Chapter 463

The few old foxes in the court are gone; the king has gotten all worked up. Zhu Ti can only speak up himself to remind the king: 'We went to the trouble of bringing the Fifth Princess out of Chang'an; they surely also know that the Fifth Princess Shang is impossible. This move merely ruins the prince's popularity in the south. They want the commoners to know it's not that Chang'an cannot accommodate the north.'

'I know, they want the world to know that I refuse peaceful coexistence. No matter, I have this trick too, and I must make Bai Li Jin learn not to bring up the Fifth Princess for no reason.'

The king picked up the milk tea and took a gulp: 'Not sweet enough; maybe I'm bitter inside, just add some sugar and it'll be fine~'

Xie Tu: ……

Zhu Ti: ……

This guy, upon hearing Chang'an's plan to attack his sister, got all worked up; now he's quickly adjusted to scamming sugar to eat.

Zhu Ti glanced at the cup: 'Oh, that's half-sugar; Manager Zhao said to control your sugar intake.'

The king was indignant that he had bought a full-price half-sugar milk tea for him, but when the Wei brothers and their entourage arrived, the king was fine again, and no one could tell he had just been slamming the table.

At Spring River Flower Moon Night, a new dance performer appeared, adding a new program; the dancer wore a golden tassel mask, her exotic splendor dazzling the newly arrived Lu Xiu—riches beguile the eye, alas, he didn't know the mask was just a cheap gold-plated trinket.

The luxurious Spring River Flower Moon Night dazzled the king's new brainless fans: '…Finally I know why Second Uncle likes this place!'

The king smiled: 'Don't forget to tell Second Uncle we've updated the program; he hasn't seen it yet!'

Lu Xiu nodded firmly: 'Okay, okay, not having seen it is really a pity!'

The king said: 'We also receive female guests here; you can bring your grandmothers and mothers to play~'

Lu brothers: ……

The next day the king suddenly ordered Wan Niuyu summoned… and also that Tufa Xianbei fellow, the one missing an arm, to be called.

The two were working in the fields, faces to the loess, backs to the sky, when a dazed fellow dragged them before the king. The king took one look at their appearance and immediately spotted the armless one.

'I have a good thing to discuss with you today!'

These two weathered foreigners, who eke out a living in Youzhou, surely can't still not know what kind of person the king is?

'You two, petition Chang'an…' he pointed at the armless Tufa Xianbei, 'you, request to marry the Fenyang Eldest Princess; you, request to marry the legitimate daughter of the Langya Wang clan.'

The two captives: ……

Are those two bored out of their minds?!

The two hurriedly said they didn't dare.

What fresh trick is this supposed to be?

The king said: 'No, you dare. Say what you're afraid of! I've already picked out the betrothal gifts for you; just take them to Chang'an.'

If anyone from the Wang clan were present, they'd surely recognize at a glance that both betrothal gifts come from the Langya ancestral home's collection.

The king feared that anger alone wouldn't kill Bai Li Jin and the Wangs; to disgust the Wangs, he went to great expense—taking it to the Phoenix Market to set up a stall was at least worth some money.

Although Wan Niuyu had had enough of such days, for the Eastern Xianbei he didn't dare lightly offend the king; he said he and his sons had already taken wives, so they wouldn't meddle in this.

The king was speechless: 'Do you think it's your turn to refuse?'

You really think the Wangs can marry their legitimate daughter to you? And you—do you also think you could marry the Fenyang Long Princess? Wake up! What I want is attitude!

One-armed fellow, tidy yourself up—you'll lead the team to Chang'an." The king said that, then stopped and glanced at Wan Niuyu's weathered look; we still need a youngster—this guy's appearance is just too poor, his standing and age make him unsuitable for Chang'an.

If you take a concubine, you don't need to go—just issue a marriage deed, and I'll send people to help you deliver it.

Wan Niuyu: ……

Before rising to leave, the king added: '... Don't even think about taking the chance to run off, eh—I like you lot; if you run, I'll definitely dispatch cavalry to the Xianbei to hunt you down.' Keeping these people around is still useful—look, this is being put to use, and the king is quite pleased about it.

By the time the court found out, the king had already sent off the bald Xianbei prince and a troupe of freshly attired Xianbei-clad owl cavalry.

Those selected as owl cavalry also went through a round of competition: besides needing good skill, they had to be tall and burly like a Xianbei warrior; anyone with a typical Jin look was outright eliminated. Those who made the cut thought it was a plush posting, a freebie merit.

Bai Li Jin was merely making a show in the southern Jin; Youzhou never got the news, and the court learned of it only because the king let it slip.

These days the king takes Xie Tu to the academy every day; apart from the court, nobody sees the king's shadow. Xie Yuan is pleased that the king feels guilty a bit longer—this also means fewer troubles—so he has temporarily set aside the homework issue.

Sure enough, the king is quiet as a mouse—there's definitely some mischief afoot.

Once the matter surfaced, sure enough, the elders didn't much support the king's decision, deeming it merely a vent of anger with no real effect.

The king protested: 'How is it useless? It's good for my heart! I alone withstand the pressure from the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and the Western Regions—isn't that enormous? With these troublesome neighbors bordering the northern frontier, does Chang'an just sleep easy and enjoy bliss? They too ought to maintain decent ties with foreign peoples, to relieve my pressure—do you understand pressure relief? Only then can my days be tolerable—who wouldn't play the victim?'

The king has mastered Chang'an's tactics and even expanded upon them.

The sharp-eyed king caught a hint of a smile on Lu Yuan's lips and immediately called out: 'Does the Minister of Justice also think it's improper?'

Lu Yuan was called upon, stepped forward, and replied: 'I think it's proper...'

Xie Yuan and Dong Fu also looked over; the king didn't let him say 'but', quickly cutting in: 'I just said you understand me!'

Lu Yuan: ……

This time the king really guessed wrong—there was no 'but'.

Everyone in Fan Yang wants to see Chang'an's joke, since he recently heard that Chang'an had removed the Fan Yang governor and installed a new imperial confidant—no wonder his temper isn't settled.

News of Princess Shangwu never reached the northern border, but the report that the Eastern Xianbei and the Bald Xianbei sought marriage ties with Chang'an spread across the north ahead of the king's newspaper.

In short, the three Xianbei tribes want to mend ties with the Jin and the northern border, to end war forever, hence they seek a marriage alliance.

Since there was no suitable match in the northern border and the king is still young, they set their sights on the king's own younger brother, Bai Li Jin, who rules the southern realm.

The Xianbei tribes seek to marry the Fenyang Long Princess and the Wang family's legitimate daughter.

In response, the northern folk half jeer at the Xianbei for aiming for swan meat, half just want to watch the spectacle. After all, they never cried out to marry the princess's elder sister, so they'll just take what's offered. What connection do the southern emperor's sisters have to them?

The northern border's article in the paper is pure narration, merely relaying the information they'd received, with no viewpoint or commentary whatsoever; pushed by the king's ulterior motives, the paper practically reached Chang'an at the same time as the marriage-seeking party.