There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 431 Change the King

Zoya pushed Shimizu away

He took another gulp straight from the wine jug, choked and coughed, and his emerald green eyes misted over.

"To drown my sorrows? What sorrows do I have?" Her voice was a little hoarse.

"Haven't we always been like this since I was a child? I'm used to it. As for that horse... let him have it. No matter how good something is, it'll just be wasted in his hands anyway."

Seeing her feigning indifference, Li Shuchen felt a pang of unease: "It's not just about the horse, is it? You've seemed down all night."

Zoya remained silent for a long time, just as Li Shuchen finished his drink.

She suddenly spoke, her voice soft, yet carrying a long-suppressed indignation.

“Li Shuchen, tell me… haven’t I done enough? I risked my life to help you, to pass on messages, to manipulate things, to spread rumors… I wanted to help those who were barely surviving, and I also wanted… I wanted to make this country a little different.”

"But look at today, at the banquet, your General Liang brought up trade again, and what was the result? He just laughed it off and refused! Why? Just because it threatened those people's interests? Is that money more important than the people who starve to death on the border, the people who die from exhaustion in the mines, and the people of my mother's tribe who are about to disappear?!"

She became increasingly agitated as she spoke, took another swig of wine, and finally, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, mingling with the wine stains.

“Sometimes I feel that everything I do is like pouring water into the desert, completely useless… He is my father, but he has never seen me, nor the true nature of this country. All he cares about is his palace, his jewels, and his pleasures…”

Li Shuchen listened quietly without interrupting.

Once Zoya had calmed down a bit, she picked up the sake bottle, put it aside, and looked into Zoya's teary, emerald-green eyes, asking very earnestly...

“Zoya, have you ever thought that since he can’t and is unwilling to sign an alliance with us and do the right thing… then why can’t you sign it with us instead?”

Zoya looked up blankly, tears still clinging to her eyelashes.

"...What? By me? How can I sign? I'm just an unloved princess, I have no power..."

She suddenly stopped, as if lightning had struck her mind. Her eyes widened instantly as she stared at Li Shuchen in disbelief, her voice trembling.

"You...you mean...you want me...to be the king of Boyu?!"

These words struck like a thunderclap in the small room.

Outside the window, the desert night wind howled past, as if echoing this awe-inspiring ambition.

Li Shuchen neither confirmed nor denied, but simply stared intently back at her, and softly asked in return.

“Why not? You have the blood of the Savar family flowing in your veins. You are the rightful princess. You understand the suffering of this country better than Basha and his brothers. You care more about the lives of your people than your father does. You are brave, intelligent, compassionate, and proactive. Most importantly—you are willing to make a change.”

Zoya was completely stunned. Her heart was pounding like a drum, and her blood seemed to rush to her head, only to instantly turn cold.

Seizure of power? Usurpation?

She never even considered it!

That was an unforgivable crime, an abyss!

But... Li Shuchen's words were like the devil's whisper, igniting a spark of resentment deep within her that she herself hadn't even realized she possessed.

“No…this can’t be…” she instinctively protested, but her voice was weak and feeble. “I have no army, no supporters, nothing at all…this is insane…”

Just because it's not there now doesn't mean it won't be in the future.

Li Shuchen's voice was low, yet it was filled with a strange, persuasive power.

"Azim and the golden camel have already caused discontent among many, and the king's favoritism and the market's brutality are not unseen."

“Those exploited merchants, those border dwellers who couldn’t survive, those resentful miners and their families… and the forgotten people of your mother’s tribe.”

“These people are all potential forces, while we have an embassy, ​​information from the outside world, and ideas different from those here. We can help you, but not to fight for you. Instead, we can… create opportunities for you, let more people see you, and let those silent forces find a direction to converge.”

Zoya slumped into the chair, her mind a complete mess.

Fear, shock, a secret thrill, and a heavy sense of responsibility intertwined and clashed.

She looked at Li Shuchen, this girl from a distant foreign land, who always seemed to be full of laughter and scorn, but whose eyes were now incredibly serious and determined.

"You...you Purple Star Mission, support me in doing this? This...this is interfering in the internal affairs of another country..."

"What we support is a possibility that can improve the lives of the people of Bohemia and enable genuine friendly trade between the two countries."

Li Shuchen corrected, "As for who sits in that position to achieve it, that's an internal matter for your Boyu Kingdom. But we are willing to be friends with and sign a contract with the person who has the people in their heart and is willing to engage in fair trade."

Prolonged silence

Only the heavy breathing of the two people and the sound of wind and sand outside the window could be heard.

Zoya slowly sat up straight and wiped away the tears on her face.

The confusion in those emerald eyes gradually faded, replaced by a resolute determination, a faint yet persistent flame that had been ignited.

"I... need to think about it."

She finally spoke, her voice regaining its calmness, even taking on a slightly hoarse quality.

"This is too sudden and too dangerous, not just for me, but for you all, and for everyone who might be involved."

"Of course we need to think about it, and we need to think clearly about every step," Li Shuchen nodded understandingly.

"This is no child's play, but Zoya, sometimes, opportunities for change are like shooting stars in the desert—fleeting. If you seize them, they might illuminate a patch of darkness; if you miss them, you might be doomed forever."

She pushed the wine jug back to Zoya. "You can drink the wine slowly, and you have to choose your path carefully, but at least now you have another option, don't you?"

Zoya stopped drinking. She stood up, walked to the window, and gazed out at the pitch-black sky, where only the direction of the palace still held a few scattered lights.

That was her birthplace, and also her prison.

In the past, she only wanted to escape or silently resist.

Now, a goal I never dared to imagine suddenly looms before me.

“I’ll think about it carefully,” she turned around, her emerald eyes gleaming in the darkness. “Until I’ve figured it out… shall everything remain the same?”

"Everything as usual," Li Shuchen smiled. "We won't skimp on the troubles we need to cause for Golden Camel, and we'll do our best to do what we need to do for the people. Consider it... accumulating some capital and public support for any possible future."

Zoya nodded, said nothing more, and just as she had come, silently disappeared into the night outside the window.

Li Shuchen closed the window, leaned against the cold wall, and let out a long breath.

She didn't know what her words would bring.