tallest building

The King of the Fields likes to drink strong tea.

The princess ordered someone to brew him a strong pot of tea, while she herself drank Fuding white tea.

The King of the Fenye Kingdom looked slightly weary, but his expression was relaxed. These past few days, he and the princess had been as inseparable as newlyweds.

"The King of Chu has invited us to a banquet. Will Your Highness accept?" Princess Duanmin poured him a cup of tea and asked with a smile.

“I don’t really want to go. It’s cold, and social engagements take a lot of time,” Chess said, taking a big gulp of tea. “Besides, there’s no real need for it.”

"Does Your Highness mean that since the heir to the Prince of Zhao has been chosen, there is no need to have much contact with the Prince of Chu's family?" the princess asked.

"Of course, the Prince of Zhao was originally a candidate for the crown prince. I said back on the grasslands that as long as he wasn't completely useless, the marriage would go through. When the emperor celebrated his birthday, I made it clear that his daughter was going to be the empress." The Prince of Fenye's purpose was very clear: his daughter was to become the empress.

Princess Duanmin smiled slightly upon hearing this, gently turning the lid of her teacup and saying, "You men are so careless; once the important matters are settled, you don't care about anything else."

Upon hearing this, Qisihe raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by that, Princess? Is your thinking wrong?"

“It’s not about right or wrong, but about good or bad,” Princess Duanmin said to Qisihe as if teaching a child. “Our Zhuolahan is the jewel of the Fenye tribe. They must come and beg us properly before we can agree.”

Why should something easily obtained be cherished? Isn't that the mindset of most men?

“You mean…” Chess’s hand, which was holding a teacup, stopped.

“Is there anything Your Highness doesn’t understand? We just want Prince Zhao and the others to be more proactive, without lowering ourselves.” Princess Duanmin raised her delicate finger and gently poked Prince Fenye’s forehead.

The scent of orchid and musk on her wrist, like a peach blossom breeze, brushed against the face of the King of the Fenye Kingdom, intoxicating him.

“I understand, that’s definitely how it should be.” Chess was no fool; he understood what the princess meant.

We can't let the King of Zhao and his people get too cocky. We need to make things a little difficult for them, to make them anxious and worried. Only then will they feel lucky and respect our side more once things are settled.

"In that case, let's go to the banquet and praise the Crown Prince of Chu in public. It will also let the King of Zhao and the others know that our Zhuolahan is not necessarily dependent on his son. They should be very attentive and ask for our daughter's hand in marriage as if they were begging for a phoenix." As Princess Duanmin spoke, she fiddled with the ring on the finger of the King of Fenye. Her fingers were slender and fair, which aroused Qisihe's romantic thoughts. He grabbed her hand and couldn't help but caress it.

The idea of ​​inviting King Fenye and the princess to a banquet was suggested by Mr. Hua Ying. King Chu hesitated, worried that they might not accept the invitation.

But Mr. Hua Ying said, "Please don't worry, they will definitely come."

Although the King of Chu had evidence against the King of Zhao, he did not act rashly. He tore off a page from the account book, wrapped it in tea leaves, and sent it to the King of Zhao, merely as a deterrent.

Otherwise, if they really wanted to take action, why would they alert the enemy by making a move?

The Emperor ordered Prince Zhao to investigate the matter of Prince Chu. Prince Zhao pretended to investigate for a few days and then reported back to the Emperor: "There is nothing to do with Prince Chu. It seems that the two officials have misunderstood."

The ministers who reported to the King of Chu were from the same faction as the King of Zhao; they were all in cahoots. The two men also apologized to the emperor, saying that they had been misled by rumors.

The Emperor did not originally intend to investigate the Prince of Chu. Although he knew that the Prince of Chu was not innocent, he still had someone who could keep the Prince of Zhao in check.

Otherwise, apart from upright and loyal ministers like Zhu Hui, the entire court would be dominated by the Dong family's influence. "Since it's a misunderstanding, let's put this matter aside and never mention it again," the Emperor said. "Prince Zhao, you've had a hard time these past few days. The Liaodong envoy has presented you with many furs and ginseng; take some back with you."

King Zhao thanked the king, accepted the reward, and left the palace.

"Is this the end of the matter?" Princess Zhao asked King Zhao.

She was unaware of the account books; King Zhao had kept it from her the whole time.

He simply told him there was no need to keep trying to intimidate the King of Chu; it would be better to strike at his weak point directly.

Princess Zhao thought about it and agreed. Rather than making a small fuss, it would be better to strike at the root of the problem.

Without Ying Bai, the King of Chu and his allies had nothing left to fight for.

The very next day, they heard that King Fenye and Princess Duanmin had gone to the Chu King's residence for a banquet. This news made King Zhao and his wife unhappy and even more nervous.

"Why didn't I tell you sooner? That Princess Duanmin had no good intentions!" Princess Zhao gritted her teeth. "The Empress just doesn't take it seriously yet. By the time she realizes what's going on, it will be too late."

Every time I talked to her about it, she would tell me to put my mind at ease, saying that Zhuolahan could only marry our Tong'er, without any precautions.

Now that Duanmin has lowered her stance and is being affectionate towards Qisi and Xiaoyi, do you think she's after Nada's body? She's clearly just trying to influence him through her pillow talk!

“We can’t be soft-hearted anymore,” King Zhao’s unease grew, as if a sword was hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment. “Didn’t you already tell the people in the palace?”

“Of course, but we must choose the right time to act,” said Princess Zhao. “There are many people in the palace, and it would be bad if something went wrong. Although they will certainly not reveal our identities, it will inevitably make the King of Chu and his men wary, and it may alert them.”

She naturally has people in the palace, and besides, she is the Empress's younger sister and Grand Tutor Dong's youngest daughter. It would be easy for her to bribe a few people to work for her if she wanted to.

She had bribed the people in the imperial kitchen to find an opportunity to poison the Prince of Chu's food. This poison was extremely secretive and would be very difficult for ordinary people to detect.

People who are poisoned will experience abdominal pain and diarrhea, similar to having a gastrointestinal disease, but they will usually die within seven days.

At that time, the imperial physicians could be persuaded to turn a blind eye and simply say that the Crown Prince of Chu had acute diarrhea that was ineffective and that alas, it was a terrible tragedy.

Even if the King of Chu had suspicions, what could he do? He had no real evidence. His son was also dead. Even for the sake of the bigger picture, the Emperor and Empress wouldn't allow the investigation to continue; that would only make the situation more chaotic.

Even if the Empress sensed something or felt dissatisfied, he and she were, after all, sisters. At most, she would scold her a few times behind her back, but that would be the end of it.

Since their interests are intertwined, they won't really turn against each other. Princess Zhao was quite confident about this.

"Why has the weather changed again? Is it going to snow?" The princess looked up at the window and saw thick, dark clouds and a biting north wind.

"If it snows, His Majesty will probably go hunting again," said the Prince of Zhao. "The Prince of Fenye is so bored in the capital that he's just hoping for snow to go hunting!" (End of Chapter)