Yao Xiang was furious at the death of her brother, and coupled with the loss of previous childbirth, she fell ill.
Ever since I woke up from the coma, I have been too sick to get out of bed.
I take medicine every day.
During the month she was ill, there was progress in the border war.
The main force of the Liao army launched a massive attack on Qingqiang Pass. The two armies fought for three full days. In the end, the Liao army was defeated and fled.
After this attack, it was thought that the war would come to an end.
But the Liao army had one last fight and ordered people to raid Beiling Pass.
Fortunately, Ye Zhe was on high alert due to Yao Xu's rebellion last time. He went into battle despite being injured and commanded the army on the city wall. Yin's father and brothers led the troops into battle and together they won the battle.
By this time, it was already mid-October, and the Liao army finally admitted defeat and surrendered.
If they continued fighting, they would only lose even more miserably, because winter was about to come and they would definitely not have enough food and fodder.
But it is different in Nanqi. The autumn harvest has just passed and the granaries are full.
After the Liao Dynasty was defeated, they sent people to ask for peace, hoping that Nanqi would marry a princess to them as a sign of friendship between the two countries.
Ning Chen immediately rejected the proposal and even sent troops to station nearly fifty miles into the Liao territory.
The King of Liao changed his mind again and said that he would marry his most beautiful daughter to Ning Chen and pay tribute to Nanqi.
Ning Chen naturally looked down on that damn princess, but even though the princess didn't want it, he had to take the thing.
Nanqi was wealthy, so it naturally had no shortage of silks, satins, and rare treasures. But there was one thing that Nanqi lacked, and that was something that the Liao Kingdom had.
War horse.
Ning Chen wrote a letter to the King of Liao, asking for a gift of 40,000 good horses.
Naturally, the King of Liao was unwilling to agree to this lion's high demand, but he did not dare to refuse it outright. He only said that the Liao Kingdom could not provide so many horses at once and only had 4,000 horses.
Unexpectedly, Ning Chen responded by saying that if he couldn't produce it all at once, he could give it to him slowly. Four thousand horses a year would be enough in ten years.
If they don't agree, the Nanqi army will have to go to the Liao Kingdom to take it on their own.
The threat was so obvious that the Liao Kingdom had no choice but to agree even though it was reluctant.
Although many horses are produced in a year, only a few of them are good. With an annual tribute of 4,000 good horses, they can hardly keep anything for themselves and have to pay tribute for another ten years.
In the past ten years, the Liao Kingdom has absolutely no ability to fight against Nanqi again.
This war also truly established Ning Chen's prestige, so that other small countries around him no longer dared to look down on the young Emperor of Nanqi.
Ning Chen just turned twenty-six this year.
At the same time, Ye Jun also celebrated his 21st birthday this year.
After five years in the palace, she finally stood up.
He is favored, his brother has military merits, and he has a prince. This is undoubtedly a good situation.
The celebration banquet is scheduled for November 18th.
It will take some time for the generals to return from Lingzhou.
Everyone can foresee that by the end of this year, another group of people will move up.
And among this group of people, Ye Jun must be one of them.
Regardless of other things, just after the war, the emperor entered the harem six times, four of which were in Zhaochunxuan. This favor was so obvious that no one could pretend not to see it.
During this period, even the gossipy and quarrelsome Concubine Shu did not dare to cause trouble in front of Ye Jun.
Of course, Huo Cairen also benefited from the same.
Her brother Huo Pingbei also made great contributions this time.
But in terms of pampering, he is ultimately no match for Ye Jun.
Some are happy and some are sad.
Yao Xiang's illness had just recovered halfway, so she forced herself to ask Ning Chen for permission to see her family.
She was indeed very ill during this period, so Ning Chen agreed.
But her mother and sister-in-law could not come in. Because of Yao Xu's death, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law cried every day and their illness has not yet recovered.
But Yao Xin didn't have a wife, so his father Yao Bingshuo had to bring Yao Xin into the palace to see his daughter.
I wasn’t allowed to enter the harem, so we met in Huiyin Pavilion.
"Your servants are here to pay their respects to Xiurong." The father and son saluted.
"Father, please stand up." Yao Xiang waved his hand.
However, this sentence did not mention Yao Xin who was standing next to him. Since they were just a family, Yao Xin did not care and got up by himself.
The three of them sat down. They only had time for a meal, so they couldn't talk too much.
"Brother is gone, and our Yao family can only rely on father's hard work for a few more years. Daughters are useless, and the birth of a princess is still not promising. Father should get to know cousin Wang more often, and it would be good to have another connection."
Yao Xiang said directly.
During the time she was ill, the Imperial Concubine came to see her often, and she expressed the same sentiments in every detail.
As a mother, Concubine Tai knows her son's character best, so it is not easy for her to directly encourage Prince Ping to do anything. However, Prince Ping has a kind personality, so it is a good idea to start cultivating him slowly by starting with relatives.
When Yao Xiang gives birth to another prince, Prince Ping will naturally help the Yao family since he has a close relationship with them.
"I know that your elder brother died in unclear circumstances. There must be something fishy going on. I will definitely find a way to get to the bottom of this matter." Yao Bingshuo frowned.
Listening to his father and sister talking, Yao Xin felt more and more upset, and finally he couldn't help but throw down his chopsticks.
"My eldest brother is gone, but I am still here, right? If my eldest brother can do it, I can do it too. Why can't you see me?"
"Shut up!" Yao Bingshuo said in a low voice, "Don't I know what kind of person you are? You spend your days playing with cats and dogs and living a life of debauchery. If you were like your elder brother, I wouldn't have to worry about having gray hair!"
During this period, the eldest son's body was still warm, but the second son often made friends and had fun with all kinds of bad friends, and even showed his desire for the position of the prince. Today he made such wild remarks again, and he was very angry.
"Father, what do you mean? Am I so unbearable that you can look down on me like this?" Yao Xin also got angry and stood up. "I am your only legitimate son now, so the title of Marquis can only be passed on to me. You will still have to rely on me to support you in the future!"
"Second brother!" Yao Xiang said coldly, "It's only been a short time since our eldest brother passed away, and you're already thinking about the position of the crown prince. Where is your conscience? When our eldest brother was alive, he treated you the best."
"Conscience, you're talking to me about conscience?" Yao Xin sneered, "Others may not know, but I do. If it weren't for you giving advice to my brother, how could he have died? I wouldn't have received that beating!"
Snap—
There was a crisp sound, and Yao Xiang raised his hand and slapped Yao Xin hard.
Yao Xin was stunned by the beating and didn't react for a moment. He just stared at the woman in front of him with dilated pupils.
"With such a character, why didn't you die?" Yao Xiang gritted his teeth.
In his previous life, although my second brother was not very capable, he was not to this extent. Now he is too hopeless to be helped.
This meeting was not a pleasant one after all.
The father and son of the Yao family both looked very unhappy when they left the palace.
Yao Xiang was also very angry and had a headache when he returned.
But the one who was the most angry was Yao Xin.
I didn't expect that my own sister would have such thoughts.