Song Wanji waved his hand and told Si Fangzheng to take Princess Wen'an away quickly. After the study became quiet, he looked at Xie Nanjia thoughtfully and asked in an unclear tone, "Do you really think so?"
"Yes." Xie Nanjia nodded.
Song Wanji pondered for a moment and asked again: "Did you originally think so, or were you angry with Wen An?"
Xie Nanjia blinked her eyelashes and replied, "I had originally thought of sending Queen Meng to Shanyang Pass to persuade the king to surrender. I wanted to scare Princess Wen'an and Queen Meng so that Queen Meng would cooperate. Princess Wen'an is the most beloved princess of the emperor, so she cannot go to marry."
Song Wanji slowly paced in front of the desk for a few steps, and said as if talking to himself: "There's nothing wrong with it."
Xie Nanjia was stunned, glanced at him subconsciously, and said nothing.
Song Wanji stopped and asked her, "Aren't you curious why?"
"…" Xie Nanjia hesitated for a moment and replied, "It must be because of Concubine Shu's matter."
Song Wanji was shocked by her and his eyes widened. He asked in surprise: "Do you know that it was Wen An who did it?"
"I was just guessing. I wasn't sure at first, but now I am sure." Xie Nanjia answered honestly, "Is the emperor worried that he wouldn't be able to explain to Concubine Shu and her family, so he wanted Princess Wen'an to marry?"
Song Wanji stared at her in amazement for a long while, and exclaimed: "You are really smart, girl. You don't look like the daughter of the wife of the Duke of Xiaoguo, but rather the daughter of the wife of General Wu'an."
Xie Nanjia: “…”
You really have a keen eye!
Song Wanji certainly didn't know the truth about himself, and then he sighed: "Wen'an is a perverse and narrow-minded child. She has been spoiled by me since she was a child. She did such a thing to Concubine Shu. I can't bear to punish her severely, and I can't make the truth public to damage her reputation. But Concubine Shu risked her life to give birth to a prince for me, and it would be unreasonable for me not to give her an explanation.
Besides, as the daughter of a treacherous queen, she has a bad temper, and I'm afraid no one in the capital would dare to marry her. So, I thought, instead of letting her marry under humiliation, it would be better to let her go to Silla to be the queen. Silla has always been dependent on our country, and she won't be bullied if she marries there."
"Your Majesty has good intentions. I hope Princess Wen'an can understand your painstaking efforts." Xie Nanjia said, but in her heart she did not completely believe what the emperor said.
Perhaps in the eyes of the emperor, no matter how precious the princess is, she is not as important as national interests. Sacrificing a princess can exchange for decades of peace between the two countries. This is a very cost-effective deal.
Therefore, marrying a foreign princess is the responsibility and obligation that a royal woman should fulfill for the country.
But she changed her mind and thought again, if she gave birth to a daughter in the future, she would fight to the death with anyone who dared to let her daughter marry a foreign prince.
This made her think of Queen Meng again. Queen Meng's hatred for her must have increased a little more. After all, it was she who said Princess Wen'an to marry. She couldn't explain to Queen Meng that she just wanted to scare her, right
Even if I explained it, Queen Meng wouldn't believe it.
So, she was basically taking the blame for the emperor again.
Just let her carry the blame, as long as Zhao Jingyu can come back soon, she doesn't mind continuing to play the role of the villain.
As they were talking, Si Fangzheng came back. Before he could catch his breath, Song Wanji asked him to go to the cold palace again to convey his will to Queen Meng.
Si Fangzheng did not show much surprise after hearing the emperor's decision. He had served the emperor for more than ten years and knew the emperor's thoughts very well.
Not only that, he also knew that even if Queen Meng really went to persuade Song Jingxing to surrender, she would not be able to save Princess Wen'an, and the Emperor would still let Princess Wen'an go to marry.
Of course, he would definitely not tell Queen Meng this. His mission was to persuade Queen Meng. As for what happened later, it had nothing to do with him.
Si Fangzheng received the order and went to the cold palace again. Xie Nanjia wanted to leave, but Song Wanji kept her and asked her to play chess with him.
"I heard from the Crown Prince that you are an excellent chess player. Even Hu Qianshan is no match for you. I have long wanted to learn from you."
"I don't deserve your advice, but I can be your companion to relieve the emperor's boredom." Xie Nanjia said modestly.
The eunuch brought the chessboard, and the two men sat down, each holding black and white pieces, and started playing quietly.
"Neither I nor the Queen Mother supported you when Wen'an bullied you. Do you feel any emotion?" Song Wanji asked.
"No." Xie Nanjia said truthfully, "I have a lot of things to do and don't have time to worry about trivial matters."
Song Wanji nodded with satisfaction: "I know you are different from other girls. So, tell me, was it your idea for Meng Taiyang to get drunk and cause trouble?"
"Yes." Xie Nanjia said frankly, "But I had no choice but to do this. I wanted to save myself from the dilemma of rumors, but I couldn't just drag innocent people to take the blame. After thinking about it, I could only find him. But I didn't expect him to speak nonsense in the street and dig his own grave."
"Digging one's own grave, that's a good phrase!" Song Wanji dropped a child, twirling his beard and laughing, "I spared the Meng family under great pressure, but who would have thought that they would be so unpromising and put their necks on the edge of the knife."
Xie Nanjia also laughed and said slyly, "Seriously speaking, I have accomplished a great feat by accident, right? Your Majesty, should I give you another credit for this?"
Song Wanji laughed loudly: "Remember, remember, I will remember it for you. I will also remember the last time I saved Concubine Shu!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xie Nanjia said with a smile, and casually placed a piece to eat up a large number of the emperor's chess pieces.
Only then did Song Wanji suddenly realize that he was about to lose.
"Oh, I really can't help but accept it." He clapped his hands and said, "With you helping the prince, I have nothing to worry about. I hope that you two can support each other, cherish each other, be of one mind, and grow old together. Don't be like me, working hard for half my life, but not even having a confidant."
"..." Xie Nanjia was stunned holding the chess piece, suspecting that he must have thought of Zhao Jingyu's mother, which was why he suddenly had these feelings.
She really wanted to ask about what happened between him and Zhao Jingyu's mother, but she knew that it was not in accordance with etiquette, so she refrained from asking and followed his words, "Your Majesty, rest assured that the prince and I will not let you down."
Song Wanji nodded with satisfaction, said no more, and turned his attention back to the chessboard.
About an incense stick's time later, Si Fangzheng came back and reported to the emperor with difficulty, saying that he had failed to convince Queen Meng. Queen Meng was in a very bad mood and insisted on seeing the Crown Princess. She would not agree to anything without seeing the Crown Princess.
Song Wanji seemed to have expected this. He put down the chess piece and asked Xie Nanjia if she was willing to meet Queen Meng.
Xie Nanjia finally understood why he wanted to keep her here to play chess. It turned out that he had already expected Queen Meng to make such a request.
The emperor has many thoughts and anyone can become his chess piece.
So, Xie Nanjia put aside the half-played chess game and followed Si Fangzheng to the cold palace.
Si Fangzheng didn't want to run back and forth, but as the emperor's confidant, he had to watch the entire conversation between Queen Meng and Xie Nanjia, and report every word to the emperor when he came back.
When she arrived at the cold palace, looking at the dilapidated palace with trees blocking out the sun, Xie Nanjia, standing outside the door, felt a gust of cold wind blowing in her face and could not help shivering, perhaps because of psychological effects or something else.
Liusu and Biluo followed behind and also got goosebumps.
The palace maid guarding outside the door came over and bowed in fear, then helped them open the door. The creaking sound was disgusting.
Xie Nanjia asked Liusu and Biluo to wait outside, and she followed Si Fangzheng into the hall.
The hall was empty, gloomy and dimly lit. Princess Wen'an's crying could be heard in a corner, and the echo could be heard throughout the hall.
Xie Nanjia stood for a while before she adjusted to the light in the hall. When she turned around, she saw Queen Meng sitting on the couch with her arms around Princess Wen'an, staring at her with wolf-like eyes.
Thinking back to the time when she was ordered to enter the palace to meet Queen Meng, Queen Meng was sitting in Kunning Palace in a bright yellow phoenix robe. How majestic and magnificent she looked.
Now that they meet again, she has become the future mistress of the imperial palace, while Queen Meng has become a prisoner, set to spend the rest of her life in this gloomy cold palace.
Fate plays tricks on us. How wonderful it is.
She walked forward a few steps and stood opposite Queen Meng. Her tone was calm, as if she had met an old friend she hadn't seen for a long time: "Your Highness, are you doing well? I wonder why you are looking for me?"
Before Queen Meng could speak, Princess Wen'an suddenly stopped crying, jumped up and threw herself at Xie Nanjia, shouting, "Evil woman, I'm going to kill you!"
"Princess, please don't be so presumptuous!" Si Fangzheng stepped forward to stop her and warned her not to do anything to anger the emperor again.
Queen Meng also stood up and pulled Princess Wen'an to her side, gritting her teeth and scolding: "How many times do I have to tell you not to mess with this woman? Don't you think you've been hurt enough by her?"
Xie Nanjia couldn't help laughing when she heard this, and said rudely, "Yes, Princess, do you want to challenge me, a vicious woman, to see how vicious I can be?"
"You!" Princess Wen'an was so angry that she was shaking all over, but she didn't dare to provoke her again.
Queen Meng said, "Miss Xiu'er is different now, so don't argue with an ignorant child. I came to you to discuss a condition with you. If you can agree to it, I will go to Shanyang Pass to persuade my son to surrender."
"Please tell me what the conditions are, Your Majesty." Xie Nanjia said.
Queen Meng did not beat around the bush and said straight to the point: "Wenan cannot be allowed to marry."
"Oh?" Xie Nanjia raised her eyebrows and glanced at Si Fangzheng. She knew that Queen Meng must want to see her because of Princess Wen'an. "But this is the emperor's decision. What's the point of you looking for me?"
"It is useful." Queen Meng said, "You don't have to be modest. I know your ability better than anyone else. As long as you are willing, nothing can stop you. It will snow in the north soon. If the war drags on, it will not be good for anyone. So, for Zhao Jingyu to return to the court as soon as possible, you should also consider my conditions."
Xie Nanjia looked at Si Fangzheng again, hesitated, and did not immediately reply to Queen Meng.
She knew that everything she said to Queen Meng here would be told to the Emperor by Si Fangzheng without missing a word, so she could not agree to any of Queen Meng's conditions under the circumstances.
Just as she was frowning and thinking about a solution, Princess Wen'an suddenly pounced on her again.
But this time she did not attack Xie Nanjia. Instead, she knelt down and hugged Xie Nanjia's legs.
"I was wrong. I shouldn't have provoked you. I beg you, don't marry me to Silla. I don't want to marry a hairy savage!" She cried and pleaded with Xie Nanjia.
She had heard from others that Silla was a barbarian country, where the men were covered in hair, their beards were so long that their faces could not be seen, and their chest hair was so long that it could be tied into a braid. She did not want to marry a savage like that.
From the moment Xie Nanjia entered the room, Queen Meng had been keeping her emotions under control very well. But when she suddenly saw her little daughter kneeling in front of her enemy and begging, her emotions instantly collapsed. She knelt on the ground, hugged Princess Wen'an and burst into tears.
"Miss Xiu'er, everything that happened in the past was my fault. My family and I have received the punishment we deserve. Now I dare not ask for anything else. I only ask that you have pity on my Wen'an because we are both women. You will be a queen and a mother in the future. If your daughter is to be sent to marry a foreign prince, you will be as heartbroken as I am. So, please help my poor daughter. I swear, I will persuade Jingxing to surrender. He has always loved his sister. He will compromise for his sister. He will definitely..."
"Are you sure?" Xie Nanjia looked down at the woman crying at her feet. "Are you sure you want to sacrifice your son for your daughter? If Song Jingxing surrenders, he won't have a good ending when he returns to the capital. Have you thought about it?"
Queen Meng raised her head and sobbed, tears streaming down her face. Her son and daughter were both the apple of her eye and she couldn't bear to hurt either of them. But she had no choice. She couldn't bear to watch Song Wanji send her delicate daughter to a barbarian country.
She knew very well that even if she did not persuade him to surrender, Song Wanji would not let her son go. Even if the war dragged on longer and more people died, he would not give up.
So, since they were all going to die anyway, it would be better to save one of the three, mother and son. At worst, the son would die, and she, as his mother, would be there to accompany him.
"I've made up my mind. As long as you promise me not to let Wen'an marry, I'm willing to sacrifice everything." She said, covering her aching heart.
"Huh!" Xie Nanjia let out a long breath, feeling uncomfortable in his heart.
From a public perspective, she shouldn't have any sympathy for Queen Meng.
Personally, she understands a mother's heart too well.
If it were her, she would also be willing to die for her child without hesitation.
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place!" She sighed, turned around and walked out of the hall, and said a promise lightly, "I promise you!"
Queen Meng and Princess Wen'an hugged each other and cried behind her.
Si Fangzheng followed Xie Nanjia out of the hall and asked cautiously, "Miss Xiu'er, will the emperor agree?"
"I don't know either, let me give it a try!" said Xie Nanjia.
(End of this chapter)