Chapter 442 The Woman's Official Robe
The first thing Pei Yanchuan did upon returning to Dongling was to order that there would be no further peace talks with Nanli.
Some ministers in the court said that Pei Yanchuan had become warlike and disregarded the people and soldiers, so they suggested to the Empress Dowager that the regent should abdicate.
But to everyone's surprise, Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi severely criticized the ministers who made the proposal.
"The emperor is not even half a year old yet. You want me to take the lead? Do you want me to test the waters of your ambitions?"
“Your Majesty, we did not mean that,” one of the ministers said. “We simply do not wish for the people to suffer any longer.”
"If war breaks out frequently, the people on the border will suffer again, as will the soldiers."
"Yes, Your Majesty, how can there be no deaths on the battlefield? Even if the Regent is invincible, can he guarantee that none of our soldiers from Dongling will die?"
Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi was so angry she almost laughed. "You all have such nice words to say now."
“When the prince was seriously ill, did any of you think about his safety? You all hid behind him and let him go to the battlefield.”
"Furthermore, the Regent said he would not negotiate peace, pay tribute, or arrange a marriage alliance, but he did not say he would go to war with Nanli."
The Empress Dowager said sternly, "The Regent's intention is that if Nanli attacks, they will retaliate tenfold."
"We will no longer accept the Western Xia's peace negotiations as we did before. You all know that in the past, the Western Xia would make peace on the surface, but behind the scenes, they were always secretly gathering troops, thinking of avenging their previous humiliation."
"If that weren't the case, how could the Regent have been poisoned back then?"
"But Your Majesty, Nanli is not the former Western Xia, and the ruler of Nanli has not done this, has he?"
“Yes, Your Majesty,” a minister echoed. “Nanli’s attitude is very clear; they will not go back on their word like Xixia.”
"Now that Western Xia and our Eastern Mausoleum have forged a century-old alliance, and the Western Xia Empress has a close relationship with our Eastern Mausoleum, I'm sure the King of Nanli is aware of this."
"If he knew that, he wouldn't be foolish enough to actively invade our territory."
The Empress Dowager smiled, "Stupid? I think you're the stupid ones!"
"Yan Changfeng has established friendly relations with the Western Xia Eastern Mausoleum, but look at the surrounding tribes and small countries. He only rested for a month."
"On the surface, those small countries were swallowed up by another small country, but do you know who the supporters of that small country are?"
Upon hearing this, the ministers all showed expressions of surprise.
The Empress Dowager sighed, waved her hand, and a lady-in-waiting behind her handed a secret letter to several ministers.
The ministers kneeling below the main hall passed it around for each other to see.
"The ruler of Nanli Kingdom is actually the actual controller of Sha Kingdom. Is the ruler of Sha Kingdom just a puppet?" a minister exclaimed in surprise.
The Empress Dowager then explained, "The Regent had already investigated this matter."
"I wonder if it's the Sand Kingdom or several small countries surrounding the Southern Li Kingdom. Otherwise, why would you think that Yan Changfeng would ignore the nearby small countries and instead go after those far away?"
"Do you think those small countries are willing to submit, or that there's some kind of alliance between them? If war breaks out, we can turn them against us?"
"Let me tell you, Yan Changfeng has already subdued all the surrounding small countries. He only told the outside world half of it, and that half has indeed been incorporated into the territory of Nanli."
"But there are still half that have been subdued, and on the surface they are still the same as before. Then he sent these to attack the tribes and small countries that have not yet been subdued."
"Among them, the Saudi Arabian Kingdom is the most powerful."
"I'm afraid that on this land today, only the cooperation between the Eastern Mausoleum and the Western Xia can rival it."
"Besides Dongling, Nanli, and Xixia, there is no fourth country, not even a small one."
"If Dongling and Nanli were to fight one-on-one, it would be uncertain who would win or lose."
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, all the ministers looked terrified. As high-ranking officials in the court, they were completely unaware of these matters.
The Empress Dowager glanced lightly at the kneeling people, "It's just that Yan Changfeng knows about the relationship between Dongling and Xixia, so he only says nice things on the surface."
"And that man of his, he never fights a battle unprepared. The battles he can fight are all battles that he feels he can win 100% of the time."
"He doesn't want anything with us now, but what about in the future?" the Empress Dowager asked. "After all, Western Xia and Eastern Ling are two different countries."
"If he were to cooperate with someone of high rank and power in Western Xia or Eastern Ling, would Eastern Ling still be so impregnable?"
Upon hearing this, the ministers kowtowed one after another, saying, "We dare not, Your Majesty, please investigate."
"Alright, I didn't say it was you," said Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi. "It's just that Yan Changfeng is meticulous and extremely patient and calm."
"We have to be on guard."
"Your Majesty, why not have the Prince cooperate with the Empress of Western Xia to take over Nanli in one fell swoop?" a minister suggested.
Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi glanced at the minister who had spoken, "Why don't you talk about the suffering of the people and the deaths of the soldiers at this time?"
The minister blushed and remained silent in embarrassment.
The Empress Dowager did not press the matter further. "The Regent's intention is not to take the initiative, but to be prepared to attack at any time."
"We must not be as careless with Nanli as we are with Xixia."
"Yes, Your Majesty, we obey."
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, dismissing the group.
However, she felt as if a huge stone was buried in her heart, and she had a vague feeling that Dongling still had a tough battle to fight.
Nanli should not be underestimated.
"Your Majesty, Minister Jiang of the Court of Judicial Review requests an audience."
The Empress Dowager was feeling down and wanted to talk to someone when she heard that Jiang Wanjun had arrived, even though she hadn't had much contact with Jiang Wanjun before.
But she saw Jiang Wan Ning's shadow in her.
"Quickly, let her in."
Jiang Wanjun walked in, lifted his official robe, and prepared to kneel down to pay his respects, but Empress Dowager Song Zhuyi immediately said, "No need."
"Someone, bring a seat for Lord Jiang."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
Jiang Wanjun wore a specially made red official robe, her long black hair was piled high, and she looked very dignified.
The Empress Dowager smiled at Jiang Wanjun, "You are the first woman in the Eastern Ling Kingdom to wear this official robe. Not bad, not bad."
The Empress Dowager's eyes were filled with uncontainable joy.
Jiang Wanjun glanced down at her official robes and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Highness."
"I am willing to set an example so that in the future, countless women with dreams and abilities can wear this official robe."
"I also think this official robe is beautiful, and I never want to take it off once I put it on."
The Empress Dowager smiled and nodded. "Lord Jiang, is there something you need from me today?"
Jiang Wanjun stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your Majesty, I have come to invite you to leave the palace together."
The Empress Dowager was surprised, not expecting that Jiang Wanjun had actually invited her to leave the palace.
"Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. It was my elder sister who instructed me..."
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