Chapter 146
"From the clouds to the mud, from a noble lady to an orphan spurned by her family, Your Highness, the sharpest sword in the world is not the weapon on the battlefield.
"It's the verbal sparring in the Golden Palace, the hands that turn the tide on the Dragon Throne. I've seen life and death, I've seen through the infighting. How hard is it to guess the imperial schemes and the checks and balances in the court?"
She paused slightly, her eyes falling on He Ning's face, her understanding almost sympathetic:
"Your father, the King of Zhenbei, has dominated the northern border for decades, but his great achievements have not been rewarded. Instead, Your Majesty has used the instability of the northern border as an excuse to keep him at the border, and even his own son has been taken hostage.
Your Highness, do you think your father really doesn't know the ins and outs of this? I'm afraid he knows it better than anyone else.
He retired at the height of his career and requested permission to stay in the northern border forever, willingly staying away from the center of power in the capital, and even acquiesced in your Highness being taken to the capital as a hostage. What was his reason for this?
It wasn't out of loyalty to the emperor or patriotism, but rather to preserve the He family and find a way to survive amidst His Majesty's growing suspicion. Your Highness's father's choice was the true path to self-preservation."
She shook her head gently, leaving nothing to be said.
The hall fell into a long silence again.
The hustle and bustle outside the window seemed to have faded away.
He Ning lowered his head and gripped his knees tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force.
After a long time, he slowly raised his head, his eyes still full of vigor and even with a hint of smile.
"Miss Jiang, in your opinion, how should He deal with himself now?
Jiang Qingning was slightly surprised by He Ning's reaction, but in his heart he became more determined to cooperate with him.
"Your Highness is now trapped in the situation and there is no turning back."
Her voice returned to its usual coldness. "The position of Censor was granted by His Majesty, and it's a sword hanging over my head. If I do it well, it's my duty. If I do it poorly, it's giving someone else an advantage, as for the matter of asking for my hand in marriage."
She put down the teacup and looked at He Ning calmly.
"Your Majesty is pleased to see this happen. If Your Highness regrets it now, it will be a slap in the face to yourself and will also arouse Your Majesty's suspicion.
I believe that His Highness is colluding with Qin Xiu, or that he is loyal to the King of Zhenbei and is unwilling to be a hostage. There is nothing more difficult than riding a tiger and getting off the ground."
Entering is a trap.
Retreat is the abyss.
"Then can we just let His Majesty control us?" He Ning said calmly.
"Mandatory?"
Jiang Qingning's lips curled slightly, revealing a faint but cold smile, "Your Highness, chess pieces can also counter the chess players.
The key lies in whether Your Highness is willing to step beyond his own emotions, truly see the true nature of this chess game, and find a way out for himself and the Zhenbei Palace."
He Ning's smile was no longer concealed, and he looked more relaxed: "Please tell me clearly, young lady."
Jiang Qingning's gaze became deep, like a bottomless cold pond:
"Your Majesty wants the Qin family and your He family to check and balance each other. Your Highness needs to follow His Majesty's wishes and play the role of this balancing sword.
He enforced the law impartially and impartially. When the Qin family needed to be investigated, he would use solid evidence to investigate. When the Qin family needed to be dealt with, he would use thunderous means to deal with it.
Only in this way can you gain His Majesty's trust and make him feel that you are a useful sword, so that he will not attack His Highness and the Zhenbei Palace for the time being."
She paused and glanced at He Ning's complicated expression.
"If Your Highness truly wishes to protect me, or to use this marriage to achieve something, then you must make it a reality. Your Majesty has granted me the marriage, and you should gladly accept it. Bring me into the palace and place me under your protection. Your Majesty wants to use me to contain Lingnan's father and brother, and to intensify the conflict between you and Qin Xiu. Why don't you take advantage of their strategy?"
Her voice lowered even more, with a kind of coldness that saw through people's hearts:
"By keeping me by your side, Your Highness will have a natural hostage, a hostage that Your Majesty cannot easily use. If Your Majesty wants to take action against Lingnan, you must be wary of the hostage in Your Highness's hands.
At the same time, His Highness can also use this marriage to secretly observe the movements of Lingnan, and even become a secret bridge connecting Lingnan and the northern border when necessary.
His Majesty wants you and me to be his pawns to check and balance him. Why don't you use this opportunity to weave a net of protection for yourself?"
He Ning was shocked when he heard this, and his impression of her when he first met her was completely changed.
Jiang Qingning's proposal was very bold, instantly transforming a marriage full of calculations into a larger and more dangerous game.
What kind of courage and scheming does this require?
He looked at the cold eyes and eyebrows of the woman in front of him, and for the first time he truly felt an unfathomable chill and a heart-pounding attraction.
She was not seeking refuge, she was taking the initiative to join the game and even trying to take control of it.
"Do you know how risky it is to act this way? If you're not careful, you could be doomed."
Jiang Qingning smiled faintly, that smile carrying a kind of indifference that saw through life and death:
"Your Highness, from the moment my father and brother were sent to distant Lingnan, I, Jiang Qingning, have been on the brink of eternal damnation.
Rather than sitting there and waiting to be slaughtered, it's better to give it a try, at least you can drag a few people down with you."
"Your Highness, please cooperate with me
The sunlight outside the window shines through the window lattice, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground, but it cannot dispel the coldness in the room.
He Ning stared at Jiang Qingning for a long time, his heart in turmoil.
His father's self-protection, the emperor's suspicion, Qin Xiu's threat, his own predicament, and the woman in front of him with her determination and astonishing scheming to burn her boats.
All of this pushed him to an unprecedented choice.
After a long while, he slowly stood up and bowed deeply to Jiang Qingning, his gesture more solemn than ever before:
"Miss Jiang's words are like enlightenment to me. He Ning has learned a lesson. I will remember your words today. I will play this game with you till the end!"
The morning bell from the Golden Throne Hall broke the silence of dawn, and the lingering sound echoed in the vast and grand palace.
All the officials filed in one after another and stood at attention according to their ranks in perfect silence.
Only the rustle of fabric rubbing against each other and the light sound of boots stepping on gold bricks merged into a dull and depressing undercurrent.
Lu Bin, sitting on the dragon throne, had the jade ornaments hanging from his crown tassels swaying slightly, covering most of his face.
Only two scrutinizing gazes remained, slowly sweeping over the heads of every minister below the stairs.
It finally settled on the figure at the front of the ranks of generals, who was as tall and straight as a pine tree.
He Ning, the prince of Zhenbei.
He Ning was wearing the crimson official robe of a third-rank Censor, with a golden belt around his waist that symbolized his military rank. His posture was as straight as the unyielding poplar trees in the northern border.
He seemed to still carry the chill of the north wind and the smell of gunpowder from the border wars.
The aura surrounding He Ning was incompatible with the overly sweet aroma of ambergris rising from the incense burner in the hall.
The eunuch standing beside the throne pierced the still air with a shrill voice: "If you have a petition, proceed. If you don't, leave the court!!!"
Before he finished speaking, He Ning took a step forward, and the sole of his boot landed on the gold brick with a clear and crisp sound, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
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