Chapter 67

The speed of his emotional changes was fast.

It was as if he were two completely different people.

Seeing this, Yuwentuo felt even more helpless.

Just at this moment, Xiao Xiao Meiniang walked over.

"Greetings, Your Majesty, greetings, Grand Tutor!"

Xiao Xiao Meiniang said calmly.

As the Empress of the Great Sui, she was qualified to know of Yuwentuo’s existence.

"Empress, after the Left Cavalry Guard returns, I want to properly celebrate for Daoma."

"At that time, you will attend with me!"

Yang Guang said with a smile.

"This subject concubine obeys the decree!"

Xiao Xiao Meiniang said.

Yuwentuo observed Xiao Xiao Meiniang for a moment, and a doubt arose in his heart.

"Since when did the Empress become so strong?"

The fact that Xiao Xiao Meiniang knew martial arts was not a secret to the Great Sui.

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

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

Just standing there, she gave people a tremendous amount of pressure.

"What kind of secret is the Empress hiding? Would it be better if she inherited the position of Great Sui Emperor?"

Such a thought popped into Yuwentuo’s mind.

This was not something he thought of suddenly.

Rather, it was because he was completely disappointed in Yang Guang.

Although Xiao Xiao Meiniang was the Empress, she was ultimately a woman.

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

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

Southern Song, Lin'an.

Upon learning that the Great Tang and the Great Qin were to form a marriage alliance, Zhao Gou let out a helpless sigh.

"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 Li Shimin."

"As a result, 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 became 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 Master Yuan’s army was pressing step by step.

He still needed 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 my 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 powerful."

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

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

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

"For such two countries 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 also disguisedly flattered Zhao Gou’s intelligence.

The meaning of his last sentence was saying.

Even without his analysis, Zhao Gou could see these things clearly.

Zhao Gou laughed loudly 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 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 good things.

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

When fighting against foreign tribes like the Turks, Jurchen, Western Xia, and Great Master 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 countries 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 domestic wars!

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

But secretly, he mocked Zhao Gou.

"With the national strength of the Southern Song, still thinking about sitting back and reaping the benefits."

"Truly whimsical!"

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

Rumble!

A deafening sound rang out in the firmament.

Rays of dazzling golden light shone down from the sky.

The radiance spread throughout every part of the Nine Provinces.

The Heaven’s Pride List, which had disappeared for a month, appeared again.

This list was different from the previous two.

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

Rumble!

Thunder exploded.

Simple, noble, and grand!

A golden five-clawed dragon pushed the list and slowly opened it.

The people of the Nine Provinces all looked up at the list with anticipation.

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

Great Han Imperial Palace.

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

"Let Father, tell me, how much longer can my body last?"

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

Liu Hong asked the eunuch Zhang Rang beside him.