Chapter 365 The Real and Fake Princess
The two siblings from the Tian family unconsciously swallowed, their eyes fixed intently on Madam Min Qiao.
"So, what the old lady means is..." Li Sanqi asked with difficulty, voicing the doubts in his heart.
"What I mean is that whether it's deliberately causing the Earl of Annan to lose, or making the Crown Prince and the Third Prince shake hands and make peace briefly, the only person who can instruct them is His Majesty!"
Madam Min said in a deep voice, "So I guess this was all premeditated!"
"This was premeditated!?" King Chu asked in shock, "What does Father intend to do?"
Madam Min Qiao guessed: "First, let Min Pan'er take the place of the Seventh Princess for a marriage alliance."
"It's too much of a coincidence that Min Pan'er and the Seventh Princess both went to Xi'an at the same time and both needed my escort."
"So I guess that Min Pan'er is actually a substitute prepared by the Emperor for the Seventh Princess."
Li Sanqi's eyes lit up, but then he became worried. "Will Min Pan'er agree to take my place in the marriage alliance?"
“She won’t refuse; she’ll even readily agree.” Madam Min sighed and explained, “She was originally going to be sent to the Western Depot.”
"The path Min Ji arranged for her was to be given to the powerful and wealthy in Xixi as a plaything."
"But if we let her take your place in the marriage alliance, she can transform into the Princess of Xihe of Dayan, with a noble status. She can also marry the Crown Prince of Xihe and enjoy wealth and honor."
"Between being a plaything and being a princess, what do you think she would choose?"
Need I say more? Any normal person would choose to be a princess without hesitation!
Hearing this, Li Sanqi breathed a sigh of relief, and his eyebrows curved into a smile. "That's good!"
If Min Pan'er is not willing to go in her place for the marriage alliance, it will be difficult to handle the situation if trouble arises.
Seeing Min Qiao looking at him, Li Sanqi quickly added, "If I were to force someone to go on a marriage alliance because of me, I would really feel bad."
Min Qiao silently withdrew her gaze.
If everything is as she guessed, then Min Pan'er exists specifically for Li Sanqi.
The King of Chu, oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, anxiously pressed on, "Didn't the old lady just say that having Min Pan'er replace Seventh Sister in the marriage was the first point? What are the second and third points?"
"Secondly, the reason for making the Earl of Annan suffer a defeat was to lower Xi'an's guard."
"For the past few decades, the western border has always been guarded by the General of the State's Mansion. The border generals in the west were all promoted by the late General Yuan."
"Therefore, even if the commander guarding the west is not General Yuan but his son, they will wholeheartedly assist him in defending the border."
"However, with the death of the last son of the Yuan family and the change of commander to the Earl of Annam, the people under him may not be truly loyal to him."
"And this is also the reason why the Earl of Annam was defeated in his first battle."
"Of course, these are all illusions that His Majesty deliberately presented to Xixi."
"Your Majesty is trying to convey to Xixi the false impression that the Dayan border garrison is disloyal and weak."
"The fact that the traditionally powerful Dayan actually sent Princess Xihe to marry into the Western Regions confirms the fact that there are problems with the Dayan border army."
Li Sanqi felt her heart pounding. She swallowed hard and asked cautiously, "So, Father Emperor is preparing to take action against Xi'er?"
“Yes!” Madam Min Qiao nodded solemnly. “Everything His Majesty has done is to mislead Xi’an and make the upper echelons of Xi’an have the wrong understanding.”
"As long as Xixi can't help but make the first move, then Dayan can stand on the side of righteousness and crush Xixi in one fell swoop."
Seeing that the King of Chu wanted to refute something, Lady Min Qiao smiled and answered his doubts.
"The border between the two countries has always been unstable, but those were just minor skirmishes."
"But now, His Majesty intends to destroy the Western Kingdom!"
"This is completely different from the past. Therefore, we need a reasonable excuse to silence public opinion."
"Don't forget, Da Yan has more than just Xi Xi as a neighbor."
However, the other neighboring countries were all small fry, and they only ever submitted to and paid tribute to Dayan. They dared not provoke like Xixi did.
However, even the smallest fry can feel insecure and will band together for warmth.
Therefore, it is essential to find a legitimate pretext before launching an attack on Xixi.
"Is there a third point?" the King of Chu asked anxiously.
Madam Min thought for a moment, then nodded seriously, "Thirdly, if Xi'er is too timid to make the first move..."
At this point, Madam Min Qiao subconsciously glanced at King Chu and Li Sanqi.
Both of them looked at Min Qiaoshi with curiosity.
Seeing that Madam Min Qiao remained silent for a long time, Li Sanqi couldn't help but ask, "If Xi Xi doesn't dare to make a move, then what should we do?"
Madam Min sighed, her face grim, and said, "If Xi'er doesn't make a move, Princess Xihe will die!"
"What!?" The brother and sister both paled at the same time.
The King of Chu said angrily, "Madam, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that Father will have Seventh Sister killed?"
"Fifth Brother, calm down." Li Sanqi frowned and glared at the King of Chu. "It was Princess Xihe who died, but Princess Xihe may not be me. Father only wants a title."
The King of Chu suddenly realized: "So, what the old lady means is that Father Emperor wants to use Xihe's death as a legitimate pretext to send troops to Xixi?"
“Yes!” Madam Min Qiao nodded solemnly.
This is why Princess Xihe had to be the most favored legitimate princess.
The more noble Princess Xihe's status, the greater the shock caused by her death!
This will make the excuse for Dayan's military expedition even more convincing!
"So, Father Emperor wants Min Pan'er to die in place of Seventh Sister?"
The King of Chu said with a resistant expression, "Although Min Pan'er is not as noble as Seventh Sister, she is still a living person! And a young lady of the Min family! How can we easily send her to her death?"
Upon hearing this, not only Li Sanqi but even Min Qiaoshi was shocked.
So this is what the King of Chu was really like? Soft-hearted, naive, and womanly indignation.
Is this really a child who grew up in the palace?
Not to mention the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, even the Seventh Princess is more cunning and ruthless than him!
Li Sanqi glanced at the King of Chu speechlessly, then secretly looked at Min Qiaoshi before biting his lip and saying with a guilty expression, "Fifth Brother is right, I can't let Miss Min die in my place."
"Since the real and fake princesses haven't been switched yet, there's still time. Why don't I go to Xixi myself for the marriage alliance?"
By the end, Li Sanqi's eyes were red, and he lowered his head, silently shedding tears.
Seeing this, the King of Chu immediately became anxious, "No, no, no, that's not what I meant! Seventh Sister, don't cry, I'm not blaming you! And I certainly don't want you to go to your death!"
"That's right, I just think it's too cruel to make innocent people die in someone else's place!"
"Fifth Brother, please stop talking, I understand." Li Sanqi said pitifully, "My life is precious, and so are other people's lives. I shouldn't selfishly let others take my place..."
The more Li Sanqi acted this way, the more anxious the King of Chu became. "Seventh Sister, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those things to make you feel bad. Please just pretend I didn't say anything, okay?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com