World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 477 - 251: The princess is deeply affectionate! Suo Lun’s biological daughter! (Important)_3

Chapter 477: 251: The princess is deeply affectionate! Suo Lun’s biological daughter! (Important)_3

Suo Lun said, "By taking Ling Ao as your retainer, you’ve already deceived the hearts of numerous civilian elites. These foolish civilians don’t realize that your foundational support, Zhi Li His Highness, will always be the nobles and the lords."

Zhi Li said, "So, the King’s chances of winning remain slim to none. In fact, I need to do nothing; I simply have to wait for the King to pass away, and then I can ascend the throne smoothly. The King has already suffered a stroke and is paralyzed. How long do you think he can live? Suo Lun, you now have His Majesty’s protection, but on the day I ascend to the throne, where will the Suo go?"

Suo Lun spread his hands, saying nothing.

Zhi Li said, "How about this? From now on, you stand aside, maintain neutrality. Once I’m on the throne, you’ll continue as the City Lord of Tianshui City, still one of the kingdom’s lords. When it’s time for me to attack the Barbaric Wilderness Plains, just lend me the Barbaric Gorge so I can move my troops through."

"Heh heh..." Suo Lun laughed but did not reply.

Given Zhi Li’s nature, once he became King, he wouldn’t possibly spare Suo Lun.

Zhi Li said, "You might be thinking that given my nature, once I become King, I will certainly kill off your Suo, annihilate your Tianshui City, and spare you no mercy, right?"

"Right," replied Suo Lun.

Zhi Li said, "If this was before, of course it would be so. But now the situation has changed. Zhi Ning is my only kin, yet she carries your child. I had every intention of aborting this child, but she managed to escape to the Flame Empire. Not only that, but she also informed Prince Ji Min about her pregnancy, and now the marriage alliance with the Flame Empire is down the drain."

Upon hearing this, Suo Lun’s gaze flickered.

After all, Zhi Ning was the only woman he had truly lain with since he came to this world.

Zhi Li said, "Zhi Ning can no longer marry Prince Ji Min, and you know well how deeply she hates you, as deeply as she loves you. I might as well gratify her desires. As long as you abide by neutrality, I will bring Zhi Ning back from the Flame Empire and send her to you, marrying her off to you. Of course, I’ve said similar things before about marrying Zhi Ning to you, which were false, but now it is true."

Suo Lun said nothing.

Zhi Li said, "To put it bluntly, Zhi Ning is essentially your hostage. After I ascend to the throne, even if I were heartless and mad, I’d hardly kill my own brother-in-law. Besides, the future City Lord of Tianshui would be my nephew. Why would I need to strike at the Suo then?"

Suo Lun remained silent.

Zhi Li said, "From now on, you stay neutral, no longer intervening in the struggles between me and Zhi Yan. In return, I’ll marry Zhi Ning off to you, as a hostage to you, ensuring that when I become King, I won’t pursue the Suo’s crimes. How’s that?"

Suo Lun shook his head and said, "First, I don’t trust you. Second, I already have a fiancée, so I cannot marry Zhi Ning."

Zhi Li said, "Yan Nai’er? Zhi Ning’s status is a hundred times more noble than hers."

Suo Lun scoffed, "How about Princess Zhi Yan compared to Zhi Ning then?"

Zhi Li’s gaze flickered, "The King betrothed her to you? Marry you off to Zhi Yan? That’s impossible."

Suo Lun said nothing.

Zhi Li said, "The King is crafty, his bestowal of marriage is entirely to win over people’s hearts. He knew you would refuse, which is why he proposed marriage. It demonstrates his profound affection for you and moreover, makes you feel guilty, and thus even more loyal to Zhi Yan."

Suo Lun shrugged his shoulders, saying nothing.

Zhi Li said, "Moreover, while Princess Zhi Yan was in Yanjing, there was someone close to her—not as lovers, but more than so. He outranks you by tenfold, his martial prowess exceeds yours by a hundredfold, and in terms of talent, wisdom, appearance, and demeanor, he surpasses you in every way. Do you think Zhi Yan would genuinely fancy you?"

Having heard of the King’s betrothal to Suo Lun, Zhi Li used all manner of words and tactics to drive a wedge between them.

Hearing Suo Lun unmoved, Zhi Li’s face darkened, "You’re sure you want to refuse my goodwill, right?"

Suo Lun nodded.

Zhi Li said, "This is the last time I offer you my goodwill. By refusing, it means we are irreconcilably at odds. The day I ascend the throne, I will exterminate your Suo and completely obliterate your Tianshui City."

Suo Lun was silent.

Zhi Li continued, "Moreover, even if I do nothing, I can still ascend to the throne. Zhi Yan stands no chance, and you’re fighting a battle you’re bound to lose."

Suo Lun remained silent still, because this was Zhi Li testing him, trying to deduce his future plans and movements from Suo Lun’s words.

"Hahaha..." Zhi Li laughed heartily, "You reject my kindness, so be it. I am here mainly to propose a real trade with you, a genuine exchange."

At this moment, Suo Lun deeply sensed the cunning nature of Zhi Li.

How convincingly he had acted just now, offering to marry Zhi Ning to him and promising to spare the Suo family after ascending to the throne, all he asked in return was for Suo Lun to remain neutral.

It was all a sham; he never intended to spare the Suo family. In fact, he knew Suo Lun would definitely refuse, but still, he performed with great emotion, making it sound utterly real.

"A trade? What kind of trade?" Suo Lun asked.

"I wish to redeem two people, Turing Chen and Lord Tuli Ming," Zhi Li answered.

Suo Lun shook his head and said, "I don’t know what you are talking about. I haven’t seen these two people. Could it be they didn’t return to Luan Yang City, or could they have died in the great fire?"

Perhaps Suo Lun’s acting wasn’t convincing enough, and Zhi Li, uninterested in his pretense, stated bluntly, "I also have two people with me to exchange for Turing Chen and Lord Tuli Ming."

Suo Lun sneered inwardly; there weren’t two people in this world of sufficient status to trade for the likes of Turing Chen and Tuli Ming.

Zhi Li declared, "The first person is your own biological mother, Fu Lingxi."

At those words, Suo Lun’s heart trembled violently.

Wasn’t Suo Lun’s mother already dead?

Zhi Li continued, "Of course, as far as you’re concerned, your mother died long ago when you and Suo Ningbing were very young. But in reality, she didn’t die. Your father, Suo Lun, pined day and night for his old lover, the Rock Queen, even calling out her name in his dreams. When he was with your mother, in his passion, he would imagine her as the Rock Queen. Your mother, heartbroken over time, left you and your sister and ran away from home. But it’s a shameful secret of the Suo family, so your father told you from a young age that your mother, Fu Lingxi, was dead."

Suo Lun was utterly astounded.

Zhi Li added, "The second person is... your daughter."

With those words, Suo Lun was completely shaken.

Zhi Li, satisfied with Suo Lun’s reaction, smiled and said, "Yes, she’s indeed your daughter, Suo Lun."

How old was Suo Lun to have... a daughter?

Zhi Li said, "This is an even more scandalous secret. When you were fifteen, you went to BaiHuo City as a guest, which is the territory of your maternal grandfather. Despite Marquis FuE’s great resentment toward the Suo family due to the affair with your mother, he still cared for you as his blood relative. But you... got his granddaughter, your cousin Fu Yan’er, pregnant."

By now, Suo Lun was thoroughly astonished.

"Moreover, she was already betrothed and was to be married in a few months," Zhi Li continued. "The Fu Clan, a noble house for hundreds of years, could not bear such a scandal. While Marquis FuE couldn’t kill you, he regarded you as an enemy. He beat you half to death and sent you back to Tianshui City. As for your cousin, Fu Yan’er, word spread a few days later that she suddenly died of a severe illness."

What a sin. If this was true, that bastard Suo Lun had truly sinned.

Zhi Li continued, "Of course, Fu Yan’er didn’t really die; after all, she was Marquis FuE’s most cherished granddaughter. But she was driven out of her family, suffered alone, and gave birth to a daughter. This girl is, of course, your daughter, Suo Lun, and she is six years old this year."

Suo Lun was completely dumbfounded.

Were Zhi Li’s words true or false? Why had Suo Ningbing never mentioned anything about this to him?

Zhi Li posed, "Now, I offer you these two people in exchange for the two you have, how about it?"

Suo Lun still did not react; he was completely stunned.

Zhi Li said, "It seems you don’t believe me? Then, shall I let you see for yourself if this little girl is indeed your daughter?"

Then, Zhi Li clapped his hands and commanded, "Bring her in!"

...

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