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

Chapter 188 New Year’s Eve
That was the only incident at the dinner party; everything went smoothly afterward.

However, this smoothness is relative. The people of Dajing were in good spirits, while on Xichi's side, apart from Gao Sui, everyone else seemed somewhat gloomy.

Zhao Xingjin didn't care.

He was dissatisfied with the actions of Xichi Kingdom from the very beginning. After he ascended the throne, all the surrounding countries came to congratulate him in time, but Xichi, which had the largest border with Dajing and seemed to be of comparable national strength, did not send anyone.

Not only did they only come to offer congratulations now, but they were probably forced into it because Zhao Xingjin directly refused to acknowledge the contract signed with them by the previous Emperor Hui, forcing the King of Xichi to send someone to negotiate.

Judging from Shangguan Yi's demeanor when he first met the officials of Dajing, he was incredibly arrogant and didn't take anyone seriously.

Zhao Xingjin has never been one to put up with being bullied, so why would he be willing to endure it?
In fact, if it weren't for the fact that his men and horses were exhausted and lacked supplies when he first ascended the throne, he would have really intended to strike while the iron was hot and march north.

Things are different now.

From the moment Xie Jiu entered the palace and surrendered with the Wu family's wealth, Zhao Xingjin's national treasury was almost filled with silver taken from the pockets of corrupt officials. In addition, this year all the prefectures of Dajing had a bumper harvest, so money and grain were plentiful.

After more than a year of recuperation, his troops were all ready to go.

If it were to be a war, they would be quite capable of fighting.

This is why the longer the Xichi delegation stayed in the capital of Dajing, the more cautious they became, because they witnessed Dajing's considerable national strength.

After the banquet ended, it was New Year's Eve, a big day, and Zhao Xingjin still went to the Empress's residence as per custom.

The Empress breathed a sigh of relief; she was afraid that Zhao Xingjin wouldn't even give her this much face.

During the banquet, Zhao Xingjin interacted with Xie Jiu several times, and everyone present couldn't help but sigh that the Emperor truly favored the Xie family's daughter.

Even among the envoys from the Western Chi Kingdom, there was one who, in order to please Zhao Xingjin, composed two lines of poetry praising Xie Jiu's beauty, and received a reward from Zhao Xingjin.

Weiyang Palace.

"Her eyebrows were like emerald feathers, her face like jade, and her smile was more radiant than the stars." The Empress sat before the bronze mirror removing her makeup, her gaze cold and sharp.

He murmured the poem that Jin Yue, the envoy from Xichi Kingdom, had specially written for Xie Jiu.

"Ha, what a splendid Sheng Xinghua! Is this Xie woman some kind of celestial fairy descended to earth?" the Empress sneered.

"Your Majesty, why bother with these matters? Every woman who can serve in the palace is exceptionally beautiful," Tingyun gently advised. "That Xichi man is merely trying to curry favor with our Emperor. He's supposed to be a scholar, yet he has no integrity whatsoever."

There was a hint of disdain in those words.

The Empress lowered her eyes. "You said it yourself, pleasing the Xie family is pleasing the Emperor. It's clear that everyone knows that Consort Jin is the Emperor's darling. Consort Jin, this title already violates the Emperor's name, but the Emperor still wants to use this word to bestow upon her. The ministers' memorials are useless."

"Your Highness, please lower your voice. The Emperor is here." Tingyun glanced warily at the bathing room and then advised, "No matter how many times it's sealed off, it can't bypass Your Highness. The Emperor is still in our Weiyang Palace today."

The Empress took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. "There's still a long time ahead. I'll see how long she can remain so smug after this new lady enters the palace."

Jingming Palace.

Xie Jiu didn't know how long he could enjoy such good days, but he figured he'd take it one day at a time.
Today, Zhao Xingjin dragged me around at the palace banquet, making me act, so I didn't eat well. Therefore, after returning, I set up three tables in the palace myself.

Xie Jiu ate at one table with Princess Wenxi, and also invited Chunrong, Qingfang, and Qinlan to join them. The other two tables were paid for by Xie Jiu with silver to reward the palace servants of Jingming Palace.

Not only do they get to eat New Year's Eve dinner, but they also receive a bonus afterward.

Xie Jiu took charge and even rewarded the servants around Princess Wenxi, treating them the same as those who served her.

This made the people serving Princess Wenxi extremely happy. The princess lost her mother at a young age, and it was already a blessing that her daily food, clothing, and necessities weren't cut. Qinlan was in charge of the money and wanted to save more for the princess's dowry, so they weren't really that wealthy and didn't have any extra money to give to people. It was only on occasional major holidays that Qinlan would take out some money to improve the meals of the servants.

Unexpectedly, after the princess was raised under the care of Consort Jin, their lives became so good, and they all became much more loyal.

That's how people are. If there's no gratitude, you have to use money to keep them loyal. Otherwise, if you have nothing, why would anyone be willing to work diligently for you?

"Your Highness, I want to stay up all night with you." Princess Wenxi said, holding Xie Jiu's hand.

Xie Jiu bent down and touched her face. "You have to stay up until midnight to celebrate the New Year. It's already quite late. Aren't you sleepy?"

“I’m not sleepy.” Princess Wenxi shook her head and pulled her closer. “I want to accompany Consort Jin.”

Seeing this, Qinlan was about to offer some advice, but Xie Jiu stopped her and responded with a smile.

"Alright, let's guard together then. How about I tell you a story, Lady Jin?"

"it is good!"

Princess Wenxi responded loudly, her face beaming with smiles.

So inside the room, Xie Jiu embraced Princess Wenxi, with Qinlan, Chunrong, and Qingfang by her side, and the mistress and servants kept watch together.

Children really can't stay awake forever. After sitting for about half an hour, they became drowsy and eventually fell asleep in Xie Jiu's arms before midnight.

"Miss."

Qinlan suddenly spoke up.

Xie Jiu looked up. "What's wrong?"

After she finished speaking, Qinlan got up and walked to the front of her, then knelt down properly, bowed her head and performed a grand ceremony.

"This servant can see that Your Majesty truly loves the princess. Since meeting Your Majesty, both the princess and this servant have been well taken care of by Your Majesty. Your Majesty saved this servant's life. Therefore, this servant hereby swears that in the future, I am willing to serve Your Majesty with all my heart and soul, and in the next life, I will continue to repay Your Majesty's kindness. I only ask that Your Majesty will always treat the princess as your own daughter!"

Hearing Qinlan's words, Xie Jiu's eyes softened.

"In this palace, there aren't many people who truly care about me. Chunrong and Qingfang have grown up with me since childhood and are as close as sisters. The princess is young and kind, and she genuinely wants to be close to me. Don't worry, as long as I'm here, even if I have my own children in the future, I will treat the princess well. You should remember what you said today. In that way, we will be true confidants."

Qinlan nodded with tears in her eyes. Chunrong and Qingfang came forward and took her hands on either side. The group surrounded Xie Jiu and Princess Wenxi, their hearts filled with warmth.

However, such scenes are not common. At that time, in a small courtyard outside the palace, Wu Qingchan, who was ill, was kneeling on a prayer mat and silently shedding tears.

"Madam, please don't cry. It'll hurt your eyes. You hurt your eyes while you were still recovering from your postpartum period, and they've only just started to get a little better," Yu Lu, the maid who accompanied you on your dowry, comforted you in a low voice.

Wu Qingchan raised her hand to wipe away her tears. "How could I not be heartbroken? At this time last year, I was so carefree in the Marquis's mansion, living a life of luxury, loved by my elder brother. Although I lost my parents, I never suffered any hardship. But now, I am humiliated by such a country bumpkin. On New Year's Eve, I was forced to kneel here as punishment, and my husband did not even protect me!"

Thinking back to today's family reunion dinner, her mother-in-law nitpicked and deliberately used foul language to provoke her. She only managed to retort a couple of times before being slapped twice.

At first, Zhou Zhiqing defended her, but when his mother-in-law mentioned that his career was currently hindered because of Wu Qingchan, Zhou Zhiqing stopped talking.

Poor Wu Qingchan was forced to kneel in this small Buddhist hall as punishment.

"Chan'er? Are you alright?"

Suddenly, Zhou Zhiqing's voice came from outside.