"Your Majesty had no intention of granting the marriage, but the daughter of Zhu clan was arrogant and willful, promising to marry recklessly. Your Majesty did not want to break the agreement with the Hu people, so he could only bestow the marriage, but the daughter of Zhu clan backed out and did not want to marry. The situation now is that the Yelu tribe changed their mind and said they wanted to marry the Seventh Princess. His Majesty wanted to recover Liangzhou.... As for you all...."
Duke Pei's eyes swept one by one past the faces of the ministers.
"You remember the benevolence of Zhu clan and do not want to see Zhu clan's daughter marry far away. Since the Yelu tribe took the initiative to ask to substitute, you are naturally overjoyed. Therefore, you encouraged His Majesty to agree to the Yelu tribe's proposal to marry his own daughter off instead, no?!"
He let out a powerful shout, startling the ministers that they almost kneeled down.
Duke Pei looked at Li De and said word by word: "Your Majesty, dare I ask whether the surname of this Wei Dynasty is Li or Zhu? Zhu clan's daughter is noble and precious while Li clan's daughter is dirt? The Zhu clan's daughter treats diplomatic relations as a child's play, and all civil and military officials let her run amok just because her surname is Zhu. Do you only have the Zhu clan in their eyes and hearts? Is there an emperor, the Son of Heaven, in your hearts?"
The ministers' hearts were thumping, sweating like pulp. When they heard the last sentence, they fell to the ground with a thud.
"Your Majesty, be clear! This minister does not have this intention!"
Duke Pei laughed coldly: "This matter was all because of the Zhu clan's daughter. If not for the Zhu clan's daughter, how could the Yelu tribe have the courage to ask to marry the Li clan's Princess? If Great Wei wants to recover Liangzhou, could it be that we need to rely on the Yelu tribe?"
The ministers were unable to respond.
Duke Pei scanned the circle of minsiters and slowly said: "The Xie family has been operating in Jingnan for generations, and the family is full of loyal and righteous people. Their sons of civil merit have become ministers, and the sons of military merit became generals. From early on, they have sacrificed their lives for the country without hesitation. When the Hu tribes went south, the people of the Central Plains were slaughtered. The Xie family, far away in Jingnan, resolutely led troops north to help the Zhu clan resist. Four generations, from great-grandparent to great-grandson, 100,000 heroic souls, all buried in the yellow sand.
"Twenty five years ago, famine broke out along the great river. People everywhere starved, and the plague was rampaging. Wherever the victims fled to, the local magistrates would drive them away. Only Jingnan's Xie Wuliang opened the city gates to accept and treat the victims, setting up porridge stands and medical centers. Countless people, people from all over, fled to Jingnan, but he took them all in without exception. When the epidemic was over, he sent men to escort the victims back to their hometowns, not forcibly detaining any of them.
"Twenty one years ago, His Majesty was defeated in Fuzhou. Tens of thousands of Wei troops were killed in the river valley. Wei County was also occupied by the enemy. Xie family sent troops to relieve the crisis in Wei County, offering their stored grain to help His Majesty raise a large army. For His Majesty, he help recruit the great clans of Jingnan. In just one year, he helped His Majesty recover all the lost land, and set up alliances for His Majesty.
"Eleven years ago, the Chu army attempted a sneak attack. The Xie family, in order to hold back the Chu army, in order to protect the civilians crossing the river, in order for His Majesty to realize his great cause, died defending Jingnan. Xie Wuliang, a weak scholar, faced the well-equipped and superior Southern Chu army and, for more than a month, defended the city until his last breath!
"Later, the city ran out of food and was really unable to resist the Chu army.
"The Xie family was full of martyrs."
Duke Pei's voice was powerful and resonating: "Before the city fell, Xie Wuliang, in order to save the people still in the city, had his own soldiers cut off his head to offer to the Chu army to calm their anger. That was why the Southern Chu's Zhao clan did not massacre the city."
As he narrated, the sound of the wind became exceedingly mournful.
The ministers looked grave and did not say a word.
Duke Pei's eyes raised, his cloudy old eyes bursting with light: "Your Majesty, for the sake of the country, the Xie family disregarded their family's best interest, sacrificing their lives in times of trouble. They brought no shame to their ancestors, no shame to the people, and no shame to Your Majesty! The people of Jingnan will not forget the Xie family's benevolence! Noble Consort Xie is Xie Wuliang's sister and has only one son and one daughter at her knees. Noble Consort has long been sick, and the seventh princess is sincerely filial, serving soup and medicine, never leaving her side. How can you have the heart to have the Seventh Princess marry instead?!"
His tone was cold and biting.
"Your Majesty, the Seventh Princess's name was given by Xie Wuliang. If Xie Wuliang were still alive, would you let the Seventh Princess marry far away?"
Li De's face was icy cold.
The ministers knelt on the ground, not daring to utter a word, but their faces all showed their sorrow and shame.
As Duke Pei said, they were all relieved when they learned that Chief Yelu had begged to marry the Seventh Princess-Zhu Luyun did not have to marry.
They went to great lengths to preserve the last bit of Zhu clan's bloodline, completely disregarding the life and death of the Seventh Princess. They were ashamed to face the Xie clan!
Li De took in the courtiers' emotional expressions.
Duke Pei first mentioned the promise from that year, then questioned the courtiers whether they were still loyal to Zhu clan, and then mentioned the Xie family. The courtiers, even if they were more partial to Zhu Luyun, could not openly approve of having Li Yaoying be the replacement in the marriage.
If he insisted on letting Yaoying be married off instead, not only would it chill the hearts of the Pei family, but also the of the powerful clans and noble families that followed him because of the Xie family. It would also make the old courtiers of the former dynasty fearful, while Governor Pei and others would be indignant.
When the new dynasty was established, he took great pains to balance the old courtiers, the noble families, the powerful clan, the poor families, and the military generals, so that no one side would be dominant, but the noble families still gradually took control of the court.
He could not let the faithful subjects chill at this time.
The undercurrents in the imperial court were far more important than the 10,000 iron horsemen of the Yelu tribe.
Li De weighed his options and quickly made a decision.
"The Yelu tribe seeked to marry Princess Fukang."
The words fell, and the ministers raised no objection.
The wind whistled in front of the palace courtyard.
Yaoying stood beside Duke Pei, her clothes drenched, heart beating like a drum, and slowly closed her eyes.
A few years ago, she happened to save the life of Pei Yu, Duke Pei's great-grandson. Duke Pei promised that he would do something for her, something that had to be unrelated to Li Zhongqian and Noble Consort Xie.
When she found out that Li Xuanzhen had wanted her to get married instead, she immediately thought of Duke Pei.
Fortunately, Duke Pei was a person who kept his word.
......
Li De kept Duke Pei to discuss the matter of granting marriage.
Yaoying asked to be excused.
Prime Minister Zheng watched Yaoying's back as she walked away, with a complicated look on his face.
Yesterday, his son Zheng Jing seeked him out, saying that he was in love with the Seventh Princess. He asked him to help persuade Li De, to stop Li De and the Eastern Palace from marrying the Seventh Princess instead.
The Zheng family and the Second Prince had discussed marriage, and although it was still not definite, as long as the Zheng family took out the previously prepared marriage letter and token, and the Seventh Princess cooperated, it was still possible to convince outsiders.
Prime Minister Zheng flatly refused: "If you offend the Eastern Palace for the Seventh Princess, your future official career will be completely ruined!"
Zheng Jing said without hesitation, "As long as I can save the Seventh Princess, this son is willing to never serve."
Prime Minister Zheng had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
Zheng Jing immediately went to the Seventh Princess to discuss how to get their story straight, leaving with great enthusiasm, but returning with a downcast look.
Prime Minister Zheng frowned and asked, "Did the Seventh Princess taunt you?"
His son had mediocre qualifications and was often ridiculed by others.
Zheng Jing shook his head, "The Seventh Princess did not taunt me."
Li Yaoying did not taunt Zheng Jing. She was surprised that Zheng Jing took the initiative to extend a helping hand and was grateful that he offered to help in her time of need. She solemnly thanked him for his kind intentions, but ultimately said, "Sanlang is of great talent and is bound to be a pillar for the country in the future, so you should not ruin your future prospects for me. Sanlang need not worry about me, I already have a way to protect myself."
Prime Minister Zheng scoffed. How could a young lady protect herself?
However, he still admired Li Yaoying for not going into a panic in the face of danger and for thinking about Zheng Jing's future at this time.
He thought that Li Yaoying was coaxing Zheng Jing when she said she had a way to protect herself.
Absolutely not expecting she would be able to invite Duke Pei.
Prime Minister Zheng frowned.
Chang'an and Wei County were separated by a thousand miles. Duke Pei should have left a long time ago, when the Yelu tribe had not yet written a petition to ask for marriage.
Li Yaoying must have sent a letter to Duke Pei the moment she found out that the Eastern Palace wanted her to marry instead. That was why Duke Pei could arrive so promptly, before the marriage edict was issued, while His Majesty could change his mind at any time.
This boldness was really rare.
......
The news of Li De's withdrawing the marriage-granting edict very quickly reached the Eastern Palace.
Zheng Biyu gently breathed a sigh of relief. She did not want to see the Seventh Princess's life ruined because of Zhu Luyun's capriciousness.
Wei Ming was greatly disappointed.
Li Xuanzhen reacted calmly, neither furious nor relieved.
He just gave a faint "I see'', turned his head and called his advisors to continue discussing how to prevent Zhu Luyun from being married off.
When Li De did not promise the marriage, Chief Yelu was utterly disappointed and asked for an audience, making promise after promise, but Li De was too busy accompanying Duke Pei to receive him.
The chief historian worriedly told Li Yaoying, "Chief Yelu's evil intentions will not die. He bribed the officials of Honglu Temple, wanting them to persuade His Majesty to promise the marriage."
Who knew what happened, but Chief Yelu, who had never seen Yaoying before, suddenly seemed to be possessed and acted as if he had to have Yaoying.
Yaoying had already received the marriage contract from Duke Pei, and the stone in her heart fell to the ground: "No matter. With this marriage contract from Duke Pei, no one would dare to force me to marry."
The chief historian told himself that she was right.
Now, with Duke Pei protecting the Seventh Princess, the villains in the dark dared not act blindly. And when the second prince returns, there will be nothing to worry about.
The chief historian looked forward to Li Zhongqian's early return.
After more than half a month, at last, the long-anticipated war report was sent from the south.
The chief historian opened the letter, the smile freezing in the corners of his mouth. His vision went black and he fell to the ground.
The letter was quickly delivered to Li Yaoying's hands.
On the letter was a line of unfamiliar handwriting: Two days ago, the right army led by Qin wang was ambushed, the whole army completely destroyed.