"This..."
Yun Xi was so shocked that she sat up straight.
"The Shen family is trying to rebel!?"
Yi Yuan let out a cold snort and said in a frigid tone,
"Vile intentions, plain for all to see."
"Brother must have discovered their heinous and traitorous activities in secret, which led to his untimely death!"
Whenever Yi Yuan mentioned the late Prince Chi Xuan, he couldn't help feeling sorrowful.
Yun Xi lovingly hugged Yi Yuan's arm and nestled against him affectionately. She said softly,
"Now it's all right. Not to mention the silver and white rice, just these weapons alone are iron - clad evidence. This time, the Shen family will surely not escape unscathed. We can avenge brother."
Yun Xi simply called him "brother" instead of the formal "Prince Chi Xuan".
Yi Yuan felt a warm current in his heart and gave a soft "hmm". He placed his big palm on Yun Xi's delicate hand, silently soaking in her comfort.
The carriage was silent for a while. As if suddenly struck by a thought, Yun Xi tightly grasped Yi Yuan's sleeve and said,
"Something's not right! How does the Shen family still have so much silver? When the Shen family pushed out Yan Yifan to take the blame to save themselves, wasn't all the embezzled silver recovered?"
"Maintaining an army is not like raising chickens and ducks. It costs a fortune. The current emperor is not muddle - headed. Even if the Shen family has been embezzling secretly, it would be almost as difficult as reaching the sky to embezzle enough silver to maintain an army capable of rebellion without leaving any trace for a long time."
"Moreover, brother discovered this last year, which means the Shen family must have been scheming for a long time. Recruiting soldiers and hoarding manpower secretly for such a long time is not only extremely expensive, but the soldiers also need to train together. With so many people, it's amazing that not a single trace was leaked. Their methods... are truly extraordinary."
Yi Yuan looked at Yun Xi in surprise and admiration, saying,
"You're truly worthy of being a daughter of the Yun family. Your thoughts are truly unique."
"This is exactly what puzzles me."
Frowning slightly, Yi Yuan said,
"I always feel that there are still clues in the letter brother wrote to Uncle Yun that we haven't noticed."
"Then..."
Yun Xi guessed,
"Could the army maintained by the Shen family be in Yanshan County? After all, brother repeatedly emphasized things about Yanshan County in his letter. There must be something there."
But Yi Yuan shook his head,
"If the army was really in Yanshan County, Uncle Yun sent people there to investigate many times. It's impossible that they didn't find a single clue."
"I think there might be other meanings in that letter."
"Other meanings?"
Yun Xi was confused,
"What other meanings?"
Yi Yuan shook his head again and said,
"I don't know yet."
"But we still need to report the situation in Shuozhou to the emperor first. If there are any developments, we can be prepared. However..."
Yi Yuan paused, thought for a while and then said,
"The seventh prince of the Ying State is currently in our territory. We may have to postpone dealing with the Shen family for a while."
"Hmm..."
Remembering the looks the two men had given her just now, Yun Xi shifted uncomfortably and said,
"It doesn't matter. They came here to propose marriage. Presumably they won't stay long. Otherwise, if they return late and the situation in the Ying State is settled, what's the point of the seventh prince's visit for marriage?"
As they talked all the way, they soon arrived at the Yun Mansion.
The imperial edict from the palace had already arrived. The Ministry of Rites was receiving the seventh prince and his entourage, and all civil and military officials were required to dress neatly and arrive at the Xingqing Palace on time.
At such an important moment, no one dared to slack off. Each family dressed in their most elegant attire, hoping to impress the people from the Ying State.
Since Yun Xi had returned to the Yun family and was not yet married, she didn't go with Yi Yuan. Instead, she went with Yun Weisheng and his wife.
Inside the Xingqing Palace—
Emperor Zhaohuan sat in the center. On his left and right were the queen and Concubine Shen respectively. Further to the side were the princes and princesses who were qualified to be present.
Hun Yuan looked even more serious, sitting alone behind Emperor Zhaohuan on the left.
Below, the officials were seated in order.
As the most trusted and beloved younger brother of Emperor Zhaohuan, Yi Yuan naturally took the first seat. Below him were Grand Tutor Cao and Prime Minister Shen, who were more senior in terms of qualifications and age. Further down were Yun Weisheng, Liu Jingyue and other important officials.
The seats for the younger generation like Yun Xi were behind their parents. Opposite them, higher up, were the seventh prince of the Ying State and the national teacher in a black cloak.
Perhaps because she was sitting in the back, Yun Xi could still feel the gazes of the seventh prince and the national teacher on her when she entered the hall. But after she sat down, the two of them never looked in her direction again.
The host and guests chatted. The seventh prince, Zongzheng Fengyi, was quite polite. First, he praised the thoughtful reception of the Ministry of Rites, then complimented the scenery and customs of the Great Yin Dynasty. Then he directly stated his purpose, saying,
"I'm sure Your Majesty already knows why we're here. I'm not a coy person. On the way here, I saw many women of the Great Yin Dynasty. They are indeed all beautiful and reasonable."
"If Your Majesty is willing to approve our marriage and form an alliance between our two countries, I'm willing to offer a bag of excellent rice seeds from the Ying State, a thousand bolts of fine brocade, five pairs of pure - bred Ferghana horses and countless gold and jewels as betrothal gifts to show my sincerity."
"Excellent rice seeds! There are excellent rice seeds!"
As soon as Zongzheng Fengyi finished speaking, the Grand Minister of Agriculture under the Ministry of Revenue exclaimed excitedly.
The other officials began to whisper among themselves.
Leaving aside other things, food is the most important thing for the people. The excellent rice cultivated by the Ying State in the past two years has a yield per mu that is twice that of other rice varieties, supporting hundreds of thousands of people in the Ying State. Other countries were extremely envious.
Naturally, many countries sent people secretly to try to smuggle some seeds back.
As one of the envious countries, the Great Yin Dynasty also sent people to investigate.
But the Ying State guarded these excellent rice seeds very strictly, established extremely harsh punishments for them, and strictly controlled trade with other countries. As a result, no one had ever succeeded in obtaining them.
Now, they were willing to offer a whole bag just for an alliance with the Great Yin Dynasty. It was indeed a very sincere gesture.
Emperor Zhaohuan cast a casual glance at the Grand Minister of Agriculture below who was staring at him eagerly, signaling him not to get excited. However, the wavering in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
"The seventh prince is truly sincere,"
Emperor Zhaohuan laughed heartily and said,
"If the excellent rice seeds are offered as a betrothal gift, it will indeed be a blessing for both countries."
"However... I don't have many children. There are even fewer of the right age. I wonder which princess the seventh prince wishes to marry?"
He didn't agree, but he didn't refuse either.
That meant it was possible.
Before Zongzheng Fengyi could speak, all the civil and military officials in the hall had their eyes fixed on Yi Zhen sitting behind Concubine Shen.
Yi Zhen still maintained the proper demeanor of a princess, but her pale face betrayed her reluctance.
Zongzheng Fengyi chuckled and stood up, saying,
"Your Majesty, to be honest, I..."
"Father."
Yi Zhen suddenly interrupted Zongzheng Fengyi. She gracefully stepped out from behind Concubine Shen, knelt down and kowtowed, saying,
"Elder sister is already married, so I'm the eldest among the remaining sisters. I should recommend myself to share the country's burden."
"However, I fell off the Muhui Peak some time ago and have an incurable illness. I'm afraid I can't endure a long - distance journey. But if the seventh prince is truly sincere, I'm willing to try my best for the Great Yin Dynasty."
Retreating to advance was indeed a clever move.
Even Yun Xi, who disliked Yi Zhen, couldn't help but secretly praise her.
Everyone in the hall understood what Yi Zhen meant. Many officials' expressions changed.
Emperor Zhaohuan's phoenix eyes were dark and unclear. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Zongzheng Fengyi below say calmly,
"Princess, why the rush? I never said I wanted to marry you."