Leng Han harbored resentment but dared not speak it aloud.
The group turned back in the dark of night.
As dawn broke, in the Golden Palace, Fan Zehao, clad in casual attire, ascended the hall with a hint of anger in his eyes.
Without a wasted word, he declared, "Your Majesty, this Prince believes the second daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion is a suitable candidate. She can be enfeoffed as a County Princess and sent for a marriage alliance with Xue Country. What is Your Majesty's decree?"
The Emperor was taken aback at first, but quickly recovered, smiling and nodding repeatedly, "It aligns perfectly with my wishes."
Fan Zehao raised an eyebrow, glanced at the person with head bowed beside him, a sneer tugged at his lips, and he let out a cold laugh, "The princess marrying from Xue Country is of noble status. However, the one sent from Yun Country for a marriage alliance is merely an enfeoffed County Princess. In terms of status, she is truly unworthy to be the Empress of Xue Country. Why not bestow her upon the Emperor of Xue Country as a concubine? Your Majesty, do you think this action of mine would be unreasonable?"
You know it would be unreasonable?
It wasn't just the Prime Minister who thought so; the Emperor and all the ministers in the hall shared the same sentiment.
The Prime Minister felt as if he had eaten a bitter herb, but this time he was unwilling to be wronged. He immediately cupped his hands and said sternly, "Xue Country is a small nation. Sending a County Princess to marry there is already a high honor. If we further lower our status, how will Xue Country perceive us?"
Fan Zehao immediately retorted, "You know Xue Country is a small nation, so why do you still want my daughter to go for a marriage alliance? Prime Minister, what exactly are your intentions?"
Questioned, the Prime Minister was rendered speechless, his neck stiff, ignoring the brute who only knew how to fight.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
After speaking, the Prime Minister stepped to the front of the ministers and remained silent. Now, everything depended on the Emperor.
If the Emperor feared angering the Regent Prince, he would surely grant the Regent Prince's request. Conversely, it would mean his daughter still had a chance to avoid the marriage alliance.
Before the Emperor spoke, everything remained uncertain.
Huangpu Xi looked at the Regent Prince, then at the Prime Minister, and felt indecisive for a moment. After pondering, he decided that Fan Zehao's vengeance was too severe, and it was best to respect his choice.
Just as his mouth opened, a clear and sharp voice echoed from the hall, "This concubine pays respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years."
Hearing this woman's voice, everyone turned to look behind them. At the entrance of the hall, the Empress was seen kneeling to pay her respects.
It appeared she had rushed over in a hurry, her chest still heaving.
Huangpu Xi frowned. He detested women meddling in politics, especially in the hall, in front of so many ministers. Wasn't this a slap in his face?
"Why has the Empress come here?"
A cold voice escaped his lips. Leng Shuang's heart tightened; she knew the Emperor was angry.
However, facing her sister's distant marriage, even if she angered him, she was not afraid. After all, she had a child in her womb as a bargaining chip. She could coax him later, and this matter would blow over.
Leng Shuang rose, walked forward with a smile, and stopped in front of her father. "Your Majesty, the Regent Prince's suggestion is excellent, but this concubine believes Yun Country has many talented and beautiful women. We can select some women of good family and background to go for a marriage alliance first, which can also indirectly show our regard for an alliance with Xue Country."
After speaking, Leng Shuang turned sideways and smiled at Fan Zehao, "What do you think, Regent Prince?"
"Not at all. Among the noble daughters of these ministers, which one can compare to the Prime Minister's legitimate daughter? Empress, do not presume to be clever just because you are pregnant and stand out to offer advice. 'Do not do to others what you do not wish for yourself.' Even I, a rough man, understand this principle. Does the Empress not know it?"
Dare to plot to send his daughter for a marriage alliance, and he didn't believe he couldn't deal with a civil official.
He admitted he wasn't a match in sharp tongues, but when it came to being unreasonable, he dared to claim second place, and no one would dare claim first.
Leng Shuang was so incensed she almost exploded, but for a moment, she couldn't find a good retort.
Silence fell in the palace for a moment. Leng Shuang recovered, her face showing displeasure, "I am the Empress. Regent Prince, do you show any respect to me by humiliating me like this? Do you show any respect to His Majesty, the Emperor of the Nine-Five?"
Fan Zehao's rough eyebrows twitched, and he said with a fake smile, "Who do you think you are? My white eyeballs belong to my wife, my pupils to my daughter, my eye sockets to my son, and only my eyelids are my own."
He didn't even have regard for himself, let alone an unrelated person.
Everyone in the Golden Palace: ...
This man is truly ruthless!
The Emperor quietly lowered his head, his mouth twitching. Those eyelids indeed protected his eyes. The ruthless man was indeed the Regent Prince; there was no doubt about that.
"Presumptuous! You, a Prince, actually..."
"If you are not convinced, this Prince can make you convinced!" Fan Zehao glanced at Leng Shuang, who was still trying to argue, and his expression became even more displeased.
On his dark face, there was no hint of a joke. He looked up at the person watching paintings on the dragon throne, "Huangpu Xi, your Empress truly knows propriety. If you cannot discipline her, this Prince will chop her down with a single saber, saving her from being an eyesore and disgusting this Prince."
Leng Shuang completely lost face. She looked at the Emperor in horror, disregarding her five or six-month pregnancy, and knelt directly on the ground, covering her face and weeping, "Your Majesty, this concubine was only thinking for you. This Regent Prince is too overbearing and unreasonable, repeatedly humiliating this concubine, and even speaking wildly, claiming to discipline this concubine on Your Majesty's behalf. Such a treacherous minister with rebellious intentions is obvious. I implore Your Majesty to deal with him swiftly."
Deal with him?
Not to mention the sweat on the Emperor's forehead, even the entire hall held their breath.
Fan Zehao had not appeared in Yun Country for several years, but his name already resounded throughout the Cangyi Continent.
Did the Empress eat bear gall and leopard courage? Or sleep with the Emperor and eat dragon gall?
Her words were so arrogant!
Huangpu Xi could no longer sit still. He heavily slammed his palm on the armrest of the dragon throne, hitting it so hard his hand trembled.
His face contorted, and he glared at Leng Shuang with eyes that said, 'You're seeking death.'
At that moment, Fan Zehao let out a laugh. In the vast hall, there was a sudden chilling feeling.
He was clearly laughing, but the sound was like the eerie laughter of an owl entering a house.
"This Prince has always been arrogant and unreasonable. It is said of me. Offending this Prince, even exterminating a clan, is a minor matter. If I am displeased, it is not difficult for this Prince to destroy your country."
His words were arrogant, but coming from his mouth, it was not an impossible feat.
Think of the former Jin Country, and the Axi tribe. They were now divided and scattered. Who could still remember these two countries?
Were these two places not destroyed by him?
Fan Zehao's gaze swept over the Emperor from the corner of his eye. His face could no longer be described as ashen; the fear in his eyes was about to overflow.
Very good. He still knew fear. Although he was frightening the Empress, he was also warning the Emperor.
He did not interfere in the affairs of Yun Country, but if anyone dared to bully those he protected, even the Jade Emperor himself would have to go around them.