"Your Majesty, you're afraid that no matter who you bestow her upon, she might cause trouble. Instead, it's better to keep her in the deep palace and wait and see how things develop," Xiao Tian continued.
The emperor threw a cup at him, but he caught it firmly.
"What? You mean she has to stay by my side and cause trouble for me?"
Yi Qing lowered her head and snickered, secretly giving Xiao Tian a thumbs - up.
Then they talked a lot about the Southern Border and Xiang Beizheng. Yi Qing yawned a bit towards the end.
But in the end, the emperor agreed to keep the Southern Border princess in the palace. He also said that the Southern Border envoys would leave once this matter was settled.
"Do you think they came here on purpose to check if Zisu is in the Central Plains?" Yi Qing asked Xiao Tian after they returned.
That's why they made such a big fuss and let everyone know.
"It's possible. Xiang Beizheng is a tough opponent. But you don't have to worry too much. This is the territory of the Central Plains. The situation in the Southern Border is also very complicated. Zisu's power can't be underestimated either. Xiang Beizheng can't fully control her forces yet."
A few days later, the Southern Border princess was conferred as a concubine. The emperor gave enough face to the Southern Border, and then the Southern Border envoys returned home.
Prince Zhen's health gradually recovered. He watched Zisu closely, fearing that she would leave again.
Zisu still wanted to leave, and Yi Qing didn't try to stop her.
After all, knowing Zisu's identity, they knew she wasn't alone. There were many loyal followers behind her. If she didn't go back, those people might be like headless flies and act recklessly.
Poisoning the emperor and framing Xiang Beizheng, what a stupid idea!
Zisu would never want to see the war between the Central Plains and the Southern Border.
She and Xiang Beizheng could be said to have personal grudges, but if it brought the disaster of national subjugation to the Southern Border, she would become a sinner through the ages.
If she didn't go back, such stupid moves might keep coming.
The most crucial problem now was, what should they do with Prince Zhen?
After all, he was a prince. How could he just leave the Central Plains and go to the Southern Border?
Zisu refused his request to follow with this reason. Prince Zhen slapped his chest, which had just recovered from the injury, and said, "Don't worry. I'll talk to the emperor about this and make him agree."
Later, Yi Qing learned from Xiao Tian how this guy talked to the emperor.
He actually told the emperor that since the Southern Border princess had come to the Central Plains, it would be impolite not to return the visit. As a prince of the Central Plains, he wanted to go to the Southern Border to complete the friendship between the two countries, which almost made the emperor half - dead with anger.
The emperor told him to get out, but he didn't. Finally, the emperor was so angry that he said he would deprive him of his princely title, and he actually agreed cheerfully.
If it weren't for Xiao Tian pulling this fool back, the emperor might really have been so angry that he would have fainted.
The emperor blamed Yi Qing for all this, saying that it was all because she had casually saved Zisu, which had led to all these subsequent troubles.
Yi Qing rolled her eyes and said, "He doesn't blame his own stupid younger brother but blames me?"
Xiao Tian said, "The emperor will never agree to let him go to the Southern Border."
"Why?"
"Because the emperor wants to reap the benefits of others' strife and doesn't want to get involved too early," Xiao Tian said. "Think about it. If Prince Zhen goes and his identity is exposed, in everyone's eyes, doesn't he represent the Central Plains participating in the civil strife in the Southern Border? Then will the emperor send troops or not?"
Yi Qing thought for a while and said, "So when the emperor said that if he went to the Southern Border, he wouldn't let him be a prince anymore, he wasn't joking."
"No."
This was a bit tricky.
Yi Qing privately hoped that Prince Zhen could go. After all, although this guy wasn't very smart, he was good at fighting and was very concerned about Zisu.
"Zisu won't let him go with her either. If she takes a prince of the Central Plains back, what will those who follow her think? Some people may think that she is colluding with outsiders and betraying the country for personal gain."
Yi Qing murmured, "What you said makes sense. I didn't think of that."
"Zisu herself is very clear about this, so you don't have to worry. She'll solve it by herself," Xiao Tian said calmly.
"How can she solve it? Beat Prince Zhen up? It definitely won't work."
Unexpectedly, Prince Zhen finally won in the end.
He pestered the emperor and finally gave up his princely title. Then Zisu took a step back and left with him, who had become a commoner.
How did Prince Zhen manage to do it?
He promised the emperor that he would never ask for this position again. He also asked the emperor to punish him on the pretext of disrespect, and even had his prince's mansion in Fujian raided.
Not only that, he also handed over a gold mine in Shandong, which he had discovered when he was fighting there.
Using so many things to exchange for giving up the princely title, Yi Qing thought that if she were Zisu, she would definitely beat his head in.
— He had lost everything. How could he still want to marry a wife?
Prince Zhen said proudly that he didn't want to marry a wife. He wanted to become a son - in - law.
The night before seeing Zisu off, Yi Qing sighed to her, "I really didn't know that Prince Zhen could do so much for you. Your relationship has really developed by leaps and bounds."
Unexpectedly, Zisu glanced at her and said, "We've known each other for a long time. Xiao Tian's feelings for you have developed even faster."
Yi Qing sensed that there was something behind her words and couldn't help saying, "I'm also nice to him!"
"Yi Qing," Zisu said calmly, "Take my advice. Get along well with Xiao Tian. Don't always want to be a coward."
Yi Qing stubbornly said, "… I'm not."
"Yes, you are. You're inferior," Zisu said.
Yi Qing was like hearing a funny joke and said, "I'm inferior?"
"You think you've had a child, so you'll be disliked by others. That's why you've never taken relationships seriously. You just want to be with someone irresponsibly. You also think that if he falls in love with someone else, you'll just back out. You think this is your being free and easy. No, in fact, you're just inferior and cowardly."
Yi Qing felt that her fig leaf had been completely lifted by Zisu. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"You're getting involved in the relationship while looking for an escape route for yourself. Yi Qing, admit it. In fact, you have nowhere to retreat now," Zisu said. "If Xiao Tian really falls for someone new, you won't be able to just wave your sleeves and leave gracefully."
"Since you like him, just like him whole - heartedly. Is there anyone in this world that you, Yi Qing, can't afford to love?"
"The Yi Qing I know has always been proud, willful, overbearing, and thinks she's the only one. This time, don't deceive yourself anymore. Admit that you like Xiao Tian and rely on him. No one will laugh at you."
It was a long time before Yi Qing smiled bitterly and said, "Is my self - deception so obvious?"
"Yes," Zisu said. "Do you think Xiao Tian doesn't know? He's just being tolerant. He just thinks that you have no other choice, and he won't allow anyone else to get close to you, so he indulges you. This time, Ping Xinian didn't cause any trouble, but what about the Prince of Qi next time? Or others?"
Yi Qing said, "I…"
"Just figure out whether you like him or not," Zisu said. "I can't stand to see you deceive yourself like this. If you don't like him, you can just find someone else. Anyone will do."