Over the years, Ji Youze and the young Emperor had become as close as brothers.
There were hardly any formalities between them.
Only on important occasions would he perform the grand kowtow to the young Emperor.
So, upon hearing the Emperor’s words now, he immediately plopped down next to Ji Youzhi and grabbed the letters from his hand.
Upon opening one and giving it a glance, he frowned.
"These letters detail the secret correspondence between Xiling, Dongjin, Nanyue, and the Great Wizard of Nanjiang.
I won’t comment yet on whether the contents of these letters are genuine. However, the writing on them is in the Nanjiang script.
I must ask Princess Ata, why would three different countries, conspiring together, all uniformly use the script of the Nanjiang royal court?
Is it because the Great Wizard of Nanjiang doesn’t understand other languages?
Or is it that the Nanjiang script is universally used throughout the world?"
With just a few casual remarks from Ji Youze, Princess Ata’s expression changed drastically, and her body began to tremble.
"You... you’re suggesting... I’ve been used!"
"Whether you’ve been used or not, I can’t say. However, these letters purportedly exchanged between the Great Wizard of Nanjiang and Xiling, Dongjin, and Nanyue simply cannot withstand scrutiny!"
In all these years, Ji Youze hasn’t only been helping the young Emperor sift through memorials; he also manages the external intelligence network. The authenticity of any piece of intelligence must be thoroughly scrutinized before a conclusion can be reached!
"But... these were all stolen from the Great Wizard’s secret chamber! My father, the King, has been sidelined by them for years, and our royal family is in a dire situation... I... I..."
"Princess Ata, this is an internal affair of your Nanjiang royal court; it has nothing to do with us in the Great Han dynasty.
You’ve come to our Great Han, and my aim is for peace talks between our two nations. If there’s a possibility for such talks, we will continue.
If not, His Majesty has long desired to expand our territory. Our nation possesses 300,000 elite troops; he could use this as an opportunity for them to get some practice!"
Once Ji Youze said this, it greatly elevated the young Emperor’s image in Princess Ata’s heart, making him seem incredibly formidable.
The young Emperor on the throne also rubbed his hands together eagerly.
"Fight! I shall issue the order immediately! Have Grand General Xu mobilize the three armies and march to Nanjiang!"
Upon hearing this, Princess Ata’s vision went black, and she nearly fainted.
Seeing this, Ji Youzhi hurriedly said, "Princess Ata, don’t faint just yet. Wait until His Majesty summons an Imperial Physician for you; it won’t be too late to faint then!"
Princess Ata was so angry she nearly spat blood.
"Ji... Ji Youzhi!"
She seethed, her voice laced with fury.
Ji Youzhi scoffed. "I just don’t understand. The post station is at least a half-hour’s journey from West Forest Lake. Moreover, there are several bustling streets around the post station where the Princess could amuse herself. The street near West Forest Lake, however, is liveliest from evening until curfew! What was Princess Ata doing there so early in the morning?"
As soon as Ji Youzhi posed this question, Princess Ata stiffened, then her body went limp. She had truly fainted.
"This..." The young Emperor was greatly alarmed and quickly summoned a Palace Maid to take her to a Side Palace, and called for an Imperial Physician.
Chief Eunuch Ling pointed at Ji Youzhi helplessly, sighing. "You! You! Knowing she’s injured, you still deliberately provoked her into fainting. Couldn’t you have asked more tactfully? Now look, she’s really fainted. Are you still going to investigate this case or not?"
Ji Youzhi looked up at the sky, exasperated. "How was I to know she would actually faint? Besides, my suspicions are well-founded. I just wanted to test if my judgment was correct. I didn’t expect her to really faint."
Upon hearing this, Chief Eunuch Ling quickly asked, "So, what’s your judgment? Is there really something wrong with this Nanjiang princess?"