NFBE Chapter 5 Morning Morning
Chapter 5 Morning Morning
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Jiang Qingyan sat solemnly on the dragon throne, surveying the civil and military officials kneeling before her below...
Huh? Why does this feel like sitting in the middle of the very back row of a bus...?
Out of the corner of my eye, I could also catch a glimpse of Mo Ting's arrogant yet incomparably handsome face... He was truly a feast for the eyes!
Mo Ting stood less than half a meter away from her, coldly looking down at the crowd below the stage, exuding a superior and aloof aura.
"Rise, my beloved subjects!" Jiang Qingyan imitated the mannerisms of characters in TV dramas, spreading her arms and raising her hands.
Mo Ting raised an eyebrow. In the past, the emperor was always submissive in his presence. Why did he seem so confident today?
"Your Majesty, I have something to report." Lin Zhijie, Minister of Rites, stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "Your Majesty, Regent, yesterday the King of Southern Xinjiang sent a letter to the Ministry of Rites, which roughly stated that in order to promote friendship between the two countries, he intended to send his eldest daughter, Gulimi, to our dynasty for a marriage alliance."
“Southern Xinjiang? Southern Xinjiang is great! It produces beautiful women! And grapes too!” Jiang Qingyan stared at Lin Zhijie and replied with a smile that made her look worthless.
Did officials in this dynasty have to be good-looking? The Minister of Rites is so handsome and elegant... his demeanor is like something out of a painting...
Mo Ting rubbed his temples helplessly, glared at Jiang Qingyan, and gestured for her to stop talking nonsense.
Sensing the displeasure of the person beside her, Jiang Qingyan put away her smirk, coughed lightly, and said, "What does the Regent think about this matter?"
"Southern Xinjiang was originally part of our Great An territory, belonging to the border region. Due to constant warfare over the years, the late emperor never controlled its privately maintained army. But now the King of Southern Xinjiang dares to hold onto his army and rebel against our dynasty, establishing himself as king!" Mo Ting frowned, a hint of murderous intent inadvertently flashing in his eyes. "Such a treacherous villain must not be sincere in his desire for peace!"
No wonder the invitation was sent to the Ministry of Rites instead of directly to the palace; there's a story behind it!
Lin Zhijie nodded, and then said:
"I have heard that the Xia Kingdom is currently planning to attack the Southern Frontier. The King of the Southern Frontier is probably no match for the Xia Kingdom, which is why he is thinking of seeking the protection of our Great An through a marriage alliance."
"In that case, let's go straight back to the King of Southern Xinjiang and watch them fight it out. If we can really beat him to a pulp, it will be a great relief for our Great An!"
The handsome young man speaking at this moment was none other than General Lu Nian.
At the age of 12, he followed his father, General Lu, into battle. When the Yuan Dynasty attacked Da'an, General Lu died on the battlefield, leaving Lu Nian alone to defend the country to the death. He single-handedly killed 10,000 Yuan soldiers who had surrendered.
He became famous overnight, and because of his extremely handsome appearance, he was nicknamed "Jade-faced Yama".
He then rose through the ranks due to his numerous military achievements, and was appointed Grand General in just seven years, until the late emperor passed away.
He had repeatedly suggested to the late emperor that he lead troops to attack the southern border and capture the king of the southern border, but the late emperor rejected his proposal each time.
In fact, the late emperor had considered recovering the southern border, but the southern border was located on the frontier and was a vast area. If a war really broke out, Da'an might not be able to win.
Jiang Qingyan pondered for a moment. This was a golden opportunity. If she could recover the Southern Frontier, wouldn't her prestige among the court officials soar?
As long as she has support, she can gradually regain real power!
Jiang Qingyan shook her head, propping her chin up with two fingers: "Do you understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the cold will follow'? Since the Southern Frontier was once the border of our Great An, if it is destroyed, then who should be destroyed next?"
The ministers who had initially echoed his sentiments fell silent...
Jiang Qingyan smiled with satisfaction and looked at Lin Zhijie:
"Minister Lin, immediately write a letter to the King of Southern Xinjiang, saying that I agree to the marriage alliance, and in addition, I want an extra 100,000 catties of grapes!"
Lin Zhijie didn't respond, but instead glanced at Mo Ting, waiting for his reaction... After all, the Emperor's word wasn't enough; the Regent's approval was required.
Mo Ting pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly and said calmly, "Let's do as His Majesty says."
In fact, what the Emperor said was not entirely unreasonable. If the Southern Frontier were to be destroyed, then the next one to fall would be Da'an!
The new emperor has only been on the throne for three months and has not yet achieved any good results. The court is already unstable, and it is not a good time to wage war.
Mo Ting glanced at Jiang Qingyan. Although the Emperor still seemed unreliable, he was at least considering the affairs of the state, which was a good thing. He would then decide the matter; after all, a marriage alliance wouldn't harm Da'an…
"Your humble servant accepts the decree." Lin Zhijie bowed and received the decree.
What followed was a jumble of old, trivial matters, accusing this minister of corruption and bribery, or that minister of domestic strife, making Jiang Qingyan feel sleepy.
About an hour later, the morning court session finally ended, and the ministers dispersed...
"Minister Lin, please wait..." Jiang Qingyan jogged down from the main hall and called out to Lin Zhijie.
Lin Zhijie paused in his steps as he was about to leave, turned around, bowed to Jiang Qingyan, and respectfully asked, "I wonder what business Your Majesty has with me?"
Jiang Qingyan carefully examined Lin Zhijie from head to toe. She hadn't seen him clearly from too far away in the hall, but Lin Zhijie was indeed quite handsome...
Jiang Qingyan mentally reviewed the situation and confirmed that Lin Zhijie was not yet married. She smiled with satisfaction.
The Minister of Rites is a high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court! If we could get him on our side... it would indeed be an important connection!
"Has Lin Aiqing had breakfast?" Jiang Qingyan asked with a smile.
Lin Zhijie was completely taken aback by Jiang Qingyan's sudden greeting...
He replied earnestly, "Your Majesty, I have already had breakfast."
"You're going to court so early? And you even ate breakfast? What time did you get up?" Jiang Qingyan asked, puzzled.
What time? Does Your Majesty want to know the hour? Lin Zhijie replied, "Your Majesty, it is the hour of Yin (3-5 AM)."
Jiang Qingyan scratched her head. How come she also got up at 3 AM, but didn't have time to eat?
He then looked down at his elaborate dragon robe and sighed. "Alas, the emperor wastes all his time on grooming and dressing up..."
"So what did Lin Aiqing eat? Did she eat at home?" Jiang Qingyan asked again with a forced smile.
"Your Majesty, I ate a steamed bun on my way to the palace."
"Steamed buns? What kind of filling?"
"Your Majesty...it's celery filling..."
"Oh...it's a pity I don't really like celery...Minister Lin, try pork and scallion next time! I love pork and scallion buns the most!"
Jiang Qingyan smiled broadly, not finding anything wrong with her question at all…
After all, striking up a conversation with a handsome guy involves making small talk... commonly known as "making conversation out of nothing"...
Lin Zhi nodded, cupped his hands in greeting to Jiang Qingyan, and then strode away from the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Speaking of Lin Zhijie... he was a renowned young talent in Da'an City. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 13 with top honors, and countless daughters of officials sent people to propose marriage. Even the eldest princess once petitioned the late emperor to make him her son-in-law...
However, Lin Zhijie rejected all their offers, showing no interest in matters of love and romance, devoting himself entirely to his duties at court. Thus, relying on his exceptional social skills, he rose rapidly through the ranks, eventually becoming the second-rank Minister of Rites…
He's only in his early 18s right now...
"Old Wang... do you think if Lin Aiqing ate pork and scallion buns... would he smell the odor when we kiss?" Jiang Qingyan muttered, staring at Lin Zhijie's tall, slender back.
Grandpa Wang said... he didn't know... but he would absolutely never eat scallions in the morning!