Chapter 339: Chapter 339: After Disguising Herself as a Man, the Rabbit Spirit Ran Away with a Baby in Her Womb 49

It seemed that Shen Qingman saw through Su Zhiruan’s hesitation. Seizing the moment, he hurriedly added, “Don’t worry, I’m telling the truth. My parents just want a figure to depend on. They’re quite weak, so they thought about forcibly keeping me here. Once I exaggerate a bit, you and the child can live in the Imperial Palace without a care in the world.”

His eyes were clear and appeared completely sincere.

“Now you’re in our country’s territory. Why not take a look around? I have a carriage; it’s perfect to give you a lift,” Shen Qingman, though young, had high emotional intelligence. Within a few words, he’d assessed Su Zhiruan’s current situation and knew she would agree.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Su Zhiruan accepted the offer.

“It’s best to comply with such a kind gesture, then thank you very much.” She picked up her basket and gave a polite bow.

The two elderly women, seeing their mission accomplished, curiously scrutinized Su Zhiruan and Shen Qingman.

At first, when the self-proclaimed Crown Prince Shen Qingman arrived, the villagers, including themselves, didn’t believe he was the Crown Prince. They scoffed at his desire to find a woman to act as his sister. However, he offered a high reward, and the two elderly women were willing to undertake the task, reasoning that they would get paid no matter the outcome. Why not do it?

But now that they had found her and were about to leave, the two, through the sunlight, suddenly felt that maybe what Shen Qingman said was true.

*

During the journey, Su Zhiruan formed a new opinion of this remote little country.

The country was small, but it was rich in resources and well-located. The fact that it had not been conquered after so long was impressive.

The few cities had a steady flow of people, mostly merchants from the five surrounding major nations, using this centrally located small country as a hub.

“Ah, how does it feel, living in this country? Dangerous, isn’t it?”

Seeing Su Zhiruan close the book, Shen Qingman suddenly sighed, “The five neighboring nations have their eyes on us, eagerly wanting to swallow our country. I predict the day of our nation’s demise is not far off.”

Su Zhiruan glanced at him meaningfully, “If the Emperor, your father, knew of your thoughts, I’m afraid he would give you a good scolding first.”

“He wouldn’t.” Shen Qingman muttered, then used his Longsword to lift up his cloak, covering his face, unwilling to show it again as he spoke, “They’ve been discussing fleeing recently, still insisting that I stay.”

“Don’t worry, our country won’t perish so quickly,” Su Zhiruan’s tone was light. She pulled back the curtain of the carriage to look outside the window and then said, “On the contrary, if the right strategies are used, this small border country could even take down the five major nations. Do you believe it?”

Shen Qingman snorted with laughter, then swiftly removed his cloak, lazily gazing at Su Zhiruan and joked, “Sure, you said it. If you can take down these five major nations, then I will make you the Crown Prince, and becoming the Emperor would be no problem, how about that?”

“Why don’t you guess why your country has managed to survive until now?” Su Zhiruan pondered with a thoughtful look. She had an answer in mind but did not voice it.

“Out of pity, probably,” Shen Qingman said lazily, wrapping the cloak around himself, “otherwise, it’s because they’re afraid of fighting over the spoils!”

“Close enough, pretty much hit the nail on the head.” Su Zhiruan looked at him, confirming his guess.

This piqued Shen Qingman’s interest, “I was just guessing, you tell me.”

Originally, he thought Su Zhiruan was just a beautiful woman he happened upon on the road, intending to take her back as a member of the Imperial Family to fulfill his duty. However, he didn’t expect that she also had a considerable understanding of state affairs.