Chapter 361 The Northern Barbarian Mission
Perhaps it was the nightmare that instilled a sense of crisis in Huo Lin, and his anxiety towards Jiang Huan reached an unprecedented level.
He practically turned the Imperial Medical Academy upside down, ordering all the imperial physicians, especially those skilled in gynecology and tonics, to do everything in their power to devise the safest and most effective prescriptions for preventing miscarriage and nourishing the body.
Every day, a steady stream of medicinal tonics and supplements were delivered to Weiyang Palace, with a wide variety of types and rare ingredients.
A thousand-year-old ginseng? Not enough, we need to dig out a ten-thousand-year-old one.
[Ganoderma lucidum from the snowy plateau? Of course, I'll take as much as you can get.]
All medicinal herbs must be inspected one by one by my imperial physicians; there must be absolutely no mistakes!
Jiang Huan looked at the mountain of tonics piled up in front of her, and then at Huo Lin's attitude of wanting to give her all the good things in the world. She felt both touched and helpless.
She pinched her increasingly round cheeks: "Alright, alright, if you keep feeding me like this, I'll be turned into a ball before the morning sickness even gets to me."
Huo Lin, however, looked serious as he pulled her into his arms, his chin gently brushing against the top of her head, stubbornly insistent.
"Don't worry, it's better if they're rounder. It makes me feel more at ease. You and the children must be well, there can't be any risks."
Being too thin is bad, being a little chubby is good; being chubby means you're getting enough nutrition and have a strong constitution.
Multiple pregnancies are physically demanding, so it's essential to replenish your energy.
I absolutely cannot allow this nightmare to become a reality.
Moreover, Huo Lin also felt that the original layout of Weiyang Palace was not safe enough.
At a single command, the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Works almost completely renovated the inner palace of Weiyang Palace.
The floor was covered with several thick layers of carpet, so that it felt like walking on cotton, ensuring that even if you fell, you wouldn't get hurt at all.
All the edges and corners of the furniture were carefully wrapped with thick, soft satin by skilled craftsmen, making them rounded without any sharp edges.
Soft padding has been added to all the pillars and screen bases inside the hall, wherever you might touch them.
Jiang Huan looked at the inner palace, which had become as soft and fluffy as a giant nursery, and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Huo Lin, are you trying to treat me like a porcelain doll?" She pointed to the corner of the table, which was wrapped up so round it looked like a giant cotton candy. "Isn't this a bit too much?"
Huo Lin surveyed the scene with great satisfaction and said earnestly, "It's no exaggeration. Better safe than sorry. You're heavily pregnant now and have difficulty moving around. With an extra layer of protection, I feel more at ease."
[That's still not enough. Have the Imperial Household Department send some softer cushions tomorrow.]
[A soft railing should also be added by the window, even if she doesn't necessarily go, it's better to be safe than sorry.]
[Thresholds? Yes, all thresholds must be removed and leveled out, leaving no room for tripping.]
Jiang Huan sighed, rubbing her forehead, as she listened to his endless security upgrade plan.
Well, there's no reasoning with this man who's in the late stages of fatherhood anxiety.
Just as Huo Lin was busy transforming Weiyang Palace into the most vulnerable fortress in the world and frantically searching for rare and precious medicinal herbs, news came from the border.
That afternoon, Huo Lin was reviewing memorials in the imperial study when Shen Yihe, the Minister of War, requested an audience.
“Your Majesty,” Shen Yi said, still with his dashing demeanor, fanning himself, but his tone was very serious, “The Northern Barbarians have sent an envoy who has arrived at the post station outside the capital, saying that they have come to pay tribute and beg for peace talks.”
Huo Lin paused, raised his head, and his eyes turned slightly cold: "Northern Di?"
They were just knocked down, and now they're jumping around again. What tricks are they planning to pull this time?
Shen Yi closed the fan, a playful smile playing on his lips.
"According to the spies, there is a princess from the Northern Di royal court in the delegation. It is said that they want to offer the princess to us in order to establish a marriage alliance and make a lasting covenant."
"Princess?" Upon hearing this, Huo Lin's face instantly darkened, and a hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes.
"Ha, it's that same old marriage alliance trick again. After losing the war, instead of thinking about how to recuperate and behave themselves, they're trying to buy themselves a chance to breathe by sending women. They've really made no progress at all!"
Is his harem a garbage dump, where he stuffs all sorts of people in?
They want to send princesses one or two at a time? Are foreign lands really that abundant in princesses?!
Moreover, Jiang Huan is pregnant, and he absolutely cannot allow unrelated people to cause trouble.
Huo Lin slammed his pen on the table: "Tell them that my harem is not short of people, nor is it short of women from the Northern Barbarians. If they want to negotiate, they should show sincerity and stop with these empty gestures!"
Shen Yi seemed to have anticipated his reaction, merely raising an eyebrow without any surprise.
The Minister of War, however, was somewhat troubled and reminded him, "Your Majesty, if we refuse directly, the Northern Barbarians might lose face and resort to desperate measures..."
Huo Lin snorted coldly: "Face? They've lost everything, even substance. Since they can't see their place, I don't mind helping them wake up!"
A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he instructed Shen Yi, "Pass on my decree, ordering the Northern Border Commander to conduct a new round of mopping-up drills against the remaining Northern Di tribes, effective immediately. The scale need not be too large, but the commotion must be made quite loud for me."
Ha, let them relive the fear of being dominated by iron cavalry!
A hint of a smile flashed in Shen Yi's eyes as he cupped his hands and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."
The Northern Barbarian delegation waited at the post station for several days, but instead of being summoned by the emperor, they received an urgent report from the border.
The Liang army once again rose in arms, their blades aimed directly at several important pastures and settlements of the Northern Di.
The head of the delegation was terrified and hurriedly inquired about the reason, only to find out that the problem lay with the princess.
They originally thought that offering the princess was the best way to express their sincerity, but they never expected that the emperor of Liang would not play by the rules at all, and even became furious because of it.
The head of the mission convened a meeting overnight to discuss the matter, and everyone looked ashen-faced.
"What should we do? His Majesty has ordered us to make peace talks a must."
"Is this Emperor of Liang even a man? He won't even accept a princess as a gift?"
"Now is not the time to talk about this, let's quickly think of a way to remedy the situation!"
Finally, the head of the delegation gritted his teeth and made a decision: "We must immediately write back to our country, explain the situation, and at the same time prepare generous gifts, including gold, fine horses, furs, medicines... bring the best we can offer, and secretly send the princess back immediately. We must never let anyone know that we ever had this plan."
A few days later, the Northern Barbarian delegation once again presented their letter of credence and a long list of gifts.
The list included tens of thousands of taels of gold, thousands of fine horses, and countless precious furs and medicinal herbs, all in exchange for Huo Lin's permission to negotiate.
Inside the imperial study, Huo Lin looked at the official letter and the list of gifts, his expression softening slightly.
"Hmph, you've finally learned your lesson." He snorted coldly and tossed the gift list to the Minister of Revenue standing to the side. "Check and deposit it into the treasury for military supplies in the northern border and for the restoration of people's livelihoods."
They're smart enough to accept that gold, fine horses, and furs are tangible things that are far more useful than any princess.
Perfect timing, she needs to nourish herself, and the deer antlers from the Northern Di are of excellent quality.
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