"Yes, Your Highness."
Biluo felt sorry for her master. He had done a great service in reclaiming the Azure Sky, but His Majesty had not made any mention of it.
Wen Yanche asked casually, "Ning'er, did you see Young Master Chi? How was he?"
Leng Qingning frankly admitted, "I saw him; his injuries have healed."
"That's good." He then casually asked, "Did he propose the terms for the peace talks?"
Leng Qingning replied calmly and indifferently, "Yes, this is what he owes me."
Wen Yanche was testing Leng Qingning, trying to find out if she and Chi Yan had reconciled.
Judging from her attitude, not yet.
Chi Yan is willing to hand over half of the sky, so what else is there to not understand?
I'm feeling inexplicably irritable.
It wasn't jealousy; Wen Yanche didn't hate Chi Yan. But he found it hard to accept that the person he deeply loved had been hurt by him.
'You're the man she cares about most, so why did you hurt her?'
In Wen Yanche's view, Chi Yan held the most importance in Leng Qingning's heart, and he received more love than others.
"Ah Che, what are you thinking about?"
This was the first time Wen Yanche had been distracted in front of her, and Leng Qingning noticed that he had something on his mind.
Wen Yanche snapped out of his reverie and chuckled, cleverly changing the subject, "I'm thinking about what to do with the young master you brought back, and what kind of identity would be most appropriate for him."
"You mean this?" Leng Qingning smiled. "Just treat him as a sworn brother."
“A sworn brother? That’s not appropriate. Other princesses are fine, but the Crown Princess can’t just casually acknowledge relatives.” Wen Yanche suggested, “Why don’t we let him stay by my side and tell everyone that he is my sworn brother?”
Leng Qingning nodded. "That's fine then. You can arrange it, my husband."
"Don't worry, I will personally teach him," Wen Yanche said with a smile.
"Please, young king, step forward to receive your investiture."
The eunuch Wang interrupted their conversation with a shout.
Everyone turned to look at Leng Qingning.
Biluo exclaimed with delight, "Your Highness, there is a reward for you! Go quickly!"
"I understand."
Leng Qingning stood up, gave a standard smile, and walked forward.
The royal attendant loudly proclaimed: "The young king has made the greatest contribution in recovering the sky, and is hereby granted the command of 200,000 troops, 50,000 taels of gold, and 5,000 hectares of fertile land."
ah! ! !
Everyone was stunned. Granting military power to the princess? And with 200,000 troops? This was the first time ever.
"What?" the Imperial Noble Consort exclaimed in surprise, then immediately covered her mouth.
The Left Chancellor, General Xie, and others were all overjoyed when they heard the imperial decree.
Leng Qinghan almost jumped off her chair.
Leng Qingning was slightly taken aback, then knelt down to express her gratitude: "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness."
Wen Yanche smiled as he looked ahead.
No one expected that the Empress would directly grant military power.
The Empress looked around and slowly said, "The Holy Son of Li Kingdom, come forward."
Leng Qingning straightened up, her gaze following the crowd and locking onto a silver-haired man.
who is he?
Wen Yanche looked at the Holy Son of Li Kingdom, and it was just as he had expected.
The messenger quickly stood up and gave up his seat.
Under everyone's gaze, the silver-haired man walked to Leng Qingning's side and knelt down.
"Shen Su, the Holy Son of Li Kingdom, pays respects to Her Majesty the Empress. May Her Majesty live a long and prosperous life."
"Rise." The Empress smiled and spoke gently.
Leng Qingning also stood up.
Shen Su? A handsome silver-haired man!
The Empress looked at Leng Qingning with a smile in her eyes and said, "Ning'er, he is the sixth prince of Li Kingdom, and he will soon be your husband."
"ah?"
Leng Qingning's mouth was slightly open, her eyes and brows filled with shock.
This is so sudden...
She subconsciously turned her head to look at Wen Yanche and saw him smiling at her.
“Your Highness, Shen Shaojun is the newly appointed Holy Son of the Li Kingdom. He has been ordered to marry into our Dayue Kingdom. This is His Majesty’s second reward to you,” the royal attendant added.
Leng Qingning turned around, her face full of confusion: Another marriage alliance? A new Holy Son? Where did the previous one go?
Her confused eyes darted around, looking at the handsome man beside her.
She was wearing a veil, and judging from her appearance, she seemed rather unapproachable.
Shen Su stood aside, his eyes fixed straight ahead, without exchanging a single glance with her from beginning to end.
The Empress asked with a smile, "Ning'er, are you satisfied?"
"I'm not satisfied."
Shen Su spoke first.
"What?" The Empress thought she had misheard.
The hall fell silent instantly.
Leng Qingning blinked and pricked up her ears.
Shen Su replied again, "Your Majesty, I am not satisfied."
I heard you clearly this time.
The sound of a wine glass falling to the ground came from the delegation's side.
Leng Qingning and everyone present, including the Empress, all looked at Shen Su, utterly astonished.
The Empress's expression changed in an instant, her expression indescribable.
The Emperor's face showed a hint of anger.
The ministers breathed a sigh of relief; this was the first time anyone had dared to refuse the young king.
Wen Yanche's smile vanished, and he frowned as he scrutinized Shen Su.
After a moment of surprise, Leng Qingning remained relatively calm.
Her surprise wasn't because Shen Su was dissatisfied with her; she just hadn't expected anyone to dare to embarrass the Empress in public, something she herself had never dared to do!
The most terrified were the envoys from the Li Kingdom; their faces turned pale and then red.
The Empress asked, "Why? What is it about my son that you are dissatisfied with?"
Shen Su parted his lips slightly beneath his veil: "I have no dissatisfaction with His Highness the Young King; I am only dissatisfied with being pushed here to be a last-minute substitute in this marriage."
Leng Qingning seemed to understand a little bit.
"Oh? So you don't want to marry into Dayue?" The Empress's expression was serious, but her tone was relatively calm.
Shen Su's facial expression was hidden by a veil, making it impossible to tell whether he was happy or sad. He slowly said, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. It is not that I am dissatisfied with the women of Dayue. I only hope that my future wife will be a woman who loves me in return. I do not wish to be forced into an arranged marriage. Please understand, Your Majesty."
These words elicited another collective sigh from the crowd, their minds racing with various speculations.
Leng Qingning, on the contrary, was more inclined to agree with his statement.
The Empress, like her ministers, pressed him for an answer: "Do you have a woman you admire?"
No.
The Li envoy could no longer sit still and rushed forward.
"Your Majesty, our young lord is speaking nonsense. Please do not take offense."
The envoy winked and tried to signal to Shen Su, pleading in a low voice, "Sixth Young Master, please stop talking."
Shen Su pretended not to see them and ignored them.
The Holy Son ran away, and he was pushed out as the "victim." He was extremely dissatisfied, but even more so, he felt helpless.
Among the eligible princes of Li Kingdom, he was the only one who was eighteen years old. The eldest prince was almost thirty, and the youngest brother was only ten...
The envoy was terrified, fearing that he might say something treasonous again, and immediately knelt down to beg the Empress for mercy.
The expressions on the faces of those present varied.
"You've finally met your match." Leng Qinghan's eyes were full of malice as she looked at Leng Qingning, unable to suppress her teasing tone.
Although the voice was very soft, her maid Sesame still heard it and was instantly terrified, her face turning pale.
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words." Sesame looked around and only felt relieved when she saw that no one was paying attention.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
