Yuan Xiu's fury was within Zhou Jinghuan's expectations, as were those of the officials.

The common people had only heard that the current emperor doted on his elder sister and that the emperor and the eldest princess had an excellent relationship, but in their hearts they did not know whether the rumors were true or not.

However, the officials in the capital who frequently moved around the palace were well aware of Yuan Xiu's feelings for his older sister.

Both of them lost their biological mothers early, and although they were close in age, Yuan Xiu grew up under the care and companionship of Yuan Yun. He had both the affection of a younger sister and the respect of a mother for Yuan Yun.

It is no exaggeration to say that in Yuan Xiu's heart, Yuan Yun is his only family.

This is also why Yuan Yun, who is already twenty-three years old, has not yet found a husband.

High-ranking officials in the court usually wanted their sons to marry imperial princesses, using marriage alliances with the royal family to solidify their family's status.

But the more Yuan Xiu valued Yuan Yun, the less people dared to compete for the position of imperial son-in-law.

After all, with Yuan Xiu's unpredictable temper, who would dare to easily become his brother-in-law...

Now that Zhou Jinghuan has spoken out of the blue about sending Yuan Yun to Southern Zhou, it's no wonder Yuan Xiu is furious!

Zhao Cheng also showed a relieved expression. He had always been curious about what extraordinary thing Zhou Jinghuan wanted, and now he understood.

That's truly remarkable.

What he wanted was the Imperial Princess, the woman Yuan Xiu loved most!

"If you want other princesses, I can give you two, three, or even a dozen! But if you want my imperial sister, forget about it!"

"If it were the Crown Prince, I could tolerate it; my elder sister would be the future Empress of Southern Zhou. But what kind of trash is your so-called Second Prince? Does he even deserve to be called one?!"

Yuan Xiu's words were extremely harsh, but Zhou Jinghuan smiled and remained silent, giving Yuan Xiu space to vent and let him finish his rant in one go.

"A toad trying to eat swan meat, get out of here!!!"

Zhou Jinghuan said softly, "The Second Prince is also my elder brother's biological son."

"Don't play word games with me. I said your Second Prince is a toad, not that you, the Emperor of Southern Zhou, are one too! Look at you, trying to cause trouble?"

Even when Yuan Xiu pointed his finger at him and berated him, Zhou Jinghuan remained unperturbed, maintaining his signature smile. As an envoy, managing one's emotions was crucial; whether it was anger or resentment, whether it was forbearance or outburst, it should be a political necessity, not a personal one.

"Emperor Jing may not know much about the Southern Zhou court. The Crown Prince is very outstanding, and the Second Prince is also virtuous and talented."

Zhou Jinghuan patiently explained that the Crown Prince of Southern Zhou already had a Crown Princess, and it was impossible for him to marry Yuan Yun and displace the current Crown Princess. That was one reason. More importantly, Southern Zhou would never allow Princess Jingguo to become Empress.

Yuan Xiu asked, "What good is it if the Second Prince is virtuous and talented? Is it your emperor who wants to make him the crown prince, or is it that he will succeed in rebelling later?"

Zhou Jinghuan's expression finally changed, and he said, "Emperor Jing, be careful with your words!"

"Watch your mouth!" Yuan Xiu grabbed a fruit and threw it at Zhou Jinghuan.

Chen Chong reacted quickly, using the black sword wrapped in cloth to open the fruit.

"Guards!" Yuan Xiu roared, "Foreign envoys are forbidden from carrying iron weapons. Confiscate this man's sword!"

Chen Chong said, "My sword is not made of iron, it is a black bronze sword!"

"I'll have someone take it away for inspection. If it's a bronze sword, I'll return it to you; if it's iron, I'll cut off your head!"

A group of guards surrounded him. Chen Chong tried to resist, but Zhou Jinghuan stopped him.

Chen Chong said, "This sword is a treasure; they will definitely not return it to me once they take it."

Zhou Jinghuan said softly, "Didn't I tell you not to carry a sword in Changsui?"

"But this sword is really made of bronze..."

"Never mind, I'll buy it for you when we get back..."

Zhou Jinghuan sighed and said, "A head is more important than a sword."

After a pause, Zhou Jinghuan suddenly raised his hand and bowed to Yuan Xiu, then changed the subject, saying, "Emperor Jing, my brother sent me here to foster good relations with your country. However, your actions have truly disappointed me. Whether it was the malicious beating I suffered on the streets of Changsui or the humiliation you have inflicted upon me, I have endured it all. But is this the demeanor of the dignified Jing Kingdom?"

"Or does Jingguo really think that by destroying Yedan, it will be invincible?"

"My royal brother once said that there are only friends and enemies between nations. Since Jingguo is unwilling to be friends with Nanzhou, then it must be an enemy! In that case, Nanzhou has no choice but to make full preparations and fight against our enemy!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, not expecting Zhou Jinghuan's expression to change so quickly.

Yuan Xiu remained silent. He had helped Zhou Jinghuan come as an envoy, all in the name of building a good relationship with Southern Zhou. However, he hadn't expected Zhou Jinghuan to make such an excessive demand for Yuan Yun, which made him lose his temper.

But if war were to break out, it would completely contradict his original intentions.

"That's utterly audacious! Do you think my Great Jing is afraid of your Southern Zhou?"

"Fine, let's fight!"

"Southern Zhou dog!"

The short-tempered officials began to curse, but some calm officials tried to persuade them to stop.

"Please calm down, Prince He. The Great Jing and the Southern Zhou have always valued peace. Let's not damage our harmony."

"Don't be in a hurry. A marriage alliance between two countries is a major national event and needs time to be discussed!"

Zhou Jinghuan sneered and said, "My Southern Zhou's demands have already been stated. Once spoken, they are like water spilled; they cannot be taken back. My imperial brother has only one point: either a marriage alliance or war!"

Zhou Jinghuan looked at the assembled officials, speaking as he walked, adopting a posture of engaging in a verbal battle with them.

"Although your country's northern expedition was successful, it must have been costly and exhausting, leaving you severely weakened. While your army's morale is high, there are still many things to clean up in the north. Can you really fight another major battle?"

"In contrast, our Southern Zhou is no match for mere pirates. We have enough military strength to march north! Of course, we will not underestimate the strength of the Jing Kingdom. If we really fight, our national strength will also be damaged, but we can afford to wait and we have the courage to fight you to the death to uphold our dignity!"

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