The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

Bianjing, the Imperial City, inside the Chuigong Hall.

Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Zhen, was sitting wearily on the dragon throne, rubbing his throbbing temples.

Your Highness, civil and military officials lined up on both sides, making a racket like a marketplace.

The focus of the debate was only one thing—the Western Xia's marriage proposal, and the blood-red ledger that had just been presented to them from Daming Prefecture.

"Your Majesty! The Western Xia's marriage proposal this time is full of sincerity. It is an excellent opportunity for the two countries to cease hostilities and for the people to enjoy peace. We must not miss it!" The speaker was Wu Chong, the Vice Chancellor and the leader of the pro-peace faction in the court. He was speaking with great enthusiasm.

"Lord Wu, you are mistaken!" a military officer immediately stepped forward to retort. "The Western Xia are wolves in sheep's clothing, invading our borders year after year and killing our soldiers and civilians! Now, with just a marriage proposal, they expect our Great Song to offer up its precious daughters? What an utter disgrace! This humble general believes we should sternly refuse and reinforce our troops in the northwest to teach them a lesson!"

"What a reckless view!" Wu Chong immediately retorted. "Weapons are instruments of destruction. Once war breaks out, countless lives will be lost, the national treasury will be emptied, and in the end, it is the people of our Great Song who will suffer! If we can exchange a marriage alliance for ten years of peace, why not do it?"

"Ten years of peace? More likely, it's ten years of recuperation, just so the Western Xia can make a comeback!"

"you……"

Seeing that the two factions were about to start arguing again, Zhao Zhen impatiently tapped the armrest of the dragon throne.

"That's enough!"

The hall fell silent instantly.

Zhao Zhen's gaze swept across the area below, finally landing on Chancellor Han Qi.

"Prime Minister Han, what do you think?"

Han Qi stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, whether or not to pursue a marriage alliance is a matter of national importance and requires careful consideration. However, the most urgent task is to thoroughly investigate the case in Daming Prefecture. The account books brought back by Princess Jianing have far-reaching implications. If true, it would be an unprecedented case of massive corruption and treason since the founding of our dynasty, and it must be thoroughly investigated!"

Han Qi's words were watertight; he neither explicitly supported either side nor failed to highlight the key points of the issue.

Upon hearing this, Wu Chong immediately said, "What Prime Minister Han says is absolutely right! That's precisely why we must be even more careful. That account book has a strange origin; it was obtained by a mere academy headmaster in collusion with the princess, using a 'divine intervention' to seize it from a condemned official. Its authenticity is still unknown. If we are deceived by treacherous individuals and wrongly accuse a pillar of the court, wouldn't we be destroying our own foundation?"

The "pillars of the court" he referred to were naturally those high-ranking officials who had connections with Zhao Liben.

"Does Lord Wu mean the princess is lying?" an imperial censor sneered. "The princess is of noble birth; would she ruin her reputation to frame a high-ranking official?"

"The princess is young and naive, and it's easy for her to be misled and manipulated," Wu Chong said pointedly. "That headmaster of the academy named Jiang Lin has an unknown background, yet he can summon wind and rain and perform supernatural deeds. Such a wicked person deserves to be punished! I believe we should first arrest him and his accomplices, interrogate them thoroughly, and then determine the authenticity of the account books!"

These words immediately drew a chorus of agreement. Officials with guilty consciences jumped out one after another, demanding that Jiang Lin be severely punished and that the Jingshi Academy be thoroughly investigated.

Zhao Zhen's expression grew increasingly grim.

He certainly believed his daughter. When Zhao Lingjun returned to the palace and tearfully told him about the account book and the perilous experiences she had encountered along the way, he was heartbroken and immediately wanted to order the arrest of all those involved.

But he couldn't.

Because each name on the ledger represents a vast and powerful force. These people are deeply entrenched, and if they were all moved, the entire court would be thrown into turmoil.

To make matters worse, the Western Xia delegation arrived at that very moment.

The letter of marriage proposal was respectfully worded and included a generous gift list, demonstrating an unwavering determination to achieve its goal.

The ministers who advocated peace, like cats smelling fish, immediately seized the opportunity to tout the benefits of marriage alliances. They even subtly linked the case in Daming Prefecture to the marriage alliance, implying that if the marriage alliance was refused, Western Xia might use it as an excuse to start another war.

On one side was his beloved daughter and the laws of the court; on the other side was the peace of the border and the so-called "big picture".

Zhao Zhen felt like he was being roasted over a fire.

He waved his hand and said, "This matter can be discussed later. Court is adjourned."

After speaking, he disregarded the reactions of the ministers, stood up abruptly, and left the hall.

……

Side hall of Kunning Palace.

This place has been guarded by the Imperial Guards, ostensibly to "protect the princess," but in reality, it's a form of house arrest.

Zhao Lingjun had changed back into women's clothing, but her face still bore the marks of travel. She paced anxiously back and forth in the room, her face filled with worry.

"What do we do...what do we do...Why hasn't Father Emperor issued an order to arrest them yet? How are the headmaster and the others? Are they in danger?"

Niu Aihua sat at the table, intently devouring a plate of exquisite pastries sent from the imperial kitchen. Her mouth was full, and she mumbled, "Don't worry, the headmaster is so capable, nothing will happen. You should eat something first, otherwise you'll starve and no one will buy me meat."

Zhao Lingjun stopped and looked at her helplessly: "Aihua, what time is it? You're still only thinking about food!"

"Man is made of iron, food is made of steel; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal," Niu Aihua said matter-of-factly. "No matter how big the matter is, you have to fill your stomach first. Besides, there's no use in you being anxious here. If the emperor... your father doesn't want to do things, you can tear the roof off the house and it won't make a difference."

Rough words are not rough.

Zhao Lingjun sighed and sat down. She knew Niu Aihua was right.

She underestimated her father and the power struggles in the court. She thought that as long as she brought the evidence back, her father would immediately take charge and bring the bad guys to justice.

But the reality was that after submitting the evidence, she herself was imprisoned. Those who had committed heinous crimes remained in the court, using their eloquence and deceit to distort the truth.

"Headmaster..." Zhao Lingjun murmured to himself, "Where are you now? You must have a way, right?"

She thought of Jiang Lin. That man who always lay lazily in his wicker chair, whose words were infuriating, but who always managed to create miracles at crucial moments.

With him around, it seems that even the biggest problems can be easily solved.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the palace gate.

An old eunuch with a kind face walked in, surrounded by palace maids.

"Your Highness," the old eunuch bowed.

"Eunuch Chen." Zhao Lingjun recognized him; he was the most trusted eunuch by his father's side.

"His Majesty's decree," Eunuch Chen said in a shrill voice, "Please, Your Highness, come with me to the Chongzheng Hall in one hour to meet the envoy from Western Xia."

"What?" Zhao Lingjun stood up abruptly, his face turning deathly pale. "To see the Western Xia envoy? Why?"

Eunuch Chen lowered his head, not daring to look her in the eye, and said in an almost pitying tone, "The Prince of Xixia wants... wants to see the Princess's beauty with his own eyes."

Zhao Lingjun was struck as if by lightning; his body swayed, and he almost lost his balance.

She got it.

In the end, Father Emperor compromised.

This is to make her, like a fine piece of merchandise, put on the table for people to choose from.

Overwhelmed by immense humiliation and indignation, Zhao Lingjun couldn't help but shed tears.

"I'm not going!" she shouted with all her might. "I'd rather die than go!"

Eunuch Chen sighed, "Your Highness, this is the Emperor's will. You... please don't make things difficult for this old servant."

Behind him, several strong palace maids and nannies had already surrounded him, clearly ready to use force.

Niu Aihua stood up abruptly, stuffed the last piece of pastry into her mouth, and patted the crumbs off her hands.

She walked up to Zhao Lingjun, shielding her behind her, and looked coldly at Eunuch Chen.

"Anyone who dares to touch her, I'll snap their neck first."