Emperor Hui looked at him and suddenly felt a great hope.
"Did you convince Jing Chen?"
"Yes! His Highness has returned with the young prince. His Highness heard that Emperor An's army was pressing on the city and that he wanted to negotiate peace with Da Gan, so he brought the young prince to the capital."
Emperor Hui breathed a sigh of relief, then sighed again.
Well, Jingchen still hadn't forgotten Xie Shi. Without an imperial decree or any urging, as soon as he heard she was calling, he immediately brought his son back.
That makes things much easier to discuss.
Emperor Hui sat in his seat, his eyes fixed intently on the palace entrance.
A short while later, Zhou Shaoyu, dressed in plain clothes, came in carrying a chubby baby.
The child was fair-skinned and delicate, with dark and clear eyes, looking like a composed child.
"Come here quickly, let Grandfather give me a hug!" Emperor Hui excitedly stood up from his seat and stretched out his arms.
Zhou Shaoyu, however, refused to give it to him.
Who knows what His Majesty is thinking? What if he takes away his little Heng'er to threaten Zhaozhao?
Zhou Qiheng looked around the hall with great curiosity, and seeing Emperor Hui, he felt he was different from the others. He greeted Emperor Hui with a greeting: "Ahhh~"
Emperor Hui excitedly stepped out from behind his desk, smiling as he said, "Little Heng'er is greeting his grandfather."
"Ahhh~" Yeah, what are you up to with that wicked smile, old man?
Emperor Hui was so thin he was practically skin and bones; he didn't look like a good person.
Zhou Qiheng pulled the finger out of his mouth and shoved it into Zhou Shaoyu's mouth: "Ahhh~"
Zhou Shaoyu took a cloth to wipe him and said, "Heng'er, if Father doesn't eat, Heng'er will eat by himself."
Zhou Qiheng put his finger in his mouth again.
"Why is he eating his fingers?" Emperor Hui asked, puzzled. "Is he hungry? I have some snacks here."
Zhou Shaoyu said, "His teeth are itchy!"
Emperor Hui withdrew his outstretched hand.
Is he itching to get revenge? Does he hate me? Does he hate me for separating him from his mother?
"Leng Luo, quickly send a message to that girl from the Xie family... tell Emperor An to ask her to wait patiently for one more day. Jing Chen and Heng'er went to the countryside to observe mourning for their parents and just returned. Tell her to give them two more days."
That girl has a fiery temper now; she might just take over the capital in five days.
Zhou Shaoyu did not object. Although he really wanted to see Xie Zhaozhao, Xiao Heng'er was too young and he couldn't rush the journey.
Without even taking a sip of water, Leng Luo immediately set off on horseback to deliver a message to Xie Zhaozhao.
He rode out of the city and arrived at Xie Zhaozhao's military camp, where he was truly taken aback.
Soldiers everywhere were practicing to the death, their battle cries echoing through the sky.
"Please inform Your Majesty, I am Leng Luo, the Commander of the Imperial City Guard of Da Gan, and I request an audience with Your Majesty."
Xu Li was the one who delivered the message.
He quickly went to report to Xie Zhaozhao.
Xie Zhaozhao: "Bring him in."
Leng Luo strode toward Xie Zhaozhao's temporary barracks, only to discover that this was not a traditional place for camping, but rather a former property of the Xie family, a very large estate.
Xie Zhaozhao did not live in a tent, but in a proper building.
The person sitting on the throne was no longer the dignified woman from the inner quarters, but the solemn emperor.
Wearing a black crown, with twelve exquisite white jade tassels hanging quietly in front and behind.
He wore a crown robe, with a black upper garment and a vermilion lower garment. The sun shone on his left shoulder and the moon on his right, surrounded by stars. His sleeves depicted mountains and rivers, with black dragons above and large red pheasants below. He wore a white belt and a blue leather belt around his waist, and his crimson knee coverings were embroidered with exquisite black dragons.
Leng Luo involuntarily submitted: "Your Majesty, I am acting on the orders of Your Majesty Da Gan to request that Your Majesty grant an extension for the peace talks, as Prince Jingchen and the young master have gone to the Ouyang Old Residence to observe mourning for their parents and are currently on their way."
Xie Zhaozhao didn't show any womanly excitement or jubilation, and said calmly, "How many days do we need to extend it?"
"Two days! The young master is too young to travel in such a hurry. Please grant me permission, Your Majesty."
"allow!"
"Your Majesty Emperor Xie An."
Leng Luo returned home, and there was no one else in the room. Xie Zhaozhao silently reviewed the memorials.
Yuanyuan asked, tears streaming down her face, "I wonder what the young master looks like now?"
She burst into tears.
Xie Zhaozhao said calmly, "You'll see it in a couple of days."
Two days later, Emperor Hui refused to lead his troops and instead brought his son and grandson to negotiate.
Accompanying him were Grand Secretary Liu, Prince Jing, and also Wei Ziying, Duke of Ying, Qin Lang, Liu Mingxuan, Gu Zheng, and others.
The eunuch accompanying him was still Hanako Katsu.
Looking at the people who went with him, anyone who wasn't blind could tell that Emperor Hui wanted to play the family card.
When the two sides met, Emperor Hui no longer put on airs as a subject to his ruler. Instead, he smiled and said, "Emperor An, look who has come."
The tall man, with large strides, initially had a cold expression, but upon seeing her, his expression softened, and he walked towards her step by step.
The baby in her arms was wearing a thin summer shirt, with chubby little arms like lotus roots. Her round little head had a head of short, yellowish hair, about half an inch long.
The little baby looked at her curiously, smiled innocently, revealing a few small white teeth.
Zhou Shaoyu looked at Xie Zhaozhao. It had been almost a year since he last saw her. She looked a little thinner and wasn't wearing a crown, but her black and red robes were still quite dignified.
He walked directly to a spot not far from her and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty Emperor An!"
She looked up and her eyes welled up with tears.
"Ahhh~" The little chubby legs and arms were waving around.
And me, Xiao Heng'er, also sending my greetings!
When Xie Zhaozhao met those two pairs of eyes, one big and one small, the tears she had held back for a year finally streamed down her face.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com