Chapter 81 Perhaps... Perhaps it can extend the life of Concubine Shen...
Before daybreak, Xiao Zhinian warned Huaiwen not to untie Shen Zhejiang without permission, and then rushed back to the palace without stopping.
Having not slept for the entire night, Xiao Zhinian looked almost normal except for some bloodshot eyes. Sitting in the court, he inexplicably gave people an aura of authority without even being angry.
Even Prime Minister Hu felt inexplicably frightened when he saw Xiao Zhinian like this.
Moreover, last night the emperor sentenced Lu, the commander of the imperial guards, to eighty strokes of the cane for unknown reasons, and he is still lying in his mansion recuperating from his injuries. In addition, Qingfeng Tower was demolished overnight. These two things put together forced all the civil and military officials in the court and the public to think twice before speaking.
Who knows if I will be the next victim?
"Your Majesty, all the rules for the ceremony of conferring the title of consort are on the agenda. The crown and boots are being made by the Shangzhi Bureau. The auspicious dress is made of silk tribute from the Western Regions and embellished with 333 South China Sea pearls. We have prepared 100 rolls of silk, 37 pieces of gold, silver and jewelry, and a jade ruyi..."
This was the etiquette for the emperor's first wedding. The sizes of the wedding clothes were personally handed over to the Shangzhi Bureau by Xiao Zhinian. Except that the color must not be bright red, the rest of the regulations were no less than those for the empress.
The Minister of Rites observed Xiao Zhinian's expression as he read each sentence. Seeing that Xiao Zhinian's expression eased slightly at the end, he also breathed a sigh of relief: "...The Imperial Astronomical Observatory has chosen the eighth day of the second month of next year as a suitable date for marriage."
Doesn't that mean there are still two months left?
This has been too long.
Xiao Zhinian wished that he could become a real couple with Shen Zhejiang tomorrow, write Shen Zhejiang's name next to his, and follow him for the rest of his life.
The Minister of Rites saw that Xiao Zhinian was neither happy nor angry, and could not figure out what he meant for a moment, so he asked hesitantly, "Is Your Majesty satisfied?"
Xiao Zhinian thought for a while and decided that good times would last a long time, so he waved his hand and said, "Okay, give the order and make sure there are no omissions."
"yes."
After the marriage was discussed here, the Minister of War reported that the Northern Barbarians, who had been silent for many years, were showing signs of stirring in recent days, attempting to break through the border defenses and move southward.
In the first year of Shuncheng, that is, when Xiao Zhinian's father, Emperor Wu Kun, ascended the throne, his foundation was not yet solid enough. Facing the attack from the northern barbarians, he resolved it through peace talks. He named the sister of the current Minister of Personnel Princess Anhe and married her to a foreign land, thus seeking stability in the northern border for more than 30 years.
Not long ago, Princess Anhe died of depression due to longing for love, and her soul returned to Dayan at the age of only 47. However, before her body was cold, the wolfish ambitions of the Northern Barbarians were revealed.
Now that the border is frozen, the Northern Barbarians cannot break through for the time being, so they train their troops in secret. If it weren't for the spies' reports, it would be difficult to detect the Northern Barbarians' movements.
When the ice and snow melt next year, there will probably be a war.
"I believe that peace talks are a good strategy. Since the late emperor ascended the throne, Princess Anhe has stabilized the country and brought decades of peace to the people of both countries. Therefore, we are selecting a suitable noblewoman to be the envoy. Speaking of which, Miss Feng Biying, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, is just the right age for marriage."
The person who said this was the Minister of Personnel, Lord Qiu. The reason why he made such a proposal was that he wanted to take the initiative. After all, he only had one daughter in his house who was waiting to be married, and she was waiting to become the queen.
Besides, the cold and hardship in the north is not something that everyone can endure, and Lord Qiu couldn't bear to see his little daughter suffer.
Lord Feng, the Minister of Rites, knew the truth very well. No one knew who would eventually become the empress, so how could he let his own daughter become a princess for no reason?
Therefore, Minister Feng said righteously: "Lord Qiu is a loyal hero of the family. He should inherit Princess Anhe and set an example for our country. What do you think, Lord Qiu?"
Seeing that the two of them were about to quarrel, someone suggested: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being frank, but I have thought of someone, Wang Xiuyi, the descendant of the guilty minister."
Firstly, Wang Xiuyi had been on the border battlefield for three full years and had long since adapted to the hardships of the cold land, so he would naturally not be looked down upon by the northern barbarians.
Secondly, after all, she is the descendant of a traitor and should have the awareness of sacrificing herself for the country. Conferring her the title of princess of marriage would be a high regard for her.
After figuring out these deeper meanings, the ministers all nodded in agreement and asked Xiao Zhinian to make the decision.
Xiao Zhinian said nothing.
As for these old guys, is it better to get rid of them after they have done their job, or to divert the trouble to someone else?
They are really all shrewd and cunning old foxes.
If Wang Xiuyi knew that these people pushed her out like this, given her violent temper, she would probably beat them half to death before she would stop.
Wang Xiuyi was a fierce general on the battlefield.
To put it bluntly, without her, if the Northern Barbarians really attack the south, Xiao Zhinian won't know where to find another soldier like her.
"Is my Dayan Dynasty worse than the Northern Barbarians?"
Xiao Zhinian slowly tapped the patterns on the handle of the dragon throne with his knuckles, and his eyes as deep as a pool looked over all the ministers below.
All the civil and military officials in the court were stunned after hearing this. They didn't know what was going on and returned to their seats.
"Or do you think that the stability of our dynasty requires the sacrifice of women? In that case, what are we doing with all of you in the court? Just go home and wait to be fed!"
On the high platform, Xiao Zhinian stood up, his dragon-patterned robe fluttering with his movements, like roaring waves of clouds.
"If anyone offends Dayan, we will send out troops to destroy him."
It was a deafening dragon roar.
Almost in the next moment, all the courtiers in the hall said in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!!!"
-
Chen Zhejiang was not in Yanqing Palace, and Xiao Zhinian didn't want to stay there for a moment. As soon as the court was over, he rushed straight out of the palace.
The snow had stopped, but the wind was still bitingly cold. A layer of thick lead-gray clouds condensed in the sky, making it gloomy, just like Xiao Zhinian's mood at the moment.
He was riding hurriedly on the palace road. When the palace servants who were sweeping the snow saw him, they all put down their work and knelt down in haste to pay their respects.
Xiao Zhinian ignored him, his sharp eyes fixed on the road ahead.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!!”
When he reached the palace gate, he vaguely heard someone calling him.
Xiao Zhinian glanced sideways.
He saw that old Doctor Zhao running towards him hurriedly from the opposite road leading to the Imperial Medical Bureau. It was so difficult for his old bones that his pair of legs were almost sparking from running.
Does he have something to do with me?
Xiao Zhinian acted decisively and pulled the reins at the same time, raising the horse's hooves high up, and with a whoosh, it landed steadily back on the ground.
"What is it?"
Doctor Zhao knelt down in the snow without saying anything. With trembling hands, he held up a medicine bottle to Xiao Zhinian. Then, panting, he said, "Your Majesty, I have been searching through ancient books for days and found a prescription to extend the life of Concubine Jing... I made it into honey pills, maybe... maybe it can extend Concubine Shen's life..."
"When did I ever say I wanted him to live longer?! He is not sick! You are a bunch of quacks!"
Xiao Zhinian's teeth were about to break as he growled. The veins on the back of his hands that were holding the reins bulged like the roots of the earth.
Doctor Zhao said in a trembling voice: "But——"
"Nonsense!"
The horsewhip was swung violently, and a shadow swept past Doctor Zhao's eyes. Before Doctor Zhao could react, the medicine bottle in his hand hit the palace wall. After a crackling sound, the pills scattered all over the ground.
In the white snow, the black dots are particularly eye-catching.
Doctor Zhao was so frightened that he trembled for a moment, but he dared not speak again: "......"
Xiao Zhinian stared down at him and said, "If you dare to say that Concubine Shen is ill again, I will kill you."
After saying this, he clamped his long legs around the horse's back and passed by Doctor Zhao as fast as lightning.
Doctor Zhao looked at Xiao Zhinian's back as he walked away from the palace gate and let out a long sigh.
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