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

Chapter 204 Twisted
“I have considered these things,” Zhao Xingjin said in a deep voice, “but the attitude of the Xichi people is truly disgusting to me.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Jiu knew that he had a plan.

So he continued to gently persuade, "The reason why His Majesty wants to form a marriage alliance is for the long-term plan. The envoy from Xichi is so unreliable. He becomes arrogant at the slightest sign of trouble, and ended up getting slapped hard by His Majesty. Now he is afraid and is behaving himself. If the minister is like this, then the King of Xichi is probably not much better. This is exactly what Your Majesty is planning."

Hearing Xie Jiu's words, Zhao Xingjin's expression gradually softened. Xie Jiu noticed this and kept talking.

"Adding a dowry to Princess Heyi is not only a way for us to value the princess, but also a way to give face to Prince Yi. Since it is a cooperation, we should also think about the long term. Now we are holding Xichi's neck too tightly. Doesn't Prince Yi worry that after he ascends the throne, Xichi will be more and more controlled by Dajing? If so, I'm afraid our cooperation will be less sincere and less stable, and the effect of the marriage alliance will be greatly reduced."

She stopped there and didn't elaborate further.

Zhao Xingjin was silent for a moment, then turned and looked her up and down. "I've noticed that you have an exceptionally long tongue."

"Is Your Majesty praising me or criticizing me?" Xie Jiu tilted her head to look at him. "Actually, to be honest, I owe a lot to Your Majesty's guidance. I used to be a quiet person."

"Nonsense, when have I ever acted like you?" Zhao Xingjin scoffed.

Unexpectedly, Xie Jiu also imitated him and hummed along.

"Look, it's precisely because His Majesty is always unwilling to speak clearly that I have to rack my brains to guess. If I guess right, that's fine, but if I guess wrong, His Majesty will be unhappy, and I'm afraid I'll be left hanging for quite some time!"

As she said this, her beautiful eyes held a hint of resentment and a touch of annoyance, making her look both angry and aggrieved.

When he first arrived, Zhao Xingjin thought he was in the right, but now that she was staring at him like that, he suddenly felt guilty.

It was as if he had betrayed the beauty's true feelings.

"How dare you presume to guess the Emperor's thoughts!" Zhao Xingjin retorted stubbornly.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jiu's eyes widened immediately, as if she were furious.

He then immediately reached out to untie the new belt around Zhao Xingjin's waist.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing!" Zhao Xingjin saw her rushing over and instinctively reached out to stop her. "Xie, how dare you!"

"Your Majesty has already said that I am quite bold. Since Your Majesty dislikes me so much, this belt on Your Majesty's body will only annoy you. It would be better to take it off and return it to me. I will cut it into pieces and throw it away in a moment!"

Xie Jiu was furious, refusing to back down an inch, and almost straddled Zhao Xingjin's waist.

Her outburst was so sudden that Zhao Xingjin couldn't control her for a moment. After a flurry of activity, he finally managed to grab her wrist and force her to stop.

Their eyes met, and Xie Jiu pressed herself against him, her eyes slightly red, her eyelashes already wet, and her lips tightly pursed, looking utterly stubborn.

Zhao Xingjin frowned as he looked at her, but suddenly lost his temper. He sighed, released his grip on her hand, adjusted his posture slightly, and then pulled her onto his lap, loosely encircling her in his arms.

"Alright, it's my fault. Why do you have to get so angry?"

Xie Jiu remained silent, only sniffing.

Plop, a hot tear fell onto the back of Zhao Xingjin's hand.

"Why are you still crying?" Zhao Xingjin turned her around and made her raise her head. His brows were still furrowed. He reached out to wipe Xie Jiu's tears. "Alright, alright, I shouldn't have not come to see you. Don't be angry with me. The belt is beautifully embroidered. I like it."

Hearing this, Xie Jiu's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly before she asked in a muffled voice, "Is Your Majesty leaving again tonight?"

"I won't go, I won't go," Zhao Xingjin coaxed gently.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jiu finally smiled. Just then, a series of light footsteps came from outside the door, followed by Princess Wenxi's voice.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, look, I've picked some plum blossoms for you!"

The little girl ran so fast that even the servants at the gate couldn't stop her. Princess Wenxi rushed into the palace and saw Xie Jiu sitting on Zhao Xingjin's lap, with Zhao Xingjin's arm around Xie Jiu's waist, looking very affectionate.

At this age, the servants and teachers at the school had already taught about the differences between men and women and the importance of observing proper etiquette. So when Princess Wenxi saw this scene, she was first stunned, then her face turned red, and she turned around and ran away.

It's like they've never been here.

The servants at the door also had stiff expressions, unsure of what to do.

Zhao Xingjin and Xie Jiu hadn't expected their daughter to return so suddenly, and they were both a little embarrassed. But after exchanging a glance, they felt a subtle tension in their hearts, and their faces flushed slightly.

"Since Your Majesty wishes to stay for dinner, then I will immediately have someone arrange it."

Xie Jiu spoke first, getting up from Zhao Xingjin.

Without giving the other person a chance to speak, he quickly left the room.

Zhao Xingjin felt a sense of emptiness in his heart when his lap was empty, but when he turned his head and saw Yang Zhian looking down as if he was suppressing a laugh, he coughed lightly to cover it up.

"What are you standing here for? Hurry up and help Consort Jin prepare dinner."

"Yes, slave, go right now!"

Yang Zhian readily agreed and immediately went out.

With the room empty, Zhao Xingjin seemed to deflate, letting out a long sigh and leaning against the cushion on the small couch.

Night falls in the sleeping quarters of Weiyang Palace.

"Did His Majesty stay overnight at Jingming Palace?" The Empress frowned. "Hasn't he not been there for a few days?"

As Hongmei removed the jewelry, she whispered, "Perhaps she was just busy the past few days."

"If he were busy, he wouldn't have gone to see Consort Zhuang, and Consort Wei as well. Consort Wei lives in Zhongcui Palace with Consort Liu. The Emperor usually favors Consort Liu more, but he didn't go to see her. This shows that there was some estrangement between Xie and the Emperor a few days ago, but now they have probably reconciled." The Empress said calmly.

Tingyun frowned. "What could it be? We haven't heard a word about it."

"Forget it, I don't have the energy to deal with her right now. After the first month of the lunar calendar, Zhaoqing will be moving to Ruiyu Palace. Have you packed her things yet? Is everything arranged there? Make sure she's not uncomfortable. This child has been with me since she was little and has never spent the night outside."

The Empress was preoccupied with her daughter and had no time to pay attention to Xie Jiu.

Another reason is that the imperial concubine selection has already been arranged, and new concubines will be entering the palace this year, which will inevitably lead to a division of favor. After a while, Xie Jiu will no longer be able to cause trouble.

"Your Majesty, would you like to take another look at Princess Heyi's dowry list? The Empress Dowager said that the princess is marrying far away and should not be treated poorly," Tingyun said.

The Empress frowned. "The Ministry of Rites is taking care of it. Just do it according to the rules. Even if she is granted the title of princess, she is still just a member of the imperial family. If she marries into the kingdom, she will only be a princess consort. She is not marrying the king of Xichi. I have seen the list last time and there are no problems. I don't have time to delay things for her. Zhaoqing needs to move the palace and the imperial concubine selection needs to be held."

Since she said that, Tingyun had no choice but to keep quiet.

While the Empress was unconcerned, someone else had put in the effort. The next morning, Xie Jiu sent someone to Zhao Zhiyu's residence to deliver some gifts to her.