Negotiation (1)

Yi Fen slapped her palm hard on the armrest. She pointed at Yi Mei and scolded, "Presumptuous! How dare you spread lies about the Imperial Family? Do you no longer want your life?"

Who was the third prince, Yuan Jun?

The third prince, Yuan Jun, was born to Imperial Noble Consort Zhen.

In contrast to the second prince, Yuan NingAn, Yuan Jun was the only son of Emperor Yuan who had the qualifications to match the Crown Prince in the fight for the throne.

Yi Mei still appeared calm. She stared fearlessly at Yi Fen.

"Your Highness the Princess wants to believe in this servant or not, this servant will not insist. However, this servant dares to swear that everything this servant said is true.

"If this servant dares to lie about the Imperial Family, then this servant will die without a complete body and will never be reincarnated."

Yi Fen was taken aback. Daring to swear to such a cruel extent, perhaps what Yi Mei said was indeed true.

However, she couldn't completely believe it. After all, this person had betrayed her once.

She could easily reveal the identity of her own master, how could Yi Fen believe that she didn't have any other minds?

After getting the answer she wanted to hear from Yi Mei, Yi Fen was no longer in the mood to hear more.

She waved her hand gently and ordered, "You can get up."

Yi Mei got up from the floor without speaking. Her head was lowered. She placed herself by Yi Fen's side, intending to serve her.

But Yi Fen didn't want to be served by anyone right now. She shook her head.

"I'm feeling a little tired. I want to take a bath and then lie down for a bit." 

Yi Mei nodded. "In that case, this servant will escort Her Highness to your room."

Yi Fen stood up from her seat. Being led by Yi Mei, she went to the room that had been prepared for her.

Yi Mei ordered several rough servants to carry buckets of hot water into the room. Then she helped Yi Fen undress and get into the bathtub.

Yi Fen leaned her body against the edge of the bathtub and closed her eyes, enjoying the warm water massaging her exhausted body.

From behind her, Yi Mei helped her wash her long hair.

She frowned as she touched the slightly tangled hair. "Your Highness, your hair doesn't feel as smooth as usual."

Without opening her eyes, Yi Fen muttered, "The air is getting colder. I don't apply hair oil as often as I usually do because I can't wash my hair often."

While being held hostage, she refused to be served by the servants.

Great Yuan women were different from Gasdarian women. For them, chastity was part of their virtue. Therefore, they wouldn't allow people they didn't know to see or touch any part of their bodies.

Yi Fen smiled wryly.

Virtuous.

She didn't deserve it anymore.

...

Another negotiation will be held today. But Yi Fen didn't sleep well last night.

Sitting in front of the mirror, she let Yi Mei comb her hair. She stared at her reflection in a daze.

"Your Highness, what kind of bun do you want to use today?", Yi Mei asked with a smile.

What kind of bun could a woman who was no longer virtuous wear?

Yi Fen wanted to ask that, but what came out of her mouth was different.

"Just use a bun that looks simple but dignified," she answered.

Yi Mei muttered in hesitation. "Your Highness, you're the Main Consort of King An after all..." 

Yi Fen looked unconcerned. She shook her head. "Just do what I say."

Yi Mei fell silent for a moment before her hands returned to work. In the end, she made a fallen horse bun. 

She smiled as she complimented Yi Fen, "Your Highness, you look really beautiful in this bun."

Yi Fen stared at the woman in the mirror in astonishment. She had never expected that she would have such a beautiful face.

The skin was white and smooth, like a peeled egg. Her face was round, and she had a pair of eyes that looked like a plum blossom petal.

The color of her lips was like red hibiscus flowers and seemed soft to touch.

Even though it wasn't beautiful enough to bring down an empire, it was still above average.

Just changing one's hair style could improve one's appearance to this level.

She couldn't help but praise Yi Mei's skills.

"I never knew your hands were so skilled," she said with a smile.

Yi Mei showed a proud smile and puffed out her chest.

"That's because Her Highness Consort only allowed sister Hong to comb your hair. We didn't have a chance to show off our skills at all."

But after the words left her mouth, she immediately regretted it.

Yi Hong was Yi Fen's dowry maid who committed suicide by hanging herself because she was harassed by male servants at the palace of King An in Licheng.

Instantly the room fell silent.

Master and servant alike were stunned by the memories of the past.

When Uta entered the room, it was this scene that he saw.

It was rude to enter a woman's room like this.

But there was no other way; he didn't have any other female subordinates who could communicate fluently in Great Yuan's language.

He clenched a fist over his lips and purposely cleared his throat loudly. The loud voice instantly awakened the two women in the room from their trance.

Uta: "..."

What else happened to this woman? Why did she always seem sad and lifeless? That face that looked like she was going to cry always made him feel guilty... 

But Uta couldn't dwell on this matter for long. They had to leave immediately.

"Your Majesty, we must leave immediately," he announced.

Yi Fen drew a deep breath and nodded. With Yi Mei's assistance, she stood up and walked towards the door.

When she was going to pass Uta, she curtsied.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Prince. This little woman is ready. Let us depart," she said. 

Prince Uta studied Yi Fen up and down. This woman's appearance seemed different from yesterday.

He teased while flashing a mischievous smile. "Her Highness looks different today. This Prince has an inkling that today's negotiations will be successful." 

Hearing that, Yi Mei showed a displeasure. These words were very impolite, especially towards a woman who married to a King.

Yi Fen patted her hand, comforting her.

From Great Yuan's perspective, the Gasdar Kingdom was a kingdom of barbarians. Their society was devoid of manners.

However, after half a year of being held hostage, Yi Fen started to see it from a different angle. 

The Gasdarians weren't all that bad.

They showed great respect for others.

They were willing to accept and learn about new things.

They tried to live in harmony with nature.

Nonetheless, their life in the Northern Mountains was never easy.

Their winter was much longer than that of Great Yuan. And their lands were cold all year round.

They only possessed a few limited natural resources.

In the end, they could only rely on raising livestock and horses to support their families.

They attempted to open trade routes to other kingdoms. But what they could offer was limited. On the contrary, what was asked of them always exceeded what they could give.

That was what actually caused the war during these three decades.

The Great Yuan wanted Gasdar's horses as well as their iron and silver mines. Yet, in return, all they gave were limited amounts of grains, tea, and salt.

The Gasdar Kingdom was also required to pay tribute every year in the form of gold and silver.

In the past, she had once questioned why it was so unfair. Yet, Yuan NingAn only shot her a cold glance and turned away to leave...

Yi Fen watched the dashing young man standing in front of her right now. After a day of not seeing each other, he was still wearing the same armor.

Uta raised an eyebrow.

From her expression alone, he was certain that this woman was imagining things again.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Let's go then."

...

Yi Fen saw the same horse-drawn carriage waiting for her in front of the house, but the coachman was different. 

This time, she wasn't alone. Yi Mei also climbed onto the carriage.

"How come you are also coming?", Yi Fen asked. 

Yi Mei revealed a worried expression.

"Your Highness, this servant wants to say something. However, this servant is afraid," she replied.

More or less, Yi Fen knew what Yi Mei was worried about. She smiled gently. 

"Nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine."

At worst, she would be divorced. Afterwards, on the grounds that she was suffering from a serious illness that couldn't be cured, they would send her to the temple to become a nun.