"It really is Shan Ling!" Fang Zhengzhi did not believe that there were such coincidences in this world. Shan Ling had arrived not long after Princess Shan Yu called out to him.
Furthermore, there were hundreds of people behind him.
The only explanation was that Shan Ling had been waiting outside for a long time.
However...
Wasn't this method a little too low-level?
If it was Fang Zhengzhi, he would never have come up with such a crude plan. This was the same as the "badger game" in his previous world.
First, he would use a prostitute to seduce him. Then, he would gather a group of people to catch him in the act. After that, he would blackmail him.
Crude and boring.
The problem was, Fang Zhengzhi had fallen for it.
Shan Ling did not use Princess Shan Yu to seduce Fang Zhengzhi. Instead, he targeted Fang Zhengzhi's "weakness" and used a more direct method. He poisoned the lamb...
That was impossible to defend against.
Fang Zhengzhi would never have imagined that Princess Shan Yu would poison him. Even more so, he would never have imagined that this poison would be placed on the lamb that countless scholars were fighting over.
Of course, he was certain that Shan Ling had done something to the herbs when Princess Shan Yu wasn't paying attention.
Alright...
The only thing left to do was to resolve the issue.
Normally, the main point of a badger game was to keep it a secret. That was why they had no choice but to pay. Fang Zhengzhi was not afraid.
Shan Ling wanted to spread the news and ruin Fang Zhengzhi's reputation?
Go ahead!
Fang Zhengzhi did not care.
However, the problem was that this scam was different from the scam in his previous life. This was because he had pinned a crime on Fang Zhengzhi.
Trespassing into Princess Shan Yu's room!
The death penalty!
Fang Zhengzhi could imagine what Shan Ling was going to do next.
In fact, Shan Ling did exactly that. First, he ordered all the servants to leave the room. Then, he ordered a few hundred soldiers to guard the door.
Then...
Shan Ling walked in.
Was he going to attack?
Fang Zhengzhi felt that if Shan Ling attacked now and explained to the public that he had lost control of himself when he saw Fang Zhengzhi's actions, he would definitely kill Fang Zhengzhi.
Would the Great Xia Dynasty pursue the matter?
Fang Zhengzhi was not sure.
But what was certain was that the Great Xia Dynasty would never start a war with the Southern Region because of him. This way, if he died, he would really die.
At most, the Great Xia Dynasty would give them some subsidies.
"Little sister, this matter was Third Brother's negligence. I didn't think that this shameless scoundrel wouldn't be able to move Little Sister at the banquet, and now he actually dares to come to Little Sister's chamber. Third Brother will take care of this shameless scoundrel for you now …"
"Third Brother, do you want to kill him?" Princess Shan Yu interrupted Shan Ling. She had already put on her clothes and her tone was icy.
"Shouldn't I be killed?" Shan Ling asked in surprise.
"Third brother, if you want to kill him, you have to walk over my sister's body first!" Princess Shan Yu moved and blocked Fang Zhengzhi with her arm.
"Haha... I don't quite understand what you're saying." Shan Ling finally stopped in his tracks.
When Fang Zhengzhi heard this, he heaved a sigh of relief. Luckily, Princess Shan Yu wasn't stupid. Otherwise, he might have died just like that.
However …
Even with Princess Shan Yu's protection, Fang Zhengzhi was still a little nervous.
After all, Shan Ling was far more powerful than Princess Shan Yu.
"You want to kill him so that the contract with the 10 gold mines will be nullified. Isn't that right? But, you are willing to sacrifice your sister's innocence for the 10 gold mines. Third Brother... you are vicious! "Princess Shan Yu heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Shan Ling stop.
"Sister, you have misunderstood, you have really misunderstood!"
"Hmph!"
"Alright, since you have made it so clear, I will tell you the truth. The gold mines of the Southern Mountain Range cannot be given to an outsider!" Shan Ling looked at Princess Shan Yu and hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"Is that so? Then let me make this clear. As long as I am here, no one can hurt him! "Princess Shan Yu said confidently.
"Sister, are you really going to go against me for an outsider?" Shan Ling sounded angry.
"You? You are not fit to be my Third Brother! "Princess Shan Yu was equally angry.
"Sigh … sister, you know that I have doted on you since you were young. You are my closest kin in this world. Perhaps you don't understand my actions now, but everything I do is for the Southern Region. With Fang Zhengzhi's current reputation, if he didn't use this method, how would he be able to get back the ten gold mines? Without the 10 gold mines, how will the Southern Region become stronger? Sister, if you were me, what would you do? "Shan Ling sighed when he heard this.
"At the very least, I would not use such a despicable method! Furthermore, I would sacrifice my own sister in exchange for the 10 gold mines! "
"Despicable? Sister, did you forget who signed the contract for the ten gold mines? It was you! Princess Shan Yu of the Southern Region! "
"You..." Princess Shan Yu was infuriated.
"As the elder brother, I have to help my younger sister make up for her mistakes. Shan Yu, tell me, what have I done wrong?" Shan Ling looked at Princess Shan Yu.
"No matter what you say, don't even think about hurting him today!" Princess Shan Yu was unmoved.
"Sister, are you really going to protect him with your life?"
"That's right!"
"Why?"
"Because without him, there would be no Southern Region today!"
"Okay, if that's the case, I will kill all the soldiers outside!"
"Shan Ling, they are our citizens, what are you trying to do?"
"Sister, you are so smart, you know what I am trying to do. If word gets out that a princess of the Southern Region was broken into in the middle of the night, how will the Shan Family continue to stand in the Southern Region? "
"But, this..."
"Say no more. Now that things have come to this, we have to either kill Fang Zhengzhi or kill the soldiers outside! These are the only two choices!" Shan Ling's tone was firm.
Princess Shan Yu fell silent.
She knew what Shan Ling was trying to say. However, on one side were the innocent citizens of the Southern Region, and on the other was the wronged Fang Zhengzhi. How could she choose?
No matter which option she chose, it was impossible.
However, Shan Ling's words were very realistic.
No matter how it happened, it had happened. The Shan Family's reputation could not be tarnished. As such, she had to choose.
"What if... he is not an outsider?" After a long moment of silence, Princess Shan Yu finally gritted her teeth and looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who was still lying on the bed.
"Sister, are you really going to marry him? But, can't you tell that he does not like you? Furthermore, he is a cripple who could die at any moment! "Shan Ling's expression was icy.
"I don't mind. Even if he only lives for a day, I am willing to marry him!"
"Just because he contributed to this battle?"
"No, because I... I like him!"
"Sister, stop joking. This guy is shameless, how can you like him?" Shan Ling was in disbelief.
"In the past, I also felt that I didn't like him. However, Third Brother should know my character. If I really didn't like him, based on what happened today, he would already be dead!" When Princess Shan Yu reached the end of her sentence, her jet-black eyes flashed with determination.
"Sister, you..." Shan Ling's expression changed.
As someone who had watched Princess Shan Yu grow up, he could tell that Princess Shan Yu was not joking. In fact, it was as Princess Shan Yu said.
With Princess Shan Yu's personality, how would she allow someone who had taken advantage of her to live?
But just now...
Before he entered the room...
Princess Shan Yu had asked her servant to close the door.
The only explanation was that Princess Shan Yu liked Fang Zhengzhi. This was the only explanation that could explain Princess Shan Yu's actions.
"Brother, what else do you have to say?"
"This is a serious matter. If you want to marry him, it is not up to me. Father has to agree!" Shan Ling said after a moment of silence.
"Okay, father will make the decision!"
"Men, bring Fang Zhengzhi to the throne room and hand him over!"
...
...
The throne room was lit up in the middle of the night.
The King of the Southern Region, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong, the settlement chiefs and generals, and even the talents of the Great Xia were all present.
However, compared to the banquet...
There was no wine or meat in the throne room. There were no musical instruments. There was only a solemn atmosphere. Two rows of soldiers wielding black spears lined the sides of the throne room.
And in the middle of the throne room...
There was also Fang Zhengzhi, who was still "unconscious" on the bed.
It had to be said that Shan Ling was a little 'rough' when he did things. He immediately got his men to move Princess Shan Yu's bed over.
In Shan Ling's words, it was to preserve evidence.
"Your Highness, what do you think we should do?" The King of the Southern Region asked after a long moment of silence.
He couldn't be blamed.
After all, no father would be able to maintain his composure after seeing someone barge into his daughter's room in the middle of the night.
Furthermore, this was the bedroom of his beloved Princess Shan Yu.
"Father..." Princess Shan Yu spoke up at this moment.
"Sister, I am here. Don't worry. We will let father decide, right?" Shan Ling interrupted Princess Shan Yu.
"You... Father!" Princess Shan Yu knew what Shan Ling was trying to do, but she refused to give up.
"Shan Yu, let's talk later. Let's hear what the Crown Prince has to say first!" The King of the Southern Region waved Princess Shan Yu off.
Princess Shan Yu's lips twitched, but she didn't say anything.
All of the other candidates stared wide-eyed at Fang Zhengzhi, who was still in a deep sleep. All of them were completely stunned.
How dare he barge into Princess Shan Yu's room in the middle of the night?
How dare he sneak into Princess Shan Yu's room in the middle of the night, and even touch her bed? How dare he barge into Princess Shan Yu's room in the middle of the night?
How could he be so shameless?
That was an insult to the culture!
Did he get what he wanted?
All of the candidates were guessing. The settlement chiefs and generals of the Southern Region all had conflicted expressions on their faces. They had all participated in the battle of the Southern Region.
They knew how much Fang Zhengzhi had contributed to the war.
If it wasn't for the fact that Fang Zhengzhi was going to "ascend to heaven", they would have been willing to accept the fact that Fang Zhengzhi had become the Fuma of the Southern Region.
But now...
What was going on?
"Ahem … I really didn't expect this. According to the law, this kind of behavior would be punishable by death. But …" Lin Tianrong looked around with an awkward expression on his face.
At this moment, the hall quietened down as well.
Everyone turned to look at Crown Prince Lin Tianrong, waiting for him to continue.
"But … Fang Zhengzhi's contributions in the battle of the Southern Region … Even though his contributions cannot be offset, but …" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong paused and looked at the King of the Southern Region. He did not continue.
"Your Highness, I understand. Fang Zhengzhi has contributed greatly to the Southern Region. Without him, I would not be sitting here. Since that's the case, let's forget about it!" The King of the Southern Region said after a moment of silence.
"Forget about it?!"
When the candidates of the Great Xia heard this, they looked at each other. None of them expected such an outcome.
The Settlement Chiefs and Generals of the Southern Region were equally shocked when they heard this.
However, other than shock, they also felt helpless. A helpless feeling of shame and indignation. It was as if they had been slapped in the face and couldn't make a sound.
"Princess of the Southern Region, you've misunderstood me. That's not what I meant." Crown Prince Lin Tianrong tried to explain himself.
"Then, what does Your Highness mean?" the King of the Southern Region asked.
"Fang Zhengzhi barged into the Princess's room. This is a serious crime. However, I have just received a decree from the capital. Fang Zhengzhi has been promoted to the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. He will also be in charge of the Ministry of Rites. As such, it is not up to me to decide how to punish him." The Crown Prince explained earnestly.
"Assistant Minister of Revenue?!"
"Third rank of the imperial court? Acting Minister of Rites?! "
"Oh my god, this has never happened before. How old is Fang Zhengzhi? He is already a Rank three? Furthermore, he will be in charge of the Ministry of Rites... That is a Rank two position! "
All of the talents were stunned when they heard this.
This news was too shocking. Even though they knew that Fang Zhengzhi would be promoted when he returned to the capital, they still found it hard to believe that he would be promoted to this extent.
It was normal for him to be promoted.
However, being in charge of the Ministry of Rites was not normal.
Six ministries!
That was a powerful ministry.
From a fourth-ranked Sword Envoy with the title of Sword Envoy to one of the Six Ministries, and the head of the Ministry of Rites, this was unprecedented even in the history of the Great Xia Dynasty, let alone the current dynasty.
This could only mean one thing. The Emperor valued Fang Zhengzhi, and he valued him greatly!
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