The Emperor noticed Mu Feng's gaze and felt somewhat displeased. During the day, the prince had acted as if he didn't care about the marriage proposal at all, but now he was staring straight at his niece, clearly showing that he was lustful. The Emperor was immediately displeased.
Sitting diagonally opposite Mu Feng, Ertai also gripped his wine glass tightly with his right hand, watching Mu Feng's gaze. What did this Burmese prince mean? Did he really intend for the Qing Dynasty to conquer Burma?
Ji Chu sat down with Ertai. Seeing Ertai's state, Ji Chu felt a pang of sympathy and patted Ertai's shoulder reassuringly. At the same time, he looked up at Qing Gege, whom he longed for but could never have. He only hoped that no matter who Qing Gege married, she would never be sent on a political marriage.
Qing'er noticed the gaze and looked down, her eyes meeting Ji Chu's burning gaze. Qing'er wanted to look away, but somehow, as if bewitched, she just stared straight at him. It had been quite a few days since they had gone out of the palace together to play.
Ertai swallowed the mouthful of wine hard, then slammed the glass down on the table, and then looked at Anke with a wronged expression.
Seeing Ertai's expression, Anke tried to reassure him, glancing at him to relax. She assured him that she wouldn't marry into Burma no matter what, especially since their marriage had already been arranged by the Emperor's uncle, a fact known to all. How could the Emperor possibly contradict himself?
Ertai was then calmed down and resumed sipping the wine at the banquet with a composed expression. Since the princess had asked him to trust her, he would trust her.
Sitting next to Mu Feng, Mu Sha stared at Er Tai. Seeing his arrogant and unruly demeanor, Mu Sha felt her blood boiling, clamoring to conquer him. It was as if conquering him would easily conquer the Qing Dynasty.
Ertai noticed Musa's gaze. After seeing that he was dressed as a prince, Ertai stopped looking in that direction. He never expected that this was not a Burmese prince, but a princess disguised as a man.
Qing'er was the first to look away, because the Empress Dowager was calling her. Qing'er walked to the Empress Dowager's side, listened to the Empress Dowager whisper a few words in her ear, and then patted the Empress Dowager's hand to indicate that she had a plan.
"What did Grandmother call you over for?" An Ke asked curiously. She had been engrossed in watching Qing'er and Ji Chu's relationship, their focused gazes locked in a silent, inseparable connection, as if two electric currents had instantly connected. Unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager had called for Qing'er. Looking at General Ji's helpless yet resigned expression, she really did resemble a pitiful little dog.
Anke: I declare that the one I'm following is the most correct. Your Highness should learn more from me. How can you make a mistake when you're trying to match people up?
"Now that the banquet has begun, Your Majesty, shall we, as we said today, sincerely ask for Princess Yong'an's hand in marriage?" The foolish Burmese minister stood up again, completely ignoring the stares directed at him from those around him, some of whom even wished they could kill him on the spot.
The Emperor merely chuckled dryly, "It was my fault for not being clear today. Princess Yong'an cannot marry the Burmese prince, because I have already bestowed a marriage upon Princess Yong'an and General Fu, and it has been announced to the world." The Emperor did not want his only niece to marry so far away. He had originally thought that if they stayed at the post station, they could find out about Princess Yong'an's betrothal no matter who they asked.
When the banquet came, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the topic and let it pass. But to everyone's surprise, Myanmar didn't make any preparations at all, and didn't even ask any questions before asking so bluntly.
“We have not heard of Princess Yong’an being betrothed during our journey to the Qing Dynasty,” the Burmese envoy persisted, unwilling to give up.
"Bah! This imperial edict is plastered all over the capital. Didn't you see it when you entered the capital? Who are you trying to fool?" A drunken military officer stood up and said decisively, "Besides, Princess Yong'an is the most noble princess of our Great Qing Dynasty. How dare you ask for her hand in marriage?"
"They just come up to me and ask me to marry them, without even asking around first."
"What do you know? If people don't ask, it's the same as them not knowing. Can you wake someone who's pretending to be asleep?"
"That's really shameless. We used to only know that some people pretend to be something they're not, but now some people have no shame and still have to make amends."
A cacophony of mocking laughter filled the ears of the Burmese. Musa was the first to lose her temper, slamming her hand on the table. "What does this mean? Is this the etiquette of your Great Qing? Moreover, my brother sincerely sought my hand in marriage, yet you treat us like this." Musa's eyes seemed to spit fire as she glared fiercely at the people who had just been talking so loudly about them.
Musa wasn't just feeling sorry for Mu Feng; she felt sorry for all of Myanmar, after all, she was also a part of Myanmar. Now that their eldest prince was suffering setbacks and humiliation here, wasn't that equivalent to the entire nation of Myanmar suffering humiliation?
“Princess, your words are very serious. How could our great Qing Dynasty possibly hold a grudge against your Burma? It is simply a matter of a gentleman’s word. Once the four horses are deployed, the Emperor has already issued an imperial edict, which is sufficient to announce it to the world. How can we change the order now? If this were to happen, what would become of our Emperor? Wouldn’t it be that imperial edicts could be changed at will in the future? Once an imperial edict is issued, how can it be treated lightly?” The elderly Grand Tutor stood up and argued his case.
"Besides, Princess, your words are an exaggeration. We have no intention of deceiving you. Does Princess mean to provoke war? If war breaks out, the people on the border will all suffer. We just heard that Burma's grain has been flooded this year, and much of it has shrunk. If a war really breaks out, there will be supplies to replenish it," said the Junior Tutor, picking up where the Grand Tutor left off. In any case, they should first overwhelm the enemy with their momentum and then attack their weaknesses.
Musa completely backed down. After all, what those two white-bearded old men said made a lot of sense. Burma was really short of food, and if war broke out, the people would inevitably complain. Musa wasn't stupid, so she naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to agree to their words.
The Emperor then laughed and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, I was just so happy today that I forgot about it for a moment. The prince came to ask for my hand in marriage, but unfortunately, I am very sorry." The Emperor sighed, feigning sadness.
The Burmese envoy was speechless. What could he say? The Burmese had ample troops and food supplies. It was uncertain who would win if a war broke out. Moreover, he had not inquired about the matter. Now that he knew Princess Yong'an had been betrothed, he had no reason to ask the Emperor to change the imperial decree.
However, there is still some regret. After all, she was the most favored princess of the Qing Dynasty. It is truly a pity that the emperor acted first.
Yongqi: No, it was my suggestion. If I hadn't said to avoid any unforeseen complications, I'm afraid Father and Uncle would have kept An'an for a few more years.
Ertai: I thank you in advance, Fifth Prince.
"Why don't you all enjoy our song and dance first?" The Empress stepped forward to take charge. There were some things that were not appropriate to say to the Emperor, but it felt natural for Her Majesty to bring them up.
Musa still felt that they couldn't just let it go so easily, after all, they also represented Myanmar. "My father originally intended for my brother to ask for Princess Yong'an's hand in marriage, but since Princess Yong'an already has a good match, why not let my brother choose another one to marry, so as to promote good relations between Qing and Myanmar?"
The emperor fell silent for a moment, and the hall was completely quiet. Some civil officials felt that if a marriage alliance could solve the problem, why go to war? The military officials, on the other hand, felt that why should their princesses marry into their family? Wouldn't that be a disgrace to them?
There were all sorts of opinions, everyone had different thoughts, and everyone's expression was different. But no matter what they thought, the final decision rested with the Emperor. Whatever the Emperor wanted to do, they had to do.
Sitting directly opposite were the princesses and noblewomen of marriageable age, all of them utterly despondent. They didn't want to marry into such a distant place. After all, it was so far from the Qing Dynasty, and the customs and traditions were completely different. Even if something happened to them, they wouldn't be able to seek protection. Some of the princesses even regretted not choosing to marry into that region in the first place.
Although it was a marriage of rank, at least she would still be in the capital, and could receive royal protection in case of any trouble. But if she went to Burma, far from the emperor's reach, even if she wanted to, no one would be there to help her. Thinking of this, the princesses and noblewomen of suitable age trembled all over, fearing that they might be chosen by that Burmese prince if they weren't careful.
"We'll discuss this later. Anyway, you have a long time left in the Qing Dynasty," the Emperor said in a deep voice, his face grim and devoid of any smile.
Seeing that Mu Sha wanted to say something more, Mu Feng quickly stopped her. Mu Sha cursed Mu Feng inwardly, even thinking him cowardly for not daring to continue.
Mu Feng understood what Mu Sha hadn't: the emperor's face was as dark as could be. If they continued, the banquet might not even continue. Moreover, their ministers had already pointed out Burma's weaknesses; if they persisted, they might be the ones to bring about their own destruction.
It would be better to stop here, as it would be giving the Qing Dynasty some face, since they were the ones who deceived us first.
Mu Feng looked sadly at the pretty woman sitting at the head of the table, and laughed self-deprecatingly. Mu Feng, you can't even protect yourself, yet you want to drag her down with you?
With this matter resolved, Anke winked at Ertai, indicating that she had told him he wouldn't marry into Myanmar. Ertai smiled genuinely.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yanzi, who was waiting to watch the show, wondered why the drama had ended so quickly. Why didn't they continue their forceful pursuit of An Ke?
Ziwei stood to the side, holding her wine cup with a sense of self-pity. Looking at her father, the Emperor, at the head of the table, she felt a deep sorrow welling up inside her. She was clearly his daughter, yet he showed her no concern whatsoever.
Aside from material comforts, there was nothing else. Even the former favor was gone, and he didn't even think of her at the time of the wedding. But now? The Emperor is actually willing to set such a huge pit for Anke, waiting for Myanmar to jump into it on its own.
What a deep bond between uncle and nephew! All of this made Ziwei envious and jealous. Since Erkang was no longer by Ziwei's side, she sometimes stopped restraining herself from drinking.
But Ziwei's alcohol tolerance was clearly evident. As the pot of wine was about to be emptied, two blushes quickly rose on Ziwei's cheeks. Twice, when she tried to grab the wine glass, she barely managed to slip through, clearly indicating that she was somewhat drunk.
Little Swallow, however, was watching them intently, wanting to see if there would be any good show, completely unaware that Ziwei was already drunk.
Having finally found peace, the Empress thought she could relax and that the banquet would proceed perfectly. But then, just at that moment, something happened.
Seeing Ziwei kneeling on the ground, her eyes filled with tears, the Empress felt something was amiss. Seeing Ziwei so drunk, she figured she couldn't possibly cause any trouble.
Unexpectedly, Ziwei remained kneeling on the ground, saying nothing. Xiaoyanzi watched in alarm, not understanding how Ziwei had become so drunk in such a short time. She wanted to go and pull Ziwei back to her senses.
She happened to see the Emperor's cold gaze fixed on Ziwei. That gaze reminded Xiaoyanzi of the look the Emperor had given her after they revealed their great secret.
It immediately brought back memories of the day Xiao Yanzi was locked in the Cold Palace, where she had to outwit and outmaneuver those crazy concubines. It was a nightmare for Xiao Yanzi that she never wanted to think about again.
Seeing the Emperor's gaze, Xiao Yanzi hesitated, not daring to pull Ziwei back. She could only plead with her eyes, hoping Ziwei would return on her own.
But Ziwei didn't look in Xiaoyanzi's direction at all, and she didn't receive any eye signals from Xiaoyanzi.
"Ziwei, what are you doing?" the Emperor said coldly. Today was supposed to be a banquet, but it had been turned into such a mess. No matter how magnanimous the Emperor was, he was now somewhat annoyed.
The Emperor was already angry because of the Burmese people, but seeing Ziwei kneeling shakily below him, he felt his anger rise from within, almost overwhelming him. Why couldn't they have spoken to him at any other time? Why today of all days? And why did she have to kneel before the Burmese people?
"Father, I want to ask why I wasn't betrothed? I am your daughter, and she is just your niece!" Ziwei sobbed, pointing directly at Anke. If she were sober, Ziwei wouldn't have said such things, but tonight she had drunk an entire pot of wine, and seeing her father worrying about Anke had deeply affected her.
After saying these words, Ziwei felt a sense of relief. But her words left the hall silent for a moment. Everyone wondered if Princess Ziwei had lost her mind.
Otherwise, why would she say such disrespectful things about a woman's dignity in the main hall today?
Even Musa, who is usually brave and bold, was somewhat shocked by Ziwei's courageous statement.
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