On a sweltering summer afternoon, a figure in bright yellow stood at the end of the corridor, gazing into the distance. Eunuch Li bent down and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Then, without making a sound, he looked towards Ning'an Palace.
He knew perfectly well that the Emperor was waiting for the princess to arrive.
"Will the Empress Dowager make things difficult for my cousin?" The Emperor of Northern Chu frowned, his tone anxious.
Eunuch Li was both amused and exasperated: "Your Majesty, you know the princess's temper. Looking across the entire capital, has the princess ever taken anyone seriously?"
The princess did not overturn the table and angrily confront the Empress Dowager today, also out of respect for the Emperor.
Princesses are the ones who bully others, never the other way around.
The Northern Chu Emperor remained silent, a string of sandalwood beads wrapped around his wrist. He lightly traced the beads with his fingertips, gazing absently into the distance.
Just as footsteps sounded from the other end of the corridor, Eunuch Li exclaimed in surprise, "Your Majesty, it's the princess!"
A figure in bright yellow gracefully approached the other end of the corridor to meet them.
They walked in a hurry.
Grandpa Li jogged to catch up.
“Cousin.” When the Emperor of Northern Chu saw Princess Jia Hua arrive, his eyes lit up and his handsome face was full of smiles.
Princess Jia Hua smiled and said, "At the banquet, I noticed you didn't eat much. Did you not have an appetite?"
"My appetite has indeed been poor these past few days."
“That won’t do. You are the Emperor, you must take good care of your health.” Princess Jia Hua glanced at Eunuch Li: “Have the Imperial Kitchen prepare some delicious food.”
"Yes!" Eunuch Li replied quickly.
Princess Jia Hua looked at the Northern Chu Emperor standing under the eaves in the sweltering summer heat, still wearing his dragon robe, with fine beads of sweat on his face. She raised her chin and said, "The sun is too strong. Let's go inside and talk."
The Emperor of Northern Chu followed closely behind.
A chill swept through the hall, and Princess Jiahua immediately noticed the mountain of memorials piled on the dragon desk. At that moment, a young eunuch approached carrying memorials. She turned around and looked at the thin figure of the Northern Chu Emperor. In the two years since he became emperor, he had been far too diligent.
The number of memorials submitted by Emperor Taizu in five years was less than the number submitted by him in just over a year.
Princess Jiahua knew that most of these memorials were slanderous against the Northern Chu Emperor, trying to create trouble for him in various ways.
Beset by internal and external troubles, they must wear down the Northern Chu Emperor.
Marrying Song Yue to Zhao Zhiyan would tie Zhao Zhiyan to the Northern Chu Emperor's ship, thus easing some of the Northern Chu Emperor's burden.
Princess Jiahua, recalling the situation in her previous life, bent down and sat opposite the tea table, poured a cup of tea and handed it to the Emperor of Northern Chu: "Now that Prince Shen has entered the capital, does Your Majesty have any plans?"
"Don't worry, cousin. Prince Shen saved Zhen'er, and I will certainly treat him well."
“No.” Princess Jiahua interrupted the other party: “The Crown Prince of Shen is a highly sought-after prince. The Emperor should grant him a marriage as soon as possible to avoid the two countries having to arrange a marriage alliance. The Crown Prince of Shen has been chosen.”
One thing at a time, Princess Jiahua is grateful to the Prince Shen's Mansion, but she will never allow the Prince Shen's Mansion to become a threat to the Emperor of Northern Chu.
The Emperor of Northern Chu remained silent.
“I have a niece named Song Huan, who is thirteen years old this year. Although she is young, she has a charming and innocent personality. However, Song Huan’s status is not yet high enough to be the Crown Princess of Prince Shen. Your Majesty can promote Song Qingfeng. Also, Prince Guangjia should get married. Madam Jiang has a daughter who is fifteen years old this year. Her status is a good match for Prince Guangjia.”
"General Jiang holds military power. If he were to form a marriage alliance with the Prince of Guangjia, wouldn't that be like adding wings to a tiger?"
Princess Jiahua smiled and said, "Miss Jiang saved Prince Guangjia's life two years ago. Prince Guangjia still doesn't know who she is. The two can be considered lovers. After Miss Jiang gets married, the Emperor can summon General Jiang back and then use this opportunity to have someone take over General Jiang's military power."
"General Jiang is a veteran of three dynasties with outstanding military achievements. I'm afraid no one else would dare to touch his military power."
“Your Majesty, after the Eighth Prince gets married, he will go to the battlefield to gain experience as the Crown Prince. Who dares to object?” Princess Jia Hua smiled domineeringly.
Only Zhao Zhiyan could rightfully seize General Jiang's military power.
Domestically, Zhao Zhiyan was the uncle entrusted with the care of the young crown prince. Externally, Zhao Zhiyan was the crown prince, and only Zhao Zhiyan could take over and win the hearts and minds of the ministers and soldiers who opposed the Northern Chu Emperor.
This is to quell internal troubles.
As long as Zhao Zhiyan does not rebel, the throne of the Northern Chu Emperor will be secure.
Zhao Zhiyan is already the rightful crown prince, so why would he rebel?
The Emperor of Northern Chu thought for a moment and nodded: "I will listen to my cousin."
Princess Jiahua sighed, saying that in her previous life, the Emperor of Northern Chu was worn down to death by others. Beset by internal and external troubles, with endless memorials to deal with and a pile of messy affairs, his health deteriorated day by day.
Not long after his death, King Guangjia was poisoned, and the blame was placed on the Emperor of Northern Chu, who became a notorious tyrant.
Miss Jiang was sent to marry a foreign prince and became the Crown Princess of Japan. In the near future, General Jiang also let the Japanese army conquer three cities.
The morale of the Northern Chu army plummeted, and it was too late to salvage the situation.
After the death of the Emperor of Northern Chu.
The one who ascended the throne was Prince Shen, who happened to be attending to the ailing Prince Shen in the palace.
A year later, Zhao Zhiyan followed the example of the Northern Chu Emperor, successfully rebelled, and became the new emperor.
This throne will belong to Zhao Zhiyan sooner or later, so why not win him over in advance?
The Eighth Prince, who is gentle and good-tempered, is not as mild and harmless as he appears. If it weren't for Zhao Zhiyan, the Emperor of Northern Chu might not have been able to hold out for so long.
If the Emperor of Northern Chu were still on the throne, the Eighth Prince would never have rebelled.
"And Miss Xu, gentle and virtuous, why not bestow her upon the Prince of Zhennan as a concubine?" The Xu family and the Prince of Zhennan's mansion are in cahoots. If the marriage is arranged, Xu Qing'er will be fine if she lives well, but if she doesn't, the Xu family will definitely break ties with the Prince of Zhennan's mansion.
With Zhao Qingyan around, it's no wonder Xu Qing'er can't have a good life!
Under Princess Jia Hua's arrangement, the Northern Chu Emperor issued three decrees. The first was to bestow Miss Jiang in marriage to Prince Guang Jia.
Secondly, Song Qingfeng was promoted to inherit the title of Duke of the State, and Song Huan was given to the Prince of Shen as his consort.
Thirdly, Miss Xu was bestowed upon the heir of the Prince of Zhennan as a concubine.
Princess Jia Hua nodded in satisfaction. In this life, she would protect the Emperor of Northern Chu and never let him repeat the same mistakes.
"Cousin, I suddenly feel much more relaxed." The Emperor of Northern Chu smiled brightly.
Under Princess Jia Hua's supervision, the Northern Chu Emperor finished a bowl of rice, looking refreshed and ready to be praised: "How about I visit you in the palace every two days?"
"Of course!" The Northern Chu Emperor's eyes shone brightly. Perhaps he was too excited, because he coughed twice, covering his mouth. Princess Jia Hua keenly sensed that something was amiss. She looked around and saw that there were many palace people present. She smiled and said, "I will come again tomorrow."
The Emperor of Northern Chu nodded with a smile.
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