Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

When the aunt and two palace maids woke up, they immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

"The princess knocked us unconscious and ran away. We really don't know where she went."

Jiang Heng's face turned ashen, and he kicked Qiu Lan hard in the chest, cursing angrily.

"What use are you if you can't even keep an eye on one person?"

Shen Qinglan escaping is a minor issue; the real concern is that she might be under the influence of the drug and, in a state of confusion, cause some kind of disgraceful incident.

"You lot, hurry up and go find it! If anything goes wrong, you'll all lose your heads."

Qiu Lan was sweating profusely, fully aware of the seriousness of the situation. As soon as Jiang Heng finished speaking, she rushed out the door to find more loyal maids to search for the princess.

But as soon as she pushed open the door, she saw Shen Qinglan standing outside, wearing an unfamiliar cloak and soaking wet.

The group was shocked and looked at Shen Qinglan suspiciously. They noticed that her face was slightly pale and her shoulders were trembling, but her eyes were perfectly clear.

Jiang Heng stepped forward, glanced at her from head to toe, his suspicion growing deeper, and coldly questioned her.

"Aunt Qiulan said you ran away. Where did you go?"

The woman couldn't help but sneer, her expression full of mockery.

"Where else could I go? Can't Your Highness see how wet I am?"

Jiang Heng's eyes flickered slightly, showing a hint of reluctance, but more so, embarrassment.

He clenched his fists tightly, his voice strained, "You really don't want to be with me... you'd rather drown yourself?"

Shen Qinglan scoffed lightly, then bowed her head and knelt to the young man.

"Your Highness is of such high status and wealth, how could I dare to be tainted by it?"

This was still during the time she resented his neglect of her during their honeymoon.

Jiang Heng looked displeased and angrily flicked his sleeve.

"Ms. Shen, don't push your luck."

"I dare not, but I am unworthy of the title of Princess Kang or the Kang Prince's Mansion."

"I thought that although Your Highness had neglected me, you were still a gentleman with principles. Although I had grievances against you in the past, I never hated you. But now I understand that beneath the gentleman's exterior lies the heart of a villain."

"You treat women's marriages as bargaining chips for your future, leaving them aside when they're useless and showering them with attention when they're useful, as if I weren't a person but an object. Your Highness and Consort Xian despise me so much, do you expect me to be grateful and kneel down to stay? Although I am a woman, I have been raised with family education and know a bit of pride."

"Your Highness and Your Highness's actions today are truly shameful to me."

"you!"

Jiang Heng was furious and raised his hand to slap her, but the woman simply straightened her back, looking at him without flinching, her gaze sharp and resolute. That one look made Jiang Heng unable to bring himself to slap her.

The young man was embarrassed and could no longer bear it, so he hurriedly turned and left.

Qiulan, watching the two argue to this point, knew that today's plan was doomed. Her face turned pale, and her knees trembled, but she could only send a maid to report to Consort Xian.

When Consort Xian learned of this, she was furious, but because there were officials' wives and noble ladies present, she dared not make a sound. She could only force a smile and hastily end the banquet.

Taking advantage of this moment, Xiao Lie quietly slipped back to his seat without arousing anyone's curiosity.

Lin Wan'er was eager to find out more, but she was met with a roguish grin on the young man's face.

"Why are you so concerned about me?"

Lin Wan'er's face flushed, and she glared at him.

"Give up on that idea. I'd rather drown myself than sleep with you."

Xiao Lie smiled lazily, saying nothing more, but looking at the gloomy smile on the face of the virtuous concubine seated above, he felt extremely pleased.

……

"My dear grandson, I am overjoyed! The Northern Barbarians launched a fierce artillery attack, but I deliberately pretended to be outmatched, luring them deep into our territory and winning a brilliant annihilation battle. The only pity is that we are running out of food and weapons."

"My dear grandson, the things you sent are only enough for a month and a half. Send some more food quickly."

"My dear grandson, this old man is now only drinking a bowl of thin porridge and eating three big white steamed buns per meal. If you don't send me something else soon, I'll have to tighten my belt and only be able to drink half a bowl of thin porridge."

Not long ago, he joined forces with the sons of noble families in the capital to raise three million taels of silver, but now that old man is complaining that it's not enough.

What can you do if it's not enough? Even if you kill him, he still wouldn't be able to raise such a large sum of money.

The old man showed no consideration for his difficulties, sending one urging letter after another until his head ached.

Xiao Lie pushed the pile of letters away, then lay down on the cool chair and rubbed his temples wearily.

"Sixteen, where else do you think I can raise the money?"

Sixteen spoke up weakly, "I am just a rough man and don't know anything about these things. In my opinion, the richest place in the world is the national treasury. If Your Majesty is willing to allocate silver, all difficulties will be easily resolved."

Xiao Lie chuckled. "If that damned emperor were so generous, why would the old man have asked me to do this?"

Moreover, in order not to arouse the emperor's suspicion, it had to be done in secret, which was really frustrating.

Even a large portion of the three million in donations was used to fill the gaps in the national treasury. If the national treasury hadn't been delaying payments and owed salaries for several months, that three million in silver could have lasted at least five or six months. After filling the gaps and making up for the deficit, there wasn't much left.

Xiao Lie grew increasingly angry the more he thought about it.

Their Xiao family was responsible for the border defense for the Great Xia, and this dog emperor not only failed to give them anything in return, but was also stingy and calculating.

If the border gets out of control and the northern barbarians rush straight to the capital, the Great Xia royal family will be in deep trouble again.

Xiao Lie frowned and pondered for a long time before finally making up his mind.

"Sixteen, help me change my clothes."

"Master, where are you going?"

"I'll go to the palace to see His Majesty. I'll make sure I cry my way out of this money for the old man, even if I have to."

……

Inside the imperial study, the emperor and his ministers could not hide their joy.

"Commander Xiao truly deserves to be called a pillar of the nation. This battle has greatly boosted the prestige of our Great Xia. I'm afraid that the Northern Barbarian Cavalry will not dare to launch a large-scale attack for at least a month."

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! With such a loyal and brave minister, our Great Xia can enjoy ten years of peace and stability."

"Not bad, not bad. Commander Xiao fought such a brilliant battle. He deserves a good reward. However, it's a pity that he is arrogant and conceited. If the reward is too much, it may cause trouble."

Upon hearing the emperor's words, the ministers exchanged glances and immediately understood his meaning. They quickly changed their tune and echoed his words.

"Your Majesty is right. He guarded the border to maintain the stability of the Great Xia. Your Majesty had only transferred tens of thousands of elite troops back to defend the border. Yet he resigned at this critical juncture, asking Your Majesty to choose another capable general. Everyone knows that changing commanders in the midst of battle is a taboo. How is this any different from coercion?"

"Commander Xiao is commendable for his bravery, but he is far too arrogant and disregards the proper order of rank between ruler and subject. Your Majesty, I believe we should take this opportunity to give him a good talking-to."