novelhk Chapter 180 Tempting Bait
Chapter 180 Tempting Bait
After the court session ended, everyone's pace quickened considerably.
The bait that the emperor threw out today has indeed been very effective. Even though people know that the Northern Di princess is not so easy to marry, there are still people who are willing to do anything for this title.
As soon as Minister Liu stepped out of the Taiji Hall, a faint voice sounded behind him.
“Cousin.” Liu Yushi, his face bruised and swollen from being beaten by General Chu, barely managed to squeeze his eyes out from his red and swollen cheeks as he looked at Minister Liu and asked with utmost seriousness, “Do you still want Zishen to get involved?”
Having said that, he could no longer contain his thoughts: "You must think this over carefully! Zishen is the most promising child in our Liu family. If he obtains a title through nepotism, how will he establish himself in the family in the future?"
Upon hearing this, Minister Liu gave him a cold glance: "In your opinion, how should Zishen leave?"
“A real man stands in this world by his own abilities,” Imperial Censor Liu said earnestly. “Zishen has these abilities, so why would he want to take shortcuts?”
"Foolish." Minister Liu couldn't contain his anger and reprimanded him. "If it were up to him, it would have been difficult for Zishen to sit in my position at over forty years old. But the title of Duke is something he will never get in his lifetime."
"But……"
Imperial Censor Liu wanted to argue his case, but Minister Liu interrupted him.
Minister Liu raised his hand and said, word by word, "Don't say 'but,' this title... my Liu family is determined to have it!"
"Of course, Zishen is not the only one with a chance," Minister Liu said with a stern face. "All unmarried men of marriageable age in the Liu family should give it a try."
If they could obtain this title, it would be a tremendous boost to the entire Liu family.
Seeing that Imperial Censor Liu opened his mouth as if he had something else to say, Minister Liu said again, "Don't go to court for the next few days. Take sick leave and let the injury on your face heal properly."
"I warned you before not to bring this up lightly." Minister Liu said, then seemed a little puzzled. "Did you just ignore what I said before?"
Upon hearing this, Imperial Censor Liu quickly waved his hand, "How could I dare! It's just..."
He scratched his head, his voice extremely low: "I just overheard my colleagues in the Censorate discussing this matter, and I was thinking of being the first to claim the credit, but who knew His Majesty would be so biased..."
Minister Liu immediately sensed something was wrong: "Colleagues from the Censorate? Which ones?"
"There are also Imperial Censors Zhang and Li," Imperial Censor Liu said in a low voice, "and I am..."
"Foolish!" Minister Liu couldn't help but curse, "These two are both the Second Prince's men! You've been used as a pawn!"
"Don't you know that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down?" Minister Liu said with exasperation. "From now on, if something like this happens again, ask me first before making a decision."
"You've utterly disgraced the Liu family today!" Minister Liu roared. "In terms of eloquence, you, a dignified censor, can't out-argue a mere brute! In terms of skill, you're only thirty, yet you can't even defeat an old man with one foot in the grave!"
Imperial Censor Liu was thoroughly scolded, and seeing Minister Liu's angry departure, he felt only aggrieved.
“Cousin, that old man is General Chu!” He followed behind Minister Liu, trying his best to defend himself, “Even if Zishen went, he couldn’t beat him!”
General Chu has been in the army for decades; how could he possibly defeat him? In fact, in the entire imperial court, perhaps only Xie Jinghan could defeat General Chu.
Upon hearing this, Minister Liu was so angry that his eyes rolled back and he moved even faster.
……
Inside the Tai Chi Hall.
The emperor kept only Xie Jinghan and General Chu.
General Chu was kept behind, but unlike the other ministers who were filled with fear and trepidation, he was quite at ease. He drank the tea brewed by Li Dehai and sat down below the emperor.
Upon seeing this, the emperor smiled and said, "I am grateful for your help today, Minister Chu."
"Your Majesty is too kind." General Chu waved his hand, his tone kind, a far cry from his previous anger. "This old minister was merely advocating for the happiness of the younger generation."
"A bunch of cowards." He spoke of Imperial Censor Liu and the others with disdain. "The Northern Barbarians offer a little benefit, and they eagerly rush to it, without even looking at who has been retreating step by step all these years!"
"We drove the Northern Barbarians back dozens of miles." General Chu, though over sixty, was still full of energy, his voice booming. "Does the mere Northern Barbarians deserve to make King Jing divorce his wife and marry another?"
His intentions became crystal clear by the end of his sentence.
The emperor couldn't help but laugh: "Rest assured, I will never allow Prince Jing to divorce his wife and marry another."
"Shuyao is a good child." The emperor said this with genuine praise. "If it weren't for Shuyao, Prince Jing would still be cold and inhuman."
"They are a loving couple. How could I sacrifice the happiness of my most beloved younger brother for the sake of the untrustworthy Northern Di?" The emperor waved his hand. "I will never do it, and I will never allow it to happen."
"Even if someone forces me, I will never agree," Xie Jinghan said. "The Northern Di have ulterior motives for this trip. They are making a big fuss about this marriage alliance. There must be something fishy going on."
Upon hearing this, General Chu nodded. That was true; only those cowardly and timid civil officials would be so eager to form a marriage alliance with the Northern Di.
The Northern Barbarians are such untrustworthy villains; they could even break the alliance they signed back then, let alone a marriage alliance.
Yelü Dan, the so-called most beloved of the Northern Di King, will surely be the first person the Northern Di will abandon once war breaks out.
How could a marriage possibly stop the rolling iron hooves?
However, Xie Jinghan's words did leave him with some doubts.
"If the benefits of this marriage alliance are substantial, Your Highness, would you...?"
"will not."
Xie Jinghan answered crisply and decisively.
Seeing that there was still doubt in General Chu's eyes, he simply said, "I will naturally make the decision regarding my marriage."
"Whether it was marrying Yaoyao or now, my heart has never changed," Xie Jinghan said in a deep voice. "My queen will only have one person, and that is Wen Shuyao. As for the others..."
"I will make her pay the price for plotting against me." A chilling glint flashed in Xie Jinghan's eyes. "I want to see how long their little tricks can last."
General Chu was very satisfied with Xie Jinghan's answer.
He nodded slowly: "Your Highness is right! Peace between the two countries is important, but how can one easily abandon one's wife?"
"I hope Your Highness will remember what you said today." General Chu's words carried a hint of warning. "If Your Highness ever breaks your promise today, I will take Yaoyao back to the Chu family."
"Yaoyao is beautiful and gentle. Even if she were to divorce and return home, everyone would surely come knocking to marry her..."
"This will never happen."