You were taken hostage, why pursue the Enemy's Empress?

"Have you lost your sense of propriety?"

Ying Wuji was amused, "Is Master Xun scolding me?"

Even if he had a good temper, he should be angry when he met such a person.

Moreover, his temper was very bad.

For a moment, the displeasure in his eyes was not concealed at all.

Xun Zhiyin was a little uneasy under his gaze. Regardless of whether Ying Wuji's status had fallen or not, his identity as a prince of Qian Kingdom meant that there was a clear distinction between superior and inferior, which was an unchanging law of this world.

Ying Wuji used to be humble to others and entered a state of depression after experiencing a major change.

But now he had a feeling of wanting to confront anyone, feeling that if this person went out for a walk, even the passing dogs would get slapped twice, and the eggs on the roadside would be shaken and scattered by him.

Xun Zhiyin had originally intended to interrogate him, but seeing Ying Wuji like this, his momentum weakened a lot, "Naturally, I dare not blame the prince, but now the diplomatic relations between Qian and Li are very close. No one can do without the other. You publicly held the prime minister's daughter as a hostage, which is a bit..."

"What is it?" Ying Wuji asked.

Xun Zhiyin gritted his teeth, "It's reckless! If the diplomatic relations between the two countries are destroyed because of this matter, I am afraid that the prince will become a criminal for eternity!"

Ying Wuji glanced at him askance, "What do you mean, Master Xun? Are you saying that the murderer is guilty of not destroying the diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that killing the murderer is the right thing to do?"

"I didn't mean that!"

"Then whose idea is this? Is it the king's, or your master's behind your back?"

"This...this..."

Xun Zhiyin became anxious, "What do you mean, Your Highness?"

Ying Wuji cut him off, "You know exactly what I mean, Master Xun. You used to be humble in front of me, but now you dare to point and scold me. I presume you have already found a new employer, right? But I still advise you to recognize your situation. Qian Kingdom governs according to law. I need to pay with my life if I kill you, but now I am a hostage for exchange and cannot return to Qian. If I kill you, there will be no one to take me back and execute me!"

Xun Zhiyin: "..."

Cold sweat suddenly oozed from his forehead. He didn't expect Ying Wuji to be so ruthless.

Although there was only Bai Zhi left as Ying Wuji's personal bodyguard, it was still a bit difficult to kill him.

But...people always walk on dark roads, right?

He quickly smiled apologetically, "Your Highness, I was just joking. I am a envoy sent by His Majesty to assist you in handling diplomatic affairs. I worry about you every day and have a close relationship with you after many years of getting along. Your Highness, where would you find a reason to kill me? Haha..."Ying Wuji smiled slightly, "It seems that Xun Zhiyin is not stupid either! Bai Zhi, let's go shopping!"

This old man is really incompetent. He only has a little bit of essence, energy, and spirit.

Bai Zhi nodded excitedly, "Okay!"

She didn't know why, but she felt that she was starting to like Wuji more and more these few days.

Why didn't she notice it before?

Feeling happy, her steps became lighter.

But just as they stepped out, Wuji stopped and pointed to the gate. "Look."

A group of merchants dressed in coarse cloth and linen, instead of silk like the others, had arrived at the embassy gate. Although their styles were similar, they looked even more shabby.

They all bowed and waited humbly outside the gate after informing the gatekeeper.

"They seem familiar."

Bai Zhi thought for a moment, "Aren't they from the paper mill? Why did they come so early today?"

Wuji also recognized these people. They were merchants sent by Kingdom Qian to do business in Kingdom Li, which was one of the ways for Kingdom Qian to earn foreign exchange. Part of the embassy's funds came from this, and of course, the embassy would also negotiate with the Kingdom Li government to protect the interests of the merchants.

These people often entered the embassy, so they looked familiar, but in this era, merchants were generally looked down upon, so Xun Zhiyin was in charge of these matters.

After thinking for a moment, Wuji directly pulled Bai Zhi, "Girl, let's go buy clothes in the afternoon. Let's rest at home in the morning."

"Okay!"@@novelbin@@

Bai Zhi naturally had no objections and obediently followed behind Wuji.

When they arrived at the embassy gate, the crowd saluted, "Greetings to Wuji!"

They had also heard about the recent turmoil, but it had nothing to do with them as commoners. Even if Wuji fell out of favor or was demoted to a commoner, they wouldn't dare to mock him.

Wuji smiled and waved his hand, "No need for formalities. Why are you guys standing outside?"

The leader said, "Reporting to Wuji, our business has encountered some problems and we want to report to Xun Zhiyin."

"Oh, a report!"

Wuji thought for a moment and stepped over the threshold, waving at them, "Then why are you still standing there? Come in!"

The crowd hesitated, "But... Xun Zhiyin hasn't agreed yet."

Wuji was a little unhappy, "The embassy is originally meant to protect the people of Great Qian outside. Do you need to report to come in? Don't stand there, I've agreed, can Xun Zhiyin disagree?"The crowd looked at each other and all bowed to Ying Wuji, saying, "Thank you, young master!"

After speaking, they followed Ying Wuji into the gate.

They hadn't had much contact with Ying Wuji before, but they were surprised by how kind he was. Although it may have been due to his fallen status, it was still easier to get along with him than with the arrogant Xun Zhiyin.

As soon as they entered the gate, they ran into the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper frowned upon seeing them and said, "Didn't I tell you to wait outside? Why did you come in on your own?"

Ying Wuji waved his hand and said, "I let them in."

The gatekeeper quickly put on a smile and pulled Ying Wuji to the side, whispering, "Please don't be angry, young master! These troublemakers always make things difficult for Lord Xun. Lord Xun just said that they're not allowed in anymore, and now... it's hard for me to handle."

Ying Wuji asked, "Is it difficult to choose between listening to Lord Xun and listening to me?"

The gatekeeper quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, I naturally listen to young master. But... "

Ying Wuji didn't make things difficult for him and said, "Don't worry! If Lord Xun asks, just say that I let them in. If he wants trouble, he can come to me. You can go back to your post. From now on, any merchants from Daqian can enter without notification. Just let them through."

The gatekeeper was overjoyed and said, "Yes! Thank you, young master!"

After speaking, he ran back to the gate.

Ying Wuji remained calm and led the group to the front hall.

Xun Zhiyin saw what happened and immediately understood what had happened. His face didn't look good, but he still politely said, "Young master! You must have been deceived by these troublemakers to let them in."

The merchants immediately felt guilty and lowered their heads.

Ying Wuji raised an eyebrow and asked, "Troublemakers? Lord Xun, please explain where they caused trouble."

Xun Zhiyin glared at the merchants and said, "Daqian cares about its people and sent them out to make money. These people should have contributed to the country's finances, but instead they were lazy and caused the merchants to lose money year after year. Not only did they not bring a penny back to Daqian, they couldn't even afford the embassy's expenses. Isn't this being a troublemaker?"

After being severely criticized, the leader of the merchants couldn't take it anymore and said, "Young master! Lord Xun! We're not lazy, it's just that our business can't survive anymore!"