Seeing that the little princess no longer flatly denied it, Li Ying stopped beating around the bush and simply gave A Man a meaningful look.
A Man understood immediately and quickly tiptoed to close the door carefully.
Only then did Li Ying bow to the princess and said softly, "Your Highness, rest assured. I haven't told anyone about your whereabouts yet. You're still safe here in hiding."
Before her words faded, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the few burly Nanyang men looking menacing.
"Your Highness, don't be hasty. Right now, countless pairs of eyes are fixed on my Taoyuan Fishing Village. If I were to lose my life at this moment, the officials would dig the place up and surely find some clues. By then, your whereabouts would most likely be exposed."
She spoke calmly, her face as still as water, but the little princess looked even more grim.
She had secretly fled the mission with her trusted servants. This matter was supposed to be highly confidential, and there had been no news from the capital yet. But this Li Ying, who was thousands of miles away, had instantly seen through her identity. There must be some high - ranking official backing her.
If something happened to Li Ying, she wasn't sure if it would really bring trouble to herself.
While the Nanyang princess was still hesitating, Li Ying remained calm and continued slowly.
"If I'm not mistaken, Your Highness must have fled secretly. The marriage alliance was never your intention."
Her words hit the princess's hidden secret, and the princess's expression grew even more unpleasant.
Li Ying said indifferently, "Building the diplomatic relations between two countries on a woman's lifelong happiness is truly the most irresponsible thing. It's only natural for Your Highness to flee in indignation."
The little princess didn't expect Li Ying to say such things and wondered, "The marriage alliance is a princess's duty to serve her country. You don't think so?"
Li Ying replied casually, "Well, there's some truth to that."
"However, in my opinion, I am first and foremost myself. All these grand emotions, national affairs, and the world at large are just personal choices. There's no absolute right or wrong. Dedicating oneself to the country is, of course, noble; being kind to oneself is also reasonable."
She spoke frankly. The little princess, who was used to moralizing, found Li Ying's words refreshing, and her expression softened a bit.
"Your Highness, have you ever thought about the consequences if you flee and the emperor blames you for it?"
Li Ying hit the nail on the head, exactly pointing out the princess's concerns in recent days.
Seeing the princess deep in thought, Li Ying changed the subject and said confidently, "I have a plan."
"As far as I know, Nanyang's visit this time is to seek the emperor's protection. Proposing the marriage alliance voluntarily is just to show their sincerity."
"Everything in this world has its price. A young and beautiful princess can surely soften the emperor's heart. But if replaced with other priceless treasures, it might achieve the same effect."
Li Ying sounded confident, but the little princess gave a helpless bitter smile and sighed.
"Nanyang is just a foreign state, not as rich and prosperous as the Celestial Empire. Apart from me, there's no other rare treasure!"
Li Ying took out the two black pearl earrings from her bosom and smiled without saying a word.
The little princess's eyes lit up, but then her face clouded over with worry.
"Yes, these black pearls are indeed Nanyang's most precious treasures. But they are extremely difficult to fish. The whole country only has about ten hu of them, and they've all been listed in the tribute list. It's just a drop in the bucket..."
Li Ying nodded and said calmly, "Yes, ten hu is indeed not much. But what if it's a hundred hu, a thousand hu, or even ten thousand hu?"
She spoke nonchalantly, but the little princess was shocked by her bold proposal and stammered, "That's easier said than done!"
Li Ying lowered her voice. There were two glinting flames in her eyes, looking straight at the princess as if they were about to burn into her heart.
"Your Highness, would you trust me and make a deal with me?"
While the little princess was in a daze, Li Ying pretended to rummage in her sleeve but actually took out a pearl oyster from her space and placed it in front of the princess.
"Your Highness, I've already reported to the court. This pearl - farming field will soon become a royal industry."
"If you're interested, you can take advantage of this opportunity and specialize in cultivating these rare black pearls in Nanyang, creating another pearl - farming field directly under the emperor. You won't have to rely on the emperor's grace to survive."
"Only when Nanyang truly has unique and irreplaceable value will the Central Plains really come to its rescue when it's in trouble."
There was a faint, alluring tone in Li Ying's voice.
The little princess wasn't a fool. After hearing Li Ying's words, she understood immediately.
Indeed, what Li Ying said made sense.
"But... we've just met. Why are you going all out to plan for me?"
She looked at Li Ying suspiciously, trying to figure out what she could offer as a bargaining chip.
Li Ying's eyes were sharp as she said in a deep voice, "Because Your Highness has a perfect opportunity that's just right for me to turn the tables."
Although Lin, the imperial envoy, was currently on the same boat as her, he still guarded against her in many ways.
Moreover, he had seen the growth of the mother oysters in the pearl - farming field. He knew that pearl - farming couldn't be accomplished overnight, so he was naturally reluctant to invest all his wealth.
How could Li Ying afford to wait for him?
"Your Highness, if you're interested in cooperation, write a letter to your father and say that you're willing to send over a hundred hu of high - quality black pearls. Leave the rest to me."
The princess gasped.
How could she gather over a hundred hu of pearls!
Li Ying seemed to see her difficulty. Like a magician, she took out two more pearls from her bosom.
Round and lustrous, with a mottled rainbow in their smoky - blue color. What else could they be but black pearls!
"This..."
The little princess took the pearls dubiously. After just a brief look, she frowned tightly.
"These pearls are clearly fake!"
"This is a crime of deceiving the emperor. Who are you? Are you deliberately setting a trap to destroy my entire Nanyang?"
Seeing the princess's vigilant expression, Li Ying just smiled indifferently.
"Your Highness, if you don't enter the tiger's den, you can't get the tiger's cubs."
"Yes, these pearls were indeed dyed and faked by me. But rest assured, this has nothing to do with Nanyang."
On the contrary, that Lin, the imperial envoy, who had always been invincible, would surely pay a heavy price for his greed this time!
She lowered her voice and whispered a few words in the little princess's ear.
The Nanyang princess's expression changed several times. Finally, she gritted her teeth and nodded. "Fine! I'll trust you and take a gamble!"