Harem Daily Life

By teasing the Emperor of Great Zhou's concubines in front of him, the Princess of Yan had completely offended all the concubines present.

After the Queen finished her question, everyone's eyes were focused on the Princess of Yan, to see what she could say. Tao Yanyan also looked over with interest.

The Princess of Yan winked at the counselor beside her, and the Yan official stood up and saluted He Linzhang: "Your Majesty, the Emperor of Great Zhou, our Yan delegation came here with our country's letter. If the two countries become one, we are willing to merge half of Yan's territory into Great Zhou and respect His Majesty as the king. Is this gift valuable enough?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole room was shocked. Everyone looked at the Yan delegation in disbelief, feeling like a big pie had fallen on the head of the Great Zhou.

He Linzhang looked at him with interest: "What are the conditions? You are willing to become a vassal state of the Great Zhou and be under the jurisdiction of the Great Zhou. You can't be unconditional, right?"

There is no free lunch in the world, and He Linzhang would not be naive enough to think that he could get something for nothing just because he is an emperor.

The Yan official said, "There are three conditions. First, protect Yan, continue to fight against the rebels, and promise to reduce taxes for five years after Yan is incorporated; second, marry our Yan queen and establish a marriage; third, our Yan queen must be the main empress of His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Zhou."

When the three conditions were put forward, everyone was dumbfounded.

Wang Zhaoyi had already sat back next to Tao Yanyan. When she heard these three conditions, she was so shocked that she leaned towards Tao Yanyan and gossiped, "See, see, I said that her eyes were fixed on Your Majesty tonight. It turns out that she really wants to go back to her husband and become the queen!"

Tao Yanyan frowned and looked at the queen sitting at the top, only to see that she was so angry that her face turned red, her breathing became rapid, and she was about to lose her temper!

The Queen Mother snorted coldly, "Princess Yan, it's been less than two months since the death of the King of Yan, and you're already in a hurry to remarry. Don't you really disregard etiquette? Besides, my Great Zhou already has a queen. Why should the queen abdicate and let you take over? Your conditions are so unreasonable. You must have drunk too much wine!"

The Princess of Yan sighed and looked at the Queen Mother: "Queen Mother, this is not my idea, but the result of a unanimous discussion among all the court officials of Yan. As you know, my Yan State has now split into two small countries, divided by the river. Prince Lin has always been hostile to the Great Zhou and is a war faction. Before the death of the King of Yan, he did not want the people of Yan to suffer from war again, so he told all the court officials that they could belong to the Great Zhou and seek protection from the Great Zhou when necessary. I had no choice but to agree to their suggestion for the sake of the people of Yan."

The Princess of Yan portrayed herself as a virtuous queen who was willing to compromise for the sake of her country and her people, which made everyone in the harem feel disgusted.

The Queen said aggrievedly: "Your Majesty, Queen Mother, since I became the daughter-in-law of the royal family, I believe that I have never done anything wrong. Although Yan's proposal can expand the territory of the Great Zhou, how can I be innocent? I hope that Your Majesty and the Queen Mother can make the decision for me!"

The courtiers attending the palace banquet began to discuss in a low voice. Some felt that it was worthwhile to exchange a queen position for half of Yan's territory, so they were very excited. But some felt that this was a slap in the face of the Duke's Mansion and the Queen, and they must not agree to it.

He Linzhang gently stroked his fingers, as if he was thinking about the feasibility of this matter, but did not express his opinion. Tao Yanyan glared at him and rolled his eyes: It's all because of this face!

It is said that beauty can ruin a country. Why does a king of a country have to be so good-looking? He attracts bees and butterflies all day long. Now, queens of other countries are also coveting his beauty. Let's see how he will end up!

As if sensing a condemning gaze, He Linzhang looked towards Tao Yanyan, only to see that her cheeks were puffed up like an angry kitten, rolling her eyes.

He Linzhang felt angry and amused. Where was the most basic trust between people? Looking at her angry look, did she think that he would definitely agree to Yan's conditions?

He Linzhang looked around at everyone, then nodded gently to the queen, with a clear intention of comforting her, and then he said, "I know about Yan's sincerity, but this matter... is not possible."

As soon as he finished speaking, Princess Yan frowned and said, "Your Majesty, are you going to reject this offer without further consideration? Yan is rich in resources. If we gain half of Yan, Great Zhou will surely become the strongest among the three kingdoms. Do you really want to give up such a good opportunity?"

He Linzhang glanced at her with a calm attitude: "If I want something, I can fight for it with my strength. If I want half of Yan State, my army will take it for me. Why should I get involved and exchange my relatives for it? What's more, I have always respected you and have no selfish motives. I will not take advantage of others' misfortune and make the Queen of Yan compromise in order to gain Yan State."

Princess Yan was extremely anxious. She really wanted to shout that she was not wronged to marry him as the queen. This was a dream she had wanted to realize many years ago. But she couldn't say it out loud. She had to stand on the side of Yan State to show her righteousness.

The Yan State delegation was very confident that they could achieve the purpose of this trip, but when they heard that the Emperor of the Great Zhou actually refused, they were really caught off guard!

One of them stood up and said, "Your Majesty, why don't you think about it for a few more days? There's no need to reject it so quickly. This is a betrothal gift of land, which is the most precious dowry! Where else in the world can you find such a good thing?"

He Linzhang looked at him unhappily and said, "The Great Zhou is a country of etiquette. Although women can remarry after divorce or widowhood, I already have a queen and it is impossible for me to depose her and remarry. Moreover, I have just made it very clear that I have no romantic feelings for the Princess of Yan. You should understand that a forced melon is not sweet."

The queen finally felt relieved, suppressed her anger slightly, and sat up straighter.

"This time, the Great Zhou sent troops to help the State of Yan quell the rebellion. The State of Yan was very grateful and promised you the queen and the land as a gift. This is such a sincere thank you gift. How could you refuse it so easily?" The envoy of the State of Yan felt aggrieved, and his tone was anxious and helpless.

He Linzhang said solemnly: "We sent troops to stabilize the border of Great Zhou and help Yan State to suppress the rebellion. We also don't want King Lin to take the throne to avoid future wars between the two countries. We didn't do it to gain the territory of Yan State, but for the Queen of Yan State."

When Princess Yan heard this, she almost crushed her palm with her fingers hidden in her sleeves.

"If Yan must express gratitude, it is better to offer gold and silver and open up trade. Don't worry, as long as you are on good terms with Great Zhou, then my army of Great Zhou will definitely protect half of Yan's territory and will not let King Lin take its place."

The envoy from Yan State wanted to say something, but was stopped by the look of Princess Yan. He had to sit down awkwardly and did not argue any more.

Princess Yan said helplessly: "When this method was first decided, I felt it was inappropriate. Since Your Majesty has no intention, let's not mention this idea in the future. Today is Your Majesty's birthday. I would like to offer a toast to Your Majesty as an apology on your behalf." After saying this, she was the first to drink the wine in the glass, and the unwillingness in her eyes flashed away.