Chapter 168 General Zhang’s Thick Skin
General Cheng knew this was different from what they had previously discussed, but with Princess Funing's presence at stake, further nagging would lead to nothing. With the Kingdom of Jing showing no fear, they had to complete their mission with even greater determination.
Jingguo was so strong, and probably had a lot of cards up his sleeve. They couldn't focus on this kind of backyard rhetoric. Even if they won, it wouldn't mean much.
So General Cheng could only appease the eldest princess first, seeing how strong Princess Funing was. Even if the eldest princess married in regardless of everything, she would not be able to move forward, as that old man Zhao Changyou was not an easy person to deal with.
"Now that everything has been discussed, let's start the banquet! Let's raise our glasses to welcome the arrival of the Nangan delegation." The emperor went through the procedures with a smile, all so that Jingguo could recuperate.
"Finally, I can eat." Zhao Lingmeng muttered to herself as she picked up her wine glass. However, the glass wasn't filled with wine, but juice. She figured it must have been arranged by the Empress, so she didn't say anything, silently accepting the Empress's kindness.
"Funing, you were so awesome just now. If you were a man, I would definitely recruit you as my prince consort." Fushou looked at Zhao Lingmeng with sparkling eyes.
Zhao Lingmeng almost spit out a mouthful of juice when she heard this, "No, Fushou, look at the look in the eyes of the prince consort next to you."
Fushou turned around and saw the resentful look in her third cousin's eyes. She quickly pulled his sleeve and said flatteringly, "I'm just assuming, assuming. No matter what, I like my third cousin the most."
Apart from anything else, Fushou still likes her third cousin very much and is willing to be under his control.
Zhao Lingmeng watched Fushou and her husband exchange some infatuation, the two of them flirting with each other again. She then began to pick out her favorite dishes. The food prepared by the imperial chefs in the palace had a unique flavor, and she thought it was delicious.
And she had just said so much, she must be really hungry.
The rest of the banquet went smoothly. Except for the fact that the fifth prince of Nangan Kingdom stood up and toasted Princess Huaishu, there were no other disturbances.
The highlight, of course, was the duel between the two nations' chosen generals. This once again demonstrated to the people of Nangan how powerful their Jing weapons were. It could be said that all the sharp blades Nangan brought were chopped off in one blow, and even the strongest of warriors couldn't possibly take on a blade with bare hands.
So the result was no surprise, Jingguo won the competition with absolute advantage.
Zhao Lingmeng caught sight of two dignitaries in the delegation, and her gaze flickered to the swords of the guards beside them. She suspected they were the two men who knew how to make weapons.
She couldn't help but ponder this kindly, wondering if the Emperor of Nangan would be furious if these two were killed. It would be great if she could kill them both on Nangan territory, but such matters were not her concern. She could see it anyway, and the Emperor would surely see it too.
She was just thinking about it. Jingguo needed more time to recuperate than Nangan. She would never do anything that would challenge the bottom line of the Nangan Emperor.
As for why she could confront the Fifth Prince and the Eldest Princess of Nangan, it was because everyone had guessed what they were coming for and was not afraid that they would run away.
Zhao Lingmeng had originally thought that the banquet would be over after the meal, but General Cheng suddenly stirred up trouble again.
"Your Majesty, we also sincerely admire and love your country's weapons. Coincidentally, our delegation also has someone who understands weapon manufacturing. Could you let him see the manufacturing process of your country's weapons so that we can admire them too?"
As soon as he said this, all the nobles and ministers present laughed and accused General Cheng of being shameless. But General Cheng was indeed a man who had crawled out of the battlefield. He was so thick-skinned! He kept saying admiration and envy, but he refused to change his words.
The entire hall was in an uproar, and for a moment, no one could tell who was winning.
"This old bastard is so shameless, he's almost robbing someone openly."
When Zhao Lingmeng heard Fushou's husband say this, she turned around and gave him a nod of agreement. Fushou also echoed him.
Then Zhao Lingmeng saw the emperor looking at her, and the leader told her to get up and work. It seemed that all the offending work today would be hers. She could only stroke her sleeves and straighten the pure gold tassel on her head.
Then he calmly said, "General Cheng, I also admire your Nangan Kingdom's jade seal. Could you bring it to me and show it?"
"Princess Funing, you can't say that. How could I possibly take out the imperial seal and show it to you?" General Cheng was very angry. What was going on with this Funing? Why was she everywhere?
"Then what are you talking about, General Cheng? Weapons manufacturing is a secret of all nations. You don't want to trade the scrap metal you made, do you? How can you have the nerve to say it out loud?"
"We just admire the strength of Jing State. What's wrong with that?" General Cheng insisted on this statement. He didn't care about face at all. Nothing mattered when it came to life and death.
"Then first, bring your Imperial Seal here for me to see. I admire the power of your Imperial Seal. I believe that my father also wants to use your Nangan Imperial Seal to see how it compares to our Jing Kingdom's. General Cheng, you wouldn't be so stingy, would you?"
Zhao Lingmeng thought, if you want to know our weapons manufacturing technology, it’s not impossible, just incorporate it into our Jing.
When the emperor heard what Zhao Lingmeng said, he sighed that Fu Ning's brain was more useful, and the ministers under him were still too reserved.
He put his hand to his mouth and pretended to cough a few times. "I also want to see what your Nangan jade seal looks like. If I can see it, I will have something to brag about it to my ancestors when I go down to the underworld a hundred years later."
"Your Majesty, you're joking." When General Cheng heard the emperor say this, he knew this path was a dead end. But he was just testing the waters. Jingguo wasn't stupid, so it was normal for him to disagree. He hadn't thought he could succeed so easily.
However, he could see why Emperor Jing favored Princess Funing. This was like a knife in his hand. Whenever he had something inconvenient to say, he would send Funing to deal with it.
This shows that Funing is not someone who is easily fooled. If their plan wants to succeed, they have to stay away from this brave princess.
Zhao Ling dreamed that the Nangan envoys were no longer causing trouble, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Now she just wanted to finish the meeting quickly and go home to sleep. She was really tired after being so tense all night.
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