Chu Tianze and Bai Chuxiao followed Cheng Song to a private room at Tianshui Tower and bowed.
"Greetings, Your Majesty"
Emperor Wenxuan raised an eyebrow and glanced at the two of them, "Unconvinced?"
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly, "How could that be?"
Emperor Wenxuan said in a deep voice, "Yuwen Minke cannot die."
"Yes," Bai Chuxiao replied casually. Chu Tianze nodded in agreement, though he had only said it offhand.
Liu Shuyao glanced at Chu Tianyou, who seemed lost in thought, with a hint of helplessness, then smiled and asked, "Is Princess Changning injured?"
She was pregnant and hadn't witnessed the events of the arena firsthand. She knew she absolutely had to win over the Prince of Yan and his group; how could things succeed if the Crown Prince remained indifferent? As the Crown Princess, she should at least ask him a question.
"It's alright, thank you for your concern, Your Highness," Bai Chuxiao said with a faint smile.
Emperor Wenxuan was pleased with Liu Shuyao's greeting, but felt even more disappointed in the Crown Prince. He knew that the marriage alliance had drawn a lot of hatred from the Bai family girl, but as the Crown Prince, how could he let a small matter cause such a great loss...
"Alright, you've had a hard day, go back and rest. I'm heading back to the palace now."
He then ordered, "Go and summon the fifth and sixth princes to the palace as well."
He was well aware of his two sons' actions at Tianxianglou, and it was time to give them a warning.
Cheng Song bowed again and withdrew. With the Prince of Yan by his side on the way back to the palace, he had no worries.
Bai Chuxiao returned to the Left Prime Minister's residence in a bad mood. She picked up a pen and wrote down several names on a piece of paper. The Second Princess's name was prominently listed first. Then, after thinking for a moment, she added the names of the Minister of Revenue, the Minister of Personnel, and the daughter of the Yu family.
Now that Xiao Chen has had his fill of fun, it's time to discuss marriage arrangements, although there's really no need to discuss it at all.
Just as she finished writing, Lanxiang pushed open the door and came in. "Princess, the Crown Prince of Beiyan has arrived and requests your presence."
Bai Chuxiao's lips curled up; it was as if her wish had come true.
Xiao Chen sat in the hall drinking tea, and Bai Linan, who was at the head of the table, asked with a smile, "What brings the Crown Prince here today?"
"I have come to pay my respects to Princess Changning and have a gift to offer as a parting gift."
Bai Chuxiao strode in and asked with a smile, "Oh? What does the First Prince wish to give as a gift?"
Upon seeing her enter, Xiao Chen stood up and beckoned to the two guards behind him. Immediately, they presented him with a large brocade box.
Bai Chuxiao opened the box, somewhat surprised, "The Seven-Star Treasure Sword."
Xiao Chen smiled, "The princess has won, so this knife naturally belongs to the princess."
Bai Chuxiao smiled slightly, "It is indeed a fine knife, but this princess does not use knives."
"This Seven Star Sword is one of the Ten Famous Swords of Northern Yan, and it is genuine. I also sincerely wish to exchange ideas with Great Xia regarding the arena matter," Xiao Chen said calmly, one hand behind his back.
"Then I'll accept this knife. How is Princess Minke?" Bai Chuxiao asked, raising an eyebrow. Although she didn't use the knife, she could give it to someone else, couldn't she? Why not take it? Chu Tianze's palm strike was quite vicious; it was a way of venting her anger...
Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "It's alright. Min Ke was at fault this time, but she has been punished. I hope we can all let this go. What does the Princess think?"
Bai Chuxiao chuckled softly, "Of course."
Xiao Chen's eyes showed appreciation, then he smiled and said, "I heard that Princess Changning is in charge of selecting my future queen?"
Bai Chuxiao nodded slightly, "Could it be that the First Prince has someone he likes?"
Xiao Chen's eyes darkened slightly. "No, but as the princess should know, I am proposing to a princess."
"Your Highness, please rest assured," he said, emphasizing the word "Princess." How could Bai Chuxiao not understand the meaning behind his words?
Xiao Chen looked at Bai Linan, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Prime Minister Bai, the scenery in the Left Prime Minister's residence is captivating. I would like to ask the Princess to show me around. Would that be convenient?"
Bai Linan nodded slightly, "The Crown Prince has come from afar, Xiao'er, please entertain your guest well."
Bai Chuxiao's eyes flickered slightly, but she didn't refuse. What was Xiao Chen planning to do now?
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Bai Linan seemed lost in thought…
"Your Highness, please speak frankly."
Xiao Chen's lips curled into a smile, "Actually, I'd like to cooperate with the princess."
Bai Chuxiao smiled faintly, "The Crown Prince wants to cooperate with His Highness the Prince of Yan, right? Why beat around the bush?"
"The princess is indeed intelligent."
"Your Highness, you've come to the wrong person. This princess cannot make decisions on behalf of the Prince of Yan."
"The princess's words naturally carry weight."
"What I really want to know is why you chose the Prince of Yan, Your Highness. You must know that Great Xia has a Crown Prince, or at least the Prince of Xiang and the Prince of Qi..."
"The King of Yan is no ordinary man."
Bai Chuxiao stopped and looked at him with a half-smile, "At least for the next two years, the Prince of Yan won't be able to offer you any help, so what's the point of the First Prince saying all this now?"
"Those who achieve great things cannot be confined to the present," Xiao Chen said firmly.
"Your Highness has quite the bearing," Bai Chuxiao said calmly. Speaking of which, both princes Bei Yan had met were intelligent men.
"Is the princess willing?"
Bai Chuxiao's eyes turned slightly cold. "Didn't the First Prince bring Yuwen Minke with him? Does my opinion matter?"
Xiao Chen's lips curled up. "With Princess Changning around, how could Min Ke possibly succeed? General Yuwen has plenty of adopted daughters."
Bai Chuxiao narrowed her eyes and smiled, "I'll say it again, Your Highness, you should go to the Prince of Yan's residence."
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes, but it vanished in an instant. He then smiled and said, "Since that's the case, I won't disturb you any longer. Princess, please consider it carefully."
Bai Chuxiao nodded slightly, "Take care, Your Highness."
Bai Chuxiao didn't take Xiao Chen's purpose for coming today to heart. The internal strife in Beiyan was severe, and Daxia was no less so; the situation was constantly changing. What did a verbal promise of an alliance mean?
In the imperial study, the brothers were gathered together again, a rare occasion. Emperor Wenxuan looked at his sons below and slowly began to speak.
What are your thoughts on the events of the past few days?
Chu Tianyou quickly stepped forward, "Father, I believe that Xiao Chen is simply provoking us. He doesn't take the Great Xia Dynasty seriously at all. Why should Father agree to his request for a marriage alliance?"
The Prince of Xiang's eyes flashed with disdain. "Fourth Brother, your words are biased. Xiao Chen is doing this to establish his prestige. A marriage alliance would benefit us all. Are we just going to watch Xiao Hong grow stronger? Then the north will likely soon be engulfed in war again."
Enraged by his blunt rebuttal, Chu Tianyou retorted, "Our great Xia Dynasty, a powerful nation, is it afraid of Xiao Hong?"
Emperor Wenxuan slammed his hand on the table. "Shut up!"
Then, with a look of disappointment, he said, "How can you, as the crown prince, be so disregard for the overall situation? If war really breaks out, wouldn't it be better for you to be the commander-in-chief?"
Chu Tianyou quickly lowered his head, "Father, that's not what I meant."
Emperor Wenxuan snorted coldly, then looked at Prince Xiang and said in a deep voice, "Don't be so smug. Do you think I don't know what you've been doing at Tianxiang Tower these past few days?"
King Xiang was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Father, your son dares not."
"You dare not, but I see you would dare very much."
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