Two princesses, one wife and one concubine—the bliss of having two wives.
Perhaps, for other time travelers, or modern men who yearn to travel to ancient times, this is a blessing they have been longing for and eagerly anticipating.
However, for Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, it became a hot potato—he couldn't accept it, much less throw it away.
Whether it's Liu Shujun, the princess of the Wu Ning Prince's Mansion who was bestowed the title of Princess Shujun by the Great Xin Dynasty, or Princess Bilge of the Uyghur Khanate, they represent two different interest groups.
In particular, marriages aimed at political alliances involve complex and intertwined interests among various political groups.
If not handled properly, it will surely sow the seeds of future internal divisions within the country.
Chen Huai'an knew very well that the newly succeeded valiant Khan Moyanchuo of the Uyghur Khanate had chosen to submit to him at this time and to use the political marriage between Princess Bilge and the Prince of Jin's family as part of seeking peace and ending the war. This was undoubtedly a plan to gain more benefits in the future.
Based on the current progress of the Longcheng army's conquests, it will surely sweep across the Great Xin Dynasty and unify the surrounding vassal states within three years, becoming a brand new dynasty with an unprecedentedly vast territory.
And he, Prince Chen Huai'an, will surely take the opportunity to ascend the throne and become the founding emperor of the new dynasty.
At this time, choosing to send Princess Bilge of the Uyghur Khanate to marry him seemed like a sign that the valiant Khan Moyanchuo was weak and incompetent, "selling his daughter for personal gain."
In reality, it was Mo Yanchuo who was playing a grand game!
If Princess Bhikkhu gives birth to a son or daughter in the future, they will most likely become the crown prince of the new dynasty and the one who will inherit the throne.
With this relationship, the Uyghur Khanate could naturally maintain its dominant position among the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions.
For Chen Huai'an, it was indeed necessary to support a proxy for a new dynasty in the Western Regions in order to stabilize the situation there.
We can't possibly send troops thousands of miles away to quell a rebellion every time there's the slightest sign of trouble, can we?
This appears to be a win-win situation for both Chen Huai'an and Mo Yanchuo.
But what is the reality?
If he agrees to the marriage alliance, he will marry Princess Bhikkhu Yueqiluo.
So where should the Prince of Wuning's Mansion and Princess Liu Shujun be placed?
Prince Wu Ning, Liu Xinwu, risked his life to pave the way for the Jingnan Army in Longcheng so that his daughter could marry him.
Subsequently, during Chang Yuchun's campaign to reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun, he used his influence to enable Chang Yuchun to reclaim fourteen of the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun without bloodshed.
It is no exaggeration to say that Liu Xinwu, the Prince of Wuning, now represents not only the interests of the Prince of Wuning's Mansion, but also the interests of various forces in the Sixteen Prefectures of Youyun.
Although, in the Great Xin Dynasty and in previous dynasties, it was perfectly normal for an emperor to have three palaces, six courtyards, and seventy-two concubines.
However, there can only be one empress.
Whether Princess Liu Shujun is made empress or Princess Yue Qiluo is made empress, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction from the other side.
At that time, at best, the two factions will engage in open and covert struggles; at worst, the imperial court will be plunged into war.
In short, the bliss of having both a wife and a concubine is not something to be easily enjoyed!
For a moment, Chen Huai'an was in a real bind.
"Your Highness!"
At this moment, seeing that His Highness Prince Jin had been frowning and remained silent for a long time, Pang Xianchu finally couldn't help but speak up and remind him: "The envoy of the Uyghur Khanate is still being held back outside the army camp by this humble general!"
"Your Highness, shall we see you or not?"
"See!"
Chen Huai'an snapped out of his daze and said decisively, "Why not?"
"By order of the King, the envoy of the Uyghur Khanate shall be summoned to an audience!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Soon, the valiant General Pang Xianchu appeared in the central command tent of the Longcheng military camp, accompanied by a middle-aged man dressed in traditional Uyghur attire.
The visitors, following the etiquette of the Great Xin Dynasty, knelt and bowed to Chen Huai'an, who was seated in the center of the large tent.
He introduced himself, saying, "Your Highness Prince Jin, may you enjoy boundless blessings. I am your humble servant, Aihmaiti, an envoy personally appointed by the mighty Khan of the Uyghur Khanate. I have come here with a letter of state written by the mighty Khan himself to negotiate peace and end the war with Your Highness!"
As he spoke, Aihemaiti took out the official letter he carried with him, held it up above his head with both hands, and presented it to Chen Huai'an.
Seeing this, Chen Huai'an raised his hand, and Pang Xianchu, understanding perfectly, handed over the letter of state from the Uyghur Khanate to Chen Huai'an.
It's more accurate to call it a letter of surrender than a letter of state.
However, in front of so many people, Aihmaiti, as the Uyghur envoy, and the Uyghur Khanate he represented, also wanted to retain that last bit of dignity and face, so they called it a letter of state.
Chen Huai'an didn't care about these formalities, as long as it conveyed the meaning of submission.
He took the letter of state written on brocade from Pang Xianchu and began to skim through it.
The Uyghurs' letter essentially stated that the Uyghurs and the Great Xin Dynasty were neighbors separated only by a narrow strip of water; moreover, they had a deep friendship with their late king, Chen Polu, and it was absolutely unacceptable that things had come to this point of war.
It was only because the Khan Huai Ren was old and senile that he listened to the slander of treacherous ministers, disregarded the deep friendship between the two countries, and brazenly sent troops to invade the Four Garrisons of Anxi.
Fortunately, His Highness Prince Jin intervened in time to stop the Khan from making an even bigger mistake.
Now, Huai Ren can rest in peace, and Yingwu Khan will succeed him.
The valiant Khan cherished the friendship between the Uyghur Khanate and the Great Xin Dynasty, and even more so the deep friendship he had established with his predecessor, Chen Polu. He was unwilling for the two neighboring and brotherly states to go to war, which would cause great calamity and suffering to the people.
Therefore, the valiant Khan is willing to restore good relations with His Highness Prince Jin and cease hostilities to negotiate peace.
To demonstrate its sincerity, the Uyghur Khanate agreed to send Princess Bilge to the fiefdom of the Prince of Jin for a marriage alliance, and the two sides concluded an alliance.
From then on, the Uyghur Khanate submitted to the Great Xin Dynasty represented by His Highness Prince Jin, and regarded the country represented by His Highness Prince Jin as its suzerain state, guarding the Silk Road for generations.
Furthermore, the mighty Khan is willing to personally travel to the remaining thirty-five kingdoms of the Western Regions to persuade them to submit to His Highness Prince Jin and jointly build a better Silk Road.
The letter even included a dowry list for Princess Bilge's journey to the Prince of Jin's fiefdom for the marriage alliance: three thousand Uyghur girls, ten thousand fine horses from the Western Regions, and one hundred thousand cattle, sheep, gold, and silver.
Finally, the letter was signed by Moyanchuo, the valiant Khan of the Uyghur Khanate, and affixed with the imperial seal.
After reading the contents of the official letter, Chen Huai'an casually closed it, tossed it onto the table in front of him, and asked with a playful smile:
"Aihmaiti, did your mighty Khan tell you that if I do not agree to the marriage alliance, does your Uyghur Khanate not intend to submit to me?"
"ah?"
Upon hearing this, Aihmaiti, the Uyghur envoy, was filled with surprise, his blue eyes darting around.
Clearly, neither the mighty Khan Moyanchuo, the old Uyghur prime minister Has, nor the envoy Ahmaiti, nor even the civil and military officials of the entire Uyghur court, expected that Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin would raise this question.
In their minds, weren't the Han emperors' conquests of the Western Regions ultimately for the sake of exotic beauties and enchanting dancers from those regions?
Could it be that it's for raisins from the Western Regions?
Princess Bhikkhu was widely recognized as the most beautiful princess in the Western Regions.
The Prince of Jin actually refused to send Princess Bhikkhu to marry him.
Could it be that His Highness Prince Jin is a homosexual?
What should we do?
Aihemaiti was so anxious that he paced back and forth, and fine beads of sweat seeped out from his forehead.
Ultimately, an ambiguous answer was given.
Aihmaiti replied, "Your Highness Prince Jin, regarding this matter, well, this is what I think: Your Highness Prince Jin is exceptionally valiant and heroic—"
"Since ancient times, beauties have loved heroes. Princess Bilge of our Uyghur Khanate is recognized as the most beautiful princess among the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions. Naturally, she also admires and worships His Highness Prince Jin and has secretly given her heart to him."
"Perhaps, Your Highness Prince Jin should come to our Uyghur capital, Harabalegas, and meet Princess Bhikkhu in person before discussing this matter?"
"Your Highness, what do you think?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com