dtnovels Chapter 384
Chapter 384
"If the Emperor of the Lannuo Kingdom is out of the question, aren't there others? For example, King An?" Shangguan Lie never really intended for his daughter to marry the Emperor anyway. After all, that Emperor was not someone who posed a threat to him; rather, it was King An.What if King An could be used by them?
In the future, it wasn't impossible for the territory of their Qinling Kingdom to be expanded. Perhaps, it wouldn't even require the slightest effort.
Otherwise, he would never bear to part with his most favored daughter, Shangguan Yun.
Hearing Shangguan Lie's words, Shangguan Mu fell into deep thought.
Shangguan Yun was his blood sister, born of the same mother.
He certainly did not want Shangguan Yun to marry that incompetent Emperor and become an ordinary concubine. Since she could not be the Empress of the Lannuo Kingdom, naturally, they had to choose someone else.
King An wasn't a bad choice. After all, King An was even more formidable than Luo Zhan, the Great General of their Qinling Kingdom.
If his sister married King An, he would become one of their own in the future.
Wouldn't the Lannuo Kingdom then be right in their pockets?
Furthermore, although King An had married a Princess Consort a few years ago, it was said she had died in childbirth. Even though he had a son, once his sister married over, she would be the official Princess Consort. As for that stepson, his sister could just find an excuse to send him away when the time came.
After all, with his sister's title as the number one beauty of the Qinling Kingdom, he didn't believe King An could resist her charms.
"Imperial Father is indeed thoughtful. Your son will go prepare with Ninth Sister and set off for the Lannuo Kingdom," Shangguan Mu said to Shangguan Lie.
"Go on. Let Yun'er take her pick of the men in the Lannuo Kingdom. Just make sure to bring back that signed peace treaty. The mines are still waiting for the silver," Shangguan Lie said.
The iron mines in their Qinling Kingdom were becoming increasingly scarce, and nowadays, forging weapons consumed a massive amount of silver.
Thinking of this, Shangguan Lie felt that demanding five hundred thousand taels of silver from the Lannuo Kingdom was truly too little.
"Since you are going in person, this amount must be doubled! Who asked them not to deliver the silver on time?" Shangguan Lie quickly added to the Third Prince.
"If this matter is handled well, your prestige in the imperial court will increase. When I crown you as the Crown Prince, the court officials will have no objections!" Shangguan Lie looked at the Third Prince and added.
A concubine who had been massaging Shangguan Lie's shoulders froze upon hearing this.
The Emperor actually intended to make the Third Prince the Crown Prince?
Then what about her Fifth Prince?
"Your son obeys the decree. Please rest assured, Imperial Father, your son will definitely accomplish this beautifully and return!" Shangguan Mu said joyfully.
It should be known that although he was the legitimate imperial son, the prestige of the Eldest Prince and the Second Prince in the court was no less than his own.
Now, if he could handle this errand well, the position of Crown Prince would be his.
Shangguan Mu felt that this was an opportunity Shangguan Lie was giving him.
After all, this errand to the Lannuo Kingdom had absolutely no difficulty.
The Lannuo Kingdom was merely a poor country that lagged behind theirs in every aspect.
They could only submit at the feet of their Qinling Kingdom.
In another palace, a beautiful woman was sitting in front of a mirror, dressing up.
"Princess, bad news! News just came from the imperial study that the Emperor is sending you to the Lannuo Kingdom for a political marriage," a little palace maid said, panting heavily.
"What did you say?" Shangguan Yun wondered if she had misheard. Otherwise, how could her Imperial Father send her to a poor country like the Lannuo Kingdom for a marriage alliance?
"Princess, it's true. The Third Prince has asked you to prepare; you will depart in three days," another palace maid hurried in and said.
"Nonsense! How could Third Imperial Brother bear to let me go to the Lannuo Kingdom for a marriage alliance!" Shangguan Yun was furious upon hearing this.
She was the most beautiful and favored princess of the Qinling Kingdom.
How could she be sent away for a political marriage by her Imperial Father and Third Brother?
After all, in the entire imperial palace, the ones who doted on her the most were her Imperial Mother, Imperial Father, and Third Brother.
And now, they actually wanted her to enter a marriage alliance?
And with a small country that was inferior to their Qinling Kingdom in every way.
"Princess, the Third Prince has already gone to Her Majesty the Empress's Kunning Palace. Why don't you go ask him yourself?" The little maid figured that since the Third Prince had gone to the Empress, he was surely going to discuss this matter.
Hearing this, Shangguan Yun quickly ran toward Kunning Palace.
Seeing their princess leave, the little maids hurried to follow.
Kunning Palace
"Mu'er, Yun'er is your blood sister!" the Empress yelled at her son in disbelief.
Sending her precious daughter to the Lannuo Kingdom for a marriage alliance?
Had her son gone mad?
That was his own sister!
How could he be so cruel as to send her there?
When the time came, if her daughter suffered any grievances in the Lannuo Kingdom, the emperor would be far away, and it would be too late even if they wanted to save her.
"Imperial Mother, this is Imperial Father's intention." Although Shangguan Mu felt that the Lannuo Kingdom was a bit far, this matter not only concerned Shangguan Yun's lifelong happiness but also his position as the Crown Prince.
Besides, his sister had to marry eventually. If it could win him an opportunity, he didn't see any problem with it.
At worst, he would just compensate her with more dowry later.
"Your Imperial Father's intention? Why didn't you stop it?" The Empress looked at her son with a broken heart.
She didn't believe her son hadn't added fuel to the fire.
If her son had vehemently opposed it, the Emperor would surely have reconsidered.
Originally, she thought that their Qinling Kingdom was stronger than the other nations, and her daughter absolutely didn't need to be sent away for an alliance marriage. Therefore, she wasn't in a hurry to choose a prince consort, thinking she could wait and choose carefully.
But she never expected that what awaited them was still a political marriage.
"Imperial Mother, your son also cannot bear to let Imperial Sister marry far away, but this is Imperial Father's decision. Your son will personally escort her to the Lannuo Kingdom. Please rest assured, Imperial Mother, your son will definitely pick a good marriage for her," Shangguan Mu comforted the Empress.
"What else did your Imperial Father promise you?" The Empress stared fixedly at her son, her eyes full of disappointment.
She didn't believe Shangguan Mu would say such things out of nowhere. The only explanation was that the Emperor had promised him some benefits.
"Imperial Mother, Imperial Father asked your son to go to the Lannuo Kingdom to sign a treaty," Shangguan Mu cleared his throat lightly and replied.
"More than that, isn't it? He promised you the position of Crown Prince?" The Empress looked at her son and asked with absolute certainty.
"Imperial Mother, your son is Imperial Father's legitimate son." Shangguan Mu didn't deny it; instead, he felt that the position of Crown Prince rightfully belonged to him.
"Heh, and what advantages do you think you have compared to the Eldest Prince and the Second Prince? Are you more capable than them, or are you better at doing practical things?" The Empress looked at her son mockingly.
The Eldest Prince had been groomed by the Emperor as the future ruler and successor since childhood.
The Second Prince not only had a high reputation in the imperial court but was also deeply loved by the people. This was not only due to their status as imperial princes but also because they had done many practical things for the people of the Qinling Kingdom.
But her own son had done nothing. What did he have to compete with them?