I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 526 Liu Miao: Oh no! I'm the scapegoat now!

"Liu Miao, he's truly despicable!"

Inside the Taiji Hall of the Ye City Imperial Palace, Yuan Shang stared with a livid face at the extremely unequal treaty laid out before him.

Not only did they demand that the Eastern Zhao court pay the Han Dynasty a huge amount of money and grain in compensation, but they also ceded Liaoxi and Youbeiping to the Eastern Zhao.

Losing these two territories nearly halved the warhorse production of the entire Eastern Zhao Dynasty! At the same time, this also meant that the Great Han in the south would be completely free from the constraints of warhorses and become a true military superpower!

At the same time, from then on, Eastern Zhao would be trapped in a huge snare surrounded by Liu Bei, Yuan Tan and Liu Miao, and would have no stable hinterland at all!

Such a treaty is absolutely unacceptable!

Agreeing to Liu Miao's conditions would practically mean ruining the future of the entire Eastern Zhao!
but……

"Your Majesty, three more stone projectiles were just fired from the Han army camp and landed in front of the city wall."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shang closed his eyes in anguish.

By signing this treaty, you've gambled with your future.

But if we hadn't signed, we wouldn't even have this now!

Yuan Shang, feeling rather helpless, ordered the official in charge of the seal to bring over the Imperial Seal of the Northern Zhao.

It's hard to imagine that Yuan Shang used this national treasure, inherited from Yuan Shao, for the first time on such a humiliating and disgraceful official document...

When the officials of Dongzhao saw Yuan Shang stamp the imperial seal on the official document, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that they really wanted to see Yuan Shang sign that treaty.

Rather, it was the stone projectiles fired by the Han army that were truly terrifying!
To this day, they still can't figure out what method Liu Miao used to be able to throw a hundred-pound boulder hundreds of steps away onto the city wall of Ye!

Could it be that Liu Miao's camp truly has the legendary strongman to assist him?

That's not even the point.

The crucial question is, who knows if Liu Miao actually managed to throw that stone into Ye City? And who would it hit on the head?

These scholars didn't want to be singing and embracing a dancing girl when suddenly a stone falling from the sky hit them on the head!
Liu Miao certainly wanted a lot, but no matter how much he wanted, it wasn't as valuable as his own life, was it?

After all, no matter how much Liu Miao was given, it was still the country's... but if that stone ball landed on his head, he would be the one to die!
As for money and grain, it's just a matter of making the people suffer a little more! Anyway, the people of Hebei are not afraid of hardship! They can endure hardship!

……

Yuan Shang, his face ashen, pressed the imperial seal onto the object, unable to bear even a glance at it. He then turned to Tian Feng and asked, "In that case, can Liu Miao withdraw his troops?"

Tian Feng bowed slightly: "Liu Miao still wants to ask His Majesty if one person is to leave before he will lead his troops away."

VIP?

Compared to those harsh treaties, it's really a small matter concerning just one person!

Yuan Shang waved his hand casually: "Give him whoever he wants right now!"

As long as Liu Miao can withdraw from Hebei and not be pressured so much, allowing him to free up his hands to sort out other matters, Yuan Shang will agree to any request!
But just to be on the safe side, Yuan Shang asked one more question: "Who does he want?"

"The wife of the traitor Yuan Tan, Princess Cao of Qinghe!"

Tian Feng's words stunned everyone once again! Especially Yuan Shang, who swayed precariously, gritting out a few words in disbelief: "Who does he want???"

Tian Feng remained silent, but his expression alone was enough to convey a great deal.

"Liu Miao! Liu Miao! This is outrageous!!!"

Yuan Shang finally couldn't hold back and started cursing!

"They took away Yuan Xi's betrothed before, and now they're setting their sights on Qinghe?"

Tian Feng sighed.

"It is common knowledge throughout the land that Liu Miao was a womanizer."

"Presumably, it was the news that Yuan Tan had slandered His Majesty that reached his ears, and he then became lustful and asked His Majesty for Qinghe."

Tian Feng cupped his hands and advised again, "Your Majesty, although Liu Miao is rampant, if we hand Qinghe over to him now, we can silence the gossip and prevent people from believing Yuan Tan's rumors that Your Majesty has truly humiliated your elder sister-in-law."

Yuan Shang, who was still angry, changed his expression and lost his initial confidence.

Shen Pei kept his eyes on Tian Feng the whole time.

Upon hearing Tian Feng's words, Shen Pei took a deep breath and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I second that proposal."

"You, judge! You..."

Yuan Shang was both shocked and furious, and at the same time, he vaguely guessed the truth.

He simply couldn't believe that these Hebei scholars would dare to use Liu Miao's attack on the city as an opportunity to set such a trap for him!
If things are like this so soon after he ascended the throne, what will happen in the future?
Yuan Shang sat on the supreme throne he had always dreamed of, but his heart was filled with utter despair.

He suddenly felt that he was no longer Emperor Xiaoming of Han or Emperor Xiaozhang of Han, but Emperor Xiaohuan of Han! Emperor Xiaoling of Han!
A few beads of cold sweat appeared on Yuan Shang's forehead. Only then did he realize that the throne was much hotter than he had imagined!
But when he remembered that Princess Qinghe had once said "Empress," Yuan Shang's panic gradually subsided, and he gradually sided with Shen Pei and Guo Tu.

This woman absolutely cannot be allowed to live!

Yuan Shang, with a cold face, nodded to Shen Pei and Tian Feng: "In that case, let Liu Miao and Yuan Tan fight like dogs in the future!"

------

"What are you doing? I am the future Empress of the Great Zhao Dynasty! The Empress, second only to the Emperor! What exactly do you want?"

Princess Qinghe's hands and feet were bound in a very professional way, and she was kneeling in a secluded place in the palace, struggling incessantly.

Meanwhile, the palace maids and servants who had been so deferential to Princess Qinghe just days before now mostly looked indifferent, some even showing a hint of schadenfreude, freely scrutinizing Princess Qinghe from head to toe...

Princess Qinghe's hairpin fell off, and the bright moon earring on her ear disappeared. How utterly disheveled she was!
"Where is His Majesty? I need to see His Majesty! His Majesty!"

Seeing that Princess Qinghe was still shouting, a burly maid came up to her and slapped her across the face: "You traitor's wife! How dare you keep talking about His Majesty? Do you have any manners at all?"

The wife of a traitor? Princess Qinghe, who had been weeping uncontrollably, suddenly widened her eyes: "How dare you speak of me like that? Who has touched me besides His Majesty? His Majesty! His Majesty!"

"..."

After Princess Qinghe said those words, a sigh was heard from the corner.

"You have done evil."

A figure stood up and gradually approached.

Princess Qinghe blinked twice, recognizing the person who had arrived. Feeling like she had found a savior, she quickly cried out, "Sir, save me!"

Shen Pei remained expressionless, but his eyes still revealed his disgust for Princess Qinghe.

"How could Cao Mengde, a hero of his time, have such a shameless daughter like you?"

Seeing Shen Pei's expression, Princess Qinghe felt a chill in her heart.

She knew the relationship between Shen Pei and Yuan Shang all too well.

So when she saw Shen Pei, she thought things had taken a turn for the better.

But once Princess Qinghe saw Shen Pei's expression clearly, she knew that this matter must have been approved by someone!

Princess Qinghe's face instantly contorted with resentment and malice! Her once gentle and aloof beauty was now twisted into a grotesque and malevolent expression!
"Ha! My father? He only slept with my mother! What kindness has he ever shown me? Men are allowed to have three wives and four concubines, but we women can't find our own ideal husbands?"

After seeing Princess Qinghe's current state, Shen Pei clearly understood many things.

Princess Qinghe was still cursing many people.

Yuan Shao suddenly arranged a marriage for her.

He forced her to marry Cao Cao and Lady Bian, who were related to Yuan Tan.

And... Yuan Shang, who took her body and now wants to kill her!
Princess Qinghe's hair was disheveled, and the blood vessels in her eyes became increasingly bloodshot until no white could be seen at all.

"Seal her mouth shut."

But as soon as Shen Pei issued an order, all these voices disappeared.

Princess Qinghe's face was filled with terror.

She then realized that, in the face of a true superior like Shen Pei, she didn't even have the right to vent her anger and curses...

"You don't understand anything at all."

When Shen Pei faced Qinghe, there wasn't much to say.

But there were some things he felt he had to talk to Qinghe about.

"When the late emperor married you to Yuan Tan, he truly intended to make Yuan Tan the crown prince."

"If you behave yourself and be a good wife, there's no guarantee that Yuan Tan will actually win the Battle of Jiaodong, and that the late emperor will actually be able to defeat Liu Miao and completely pacify the world."

"At that time, you will naturally be the Empress of Great Zhao, second only to the Emperor."

But clearly, Qinghe did not do that.

That's why Shen Pei's emotions are so complicated.

On the one hand, he hated Qinghe's character for bringing the Great Zhao and the Yuan family to this point; but on the other hand, if it weren't for Qinghe, perhaps Yuan Shang, whom he supported, would have truly been ineligible for the throne, and he himself would not have been able to continue serving as the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and upholding the government of the Great Zhao...

However, there was only one point that he reached a consensus with Tian Feng and Yuan Shang.

Princess Qinghe must die!

Only if she dies will Yuan Shangcai avoid moral stains and the Yuan family avoid being criticized by the people.

Her being alive is of no benefit to anyone.

"Give her a clean set of clothes, lift her onto the cart frame, and sink her into the Zhang River."

Shen Pei witnessed the fear in Qinghe's eyes and heard the "ee-ya ee-ya" sounds coming from his covered mouth, clearly indicating that he was trying to say something.

But Shen Pei didn't care.

He spoke to Qinghe not to wait for Qinghe's response, but simply because he wanted to say these things, nothing more.

After the palace maids and servants took Qinghe away, Shen Pei summoned his trusted confidants.

"Once they've dealt with Qinghe, we'll deal with them all as well."

"Here."

"Just in case, not a single person from Yuan Tan's residence will be spared."

"Here!"

The confidant was waiting for Shen Pei to give further orders, but Shen Pei shook his head: "That's fine."

"Because of this woman, far too many people have died..."

【Plop! 】

A huge spray of water surged up from the bottom of the Zhang River, shattering into countless holes in the setting sun.

Cao Cao, who was still in Guanzhong, seemed to sense something. His lips trembled as he looked towards Hebei, but in the end, he clenched his teeth.