The court meeting of all nations was a rule set by the previous emperor. Every three years, on the winter solstice, the foreign states surrounding Tangye would hold a court meeting for them.
At that time, the vassal states near Tangye were defeated by Prince Qiao and other generals. In order to survive, they agreed to the late emperor's request.
The previous emperor and Prince Qiao passed away one after another. After the new emperor ascended the throne, those vassal states became increasingly restless. However, the territories that were trying to plan their own business no longer obeyed the emperor's orders to attend court meetings, and the court meetings of all nations were therefore shelved for several years.
It wasn't until that year, when Prince Qiao led his troops to defeat the Northern Rong with a smaller force, becoming famous, that they realized Tangye had not yet reached a point of decline that they could ignore. They began to show goodwill and once again prepared gifts to participate in the International Court.
Originally, the Crown Prince was responsible for receiving them, but this year, with the Crown Prince under house arrest, the responsibility fell to Li Guanghan. The International Court Meeting was no small event; he and officials from the Ministry of Rites had spent two months preparing, and the entire capital was bustling with activity.
Li Guanghan had never come to see Qiao Si in his spare time. The imperial decree granting their marriage had already been issued, and everyone in the capital knew that she was the future Princess Han.
Even if he didn't come to see Qiao Si, Qiao Si would always go to see him. However, every time they met, Li Guanghan was not in a good mood towards her, and could even be considered full of malice.
But in front of outsiders, he would pretend to care about Qiao Si. Zhang You looked down on his method of torturing people, but greeted him with a smile because of Qiao Si.
On the winter solstice, the sun is bright and the wind is cold, it is a rare good weather.
Qiao Simao got up at 11:00 AM to prepare. The palace had invited many young men from aristocratic families to the banquet today, with the intention of competing with foreigners.
Qiao Si wore a long, peach-pink brocade gown embroidered with golden peonies. The hem of her skirt trailed the ground, gleaming in the sunlight. Silver thread traced the delicate pattern on the skirt, and every stitch spoke of nobility and luxury. An emerald ribbon, studded with round pearls, shimmered with a gentle luster as she moved.
Her face was lightly powdered, her brows were as black as distant black, and her eyes were as bright as stars, with the corners of her eyes slightly raised, exuding a noble and untouchable dignity. Her lips were naturally red, as delicate and voluptuous as cherries. Her hair was in a high bun, and the tiny pearls and jade hanging from her golden dragonfly hairpin jingled with every movement, like the tinkling of rings and beaded ornaments.
She had a powerful aura, and her graceful and elegant steps revealed the princess's nobility. As soon as she entered the venue, she attracted everyone's attention.
Qiao Si inherited the beauty of the princess, and her temperament carries the domineering aura of Prince Qiao. It is not an exaggeration to call her the most beautiful woman.
The foreign envoys were also stunned. All the tribes, large and small, surrounding Tangye had sent representatives to this court meeting. Of these tribes, the western Chiyan Nation was undoubtedly the most powerful, capable of challenging Tangye. The Chiyan Nation's participation in the court meeting was simply a test to see if Tangye was facing serious internal troubles as rumored, so they could seize the opportunity to strike.
The Chiyan Kingdom, whose surname is Tuoba, sent the third prince Tuoba Yan to this court meeting.
Tuoba Yan is a perverse and ruthless person with a narrow mind and is insidious.
As Qiao Si entered the banquet and greeted the other noble ladies, she silently surveyed the foreigners across from her. When she saw Tuoba Yan's greedy gaze on her, her expression faltered, but she quickly regained her composure. As if it were just an illusion, Tuoba Yan quickly ignored the strange feeling that had just surfaced in his heart, and when he looked at Qiao Si again, his eyes were filled with greed.
Li Guanghan was busy receiving foreign envoys. When Qiao Si came in, he was also amazed by her beauty today, but he quickly frowned and secretly rebuked himself for being unfaithful to his wife.
He looked away, but saw Tuoba Yan's sticky eyes. He narrowed his eyes and felt a little irritated.
For some reason, he felt that Qiao Si was particularly annoying today.
Li Guanghan walked towards Qiao Si, standing beside him in a seemingly intimate manner, and said loudly, "Why are you so late?" As he got close to Qiao Si's ear, he whispered in a sarcastic tone, "My princess is really being flamboyant today, but please don't embarrass me."
Qiao Si sneered in his heart, but he managed to put on a subtle smile, saying with a double meaning, "Your Highness, please forgive me. I just didn't want you to lose face, so I dressed up carefully. I'm a little late now."
Zhang You stood respectfully in the background, watching, but inwardly she was already complaining: "Old Deng, isn't it because you don't want to look cheap that you took the time to do your makeup? So what? Are you still blaming me?"
"Your Highness and the Princess are truly in love. As soon as the Princess arrived, His Highness rushed over without stopping."
Someone teased them.
Li Guanghan paused while maintaining his masked expression, then quickly responded.
Zhang You sneered in his heart when he heard this: Haha, which eye is happy to see him? Can't you see that his back teeth are about to break?
"After all, the princess is dressed so exquisitely today, how could she not be attractive?"
Li Guanghan and Qiao Si pretended to be in love in front of outsiders. They looked at each other and smiled.
Looking at the excited eyes of some of the women around him, Zhang You rolled his eyes silently in his heart.
Ever since Yao Yusu died, Li Guanghan has become more and more pretentious.
Those who didn't know would think that he had Qiao Si in his eyes because Yao Yushu was gone. In fact, he just wanted to torture Qiao Si.
Zhang You still remembers the Double Ninth Festival when Qiao Si asked him to go climbing. He unexpectedly grabbed Qiao Si and pushed her to the edge of the mountain top, threatening her coldly: "You want to die! I can help you at any time! You helped Li Yuanzhuo kill Ah Shu, do you still think I will like you?"
I married you just to torture you. People like you deserve to be tortured and die in pain! Haven't you always wanted me to marry you? I'll grant your wish! "
At that time, Li Guanghan was like a madman, holding Qiao Si's slender neck tightly with one hand, and there was a cliff behind Qiao Si.
Qiuyue and Dongmei held back Jinfu and Jinlu, giving Jingzhu the chance to step forward and rescue Qiao Si.
Li Guanghan at that time was like a madman.
At that time, he told Qiao Si that he would get back everything she owed Yao Yusu, bit by bit.
From then on, he humiliated Qiao Si even more severely, but he didn't make it public, so outsiders just thought they were in love.
Li Guanghan listened to their compliments with a smile, and led her to a seat as gently as if she were his beloved woman.
The banquet began soon. The emperor sat high on the throne. Following him was not the queen, but a woman wearing a bright red brocade dress.
Zhang You looked at her from afar and recognized that she was the woman who had followed the emperor during the spring hunt.
Rumor has it that the emperor did not love the empress, but favored his favorite concubine, Concubine Sun. Concubine Sun was originally the daughter of Minister Sun's mansion. Once she caught the emperor's eye, she was showered with favor.
This favorite concubine was known among the people as the Demon Concubine. Not only was she known to whisper in the emperor's ear, encouraging him to slaughter court officials at will, but also because, after receiving the emperor's favor, she used this favor to kill everyone in the Sun Mansion.
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