The Chengde Palace was in an uproar. The officials were jumping up and down in excitement, denouncing Lan Jinxiang vehemently.
Lan Jinxiang's beautiful eyes were cold. She was too lazy to waste words refuting them. With a cold snort, she turned around and was about to leave.
Emperor Guangwu tightened his fist on the armrest. He had never felt so despised before.
There was not only embarrassment but also killing intent on the emperor's face.
At this moment, Song Yinghuai's cold but powerful voice rang out in the palace. "Princess Khatun, please wait."
Lan Jinxiang stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the man who had called her. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Song Yinghuai, the Prince of Yan.
His reputation in the Tartar tribe was as well - known as that of the khan.
Lan Jinxiang raised her eyebrows and looked at him silently.
Song Yinghuai let this future sister - in - law size him up boldly. With a calm face, he said gently, "Princess Khatun has traveled a long way. Are you going to return dejectedly just because of a few arguments with our Great Ye?"
Lan Jinxiang's face stiffened. "What does Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, want to say? I don't want things to be like this, but look at the attitude of your court towards me. They clearly want to intimidate me. Our Tartar tribe has been at war with your country for decades and has won more battles than it has lost. When it comes to peace talks, I think your country is more eager. I came here for the friendly purpose of the people of the two countries, but who would have thought..."
"Who would have thought that there are a few ungrateful people in our court who would make things difficult for the princess as soon as they open their mouths." Song Yinghuai smiled, secretly stabbing at Wen Zilong and Song Chengyuan. "But this only represents the actions of a few isolated factions in Great Ye. Most of the civil and military officials haven't expressed their opinions yet, and the emperor hasn't spoken either. Why doesn't the princess talk a bit more and see the sincerity of the two countries?"
Lan Jinxiang sized Song Yinghuai up curiously. "It's really rare. Your Highness, the Prince of Yan, fought the most vigorously against the Tartars in the border area. But today, you're the first one to talk about peace with us."
"There are no permanent enemies or permanent interests between countries." Song Yinghuai didn't deny it. "As long as the conditions are suitable and beneficial to the subjects of both countries, it's not a bad thing for the court to put aside its opposing stance..."
"As far as I know, besides our Yan army pressing on the border layer by layer, the princes of the Tartar royal family have been in constant strife within the tribe. Khan Wendusu is hard - pressed on all sides. Since the princess was entrusted by the khan to come here, you must have an important mission. Why leave in a huff because of a few words from villains?"
"Moreover, since the princess is from Great Ye, one always misses one's homeland. How can the princess bear to let the people of your homeland suffer from the war all the time?"
"I think the princess is the best candidate for the peace talks between our two countries, and this is also the best opportunity."
Lan Jinxiang looked at him for a while. An interesting look appeared in her eyes, and she burst out laughing. "What a great Prince of Yan! I thought you were only good at fighting, but I didn't expect you to be so eloquent..."
She turned her head and looked at Emperor Guangwu. "Fine! For the sake of His Highness, the Prince of Yan, we'll sit down for the peace talks tomorrow. What's your opinion, the emperor of Great Ye?"
Emperor Guangwu let out a sigh of relief. Finally, someone had saved his face.
Otherwise, if Lan Jinxiang really turned around and left, he, the emperor, would have lost all his dignity.
Emperor Guangwu immediately nodded in agreement. "I've already asked the six ministries to prepare grand palace banquets, performances, and military parades. In the following days, the envoys can experience the customs and prosperity of our Great Ye. Let's discuss the important matters in a pleasant atmosphere. How about that?"
Lan Jinxiang smiled brightly. "Sure!"
Emperor Guangwu said, "Lord Cao of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, arrange for the envoys to stay in the official post - house. Make sure to take good care of them."
Unexpectedly, Lan Jinxiang said, "Wait. Who is Lord Cao?"
Cao Dewang, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, stepped forward.
When Lan Jinxiang saw him, a look of disgust appeared on her face. "An old man. I don't want him."
Cao Dewang blushed. "Princess Khatun, I'm just arranging your accommodation... What does age matter?"
"Rubbish." Lan Jinxiang said straightforwardly. "I'm going to stay. How can I fall asleep if I see an old face before going to bed? Your Majesty, I demand a handsome young man to attend to me."
Emperor Guangwu's face turned green. Suppressing his anger, he asked, "What kind of young man does the princess want? We have countless outstanding young men in Great Ye..."
"Just like him!" Before Emperor Guangwu could finish speaking, Lan Jinxiang pointed at Xu Ziyi. "Lord Xu, long time no see. I remember you were still wearing the official robe of the fourth rank before we parted. I didn't expect that in just four years, Lord Xu has already put on the official robe of the second rank with the brocade pheasant pattern..."
Xu Ziyi didn't know why. His usually calm and handsome face turned slightly red under Lan Jinxiang's sarcasm.
Even more surprisingly, Xu Ziyi, the son of the Duke of Dingguo in Great Ye, whose status was extremely high and even the Prince of Yan would show courtesy to him, didn't say a word and just let Lan Jinxiang sneer at him:
"The wild pheasant embroidered on your robe suits you quite well. You'll never be a phoenix."
Under everyone's gaze, Xu Ziyi tightened his face. After the woman finished scolding, he slowly said, "The princess thinks highly of me. I'm willing to go to the official post - house to attend to the princess's accommodation."
The faces of the officials changed. They felt deeply humiliated again.
Did the Khatun of the Tartars treat the high - ranking officials of Great Ye like the young men in the brothel?
She could choose whoever she wanted and even cared about looks!
Emperor Guangwu's brow twitched due to Lan Jinxiang's appearance today. After being troubled by her, he felt stuffy in his chest and out of breath.
Seeing that Xu Ziyi didn't object, he waved his hand and let them do as they pleased.
There used to be a friendship between the Lan family and the Xu family. It was no secret that Lan Jinxiang and Xu Ziyi had a close relationship in the past...
Let them go!
It would probably just be a reunion and a talk about the case of the Lan family that he hated the most.
After Emperor Guangwu left, Xiao Rencheng and Song Yinghuai stood side by side, watching Xu Ziyi follow Lan Jinqin away.
Under the sun, there was a thin layer of sweat on the foreheads of both men.
Xiao Rencheng let out a sigh of relief. "Fortunately, Second Master Xu is here as a shield. Otherwise, I was really worried that she would choose you to attend to her accommodation. After all, your looks are a bit better than Second Master Xu's."
Song Yinghuai's brow twitched. He raised his hand and rubbed his forehead. He felt a bit of a headache. "I haven't had any dealings with the Lan family for a long time, except with Caiyu... Are all the Lan family members so unrestrained?"
This second Miss Lan was even more presumptuous than that little ancestor Caiyu.
And Sheng Jiangli's unrestrained and unruly personality was also maddening.
Why was the teaching method of the old Marquis Lan so unconventional?
Xiao Rencheng immediately denied it. "Hey! You can't say that... I think Qin'er is gentle and virtuous. She's more like a proper young lady than any other."
Song Yinghuai looked at him, smiling faintly. "Oh? Then who didn't go to Wutong Courtyard for a while? When he went there again later, the lock on the door had been changed. He had to climb over the wall and begged outside the door for a whole night?"
Xiao Rencheng was immediately shocked and blushed. "How do you know?"
"Hehe! You've forgotten that Wutong Courtyard is my private property."
Xiao Rencheng gritted his teeth and forced a smile. "Hehe! I only begged for one night, and Qin'er softened her heart. I wonder if the third Miss would even talk to you if you begged for one night?"
Song Yinghuai's face also changed. "How do you know?"
Xiao Rencheng forced a laugh. "I ran into Ji Ming on my way to court this morning when he was going to invite the Princes of Qi and Zhou. I heard it."
Their mansions were close to each other, so it was common for them to meet.
Song Yinghuai's face immediately turned as cold as frost. Thinking of Caiyu's attitude, he couldn't sit still for a moment. He couldn't wait to go back to the mansion to apologize as soon as he got off court.
Just as the two were bickering with each other and reached the city gate, they saw the servant of Wutong Courtyard welcoming Sheng Jiangli away.
And Lan Jinxiang, who had left the palace at the same time, didn't go back to the post - house first. Instead, she left with Sheng Jiangli.
Presumably, Lan Jinqin had found out who the Tartar Khatun was and specially sent someone to pick her up.
As for their real masters, Xiao Rencheng and Song Yinghuai, the servants didn't even look at them.
Xiao Rencheng and Song Yinghuai's faces immediately became embarrassing. They looked at each other and, without a word, mounted their horses and followed them.