At the palace banquet.
Jun Zhe sat solemnly on the throne, his face cold and stern. All the concubines held their breath and sat down on his left and right.
The Rong envoy sat in the guest seat, while several important officials sat in the side seats.
Jun Zhe glanced around and, seeing that Yue Qingyin had not yet arrived, asked, "Why hasn't Consort Jingxian arrived yet?"
Zhou Anyuan hurriedly ordered a young eunuch to go and check. After a short while, the eunuch returned and reported, "Your Majesty, Consort Jingxian is on her way and will arrive shortly."
Jun Zhe nodded, glanced at everyone, and his young face was solemn, exuding the majesty of an emperor.
The emperor had very few concubines to begin with. Although the empress dowager had said that she would select suitable candidates from the princes’ residences to enter the palace, she did not want to rush things and cause gossip since the selected women had only been in the palace for a short time. Therefore, the women sitting in the room were all a dozen or so women selected last time, and they were all still young.
Upon seeing this, Dugu Feng couldn't help but smile sarcastically, saying, "Although Emperor Guangzheng is a capable ruler, his harem is not as numerous as that of the Rong Kingdom's royal family. Our Rong Kingdom's royal consorts are capable of fighting on horseback and bearing children in the palace. They are all strong and well-proportioned. Although Your Majesty's harem has many consorts, they all seem weak and frail, and none of them can bear children. Does the mighty Liang Dynasty not even have a decent woman to offer?"
These words were truly rude, yet the concubines present couldn't help but blush; it was nothing but provocation!
One of the old ministers immediately stood up to refute: "Sixth Prince, you are mistaken. Rong Kingdom emphasizes governing the world with military force, while our Great Liang Kingdom governs the world with culture. Using our strengths to attack others' weaknesses will not make your Rong Kingdom appear any stronger. If we compare silkworm breeding, weaving, farming and sowing with our Great Liang Kingdom, your Rong Kingdom Kingdom will not be much better. Such a comparison is meaningless. However, Sixth Prince, you are not well-educated and may not understand these principles."
Dugu Feng picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and said, "Civil governance breeds cowards, while military governance is the way of an emperor. Your Majesty has been on the throne for a long time, yet you have no heir. How can you be sure it's not because civil governance is too strong and military governance is too weak? Hahaha!"
Dugu Feng laughed wildly, while Jun Zhe's cold eyes were like knives. Although he was young, his words were sharp. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I have heard that the Rong Kingdom emperor does indeed have many children. The sixth prince is the sixth in line. However, there can only be one throne. Every time the old emperor dies, the Rong Kingdom princes fight each other, causing the country to fall apart and the people to suffer. This is why the Rong Kingdom is not as good as the Great Liang Kingdom. Therefore, the martial arts are full of brutes. As soon as I saw the sixth prince, I knew that he was a person with profound martial arts skills."
This was a sarcastic remark directed at Dugu Feng for being brave but lacking in strategy, and someone in the room immediately burst into laughter.
Dugu Feng's expression changed, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but then she heard an announcement: "Consort Jingxian has arrived."
Everyone's eyes involuntarily turned to the doorway.
Yue Qingyin, dressed in a red dress with a trailing red skirt, walked in gracefully and elegantly. She bowed to Jun Zhe and then sat down to his left.
Her hair was piled high in a bun, like dark clouds on white snow. Her makeup was exquisite, her eyebrows and eyes were delicate, and her red lips were alluring. It was clear that she had taken great care in dressing up.
Dugu Feng's eyes were fixed on Yue Qingyin, his heart yearning to collect beauties. It was a pity that although the flower was beautiful, it had already fallen into someone else's yard, and he could not buy it as easily as those poor girls.
What a pity!
Dugu Feng sighed with regret, but her desire to collect them only grew stronger.
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