242 Marriage Proposal, the Smell of Conspiracy
This year's Dongling Imperial City is destined to be bustling and unforgettable.
On the tenth day after Feng Qingchen was injured, Beiling Kingdom, which had severed diplomatic ties with Dongling for twenty years, sent Beiling's second prince, Beiling Fengqian, to Dongling to celebrate the birthday of Dongling Emperor.
Beiling is located in the coldest place in the Jiuzhou continent. It has snow all year round and a harsh climate, with basically no grass growing. Dongling, Nanling and Xiling have never thought of conquering such a place.
Although the territory of Beiling State was expanded after the occupation, the people within the borders of Beiling State could not even be self-sufficient, let alone pay taxes. They would have to rely on subsidies from the national treasury, which would surely drag down the country over time.
The people of Beiling also knew that they were safe for the time being, and since the founding of the country, they had begun to close their doors to the outside world and focus on governing the country. It was only in recent years that Beiling gradually began to trade with people from the other three countries and nine cities.
The Second Prince of Beiling came to Dongling, which was the first time in Beiling's history that it had real diplomatic relations with another country. The emperor was in a very good mood when he heard the news, and he was very friendly towards Yaohua and Su Wan. There was a sense that Dongling was surpassing the other three countries and becoming the most powerful country in the Jiuzhou continent.
On the surface, Dongling's national strength is indeed far superior to the other three countries, but those who really understand the inside story understand that although Dongling is a powerful country, the power is too dispersed, and the imperial power is not as concentrated as in the other three countries. The emperor has been busy taking back power in recent years.
The arrival of the Second Prince of Beiling made the emperor feel particularly proud, so he held a banquet to entertain him that day. Of course, Feng Qingchen had nothing to do with such a national affair, so she continued to stay at home to recuperate.
Because the emperor's birthday was approaching, she couldn't build a cenotaph for her parents at this time. This could only be done in secret, and only after the emperor's birthday was over could she do it openly.
The banquet that Dongling held to entertain the Second Prince of Beiling was of very high standard, even higher than the one that was held to entertain Tianlei of Xiling. The Ninth Prince, the Crown Prince and others were present, and even the Queen showed up.
Dong Lingjiu held the jade cup in his hand, looking at the queen's arrogant and complacent look, and sneered in his heart. Soon, this woman could no longer laugh.
Beiling Fengqian is tall and strong, and looks like a warrior, but he is not a reckless person. Seeing that the emperor is so friendly, Beiling Fengqian also deliberately cooperates and flatters the emperor everywhere.
Both the host and the guests were delighted and the two countries were friendly. This was what everyone saw. The officials of Dongling were all beaming with joy and they looked upon Beiling Fengqian with an unusual liking.
You have to know that Nanling and Xiling are in Dongling and they challenge Dongling's authority everywhere, unlike the prince of Beiling who flatters them everywhere and makes them feel comfortable.
Seeing that the banquet was about to end, Beiling Fengqian suddenly stood up and presented ten pigeon egg-sized sea pearls, a sea holly, and a thousand-year-old snow lotus.
Although sea pearls and sea hollies are rare, they are not as rare as the thousand-year-old snow lotus. When the snow lotus appeared, even the emperor was shocked: "Is this a snow lotus?"
Snow lotus grows on the Changbeiling Snow Mountain. Looking across the Jiuzhou continent, no country except Beiling has it. Beiling is a closed country that does not allow outsiders to enter. People have only seen the name of the snow lotus but have never seen it.
There were dozens of snow lotus flowers in the previous dynasty, but with the demise of the previous dynasty, all the rare treasures of the royal family also disappeared.
“Your Majesty has a good eye. This is the snow lotus, the national flower of Beiling. It grows on the top of the snow-capped mountains without being stained by a speck of dust.
Your Majesty, the snow lotus in my hand is the best snow lotus Beilingqi has picked so far. This thousand-year-old snow lotus was obtained by me accidentally when I went hunting in the snow mountains.
There is a custom in Beiling that when an adult man wants to marry a woman, he must personally find a betrothal gift for her. The more expensive the betrothal gift is, the more he cares about the woman. My mother asked me to use this thousand-year-old snow lotus to ask for the woman I like. "Beiling Fengqian is definitely not a reckless man. The moment he came out of Beiling, he was thinking about how to get the most benefits in Dongling.
Dongling is rich and its people have ample food and clothing, which Beiling does not have. He hopes that this time during his diplomatic mission to Dongling, he can get help from Dongling so that the people of Beiling can also have enough food.
They thought a lot, but could not think of a way to get Emperor Dongling to help them. They should make friends with distant countries and attack nearby ones. Beiling and Dongling are close to each other, so Dongling would never let Beiling become bigger. You know, Dongling has fought many wars with Nanling in the past few years.
Until a counselor proposed a marriage alliance, they in Beiling did not ask for any jewelry as a dowry, but only seeds and craftsmen.
Beiling Fengqian thought about it and felt that this method might be feasible. In addition, after careful inquiries, he learned that the queen had a daughter who was very favored and her brother was very likely to be the next emperor of Dongling. Beiling Fengqian became more determined to have an alliance through marriage.
"Seeking to marry the woman of your dreams? Does Prince Feng Qian have a sweetheart?" The Emperor leaned back slightly, a hint of a smile hidden behind his serious face, and his face looked friendly and friendly.
If Feng Qingchen saw it, he would only say: hypocrisy!
Beiling Fengqian's face flushed, and he looked like he was in love for the first time: "Your Majesty, Fengqian heard that Princess Anping of your country is gentle and virtuous, and is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Youan is interested in marrying her."
After saying this, he held up the thousand-year-old snow lotus in both hands.
"No..." The queen's heart sank when she heard this, and she refused immediately. Her daughter must not marry this warrior in Beiling.
If she still wants to use Anping to win over the ministers in the court, how could she let her marry far away in Beiling?
The emperor glared at her, and the queen was so scared that she swallowed all the words she had not finished saying.
The emperor was interested in the thousand-year-old snow lotus, but he was even more interested in the marriage between the two countries and what benefits Dongling could get from it.
Although Beiling's war horses are not as good as the Ferghana horses and Cangshan Moyun horses, they are more numerous. If the two countries form an alliance, he can improve the quality of Dongling's cavalry in a very short period of time and use Beiling's power to consolidate the imperial power.
Similarly, Beiling can also get support from Dongling, but based on Beiling's national strength, it is far from being a match for Dongling.
But in a moment, the emperor had sorted out the pros and cons of the marriage, but he did not give in. Instead, he said: "Prince Fengqian is thoughtful. Anping is my beloved daughter. I can't bear to let her marry far away."
The main reason was that one snow lotus was too little, and the emperor wanted to bargain.
As for the sweetheart Beiling Fengqian mentioned, no one present believed it.
I haven't even met her, what are you interested in?
Beiling Fengqian repeatedly assured that he would treat Princess Anping well, and said that if he married Princess Anping, he would bring the princess back to Dongling to visit his relatives every year.
In Beiling, there are fewer women than men, and it is true that a family with a daughter is sought after by hundreds of families. Women are extremely precious in Beiling. Beiling Fengqian also promised that if he marries Princess Anping, he will definitely hold Princess Anping in his hands and love her dearly, and will never let her suffer any grievances.
These words moved those who heard them. No matter how they looked at it, they felt that Beiling Fengqian was a passionate and good man. Only Dongling Jiu sneered.
Women are indeed precious in Beiling. They are so precious that ordinary people cannot even get married to them. They are so precious that several brothers in a family have to share one wife.
Women are very precious in Beiling because they rely on women to reproduce, and women's responsibility is only to give birth and raise children.
If Princess Anping cannot give birth to children in Beiling, she will be worthless.
Of course, the Ninth Prince would never say these words. Before the banquet was over, he left first and crawled into Feng Qingchen's boudoir again in the middle of the night. He climbed onto Feng Qingchen's bed as if he was familiar with the place and started to massage her.
Feng Qingchen did not refuse, nor did she struggle. During these ten days, the Ninth Prince came to report regardless of weather conditions. No matter what she said, he did what he wanted and completely ignored her wishes.
Habit is a terrible thing. Feng Qingchen and his group got used to the embrace of the Ninth Prince and the elegant bamboo scent on his body.
Dong Lingjiu checked Feng Qingchen's injuries as usual to make sure she was recovering well, and then told her about Bei Ling Feng Qian's proposal to marry Princess Anping.
He hoped Feng Qingchen could be happy for a while, as she had been bored these past few days.
"Why would the Second Prince of Beiling ask for Princess Anping's hand in marriage? Why do I sense a conspiracy?" Even though Feng Qingchen was a political idiot, he could sense that something was wrong.
"What's the conspiracy?" Dong Lingjiu nodded at Feng Qingchen appreciatively and asked her to continue.
Of course, he did not expect Feng Qingchen to think that Beiling's proposal to marry Anping was his doing. Feng Qingchen should have been thinking of something else.
Feng Qingchen did not shy away from the Ninth Uncle and immediately expressed her suspicions: "It is very unusual that Nanling, Xiling, and Beiling are all marrying Dongling at the same time. To outsiders, it may be because they think Dongling is too powerful and these three countries dare not compete with Dongling, but I think there is a tendency for these three countries to join forces.
A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier, and an emperor who doesn't want to unify the world is not a good emperor. Dongling's strength is above the three kingdoms, and it can be said that it is their common enemy. At this time, they have all married Dongling, not to consolidate the relationship between Dongling and them, but to treat Dongling as a piece of fat meat, and everyone wants to take a bite. No matter how strong Dongling is, it can't be stronger than the three kingdoms together. "
(7) During the Warring States Period, the one who had the last laugh was not the most powerful State of Qi, but the weakest State of Qin.
The first bird to stick its head out will be shot down. In an era of strife among heroes, a powerful country will only become the public enemy of everyone, and this is the case with Dongling now.
"Not bad, you have some brains." Dong Lingjiu nodded with satisfaction. Finally, there was still someone sober.
The civil and military officials of Dongling could see that Su Wan and Yao Hua were trying to praise Feng Qingchen to death, but they could not see that Nanling, Xiling and Beiling were joining forces to praise Dongling to death.
Just a few words of flattery and a marriage with Dongling made the people of Dongling so arrogant that they thought they were the most powerful country in Jiuzhou.
How sad! How lamentable!
Feng Qingchen closed his eyes, too lazy to roll his eyes: "This is related to the survival of Dongling, shouldn't you fulfill your duty as a common man, Uncle Nine?"
Go away quickly and don't bother me anymore.
Now Feng Qingchen gets annoyed whenever she sees the Ninth Prince. This man has woven a net for her, pulling her heart, which had just jumped out with great difficulty, back little by little.
If this continues, she will become soft-hearted and fall even deeper!