The second day's peace talks went on normally.
The agreed location was Haoran Pavilion on the hillside of Baihu Mountain. Mu Lin, as the hub of this event, went there with Emperor Xuan.
Any of the top figures of the three empires would have a significant impact on the world situation. Such peace talks are rare in a hundred years and must not be missed, so the entire Baihu Mountain was checked more than a dozen times inside and out to ensure safety and confidentiality.
The four people all arrived on time, dressed formally, and clearly attached great importance to this negotiation. They knew in their hearts that no matter what kind of agreement was finally reached, it would have an impact on the world situation that could not be ignored.
This peace talk is not only for the purpose of marriage, but also not just for the purpose of marriage. Alliance policy, territorial division, trade policy, cultural exchange... these will be raised one by one.
At the beginning, Emperor Xuan put forward the argument of "marriage but not alliance". No matter which country Princess Jingxuan married into, it only represented the two countries to make peace, and it did not mean that Jingsheng would form an alliance with it.
In this way, the political influence of Princess Jingxuan's marriage will be greatly reduced on the surface. Even if the relationship between her mother country and her husband's country is tense, she will still feel uncomfortable even if her life is not in danger.
It cannot be said that Emperor Xuan is heartless. This is the result of his discussion with Mu Lin.
Both Emperor Wu and King Hengyang accepted it.
Soon it was time for the two of them to express their sincerity in asking for marriage. The first to speak was Emperor Qin Wu, who had already thought about it. He looked at Mu Lin with his deep eyes and said word by word: "Little Junior Sister, although we have known each other for many years, I still regret that we met too late. By Rongyue Lake, we were in love at first sight; living together with Xinyi, we never got tired of each other; and after meeting Chen Gong again, I finally realized my feelings. You are the one I am looking for. I sincerely ask for marriage, and I swear here: I will take only one scoop from the three thousand rivers; the harem is empty, and you are the only one."
A great hero of his generation could do this for her, it was hard for Mu Lin not to be moved, but... it was hard for him to be moved anymore.
She bowed to him solemnly and said sincerely: "Your Majesty loves me deeply, but one cannot be unfaithful. Jingxuan has no way to repay you, and is destined to disappoint your Majesty's deep love. I only hope to repay you in the next life."
"Time will prove that I am the best choice for the princess." Emperor Wu of Qin looked at her calmly, as if he had no negative emotions because of her refusal.
It was Xiao Muyun's turn. His words were simple: "I wish to share the same fur coat with you in life and the same grave with you in death; still waters run deep, and I enjoy the silence when I hear the noise."
A faint smile appeared in Mu Lin's eyes. This was the simplest and most romantic love words she had ever heard.
She was about to agree when something unexpected happened outside and there was a loud sound of horse hooves.
A man in green armor rode a Ferghana horse and came over. He dismounted and trotted over. He saluted and handed an imperial edict to Xiao Muyun. Obviously, this was the imperial edict from Empress Tianlan.
Xiao Muyun frowned, took it and opened it. Almost instantly, Mu Lin noticed that his brows were slightly wrinkled and turned into an uncontrollable darkness.
Emperor Xuan said calmly, "I wonder what the Empress Wenzhe's will is?"
This imperial edict was obviously a variable, and it happened to come at this time. I don't know whether it was accidental or deliberate.
The man in green armor said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Empress of our country has given Princess Ni Ke of the Southern Territory to the Prince of Hengyang as his concubine, and has named the son of the prince and the concubine Xiao Yuan."
Concubine? Xiao Yuan
Prince Hengyang not only has an affair with the Princess of Southern Territory, but also has an illegitimate child
The whole place was dead silent.
The purpose of Empress Wenzhe's move was obvious. She was not happy with the marriage between Prince Hengyang and Princess Jingxuan, so she used this method to disrupt it.
Emperor Wu looked calm, and it was obvious that he was not surprised by this. Emperor Xuan, on the other hand, looked pale. Regardless of whether the marriage contract was reached or not, Empress Wenzhe immediately gave Prince Hengyang a concubine, which completely humiliated Jingsheng!
Mu Lin seemed to be thinking about something. She asked an inexplicable question: "Is Xiao Yuan five years old?"
"Princess Zhenguo Jingxuan, your highness, is wise enough to know that the young master is indeed five years old."
"Imperial sister?" Emperor Xuan looked at her solemnly. How come she already knew that Xiao Muyun had an illegitimate child
Mu Lin shook her head at him and told him to stay calm, as she probably knew the hidden truth of the matter.
The man in green armor looked at Xiao Muyun and asked, "Your Majesty, can you accept my order?"
Xiao Muyun directly handed the imperial edict back to him, his calm gaze full of pressure: "There is still a hidden story in this matter. I will return to the palace to report to Your Majesty."
The man in green armor seemed to have expected this reaction and whispered, "Your Majesty, please spare me a moment to talk."
Xiao Muyun glanced at him indifferently, apologized to the others present, "I'll be excused for a moment." Then he walked away to listen to what the man in green armor had to say.
People could see them talking but couldn't hear what they were saying.
At this moment, Emperor Xuan also pulled Mu Lin and said to Emperor Wu: "Your Majesty Emperor Wu, I'm sorry to bother you for a moment." Then he took Mu Lin to the other side.
The small Haoran Pavilion was empty with only Emperor Wu left. But Emperor Wu didn't care at all, he just sat there and drank tea leisurely.
It must be said that the Yunding tea that the junior sister brought him was very good. It was a wonderful flavor that was not available in Daqin, which made him linger on the taste.
Emperor Xuan had an ugly face, and he looked at Mu Lin and asked, "Royal sister, you knew that Xiao Muyun had an illegitimate child, and you had an affair with him? You didn't handle it cleanly, but you would have thought that Empress Wenzhe would seize this handle and trample Jingsheng's reputation to the ground?"
Mu Lin calmly analyzed: "Not only Empress Wenzhe, but Emperor Qinwu should have also contributed to the situation."
"Imperial sister, I just want to ask you, is this true?"
"Whether it is true or not is not important. What is important is that they should have arranged it long ago. In the eyes of the world, this is probably already a fact."
"Is this the good man you want to marry?"
Mu Lin felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on his heart, and said indifferently: "I will communicate with King Hengyang. If there is no suitable solution, the engagement will be cancelled."
"Royal sister, remember your words. Jingsheng's reputation cannot be trampled under the feet of Tianlan."
"I know." Mu Lin walked straight towards Xiao Muyun. The man in green armor saw her approaching, paused, and continued: "Your Majesty, I have conveyed what I should convey. I hope you can make up your mind quickly."
"I'll consider it." Xiao Muyun's voice was a little cold. He left the man in green armor where he was and walked towards Mu Lin.
"Lin'er, I have something to tell you."
Mu Lin shook his head without giving him a chance to explain, and said directly: "Choose one of the two, me or Ni Ke and her son?"
She was going to force him to make a decision at this moment, and Xiao Muyun couldn't avoid it, as he understood what she meant.
He could only honestly say: "Sorry, I can't give up Xiao Yuan."
Mu Lin understood, but couldn't accept it, "Because he is your eldest brother's posthumous child?"
With her intelligence, Mu Lin quickly guessed Xiao Yuan's identity. But she didn't expect that Ni Ke, the one she had neglected the most in the Southern Region, would ruin their marriage at the last minute.
Xiao Muyun was silent for a moment, then said sadly: "Brother's bloodline cannot be destroyed in my hands."
If Mu Lin is chosen, Ni Ke and her son will be immediately executed for disturbing the bloodline of the royal family. This will not change because Xiao Yuan is suspected of being Xiao Muran's bloodline. And he is far away in Bailuzhou, and his people are simply unable to save them. Only if he recognizes their mother and son's identity, there will be a chance to breathe.
Mu Lin guessed something from his words and the actions of the man in green armor. She understood the reason and the situation even more clearly. She stared into his eyes and said:
"Xiao Muyun, some choices can only be made once."
Once you miss it, you miss it forever.
Between them, she wouldn't give him a second chance.
Xiao Muyun held her hand and felt a chill, as if the coldness spread to his heart.
"Lin'er, give me some time, I will take care of this matter."
The concubine will not really exist. He will take good care of Ni Ke and her son and will not let them affect their marriage either in name or in reality.
Mu Lin pulled his hand out, his expression was very calm, and his tone was also very calm, "I believe you, after you have dealt with this matter, we will reconsider this topic."
After saying this, she left him with only her back, and walked back into Haoran Pavilion step by step.
She has always been proud. Even when facing her lover, if the other party gives up on her, she will really consider re-evaluating the relationship.
Even so, she was actually very sad.
Xiao Muyun is not a master after all. Compared with his master, he is a little indecisive.
"Lin'er..." Xiao Muyun was a little dazed, as if something important was leaving him without any warning.
The two empire rulers failed to propose marriage, and the happiest one was Emperor Xuan. He should have been in a very good mood, but Empress Wenzhe's brilliant move really spoiled his mood, and he didn't show any good face to Xiao Muyun afterwards.
Mu Lin didn't expect that the internal divisions of Tianlan were more serious than she thought. This also exposed some problems. Xiao Muyun had political wisdom and means, but his heart was a little too pure, so he seemed a little indecisive, which was why he was tricked by the empress.
If she were Xiao Muyun, what would she do
Immediately reject the order, let the man in green armor go back to report, and at the same time send her own people to rush back to spread (clarify) Xiao Yuan's true identity. If the empress is smart enough, she will not kill Ni Ke and her son. Because she is still young and the two countries are eyeing her covetously, if she is smart enough, she will not choose to confront Xiao Muyun head-on.
Xiao Muyun might not be unable to think of such a method, but facing his eldest brother's posthumous child, he couldn't do it. His first consideration must be to ensure Xiao Yuan's safety, and Xiao Yuan must be under the control of the empress now.
Mu Lin understood that if Xiao Yuan was replaced by Xier, she would make the same choice.
This is an unsolvable problem.