Chapter 231: Disobeying the Holy Order
Eunuch Cao hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Zhenbei is waiting outside the palace."
Emperor Jing'an pressed his swollen and painful Taiyangxue and said, "Send him in."
Eunuch Cao received the order to summon Prince Zhenbei into the palace.
The Prince of Zhenbei walked into the hall with steady steps, his whole body wrapped in a murderous aura. He walked towards Emperor Jing'an step by step and saluted at the bottom of the steps.
"My dear Lord Shen, you are a weapon of our country, defending the border for me." Emperor Jing'an slowly walked up to the King of Zhenbei. "Northern Qi is wary of you and intends to marry Princess Guangning to your son to drive a wedge between you and me."
The Prince of Zhenbei's eyes were filled with murderous intent, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty understands Northern Qi's sinister intentions. What are your plans? Will you reject Northern Qi and choose another candidate for marriage, or...will you let my son marry Princess Guangning?"
"For decades, the northern border has been plagued by constant wars, and last year was also a year of disaster. The war and disaster relief efforts have drained the national treasury and damaged the foundation of the country."
Emperor Jing'an said with a worried look on his face, "The envoy from Northern Qi is right. Great Zhou needs to recuperate. We cannot send troops to attack Northern Qi anytime soon."
Prince Zhenbei said sharply: "The emperor has other concerns."
Emperor Jing'an was speechless for a moment.
Prince Zhenbei's eyes were like torches: "Your Majesty, do you want me to agree to this marriage as a delaying tactic?"
Emperor Jing'an laughed and said, "I considered this issue before summoning you. However, things are unpredictable, and I cannot let my loyal subjects lose their trust in me."
He slowly walked to a map, looked at the territory of the Great Zhou, and sighed.
"I can let anyone down, but I cannot let down the Great Zhou, my subjects, and my people."
Back then, Yizhen gave up everything to let him return to the Great Zhou and defend the Great Zhou's territory.
Naturally, she wouldn't want to see him compromise for her.
Emperor Jing'an was in a heavy mood. Often when he wanted to take both into account, he had to make a choice.
Prince Zhenbei's heart moved: "Your Majesty intends to let me guard the northern border?"
Emperor Jing'an patted Prince Zhenbei's shoulder and said with a loud laugh, "No one knows me better than the one who knows etiquette."
King Zhenbei: "..."
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The King of Qi returned to the Siyi Hall with a heavy heart and sent someone to guard the deputy envoy's residence: "When the deputy envoy returns from the palace, please ask him to come to the king immediately."
The guards took orders and left.
The King of Qi opened the window and looked towards the palace with a gloomy look.
Princess Yizhen was a taboo in Northern Qi. Few people mentioned her, and even if they mentioned her unintentionally, it was kept secret.
Although he was a prince, he didn't know much about Princess Yizhen. He only knew that she held a very important position in the heart of Emperor Jing'an, and they could use Princess Yizhen to gain benefits from Emperor Jing'an.
Today in the Golden Palace, the deputy envoy mentioned Princess Yizhen, and the meaning revealed in his words seemed to be not simple.
He intuitively felt that there was a secret that he didn't know about.
Half an hour later, the deputy envoy arrived at the King of Qi's room and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, why did you summon me here?"
"There's something I'm confused about, and I'd like you to clarify it." The King of Qi raised his chin and gestured for the deputy envoy to sit down. "Sir Gao, what did the Emperor tell you to convey privately to Emperor Jing'an?"
The deputy envoy's eyes flickered slightly. "Your Majesty guessed that we would encounter difficulties on this trip. If we cannot achieve our goal, we can use Princess Yizhen's remains in exchange for Emperor Jing'an."
"That's it?" Prince Qi frowned. "Did Emperor Jing'an agree?"
The deputy envoy was very confident: "This is related to Princess Yizhen's reputation. Even if Emperor Jing'an doesn't agree, he has to agree."
Without waiting for the King of Qi to ask again, the deputy envoy stood up and said, "If Your Highness has nothing else to say, I will take my leave."
The King of Qi remained silent, looking at the deputy envoy with sharp eyes, as if trying to find a clue from his face.
The deputy envoy looked calm and allowed the King of Qi to look at him.
The King of Qi waved his hand, signaling the deputy envoy to leave.
The deputy envoy took a few steps back before turning around and leaving.
The King of Qi looked at the deputy envoy's departing figure with a heavy gaze, and suddenly called out, "Chang'an."
Chang An came out from the inner room, "Your Highness."
"Do you think Princess Yizhen is hiding some unknown secret?"
"Your Highness, I do have a question in my mind." Chang An said, "Back then, Emperor Jing'an and Princess Yizhen were held hostage in Northern Qi. Their situation was very difficult. Not only the high-ranking officials, but also those with even a little wealth could bully them at will."
"The previous emperor of the Great Zhou ignored them, leaving them to fend for themselves in Northern Qi. At one point, they couldn't even afford to eat or wear clothes, and had to fend for themselves. To survive, they dared not offend anyone."
"In such a difficult and dangerous environment, Emperor Jing'an was able to escape and return to the Great Zhou. Isn't that too strange?"
"I'm thinking that there might be someone from Northern Qi helping him."
"Apart from high-ranking ministers, the only people who possess this ability are the powerful princes. They wouldn't help Emperor Jing'an for no reason. They must have made a deal."
"The strange thing is that after Emperor Jing'an ascended the throne, the Great Zhou and Northern Qi were still at war. The people who let Emperor Jing'an return home didn't even ask for his reward."
The King of Qi understood what Chang An meant: "Are you saying that the person who made this deal wasn't Emperor Jing'an?"
Chang An nodded: "Only if Princess Yizhen makes sacrifices and seeks a glimmer of hope for Emperor Jing'an can she gain an extremely important position in Emperor Jing'an's heart."
The King of Qi agreed. Since ancient times, emperors have often been ruthless. Based solely on blood ties, Emperor Jing'an would not compromise for Princess Yizhen.
A dark light flashed in his eyes, and he remembered what the deputy envoy said in the Golden Palace.
My father has a close relationship with Emperor Jing'an and Princess Yizhen...
Could it be that it was my father who let Emperor Jing'an go?
When the King of Qi thought about this, he suddenly understood why the deputy envoy was so sure that Emperor Jing'an would compromise and let the King of Zhenbei's eldest son marry Princess Guangning.
Perhaps my father has something on Emperor Jing'an?
If that is the case, then Princess Guangning will definitely marry Chen Du.
He suddenly stood up and prepared to go find Princess Guangning.
“Knock knock—”
There was a knock on the door, and the guard's voice came from outside: "Your Highness, something bad has happened. The King of Zhenbei has mobilized his troops and seems to be returning to the northern border."
This news caught the King of Qi off guard.
Not only him, but everyone else in the capital who heard the news was shocked.
Prince Yu, in particular, looked out the window in the direction of Prince Zhenbei's Mansion with an unfathomable expression... Was Prince Zhenbei going to openly defy the emperor's order?
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