Chapter 208: Princess of a Lost Nation? An Exchange Student from Goguryeo

"So what? I've said it before, I'm a vindictive person. The incident of framing my two brothers back then has never been forgotten. I'm being reasonable by not taking my anger out on you."

He Zhaojun spoke very coldly, and there was even a hint of smile on her face.

Zhou Ying hugged Lou Yao: "Ayao...it's my fault! This is my fault!"

The two hugged each other and cried bitterly. He Zhaojun turned and left without any regrets. She said, "I will advise His Majesty to let you serve as an official in Hua County. Take your family with you."

——

After Shao Shang sent Lou Yao away, he returned to the carriage to look for He Zhaojun. "Sister Zhaojun, since you're here, why don't you meet him? You know he's always been understanding and never blamed you."

He Zhaojun nodded: "That's exactly why I don't want to embarrass him."

"...Yeah, I don't know how A Yao will face you, so I'd better disappear." Shao Shang also found it difficult to deal with. Now that he thinks about it, avoiding him is the best way.

He Zhaojun rubbed her brows, a trace of fatigue appearing on her face. "Lou Yao was exiled as an official, Lou Ben committed suicide, Wang Yanji drowned herself in the river, the eldest lady of the Lou family was sent home, and the rest of the Lou family has lost their support. They struggle to survive guarding the old Lou family mansion. Such a great aristocratic family with a history of hundreds of years has collapsed like this."

Shao Shang snorted, "They only brought this upon themselves! Lou Jing hindered the advancement of the clan's disciples, cutting off their own path. Lou Ben made a mistake and lost everything. Aside from A Yao and his wife and Sister Yan Ji, who are pitiful, no one else deserves sympathy."

Wang Yanji? That's right, she didn't die after jumping into the river, but instead became the biggest villain. How could someone so crazy about love deserve sympathy? Only Shao Shang felt that she was pitiful.

Shao Shang saw that He Zhaojun didn't respond and thought she was in a bad mood. He quickly talked about the good news he had heard from Ling Buyi: "Do you still remember your previous plan to attack Goguryeo?"

He Zhaojun nodded: "Of course, in order to completely resolve the worries, it is necessary to include the area north of Liaodong in our territory and unify Goguryeo."

"Yes, Sister Zhaojun was the most formidable. Knowing that Goguryeo was short of food and fodder, she ordered the local garrison to lay siege to the city and cut off its supplies. Within three months, Goguryeo could no longer hold out and surrendered!"

He Zhaojun finally felt a glimmer of joy. "Okay, are you treating the prisoners well, as I said? Especially killing the leader's entire family after attacking a city. That's absolutely not allowed!"

"Um... well, our army followed your teachings and didn't intend to kill the entire Jin family. But when the army broke into the camp, the Jin family was almost wiped out. Aside from the little prince who couldn't even speak, there was only one 20-year-old princess, Jin Yuji, left."

He Zhaojun frowned as she listened. She wondered who was behind this. How difficult would Jin Yuji's situation be with such an act? Even if Goguryeo surrendered on the surface, she, the princess, would likely be forced to leave her homeland and marry into the capital, where she would be imprisoned as a hostage within the imperial city.

"I don't know which prince she will marry. I heard she's very beautiful, speaks two languages, and is multi-talented. However, Goguryeo is now under the jurisdiction of Liaodong Commandery, which has become a county. Even if she was a princess before, I'm afraid she can only be a concubine to the princes."

He Zhaojun hummed, "Whoever marries her will have both Youzhou and Jizhou in his hands. It's hard not to be tempted."

Shao Shang shuddered and held He Zhaojun's hand: "Sister Zhaojun, I have a bad feeling. Why don't you and the Third Prince get engaged as soon as possible."

As a result, Shao Shang's words came true. That evening, He Zhaojun entered the palace in response to the imperial decree. Emperor Wen was sitting beside her, sighing. When they met, the apology in his eyes made He Zhaojun feel a bad premonition.

"Zhaojun, that Jin family has something that our dynasty desperately needs, but... she, she made a request that I really can't bring myself to tell you."

He Zhaojun lowered her eyes and listened to Emperor Wen's story, but she still felt confused. The only thing she had in mind was that the conditions proposed by Jin Yuji were related to her.

"Jin Yuji also wants to marry Ziduan, right?" Who is He Zhaojun? The only thing that can make Emperor Wen so embarrassed is probably the marriage of his children.

Emperor Wen wiped the sweat from his forehead and quickly explained, "Don't worry, Zhaojun. I don't really want to grant them a marriage. I'm just stalling for time. Once I've verified everything she said, I'll definitely find another good match for her."

"This princess of a foreign race has many secrets. I will not let her leave my control until all of them are revealed. However, my soldiers were already blinded by bloodshed, leaving her an orphan. Ultimately, I owe her a debt. I will give her more time."

Even so, for He Zhaojun, it was still a great insult to bear the reputation of two women sharing one husband and to have a concubine before she even entered the house.

"Zhaojun, don't worry. As long as you help me, I will grant you one condition. No matter what it is, as long as I can do it, I will never regret it!"

He Zhaojun pondered for a long time before slowly speaking, "Your Majesty, I would like to discuss this with Ziduan first. This matter is very difficult for both of us. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

All the civil and military officials in the court felt sorry for Jin's tragic life experience and that she had lost all her relatives in the war, but who could pity her children of the He family who also sacrificed their lives for the country?

He Zhaojun smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you should know that even if this is truly an imperial marriage, I have ways to make it appear fake. Ziduan is my bottom line, and I will never share it with anyone else."

Emperor Wen nodded solemnly, "I understand. However, I still need your cooperation for the double act at tomorrow's engagement banquet."