Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Li Zhu feigned a couple of coughs, then looked at the Emperor and said...
"Father, both of my younger brothers answered correctly. Let's call this a draw..."
The emperor, lost in thought, was startled by Li Zhu's words. He glanced at the chaotic court, his face darkening slightly. He took a deep breath, gave Li Zhu a meaningful look, and then nodded.
"Okay, this third match is another draw..."
Given the current situation, it is truly inappropriate to allow foreign envoys to remain here any longer; it would be quite shameful…
So the emperor glanced around the entire court and then said...
"You two envoys are indeed discerning, recognizing the excellence of my new Tang crown prince. However, this marriage alliance concerns the national dignity, and we must proceed with caution. Perhaps you two envoys could stay a few more days, allowing me more time to consider your options..."
The emperor then addressed the two envoys, temporarily ending the farce...
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. We, your humble servants, have been waiting for news..."
Yelü Ti and Tian Can spoke in turn, which could be interpreted as their agreement with the emperor's proposal...
"This humble subject takes his leave!"
Since they could not wait for a result, the envoys from both countries took their leave temporarily, went back to rest, and prepared to attend the banquet at the royal palace!
After the envoys from both countries left, the atmosphere in the court suddenly became somewhat awkward. After all, the farce that had just occurred had truly embarrassed everyone. Only Li Zhu stood there calmly, as if nothing had happened...
"Li Zhu, do you know your crime?"
The emperor angrily questioned Li Zhu, leaving Li Zhu completely bewildered as he looked at his adoptive father, wondering what he had done wrong.
"I don't know!"
Li Zhu honestly answered this inexplicable question!
"When did you begin to collude with the Liao and Baiyue peoples?"
The Emperor continued to question Li Zhu angrily!
Li Zhu was stunned for a moment, then recalled the words spoken by the envoys of the two countries in the court. Indeed, there were too many loopholes in them. Most importantly, they had never even met him. Before he was made crown prince, his presence was extremely low, and it was impossible for him to have any reputation.
However, the envoys from both countries praised Li Zhu as soon as they arrived and even wanted to marry their princesses to him. There seemed to be something wrong with this. If they hadn't communicated beforehand, how could they have known Li Zhu so well?
Li Zhu broke out in a cold sweat. He had been so caught up in the fun that he had forgotten how many things were absurd. If he had pretended to be crazy and lost the competition, none of this would have happened!
But under these circumstances, no one can suppress their inner desire to show off!
"Father, I am innocent! It must be because my charm is too great, and my brilliance cannot be concealed, that they discovered it. I didn't know that being excellent is a mistake..."
Li Zhu added, "If being excellent is a mistake, I'm willing to make that mistake again and again..."
The civil and military officials were all stunned speechless by Li Zhu's answer. If it were the old Li Zhu, he would never have dared to utter such outrageous words; he would have been terrified out of his wits…
After all, in a situation like this, even the slightest misstep could mean execution. Only Li Zhu's lack of respect would allow him to spout such nonsense...
"I…"
Li Zhu's words left the Emperor speechless for a moment. He thought that Li Zhu was far too confident.
"Father, I will certainly keep a low profile from now on and not easily reveal my talents. This way, I can prevent my charm from influencing too many people, and no one will be tempted by my beauty anymore..."
"Cough cough..."
Li Zhu's words caused the Emperor to choke on his saliva, making him cough incessantly...
He no longer knew whether Li Zhu was telling the truth, and he seemed to have forgotten what he was supposed to ask!
After hesitating for a long time, the Emperor finally spoke.
"My crown prince is not only virtuous, but also outstanding?"
The emperor used a question because he hadn't yet realized what had happened...
"Thank you for the praise, Father. I am unworthy of it. My military strategy is inferior to my second brother's, and my poetry and prose are inferior to my third brother's. If we are to talk about excellence, it must be my second and third brothers..."
Li Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had probably gotten away with it. After all, the emperor's words were law, and since he had already praised him, he certainly wouldn't punish him further; otherwise, wouldn't he be contradicting himself?
Upon hearing Li Zhu's words, the Second Prince and the Third Prince were furious. It was already over, yet he was still adding insult to injury; he was truly inhuman…
And why are you dragging us into this when Father is interrogating you?
"Cough cough..."
The emperor coughed awkwardly twice. He felt his throat was very itchy, otherwise why would he keep coughing?
At this point, he couldn't press the matter further, so he could only wave his hand, signaling Eunuch Tang to adjourn the court session...
After bowing respectfully, Eunuch Tang stepped forward and shouted in a shrill voice...
"Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned!"
The civil and military officials were still processing what had happened that day, so naturally no one stepped forward to speak up. It wasn't until the emperor left that some people remembered they still had something to say, but no one dared to chase after him to the imperial study. After all, the emperor had left with a dark face, clearly in a bad mood. Going to talk to the emperor at this time would only make things difficult for them!
Leaving the court, Li Zhu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Only then did he have time to carefully consider the intentions of the Liao and Baiyue envoys...
They most likely wanted to stop him from going to Xiliang, because the alliance between the New Tang and Xiliang posed too great a threat to them, which is why they were willing to sacrifice two princesses...
The reason for praising him so highly in court was probably to sow discord among the princes and to win his favor, so that the two princesses would not be neglected!
There's also the possibility that they genuinely knew Li Zhu's excellence, which is why they praised him truthfully, without realizing it would cause him trouble...
If that were the case, Li Zhu felt things were a bit strange. After all, he had only been in this world for a few days. Even if he announced to the world that he was a person from the future, the news couldn't have reached the Liao Kingdom and Baiyue so quickly, let alone elicited a reaction or send envoys and a princess to arrange a marriage alliance...
There's something seriously wrong with this place...
Back in his study, the emperor frowned, pondering the events of the day, wanting to know who was the mastermind behind it all.
"Who do you think changed the Crown Prince's constitution?"
Looking at the emperor deep in thought, Eunuch Tang knew that the emperor was talking to him, but he could not possibly make any comments on this matter. This was a matter of the royal family, and he could lose his head if he was not careful!
"This old servant does not know!"
"I'll answer carefully!"
"Hmph! You dog of a servant, all you do is hide your abilities, you won't say a word to me..."
The emperor complained with a hint of helplessness!
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