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Yuan Cixian looked back at him, her eyes flickering for a moment.
Lu Shiqing continued to explain: "The domestic political situation in Nanzhao was turbulent, and Xiju had not been able to secure the position of crown prince. Because of this, he devoted himself to the conquest, trying to conquer southern Yunnan, to achieve the goal of subjugating the subjects at home and intimidating the neighboring countries. But from the time you were fourteen years old, when he planned to marry you until now, Nanzhao has never succeeded, whether it was openly or secretly. Not only did the war fail to make Xiju secure the position of crown prince, but it also caused him to be impeached by his subjects and complained by the people. So now, he decided to change his strategy and make friends with the Great Zhou."
Perhaps it was the unpolished jade that the Second Prince of Nanzhao used to curry favor with the Great Zhou that reminded Xiju, or perhaps it was the peace talk between Lu Shiqing and him in January that gave him inspiration. He realized that now was indeed not the best time to confront the Great Zhou.
"His top priority is to use the power of our Great Zhou to stabilize the domestic political situation. But it is obvious that compared to him who frequently launches wars, our saint prefers his second brother who knows how to show courtesy. In order to prevent his second brother from gaining the support of our Great Zhou and replacing him one day, he must establish a sufficiently deep friendly relationship with our dynasty as soon as possible. Marriage is one of the ways."
"Under the circumstances, the court's willingness to send a daughter of the royal family to Nanzhao was already a favor, and there was no reason for the court to agree to marry a legitimate princess. However, our saint values profit. If Xiju could offer him an exchange that was attractive enough, he would not choose to keep his daughter. Moreover, Shaohe was already married for the second time. Therefore, she naturally became Xiju's first choice."
A legitimate princess who married into a marquis's family at the age of sixteen and has been a widow for five years has lost some of her value.
"But if the first choice doesn't work, there is still a second choice. Apart from the legitimate Shaohe, your identity is also very special. If you, as the only daughter of the King of Southern Yunnan, marry Xiju, in the eyes of his subjects, it is only a matter of time before he, the crown prince, controls Southern Yunnan. Therefore, you can also help Xiju establish a strong prestige in the country. He didn't attack you this time because of me as an obstacle. If now, I am willing to throw away my armor and weapons, lose the emperor's heart, and even be exiled in order to protect Shaohe, then when Xiju reaches out to you, who can protect you?"
Lu Shiqing was a man who didn't like to express himself, but after he said this, the hand that he was holding on Yuan Cihan's hand actually trembled uncontrollably, as if he was afraid of something.
As if she had sensed his helplessness and struggle, Yuan Cixian endured the pain in her nose, pulled her hand out of his palm, and then held his hand back.
She knew that this trade-off was more difficult for him than for her.
Lu Shiqing's heart was shocked, and he pulled her into his arms, lowered his head and rested his chin on her shoulder. After a long silence, he said: "Yuan Cixian, there is only one Lu Shiqing, and he is only enough to worry about you."
Yuan Cixian nodded without saying anything, but hot tears fell in the blink of an eye.
*
In the Purple Palace, Xi Ju was throwing out his bait to Emperor Huining: "First, Nanzhao will resume regular tribute to the Great Zhou, and will no longer send tribute directly to Chang'an through the hands of the King of Southern Yunnan."
In the past, when Nanzhao paid tribute, they usually presented the tribute to Yuan Yizhi first, and then sent it to Emperor Huining. In fact, it showed that they valued the King of Diannan and despised him. With this change, the old emperor naturally felt relieved.
The first thing to do is to resolve each other's concerns first.
Xi Ju continued, "Second, Nanzhao will resume the mutual trade with Dazhou that has been cut off for three years, and promise to unilaterally reduce 40% of commercial taxes, and allow merchants from neighboring countries such as Pyu to flow into Dazhou through our Nanzhao gates, and open up their trade with Dazhou."
Emperor Huining paused slightly.
This trade was not only about money and materials, but also allowed the Great Zhou to open up trade and even political relations south of Nanzhao without any effort. It was indeed a rare opportunity.
But Xi Ju had something more unexpected in store: "Third, I promise that when I ascend the throne I will send my eldest son to Chang'an to study Chinese for three years. He will not be allowed to return until he has completed his studies."
This statement seemed to be implicit, but in fact it basically meant that as long as he successfully ascended the throne, he would send his eldest son to the Great Zhou as a hostage for three years. This was equivalent to giving the old emperor a reassurance, indicating that at least in the first three years of Xi Ju's reign, Nanzhao would not be able to make any waves, and even if the Great Zhou wanted to restrict it, it could benefit countlessly in these three years. In addition, the political significance of this matter itself was immeasurable.
"The above three terms, in exchange for Princess Shaohe marrying me, in exchange for Great Zhou providing Nanzhao with scarce medicinal materials in the trade, and in exchange for His Majesty's promise to sever ties with my second brother and support me in taking the throne. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Huining was shocked, but he quickly replied calmly: "I understand your sincerity, but this matter is of great importance, so I need to give it some consideration."
Xi Ju nodded: "Of course. But if Your Majesty is concerned about Shao and the princess' feelings, I have a good idea."
Emperor Huining raised his eyebrows slightly and motioned for him to speak.
Xi Ju pulled the corner of his mouth and said, "I heard that your lord once fell in love with Minister Lu in the imperial court. If Minister Lu gets married soon, wouldn't your lord be able to completely give up the idea?"
*
Although Emperor Huining did not immediately announce the result of his consideration, the news that the Crown Prince Xiju wanted to marry Princess Shaohe soon spread throughout the streets and alleys of Chang'an City.
The next morning, Yuan Cixian had just finished breakfast when she heard that Lu Shuangyu came to visit. She wondered why Lu Shiqing had to let her sister do something that was too embarrassing for him. When she met Lu Shuangyu in the main hall, she saw that Lu Shuangyu looked very anxious. She stood up suddenly when she saw her coming and said in a serious tone, "County Lady, please be merciful and help Princess Shaohe!"
As if she was asking for help, Lu Shuangyu used honorifics all the time. Yuan Cixian choked and was silent for a long time before asking, "Does your brother know that you came to see me?"
Lu Shuangyu buried her head and twisted her fingers secretly, shaking her head: "My brother refused to help, so I would like to ask the county lady to persuade him." After she finished speaking, as if she was afraid that Yuan Cixian had a grudge against Shao He, she hurriedly explained, "Although your lady liked my brother in the past, she didn't do anything out of line. I lied to you before that they loved each other... Please don't bother with her, okay?"
This girl probably thought that Lu Shiqing was unwilling to help because he was afraid that Yuan Cixian would be unhappy.
Yuan Cixian sighed: "It's already this time, and you're still calling me County Princess? Can't you just call me sister-in-law?" After saying that, he pulled her to sit aside.
Lu Shuangyu curled her lips and dropped the honorific title: "Will you help me if I call you 'sister-in-law'?" Seeing that Yuan Cixian didn't answer, she played the sympathy card again, "Sister-in-law, your lady is so pitiful. Not only did she lose her husband soon after marrying into the Marquis's Mansion five years ago, she has been a widow for three years. She finally got the chance to marry again, but was rejected by my brother. Her personality changed drastically because of this..."
Before she could finish her words, Yuan Cixian interrupted her: "What do you mean by a sudden change in temperament? Why haven't I heard of this?"
Lu Shuangyu looked a little embarrassed. She shouldn't have gossiped about someone behind their back, but she had no other choice but to say, "Sister-in-law, do you still remember saving me at Lu Bridge? That time, your master invited me to go out and asked me about my brother's feelings. After I told her the truth, she lost interest in going out and suggested going back to the city. Unexpectedly, the accident you saw happened when we passed Lu Bridge. Your master caught a cold after falling into the water and it took a long time to recover. When I saw her again, I felt like she had become a different person."
Yuan Cixian frowned: "What do you mean?"
She pondered for a while, then said, "Although your lady had experienced the loss of her husband, she didn't seem to be too traumatized. She wasn't particularly lively, but she was cheerful. But after that, she became much more reserved and dull. She seemed to have aged a dozen years in an instant. Her eyes looked different, and her tone of voice was different. She looked very strange."
Yuan Cixian's brows furrowed even deeper, and he suddenly remembered something: "I heard that after your master fell into the water, he often rode horses with the nobles in the capital to strengthen his body at the request of the imperial physician. Do you know about this?"
Lu Shuangyu sighed, "It's not the doctor's order, it's your ladyship herself who wants to go out with everyone, but you don't know that the young ladies in the capital secretly don't like her very much, they think they can't play with her, it's very tiring and awkward to get along with her."
"Since you said that she has become more introverted, why do you suddenly want to go out on a horseback ride with everyone?" Yuan Cihan asked.
"Because your lord said that maybe my brother likes this kind of girl." She glanced at Yuan Cixian after she said that. "I didn't believe it at first. I thought my brother would definitely like a gentle lady, but now it seems that your lord is right."
Yuan Cixian choked and suddenly stood up and said, "I have something to do, you go back first."
Lu Shuangyu also stood up: "Where are you going?"
"Princess's Mansion."
*
When Yuan Cixian arrived at Princess Anxingfang's Mansion, Shaohe was burning incense in the Buddhist temple inside the mansion. Hearing that she was coming, he walked slowly to the main hall and smiled at her faintly: "Why is the county princess here?" His tone was even and it didn't sound like he was asking a question.
Yuan Cihan remembered that yesterday at Ziyu Pavilion, she clearly saw Shaohe's emotions fluctuating, but now there was no trace of that anymore.
She had been thinking about how to express the question that she couldn't suppress, but now she was exhausted and felt that there was no way around it. She said directly, "Your Excellency fell into the water accidentally at Lu Bridge in early spring two years ago. Have you ever had a strange dream since then?"
Shao He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then shook his head and said, "My Lady, what kind of strange dream do you think I should have?"
Yuan Cixian frowned, as if trying to determine whether what she said was true or false, but she suddenly smiled and denied the previous answer: "Maybe it can also be considered a dream."
Yuan Cixian then hesitated and asked, "So in your dream, did Xiju propose to you?"
Shaohe smiled and shook his head.
She felt as if something was stuck in her throat. Just as she was silent, she suddenly heard a servant come to report that the imperial edict had arrived.
Shao He seemed very calm. He said "I know" and continued to talk to Yuan Cixian: "During the Zhongyuan Festival last year, I asked the county lady if she believed in reincarnation. She didn't answer me then. What about now?"
Yuan Cixian was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes and repeated what Shao He had said before: "I believe in reincarnation and I also believe in cause and effect."
Shao He smiled and said, "But you are different from me. The cause and effect you believe in is that you reap what you sow, and there will be retribution and response to every feeling. But the cause and effect I believe in... is fate." After she said that, she turned around, apparently ready to receive the order.
Yuan Cixian suddenly couldn't help but call her: "My Lord." After she stopped, she hesitated and said, "Those who believe in fate can only accept it, and those who don't believe in fate can change it. Why don't you try again? If you don't want to marry far away, maybe I can help you. The road to marriage must pass through southern Yunnan. I can try to ask my father..."
"No need." Shao He turned around and smiled, "Why would the county lady take risks for me? For me, it doesn't matter who I marry, if not him. When I say 'fate', I don't mean I must marry Xi Ju, but that I cannot marry him after all."
I lived again and protected him for two lifetimes, but I was no match for her fierce force, which took over my city in one day.
This is fate.
After Shao He finished speaking, he walked towards the mansion gate step by step.
The morning light shone on her tied-up hair, and a glaring white streak was faintly visible.
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