Zhao Shu and Wei Tingsi went to Yipinju. Wei Tingsi was worried that she would be in a bad mood, so he specially asked the chef to prepare a table full of delicious food for her, including dishes from the south, the north, the western regions, and overseas.

I don't know where he found the chef, but he is even more talented than Xing'er. Whatever ingredients are in the chef's hands will definitely be turned into delicious food, and the way they are eaten is also different.

Zhao Shu didn't stand on ceremony, not wanting to disappoint him, but there was so much delicious food that she couldn't eat much, and she was full in no time.

After brewing tea, the two sat in the pavilion and played chess. It was more of a casual game than a real game; Zhao Shu didn't even think about the moves.

“Your public appearance suggests that Prince Jing is about to take action,” Zhao Shu said, her eyelids drooping as if she were too full.

Seeing that she was very sleepy, Wei Tingsi sat down next to her and let Zhao Shu lie on his lap to doze off. He said indifferently, "As the saying goes, befriend distant states and attack nearby ones. He dares not."

Then he added, "You didn't rest well yesterday, so go to sleep for a while. I'll wake you up later."

Zhao Shu leaned against him and nodded instinctively, yawning incessantly. She soon fell asleep, but before she drifted off to sleep, she still fought off her drowsiness and asked, "Whom do you want to befriend, the distant or the near?"

“August,” he said.

Zhao Shu couldn't recall the existence of an Augustan Empire, but she knew that the Huns had invaded the Roman Empire. However, with the history so distorted, she was becoming completely ignorant.

As she pondered this, she realized she couldn't control it anymore and fell asleep.

After she fell asleep, Zhang Chang tiptoed over to report, lowering his voice, "Marshal, Prince Augustus is willing to purchase 600,000 muskets for 50 million taels of gold and send troops to the Xiongnu Kingdom."

Wei Tingsi looked at the chessboard in front of him, gently encircling Zhao Shu with his hand, carefully. After a moment, he turned to look at Zhang Chang, "It's autumn, and the Xiongnu Kingdom needs to stockpile grain for the winter. Go and tell Augustus to put down three thousand taels as a deposit. I hope that on the day of Ajun's coming-of-age ceremony, the whole world will celebrate."

Zhang Chang dared not ask any more questions, and left after saying "yes". In fact, he was puzzled. Princess Jun was coming of age, did she expect people from a country thousands of miles away to come and congratulate her? It would be good enough if the surrounding barbarians came, it's not like it was the emperor's birthday.

However, it would be a great honor for all nations to pay tribute, and he was happy to see that.

Wei Tingsi's sudden appearance in the court today didn't seem unusual to others, but the spies that Prince Jing had planted in the court immediately sent a message to Prince Jing by carrier pigeon after the court session.

However, before the carrier pigeon could reach Prince Jing, a great figure arrived in the capital. Rumor had it that a prince from the Gaius Empire had come to pay homage.

Originally, no one knew that a foreign prince had come to the capital, but he suddenly appeared as if he had fallen from the sky, and someone had given a clear introduction to the prince's identity and background.

The so-called Gaius Empire was a large country bordering the Hunnic Kingdom. Naturally, it could not compare with the Celestial Empire. However, as the art of war says, "befriend distant states and attack nearby ones." Every autumn, the Hunnic Kingdom would come to the Central Plains to burn, kill, and plunder. If Dayong could join forces with the Gaius Kingdom to attack the Hunnic Kingdom, or even destroy the Hunnic Kingdom, wouldn't that be wonderful?

The Empress Dowager had obviously known about Prince Augustus's visit to the court beforehand. After the news broke, she immediately sent the Ministry of Rites to invite Augustus to an audience.

Both were monarchies, and Augustus was fully able to accept the Dayong culture of kneeling before the emperor and empress dowager, and had a very pleasant conversation with the empress dowager.

Anyone with even a basic understanding of politics, including King Jing's men, was shocked by the news. If the Kingdom of Gaius truly existed and Dayong was on good terms with Gaius, it would inevitably affect the Xiongnu Kingdom. Would King Jing still have any chance of winning then?

The answer is definitely no, they have no chance of winning. The Xiongnu might even try to win over Dayong and then attack King Jing.

In any case, there's nothing between countries except interests.

Immediately, the officials that King Jing had stationed in the capital began to get restless.

Such matters of state cannot be resolved in a short time, so let's leave them aside for now. After returning from the palace, Sun Yun went straight to his room, his mood incredibly complicated.

I'm happy, truly happy.

I'm too ashamed to face anyone, I really am too ashamed to face anyone.

I feel guilty, and I truly feel guilty.

When Prince Yong returned to his residence, he was also very troubled. He asked Green Ivy and learned that Zhao Shu had not yet returned to the residence. He was very upset and paced back and forth in the courtyard. How could he explain this?

The maids and servants in the mansion could only watch silently. Although they all knew Sun Yun, they never thought that she would become a princess one day. Would it be awkward for the princess and the princess to share a room in the future?

How should we get along?

Uncle Fu, Bi Qiao, and others were extremely worried about this matter.

However, Sun Yun was no ordinary young lady. She only locked herself in her room for half an hour before coming out. The moment she stepped out of the room, she was even more shrewd than before.

After a few orders were issued, the Sun family was scrambling to keep up.

The next day, Zhao Shu returned to Prince Yong's residence from Yipinju. Xiao Zhuzi came to report, "Princess, Miss Sun has sent the irrefutable evidence that the Tenth Prince was murdered to the palace, as well as irrefutable evidence that Consort Ning is the Fourth Prince's birth mother. Princess, what should we do?"

Zhao Shu thought for a moment, what else could she do? She might as well admit defeat, what else could she do? She couldn't leave Sun Yun without giving him even the slightest chance, after all, the marriage had already been arranged, wouldn't it be better to give each other a way out?

"Let her be, let's just give up. By the way, where is Father?" She was more worried about Prince Yong at this moment. He must be panicked and feel sorry for his daughter.

Xiao Zhuzi lowered his head and quickly replied, "Your Highness, the Prince is fishing at Sendai Temple."

"Perhaps she went to Sendai-in Temple because she was troubled," Zhao Shu nodded and followed the road toward Sendai-in Temple.

Upon arriving at Sendai-in, they saw Prince Yong sitting on the chaise lounge in the pavilion, lost in thought. He didn't even notice Zhao Shu walking right up to him.

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