After finishing her morning court session, she strolled over to the Court of Colonial Affairs.

Hey, I looked up and bumped into Xiao Xin again.

She immediately smiled and asked, "I heard that the young lady from the Marquis of Ping's family is going to marry that scoundrel Feng Hui. I wonder when the wedding will be held? I'd like to go and have a drink at the wedding."

Xiao Xin, his body trembling with fat, staggered backward in a terrified posture, as if ready to retreat at any moment. "Thank you... thank you for your concern, Prince Yuansheng. The engagement is not yet finalized, the marriage is not yet settled."

Xiao Zhixing sat on horseback with a casual smile. "Really? That's great. It's just what I wanted to say to the Marquis. Feng Hui is not a good match, and the Feng family is an ungrateful bunch. If you marry your daughter to them, be careful they don't eat you alive and devour all your fat."

Xiao Xin's jaw tightened, and he forced a dry laugh, "Yes, yes..."

His eyes were unfocused and full of perfunctory attitude.

Xiao Zhixing dismounted, seemingly sighing, "Alas, if we count from a hundred years ago, we might have been from the same family. Lord Ping, the Xiao surname must not be tarnished."

This angered her, and it wasn't impossible for her to force the emperor to change his surname.

This will also dissuade those old-timers who secretly supported Xiao Xin. Does a disgraceful descendant who betrayed his ancestors deserve the surname Xiao?

[Red comment: Xiao Xin? In our world, this guy was apparently killed when Xiao Yuanshan was emperor, on the grounds of forming cliques and engaging in private activities.]

[Green comment: Our Xiao Xin suffered even worse. In his later years, he was dismembered by the Northern Barbarians. After killing him, they insulted him, erecting a monument to condemn him as a despicable villain who betrayed his ancestors. His entire family was burned alive.]

[Yellow comment: We can't give away any spoilers, but everyone's speculating that he must have done something during the dynastic change twenty years ago, otherwise Zhao Yunqi wouldn't have spared him. Also, Xiao Yan's death fifteen years ago is definitely related to this person.]

[Yellow comment: No wonder he was scared out of his wits when he saw our goddess's face.]

[Yellow comment: This person was one of the few remaining normal male members of the Xiao family at the time, and he had supporters behind him.]

Xiao Zhixing knew, of course, that Xiao Xin was not innocent back then, but they hadn't found any evidence yet, though they would find it sooner or later.

After threatening him, she stopped arguing with him and took her people to see An Wuxi.

He then instructed Ying Er to keep an eye on Xiao Xin. Xiao Xin's frequent contact with An Wuxi was too obvious; something must be going on.

Upon entering the courtyard where the Northern Barbarian delegation was staying, Xiao Zhixing's voice preceded his arrival, "National Preceptor An, I've come to visit you—"

Anyone who didn't know better would think the two were very good friends.

An Wuxi, supported by his attendants, came out to greet them. "Your Highness, I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly. May I ask what brings Your Highness to visit me today?"

Xiao Zhixing cracked his whip and looked him up and down from a distance. "Is Grand Preceptor An asking a question he already knows the answer to? Have you come all this way to my Great Sheng just for tourism?"

Her face turned cold in an instant. "Xiao Kui sent you here to negotiate, but you've mastered the art of stalling."

An Wuxi frowned. "Your Highness, please be careful with your words. Our country has not said that it is negotiating peace."

"So this is a debate?" Xiao Zhixing pressed aggressively, his brows sharp and pointed, causing the Northern Barbarians to tense up and become wary.

An Wuxi cupped his hands and said, “His Majesty has said that the purpose of this trip is to discuss a ceasefire and a truce. It would be a win-win situation if both sides took a step back.”

Xiao Zhixing was both angry and amused. "This is utterly ridiculous! You northern barbarians invaded our territory first, and I drove you back to the grasslands. Instead of seeking peace and paying reparations, you actually want to arbitrarily and unilaterally cease hostilities?"

"Do you think my 170,000-strong army in Guixiong New City are dead? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Xiao Zhixing angrily said, "If the Grand Preceptor An is negotiating with such a ridiculous idea, he should go back to the grasslands as soon as possible, otherwise don't blame me for breaking the rules and killing the envoy in a fit of anger."

An Wuxi's expression darkened slightly. "Prince Yuansheng, there are designated people in charge of negotiations. The Emperor of Dasheng is the one who ultimately makes the decisions. Have you overstepped your bounds?"

Xiao Zhixing sneered, "Then try it and see if I, Xiao Zhixing, dare to disobey orders, dare to act like a general in the field who may disobey the emperor's orders!"

When that time comes, the territory we seize won't belong to the emperor, but to her.

Seeing that An Wuxi did not back down even for a moment, Xiao Zhixing turned around and left. Upon returning to the palace, he immediately ordered Su Zhen, Xiao Dong, and Qi Danhe to recruit soldiers and expand the army, and to be ready to invade the grasslands and seize territory at any time!

Before long, her words at the Court of Colonial Affairs reached everyone's ears.

Some criticized her for overstepping her bounds, but most sighed and remained silent.

Negotiations with the Northern Barbarians cannot bypass Xiao Zhixing, and they do not want to be the negotiators. If they are not careful, they might offend Xiao's army and Xiao Zhixing, and they will be despised by the world.

Therefore, they were relieved that An Wuxi did not take the initiative to propose negotiations.

The emperor must be having a headache too.

The other three sides have yet to achieve a decisive victory. The Southern Barbarians claim they are seeking peace, but it's unclear what kind of peace they are seeking.

This is also why the Northern Barbarians used this as leverage to pressure the government into making peace. They knew that this was the time when the Great Sheng Dynasty was most likely to take a bite out of them, and even if they lost, they were unwilling to back down.

The Imperial Palace.

The Emperor System said, "Should we continue to drag this out? If the Northern Barbarians recover, they will surely invade the south again."

Zhao Yunqi sighed, "Xining Pass is not at peace, the Southern Barbarians are restless, and I suspect that the Southern Barbarians made some kind of deal with the Feng family regarding their peace talks. Under these circumstances, what else can we do but stall?"

The Emperor System sizzled, "So, you're just going to let Xiao Zhixing run rampant?"

Zhao Yunqi said helplessly, "The greater good lies with her. If I dare to force her to back down and suppress the Xiao family army and the Sunan army so they cannot move, the spittle of the people will drown me."

"Furthermore, I will not seek peace; such a thing is absolutely impossible!"

The Emperor System remained silent.

"So let's leave it at that for now. I'll pretend to be deaf and blind and let her put pressure on the Northern Barbarians. We also need to stall for time. When the Southern Barbarian envoys come to the capital, we can talk to them all at once."

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!