Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 174 Meng Jiang (Part 2)

"Yes, yes, Emperor Qi possesses great talent and ambition,"

Qu Zhao smiled and sat opposite Wu Wenhe, saying, "I heard that your mission to Jiao State this time was to ask for the hand of Jiao Bo's eldest daughter, Meng Jiang, on behalf of your king. I must say, your king has excellent taste; this Meng Jiang is no ordinary heroine."

Seeing Qu Zhao praise Meng Jiang, Wu Wenhe raised his eyes slightly and a faint smile appeared on his face. He said, "Is that so? It seems that this Meng Jiang is indeed remarkable, to have received such high praise from you."

"If we look at it this way, wouldn't this woman and my lord be a perfect match? She should become the Queen of our Xu Kingdom, a model for the nation and its people."

"A perfect match?"

Qu Zhao thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "That's not entirely wrong. However, this girl is quite formidable. If your king has the ability to subdue her, bring her into the country, utilize her talents, and control her arrogance, she can assist a wise ruler and bring prosperity to the nation."

"But if you can't control it, then it will be up to the girl to control it. You should think carefully!"

Wu Wenhe clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "Old Qu, you underestimate me, Xu Jun! My lord is divinely gifted with martial prowess. He once killed the ferocious beast, Aohun, with his fist. His martial arts are outstanding, and his character is strong. He is awe-inspiring in the East. How dare a mere woman like me not bow down?"

"Once this noble lady from Jiao marries into Xu, she will surely be won over by my lord in due time."

Seeing his old friend speak so highly of the new ruler of Xu, Qu Zhao was amazed. The two had a deep history and knew each other's temperaments, so he said, "It seems that your new ruler is quite a remarkable person, to be so highly regarded by you. This is a treatment that even your benefactor, Xu Bochu, never received."

Upon hearing this, Wu Wenhe's expression turned solemn, and he said seriously, "That is not true. It is not that I do not respect my late father. My late father was my benefactor. Without my late father, there would be no Wu Wenhe today."

"When the late King Chu first ascended the throne, the State of Xu had just experienced four generations of chaotic rule, and the country was unstable. The Duke's uncle killed his nephew, the nephew killed his brother, and the brother killed his elder brother. The people were in a state of panic, and the country's strength was greatly diminished. It was only through the late King's decades of recuperation and restoration that the State of Xu gradually recovered its current strength."

"It is thanks to the foundation laid by our late lord that our Xu Kingdom has been blessed with a wise ruler who has the opportunity to use his talents. If our future ruler achieves great success, he will surely posthumously honor our late lord with the title 'Wen' to comfort his spirit."

Upon hearing these words, Qu Zhao paused abruptly, staring blankly at Wu Wenhe. After a long while, he said, "Wu Yun, only today have I truly seen your true colors. You are indeed resolute, steadfast, righteous, and loyal."

Wu Yun was Wu Wenhe's original name, while Wenhe was his courtesy name.

"It is a blessing for Xu Bochu and his son Xu Boshang to have a loyal and honest minister like you,"

"It's a pity that you have great talent, but you can't use it in your own country; you have lofty ambitions, but only the Lü family knows how to cherish them."

Wu Wenhe remained silent. Although he had always claimed to be of humble origin and that he had achieved his current success only because of Xu Bochu's favor, he was still in the state of Xu.

However, Wu Wenhe was able to become a sage, so how could he really have come from humble origins? In this vast wilderness, kings and generals all have their own lineage, and Wu Wenhe was one of those born into nobility.

Both Wu Wenhe's Wu clan and Qu Zhao's Qu clan originated from the Mi surname. Among the states of Jingzhou, the Mi surname lords held immense power. As a branch of the Yun surname, one of the eight noble surnames, the Mi surname's ancestral origin was also the Black Emperor Gaoyang clan.

The reason why Wu Wenhe did not serve in the Mi clan states of Jingzhou was not because he did not want to, but because when he was young and impetuous, he offended many nobles in the Mi clan states. He also made too many enemies, which forced Wu Wenhe to leave his hometown and go to Yuzhou.

"Let's not talk about that anymore. We're old friends and haven't seen each other for many years, so we should talk about something happy."

Seeing that Wu Wenhe remained silent, Qu Zhao knew that Wu Wenhe did not want to talk about these past events, so he changed the subject and started talking about other things.

------

A night of silence,
The next day at 5:45 AM, in the Mingtang Hall of Jiao State, bells and chimes rang out in unison.

Jiang Xia, dressed in a red silk robe, sat upright on the throne, while the red dragon reliefs on the palace pillars seemed to breathe in the morning light.

Below the steps, the assembled officials stood in rows, their varied expressions reflected on their official tablets. "Today we will discuss the marriage alliance with the State of Xu,"

Jiang Xia said in a low voice, "Please speak freely, gentlemen."

Prime Minister Jiang Kai, standing at the head of the assembled officials, looked around and silently awaited the advice of the other noble families.

After a moment of silence in the hall, Minister Jiang Luan stepped forward from the crowd.

"Your Majesty, although the State of Xu is of the same lineage as the Jiang family, the two states of Jiao and Xu are located in the west and the east, respectively. If the two states were to form a marriage alliance, they would be mutually supportive, which might invite criticism from other states."

Among the other ministers, some who supported the marriage alliance with Xu immediately spoke up, saying, "Should we abandon the marriage alliance with Xu simply because we fear criticism from other states?"

"Gentlemen, in this corner of Henan, among the nine regional governors, only my Jiao Kingdom and Xu Kingdom are governors of the Jiang surname. If the two countries form an alliance through marriage, one in the west and one in the east, they can support each other. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."

"How can we give up eating because of a little noise from foreign lands, and cut off our own arm?"

"good,"

At this moment, Prime Minister Jiang Kai stroked his beard and smiled. His gaze swept over the arguing ministers, and suddenly he lightly tapped his tablet, the clear sound breaking the commotion in the hall.

Then, he bowed deeply to Jiang Xia and said, “Your Majesty, what you all said is very insightful. However, this old minister believes that the State of Xu and our State are of the same lineage, which is a natural marriage alliance. The East and West are geographically connected, which is a geographical advantage. If the marriage alliance is successful, it will be a harmonious union. Therefore, this old minister believes that this is a blessed union bestowed by Heaven!”

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Xia turned her gaze to a corner of the Mingtang Hall.

At this moment, Meng Jiang stood quietly on the eastern steps, her cinnabar eyes slightly upturned at the corners. Today, she did not wear her coral beaded necklace, but only tied her hair with a red rope, which made her appear more dignified than usual. As if sensing her father's gaze sweeping over her, she immediately lowered her head and awaited his final decision.

Jiang Xia looked at Meng Jiang, who was bowing her head below the steps, and finally sighed.

"Issue my imperial edict,"

His voice, tinged with the lingering echo of bells and chimes, said, "I hereby announce to the nation that my eldest daughter, Meng Jiang, will be married to the State of Xu on an auspicious day."

The sound of ceremonial tablets tapping lightly echoed throughout the hall. Prime Minister Jiang Kai was the first to kowtow, saying, "Your Majesty's wise decision to establish a marriage alliance between the East and West will surely enhance the prestige of our Jiao Kingdom in the west."

"I hope so,"

Amidst the cheers of the court officials, Jiang Xia ordered the palace attendants to ring the bells signaling the end of the court session.

The sounds of bells and chimes signaling the end of court gradually faded outside the palace, and the officials filed out.

Jiang Xia gazed at Meng Jiang's falling hair, her knuckles unconsciously tapping the armrest of the throne. The palace servants immediately understood and withdrew.

"Now, things are exactly as you wished. I only hope you won't regret it later."

Faced with her father's worries, Meng Jiang said frankly, "I have never known what regret is. Marrying far away to the State of Xu was my own decision, and I will never regret it."

"Don't say there's no chance to regret it. Even if you gave your daughter a thousand or ten thousand more chances, she would still say she has no regrets."

(End of this chapter)