Chapter 16 Xiao Kingdom's Marriage Alliance: "Otherwise, I might let them leave sideways."
Early morning.
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Gu Huizhou, dressed in a dragon robe, sat on a high seat. He looked down at the assembled officials, his gaze lingering on a few of them before he spoke, "Rise."
The New Year celebrations have just passed, and it's still before the Lantern Festival, so there's still a bit of the festive atmosphere. Just before Gu Huizhou arrived, you could hear the ministers exchanging New Year's greetings.
Cui Xiangzhu thought to himself, "These ministers and civil officials claim to have studied the scriptures for so long, and they've used that set of prayers countless times."
He's been talking about His Majesty so much he's practically worn out.
"Your Majesty, I have something to ask."
"The Xiao Kingdom sent a marriage delegation and princess to our Yun Kingdom before the New Year. Now that we have won the battle, our country has the right to speak. I dare to ask Your Majesty, who should our dynasty send to marry this princess?"
These words immediately caused an uproar in the court.
After the defeat of the Xiao Kingdom, the foreign delegation initially wanted the Xiao Kingdom to send a hostage, but they were too late. The Xiao Kingdom proposed sending its eldest princess for a marriage alliance, leaving the delegation speechless. The eldest princess of the Xiao Kingdom was the elder sister of the crown prince and the eldest daughter of the emperor and empress, holding a high position in the Xiao Kingdom.
Some people have said that the Emperor and Empress of Xiao Kingdom favored this princess even more than the Crown Prince. If this princess were a boy, the position of Crown Prince would never have fallen to her.
Of course, it wasn't just because of the eldest son, but also because this princess was exceptionally gifted in poetry and literature. From childhood, she could speak fluently about these subjects, and even before she was seven, she could ride and shoot arrows, making her far more intelligent than other royal children.
Sending a princess here for a marriage alliance would save face and also shut up the Yun Kingdom's envoys.
However, in the Yun Kingdom, deciding who to marry the princess was a difficult problem. The emperor had been on the throne for two years, but the harem remained empty. Many times, veteran officials had brought up the matter, but Gu Huizhou had always deflected them with other topics, and over time, no one dared to ask.
But a country cannot be without an heir. The princess who came to marry into the country must be sent to the harem. She cannot be the empress, but a concubine would be fine too.
The old minister who had just asked the question continued, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, there is currently no one in the harem, and Your Majesty has no heir. Princess Xiao is both beautiful and talented, and is suitable for the position of Imperial Consort."
That old minister was a veteran of two dynasties, never loyal to any one faction, a true loyal subject. He was over fifty years old, but did not look old. He spoke with a strong and clear voice, his eyes fixed firmly on the dragon throne.
Gu Huizhou tapped his fingers lightly on the table, the sound neither too loud nor too soft, only audible to himself and Cui Xiangzhu who was not far away. "Then, my dear minister, do you think that if I were to have a son with Princess Xiao, he could be made the crown prince?"
"this……"
"This is indeed inappropriate."
"Absolutely not!"
...
The old minister called out to Xue Qingping, who pondered for a moment, and said, “Your Majesty may choose another empress from among the noble families in the future. As for the position of crown prince, it will certainly be the eldest son of the legitimate wife. It has nothing to do with the Consort.”
"Clatter!" The cinnabar string fell onto the table, and in that instant, you could hear a pin drop in the hall.
The old minister looked up in astonishment, met Gu Huizhou's gaze, and then slowly lowered his head again.
"My ministers, do not interfere in the affairs of my harem," the man on the high seat said with a smile. "Otherwise, I might make them leave lying down."
After Gu Huizhou finished speaking, he looked on with satisfaction at the expressions of his ministers, especially those with daughters of marriageable age in their families, whose heads were bowing repeatedly. Some even cursed Xue Qingping inwardly, thinking he was asking for trouble by bringing up the harem.
Gu Huizhou picked up the cinnabar beads that had fallen on the table and played with them in his hand again. "Minister Xue, is there anything else?"
Xue Qingping gritted his teeth and after a long while, he finally spoke, "I am fine."
"Then you ministers may step down. Since you cannot find a suitable candidate, why not let the Princess choose for herself?"
Liang Fu swallowed hard, letting the Princess of Xiao choose for herself. Gu Huizhou was at a loss for words. If someone were colluding with Xiao to seduce foreign powers, wouldn't that be helping them secretly exchange favors?
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Xiao Kingdom's actions are imbued with deeper meaning. We must not entrust the selection of a marriage alliance to the Xiao Kingdom!"
"Then, Liang Aiqing, who do you think is capable of taking on this responsibility?"
Gu Huizhou had just been about to get up, but now he sat back down, leaning halfway on the dragon throne, and spoke slowly, his eyes fixed on the patterns in his hand.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty believes..."
Liang Fu's heart sank; at this moment, it would be a mistake to name anyone.
"Look, I really asked you to speak, but you wouldn't."
Upon receiving a glance from the emperor, Cui Xiangzhu immediately suppressed his smirk and said, "Dismiss the court!"
As they walked back to the Cloud Palace, Cui Xiangzhu couldn't hide the smile in his eyes, and he stood bowing to one side.
"Your Majesty, how is the heating going today? I don't know what happened the other day. That little eunuch was scolded by me, but now he finally knows how to heat it. Does Your Majesty find it satisfactory?"
The emperor, dressed in a long robe, responded. Cui Xiangzhu stepped forward with a smile, "As long as Your Majesty is comfortable, this servant is happy. Your Majesty, please try the pastries sent by the Imperial Kitchen. They have been newly made with plum blossoms, and they smell delicious."
Outside the capital, a post station was surrounded by carts. Tall horses were tied together, and a servant was feeding them hay from the stable. He didn't even turn his head, focusing solely on feeding the horses. The matters discussed by the important figures were not for the henchmen to hear.
The eldest princess stormed up the stairs, making a series of muffled thuds as she reached the private room on the second floor.
Xiao Yuanxiao, seething with anger, stormed into the room and sat down on a stool, not caring where her cloak was caught in the wind. The maids behind her wished they had a dozen more hands. Chun Ya hurriedly picked up the handkerchief that had fallen to the ground, while Qiu Bai carefully untied the cloak that was stuck to the door.
The cloak was embroidered with peonies and azaleas, and it shimmered in the light. Moreover, the fox fur lining inside was a gift from His Majesty to the Princess, which he had personally hunted during the autumn hunt last year. The maids dared not be careless.
Chun Ya closed the door and hurried over to pour tea for the princess. "Princess, calm down. Put on your cloak first. This post station is really something. If they had known the princess was coming, they wouldn't have lit the stove in advance."
Xiao Xiaoyuan snorted coldly, "Who doesn't know his cunning schemes? Since I am willing to come for the marriage alliance, I already have a choice. I don't need him to interfere with my opinions!"
Seeing a figure dart through the door, Chun Ya's expression turned conflicted. "Princess, His Highness the Crown Prince has sent someone."
Xiao Xiaoyuan frowned, her slender fingers gripping the teacup, her phoenix eyes sharp. "Let him in."
The door opened, and there stood a man in the official robes of the mission. "Envoy Xiao Han greets Your Highness."
Xiao Xiaoyuan had never seen this person in the delegation before, and said coldly, "You are the envoy sent by my good royal brother?"
The eldest princess pressed the word "envoy" to the extreme.
"Your Highness, it is indeed your subordinate."
The eldest princess remained silent, and Xiao Han rose to his feet. "Your Highness, please calm down. His Highness the Crown Prince sent his subordinates here for your safety. Your Highness has gone to an enemy country alone and is in danger. His Highness the Crown Prince is very worried and has specially sent his subordinates to protect you."
"His Highness the Crown Prince was already aware of the princess's marriage proposal beforehand. He specially dispatched his subordinates to investigate, and His Highness instructed them to inform the princess that if she had no interest in the Emperor of Xiao Kingdom, Baili Wenhan was an option."
The eldest princess squinted, her fingers gripping the teacup tightly as she slammed it down. "Then please inform His Highness the Crown Prince that I can marry whomever I wish!"
Xiao Han frowned, but when he met Xiao Xiaoyuan's gaze, he silently lowered his head and quietly took his leave.
Xiao Xiaoyuan stared coldly at the closed door. She asked Qiu Bai, who was making the bed, "Who is Baili Wenhan?"
Qiu Bai replied, "Your Highness, the Baili family is one of the three great families in Xiao Kingdom. Since the new emperor of Yun Kingdom ascended the throne, they have kept a low profile, but they are still on par with the Liang family. If General Han had not defeated our country this time, the Liang family and the Baili family would have been slightly above the Han family."
Baili Wenhan is the second young master of the Baili family. He was previously unknown in the court, but before the New Year, he was appointed to an important position by the Emperor of Yun, which suggests he is about to be given a prominent role.
After hearing this, Xiao Xiaoyuan's anger subsided considerably; she now found her imperial brother laughable.
The delegation and Xiao Xiaoyuan set off again early the next morning. They were now less than a day away from the capital of Yun Kingdom. The Yun Kingdom palace had already made arrangements to hold a banquet to welcome the princess of Xiao Kingdom to the capital.
Gu Huizhou had given the order earlier, commanding all his officials to attend a banquet that evening.
The Han family.
Han Jiwen was fast asleep in bed when the door was kicked open with a bang! He sat up instantly, his eyes sharp as he looked around. A dark figure stood against the light by the door; the figure looked like someone who knew martial arts.
He held his breath and gently reached for the sword beside the bed.
"It's good that you're awake, Ji Wen. I need to talk to you."
Han Jiwen's hand almost touched the sword hilt when Han Jiqing hurriedly turned around. He picked up the tea on Han Jiwen's table and drank it all in one gulp, his expression flustered, as if something terrible had happened. He was only wearing a white undergarment. Han Jiwen calmed down for a moment, then his heart started racing again. He quickly asked, "Brother, what's the matter?"
"Lend me a set of clothes, brother."
"ah?"
"Lend me a set of clothes."
Han Jiwen: "?"
Don't you have one?
Han Jiqing seemed to have come running. He poured himself another cup of tea before he was done drinking it. "Go to your wardrobe and pick something out for me," he said. Then he thought for a moment, "Never mind, I'll go by myself."
Han Jiwen: "Brother, your wardrobe was burned?"
Han Jiqing strode over to Han Jiwen's wardrobe, opened it, and finally a relaxed expression appeared on his face. He knew he hadn't made a mistake in choosing the wrong person.
White, black, cyan, blue... After looking for a while, only white and cyan suited him relatively well. Han Jiqing took out both outfits, turned around and asked, "Which one do you think looks better on me?"
Han Jiwen was still confused. "Blue."
Han Jiqing then took the two robes to the bronze mirror to compare them, placing the white one in front of him for a while, and the blue one in front of him for a while. "Hmm, then I'll go with the blue one."
Seeing that he had finished choosing clothes and was about to leave, Han Jiwen quickly stopped him, "You still haven't told me why you came to borrow my clothes. Did something happen in your room?"
"Nothing much." He hasn't bought any new clothes since returning to the capital. Last time his mother took someone to measure him, he ran away. Now, his wardrobe contains only military uniforms and armor, as well as old clothes that were too small a few years ago.
Wearing this to the palace banquet is forbidden.
"I think your clothes are nicer; they would be suitable for a palace banquet."
Han Jiwen finally understood; his brother was dressing up for someone he wanted to please. Back at the front lines, he had asked his brother if he had feelings for the princess, but his brother wouldn't admit it.
Han Jiwen sat leisurely in the chair. "Today's palace banquet is hosted for the eldest daughter, in order to choose a bride for the marriage alliance. Brother, you're dressed so beautifully, are you perhaps thinking of something?"
Han Jiwen squinted as he saw the tip of the man's ear turn red instantly.
"Always dressed like a country bumpkin in the army is a disgrace to the Yun Kingdom. Today, when I see my old enemy again, I must dress properly so as to save face for His Majesty." After saying this, Han Jiqing wished he could grab his clothes and run away immediately.
"Wait!"
Han Jiqing frowned and turned around, "I'll pay for two new sets for you in the future."
Han Jiwen choked, then angrily shoved the crown and cloak he had just pulled out into his brother's arms, "A complete set!"
A smile instantly lit up her face. "Thank you, Second Brother!"
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Gu Huizhou slowly stroked the mushroom cap and snorted: "Thanks for the invitation, but please don't ask."
[Green Heart][Green Heart][Green Heart]
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