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

Chapter 185

The next day.

When meeting with the envoys from the Western Chi Kingdom, Zhao Xingjin formally raised this matter again.

"If our two countries can form a marriage alliance, then I and your Emperor will be considered relatives, and the issue of tariffs will naturally be easier to discuss."

After Gao Sui left the palace yesterday, he had already informed Shangguan Yi and Zhao Zaiyan about this matter. However, since it was a matter of great importance, they did not dare to make a decision, but they also felt that this was indeed a good idea.

Outsiders may not know, but they themselves do. The emperor sitting on the throne of Xichi Kingdom now is not much stronger than Emperor Hui, who was dragged down by Zhao Xingjin.

Xichi is different from Dajing. Dajing is bordered by only one major power, while the others are insignificant small tribes. Xichi is bordered by Dajing to the south, the powerful Jin Kingdom to the east, and the equally powerful Yu Kingdom.

If the ruler is incompetent, it is not impossible for the country to be destroyed in time.

This is why they were quite cautious in their visit to Dajing. Although they wanted to gain the upper hand in the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and take the lead, they did not dare to go too far, for fear of angering Zhao Xingjin, the god of war, who would then really lead his troops north.

Considering this, a marriage alliance with Da Jing would indeed be a good thing.

Firstly, with the two countries forming an alliance, any outsiders who want to invade will have to think twice about whether they can fight two against one. Secondly, Zhao Xingjin is also willing to make some concessions on tariffs between the two countries.

The only thing that displeased the people of Xichi was that the daughters of the Dajing royal family were to marry Prince Yi, Gao Sui, instead of their emperor, Gao Xun.

So at this moment, Shangguan Yi carefully spoke up, “Your Majesty is willing to establish a friendly relationship between the two families, but is it a bit unfair for your princess to marry a prince? Our idea is that if the princess enters the palace, our emperor would not be stingy with the position of a Noble Consort.”

"Imperial Consort?" Zhao Xingjin sneered. "Isn't an Imperial Consort also a concubine? Daughters of the Zhao family's royal family don't become concubines. If you can persuade your emperor to depose the Empress and make my cousin the Empress, that's feasible."

His words immediately left Shangguan Yi speechless, turning his face pale.

Seeing this, Zhao Zaiyan quickly stepped forward to smooth things over, "Your Majesty is concerned about your sister, and we officials have also noticed this. However, Prince Yi has always been close to our Emperor, so this marriage must be discussed with our Emperor before a decision can be made."

"Don't I remember that Prince Yi is your emperor's uncle? What, does the younger generation have to agree to the marriage of an elder?" Zhao Xingjin said.

This made Zhao Zaiyan's face twitch, and in the end he could only say, "There is a difference between ruler and subject."

"Alright, then you can go ahead and write the letter." Zhao Xingjin waved his hand.

He seemed completely unconcerned.

The people of Xichi felt offended. Apart from Gao Sui, the officials of Dajing present were surprised and puzzled by the Emperor's sudden move.

The negotiations ended close to noon.

After all the officials left the palace, Zhao Xingjin, who had originally planned to have lunch in Chengming Hall, felt he had no appetite and, after thinking about it, went to Jingming Palace instead.

When I arrived, I saw Xie Jiu teaching Princess Wenxi how to analyze articles.

"Why are you working so hard here?" Zhao Xingjin asked.

Xie Jiu pulled Wen Xi to bow together.

After getting up, she said, "It's because the princess was worried that she would fall behind in her studies while she was sick and not attending school, so she asked me to read the articles to her."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xingjin reached out and patted his daughter's head, smiling as he spoke.

"That's right, it's good to study hard. Girls can be just as intelligent and sensible if they read more books."

"Thank you for the compliment, Father." Princess Wenxi smiled shyly, then said, "Father, the ink you gave me last time was too precious, and I didn't know how to use it properly. I'd like to offer it to Consort Jin, is that alright?"

The young girl thought it best to ask about the imperial gift. Zhao Xingjin looked at her, "What, you don't like it?"

“I like it, but my daughter hasn’t even mastered calligraphy yet, so she doesn’t really need this fine ink,” Princess Wenxi said truthfully. She added, “Your Highness Jin is a painter, so you can use this fine ink to paint, which will preserve the ink for longer. Your Highness Jin said that once my daughter’s rash has completely healed, she wants to paint her portrait!”

This is something that makes the little girl very excited.

It's probably similar to how adults in later times promised to take someone for a photoshoot.

Since she had said so, Zhao Xingjin naturally agreed.

Princess Wenxi then suggested that she go back to rest, giving the two adults some space.

The little girl is very clever.

Xie Jiu personally poured tea for Zhao Xingjin, saying, "Why didn't Your Majesty give prior notice before coming? The kitchen has already prepared my favorite dishes. Please send someone to inform Your Majesty again and have two more dishes that Your Majesty would like to be made."

"It's alright, I'll just have a couple of bites," Zhao Xingjin said.

These words made Xie Jiu raise her eyes and observe him carefully. "Your Majesty looks quite well, so why is your appetite poor?"

Her question made Zhao Xingjin smile, realizing that Xie Jiu had misunderstood him, so he explained.

"I am fine. What I mean is, I am in a good mood today, so you can eat whatever you like. You decide."

This answer made Xie Jiu laugh, and she asked why. Zhao Xingjin then told her about the marriage alliance between the two countries.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and added, "I'm afraid your father will come to inquire again. What are you going to say to him?"

“Of course, I’ll just say I know nothing about it,” Xie Jiu shrugged.

He wondered to himself, now that such a big announcement had been made, would that Xichi man named Zhao Zaiyan arrange a meeting with Xie Mingshen, or would Xie Mingshen want to find him?

The two of them might then have to meet secretly again.

Thinking of this, Xie Jiu tightened his grip on the teacup, hoping that Xie Wei could find out something useful this time.

Zhao Xingjin was unaware of what she was thinking. At this moment, he lowered his eyes and leaned lazily against the pillow.

He said calmly, "I plan to bestow the marriage at the palace banquet on New Year's Eve."

"Is Your Majesty not waiting for the King of Xichi's reply?" Xie Jiu asked.

Zhao Xingjin chuckled, "He will definitely agree, so there's no need to wait any longer. New Year's Eve is a suitable day to announce this. I will not allow anyone into the Xichi harem. This Gao Sui is not young, but he is worth my gamble. In a few years, Xichi will probably be exciting and lively again."

Zhao Xingjin was pleased to think of that situation.

He hoped that Gao Sui could pull Gao Xun off the throne, and that Gao Sui would also be unable to hold onto his position. Then, Zhao Xingjin would have plans to march north.

No emperor didn't want to expand his territory, and Zhao Xingjin was no exception.

Of course, if Gao Sui is capable of holding his position, he can consider it as having gained an ally, and it doesn't bother him.

Xie Jiu guessed some of his thoughts and said with a slight smile, "Your Majesty has a good eye for people. I think this Prince Yi will not disappoint Your Majesty."

From Zhao Zhiyu, Xie Jiu already knew that Gao Sui would become emperor in four years. Now that Zhao Xingjin was pushing him forward, would that process be accelerated?

She also had some expectations, hoping to see if Zhao Zhiyu, who was also starting over like her, could live a different life this time.