Chapter 903: A Special Ransom

Gebi’s heart trembled, her face flushing crimson with embarrassment as she instinctively replied, “H-how could he… how could he tell you such things!”

Gebi wasn’t foolish—she had simply been caught off guard by Zhao Min’s unexpected question. But when she saw the stunned expression on Zhao Min’s face, realization dawned. “Y-you tricked me.”

Zhao Min giggled. “Please don’t blame me for this little scheme, sister.”

Gebi abruptly stood up, biting her lip. Her greatest fear was whether her momentary carelessness would affect Song Qingshu. The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She turned and hurried out, calling, “Qingshu! Qingshu!”

“Wait!” Zhao Min tried to stop her, but Gebi paid no heed and rushed out, leaving Zhao Min inwardly panicking.

‘I’m still soaking in the bathtub! If Song Qingshu comes in now, he’ll see everything!’

She quickly looked around for clothes, but in the haste of preparations, no clean garments had been prepared. Glancing at the discarded dress she had taken off earlier, Zhao Min frowned slightly. Fastidious by nature, she disliked wearing soiled clothes. Of course, if it were any other man about to enter, she would have reluctantly put them on. But since it was Song Qingshu, she found herself hesitating, her resistance strangely diminished.

Before she could decide, Song Qingshu had already arrived in response to Gebi’s call. Zhao Min let out a startled cry and immediately sank deeper into the tub, submerging herself up to her neck.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—” Gebi followed behind Song Qingshu, still apologizing profusely.

Song Qingshu smiled. “Don’t blame yourself. Miss Zhao is as cunning as a fox. She set a trap, and you walked right into it—how could you have been a match for her?”

“But…” Gebi still felt guilty.

“It’s really fine. Miss Zhao and I are old friends. Even if she knows my identity, it’s not a big deal.” Seeing her still troubled, Song Qingshu added, “How about this—you go prepare a change of clothes for Miss Zhao, and I’ll have a proper talk with her.”

“Alright.” Gebi nodded and left, her mind unsettled.

Once Gebi was gone, Zhao Min bit her lip. “You sent her away, leaving just the two of us alone. Are you planning to take advantage of me?”

Song Qingshu reverted to his natural voice and said wryly, “If I wanted to take advantage of you, I would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?”

Recalling their past encounters, Zhao Min had to admit that this man had indeed had multiple opportunities to exploit her but had always refrained. A faint blush rose to her cheeks as she huffed, “Take off that ridiculous mask. It looks strange.”

Since she had already seen through him, there was no point in keeping up the disguise.

Song Qingshu removed the mask, revealing his true face.

Zhao Min sighed in amazement. “You really are something. With that fake beard, no one in the entire capital recognized you.”

“Well, Tang Kuo Bian’s features ‘are’ quite distinctive.” Seeing that Zhao Min didn’t grasp the true ingenuity of his disguise, Song Qingshu decided not to explain further. Worried she might uncover more if they lingered on the topic, he swiftly changed the subject. “If we’re talking about cunning, I’m more impressed by you, Princess. I thought your earlier verbal trap was clever enough, but that was just a feint—your real target was Gebi all along.”

“Of course,” Zhao Min said smugly, tilting her chin. “Getting anything out of an old fox like you would be impossible. But a little white rabbit like Gebi? Much easier.”

Suddenly, her expression darkened. “I don’t know what tricks you used, but the most beautiful woman in the Jin Dynasty knows you’re Song Qingshu yet still treats you as her husband. You must have enjoyed quite the ‘blessing’ these past days.”

“Just my natural charm. What can I say?” Song Qingshu shrugged, feigning helplessness, which only made Zhao Min grit her teeth.

“What’s wrong, Princess? Feeling jealous?” Song Qingshu teased, noticing her expression.

Zhao Min’s face stiffened. “Hmph! Why would ‘I’ be jealous? I’m just feeling indignant on behalf of Zhou Zhiruo.”

“’You’ feel indignant for ‘her’?” Song Qingshu looked at her strangely. “Since when did you two become so close?”

“I just find it irritating that after all these years of rivalry between Zhou Zhiruo and me, some outsider ends up reaping the benefits,” Zhao Min muttered, turning her head away.

“Is that so?” Song Qingshu smirked.

Zhao Min’s cheeks reddened. “Hey! I’m still bathing here. It’s very ungentlemanly of you to stare like that.”

Song Qingshu chuckled. “Who said I was a gentleman?”

“You—” Zhao Min choked on her words and quickly changed the subject. “When are you planning to release me?”

Song Qingshu shook his head. “Haven’t decided yet.”

Zhao Min grew anxious. “You can’t possibly keep me locked up forever!”

“Of course not,” Song Qingshu replied after a moment’s thought. “But I can’t let you go just yet. You might interfere with my plans.”

Zhao Min leaned against the tub, her fingers gripping the rim as she furrowed her brow in contemplation. After a pause, she said, “What exactly are you scheming in the Jin Dynasty? Tell me. Maybe our interests align.”

“Princess, you’re my prisoner. Shouldn’t ‘you’ tell me what ‘your’ plans in the Jin Dynasty are first?” Song Qingshu’s gaze inadvertently drifted to the exposed, snow-white skin around her delicate collarbone before he quickly averted his eyes.

Zhao Min seemed to notice and let out a soft scoff before sinking back into the water. After a long silence, she finally spoke calmly. “Fine, I’ll tell you. Right now, our Ruyang Palace is responsible for managing affairs between the Jin Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty. Our main forces have been summoned by Genghis Khan for the western campaign, led by my brother, Wang Baobao. During this time, we can’t take any major military action against either the Jin Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty—but we can’t let them grow too comfortable either.”

“The Qing Dynasty has already lost a hundred thousand elite troops to you, followed by the Revolt of the Three Feudatories. No matter who wins, they’ll be severely weakened and no longer a threat.”

“That leaves only the Jin Dynasty. A unified, stable Jin Dynasty isn’t in our interests. So I came here to stir up conflict among the princes, ensuring the Jin Dynasty descends into chaos—the more turmoil, the better.”

Song Qingshu was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Zhao Min to be so candid, laying out her entire scheme so easily. Based on the intelligence he had, her words matched reality closely.

He quickly realized that Zhao Min’s plan was an overt, unsubtle stratagem—one that didn’t need secrecy. Even if her targets knew her intentions, their own ambitions would blind them. Did Wanyan Yong, whom Zhao Min supported, not realize her true motives? But even if he did, what did the future threat of the Mongols matter compared to the throne?

Seeing him silent, Zhao Min grinned. “Well? Our interests align, don’t they? The Mongols want the Jin Dynasty in chaos—and I bet the Golden Serpent Camp want the same.”

Song Qingshu’s mind raced. Zhao Min was brilliant, but she wasn’t omniscient. Unaware of his ties to the Qing Dynasty, her judgment was flawed.

From the Golden Serpent Camp’s perspective alone, chaos in the Jin Dynasty ‘was’ advantageous. But the Golden Serpent Camp was just one part of his influence—its interests didn’t represent his overall strategy. To him, the Mongols were the true enemy.

Still, he wasn’t foolish enough to reveal this to Zhao Min. Instead, he played along. “You’re right. To some extent, our interests ‘do’ align.”

“Then shouldn’t you release me?” Zhao Min smiled sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

“I ‘could’ release you, but…” Song Qingshu’s tone shifted. “After all the effort it took to capture you, I can’t just let you go for free. According to Mongol customs, prisoners must pay a ransom for their freedom.”

“A ransom?” Zhao Min relaxed. “That’s no problem. The Ruyang Palace may not have much, but a little ransom is nothing.”

“Don’t be so quick to agree,” Song Qingshu said with a laugh. “My price isn’t small: 200,000 taels of gold and a million taels of silver. As you know, Princess, most of the Golden Serpent Camp’s members were once bandits, living hand-to-mouth. Now that we’ve expanded, we can’t just plunder our own people. But maintaining an army is costly—hence why I’m turning to you for ‘support.’”

Zhao Min sucked in a sharp breath. “Song Qingshu! Do you think my family owns a gold mine? Even the Southern Song Dynasty’s annual tribute to the Jin Dynasty is only 250,000 taels of silver and 250,000 bolts of silk! You’re being utterly unreasonable!”

“Can’t pay? Then I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do.” Song Qingshu shrugged and made to leave. “It seems the Princess will have to stay here a while longer. Once the Ruyang Palace delivers the ransom, I’ll let you go.”

“Wait!” The thought of being confined in that secret room indefinitely made Zhao Min pale. She hurriedly stopped him. “Y-your demands are excessive. Can’t we negotiate?”

Song Qingshu shook his head. “No negotiation. Unless…”

Zhao Min’s eyes lit up. “Unless what?”

Song Qingshu turned back, smirking. “I have a peculiar quirk—I love power, but I love beauty even more. If the Princess is willing to give me a k!ss, I might consider waiving your ransom.”

“Shameless!” Zhao Min snapped, but after a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, “Are you serious?”

Song Qingshu’s eyebrows rose.

‘Surely Zhao Min, with her pride, wouldn’t actually resort to seduction?’

Still, he nodded. “Dead serious.”

“Fine. Come here.” Zhao Min pursed her lips and beckoned him over.