It seems that there is really no more suitable candidate than Prince Duan. After all, the war in the northern border has ceased. It is good enough that Liu Qi can plan to capture Princess Anguo. If he can also plan for Prince Duan, doesn't it mean that Qi Chao is too incompetent
No matter what, it was a great accomplishment if it was done well.
Naturally, no one would be willing to let Prince Duan take it so easily, at least not let him have it all to himself.
Several other adult princes also stepped forward and expressed their willingness to go.
Then the scene turned into the supporters behind these adult princes fighting for their behalf in various ways.
As the eldest son of Emperor Xuanren, Prince Duan's character and ability to handle affairs are impeccable. Even though he had been silent for a few years, he still has the most supporters after his return. Even those who originally did not take sides have a better impression of him. After all, he represents the most orthodoxy. However, there are not many people speaking for him at this moment, because there is no need.
—If the emperor really has such a plan, then the final candidate must be Prince Duan.
Emperor Xuanren sat on the Danbi step, turning the beads in his hand at a rather slow speed, with his eyes still. No one knew what he was looking at. It was usually like this. When he didn't want others to know what he was thinking, no one could guess.
Emperor Xuanren had an unfathomable look on his face, as if he was fixated on someone for a moment, or maybe not, so he didn't give them much time to argue, and the result was as expected.
Even so, there are still people who feel resentful. In their view, the only difference between them and Prince Duan is the status of being a legitimate child. Their fathers are obviously the same, so why does Prince Duan get all the benefits
The so-called equal treatment of sons actually only applies to everyone except Prince Duan. Prince Duan is the biological son, and the others are just like adopted children. But what can be done? There is nothing you can do if the elders of ordinary families are partial to each other, let alone this one is not only the father, but also the king. You cannot disobey him, and you have to swallow all the grievances and resentments.
So, since the father is not sure about giving it to you, you have no choice but to snatch it away yourself.
It was decided that Prince Duan would be the chief envoy, and then a bunch of officials from the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, the Honglu Temple, and so on were appointed. In addition, there were twenty guards of the Imperial City with more than 100,000 soldiers. On the surface, they were guards, but it was obvious what these 100,000 soldiers were actually used for - talk, and then continue fighting!
Emperor Xuanren made the decision very quickly and prepared the personnel very quickly. However, even so, the Wenren family was in a mess because they knew about Xiaocao. The moment Han heard the news, her eyes went dark and she fainted. Although she later went through a lot of analysis by her family members and Wenren Taibo brought back the attitude of Emperor Xuanren, she still couldn't stop worrying and was anxious. "I shouldn't have agreed to let her go..." She kept repeating this sentence over and over again.
Han's current state, even if the other two daughters took turns to come back to persuade her, it was useless. It was obvious that unless Xiaocao was completely safe, she would not get better. Obviously, whether it was Wen Renying or Wen Renhui, they were worried a lot, but they were restrained and did not dare to show it in front of Han.
In Wen Renying's previous life, Xiaocao didn't exist, so naturally, this wouldn't have happened. She was more anxious than anyone else, to some extent. She repeatedly told herself that people like her fourth sister were destined to be blessed by heaven. If something happened to her, it would be God's fault. - But after that, Wen Renying began to pray to gods and Buddhas everywhere in and outside the city. She might not have believed in it before, but she could start over again, so she couldn't say...
After Xiaocao left the imperial city, Zhen Muyao stayed in Taikang Hospital, handling matters of all sizes. When he learned about Xiaocao's situation, he almost dropped everything and followed her to the Northern Frontier. Fortunately, he was persuaded and remained a bit rational.
In addition, those who were worried about Xiaocao included Princess Fukang, the old concubine, the wife of Marquis Pingjin, Madam Zhen and other elders with whom she had a good relationship. They all hoped that Xiaocao would be safe and sound.
After making preparations, Prince Duan and others set off. However, before leaving, Emperor Xuanren made a special trip to tell Prince Duan, "Wei Tingyu is not allowed to interfere in the negotiations between the two parties." If Xiaocao had nothing to do with this, Emperor Xuanren would be very relieved to leave the matter to Wei Tingyu. But if Xiaocao was involved, he would be worried about nothing. In order to avoid some trouble, it would be best to prevent him from interfering.
As time went by, Liuqi was becoming quite anxious. After all, they were almost out of ammunition and food. Not to mention the slaves under them who had almost nothing to eat all day, even the nobles had long since reduced their supply.
From the very beginning, they contacted the Dingbei Army, but they also knew that the subsequent matters would require the decision of the Qi Dynasty court. However, it was impossible for them to just wait. With such a good card as Princess Anguo in their hands, they did not have to wait until the end to play it out. It was just a tentative threat. Then, Liuqi got a batch of food from the Dingbei Army. Although it was not much, it made them taste the sweetness and made them more clearly aware of the importance of Xiaocao to the Qi Dynasty.
Liuqi did all these things without Xiaocao's knowledge, of course. No matter who it was, who appeared in front of Xiaocao, they were all just as harmonious and happy as they were at the beginning. Even though fewer people came to Xiaocao for treatment later, the medicinal materials she needed for her medicine development had never been out of stock. Except for a few who directly said they didn't have them, the vast majority of them were delivered to her at the first opportunity. It seemed that Liuqi was doing well and not as tense as expected.
However, Xiaocao was not blind. She had said that she, Wen Renxuan, was never stupid. She had followed her adoptive father outside for many years. How much had she seen? As long as she paid attention, she would always be able to detect some clues about some things. Moreover, the guards who followed her, although not the most elite among the guards, were all outstanding ones selected from hundreds of thousands of people. They were extremely outstanding in all aspects and could not leave this small house. Through the subtle reactions of the people who came into the house and those who were placed in the house, she could basically guess some things.
Because of those speculations, Xiaocao's mood became worse and worse, and she tortured Li Ruoshui more and more harshly. However, her medical skills were really high, and Li Ruoshui recovered quickly after suffering. Instead, she felt that she was making Li Ruoshui more and more beautiful. In fact, more and more of her admirers seemed to be addicted to her, so much so that, except for the time when she came to Xiaocao's place, it can be said that Li Ruoshui has been hanging out with men.
However, Li Ruoshui is still just a human being after all... She is now stalking these men, not necessarily in bed. It can be said that some of her methods are becoming more and more perfect, and she is like a fish in water day by day. Even if those noble ladies of Liuka want to embarrass her again, those men will not stand idly by as before, but will protect her tightly, not wanting her skin to be hurt at all.
Originally, it was all shared, and some people even thought of hiding a beautiful woman in a golden house. Once the idea of fighting for it came up, wouldn’t it cause problems? Some people couldn’t help but come up with conspiracy theories...
Then, the military advisor brought it up tactfully in front of Xiaocao.
Xiao Cao sneered, "You Liuqi people are just like that. You can get angry at any time and anywhere. You can't control yourself and blame others. If you think so complicated, she's just a woman. Just kill her and that's it. It's not a big deal."
Yes, killing her would be the end of it, but now, many people will not let Li Ruoshui die, and even the military advisor cannot kill her.
"I'm not saying anything, but if a woman who can sleep with anyone can cause discord and division among you Liuka people, then you Liuka people are really incompetent." Xiaocao said impatiently, "Okay, stop talking nonsense in front of me. Either kill her or tell her not to come."
The military advisor's expression was unusually tense, and he realized that he seemed to be making a big deal out of nothing, as if he had overestimated the ability of the Princess of Anguo. In fact, it was true that she was just a woman, and even if there were a few people fighting for her, it would be nothing more than a fight. They were not on good terms to begin with, and it was wrong to become hostile just because a woman had some connection with the Princess of Anguo. Anyway, he had been too idle recently, and he was holding back his anger. If he didn't vent it, it might cause trouble.
Looking back, the military advisor paid extra attention and treated Li Ruoshui as an ordinary female slave. He found that it was just like that. It happened frequently in the past and there were not always all kinds of fights over it. So, he stopped asking about it.
In private, Xiaocao's eyes became increasingly cold and fierce.
After that, when Li Ruoshui came again, she was turned away and told to get as far away as possible and not to get in the way of this person.
Now it was Li Ruoshui's turn to get angry. Although her condition did not seem to get worse in the following period of time, she still felt that she needed constant "maintenance" to stay in perfect condition. She even thought that without Xiaocao's "torture", her skin would definitely become rough in a short time. Even if Xiaocao's original prescription was leaked, she still felt that it was best to let Xiaocao do it herself, and then she started to make a fuss.
You know, Li Ruoshui is now very good at using all kinds of tricks. She has different attitudes towards different people, like a changeable fairy. Everyone falls for her tricks, so one after another takes her to see Xiaocao to "plead" for her.
Xiaocao was rejected by everyone.
Then, the military advisor was in trouble. It didn’t really cause him any trouble, but he just couldn’t keep his ears clean.
At this circumstance, the military advisor gave Xiaocao a piece of news: the people sent by the Qi Dynasty court to negotiate with Liuqi had arrived in Beicheng.
"His Majesty the Emperor of Qi Dynasty really values Her Royal Highness the Princess. Originally, we Liuqi were more anxious about this matter, but we have to admit that your people arrived faster than we expected." The military advisor smiled warmly.
Xiaocao turned away the guest, and the military advisor also smiled, not showing any anger at all.
Later, Xiao Cao asked someone to "invite" Li Ruoshui over, and throughout the whole day, Li Ruoshui's screams could be heard, her voice was hoarse and broken, and the next moment, it seemed that even greater pain was inflicted on her.
Even though Li Ruoshui was willing to exchange a little pain for beauty, she kept shaking her head, saying no, no, and begged for mercy with tears in her eyes, just hoping that Xiaocao would let her go.
It was almost dark when Li Ruoshui left the house where Xiaocao and his family lived, half-dead.
Li Ruoshui's recovery was not that fast. He stayed in bed for three days. After three days, he was basically recovered, but he remained the same as before, not better. Of course, it could also be that Li Ruoshui had reached a perfect state, so even if he was better, it would basically not be noticeable.
What is more likely is that Princess Anguo was furious and just wanted to teach Li Ruoshui a lesson, and she did not try any medicine or anything. This possibility was later further confirmed through the news spread by the six people in the mansion.
It was true that Xiaocao was in a bad mood. He didn't even smile at his own people. His expression was so cold that it made people dare not breathe.
The more this happened, the better mood some people on Liuqi's side, led by the military advisor, felt. Of course, at this critical moment, they were just deliberately provoking Xiaocao.
No one knows the cruelty that comes from Xiaocao's bones when he is alone.