wants to see you. She says she is your fiancée!"
Yu Qingchuan's expression changed. He sighed and walked out.
Tamamo-no-Mae wanted to follow but was stopped by Yu Qingchuan. She could only gaze at Yu Qingchuan's receding figure from afar, her delicate brows furrowed, "He, he has a fiancée?"