Outside, Fan Zehao saw Yan Luo emerging alone, unhurriedly and calmly, as if meeting a long-lost friend.
There was no trace of an enemy in his demeanor.
He spoke first, "Regent, I trust you are well."
Fan Zehao looked down at the approaching man. In this moment, his casual, roguish air was a stark contrast to the cautious, taciturn person he was within the estate, as if they were two different individuals.
He harbored no good feelings for Yan Luo and stated directly, "Release my daughter, and I may leave you with your corpse intact."
Upon hearing this, Yan Luo let out a laugh. He was uninterested in an intact corpse, as he was confident he would not die.
He shook his head a few times, wagged his index finger, and said, "Regent, do not be so heartless. I have spent almost half a year in your estate, if not for my diligence, then at least consider my efforts. Please hear me out first."
Half a year?
Fan Zehao lowered his head to look at him, scrutinizing him, trying to find answers in his deep eyes. Alas, they were unfathomable, like a bottomless pit.
Yan Luo made a gesture of invitation, asking him inside for a chat. "I am the Crown Prince of Ding Bei Liao. I disguised myself to enter the Regent's estate. Do you not wish to know what this Crown Prince intends to do?"
The name Ding Bei Liao indeed startled him. He had rarely heard this name. The only thing he knew was that this country did not belong to the Cang Yi Continent.
Moreover, this region was known for its fighting spirit and strong unity; they would engage in conflict at the slightest provocation. For this reason, Ding Bei Liao had reclaimed its vassal states and thus became a formidable power, characterized by their pride and defiance.
Arrogance and unreasonableness were their mottos.
In the country of Ding Bei Liao, their Emperor was god, and whatever their Emperor said was correct; even a fart could not be called foul.
Such was their domineering nature.
Now, the Crown Prince of Ding Bei Liao appearing here left Fan Zehao utterly bewildered.
He dismounted his horse. He detected no killing intent in Yan Luo's eyes, and since Yan Luo had admitted his identity publicly, he doubted Yan Luo would be so reckless as to kill him here.
Furthermore, he himself wanted to know what this man's intentions were.
He waved to the people behind him, "You shall wait outside. This King will go inside to sit."
Shi He and the Chief Executive were about to protest, but upon seeing a gesture from the King, they retreated to the side.
"The Crown Prince of Ding Bei Liao dares to come to my estate alone. It is only right that I dare not refrain from entering his residence."
With that, he entered the humble farmyard.
Though the King spoke thus, the Chief Executive dared not be careless. He led his subordinates to survey the surroundings, detecting only the presence of a few hidden guards and sentry posts. The rest appeared to be ordinary local villagers.
The Chief Executive quickly identified the locations of the hidden guards and prepared his subordinates for defense, lest any unforeseen events occur.
Inside the house, Yan Luo tore off the paper-thin disguise from his face, revealing a strikingly handsome countenance. His chiseled features radiated a defiant, unrestrained spirit, full of masculine energy, a complete opposite to the reserved nature of the estate physician, Yan Luo.
He poured Fan Zehao a cup of tea and handed it to him, introducing himself, "My name is Helian Jinli, the Crown Prince of Ding Bei Liao, and also the sole prince of Ding Bei Liao. I utilized Yan Luo's identity to enter the Regent's estate this time because I wished to conduct a business transaction with you, Regent. I hope you will not hold it against me."
Hold it against him?
Fan Zehao scoffed. "Poisoning my mother and threatening my daughter, is this how you conduct business? You have clearly come to provoke me and make an enemy."
Helian Jinli remained unfazed. He raised his eyebrows and smiled, replying, "It is true that I had Cai Lian administer the poison to the Old Madam, but it was not a poison that would cause immediate death. This Crown Prince also knows that you would be able to find the Ice Silkworm, so the Old Madam would not die."
Seeing Fan Zehao's displeased expression, Jinli chuckled shamelessly and rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Actually, even if you couldn't find the Ice Silkworm, this Crown Prince would not have let the Old Madam die. I was mindful of the dosage. Furthermore, I also have the antidote. If necessary, I would have given it to the Old Madam to detoxify her."
Fan Zehao raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you are saying I should be grateful for your leniency in not poisoning her to death?"
He found it absurd that he should thank the person who had poisoned his mother.
Jinli detected the anger in his words and decided not to further provoke him. "I know the Old Madam's feigned death. I have been keeping track of her condition at all times. I merely used the Old Madam's illness to lure you back. I did not expect you to immediately go in search of the Ice Silkworm upon your return."
Who could blame him for his swift actions that delayed things for days?
"Now that you have returned, it means the Old Madam is out of danger. We can now discuss business."
Helian Jinli was very confident. Fan Zehao recalled him mentioning business.
In the next moment, Fan Zehao brought up Yu Meng's matter. "Since you do not wish to be my enemy, release my daughter. We can discuss the rest of the matters then. Otherwise, you will face the consequences."
His words were stern, his expression grave. There was no hint of jest in his face or his eyes.
Helian Jinli pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
Yu Meng, that clever little imp. If he didn't release her soon, she would hold a grudge and surely make his future life difficult.
Besides, that little girl was full of ideas, and she might be thinking of how to untie her ropes right now.
"I will bring the little chili pepper here right away." Jinli stood up and left swiftly.
He returned as quickly as he had left.
Upon bursting through the door, he saw Fan Zehao still seated in the room. There was only one person present. At this sight, Helian Jinli's expression changed drastically. "Yu Meng cut her ropes and escaped."
Fan Zehao shot up from his seat. Looking at the thick hemp rope in Jinli's hand, severed by a sharp object, his face turned grim.
He strode towards the door, not forgetting to warn him, "If my daughter suffers any harm, I will dismantle your Ding Bei Liao gate and trample your territory to force you to apologize."
With his words, he exited the room.
Helian Jinli clutched the rope in his hand, his eyes turning red. How could he let the little chili pepper come to any harm? He dropped the rope and followed Fan Zehao out of the house.
With a wave of his sleeve in the air, several figures silently appeared in the spacious courtyard, lining up, heads bowed, awaiting their master's command.
"Search. Find the Crown Princess for this Crown Prince and bring her back completely unharmed."
"As you command."
With a simple two-word reply, the row of figures vanished without a trace. Fan Zehao, who had just entered, witnessed this scene and was inwardly astonished.
He had so many experts by his side. No wonder the sole prince of Ding Bei Liao dared to travel to their Yun Kingdom alone. Besides being bold and meticulous, he also had these capable subordinates.
However, he could not commend the method of using his mother's poisoning to lure him back. Even if he did not intend to kill his mother, she had still suffered.