The once lively banquet suddenly fell silent, as if time had frozen.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes revealing shock and disbelief.
Interspersed among them were soft gasps, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples.
The Second Prince, Zhao Wenqi, tugged at the hem of his elder brother, the Crown Prince, in a daze.
"Brother, what did he mean?"
Crown Prince Zhao Wenyi said with a solemn expression: "If you continue to obstruct Fourth Imperial Uncle from marrying Aunt, I'm afraid this guy will steal Aunt away from him."
Zhao Wenqi held up all ten fingers and counted.
Of course, he was unwilling for his fourth uncle to marry his aunt.
But he was even more unwilling when the foreign man wanted to marry his aunt.
Thinking of this, he quietly crawled up to Zhao Changqing and looked up at him with his little face.
"Uncle, I agree. Why don't you marry Auntie?"
Zhao Changqing's face had already darkened, and upon hearing this, he immediately stood up.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Lady Han has indeed been widowed for many years. However, I have long admired Lady Han and am preparing to formally propose marriage to her after she has finished her mourning period."
These words caused an uproar among the court officials.
Everyone had heard that Zhao Changqing led his army back to the capital that day, and that he detoured through Wutong Street and lingered there for a while.
Now, the King of Yue himself confirmed everyone's suspicions.
Everyone was talking about what kind of woman this Madam Han was, that she could cause two people to argue over her.
However, as a widow, to be able to raise such an outstanding young man as the top scholar must be no ordinary person.
It must have its merits.
Despite hearing Zhao Changqing's words, Cha Keqin remained calm.
"Judging from what the King of Yue said, the betrothal has not yet been made and the marriage contract has not been established. In that case, everyone has a chance and can compete on an equal footing. How can being a queen be better than being a princess? I think my chances of winning are quite good."
Zhao Changqing looked at him coldly: "As a relative of a high-ranking official, Madam Han would never agree to go to another country to become a queen."
Chakchin lowered his eyes and turned the ring on his hand.
"You Central Plains people are knowledgeable and cultured, but you are too pedantic. You always try to bind yourselves with some inexplicable things, such as loyalty and filial piety... which are both boring and useless."
Suddenly, someone stood up from the officials' table, stood up straight, and bowed to Chakchin from afar.
"Your Majesty, loyalty and filial piety are the fundamental principles of governing a nation. Loyalty means upholding integrity and trustworthiness towards the country, the state, the ruler, and even the law; filial piety means showing respect and love to one's elders and ancestors, fulfilling one's duty of care without negligence. If all the people are loyal to the ruler and love their country, and abide by the laws, then there will be harmony between superiors and inferiors, smooth governance, a nation that is constantly striving for self-improvement, resistance to external threats, and the pacification of internal troubles. Filial piety is to the family as loyalty is to the country, serving as the cornerstone of society. Giving equal importance to loyalty and filial piety is a constant principle of the nation. Loyal ministers and filial sons originate from one family and enter into the nation, extending their own virtues to others and transforming the family into the nation. Therefore, in governing a nation, loyalty and filial piety cannot be neglected."
These words were insightful and to the point, and all the officials present nodded in agreement.
Emperor Zhao Changheng was also very satisfied; he truly deserved to be the top scholar chosen by his own hand.
Chakchin looked at the young man with his pale eyes and slowly said, "I don't understand."
puff--
This is what it means to play the lute to a cow.
Chakchin narrowed his eyes slightly and asked the young man again, "Who are you?"
The young man remained expressionless and respectfully replied, "I am Han Wenzheng, the Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion whom you just mentioned."
"Oh." Chakchin suddenly realized, "So you are her son. Go back and tell your mother that I will visit her tomorrow and ask her in person if she wants to return to Wuhuan with me and become her queen."
Ah Li's eyes flickered slightly, but she pursed her lips and did not answer.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhao Changheng couldn't help but speak up: "Is it inappropriate for Your Highness to visit Lady Han in private? This concerns a woman's reputation; Your Highness should be cautious."
Chakchin laughed: "You Central Plains people are so old-fashioned, always talking about reputation. In my Wuhuan Kingdom, we never care about these things. As for women, whoever can snatch them gets them; everyone relies on their own abilities."
After speaking, his gaze swept over Zhao Changqing almost imperceptibly.
Zhao Changqing's face was so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water, but his eyes remained clear and calm, clearly not blinded by anger and losing his mind.
He looked down at Zhao Wenqi, who was lying beside him, and stroked his head: "Those weapons you've been developing recently for the Wuhuan... they should be almost finished, right?"
Zhao Wenqi blinked: "It's almost finished, but recently Crazy Brother has a new idea. It's said that he wants to modify the crossbow again so that it can shoot even further."
Zhao Changqing raised an eyebrow and curled his lips: "Well done. If you need anything, just tell your uncle. Whether you need money, supplies, or manpower, your uncle will take care of it."
"Okay."
Everyone present at the palace banquet felt a mix of emotions.
Throughout the entire process, it was Chakchin who remained the most composed.
Only those with thick skin can enjoy the world without distractions.
Morality and a sense of shame always make people hold themselves back.
After the banquet, Zhao Changqing specially dispatched a team of armored soldiers to "escort" Chakchin's delegation back to their residence.
King Qi, Zhao Changyi, followed behind Zhao Changqing and whispered in secret, "Fourth Brother, aren't you going to keep an eye on your sister-in-law? What if she really gets tricked away?"
Zhao Changqing stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and firm: "Youyou will not go with him. Youyou doesn't like this person."
"That's hard to say. My sister-in-law is a practical person and doesn't talk about those empty things. Whether people like it or not doesn't matter. The temptation of becoming queen is so great, who knows, she might really go with it."
Zhao Changqing's eyes seemed to conceal endless darkness, like a deep night sky, mysterious and unpredictable.
Her voice carried a hint of etherealness as she leisurely said, "Wherever she goes, I will fight her. At worst, I'll annex the Wuhuan Kingdom into the territory of Daqian."
Zhao Changyi was speechless, only giving a thumbs up: "Brother, you're ruthless."
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