Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 170 Marriage
"They're asking for it." Xie Jiu snorted, displaying a fierce demeanor. "If they were to speak politely, I wouldn't even bother with them."

Looking at her proud and aloof demeanor, Zhao Xingjin's smile deepened.

Xie Jiu added, "I haven't heard any talk about the meeting with the Xichi people in the palace recently, so I suppose everything is going smoothly."

If things don't go smoothly, there will definitely be gossip all over the palace.

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever.

"It's alright." Zhao Xingjin replied calmly. "After running into a few obstacles, they've become much more obedient, and it's easier to negotiate with them now. Almost all the treaties we signed with them in the past need to be revised, and I'm afraid we won't be able to finish dealing with them before the end of the year."

When Emperor Hui was alive, the treaties he signed were all more favorable to the Western Chi Kingdom, and Zhao Xingjin would certainly not recognize a single one of them.

It's not that Da Jing needs to have a complete advantage, but at least the two sides need to be on equal footing.

If that doesn't work, then let's go to war.

This is Zhao Xingjin's attitude.

It was precisely because of his attitude that the people of Xichi Kingdom became more obedient and well-behaved.

The Western Chi Kingdom does not want to start a war. Currently, their domestic situation is not good either. They had previously experienced a long struggle for the throne, and when the throne was passed to the current ruler, Gao Xun, the political and economic situation was not optimistic.

He was on par with Da Jing.

However, on the Dajing side, Zhao Xingjin had personally fought his way to victory, and the blood on his hands was still fresh. If they wanted to fight again, it would be a matter of immediately drawing their swords and mounting their horses. The soldiers under him still had the blood and drive to fight.

The Western Kingdom had been peaceful for two hundred years. From the emperor down to the soldiers, everyone was used to a peaceful life. Going to war was something that was hard for them to accept.

Therefore, Zhao Xingjin adopted a very tough stance in this negotiation because he was certain that the other party's backbone had softened.

Xie Jiu nodded. "I do have something strange. Why did the King of Xichi send such a young prince to Dajing? He's only fifteen years old. Isn't he afraid of not being able to control the ministers? Could it be that he's just here as a mascot?"

Upon hearing Gao Sui's name, Zhao Xingjin's eyes immediately darkened.

"Don't underestimate this Prince Yi. Although he is young, he is very shrewd. Shangguan Yi and Zhao Zaiyan both listen to him. I was also puzzled. Later, I had someone investigate carefully and found out that although Gao Sui is the uncle of Gao Xun, the king of Xichi, he is old enough to be the king's son. He was raised by the late emperor of Xichi since he was a child. It is because of this relationship with the late emperor that he has spoken and helped the late emperor a lot since the current king of Xichi ascended the throne."

At this point, Zhao Xingjin paused, and then said,
“This Prince Yi personally helped the current King of Xichi kill two of his brothers and push him to the throne. This shows that he is ruthless and cunning. Although he is young, he is very shrewd and is not at all like the carefree person he appears to be.”

Xie Jiu looked somewhat surprised upon hearing this.

She could tell that Prince Yi was no ordinary person, but she never expected him to be such a ruthless character.

To have fought in the struggle for the throne, survive, and become someone the new emperor trusted is no small feat.

"To have such skill and courage at such a young age, given time, you will surely achieve great things," Xie Jiu said.

Zhao Xingjin clearly agreed with this point, raising his eyes to look at Xie Jiu, "I also think he is no ordinary person, and it is possible that he will make some great moves in the future."

These words immediately revealed Zhao Xingjin's ambition and schemes to Xie Jiu, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He then probed, "Does His Majesty think so highly of him because he intends to win him over?"

Seeing that Xie Jiu reacted so quickly, a smile appeared on Zhao Xingjin's face.

"Gao Sui's mother was of humble origin and has passed away long ago. He has no maternal clan to support him. He has come this far entirely through his own planning. I think that if his wife's family could give him a push, he could go even further. However, I'm afraid the King of Xichi will not choose a wife of high birth or whose maternal family holds real power for his relatives."

"Marriage?"

These two words immediately popped into Xie Jiu's mind. "He is indeed of marriageable age, but which family's daughter does the Emperor intend to give him?"

It's definitely not her biological daughter. Not to mention that the princesses are still young, the other party is just a minor prince. Zhao Xingjin is only betting on this a small amount and wouldn't send someone of too high a status.

“There are certainly good ones among the imperial family, but we must carefully select the right ones,” Zhao Xingjin said.

Xie Jiu nodded, "She must be good-looking, but even more so, she must be exceptionally intelligent. Otherwise, if she can't even protect herself in a foreign land, how can she plan for the future?"

After she finished speaking, Zhao Xingjin let out a long breath and patted the back of her hand.

"Yes, so choosing the right person requires a lot of thought, and it needs to be done as soon as possible. I plan to finalize the selection before the end of the year."

"So fast? There are only half a month left until the New Year." Xie Jiu was surprised.

Zhao Xingjin seemed to have made up his mind: "Taking advantage of this marriage, I will also discuss the trade alliance between our two countries with the Western Chi Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jiu understood and fell silent.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Xingjin then assigned her a very important task.

"I intend to entrust the matter of selecting officials to you."

"I?"

Xie Jiu hadn't expected this, but she still spoke up immediately.

"There is the Empress Dowager and the Empress in the palace. It would be inappropriate for a lowly concubine like me to overstep her bounds and do these things."

“The Empress is becoming restless these days, and I am worried that she is not reliable in handling matters. We cannot make a mistake in choosing the right person for this matter,” Zhao Xingjin said in a deep voice. “The Empress Dowager is getting old and has been feeling unwell lately. I do not want her to overwork herself.”

Hearing this, Xie Jiu frowned and thought for a moment, then said softly, "How about this, Her Majesty the Empress can take the lead in selecting candidates. She can host a plum blossom appreciation banquet and invite eligible young ladies to the palace. I can secretly observe and select a few candidates, and then have someone investigate them carefully. This way, we won't go over Her Majesty the Empress's head and cause her to lose face."

At this point, Xie Jiu glanced at Zhao Xingjin's expression and added.

"Your Majesty's family is indeed a meritorious family. I understand Your Majesty's intention in elevating me, but if this elevation is too disrespectful to the Empress, it will inevitably discourage the meritorious family members. In that case, the people's hearts will be unsettled."

These words made Zhao Xingjin think about them for a moment.

He did intend to use this incident to further promote Xie Jiu, so that Xie Mingshen could follow along and feel even more proud. Moreover, he was more at ease with Xie Jiu's choice of people. However, Xie Jiu's words made sense, so he nodded.

"Just do as you say."

Xie Jiu smiled and said, "In that case, I will first learn about the backgrounds of the young ladies in the imperial family, so that it will be easier to make a good impression during the plum blossom banquet."

"That's easy. I'll have Yang Zhian bring you a booklet later," Zhao Xingjin said casually.

After discussing these matters, Zhao Xingjin's passion for chess returned, and he played two games with Xie Jiu.

Having not played for a long time, Xie Jiu was quite interested. The two fought fiercely on the chessboard, eventually ending in a draw, with each winning one game.

There's no time for a third game; it's already lunchtime.

Unfortunately, Zhao Xingjin had other official business to attend to in the afternoon and didn't have time to continue. So much so that when he left Jingming Palace after lunch, he was still a little reluctant to leave.

He said that when he had time, they would settle the score again.

Xie Jiu made a few jokes before seeing the person off, and then immediately began to learn about the eligible young women in the Zhao clan.