The envoys from Yulin, who had been struggling to find the right words, felt as though they could have applauded at this statement.
If the Turks stood to gain from Yulin, they could use it as leverage in their negotiations.
Furthermore, as Princess Ronghe had clearly stated, the Turks lacked the confidence to wage war with Yulin again. In such a scenario, even though Yulin was the defeated party, they were not entirely without recourse.
The peace negotiators from the Turks were already in a state of emotional turmoil from the events of the evening.
Now, faced with the unyielding stance of the Yulin envoys, they quickly found themselves overwhelmed.
Ji Zizhao had no interest in such word battles.
Seeing Mu Shizhen being helped to a seat by Princess Ashiya, Ji Zizhao returned to her own seat.
She tapped her finger lightly on the table in front of her.
Ji Zizhao looked up and met the somewhat unpleasant expression of the Seventh Prince.
Xie Jingqi frowned and questioned, "Is your eyesight not very good?"
Ji Zizhao furrowed her brow slightly, clearly not following the Seventh Prince's erratic train of thought.
Xie Jingqi paused and then added, "Have all the men in our Yulin died, that you need to be batting your eyes at a son of a barbarian Turk? Ji Zizhao, I'm not trying to be harsh, but you have a problem with choosing men. You married a dog before, and now you're eyeing a Turk. People always aim higher, why are you living backwards?"
The Tenth Prince, sitting beside them, was stunned.
Truly, Seventh Brother, with a mouth like that, you deserve to have no friends.
Ji Zizhao, however, did not appear angry. She merely retorted, "Seventh Highness, how do you think you are any better than the men I fancy?"
Xie Jingqi did not appreciate this. "What about me? No matter what, I am still a prince, and I have martial arts skills."
"If I recall correctly, the 'dog' you mentioned was also a prince, and in terms of appearance, he was no worse than you. Although the young general of the Turks lost to you in the competition, it does not mean he is entirely undesirable. Or, for the Turks, their young general is a hero in the eyes of the people."
"Ji Zizhao, are you sick?"
"When Seventh Highness speaks of others' shortcomings, he should first look at their merits. Just as one does not catch a cold without getting chilled, everyone's existence has its reasons. If Seventh Highness understood how to learn from others' strengths and compensate for his own weaknesses, he would truly have the right to mock others."
The Tenth Prince whispered alongside, "Just like you, Seventh Brother, your sharp tongue means you have no friends... it's inevitable."
Xie Jingqi gritted his teeth and glared fiercely, "Shut up!"
The Tenth Prince instinctively averted his gaze.
Xie Jingqi couldn't understand how, when he was the one lecturing Ji Zizhao, the tables turned so quickly within three sentences.
However, upon closer reflection, Xie Jingqi began to doubt himself. How could he not have any strengths? He might be unlearned and unwilling to involve himself in court affairs, but his fists were never for show. Who in the entire imperial city didn't know that the Seventh Prince's fists were made of iron? Sultan Novel Network.
Ji Zizhao looked at the Seventh Prince, who was silently glancing at his own fists, and felt truly weary.
However, fundamentally changing a person was never a matter of a day or two; this would have to be a slow process.
Meanwhile, the Turks and Yulin also reached a consensus on the peace talks.
After the Turks returned Luoyi to Yulin, Yulin would have to pay tribute to the Turks for three years and leave the Tenth Prince as a hostage for five years.
Although it seemed like Yulin was still at a disadvantage, this was the best possible resolution.