Wei Qinglou did not ride a horse again when he entered the palace this time.
In his early years, he was granted special permission by the late emperor to wear a sword into the palace and ride a horse in the forbidden courtyard.
Later, when he entered the court as an official, he no longer carried a sword; now that the late emperor has passed away, he no longer even rides a horse.
After arriving at the palace gate by carriage, he bowed and dismounted, then walked toward the Imperial Study.
The new emperor, dressed in a bright yellow robe, was reading memorials in the imperial study when he heard from the eunuch that Lord Wei had arrived. He looked up and smiled, saying, "Let him in."
Wei Qinglou entered the study, lowered his eyes, clasped his hands in greeting, and the new emperor sighed, "Yan He and I have become estranged."
He remembered that not long ago, this young man had called him brother-in-law in his letters.
Wei Qinglou smiled and said, "Your Majesty, etiquette must not be disregarded."
"Yes." The new emperor nodded. "It's just that it inevitably evokes feelings of nostalgia."
After he finished speaking, he asked, "You came in such a hurry, do you already know about your second brother's matter?"
"Yes," Wei Qinglou said. "However, I am not here for my second brother's matter. Your Majesty, I have heard that tonight at the New Year's banquet, the Turkic prince and his envoy will propose to Your Majesty the marriage of a princess."
"You have an idea?"
Although it was daytime, the sky over Yujing City was often overcast in late winter. The Imperial Study, deep within the palace, was shrouded in an indescribable gloom, a gloom that carried the unique chill of the Forbidden City, lingering faintly and enveloping everyone's face, making everyone—whether the high and mighty new emperor, the now renowned young scholar, or the solemn eunuch standing in the corner—unclear and indistinct.
But perhaps it is precisely because of this that their minds have become clear.
For example, even if Wei Qinglou could not see the expression on his monarch's face at this moment, he could easily sense that the monarch suspected him.
He suspected that his ministers would use the marriage alliance between the two countries to implicate the daughters of his political enemies, thereby dealing a fatal blow to them.
Wei Qinglou's mind is as clear as a mirror.
Suspicion.
No matter how close the relationship, in the face of power or hierarchy, it will inevitably be surrounded by suspicion in the end.
He thought that the new emperor's suspicion of him was justified. When they were brothers-in-law and brother-in-law, the new emperor had witnessed his shrewdness and calculations, and was aware of his methods and wisdom.
Now that they have become ruler and subject, who wouldn't be suspicious of such a subject?
Between the tiger tamer and the tiger, the tiger actually plays the dominant role.
He kowtowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I dare not deceive you. I believe that marrying a member of the imperial family to the Turks may bring about a lasting friendship, but I fear it will not be able to maintain peace for long."
The new emperor nodded slightly: "Go on."
"Although the Turks seem to have submitted to Ye, they were born on horseback and have the ambition to soar like eagles. If they are given the opportunity, the alliance between the two countries will naturally be in jeopardy. Even if a woman from Ye is married off to a distant land, for the Turks, a woman or a prince consort is far less important than the expansion of their territory."
Wei Qinglou did not get up, but said slowly, "In my opinion, it would be better to arrange for ambitious people to go to the Turks. As far as I know, people in the court such as Song Tianwen, Yu Hanxiao, and Xie Jucao are willing to go north to study the customs and geography of the Turks, so as to write books and pass them down to future generations."
The individuals he mentioned are now serving in the Hanlin Academy, holding leisurely official positions. They have neither lofty ambitions for further advancement nor a desire to live an ordinary life.
Their lifelong wish was to travel to foreign lands, emulate the ancients, and write a record of the customs and products of other countries for future generations to study.
"Furthermore, I have heard that the Turkic people, from high-ranking officials to commoners, have long admired the culture of Daye. If Your Majesty could send a few of you to the Turkic Khaganate to spread our writing, cuisine, and even Confucianism and law, wouldn't that be a great display of Your Majesty's benevolence?"
"Is there anything else?" The esteemed emperor rose from the high platform, descended the jade steps, and came before his minister, helping the young minister kneeling on the ground to his feet. "The history of intermarriage between Daye and the Turks is long-standing. If it is merely to demonstrate imperial favor and harmony, I am afraid I cannot persuade those old stubborns in the court!"
Wei Qinglou continued, "The Turks lived a nomadic life, following the water and pasture, which is why the warhorses they raised were strong and agile..."
Seeing the Emperor's expression gradually turn to satisfaction, Wei Qinglou understood that the Emperor already knew his implication. He concealed his unspoken words and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this is a plan for the long term."
"I understand what you mean. Yanhe, it is a blessing for Daye to have you in office." The new emperor sighed. At this moment, he seemed to have transformed back into the Prince Ke who talked endlessly with his brother-in-law and rarely got involved in power struggles.
Wei Qinglou quickly lowered his head and said he dared not.
"Then this matter will be entrusted to you."
"Your humble servant obeys the decree." After saying this, Wei Qinglou asked how to deal with Chang Beiqiu.
When this person was mentioned, the emperor's face showed a rare expression of disgust.
Chang Beiqiu secretly supplied the border troops with crudely made weapons, resulting in the deaths of three thousand cavalrymen on the frontier. This shows how ruthless he was. Three thousand today, thirty thousand tomorrow; he didn't care about the lives of those three thousand soldiers, nor did he care about the safety of the Great Ye state.
This is a truly disloyal and heartless person.
"Give me death."
"yes."
...
The sky darkened, and it began to snow again. Large, fluffy snowflakes drifted down, turning the sky white.
The snow that had been piled up earlier on the artificial hill and pond in the distance, and on the stone path and withered trees nearby, had not yet melted, and now a thick layer had accumulated again.
In the Green Grass Pavilion, Zhu Jiayu and Song Jiangmei sat facing each other, drinking wine.
"A year has passed in the blink of an eye. I still vividly remember our conversation in Heling City. Now we've gathered again in Yujing City. It seems that we meet again in many places in life." Song Jiangmei took a big gulp of the fine wine that Zhu Jiayu said she had dug out from the old man's collection, then frowned. "Zhu Jiayu, why does this wine taste no different from the two-tael-a-pot Weifengchen wine from the west of the city?"
Zhu Jiayu pouted, snatched the wine pot, and hugged it to her chest: "I came here out of kindness to invite you to drink. If you don't want to drink, just say so. Why are you belittling my wine?"
"Even if this wine really is only two taels of silver a pot, I'm still here drinking with you. Isn't that precious? Besides, I pried it out of my father's mouth when he was drunk!"
Song Jiangmei reached out to snatch the wine from her arms: "Alright, alright, whatever you say. But, if that person finds out you came to drink with me, won't they be angry?"
She had the privilege of witnessing once how that man surnamed Wei controlled Zhu Jiayu. He wouldn't let her eat anything too cold, anything too hot, anything too sweet, or anything too spicy. On the contrary, he practically wished Zhu Jiayu had two mouths so she could drink all the tonic soups.
Even raising a daughter wouldn't spoil him like this.
If he finds out that Zhu Jiayu came to ask her for drinks today, won't the two of them have a big fight?
Zhu Jiayu glared at him coldly: "He wouldn't dare!"
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