Chapter 72: The Emperor's Heart is Unpredictable! Granting Marriage to the Crown Prince?
Suddenly, a possibility flashed through her mind: "You just mentioned that most of the dead found in the lower reaches of the Liao River were emaciated, but their arms were swollen. They must have died of exhaustion."
Wen Ziduan nodded. "That's right. They must have starved to death, but they were forced to do hard labor."
"If the Xianbei were to engage in internal strife, how could they quickly achieve victory between different tribes? They are all extremely skilled in horseback archery and are brave and adept at fighting, but their copper smelting technology is backward, and most of the weapons they use were collected from our army."
Wen Ziduan's eyes lit up. "Yes, the local governor has built high walls and strictly guarded the city, allowing them to recuperate. They haven't fought a war with the Xianbei for a long time. I imagine their weapons have long been depleted in the internal strife."
He Zhaojun nodded. "If a leader suddenly emerged as a powerful force, becoming unmatched among the tribes, he would surely have found a way to acquire weapons."
Concubine Yue frowned as she listened. "But ever since the Battle of Lonely City, the inferior weapons have caused irreparable losses. Since then, all weapons in the country have been strictly controlled. How did they get them?"
He Zhaojun was very confident: "It is difficult to smuggle military equipment, but it is easier to take away skilled forgers. Your Highness, please quickly gain the trust of the governors of Liaodong and Xuantu counties and ask them to count the missing people and find out their occupations."
——
Emperor Wen summoned He Zhaojun to the main hall to discuss matters. He Zhaojun understood that the He family had sent two men to clear their suspicions, and as a woman, her presence at the meeting was also intended to obscure the traitor's vision.
As expected, Emperor Wen was seated in the middle of the hall, along with the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and Ling Buyi. "Zhaojun," the Third Prince called out to He Zhaojun, motioning for her to sit next to him.
The Crown Prince sat on the right side of Emperor Wen with his hands hanging down, Ling Buyi sat beside him, and the Third Prince sat on the left side of Emperor Wen, with the seat next to him temporarily vacant.
Now she is hearing the case under the seat of Concubine Yue, and she has an engagement with the second branch of the Lou family. Everyone knows that the two branches of the Lou family have been at odds for a long time. Lou Jing is the prince's tutor, so the second branch is definitely not on the prince's side.
Therefore, regardless of public or private considerations, regardless of whether the He family is neutral or not, He Zhaojun is temporarily considered the Third Prince's person.
He Zhaojun didn't have time to think about it. She took the military newspaper and read it carefully. Finally, she put down the thing in her hand, but found that everyone present was looking at her, waiting for her to speak.
"I heard that you guessed in advance based on Ziduan's few words that the Xianbei abducted our people most likely to cover up for the craftsmen among them."
Emperor Wen rubbed his chin and looked at He Zhaojun. When he knew that He Zhaojun was secretly training her troops and had those strange ideas, he had already wanted to kill her, but now it seemed that he could not kill her for the time being.
Not only that, but she and Cheng Jia Si Niang also built and developed catapults, chariots, and other things, all of which were practical and ingenious. If such a person could not be kept by her side, she would have to kill him.
But she had dragged the Cheng family's daughter into the water and tied her up together. If she wanted to kill them, she would have to kill both of them. But looking at Zisheng's appearance, if he really did it and killed the Cheng family's fourth daughter, he would probably end up living alone for the rest of his life.
So, we can only choose the second path.
Find a way to keep her by his side forever. The Crown Princess Sun is truly useless and of no benefit to the Crown Prince. If it weren't for the promise they made in the countryside, he would have found another bride for the Crown Prince long ago.
The idea of marrying He Zhaojun to the prince had been lingering in his mind for a long time. Even though the Lou and He families had an engagement, nothing could be more important than the emperor's will.
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