kvmb Chapter 149 There is only one way
Chapter 149 There is only one way
"What new conditions did they propose?"
Huang Zexian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Contrary to expectations, the Ministry of Rites didn't reject any of our conditions. During today's talks, only one was discussed, the marriage alliance, and His Majesty the King of Chen agreed."
"That's only natural. But why doesn't Uncle Huang seem very happy?"
"His Majesty of the State of Chen has indeed agreed to marry the Crown Prince of Chen, but because the Crown Prince has not yet been chosen, he said that the matter of the heir cannot be rushed. Therefore, the marriage between the two countries can be confirmed, but I am afraid that the ceremony cannot be completed in the short term." Huang Zeyong paused before continuing, "To show the sincerity of the State of Chen, His Majesty is still willing to marry the Fifteenth Princess to the Young Master. Even if the Young Master returns to the Great Zhou in the future, the Fifteenth Princess will follow him."
"...What..." Tang Ling's heart skipped a beat. His Majesty hadn't said or mentioned anything before. It turned out that he wasn't just testing Tang Ling and the Great Zhou's intentions. He never wanted to give up on the marriage between the Fifteenth Princess and Tang Ling. He wanted to marry the Princess of Chen and the Princess of Zhou, and he wanted to maintain the friendship between the two countries. He wouldn't let Marquis Xun'an and Mrs. Tang live in peace.
Huang Zexian saw Tang Ling's face turn pale and knew that this matter was difficult to handle, but he hadn't told her what was even more difficult.
"Sir, there is..."
"Uncle Huang, please speak."
"His Majesty the Chen Kingdom wishes to give 100,000 black iron ore to the Great Zhou as a dowry for the fifteenth princess."
"...One hundred thousand... huh."
The State of Chen produces only 50,000 tons of black iron ore every year. Your Majesty is so generous as to offer 100,000 tons of ore as a dowry. Even if the emperor hates the Tang family, he cannot refuse such temptation. 100,000 black iron ore is like buying Tang Ling's life.
Tang Ling smiled bitterly. She didn't expect that he was so valuable.
"Sir?"
"Uncle Huang, please first report Princess Xihe's marriage to the Emperor and have it finalized as soon as possible. As for my matter, please don't rush to inform my father or the Emperor. Let me think about it."
"Okay, then I'll go back first."
Tang Ling sat back and continued copying the book, deciding not to tell Qi Xiao about this for the time being.
What exactly was the purpose of offering the Fifteenth Princess a hundred thousand black iron ore as a dowry? Was she willing to sacrifice everything to facilitate this marriage? Tang Ling herself didn't understand why she was so important.
Or maybe it’s not that Tang Ling is important, but the peace talks are urgent?
No, Your Majesty is here to ally with Great Zhou and attack Qi. Attacking Qi would not benefit Great Zhou, but if it were for 100,000 black iron ores, that would be a completely different story.
Qi's north was mountainous, making it difficult for the State of Chen to raise an army. After crossing Fenglin Mountain, there were still three passes before reaching the Qi capital, Shuoliang. On the other hand, Qi's eastward border with the Great Zhou was flat.
If the Great Zhou dispatched troops to the border, Qi had to respond immediately, or at least be on high alert with an equal force. Otherwise, the Great Zhou could march straight in and capture five states in ten days, reaching the heart of Qi.
As long as the Qi army gathers on the border between Zhou and Qi, Chen will have an opportunity to take advantage of it.
If Chen wants to destroy Qi and preserve his own strength, this is the only way.
The risks were clear. Qi was mountainous, making it difficult to resupply supplies. If the Chen army entered Qi, it could easily be trapped within the mountains. If the Zhou army went back on its word and withdrew from the Qi border, giving Qi time to return, it would be the Chen army that would be annihilated. More likely, the Zhou army would not only withdraw from Qi but also turn around and cross the Taihua River. Then, fighting on two fronts, Chen would be in dire straits.
The stalemate between Zhou, Qi and Chen lasted for a hundred years not without reason, nor was it that the rulers did not want to break it, but that they could not.
The Emperor of Chen was determined to destroy Qi. To tie the Great Zhou to Chen's attack on Qi, a hundred thousand tons of black iron ore was nothing. However, it was impossible to transport all of it to the Great Zhou immediately, and Princess Xihe's marriage was certainly not something that could be arranged in the near future. Therefore, the Emperor of Chen needed Tang Ling to act as a clasp to tightly bind Zhou and Chen together.
Tang Ling had a headache. Is there any way to get herself out?
No... He couldn't think of...
If the Chen-Zhou coalition were to fight, the Zhou general leading the army would undoubtedly be Tang Ling's father, Marquis Xun'an. His Majesty of Chen held Tang Ling's life in his hands, a far greater guarantee than holding the life of the Zhou emperor.
What should he do?
If you don't agree, the peace talks may not be able to proceed... Neither the Emperor nor my father will agree.
Tang Ling held her forehead against his chest and sighed deeply. What should he and Qi Xiao do? Is there any way to make His Majesty change his mind?
***
The sky darkened and it began to rain again. Qi Xiao knelt before Concubine Lin's spirit, completely lost. Even Tang Ling's words were of no use to him.
Bai Xiqiao stayed by Qi Xiao's side, wondering if he should let Chi Yue bring Tang Ling in to at least coax Qi Xiao into a good mood.
"Hey... Xiao'er, take a break and sit over there for a while. Doctor Fang said you need to take care of your knees and stop kneeling."
Qi Xiao said nothing, didn't even raise his eyelids, and completely ignored Bai Xiqiao.
"You little rascal, you keep talking to you in a nice way, so don't blame me for being heavy-handed!" Bai Xiqiao suddenly stood up while saying this, rolled up his sleeves and prepared to knock Qi Xiao unconscious.
Qi Xiao suddenly raised his head and glared at Bai Xiqiao: "Get out!"
"You! You really pissed me off! I have to teach you a lesson on behalf of my master!" Bai Xiqiao stretched out his hand and slapped Qi Xiao on the forehead. Qi Xiao did not dodge and continued to stare at Bai Xiqiao. Bai Xiqiao raised his hand high but couldn't hit him.
Bai Xiqiao glanced at Concubine Lin's spirit tablet and frowned. "I appreciate your filial piety, so I won't lecture you in front of Concubine Lin. But you, can you please be kind to yourself for your mother's sake?"
Qi Xiao lowered his head again, gritting his teeth and saying, "I'm not worthy of being your son, I'm not worthy!"
Bai Xiqiao sighed deeply. He really couldn't persuade him. Bai Xiqiao left Qi Xiao alone, walked out of the mourning hall, and softly called Chi Yue out.
"This can't go on like this."
Chi Yue also sighed: "I'll go get Mr. Tang."
"Go quickly and come back soon." Bai Xiqiao never imagined that one day he would be so eager for Tang Ling to stay with Qi Xiao. He scratched his head in frustration.
Turning back from Baixi Bridge, he met two women in palace dress coming with umbrellas.
The twelfth princess Qi Fei wanted to come as soon as she heard the bad news this morning, but it was not easy for her to sneak out, so she delayed it until now.
The twelfth princess kowtowed to Concubine Lin, burned incense, knelt beside Qi Xiao, and asked softly, "Ninth brother, are you okay?"
Qi Xiao nodded slightly, but did not respond.
The twelfth princess hesitated for a moment, then said, "Ninth brother, I have something to tell you."
Qi Xiao lowered his head and said, "Twelve, Ninth Brother doesn't have the energy to talk right now, let's talk another day."
"It's about Concubine Lin, don't you want to listen?"
Qi Xiao was stunned, and finally looked up at the Twelfth Princess.
"I'll help Brother Nine up." Princess Twelve looked at Qi Xiao's pale face and red, swollen eyes and couldn't help but worry, "Brother Nine, you don't look well."
"I'm fine. Twelve, you said it was about mother. What exactly is it?"
"Nineth Brother, I was there the day Concubine Lin first moved into the West Palace. Do you remember?"
"nature."
"That day...something was strange, but I'm not entirely sure. However, I still want to tell Brother Nine that if I'm being overly suspicious, that's all that matters. Otherwise..."
"Twelve, if you have anything to say, feel free to tell Brother Nine."