Xue Yuanchu looked up at him and calmly handed the letter to Wang Zishan, "Deputy General Wang, please take a look at what is written on this letter."
Wang Zishan took the letter with suspicion and quickly glanced through it. His expression gradually changed from anger to shock. "What...what does this mean?"
"The Western Rong royal court may be undergoing changes, and they hope that we will strengthen our defenses to avoid being affected." Xue Yuanchu explained, "I have not colluded with the Western Rong people in any way. This letter is just a reminder to them."
After hearing this, the anger on Wang Zishan's face gradually subsided, replaced by a solemn look, but there was still a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
"Since this is the case, why don't we take advantage of the opportunity to send troops? Who knows if you are deliberately letting go of this golden opportunity!"
Xue Yuanchu showed no sign of backing down. He retorted, "The Western Rong came to the capital to pay tribute to Your Majesty earlier this year. If you send troops without authorization now, wouldn't that put Your Majesty in an unjust position?"
Wang Zishan snorted coldly, "That sounds nice, but I heard that the Han Chinese son of Zuo Xian Wang claims to be your brother-in-law. What's the trick here?"
Xue Yuanchu stood up and looked Wang Zishan in the face with a determined gaze. He responded without backing down, "What's going on? Even His Majesty knows about this, but it's not your turn to spread rumors and stir up trouble here."
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Yu Heng hurried forward to smooth things over. He smiled gently and said, "Hey, everyone, stop arguing. The most important thing now is to act quickly. Secretary Xue, Deputy General Wang, since we've learned of possible changes at the Western Rong court, we should take swift action to strengthen border defenses."
He glanced around at everyone present and continued, "Especially the nearby towns. We must ensure their safety and prevent them from being affected by the civil unrest in the Western Rong. Deputy General Wang, you are the general in charge of the border defense. You must quickly arrange for each town to increase its vigilance and be ready to respond to any possible emergencies."
Vice Admiral Wang nodded unhappily, agreeing with Heng: "You're right. I should take action now to ensure the security of the border."
Although he was still somewhat unwilling, his anger gradually subsided after Yu Heng's persuasion.
Xue Yuanchu took a deep breath and said, "Okay, in that case, let's put aside our disputes and deal with the crisis together."
…
In the large tent of the Western Rong royal court, Cha Helan, who only had the empty title of queen mother, hugged her son tightly, whose fever had just subsided. Under the dim light of the tent, her eyes were full of worry about the future.
"Mother," the seven-year-old son said in a childish voice filled with deep fear, "The Right Wise King said that if I still can't draw the bow, he will throw me to the wolves."
Cha Helan pretended to be calm and gently stroked her son's back, "You will be fine as long as your mother is here." However, her words also revealed a hint of powerlessness and fear.
Ever since her husband, the previous King of Xirong, passed away, she had thought that her son would be able to inherit the throne smoothly.
However, the Right Wise King and a group of Western Rong nobles refused to allow the prince to succeed to the throne on the grounds that he was too young to even ride a horse or shoot an arrow.
They declared that only when the prince could shoot a wolf alone would he be qualified to sit on the throne.
Cha Helan lost her husband when she was in her early twenties, and at that time she could only helplessly rely on the lustful and shameless Right Wise King.
Fortunately, a loyal follower gave her advice and suggested that she make use of the Left Wise King Zhahemu to contain the power of the Right Wise King and ensure the safety of them and their son.
This strategy really worked, allowing the mother and son to spend a rare period of peace and tranquility.
However, the prince has been weak and sickly since childhood.
The Right Wise King had been taking him riding and wrestling frequently recently, and as a result of all the stress, he had a high fever for several days, and it was only in the past two days that he got slightly better.
Cha Helan was once a princess of another tribe. When she was taken back by the King of Xirong, he was already an old woman over sixty years old.
Perhaps because of this, their son has been weak and sickly since birth.
Or perhaps it was fate's favor. Over the past ten years, the other sons of the King of Xirong rebelled or died in battle, which made the position of crown prince unexpectedly fall on the mother and son.
However, today's stability is like a kite hanging on a string, which may be blown away by the wind at any time.
"Empress Dowager, Princess Zuo Xianwang requests an audience." A maid respectfully entered the tent and reported with her head bowed.
"Tell her I'm taking care of the prince and have no time to meet with her right now."
There was a hint of impatience in Cha Helan's tone.
Cha Helan didn't have much good feelings towards Li Yunting.
When she first heard that the other party was going to marry Zuo Xian Wang, she felt pity for her, feeling that this beautiful woman had a similar fate to hers, and both had to devote themselves to their elderly husbands.
However, several encounters at banquets made her feel that her sympathy became unnecessary, even a little ridiculous.
Li Yunting is a woman who is fickle from head to toe.
Cha Helan knew that she was not a chaste and heroic woman, but she had to cling to the Right Wise King in order to survive. However, what she saw in Li Yunting's eyes was naked ambition.
In order to hold on to power, Li Yunting seemed to use any means necessary, even resorting to the most shameless methods to win over various men. For example, her romantic affairs with Zuo Xianwang's son Duozige had long been known to everyone on the grassland.
Not only that, Cha Helan also witnessed Li Yunting flirting with the guards in front of her tent. That scene made her even more disgusted with the Princess of Zuo Xian.
The maid knew very well that her master was unwilling to meet with Li Yunting, but it was obvious that Li Yunting had anticipated this and asked her to convey a few words.
The maid cautiously approached the couch and whispered softly in Chaharan's ear, "Queen Dowager, that woman said she has a medicine that is extremely rare even in the Great Zhou. She claims that this medicine can cure your heart disease."
Chaharan put down the cloth in his hand that was about to wipe his son's forehead, frowned, and thought for a moment.
She weighed the possible pros and cons, her heart filled with doubts and curiosity.
"You stay and look after the prince," she ordered. The maid in front of her had followed her for many years and was loyal, reliable and trustworthy.
After lowering the curtain, Chaharan raised his voice and called out, "Princess, please come in."
Immediately afterwards, a burst of arrogant laughter rang out, and Li Yunting casually lifted the curtain of the tent and strode in. There was a sense of arrogance in her expression.
"The Queen Mother is well." She bowed slightly, but her arrogance did not diminish in the slightest. This perfunctory salute was more like her unique way of provocation.
Chaharan looked at Li Yunting coldly. Although she was unhappy in her heart, she still maintained the dignity of the empress dowager on her face.
"Princess, what's the matter that brings you here?" She asked in a cold tone, obviously not expecting an answer from the other party.
Li Yunting, however, didn't care about Chahalan's attitude. She walked to the center of the tent and said with a chuckle, "Queen Dowager, I heard that the Crown Prince has been unwell recently, and I'm very concerned. I came here specially to present him with a small gift."
After saying that, she took out an exquisite little porcelain bottle from her bosom and handed it to Chaharan.
"This is?"
"This is a magic medicine that can shut up the man I hate!"
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