Zhao Jiaqi pointed at his nose and cursed him as a pervert: "You're over twenty, how can you like a minor? Pervert!"
Realizing later, she felt something was not right. Not under his jurisdiction?
Didn't the entire Zongsheng Kingdom lie in his palm? Could it be that he liked girls from their Yun Kingdom?
Zhao Jiaqi smiled first, then her smile froze.
The undeveloped girl he said he liked, could it be the one who was specially treated!
She grabbed Zong Han's robe and asked in a low voice, "Is it Xiao Junjun?"
Zong Han did not hide it and directly nodded in admission: "Yes, I liked her back in the village!"
"Impossible, you think you can marry my daughter!" Zhao Jiaqi was terrified.
She threw down the words and went back to the house, sitting on a stool for a long time, her heart still pounding wildly.
Ah Shi wanted to pursue the Princess Consort, but Zong Han stopped him: "The Princess Consort cannot understand or accept it for a while, which is normal. As long as I am sincere enough, I believe she will understand."
"Does the master genuinely care for that girl? Has the Princess Consort not seen it all these years?"
Zong Han smiled bitterly, it should be that he concealed it too well.
Perhaps Zhao Jiaqi and Fan Zehao thought his special affection for Xiao Junjun was just that of an older brother for his younger sister, unrelated to romance.
In April, the weather was sunny. Zhang Heng escorted cartloads of mined gold to the royal manor in the inner city. Seeing this gold, Zhao Jiaqi's eyes almost went blind.
"Verify the quantity, transport it to the Miracle Workshop, and hand it over to my godfather Wang Lifeng. He knows what to do!"
Zhang Heng took the order and left. This prince truly doted on his Princess Consort. For a month, he made the captives mine gold. As long as the Jin Kingdom did not pay silver to redeem them, they would be free labor.
It had to be said, the Zhen Guo Prince was clever. He wouldn't lose out either way!
But he was also ruthless, stemming from the bottom of his heart. This ruthlessness and methods were even more intense than before.
Closely following, the Emperor sent Wang Zhanlin, the former head eunuch who had been idle for a long time, to read the imperial edict.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."
Zhao Jiaqi led the people to kneel on the ground, listening quietly to the imperial edict. After a while, Zhao Jiaqi revealed a sarcastic smile.
It turned out this imperial edict was not for the Prince, but for her, asking her to consider the bigger picture, return the occupied cities and captives of the Jin Kingdom, and not to disrupt the hard-won friendship between the two countries. It also praised her, which made Zhao Jiaqi even more disgusted.
She caught the imperial edict with both hands, then threw it to Qiufen beside her, not even looking at it, clearly disliking the imperial edict.
"Eunuch Wang, please trouble yourself to go back and report to His Majesty that I am just a woman. Women have never been allowed to interfere in politics since ancient times. I will always remember my identity. Regarding the matters entrusted by His Majesty, this consort is powerless and needs His Majesty to discuss with the Prince!"
Wang Zhanlin was amused by her modest demeanor. He suppressed a laugh and said, "Your servant will relay the Princess Consort's words. Your servant takes his leave!"
Did he come all this way just to read the edict and leave?
Was he too hasty!
Her anger was directed at the Emperor's edict, not at Wang Zhanlin!
"Uncle Wang, please rest for a day before leaving. It will take at least a month for this round trip!"
Wang Zhanlin shook his head and patted his chest: "There is still one imperial edict for the Prince. Your servant must go and cannot delay His Majesty's affairs."
As he spoke, he winked at Zhao Jiaqi. He had not come alone with the Imperial Guards; several eunuchs were by his side, all of whom were the Emperor's spies.
Zhao Jiaqi, being intelligent, immediately understood Wang Zhanlin's difficulty and let go of his arm.
She said, "It has been more than three years since we last parted. Sometimes I still miss the late Emperor. Time flies so fast. It's a pity that after finally meeting an old acquaintance, we have to part so hurriedly. I truly feel reluctant to let you go!"
Wang Zhanlin patted her shoulder, sighing silently. Although he had lived in the palace all these years, he knew about the affairs of this couple.
"Thank you for your concern, Princess Consort. Your servant will not delay further!" Even if he had a thousand words, this was not the time to speak them.
He bowed and retreated a few steps, then straightened up and strode out of the manor.
Qiufen held the imperial edict and asked Zhao Jiaqi, "Princess Consort, should we set up an incense table?"
Set up an incense table to offer the imperial edict for others to view?
"Throw it to Gao Wenbin and let him handle it!"
Throw it to Guard Gao?
Sisi had gone to the milk tea shop to busy herself. He was now at home taking care of their newborn second child!
Qiufen felt like she had been given a hot potato, truly afraid that Guard Gao would kick it out. To her surprise, after reading the content of the imperial edict, he directly said, "Just throw it into the storeroom!"
By the end of May, the situation between the Jin and Yun Kingdoms had become tense again. The Jin Emperor was unwilling to pay silver for the ransom, and even wanted that city.
Fan Zehao was even more unyielding. Even with Wang Zhanlin's imperial edict, he did not intend to comply. He also informed Steward Wang of the importance of this place.
He would rather face the charge of defying the imperial decree than give up this place.
Huangfu Xu looked at the tense situation and felt a little intimidated from the bottom of his heart. He advised Fan Zehao, "Your Highness, if it escalates into another war, it will be a drain on resources and manpower!"
Fan Zehao absolutely refused to back down: "Do you really think I like that gold mine? Haven't you looked at the geographical location of this city!"
As he spoke, he took out a map showing the area around the city. He pointed to the mountains and forests: "According to the scouts I sent out, this city of the Jin Kingdom is connected by mountains. But once you leave the city, there are vast plains with no cover."
Huangfu Xu looked at the map and couldn't understand. What did this city, whether it was returned or not, have to do with mountains!
On the other side, Xiao Ce explained for the Prince: "These woods are a natural defensive zone, capable of offense and retreat. If I threw ten thousand soldiers into these woods, the people of the Jin Kingdom wouldn't even notice. Secondly, there is a cliff in these mountains, which is also a crucial point!"
"That's right. If the Jin Kingdom dares to attack here, we can send some climbing experts to descend the cliff, bypass their rear camp, and then launch a pincer attack from both sides..."
Fan Zehao drew circles on the map, clenched his fist, and made a gesture of capturing them all.
Although the operation was dangerous, the chances of success were the highest. It was also a crippling blow to the Jin Kingdom. If the Jin Kingdom dared to make a move, he would directly conquer their country.
Everyone has their own expertise. Huangfu Xu didn't quite understand, but from Xiao Ce and Fan Zehao's words, he felt that this city was quite important.
Fan Zehao had not yet resolved his issues when, on the other side, the Zongsheng Kingdom was at war with the Jin Kingdom.
Soon, the wars of the two countries became entangled. This time, the Jin Kingdom could no longer afford to demand the return of lost cities and instead focused all its efforts on fighting the Zongsheng Kingdom.
Zhao Jiaqi learned that Zong Han had rushed back from her because he wanted to take a piece of the Jin Kingdom. It was obvious that he was jealous that her husband had conquered another city for the Yun Kingdom.
He was determined not to fall behind Fan Zehao.
The war lasted for nearly a year. Finally, Zong Han demanded territorial concessions and compensation. If not given, they would continue to fight. The Jin Emperor had no choice but to cede a city to the Zongsheng Kingdom.
This nearly two-year war finally came to an end.