At this point, Xu Songming paused slightly, then continued, "To strengthen the bond between the two countries..."
Hearing this, Rong Xun let out a cold laugh, which made the ministers all jolt.
Rong Xun said, "Strengthen the bond? It might as well be said to be the merger of the two countries."
Rong Xun made this point directly in public, which made them even more panicked. However, Xu Songming remained serious without a hint of fear.
He then continued, "Your Majesty is right. So, regarding the current situation, should our Great Ming Kingdom attack or defend..."
This was exactly the question on everyone's mind.
However, none of them had the fearless courage of Xu Songming. They were all afraid that if one of them said the wrong thing, it would bring the crime of exterminating the nine clans.
In fact, Rong Xun didn't show any anger. Instead, he said casually, "Since the guests are coming to visit, there's no reason to turn them away. That would make our Great Ming Kingdom seem stingy."
Rong Xun's words instantly made Xu Songming understand. Then he bowed again, and then directly withdrew.
The next day, Rong Jiangyu led his men and came to the Great Ming Kingdom. There were only about twenty people beside him. For a monarch, it was indeed a rather small number.
At this moment, Rong Xun was sitting peacefully in the Cool Palace. Since Tang Youyou went to the Qingyun Sect, he had been staying alone in the Cool Palace.
The concubines coming and going understood the emperor's longing for the queen. They only knew that the queen had gone to the Ganlu Temple to practice and would not return for several months.
Those with self - awareness basically wouldn't have any other thoughts about Rong Xun at this critical moment.
However, there were still some people who always liked to act recklessly.
An Suzhi was seen wearing a light pink dress. It seemed that she had spent a long time dressing up carefully. But for Rong Xun, even if she were as beautiful as a celestial being, he wouldn't be the least bit tempted.
An Suzhi was holding a box of pastries in her hand. When she came to the front of the Cool Palace, she looked at Su Ningde beside her and said, "I'm already here. Don't you know you should go and announce my arrival?"
Hearing this, Su Ningde smiled and said, "This humble servant, Su Ningde, pays respects to Your Highness. The emperor is currently dealing with matters and is not convenient to see anyone. Please go back, Your Highness. Don't catch a cold at this moment."
Hearing this, An Suzhi immediately frowned. She said impatiently, "What do you mean by this? Do you think I'll delay the emperor's business? You, a mere servant, dare to ignore my words. How daring you are! Who gave you such great power!"
As soon as she finished speaking, An Suzhi saw the tightly closed door slowly open. Rong Xun was standing at the door, looking at her quietly. He said coldly, "I gave him the power. So what?"
For a moment, An Suzhi didn't know what to say. While panicking, she noticed the pastries in her hand and quickly offered them to Rong Xun.
She cried coquettishly, "Your Majesty, you don't know. I don't know why these days, even some nobodies in the palace can bully me. Anyway, I'm a princess of a country. How can I bear such grievances?"
Seeing her crying so pitifully, Rong Xun frowned and asked, "Does Concubine An think that I've made you suffer grievances?"
Hearing this, An Suzhi immediately frowned. After much thought, she finally changed her words and said, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? How could I have such a thought? It's just that Eunuch Su wouldn't let me in just now. I just miss Your Majesty. Can't I even see you for a moment?"
Rong Xun glanced at her. Enduring the nausea in his heart, he pretended to be gentle and said, "In that case, you've really suffered. Your father is coming to visit the Great Ming Kingdom tomorrow. How about you go and greet him?"
"My father?"
Her real father had already passed away. The "father" Rong Xun mentioned was probably Rong Jiangyu. Why was this guy free to come to the Great Ming Kingdom?
Seeing An Suzhi's expression suddenly turn solemn, Rong Xun explained, "This time, your father is coming to the Great Ming Kingdom just to enhance the friendship between the two countries and for peace."
That made sense.
However, judging from Rong Jiangyu's nature, he couldn't be so gentle. There must be other purposes. If it was aimed at him, Rong Xun, it was not impossible. As long as he left someone for her, everything would be fine.
Thinking of this, she smiled and said, "Since Father wants to come, I will surely entertain him well and say some good words. This will also make Your Majesty feel more at ease."
Hearing this, Rong Xun smiled slightly. "That's very good."
Their conversation ended here. On the other side, Rong Jiangyu had already come to the largest restaurant on Chang'an Street and was chatting cheerfully with his men.
It seemed that everything was developing naturally according to Rong Xun's plan.
However, for Tang Youyou, things didn't seem to go so smoothly.
In the main hall of the Qingyun Sect, each student had already chosen the elder they wanted to follow. After a while, the elders finally stepped down from the stage and began to select among the many students.
Tang Youyou was standing still on the spot. Unlike other students, she wasn't preparing her lines and showing her abilities to the approaching elders.
When the old man walked towards Tang Youyou, his first words were, "Can you refine pills with the fragrance of pills?"
Hearing this, Tang Youyou nodded. In an instant, she felt her arm suddenly grabbed. She lost her balance and had no choice but to follow the old man to the pill - refining room in the side hall.
Looking at the messy pill - refining furnaces, Tang Youyou rubbed her forehead and asked, "Elder Four, what do you want to do?"
Hearing this, the old man smiled maliciously and said, "Now refine a pill for me. I'm really curious how you can refine pills of such quality."
...
Tang Youyou never expected that although she managed to avoid the coercion of the Second Elder, she couldn't escape the "coercion" of this old man.
However, she understood the principle that when under someone else's roof, one had to bow one's head. She glanced at Hua Ling, who was also worried, and gave him a look to reassure him not to think too much.
Then, Tang Youyou looked at the old man seriously and said, "Senior, I can refine the pill, but you can't say that the pill was refined by me. You just say that you gave me some guidance and that's why I could do it. How about it?"
Hearing this, the old man nodded. "I understand your concerns. I naturally won't let you down. Refine the pill with confidence."