Chapter 198: Tensions
The next day.
Jiang Duo and his group were dressed neatly and waiting for Princess Shuhe to come out.
He has secretly contacted the King of Dali's people. As long as he takes Princess Shuhe out of Juzhou City and enters Dali today, he will not have to worry about the emperor changing his mind. At the same time, he can force back the Mu family army that is still searching for the King of Dali.
After waiting for a while, I unexpectedly saw Gu Huan and Zhao Luoxuan walking out side by side. Zhao Luoxuan's entourage did not take any luggage with them. It did not look like they were leaving Daliang for marriage, but rather like sisters going shopping together.
Jiang Duo frowned.
This Gu Huan is really annoying, who knows, she might be up to some mischief again!
Last night, he met Yuan Zhongyong and was furious to see how badly he was beaten and how he was driven to the government post station.
If it weren't for the important matter of negotiating peace and sending the princess to marry, he would have dealt with that bitch Gu Huan first.
Jiang Duo led the crowd forward and bowed to Zhao Luoxuan: "Your humble servant greets Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Zhao Luoxuan waved her hand: "No need to be polite."
"Princess, today we are going to the capital of the Dali king, Dumei. Please bring your carriage and belongings with you."
Jiang Duo didn't wait for Zhao Luoxuan to speak, his face darkened, and he pointed at Aunt Mo: "Why don't you hurry up and bring the princess's things out? If you delay, you won't be able to bear the blame!"
Aunt Mo looked at Zhao Luoxuan.
Zhao Luoxuan looked surprised: "Going to Medu City today? Shouldn't we understand the situation before discussing it?"
Jiang Duo's face flashed with disdain, and then he resumed his respectful attitude: "Your Highness, I have already made arrangements. The emperor's order is that the princess go directly to Dali to pay respect to the king of Dali..."
"Are you offering yourself to me?" Zhao Luoxuan couldn't bear it any longer and interrupted him.
Jiang Duo looked at her in astonishment.
Zhao Luoxuan's face suddenly turned cold: "What a joke, I am the great Liang, and I have been fighting against the Dali Kingdom for decades. Why should I, a princess, lower my status and go to a tiny country to ask for a bed? Lord Jiang, is this what my father meant, or did you do it on your own?"
Jiang Duo frowned and glanced coldly at Gu Huan who was standing beside him.
It must be this bitch who instigated the princess.
Even a princess cannot interfere in politics, and Jiang Duo doesn't care about a woman's opinion.
"Princess, you are wrong. The affairs of the court are not a joke. I will naturally follow the cabinet's decision and execute it only after Your Majesty's order. How dare I act on my own? Princess, you cannot question the court's decision."
Zhao Luoxuan sneered: "This princess came to Southern Xinjiang to negotiate peace on behalf of my father, so I naturally have to fulfill my duties as a princess. The soldiers and civilians here will stay in Southern Xinjiang, and we will be able to enjoy wealth and prosperity. When I arrived here, I naturally had to appease the soldiers and civilians first, and then discuss whether to negotiate peace."
Jiang Duo didn't expect that the princess, who was so young, would dare to confront him, a second-rank official, in public.
His face suddenly darkened and he said sternly: "Princess! You have no right to decide on the peace talks. You must follow me immediately!"
With a wave of his hand, the Tianwu Army that followed him came up.
"How dare you! Who dares to touch the princess!" Aunt Mo scolded harshly upon seeing this.
They also brought the princess's guards, who immediately surrounded the princess and vigilantly protected her with swords in hand.
The dozen or so black-armored guards including Akabane all had stern expressions and were ready to surround them at any time.
Jiang Duo said coldly: "Princess, do you want to disobey the order?"
Gu Huan suddenly spoke up: "Lord Jiang, as the co-director of the Privy Council, you are in charge of military defense and troop dispatch. Didn't you receive the military report that the King of Dali has now abandoned the city and fled? The king is gone, who does Lord Jiang want Princess Shuhe to marry? Does Lord Jiang know where the King of Dali has fled to? Can you still contact him?"
Her eyes lit up: "Your Excellency must quickly inform the generals who are chasing the King of Dali of his whereabouts so that they can catch this fleeing king. This will give us a leg up in the negotiations, right?"
Jiang Duo immediately directed his anger at Gu Huan, pointing at her and angrily scolding her: "How dare a little concubine slander the princess and disrupt the court's affairs! Come, drag her away and lock her up!"
"You dare!"
Zhao Luoxuan didn't expect that Jiang Duo would dare to arrest someone in front of her, so she hurriedly protected Gu Huan.
Akabane and his men drew their swords, and the two sides immediately became hostile.
Jiang Duo shouted angrily: "I am the imperial envoy of the emperor. Anyone who dares to disobey the order will be killed on the spot!"
Gu Huan stood behind Zhao Luoxuan, revealing her head. "In the past two months, the Mu family army has won many victories, and even drove the King of Dali out of the capital. It's time to beat the drowning dog. Lord Jiang, you want to save the drowning dog? Lord Jiang, which side are you from?"
"you!"
Jiang Duo was extremely angry, but he was too disdainful to argue with a woman. The most important thing was to arrive at the agreed place on time and let them see Princess Shuhe, so that the matter would be settled.
He immediately stepped back and shouted, "Someone, take the princess to the car!"
Gu Huan pushed Zhao Luoxuan's hand away, took a step forward and protected the princess behind her.
His face darkened, and he shouted loudly: "The Mu family army is protecting Her Royal Highness the Princess. Anyone who dares to harm Her Royal Highness the Princess is deceiving the emperor and will be killed without mercy!"
The black-armored guards shouted in unison: "We will protect Her Royal Highness the Princess until our death!"
The murderous aura developed on the battlefield is not comparable to that of the Tianwu Army. Jiang Duo and his group were shocked.
Zhao Luoxuan's eyes widened, and her hands were shaking as she pointed at Jiang Duo: "Jiang Duo, you are still in Daliang's territory, and you dare to be disrespectful to this princess? Do you want to kidnap this princess and give her to the thieves? You are so bold as to bully the emperor!"
Seeing this, the attendant officials hurriedly pulled Jiang Duo and whispered, "Master Jiang, the emperor wants the princess to represent Daliang to negotiate peace. If the princess insists on not going, it will be useless for us to go, but you cannot force the princess."
Jiang Duo's face darkened.
Zhao Luoxuan was protected by the black-armored guards, so she became bolder: "I will write a letter right now to tell my father the true situation here, so that he can see clearly your traitorous face!"
This sentence touched Jiang Duo's tail. He glared at him fiercely and said, "I'm afraid the princess' letter can't be delivered."
Zhao Luoxuan's eyes widened, her little face flushed red, and she couldn't help feeling a little scared.
She quickly looked at Gu Huan, and Gu Huan gave her a reassuring look.
She calmed down.
As a legitimate princess who was born in middle age, Zhao Luoxuan had always been pampered by the emperor and empress. She had no chance to meet ministers on weekdays, but she never expected that the ministers would dare to ignore her.
"Oh, I am late. Please forgive me, Princess and Lord Jiang."
The new prefect suddenly arrived and said with a smile, "Your humble servant, the prefect of Juzhou City, greets Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Zhao Luoxuan straightened her back quickly, trying to maintain her dignity as a princess, and raised her hand slightly: "No need to be polite."
The prefect bowed to Jiang Duo again and said, "I greet Lord Jiang. You all have worked hard on the journey. I should have held a banquet to welcome Her Royal Highness the Princess and the ministers, but life in Juzhou City has been hard these past few months, and it is difficult to get chicken, duck, fish and meat."
Zhao Luoxuan asked in surprise: "Ah, then how will the people live?"
"I have received a summons from Her Royal Highness the Princess and have come to take her to inspect the porridge sheds and orphanages. Her Royal Highness has been ordered by His Majesty to appease the people. Fortunately, the Holy King has been ruling the country with the people as the foundation, and his virtues have benefited the people. Her Royal Highness has a benevolent heart, which should be recorded in the history books and praised for generations to come..."
Gu Huan: “…”
How can this prefect Ren be so eloquent?
Jiang Duo was furious and interrupted him sharply: "What on earth do you want to do?"
The prefect bowed respectfully and said, "I am here to lead the way for Her Royal Highness the Princess. The people of Juzhou all know that the Princess is coming in person, and they are all waiting to see Her Royal Highness's face."
Jiang Duo frowned.
But things have come to this point, if he insists, he will be caught.
It was still early, so he wanted to see what tricks the little bitch could play.
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