Chapter 172 - If You Have the Guts Don't Beg for Peace!
“Zhao'er, the princess of North Yue has chosen you as her son-in-law, are you willing to do so?” King of South Jin asked jokingly.
Crown Prince Zhao's face was expressionless, as if he was not the one who had provoked the rotten peach blossoms. He replied calmly, “Replying to Royal Father, I already have a wife. I don't want to let others down.”
“Oh, you just came, didn't you hear that County Princess Liyang is willing to condescend to be your wife? Furthermore, in your residence… Cough cough, that person is after all a man. It is better to have a proper woman to spread the branches and leaves for you.”
Crown Prince Zhao shook his head and said, “This son does not need a regular wife.”
His words were firm. All the ministers present could hear his determination. Some people admired his devotion. Some secretly shook their heads. They felt that Crown Prince was good at everything, but he was too muddle-headed when it came to relationships.
It was nothing if he liked men. In the future, he would be part of the harem. He could pamper them as much as he wanted. He could love them as much as he wanted. Why did he have to offend the Dragon Face just because of him?
King of South Jin had agreed to let Crown Prince Zhao marry a man just to balance his power, but he was more concerned about whether his son would listen to him or not.
When Old Prince saw King of South Jin's expression change slightly, he immediately stood up and said loudly, “This marriage is related to the peace between the two countries. As the Crown Prince of a country, even if he doesn't like it, he should do his best for the country. This old official thinks that this matter will be decided by the king.”
What he meant was, why would he need to have children for such a big matter in the country? If an imperial decree was sent out, would Crown Prince Zhao still be able to resist it?
“King, this marriage between the north and the south is indeed a big matter. But because it is a major matter, my king should be cautious. Crown Prince is not willing to marry the princess of North Yue. If he mistreats the princess in the future, Wouldn't that be more damaging to the relationship between the two countries?” State Duke Ann's heart ached for his grandson. He was not willing to force him to marry a woman he did not like.
Moreover, the princess of North Yue was not a good person. The conflict between the north and the south had always existed. It was impossible to settle it just because he married a princess. Therefore, the benefits County Princess Liyang could bring were limited.
At most, she was just an excuse to delay the war between the two countries. When the North Yue recovered its strength, it would only be a temporary excuse. How could she care about her?
“What a joke. How could the dignified Crown Prince of South Jin treat the princess of North Yue unfairly?” Old Prince had an expression of You are talking nonsense.
State Duke Ann did not answer him. Instead, he bowed to King of South Jin, who was at the top of the group, and said, “Marriage is a big matter. It is naturally better if you are willing.”
It was said that forcefully twisting the melon was not sweet, but don't become enemies instead if your family did not succeed, even though the two countries were enemies to begin with.
“What do you think?” Yueyang Marquis asked. “If I were to marry the crown prince, do you have any complaints?”
Yueyang Marquis kept his head down in the court today and was unhappy. Anyone could see that he was unhappy, but everyone could understand his feelings. Marrying a son was already a loss. It was not worth it to let his son be on equal footing with a woman and share a husband.
Hearing King of South Jin's question, Yueyang Marquis finally raised his head and answered sternly, “Of course I don't want Crown Prince to marry a princess. My son has only been married to the crown prince's residence for less than half a year. This is too cruel.”
As Yueyang Marquis spoke, his eyes turned red. He glared at Crown Prince Zhao in front of everyone. It was only now that everyone realized that when Crown Prince wanted to marry Yueyang Marquis's son, this man had strongly opposed it.
Crown Prince Zhao had a feeling that his father-in-law was regretting marrying him alone. When he thought of Tang Yue's words, he immediately became depressed.
He did not want to give Yueyang Marquis a chance to get his son back, nor did he want to give Tang Yue a reason to abandon him.
“Royal Father, this is the North Yue's request for peace. Why do we have to agree to whatever request they make? What if this son doesn't agree?”
Crown Prince Zhao's last sentence was directed at Envoy of North Yue. His sharp eyes and cold expression scared the civil servant so much that his face turned pale.
However, North Yue was a powerful country for a long time. The messenger was not too scared. He forced himself to argue with Envoy of North Yue, “Does Crown Prince want to continue the war with our country?”
Without waiting for Crown Prince Zhao's answer, State Duke shouted, “If you want to fight, then fight. Don't seek peace if you have the guts!”
Although there were also those who were afraid of death in South Jin, there were also those who sought benefits and avoided harm, and there were also those who were selfish and disturbed the government, overall, they could still maintain unity when facing external enemies.
For a moment, both the generals and the civil officials stood out and expressed their stance, “Great King, this official believes that if North Yue has such an attitude, it would be better to start a war!”
King of South Jin was very satisfied with this situation. He waved his hand to signal for everyone to quiet down. Then, he said to Envoy of North Yue happily, “Why don't the ambassador go back and ask and see if North Yue King wants to continue a war or… discuss the terms again?”
Without waiting for the other party to answer, King of South Jin stood up and swept his clothes. He walked away with his hands behind his back. Only the sharp voice of a servant echoed in the hall. “Retreat…”
Crown Prince Zhao was the first to walk out of the hall. State Duke Ann ran after him.
“Your Highness… Your Highness… You are too impulsive today.” The old High Duke criticized him disapprovingly.
He was Crown Prince Zhao's grandfather, so he naturally favored him. Therefore, he would listen to what he said even if he wanted to teach Crown Prince Zhao a lesson.
“Grandfather, don't worry. I will insist on this matter. I will never nod my head for fame and benefits.”
“If the king decrees marriage, don't be muddleheaded.” State Duke Ann did not have any objection to this marriage. It was just that he could not manage Crown Prince Zhao's marriage. Secondly, Tang Yue had indeed saved Crown Prince Zhao's life. Yueyang Marquis's Mansion was rich and had some support.
Crown Prince Zhao replied as if it had nothing to do with him, “Then we'll talk about it after Royal Father gives the decree.”
State Duke Ann saw that he could not persuade him, so he could only retreat. However, the other man chased after Crown Prince Zhao. He was half a step behind Crown Prince Zhao. He said with a smile, “I haven't seen my son for a long time. I wonder if he is okay?”
It turned out to be State Duke Heng, who always loved his son.
Crown Prince Zhao nodded. “Your son is willing to suffer and possess extraordinary strength. He is a talent that can be created.”
With Crown Prince Zhao's comment, State Duke Heng felt comforted. He stroked his beard and secretly felt great. Hence, he tactfully expressed his support for Crown Prince's decision.
It was not unreasonable for State Duke Heng to side with Yueyang Marquis's Mansion. He thought highly of this young man, Tang Yue, and was satisfied with his new daughter-in-law. Naturally, he did not want any unstable factors to ruin this triangular relationship.
Crown Prince Zhao was also good at treating him like a pervert. In the royal court, it was usually not good for State Duke Ann to speak up for him. Usually, the first person to protect him was this person in front of him. Naturally, the relationship between the two families was firmly tied.
Moreover, Crown Prince Zhao appreciated State Duke Heng's act of protecting his son. Compared to State Protector, State Duke Heng's love and loyalty was very precious.
Speaking of the devil, State Duke Heng had just walked away when State Protector, who he despised, approached him.
The series of blows made State Protector grow a few years older. Half of his hair had turned white, and he looked old.
Crown Prince Zhao didn't like him, so his face naturally turned pale. He stood at the side and waited for him to speak first.
State Protector hesitated for a moment and asked tentatively, “I wonder if Your Highness has seen my unfilial son recently?”
Crown Prince Zhao's lips curled up slightly. He said rudely, “I heard that State Duke has chased your son out of the house. What's the point of asking him now?”
“That is just a temporary insult. As long as that unfilial son is willing to admit his mistake, we will let this matter go.”
Crown Prince Zhao could not help but look at him a few more times. He thought to himself, “Years of comfortable life has completely worn away the spirit of this old general. All that is left is decay and stupidity.”
He really did not know why he had such naive thoughts. Did he think that Zhao Sanlang would turn back?
“You can tell your son these words yourself. I am not responsible for passing the message.” After saying that, he no longer looked at State Protector. He mounted his horse and returned to his residence.
When he returned home and told Tang Yue about this matter, Tang Yue was indeed very angry. “What does this old thing have in mind? Can he do whatever he wants just because he's an elder?”
“He will bear the consequences.” Crown Prince Zhao tried to comfort him.
Tang Yue said sarcastically, “Of course. Let's wait and see if his son can give him a peaceful and rich life.”
Tang Yue did not tell Zhao Sanlang about this incident, but even if he wanted to, he could not see him. Ever since State Protector's Wife's condition had stabilized, Tang Yue had never seen him again.
“Is County Princess Liyang beautiful?” Tang Yue suddenly asked.
Crown Prince Zhao raised his eyebrows and his head hurt. He knew it would not be easy to turn the page.
“I don't know, I've never seen it before.”
“Oh… I heard it's the number one beauty in North Yue. I want to see how beautiful she is.” Tang Yue lived in the 21st century. What kind of beauty had he not seen before? He really could not imagine what kind of beauty the number one beauty could be.
After coming here, the most beautiful woman he had seen should be County Princess Tangxi. The most charming woman should be County Princess Huizhu. He did not know which kind County Princess Liyang preferred.
Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at (f)re𝒆we(b)novel.com Only