Unfaithful and unrighteous
Out of consideration for the fact that Mu Huaying had ultimately spared her senior brother's life back then, A Qiu decided to help her out of this predicament.
She cautiously observed Xie Lang's expression and said, "No matter what, today's Xiao Yue may not be the same child as before. Everything we are doing now is just speculation. So many years have passed, that child may have already died. Your Majesty... why do you keep dwelling on the past and pursuing Madam Pei?"
Xie Lang said sternly, "Then why didn't you tell us in the first place?"
The matter of secretly releasing Mo Yi Bi Shuang's son could be a big deal or a small one, but given the friendship between Xie Lang, the remaining three guards, and Mu Hua Ying, Mu Hua Ying kept her mouth shut from beginning to end and never revealed a single word.
Xie Lang moved closer, staring intently at her, and said, "If Xiao Yue hadn't come to court today, and you hadn't felt guilty, you probably would have kept it from us until your death! Sister Huaying, how many things have you been carrying out in secret, hiding them from me?"
Mu Huaying has always been domineering and arrogant. Even when Pei Yuanli passed away, she still held on to her dignity and never showed any sign of dejection.
But at this moment, his face was deathly pale, and he could not utter another word.
Zhao Lingying could no longer hold back. She stood in front of Mu Huaying and shouted at Xie Lang, "If I told you, would that child still be alive? Wouldn't you secretly send people to kill that child no matter what? Who would dare tell your brother Xie about this? Who would dare trust you again!"
Xie Lang's face turned as if struck by lightning, and he hissed, "Ling Ying, what did you say? Say it again and see what happens!"
Zhao Lingying sneered, and was about to speak again when Sikong Zhao grabbed her with one hand and covered her mouth with the other, smiling apologetically at Xie Lang, "Sister Lingying misspoke, Your Majesty, please don't be offended."
He immediately changed the subject, saying, "Even if Xiao Yue is the son of Mo Yi Bi Shuang, he can't cause any trouble in the current Dayan. What's worth discussing are the two demands he made, which shows that he is not only proficient in negotiation but also has far-reaching plans."
Xie Lang was indeed successfully distracted and shouted, "His talk of borrowing troops to go down to Jiangdong to quell the rebellion for us is utter nonsense and there is absolutely no way we can accept it."
Sikong Zhao said, "The proposal to send troops has been rejected by our newly appointed Grand Master of Music." She glanced at A Qiu, her eyes filled with unreserved admiration, "But the proposal for a marriage alliance is probably not so easy to refuse."
The other party has brought two proposals, and to reject them both would be a ruthless approach. After all, the opponent is the Northern Qiang royal army, which has annexed five tribes and dominates the Central Plains; otherwise, it will be difficult to discuss anything further.
Xie Lang regained his composure and said in a deep voice, "As the Grand Master of Music said, our dynasty does not have any princesses. If we really want to have a marriage alliance, it would be best if their princess married into our country." He hesitated for a moment and then said, "If that's the case, there is still room for maneuver."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he saw Zhao Lingying's eyes widen in disbelief, and she exhaled through her nostrils, saying, "Where is there any room for maneuver? Well, His Majesty's harem is short of people anyway, so you might as well marry her." Xie Lang's brows furrowed, and he seemed to be about to unleash a furious rage.
When A Qiu heard Zhao Lingying say this, she knew that Consort Chen's plan to leave the palace was now known even to Zhao Lingying.
Zhao Lingying, however, insisted, "The Crown Prince is absolutely out of the question, because he has no principal wife yet. If we marry the daughter of the Northern Qiang King, she will most likely become the future Queen Mother. If she gives birth to one or two more sons, we can take half of our country's territory without shedding a drop of blood."
Xie Lang had no way to refute or clear himself, and couldn't utter a single word. So, in the eyes of the women, he was considered to have tacitly agreed that if a princess from the Northern Qiang were to marry, he would be the one to marry her.
Mu Huaying then came to her senses and calmly said, "I'm afraid the Northern Qiang aren't so kind as to offer us a princess for free."
In fact, this is the primary issue that everyone agrees on. Whether Xie Lang and his son should marry the Northern Qiang princess is not the most pressing question at present. It's likely that the princess has no intention of marrying her off to them at all.
A Qiu followed Mu Huaying's lead, pondering, "But we don't have a princess, and it's impossible for us to send our only prince to marry into a foreign power. What exactly is the Northern Qiang's intention in this proposal?"
This was probably the first time since she had known Mu Huaying that she could calmly ask her for advice, instead of them turning against each other and risking bloodshed at the slightest disagreement.
Mu Huaying calmly said, "Their real purpose is most likely to make us choose daughters of powerful families to marry as princesses."
Those present still possessed a degree of rationality, and they unanimously went through the names of all the influential daughters of powerful families in the court in their minds.
In fact, this was not without precedent. Mu Huaying had married into the household of the Grand Marshal and General Dongguang with the honors due to a princess, but she was not given the title of princess.
In reality, any one of Shangguan Yuqi, Pei Yu, or Fan Liancheng would possess the actual weight and political influence of a noblewoman, certainly no less than a royal daughter who only has bloodline honor under normal circumstances.
Who would have thought that Mu Huaying's next words would be:
"Of course, all these marriage customs, including the selection of brides, are utter nonsense. When war breaks out, they won't care whether the bride is a real princess or a princess bestowed with titles; they'll still send troops without hesitation, and might even use our princesses as sacrifices to the heavens. Because those barbarians have always been untrustworthy and unrighteous, the etiquette and moral constraints of our Han people are completely useless against them."
Having brought this up, Zhao Lingying smiled coolly and said, "As for this cushy job, I wonder if Your Majesty feels there is any room for negotiation? If not, I do have an idea."
After listening to Mu Huaying's analysis, Xie Lang felt his headache worsen: even if he was willing to bestow the title of princess upon a daughter of a powerful family, whether it was the daughter of the Shangguan family or the daughter of the Pei family, they were not easy to move, let alone make her a sacrifice.
Even if Shangguan Yuqi herself didn't object, he himself couldn't imagine sending Shangguan Yuqi to suffer this fate. After all, even among the top clans of the Central Plains that have lasted for hundreds of years, sword immortals are not a rare commodity that can be harvested in large numbers.
Other daughters of powerful families, even if not as outstanding as Shangguan Yuqi, are still among the new generation of loyal ministers and capable generals. As the saying goes, it is easy to find three armies, but difficult to find a general; they are the future pillars of the nation.
He knew Zhao Lingying wouldn't say anything nice, but he habitually trusted her quick wit and unconventional approach, so he said in a deep voice, "Just say what you have to say."
Zhao Lingying said coolly, "I've already said it, Your Majesty, please don't blame me for speaking frankly and offending the imperial majesty."
For a moment, Xie Lang's mind raced through all sorts of wildly imaginative possibilities regarding Zhao Lingying, but in the end, he still said, "I forgive you for your innocence."
He was confident he could be magnanimous enough. It was just a few words, a suggestion. If it worked, he would accept it; if not, he would simply ignore it. There would be no real harm done.
Zhao Lingying smiled and said, "It's my idea. For something like this, where someone has to lead from the front and sacrifice themselves, it would be better for His Majesty to do it personally." While everyone was still confused, Zhao Lingying continued, "Let the Crown Prince ascend the throne immediately, and His Majesty can go to the Northern Qiang as the Retired Emperor to marry into the Northern Qiang. The Northern Qiang will gain a Retired Emperor who is also the new emperor's biological father, which is much better than a princess in name only. They will definitely agree."
Among the group, A Qiu was the youngest. Hearing Zhao Lingying speak so seriously, even she, who was usually quite calm and composed, almost choked. Xie Lang's face turned deathly pale with anger, and even the hem of his dragon robe trembled like flowing water for a moment. He was speechless.
Even with Sikong Zhao's straightforwardness and Mu Huaying's shrewdness, they were instantly speechless, unable to find the words to smooth things over for Zhao Lingying.
To propose that the Crown Prince succeed to the throne in front of Xie Lang was already defying the world's opinion, but to send the retired emperor to a foreign land for a political marriage was an unprecedented idea. Only Zhao Lingying, a talented woman who was both righteous and wicked and fearless, could come up with such a plan.
Xie Lang finally came to his senses, pointed at Zhao Lingying with his finger, and said angrily, "This is deliberate disrespect!"
Before he could finish speaking, his face turned from white to green, and he fell backward.
Zhao Lingying watched coldly, but made no move to help him up.
Seeing that she didn't move, Mu Huaying had no choice but to rush forward and support Xie Lang, checking his pulse. After a moment, she looked at Zhao Lingying with an inscrutable expression, her lips moving, but she ultimately didn't say anything.
Zhao Lingying coldly replied, "If I hadn't stopped him just now, His Majesty would have directly questioned Hua Ying. Can't I even provoke him?"
A Qiu always remembered that Xie Lang was Gu Yi's friend and the father of her senior brother Xie Tiao. Seeing that his situation was really not optimistic, she didn't care whether Zhao Lingying allowed it or not. She stepped forward and placed a snow-white, jade-like hand on his back, continuously channeling innate true energy into Xie Lang's dragon body.
Upon hearing all this, she immediately sensed that Xie Lang's vitality was much weaker than when she last saw him in the Cloud Dragon Palace.
The reason is obvious. Xie Lang has been bedridden and recuperating, and his condition is sometimes delirious and sometimes lucid. The medicines prescribed by the imperial physicians are ineffective and there is no effective treatment. When he is awake, he still has to work hard to handle government affairs. Just now, he forced himself to participate in the court meeting for most of the day in the Huiyin Hall, which is probably extremely exhausting.
This was a desperate measure that Zhao Lingying had to take in order to avoid revealing any flaws to the Northern Qiang envoys and to prevent them from thinking that the Dayan Emperor was critically ill and that they could take advantage of the situation.
Before Xie Lang left Yunlong Palace, Zhao Lingying must have already managed to infuse him with her own true energy. However, Zhao Lingying's internal energy cultivation method was unconventional, unlike the innate profound true energy of Gu Yi and A Qiu's lineage. Although it could temporarily invigorate him, it ultimately could not nourish his internal organs, tendons, limbs, and body. In addition, many unexpected events occurred, and he was already preoccupied with worry. Under the repeated attacks of shock and anger, he was finally angered by Zhao Lingying to the point that his heart fire surged back, and he could not catch his breath, so he collapsed.
Even though he was being supported by Mu Huaying and A Qiu on either side, he remained conscious, though he couldn't speak, and his eyes were still fixed on the crowd.
Sikong Zhao glanced at Zhao Lingying, as if he wanted to say something, but Mu Huaying gave him a look, and Sikong Zhao immediately shut up.
The meaning behind that look was clear: His Majesty is not yet dead, so don't talk nonsense in front of him and bring up those unrelated things about Zhao Lingying. His Majesty will be so angry that he will die even if he doesn't die.
Xie Lang is currently ill and has many constraints. Gu Yi is also not around, so he shouldn't suspect that the four of them are conspiring to do something.
When A Qiu emerged from the Yunlong Palace, it was already evening. The dim twilight enveloped the distant and nearby pavilions and palaces.
A subtle, yet inexplicable pressure suddenly appeared and instantly enveloped my heart.
With Mu Huaying and Sikong Zhao both present, Zhao Lingying did not stop her from channeling her inner energy into Xie Lang, circulating it through his meridians. Xie Lang already had a certain foundation, but with her help, after circulating his energy through several meridians, his complexion became rosy, and he fell into a deep sleep, no longer looking pale and emaciated as before.
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