Emperor Xingyuan's vague attitude made Prince Bao Ri prepared.
Of course, it was impossible to agree to such a big deal as promising a princess to a neighboring country.
He could understand, but he was very confident in the five thousand horses.
A wise ruler would not be willing to refuse.
Next, Prince Baori concentrated on enjoying Daxia's food, songs and dances, while Emperor Xingyuan had a faint smile on his face, showing his master's demeanor.
After the banquet, officials from the Ministry of Rites and Honglu Temple accompanied Prince Baori to his residence to settle the envoys.
The ministers dispersed and secretly discussed the matter of Xi Lingguo's request to marry the Princess of Daxia.
"Why does King Xiling want to marry our princess as his queen?"
"I heard that the original queen of King Xiling died of illness, and the throne has been vacant for several years. Now that there is no civil strife in Xiling, all kinds of abandoned etiquette have to be picked up, and a new queen will naturally be established."
"Isn't the Xiling King too young?"
"He's only about forty years old, in his prime."
The ministers didn't think anything of King Xiling's age. When the emperor is seventy years old, he still chooses a concubine. Isn't forty the same age for a king of a country?
When the news reached the harem, the young concubines had nothing to do with themselves. The concubines who had children were either lucky to have given birth to a prince or their daughters were still young, so they all turned their attention to Concubine Li.
Concubine Li felt like five thunders were hitting her head, like falling into an ice cave.
Princess Xuan heard of such big news soon, and went to look for Concubine Li with a pale face.
"Mother, concubine, is the news that King Xiling sent envoys to ask for the princess's hand in marriage true?"
There are three princesses in the palace, and she is the only one of suitable age. If the princess is asked to marry, there is no doubt that she is the one.
Facing her daughter, no matter how uncomfortable Libi was, she could only console her: "Xuan'er, don't panic, your father has not agreed."
These words could not comfort Princess Xuan at all. Her face was as white as paper and her voice was choked with sobs: "But my father didn't refuse either."
How could you refuse? That's five thousand war horses!
And she was just a daughter who was never looked down upon by her father. Marry her to Xiling and receive a bride price of five thousand war horses. Do you need to think about what your father will choose?
"The mother-in-law will find out your father's intentions." Li Bin firmly held her daughter's cold hand, "As long as you don't agree on the spot, there will be a turning point."
Li Bin was a cautious person, but she didn't care about anything else for the sake of her daughter, so she went directly to Qianqing Palace.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Li would like to see you."
After hearing the report from the chamberlain, Emperor Xingyuan raised his eyebrows and said, "Please come in."
Not long after, Concubine Li walked in, bowed and saluted: "I have met Your Majesty."
"No courtesy. What's the matter with Concubine Li?"
Concubine Li glanced at Emperor Xingyuan's expression and said softly: "I heard that an envoy from Xi Ling came and wanted to marry our princess."
"Indeed." Emperor Xingyuan nodded calmly.
"Your Majesty, will you... agree?"
Looking at Concubine Li who turned pale, Emperor Xingyuan said calmly: "This is not something that the harem should take care of."
Libi's body swayed, and the color drained from her face: "I know...I, I am just worried about Xuan'er."
"Um?"
The cold-looking emperor made Libi feel great pressure, but she gritted her teeth and continued: "Xuan'er is weak and has a restrained temperament. She won't be able to survive in Xiling, where the diet and customs are completely different from those in Daxia. Please take care of her, Your Majesty, she has been so good since she was a child..."
They had obviously promised to pick a good consort for Xuan'er. Mother and daughter had been quietly looking forward to it, not daring to ask, but in the end, the envoy from Xi Ling came.
Li Bin couldn't help but shed two lines of clear tears.
"Why are you crying? If you really want to marry Xi Ling, King Xi Ling will not neglect Xuan'er."
"Your Majesty—" Libi's heart was shaken, and her eyes were full of despair.
"Isn't it going to bring shame on Daxia if I let my cries reach the ears of the Xiling envoy about something I haven't decided yet?"
Concubine Li suddenly stopped crying and returned to the palace with heavy steps.
Princess Xuan is eagerly waiting to see Li
The look on the concubine's face made her full of words suddenly stuck in her throat.
Sure enough, there would be no miracles, at least not for her.
She stretched out her hand and held her biological mother: "Concubine, it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter."
Since ancient times, it has been common for princesses to get married, not to mention that she did not humiliate the marriage, but the other party asked for marriage with great courtesy.
"Xuan'er has been well clothed and well-fed since she was a child, and has lived a worry-free life. Now that Xi Ling has come to ask for marriage, she can exchange for five thousand war horses for Daxia, which is worthy of her status as a eldest princess..."
"Princess——" Libi murmured and blurted out, "Miss Xin!"
Princess Xuan was stunned and her expression changed: "Concubine, you can't think like that!"
"What?" Libi didn't react for a moment.
Princess Xuan's face turned red, and she held Li's hand harder: "Not to mention that the father's love for Miss Xin is unique. It is the daughter who has the title of eldest princess. Miss Xin grew up outside the palace since she was a child and has never received any royal education. What’s the benefit? Is there any reason to let her take the place of my daughter at this time?”
Concubine Li looked at her daughter, feeling distressed and relieved at the same time: "That's not what I meant. I want Miss Xin to be able to speak in front of your father. If you go and beg her, maybe there will be a change."
Princess Xuan's eyes brightened, then dimmed: "We have no friendship with Miss Xin, how could we ask her to speak to our father on my behalf?"
Princess Xuan knows very well that the royal family is different from ordinary people. Emperor Xingyuan was both a father and an emperor, so asking for mercy from him was risky.
"Miss Xin saved the third prince, which shows that she is kind-hearted. She must try..." Li Bin comforted her daughter.
As a mother, she is willing to give her daughter a try no matter how slim her hope is or how disrespectful she asks for help.
In Cining Palace, when the Queen Mother heard about this, she was also thinking of Xin You.
Unlike Li Bin who wanted to ask for help for her daughter, the Queen Mother's first reaction was that it would be great if Xin You's evil could be sent away far away.
"Your Majesty, Miss Xin is not a princess unless she is on the royal jade certificate." A close confidant heard what the Queen Mother meant and hurriedly reminded her.
The Queen Mother was heartbroken for a while after hearing this, and said angrily: "That girl was unwilling to recognize her ancestors and return to the clan earlier. Was it because she could not predict the future?"
If that girl had the status of a princess at that time, her marriage to Xiling would be a certainty!
If it hadn't been for the New Year's Eve family dinner, even if the Queen Mother didn't like Xin You, she could have tolerated it. Now she regarded Xin You as a thorn in her side, and Xi Ling would not let go of such a good opportunity no matter how hard she thought.
"In this way, you can quietly arrange for someone to tell the person who entertains Xi Ling's envoy..."
In Daxia, formal diplomacy was handled by the Ministry of Rites, while specific hospitality was handled by Honglu Temple.
After a while, Prince Baori had been in the capital for several days. Emperor Xingyuan did not express what he wanted, and he was not in a hurry. Apart from dealing with Daxia officials, he just wandered around and experienced the customs of Daxia.
Prince Ribaori was walking on the street and saw the lively queue in front of him. He curiously asked the official of Honglu Temple who accompanied him the whole time: "Why are there so many people in front?"
The official looked at it and said, "It seems that Qingsong Bookstore has released a new book."
