Chapter 502 The Regent's Handsome Man Scheme!
When Madam Shen heard Shen Lanxi say this, her smile widened.
"Go ahead and do your work if you have nothing else to do. Don't worry, Grandma is here to keep things in order."
Upon returning to the palace, Shen Lanxi began to deal with matters in the southwest.
"Among the ethnic minorities in the southwest, there are several groups that respect women. In the past two years, there has been a change of power and a new queen has taken the throne."
Shen Lanxi's eyes flickered, and she had an idea.
"How old is the new queen? Is she married?"
Che Mingyuan's lips twitched. Thinking of Shen Yuanjing's actions, he immediately said, "Foreigners get married at a younger age than our Great Zhou. The new queen is not young if she wants to accumulate a certain amount of power."
Shen Lanxi's eyes lit up and she immediately said, "Notify the Southwest that peace talks should be the primary objective. Only if peace talks fail should war be initiated."
"The core of the peace talks is cultural exchange. Imperial Physician, please write this down. I will need it when I attend court."
Wang Bao instructed the court attendant to record the events separately so that he could read them aloud more easily.
Che Mingyuan's brows furrowed.
"Does Your Highness mean to send an envoy over there?"
Shen Lanxi: "Our Great Zhou culture has a long history, and many foreign tribes have sent spies to our Great Zhou to steal our experience."
"This time, let's give them a chance to come to our Great Zhou openly and honestly, and experience the profound strength and rich cultural heritage of our great nation."
Che Mingyuan glanced at Shen Lanxi sideways; she always seemed so serious before she spoke, but there was always a trap in the back.
Shen Lanxi cleared her throat and whispered, "Those who join the delegation don't necessarily have to be talented; they just need to be good-looking and handsome!"
Che Mingyuan was dumbfounded.
In ancient times, there was the beauty trap; now, their regent has the handsome man trap—it's completely subversive!
Seeing that Che Mingyuan didn't speak, Shen Lanxi assumed he had other ideas and immediately said, "How about Strategist Che leads the team?"
Che Mingyuan: Give me a break!
"I have a candidate!"
"who?"
Che Mingyuan: "Wu Tong, the nephew of the Left Chancellor Wu Yanzhi!"
Shen Lanxi: "If you hadn't mentioned him, I would have completely forgotten about him. Giving him this task is like a mouse falling into a rice jar; he'd be overjoyed."
Che Mingyuan cleared his throat: "The main reason is to do Wu Yanzhi a favor."
Shen Lanxi: "Yes, yes, I'll leave this matter to you."
Che Mingyuan: As long as he's not allowed to go, anything is fine!
...
The Vice Minister of War said, "No, these are merely foreign tribes. How can our Great Zhou bow and scrape before them? What will the people think? They'll surely think our court is weak and easily bullied, afraid of foreign tribes."
Wu Yanzhi: "That is not true. It is precisely because of these mere foreign tribes that our Great Zhou is not worth mobilizing our army. These barbarians have never seen the world. Let them witness the strength of our great nation, and they will naturally feel ashamed and submit to our Great Zhou!"
Mei Nanhua stroked his beard, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "It is indeed a good way to subdue the enemy without fighting!"
The Minister of War glared angrily. How dare these two old scoundrels go against him?
Shen Lanxi looked at Liu Mingxin: "Lord Liu, what do you think?"
Liu Mingxin lowered his eyes and said in a deep voice, "After careful consideration, I believe this is a feasible move!"
Just as the Minister of War was about to retort, Liu Mingxin said again, "Our army has just set out to punish two traitors. It is not advisable to raise troops in the southwest now. We should focus on delaying and appeasing them, and wait until the day when our Great Zhou army is strong and well-equipped before making our move."
Shen Lanxi nodded: "Lord Liu's analysis is thorough."
The Vice Minister of War looked as if he had been slapped in the face, his expression constantly changing.
"What about you, my ministers? Do you agree?"
The three regents all agreed, but they were of low status and had little influence; what could they say?
"I recommend someone," an official from the Ministry of Rites stepped forward.
Shen Lanxi: "Speak."
Ministry of Rites: "Tu Rongxuan of Liufang Academy is a man of outstanding talent and quick wit, and is known as a man of great learning. I recommend him to the mission."
Shen Lanxi: "Leave this matter to Master Che. After Master Che conducts the interview, if he deems the person suitable, then that's fine!"
Officials from the Ministry of Rites, along with those who wanted to insert people into the delegation, immediately surrounded Che Mingyuan after the court session.
After the mission is confirmed, a reply must be sent to the Southwest, and Zhou Ruyuan will be notified after the Southwest confirms its status.
After overcoming numerous hardships and traversing mountains and rivers, Zhou Ruyuan finally arrived in the southwest. He had barely stepped into the military camp when he received a notification from the imperial court.
"Cultural exchange between the two sides?" What is that?
Local officials immediately explained to Zhou Ruyuan, "The letter sent by the imperial court stated that the Regent, mindful of the hardships faced by the border people, would avoid war if possible. He also advocated for trade between the two tribes, promoting mutual benefit and common development."
Zhou Ruyuan was so angry he almost dug a hole in the corner of the table.
He came here to consolidate his military power, not for some nonsense about cultural exchange.
If there's no war, what reason does he have to recruit soldiers?
No, we cannot negotiate; we must prevent cultural exchange.
...
Madam Song has recovered. After dealing with Tian Chunshan's family, she went to Liu Yanhui to report on her work.
When she was halfway there, the carriage suddenly stopped.
"My lady, whose child has run away? Why isn't anyone watching over them?"
"Kid, keep an eye on the carriage!"
Just as the driver was about to crack his whip and go around her, a young woman ran over.
"Yan'er, what are you doing here?"
"I'm so sorry, sir. I was just buying something when my son ran out!"
Madam Song lifted the carriage lid and glanced inside. When her eyes landed on the child's face, she paused, momentarily stunned.
This child looks somewhat familiar?
"Whose wife are you?" Madam Song asked casually.
The young woman seemed unwilling to reveal her husband's family name.
"My husband is a military officer. A few days ago, he was ordered to suppress the rebels."
Lady Song assumed it was a campaign against the families of two traitors.
"It's alright now. Just keep a close eye on the child from now on."
The young woman bowed and said, "Thank you for not taking offense."
After Madam Song left, Xiangnu stared blankly in the direction of the carriage, lost in thought.
~
Shen Yuantang was not imprisoned for long. Just as everyone expected, the Shen family is now at its peak, and Zhou Ruyuan has gone to the southwest. No one dares to stop Shen Yuantang.
Having finally recovered from the grief of losing his son, Shen Yuantang's first act was to return to the Regent's Palace.
Her son died under mysterious circumstances, and the prince didn't even bother to investigate.
It's only been a few days, and it's like no one cares that a cat or a dog has died.
That was their son, but the prince, for the sake of his grand ambitions, disregarded his son.
She's in charge!
She was determined to find the real culprit and bring the person who poisoned her son to justice.
Her son is dead, so why should other people's sons live?
Shen Yuantang barged into the Regent's Palace, and when the guards tried to stop her, she slapped them across the face.
"This is my home, I am the master, and you are your servants. If I kill you, my eldest sister may scold me a couple of times, but afterwards I will make sure your entire family is wiped out!"
If it were someone else, they might be afraid of retaliation, but Shen Lanxi's guards were an exception.
They were all orphans left behind during wars or droughts, with no relatives!
"Those who forcibly enter the Regent's Palace will be killed without mercy!"
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