Do you know: I am Xu Jiazi

Chapter 837 Listening to State Affairs [Thank you! Bow again! 6K chapters owed]

"Your humble servant/concubine greets Your Majesty the Empress and Your Highness the Imperial Concubine."

Seeing Chai Zhengzheng, Rong Feiyan, and Minglan bowing in the hall, the royal family members smiled and nodded in return.

The Empress smiled and gestured, "Children, rise quickly!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The three of them straightened up.

"Please sit down!" the Empress said with a smile, pointing to the chair beside her.

The three thanked them again.

"Zhengzheng, come here first, let me see you!" The Empress said with a smile and beckoned.

Upon hearing this, Chai Zhengzheng, who had not yet reached the seat, hurriedly walked towards the Empress.

As soon as Chai Zhengzheng arrived before the Empress, the Empress reached out and grasped her hand. She looked her up and down as if she were looking at a nephew's wife, and nodded repeatedly: "Very good, this imperial robe suits you very well!"

Chai Zhengzheng smiled shyly and said, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty."

After taking another careful look at Chai Zhengzheng, the Empress turned to her daughter-in-law Gao Taotao and said with a smile, "Zhengzheng has only been married for a few days, but he does resemble you, Taotao, in some ways."

With her belly bulging, Gao Taotao nodded with a smile: "Mother is right!"

As she spoke, the Empress turned around and looked at Chai Zhengzheng, who was pursing his lips and seemed to have something to say in his eyes. The Empress was taken aback.

Then the Empress and Chai Zhengzheng exchanged a thoughtful glance.

Seeing the questioning look in the Empress's eyes, Chai Zhengzheng pursed her lips and nodded slightly.

A flash of shock crossed the Empress's eyes, which she quickly concealed. She didn't say anything more, but simply smiled and patted Chai Zhengzheng's hand: "Good children, you are blessed."

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty," Chai Zhengzheng said.

Sitting next to the Empress, Consort Rong and the Crown Princess were both shrewd individuals. Although neither of them spoke, they guessed about 80 or 90 percent of the situation just by looking at their expressions.

The Crown Princess was slightly surprised, while Consort Rong looked at her younger sister who was standing by the chair without sitting down.

When Chai Zhengzheng expressed her gratitude, the Empress placed a bracelet of excellent quality on Chai Zhengzheng's wrist.

"Thank you for the reward, empress."

The Empress smiled and nodded.

Gao Taotao, who was standing to the side, said with a smile, "Mother, I also have a gift for the Princess Consort."

"Taotao, don't worry, your turn to produce something will come later." The Empress said with a smile, then looked at Consort Rong.

Consort Rong smiled and waved to Chai Zhengzheng while pulling a hairpin from her hair.

Chai Zhengzheng walked up to Consort Rong, took the hairpin, and hurriedly said, "Thank you for the gift, Consort Rong."

Seeing Chai Zhengzheng's complexion, Consort Rong smiled and nodded: "Good!"

Then, Gao Taotao smiled and waved to Chai Zhengzheng, then took a small wooden box from a female official beside her with great interest.

After placing the wooden box in Chai Zhengzheng's hands, Gao Taotao smiled and said, "This is a token of His Highness's and my affection."

Before Chai Zhengzheng could thank her, Gao Taotao continued, "I hope you and Jing-ge like it."

Chai Zhengzheng quickly nodded with a smile: "Your Highness, rest assured!"

At this time,

Princesses Yue'er and Yu'er, who were standing next to the Empress, also presented gifts.

Princess Yue'er presented a jade-buttoned sachet embroidered with the words "harmonious music," while Princess Yu'er presented a gold-threaded fan embroidered with the words "eternal union."

Chai Zhengzheng returned to her chair, and only then did the Empress wave to Rong Feiyan.

Rong Feiyan stood before the Empress, who held Rong Feiyan's small hand in return. After smiling at Consort Rong and her daughter-in-law, the Empress said, "You really do change a lot as you grow up, becoming more and more beautiful!"

"When Feiyan first came to me, she was a little girl even younger than Yu'er! Looking at her now, that boy Jing'er really got a good deal!"

Upon hearing this, Chai Zhengzheng sat in her chair and nodded in agreement with a smile.

In terms of appearance, she and Rong Feiyan each had their own merits.

Rong Feiyan suffered a lot of gossip because of her Rong family background, but while some people in the capital spoke of Rong Feiyan's background, few dared to compare their looks with hers.

Chai Zhengzheng was born beautiful and raised in seclusion, but she had been exposed to family affairs since childhood, so she was much more mature than her peers. Naturally, she did not have the arrogant and aloof temperament that Rong Feiyan possessed.

Rong Feiyan pursed her lips shyly and lowered her head, saying, "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I am unworthy of such praise."

“Clang! Clang!” the Empress laughed.

While the Empress was speaking, the two princesses would occasionally glance at Minglan, Chai Zhengzheng, and Rong Feiyan.

The two looked hesitant and envious, as if they didn't know which of the three they should grow up to look like.

Afterwards, everyone presented gifts.

After Rong Feiyan sat down, the Empress waved to Minglan.

Minglan hurriedly went to the Empress.

Seeing the Empress's outstretched hand, which was as well-maintained as a young girl's, Minglan nervously extended her hand as well.

After the Empress grasped her hand, Minglan, who had her head bowed, felt a warmth in her palm.

"Sheng family girl, look up and let me see you." The Empress smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, just act like you're meeting a relative or elder."

Minglan was taken aback for a moment, then raised her head and looked at the legendary Empress with reverence.

Seeing the Empress's genuinely affectionate gaze, Minglan couldn't help but take a second look.

Soon, the clever Minglan noticed something in the Empress's eyes.

Looking at the Empress's slightly upturned lips, Minglan felt her cheeks flush.

Seeing the still slightly dark circles under Minglan's eyes, the Empress understood what Minglan was thinking and smiled, saying, "She's a beautiful and intelligent girl! No wonder Jing'er mentioned her to His Majesty.

During the pause, the Empress glanced at Consort Rong.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your praise!"

"His Majesty has mentioned your father's calligraphy to me several times. I wonder how your calligraphy is?"

"Your Majesty, my handwriting has not yet reached the style of my father's calligraphy," Minglan said with shame.

"Haha—so you've been focusing all your energy on playing polo?" the Empress asked with a smile.

Minglan looked up in surprise: "Your Majesty, how...how did you know?"

The Empress looked at the Crown Princess and smiled, "She told me."

Looking at Minglan's eyes, the Crown Princess said, "I also heard it from His Highness the Crown Prince. Minglan, if you want to marry Jingge, His Highness will naturally ask you about it."

Minglan smiled and nodded, inwardly marveling at her husband's position in the Crown Prince's heart.

Then, the Empress released her hand, and Minglan walked to Consort Rong's side.

Looking at the gentle and graceful Consort Rong in front of her, Minglan couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

"Minglan, what are you looking at?" Consort Rong asked with a smile.

Minglan turned to look at Rong Feiyan and said, "Your Highness, I... I've noticed that Feiyan's features are somewhat similar to yours."

Consort Rong smiled and nodded, "She and I are sisters, so naturally we look alike." As she spoke, Consort Rong placed a ring in Minglan's palm.

As Minglan walked towards her seat, Consort Rong and the Empress exchanged a meaningful glance and raised their eyebrows.

The Empress then understood that Consort Rong had received her signal: she had been somewhat unsure before, but after looking at Sheng Minglan more closely today, she knew who Qi Heng wanted to ask for a marriage decree for that day.

Minglan sat with half her bottom on the chair, listening to the conversation of the people in the hall with a smile on her face.

The conversation naturally turned to Xu Zaijing's new courtyard.

"Mother, I think we should build at least ten or eight courtyards for Jing-ge's residence first," the Crown Princess said solemnly.

"Why build so many courtyards?" the Empress asked, puzzled.

The Crown Princess smiled slightly, her gaze sweeping over Chai Zhengzheng and the other two.

The Empress immediately understood and nodded with a smile, saying, "That makes perfect sense!"

Seeing the Empress's nod, Minglan and the others quickly understood the Crown Princess's meaning: 'Build several more courtyards to prepare for future children.'

The people inside the hall chuckled as they looked at Rong Feiyan and the others' expressions.

The emperor's study.

The atmosphere in the palace was much more solemn and tense compared to that in the Empress's quarters.

The dragon throne was moved out from behind the imperial desk and placed in front of a huge map that was as tall as the wall.

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, his gaze sweeping across the map.

Not far behind the emperor, Crown Prince Zhao Fang and the senior ministers of the court, who were seated, would occasionally glance at the map and whisper among themselves.

Beside the senior officials, Xu Zaijing sat on an embroidered stool, holding a memorial in his hand, frowning as he carefully examined it.

Hearing the buzzing discussions around him, Xu Zaijing closed the memorial and handed it to the chief eunuch beside him.

The chief eunuch then sent the memorial to the emperor.

"Have you finished reading?" the emperor asked, turning to look at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing bowed and nodded.

The emperor held the memorial in his hand: "Hmm, let's discuss it then."

Upon hearing the emperor's words, the Grand Chancellor said, "Your Majesty, some of the Mongol tribes are secretly negotiating peace with the Jin Dynasty! This news is far too shocking and unbelievable."

The high-ranking officials and ministers standing nearby nodded in confusion.

"Your Majesty, the Mongol tribes and the Jin Dynasty fought a bloody war before. How can we make peace over such a feud?"

The emperor said calmly, "My dear ministers, this information is reliable and the evidence is conclusive! There are indeed people among the Mongol tribes plotting this matter."

"Your Majesty, if you intend to negotiate peace, then why did the Mongol tribes previously eliminate the Zhao family of Northern Liao?"

The people in the hall looked at the official who had raised the question with incomprehension in their eyes, as if they didn't understand why he asked such a question.

The emperor looked at Xu Zaijing, who was sitting to the side: "Fifth Prince, what do you say?"

Just as Xu Zaijing was about to stand up, he saw the emperor wave his hand at him: "Sit down and talk."

Xu Zaijing bowed: "Yes, thank you, Your Majesty! Prime Minister Chen, the reason why the Mongol tribes eliminated the Zhao family before was because the Zhao family was authorized by the Northern Liao royal family. Once peace was negotiated, the Mongol tribes would lose their usefulness and various benefits."

"Now that the Mongol tribes are negotiating peace with the Jin Dynasty, I think the Northern Liao has already let the wolf into the house. The Jin Dynasty and the Mongol tribes may have regarded the Northern Liao as their common prey."

"After all, if the nobles of Northern Liao are wiped out, then the Mongol tribes will no longer be foreign troops. They will not only be able to break free of the reins around their necks, but also enjoy all the benefits of Northern Liao together with the Jin Dynasty."

As Xu Zaijing spoke, some of the nobles and high-ranking officials around him looked surprised, while others nodded in agreement.

"Of course, there is also a very small chance of that." Looking at the crowd around him, Xu Zaijing continued, "That is, our dynasty's spies have been deceived, and the Northern Liao, the Mongols, and the Jin are putting on a show to lure our army into action. But this is very likely to backfire, so the chances are slim."

The emperor smiled and nodded, looked around, and said, "Minister Hai, do you have anything to say?"

The lord of the Hai family bowed deeply on the embroidered stool: "Your Majesty, the Prince of Wei is absolutely right. I believe our dynasty should take some action!"

Seeing the emperor's look that urged him to continue, the lord of the Hai family said, "It is only right to prepare the army and bring a large army to the border! We should also spread the news of the alliance between the Mongols and the Jin Dynasty within the territory of Northern Liao! At the same time, our dynasty should do a good job of screening, accepting and reusing the refugees from Northern Liao on the border."

After Lord Hai finished speaking, Minister Chen, who had just asked the question, said, "Your Majesty! With such a heaven-sent opportunity, I believe our dynasty should immediately send troops to recover Yan and Yun!"

After nodding, the emperor looked at the old minister beside him and said, "Minister Han, what do you think?"

The white-haired and bearded Han bowed and said, "Your Majesty, what Lord Chen said is reasonable, but it is a bit too hasty. This old minister agrees with what Lord Hai said. With the army pressing in, we should wait and see how things develop."

"Lord Han, opportunities on the battlefield are fleeting. How can you suggest simply observing the situation?"

Before Han Da Xiang Gong could speak, Chen Xiang, who had asked the question, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to the front line as a lowly soldier and do my part to recover Yan and Yun."

Upon hearing Chen Xiang's words, the high-ranking officials and cunning old foxes in the hall exchanged inscrutable glances.

Nobody knows what the outcome of the previous war with the White Kingdom was!

The emperor originally intended to send this man to guard a strategic location in the northwest, but the man suddenly fell seriously ill.

In the end, the eldest son of the Hai family was given the position.

At this time, the Great Zhou army was strong and well-equipped, and this man was eager to be the vanguard.

"Yes, I understand," the emperor nodded.

Subsequently, the other important officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty expressed their opinions, which made Xu Zaijing raise his eyebrows.

The reason was that some of the high-ranking officials echoed what Prime Minister Chen said and urged him to send troops immediately.

Some, like the Lord of the Hai family, disagreed, saying that they should continue to wait, even if the Northern Liao, Jin, and Mongol states were locked in a fierce battle.

Chen Xiang and others objected, saying, "If the fighting goes too far and too many people die, those will all be future subjects of our Great Zhou!"

The lord of the Hai family retorted, "If they were truly loyal to our dynasty, they should have surrendered before! If they hadn't, why would the Great Zhou have cared about their lives?"

Seeing his nodding colleagues, Chen Da Xiangong frowned and shook his head: "You are all too cold-blooded! Those are human lives!"

Another scholar said, "It's a good thing to fight! The Northern Liao has been stealing the former dynasty's territory for over a hundred years and is now imitating our dynasty by supporting scholars. If the Mongol Jin dynasty doesn't fight a few battles, some people might still remember the good things about the Northern Liao!"

“Once the war breaks out, the Northern Liao will definitely impose forced labor and taxes to exploit the people. At that time, it will be easier for our dynasty to win over the hearts of the people, and we will have fewer troubles in governing in the future.”

The official who had just agreed with Minister Chen spoke up: "Minister Wen, aren't you afraid that the Northern Liao will divert the people's hatred to our Great Zhou?"

"Our dynasty has not yet raised its sword. The reason for sending troops is to save the people from suffering. How can you bring hatred onto our dynasty?" Grand Chancellor Wen retorted.

Xu Zaijing, who was sitting to the side listening, took a deep breath and felt that both sides had their reasons.

At the same time, Xu Zaijing also knew that the few words of discussion he overheard here would concern how the Great Zhou would act in the future.

Behind any decision, there is the potential to affect the life and death of many people in Northern Liao.

We had lunch at the palace.
In the afternoon, Xu Zaijing left the palace with his three wives.

Inside the carriage
Looking at the lifelike jade elephant carvings, one large and two small, in the hands of the three ladies, Xu Zaijing smiled and said, "Your Highness still likes elephants so much?"

The three ladies smiled and nodded.

Hearing the sounds of hooves, cars, and footsteps outside, Xu Zaijing looked away from the three people playing with the jade carving.

Looking out the car window at the street scene of Bianjing,

Xu Zaijing recalled the startling question his brother-in-law Gu Tingyu had posed in the study, leaving everyone speechless: "If the Northern Liao were to attack our Great Zhou, would the important officials of the Northern Liao be as compassionate as Grand Chancellor Chen?"

(End of this chapter)