Chapter 501 A Love for One's Son
The one who spoke out in rebuttal was none other than the Duke of Anguo.
Since the incident at the tea garden yesterday, rumors have seriously affected Luo Dong, and even his attendance at court today has been the subject of gossip.
If things had ended there, it would have been fine, but now even a foreign prince is making sarcastic remarks, and his words even seem to offend the emperor. How can this be left to chance?
"My lord, I witnessed this matter with my own eyes yesterday, so it cannot be false. But what is the reason you claim there was one?"
Duke Anguo's original intention was twofold: first, to prevent the people of Jin from looking down on the Great Zhou; and second, to make a good impression on His Majesty and salvage the reputation of the Duke Anguo's mansion. Little did he expect that he would dig a pit for himself.
Yesterday's incident happened so suddenly that even the person involved didn't know what was going to happen. But how could a duke like him, who wasn't even there, know that there was a reason for it?
The emperor's suspicious gaze swept over, and Duke Anguo's heart skipped a beat as he instantly realized he had said the wrong thing.
Fortunately, having established himself in the imperial court for so many years, Duke Anguo quickly regained his composure.
“Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince and that boy have always been treated with great courtesy and are not the kind of people who would do such a thing, so there must be other hidden reasons behind this matter.”
As he spoke, the Duke of Anguo bowed deeply to the emperor, as if he were truly heartbroken by what had happened yesterday.
The emperor was also the fifth prince's father, and he understood the feeling of his son being pointed at and talked about all too well, so the slight doubts that had just arisen immediately vanished.
"I understand Luo Qing's feelings. I know my son best. He would never do something that would disgrace the royal family. So there must be a hidden reason."
As the emperor openly defended his son, a mocking smile crossed Xu Yunzhi's face.
"As fathers, Your Majesty and this gentleman, we can all understand your love for your son, but it is really hard to believe what you are saying."
Xu Yunzhi spoke with a hint of roguishness, as if he were speaking not to the emperor of a country, but to an ordinary citizen.
The emperor was naturally displeased with his attitude, but since the crown prince of Jin had been spoiled by the emperor of Jin since childhood, he couldn't say much in order not to offend Jin.
Just when the scene was getting awkward, Yun Yichen stepped forward unhurriedly. The aura he exuded made him look more like a monarch than the emperor sitting on the high throne.
"His Highness the Crown Prince of Jin has come all the way to Great Zhou, surely not specifically to discuss matters concerning our prince!"
With a single sentence, Yun Yichen instantly reclassified the matter of the Fifth Prince as a private affair, while Xu Yunzhi was relegated to the status of a meddling outsider.
Upon hearing this, Xu Yunzhi looked at Yun Yichen without any restraint, his eyes full of smiles.
"What you say, Minister Yun, is correct. May I ask what brings the Crown Prince of Jin to our Great Zhou this time?"
The emperor was even more pleased with Yun Yichen's smooth talk, and simply skipped over the previous conversation to ask about the purpose of the Jin Kingdom's visit.
You know, the Crown Prince of Wei has not yet left after coming to propose marriage, and now the Crown Prince of Jin is rushing here. Could it be that he also wants to become related to the Great Zhou through marriage?
It has to be said that what he thought of came true. Just as the emperor was guessing, Xu Yunzhi said, "Your Majesty of Great Zhou, I have long heard that the women of Great Zhou are gentle and skillful. My Jin Kingdom and Great Zhou have been neighbors for centuries. In order to establish friendly relations, my father has specially ordered me to come and discuss the matter of marriage with Your Majesty of Great Zhou."
As expected, it was another marriage alliance. Everyone who heard Xu Yunzhi's words couldn't help but have this thought in mind.
However, one person thought differently. Looking at Xu Yunzhi's casual demeanor, Lu Youming's eyes almost popped out.
Xu Yunzhi had served as his advisor for several months and helped him obtain many things he wanted, so Lu Youming could naturally recognize him at a glance.
Before he could ask Xu Yunzhi why he was there, he heard someone say that he was the Crown Prince of Jin.
This news was so surprising to Lu Youming that he had no idea what had happened in between.
It wasn't until Xu Yunzhi mentioned that they had come for a marriage alliance that Lu Youming finally came to his senses.
"A marriage alliance?"
The emperor looked at Xu Yunzhi and thought, "Sure enough, the State of Jin also wants to make peace through marriage. Now, all diplomatic relations depend on marriage alliances."
Knowing full well that he only had one young princess, yet they all rushed to marry him at this time, the emperor suddenly had a plan in mind.
"Your Highness may not know this, but His Highness the Crown Prince of Wei is currently in the Great Zhou. How about I host a banquet another day and introduce you two?"
The emperor completely ignored Xu Yunzhi's words and did not respond to his rambling.
Xu Yunzhi did not press further after hearing this, but simply nodded, "Then I will trouble Your Majesty."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the emperor ordered Xu Yunzhi to be sent to the post station, while the others stayed behind to discuss the day's court affairs.
Lu Youming didn't exchange a single word with Xu Yunzhi from beginning to end. Watching Xu Yunzhi's dashing figure disappear into the distance, his mind began to race with calculations.
After the morning court session, Yun Yichen and several high-ranking ministers stayed behind.
The emperor discussed with his ministers the fact that the states of Wei and Jin had come to pay tribute one after the other. Some said that both Wei and Jin wanted to win over the Great Zhou in order to launch an attack on the other state.
Some argue that the two countries' visit to the capital was actually aimed at establishing a more stable relationship. After all, the three kingdoms had been at peace for many years, and it was normal for them to want to consolidate peace through marriage alliances.
Yun Yichen stood aside, watching everyone argue heatedly, without saying a word.
After a long while, seeing that everyone was arguing and holding their own opinions, the emperor finally turned his attention to Yun Yichen.
"What does the Grand Secretary think?"
The emperor's words immediately drew everyone's attention to Yun Yichen. They seemed to only then remember him and quickly pulled him to the front, asking, "Prime Minister, please tell us your opinion?"
Yun Yichen was already used to the tired situation, and when he was pulled to the front, he simply said calmly, "Actually, my opinion is the same as that of you gentlemen. The Wei and Jin kingdoms are not weak, and they are much stronger than the surrounding small countries. But they have all come to the Great Zhou for a reason."
Yun Yichen paused here, and after scanning everyone's faces, he continued, "As for what the purpose is, it is actually not important to the Great Zhou."
"What do you mean by that, Lord Yun? They're all rushing to win over the Great Zhou, clearly their real intentions are not what they seem. How could they not be important to us?"
The two sides had been holding their own opinions for a long time, and when Yun Yichen said it wasn't important, they naturally refused to comply.
“Naturally, that’s not important.” Yun Yichen nodded, his gaze subtly falling on the emperor. “It doesn’t matter what they want us to do; what matters is what we want to do.”
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