"My good son!"
Jiang Jiuniang gave him a thumbs up, but she didn't feel guilty at all. After all, Gou'er was still young, and she felt that children should play for a few more years before worrying about anything else.
So, she was actually still thinking about finding some excuse to stop it in the fall.
Little did the dog know how cunning his mother was. Seeing her smile, he happily continued practicing martial arts.
After practicing for a while, he even had a few matches with his dad, which was very enjoyable.
Lu Baichuan didn't stay long; he only stayed for two days before leaving again. There were too many things to deal with after conquering a city.
Qin Jian stayed behind, as Tongcheng needed someone to look after the situation. Since Peng Yuan had been wronged, Qin Jian was asked to stay and spend more time with the pregnant woman.
Lu Baichuan didn't want his brother to have any regrets, since he couldn't do it before.
The Eastern Court also learned of the border defeat, the execution of the Fifth Prince on the spot, and the old general's unauthorized surrender and subsequent suicide. These blows caused immediate turmoil in the Eastern Court, leading them to believe that the Eastern Court must have been cursed.
It must be that Wu Jiaming offended the gods in heaven before, which is why Dongting suffered repeated defeats.
It's all the Wu family's fault!
The old emperor of the Eastern Court looked at the group of people below and felt a splitting headache.
He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he felt his health was getting worse lately. Could it be that after the gods finished taking revenge on Wu Jiaming, they started taking revenge on him?
He has been burning incense and praying to Buddha every day recently, and has been eating vegetarian food for a month. However, instead of getting better, he feels even worse.
Now, with these troubles happening in the court and all sorts of worries mixed together, I really feel powerless.
"What are your thoughts, my esteemed ministers?"
He rubbed his temples; everyone looked exhausted and powerless.
The ministers below were silent for a moment before they began to speak:
"Your Majesty, the old general surrendered after his defeat for the sake of his soldiers. Please, Your Majesty, consider the old general's dedication to our Eastern Court and do not implicate his family."
"I second that proposal!"
"Your Majesty, I agree!"
"I do not think so! If everyone were to act first and report later like the old general, disregarding imperial orders, wouldn't the court be devoid of discipline?"
"We're so far away. If we wait for news from the imperial court, we'll probably lose even more cities. Are you all so stubborn?"
"That's right. Besides, the old general righteously committed suicide to atone for his sins. What more do you want?"
...
The court immediately erupted into an argument, with more people siding with the old general and believing that he had done the right thing.
The old emperor had just lost a son and was in a bad mood. Now, seeing these people arguing, he was really annoyed. He slammed his hand on the table, startling everyone.
"Have you all had enough of arguing? Surrender is a done deal. The old general has served the Eastern Court his entire life. I will not only not hold him accountable, but I will also comfort his family and posthumously honor him as the old general. What I am asking now is, what should be done after the surrender!"
Given the current situation, even if they don't surrender, there's no better option. All the capable generals in the court have died on the battlefield, and some military officers are not up to the task. Even experienced old generals have met such an end, and he really doesn't want to send anyone else to embarrass himself.
Moreover, the national treasury has been severely depleted during this period and can no longer support the army in fighting. It is better to rest and recuperate first and then talk about replenishing resources.
No one expected him to say that. After a moment's pause, they immediately exclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise!"
After the flattery, everyone started discussing what would happen after the surrender.
Normally, after a defeat, the losing side must offer some benefits. However, many benefits were already offered when the Third Prince was rescued. If more benefits are offered now, the once dominant power of the Eastern Court will be completely destroyed.
Moreover, its national strength will lag behind that of Bei Yan and Xi Teng, and at most be above that of Nan Tai.
This is more devastating than anything else for the Eastern Court.
Once they fall, even Xiteng will give them a hard time. Who can stand that?
But that's exactly the situation we're facing now.
"Your Majesty, why not establish a marriage alliance with Bei Yan? This would ease tensions and give us a chance to catch our breath in the short term."
"Exactly, exactly! Since ancient times, marriage ties have always been the strongest, and this is still the safest approach!"
Besides offering benefits, sending a princess to marry into the country would demonstrate sincerity.
The old emperor agreed wholeheartedly, believing that nothing was more convenient than a marriage alliance.
"My esteemed ministers, which family's daughter do you think is the best choice for a marriage alliance?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, the audience fell silent.
For a marriage alliance, a princess is usually sent; you can't just pick any girl.
The old emperor's intentions are not pure!
But no one dared to speak out. One of them, who understood the old emperor's thoughts, said, "This humble subject believes that sending a woman from the Wu family is the most suitable!"
Wu family girl?
The crowd erupted in uproar!
The Crown Prince and the Third Prince looked very uncomfortable; this was a slap in the face for them!
The Wu family was the Empress's maternal family. After Wu Jiaming died, the two princes were also ostracized in the court. Everyone in the court and the public believed that the Wu family was unlucky and that the defeats were all due to the Wu family.
Sending a woman from the Wu family to marry into another family at this time is clearly a way of saying that the Wu family is unlucky, and that it would be best for the woman from the Wu family to take the bad luck to Bei Yan.
The two brothers hadn't expected their court officials to suffer such a fate.
The old emperor was quite satisfied and said with a smile, "I also think that the Wu family's daughter is the most suitable. I remember that the Wu family's youngest daughter is sixteen years old this year, which is the perfect age for marriage. So I will bestow upon her the title of Princess Sheng'an and send her to Bei Yan for a marriage alliance!"
"Father, I believe this is inappropriate."
The Third Prince finally couldn't hold back and stepped forward, his restraint almost bursting from his face.
The old emperor looked at him with displeasure and asked, "What's wrong?"
"As far as I know, the new emperor of Beiyan has a very good relationship with the empress. The empress is the only one in the entire harem. It is not certain that the Wu family girl will be able to marry into the country."
In other words, if you know you'll be rejected, don't do it; it'll only make you look more embarrassed.
The Crown Prince also stepped forward and said, "Back then, Xi Teng also sent a princess there, but she was also sent back."
The old emperor, having lived a few more years, had a skin thicker than a city wall. He said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter. Anyway, the Wu family girl isn't a real princess. We can just point to any nobleman from the Northern Yan."
In any case, no matter who she marries, the Wu family girl must stay in Bei Yan and bring that bad luck to Bei Yan, making Bei Yan unlucky for a few years as well.
The two brothers fell silent, knowing that this was an irreversible situation.
Just as they were about to retreat, they heard the old emperor say, "Third son, I'm entrusting the matter of sending the Wu family girl to marry into the Northern Yan family to you. You are quite familiar with the Northern Yan, and the Wu family girl is your cousin, so you should be closer to her. You should give her some advice."
The Third Prince's body was stiff. Is there anything more disgusting than this?
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