klisemfg Chapter 124 Human Heart
Chapter 124 Human Heart
Imperial Study —
Emperor Yongxi was somewhat troubled. He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. Crown Prince Que Jin, sitting below him, also looked solemn. The Northern Desert royal family was a Di tribe, and the Han people under their rule were suffering. He was afraid that his fourth sister would have a hard time having a good life after marrying into the tribe.
After thinking for a moment, he said:
“Father, it’s not that we absolutely have to form an alliance with the Northern Desert; it hasn’t come to that yet…”
"Your Majesty!" The chief eunuch hurriedly ran to the door.
Que Jin's words were interrupted midway, and Yong Xixi looked up and asked, "What's the matter that you're so panicked?"
"Your Majesty, military reports have arrived from the northern border. The Di Kingdom has suddenly added 80,000 troops, Jiayong Pass has fallen, and General Qi has retreated to the barbican."
"What!" Emperor Yongxi was shocked.
Que Jin's heart skipped a beat. Even with Lu Yu, the heir of the Marquis of Yongyi, leading troops to provide support, Jiayong Pass still fell and they retreated to a hundred miles away.
The barbican is easy to defend and difficult to attack. In addition, the Di Kingdom has just conquered a piece of land and needs to rest and recuperate its troops, so it can hold out for a while. However, if the Xuan Kingdom were to transfer other garrison troops in its current situation, it would be too much of a blow.
Moreover, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst; the best solution is to send troops to the northern desert...
Que Jin sighed inwardly, realizing that things had come to this.
Before long, the news also reached the inner palace.
Amber Pavilion —
The Fourth Princess, Que Xuan, lay sobbing on Consort Xiang's lap.
"Mother, I do not want to marry into the Northern Desert. The Di people are all barbarians who eat raw meat and drink blood!"
Consort Xiang held her daughter, her heart aching. How many princesses who were married off to foreign tribes throughout history had a good ending? She'd heard that the Di people disregarded ethics and morality, and wives were considered assets, with sons succeeding fathers and brothers succeeding brothers. If Xuan'er married into the Di tribe, and Yelü Moqi was destined to die young, she truly dared not imagine…
She only regretted that her family background was ordinary and she was not favored. When Qi Kingdom asked to send a hostage, she was glad that Xuan'er was a princess, otherwise it would have been her who went. But this time, there was no way to avoid it.
Thinking of this, Consort Xiang couldn't help but shed tears.
Watching the mother and daughter weeping bitterly, Granny Zhang touched the purse in her sleeve; it contained a bag of rubies.
Recalling my visit home the day before, a young man claiming to be a close attendant of the Crown Prince of the Northern Desert came to my door...
"Simply say that, and this bag of jewels is yours." Aguri stuffed the purse into the old woman's hand.
"This……"
"Granny is helping Xiangqin and the Fourth Princess share their burdens and solve their problems. Why not do it?"
Yes, it's not like she's selling herself out. If she does a good job, the Empress might even reward her, but...
"Why doesn't Prince Yelü directly ask His Majesty for Princess Le'an's hand in marriage, instead of going through all this trouble?"
"Alas," Aguli sighed, "His Highness fell in love with Princess Le'an at first sight in Yucheng, but His Majesty desires a princess from your country. His Highness could not disobey his father's orders, so he had no choice but to..."
Aguri gave Granny Zhang a knowing look.
That makes sense. They were afraid of having to explain themselves when they got back, so they wanted to shift the blame onto their king and then pretend to reluctantly agree...
Granny Zhang snapped out of her thoughts and said, "I'm doing this all for the princess and the empress, not for money."
After preparing herself mentally, Granny Zhang gritted her teeth and took a step forward.
"Your Majesty, this old servant has a plan."
Consort Xiang and Que Xuan paused in their crying and looked up at Zhang Mama.
………………
Xuandu Post Station
After reporting the situation to his master, Aguri asked, puzzled, "Why is Your Highness going through such a roundabout way?"
He knew it was definitely not the reason he had made up for Granny Zhang, because the alliance with Xuan Kingdom and the marriage proposal to the princess of Xuan Kingdom were all suggestions made by His Highness.
If Your Highness were to directly ask for Princess Le'an's hand in marriage, His Majesty would not mind, and Emperor Xuan would be happy to oblige. Why go through all this trouble and subject them to a test of humanity?
Yelü Moqi curled the corners of his mouth. Of course, he wasn't doing this out of boredom, nor was he just there to watch the show.
"Firstly, I want the princess to see clearly how she was abandoned. Only when she is disappointed in the Xuan royal family can she rely on me."
Aguri seemed to understand something, and his thoughts wandered. A princess is better than a princess. It's destined that the current emperor and the future emperor of Xuan Kingdom will not be too close to her. In addition, being abandoned makes it even less likely that she will betray His Highness.
"Secondly, it seems that Princess Le'an has someone she loves..."
Yelü Mode didn't elaborate, but Aguli understood. His Highness's direct proposal was tantamount to personally breaking up Princess Le'an's marriage. The princess would resent His Highness, and with that rift, how could they work together in the future? That would go against His Highness's original intention.
"Thirdly, if we exchange a princess for a county princess, Emperor Xuan should at least give some compensation for the difference, right?"
"Your Highness is wise!"
Aguri was completely convinced. Their prince knew how to manage money; even while traveling to various countries to learn and gather intelligence, he never lost money.
Iris Palace —
The palace maid leaned over and whispered in Jiang Qin's ear.
Consort Jiang of today is no longer the shallow-rooted Consort Baolin who first entered the palace. Apart from the Empress's Fengxian Palace, which she dares not act recklessly, and the Cuiwei Palace of Consort Rong which is guarded without any leaks, she has pawns planted in every other palace.
They actually came up with the idea of making Le'an a princess and marrying her off in place of Que Xuan!
Although Consort Xiang was not favored, Que Xuan was, after all, His Majesty's only daughter, and he still felt quite sorry for her.
No, we must find a way to stop it. Le'an was the gentlest and brightest light during my brother's dark adolescence. If Le'an goes to an arranged marriage, my brother will break down.
Jiang Qin raised her hand to her lower abdomen, her eyes darkening. "Wanqing, go to Zichen Palace and invite His Majesty. Tell him that I... suddenly fainted."
Cuiwei Palace —
Consort Rong, holding a hand warmer, lazily reclined on the couch, while a young palace maid massaged her legs.
"Dongzhu, go heat up a pot of wine. How can we watch the excitement without wine?"
Dongzhu smiled with pursed lips, accepted the order and left. When she returned, she brought not only a pot of wine, but also a barbecue grill and venison.
"Jiang Qin has been arrogant for too long. This time, we will see her true colors and what she is. She dares to accept my greetings for a position she obtained by selling her son."
Consort Rong was in a great mood. Thinking of Jiang Qin's expression when she learned that her brother's fiancée had flown away, she felt it was worth warming a pot of wine to cheer herself up.