Chapter 119

That Xiao Meiniang knew martial arts was not a secret to the Great Sui.

After all, many people had seen Xiao Meiniang take action.

What surprised Yuwen Tuo was that Xiao Meiniang had actually become so strong.

Just standing there, she gave off a tremendous pressure.

"What kind of secret is the Empress hiding? Would it be better to let her inherit the position of Great Sui Emperor?"

Such a thought popped into Yuwen Tuo's mind.

This was not something he had suddenly thought of.

It was because he was completely disappointed in Yang Guang.

Although Xiao Meiniang was the Empress, she was, after all, a woman.

In the future, he could find an excellent person among the descendants of the Yang family to replace Xiao Meiniang as Emperor.

At that time, the world of the Great Sui would still be surnamed Yang!

Southern Song, Lin'an.

Upon learning of the marriage alliance between the Great Tang and the Great Qin, Zhao Gou sighed helplessly.

"Prime Minister, do you say that our Great Song is too weak?"

"The Great Tang sent a state letter to consolidate the relationship between the two sides."

"I thought of using a marriage alliance, but was rejected by Li Shimin."

"In the end, he was fine; he rejected me and turned around to form a marriage alliance with Ying Zheng's Great Qin."

"Does he really think I have no temper?"

The more Zhao Gou thought about it, the angrier he became, and his expression turned ferocious.

He felt he had been greatly insulted.

He was very unwilling in his heart.

He thought about tearing up the alliance with the Great Tang directly.

But thinking that the Great Yuan's army was pressing step by step.

He would need to ask the Great Tang for help when necessary, so Zhao Gou could only give up this thought.

It turned into a helpless sigh.

"Your Majesty need not think this way; in this subject's view."

"The marriage alliance between the Great Qin and the Great Tang is not necessarily a good thing."

"On the contrary, there are many hidden dangers and many uncertain factors within it."

Qin Gui said with squinted eyes.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gou immediately perked up and said impatiently, "Prime Minister, explain in detail!"

Qin Gui gathered his thoughts and said, "Although the Great Tang has not been established for long, the national strength it has displayed is extremely formidable."

"Similarly, the Great Qin's national strength is also a top-tier power in the Nine Provinces."

"Li Shimin and Ying Zheng are both people with great ambition and are highly ambitious."

"They both think that one day they can unify the Nine Provinces."

"For such two nations to form a marriage alliance, whether it is a strong alliance or each harboring their own ulterior motives, presumably Your Majesty knows better than anyone."

After Qin Gui analyzed the situation, he indirectly flattered Zhao Gou's intelligence.

The meaning of his last sentence was saying.

Even without his analysis, Zhao Gou could have seen this clearly.

Zhao Gou laughed and said, "The one who knows me is the Prime Minister; I indeed thought of these things just now."

"I really hope that one day I can see Ying Zheng and Li Shimin fight each other."

"At that time, our Great Song can sit back and reap the benefits!"

Zhao Gou had already started thinking about beautiful things.

Whether it was the Northern Song or the Southern Song, they had a common characteristic.

When fighting against foreign tribes like the Turks, Jurchens, Western Xia, and the Great Yuan, they lost six out of ten battles, and even if they won, they would negotiate if they could.

Every year, they used large amounts of tribute to exchange for the country's stability.

But when suppressing domestic rebellions, and when dealing with nations like the Great Han, Great Ming, Great Qin, and Great Sui, their attitude was very tough.

Even if they suffered some grievances temporarily, they always thought about finding opportunities to retaliate.

This was an attitude they never had when facing foreign tribes.

Therefore, the people of the Nine Provinces had an evaluation of the Northern Song and Southern Song: incompetent in foreign wars, competent in civil wars!

Qin Gui smiled on the surface and said His Majesty was wise.

But secretly, he mocked Zhao Gou.

"With the Southern Song's national strength, he still thinks about sitting back and reaping the benefits."

"It is truly whimsical!"

The news of the marriage alliance between the Great Tang and the Great Ming had spread for a period of time in the Nine Provinces.

Rumble!

A deafening sound rang out in the firmament.

Dazzling golden light shone down from the sky.

The radiance sprinkled across every part of the Nine Provinces.

The Heaven's Pride Ranking, which had disappeared for a month, appeared once again.

This ranking was different from the previous two.

Golden light shone, and before the ranking was even opened, the four great divine beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—appeared in the four directions of the ranking.

Rumble!

Thunder exploded.

Simple, noble, and magnificent!

A golden five-clawed dragon pushed the ranking, slowly opening it.

The people of the Nine Provinces all looked up and waited for the ranking.

Everyone wanted to know who would be in the top ten of the Heaven's Pride Ranking.

The Great Han Imperial Palace.

Emperor Ling of Han, Liu Hong, looked at the ranking with a pale face.

"Father-in-law, how much longer do you say my body can last?"

"Are there any elixirs among the rewards on the ranking that can restore me to my original state?"

Liu Hong asked the eunuch Zhang Rang beside him.