My husband, please respect yourself. The princess is here to grab the bride.

Chapter 135 The Emperor's Smile

Shang Junhou was able to be in charge of the Xuan Jing Division for decades, so he must be no fool.

But Shang Junhou’s intelligence is based on his understanding of the situation!

He abided by the precepts on the mirror stele of the Xuanjingsi, did not interfere in state affairs, and was not partial to certain ministers or even princes in the court.

He is only responsible to the emperor.

But if something involves his only grandson, can he still be impartial and selfless?

"Human nature cannot stand the test!"

"I will write this letter according to your wishes, but I still want to say something to you..."

"Shangshan is Shangshu's only grandson!"

"It's the only remaining bloodline of the Shang family!"

"Do you understand what you mean, brother?"

Bai Shaoqiu understood.

He suddenly woke up and felt that he had thought the matter was too simple.

Throughout history, those who sacrifice their own relatives for the sake of justice are always a minority.

As the head of the Xuan Jing Division, for the sake of the Shang family's bloodline inheritance, he has plenty of ways to make himself disappear without offending the Zhenxi Palace.

Or maybe... he is not afraid of offending the Zhenxi Palace at all.

"Brother, that's very kind. Hmm... I hope he still hasn't returned to Beijing next year."

"Then do you still want to meet him?"

"...I think, but the way I meet him will be different."

Qin Jingtai stroked his long beard and said earnestly:

"I say, the best solution is for you not to go to Kyoto!"

"You don't need to prove your talent to the world anymore. Unless the emperor summons you, wouldn't it be better for you to stay in the Princess's Mansion in Xiling City?"

"The Emperor is preoccupied with the affairs of Beiliang and is probably in no mood to summon you."

"The title of 'son-in-law' sounds a bit harsh, but who in Xiling City would dare to use it to humiliate you?"

"Although your talent will be buried and unable to be fully utilized... I still think that living is better than losing your life."

"Isn't there a saying that goes, 'As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.'"

"Just stay here for a few years and wait for the new emperor to ascend the throne. Maybe there will be other opportunities!"

If the eldest prince wins.

If the eldest prince ascends the throne, it means Qin Shiwen wins!

If Qin Shiwen wins, he can ask the emperor to issue another imperial decree to abolish Bai Shaoqiu's status as a son-in-law. This is of course the best and safest way.

But can Qin Shiwen win?

How long will this take?

What should we do if Princess Changying comes back?

She was as fierce and aggressive as Dongfang Meng. It was fine if she didn't like me, but Qing'er had said that the princess really liked talented men. I had become so popular at the Zhuxi Literary Society. What if she changed her mind...

I don't even have the ability to resist!

The rice has been cooked.

She enjoyed the food, but for the rest of her life...

Bai Shaoqiu suddenly felt a chill on his back.

"Well... to be honest, I signed an agreement with the prince and princess. The general content is non-interference..."

"In other words, the palace is not satisfied with this marriage, and I am not satisfied with it either."

"But because this marriage was granted by the Emperor, the palace had no way of refusing. In the agreement, I made it clear that I would go to Kyoto and be among the top ten at the Xiangshan Literary Conference."

"This way I will have the opportunity to meet with the Emperor and ask him to retract the imperial edict."

"In this way, there will be no connection between me and the palace. As for me... I will return to Xiling City when the time comes, write some articles, earn a few taels of tax silver, and live a peaceful life in Xiling City."

Qin Jingtai pondered for three breaths after hearing this: "But you were incompetent back then, and it's only natural that the palace is dissatisfied with you. Now you've proven yourself, and the palace's attitude towards you has changed. You can talk to the prince about it. The prince certainly doesn't want you to take risks by going to Kyoto!"

Bai Shaoqiu raised his lips and sighed slightly, "Princess Changying hasn't returned yet... Even if she did, I don't think this marriage without any emotional foundation would be stable."

"You can think of it as me not liking to be constrained."

"Although this Princess Mansion is nice...it's not my own home after all!"

Qin Jingtai understood.

In the final analysis, it still comes down to the word "son-in-law".

Bai Shaoqiu is a man of great talent, and he is not willing to be a lowly son-in-law in this princess's mansion for the rest of his life.

Then I can only go to Kyoto to gamble.

"The Emperor may not agree."

"Um,"

Bai Shaoqiu nodded: "So I also asked the Ninth Princess for help... I heard from her that the eldest princess likes her very much, and the emperor is more likely to listen to the eldest princess's words."

Qin Jingtai also nodded slightly: "If the Ninth Princess can ask Her Royal Highness the Eldest Princess for help, this matter may be successful."

"It's just that those people in Kyoto don't know your intentions. They will still regard you as the son-in-law of the Zhenxi Palace. It would be fine if you were still the useless person you used to be, but your reputation has already spread to Kyoto!"

"Old Fang must have arrived in Kyoto."

"Those poems and articles you wrote in Zhuxi are probably known to some people by now."

"A trip to Kyoto... is like a den of dragons and tigers!"

Bai Shaoqiu smiled slightly: "I know this, but I have to give it a try."

Sunset West Mountain.

It's getting dark.

Lanterns were lit in the pavilion.

The servants of the princess's mansion brought in several plates of exquisite dishes.

Bai Shaoqiu invited He Xiaofeng to take a seat, and Qin Jingtai brought up his jar of wine.

"The Emperor's Smile,"

Qin Jingtai broke the mud seal, and a strong aroma of wine immediately wafted out.

"This wine was originally produced in the Southern Chen Dynasty and has a history of fifty years."

Bai Shaoqiu took the jar of wine and sniffed it. The alcohol content of the wine was about 40 degrees, which was considered a strong liquor.

"Fifty years ago, a fairy appeared in Nanchen. She was very talented and had great business talent. This wine was invented by her."

"It is said that when this wine was brought to the then Southern Chen Emperor, he laughed as soon as he smelled it, hence the name 'Tian Zi Xiao'."

"Later... the fairy invented many more things, such as this drinking glass, the soap we use in our daily lives, and so on."

"That little fairy spent ten years building a massive business empire in Southern Chen, called... Jingdong Trading Company."

"In order to market Jingdong Commercial Bank's products worldwide, she also established a unique escort agency called Shunfeng Escort Agency."

Qin Jingtai said this without noticing that Bai Shaoqiu had an extremely shocked expression on his face.

"What a pity, it's just a flash in the pan after all."

Qin Jingtai stroked his long beard and shook his head: "She is dead."

"He was only twenty-eight when he died."

"Everything she left behind was taken away by the Southern Chen imperial family. Official history says she died of illness... but unofficial history says it was the Southern Chen imperial family who did it, and that the Southern Chen emperor at the time secretly ordered her to be killed at the Southern Chen Qingyi Tower."

"After all, the royal family cannot tolerate a little woman possessing more wealth than the entire country."

"Many officials in the court could not tolerate a girl being able to enter and leave the palace at will and influence the country's political affairs."

"Some of the people who followed the fairy escaped."

"This Tianzixiao is the wine of a craftsman who fled to our Xingguo and reopened a winery in Shuzhou. That's why we can drink this world-famous wine!"

Bai Shaoqiu swallowed his saliva, "That little fairy...didn't she leave behind any famous poems or works?"

Qin Jingtai shook his head. "Her strengths lie in business. I haven't heard of her accomplishments in literature. However, she did leave behind a statement that angered scholars all over the world."

"What did she say?"

"She said... a bag of money is worse than a bag of literature."

Bai Shaoqiu breathed a sigh of relief, and finally understood why these things already existed in this world—

Senior!

Okay,

She finally left a way out for those who came later.

He picked up the wine jar and poured the wine. Before he could think about the fairy, a voice came from not far away:

"Good wine!"

"Tian Zi Xiang!"

The one coming is...Lao Yu!

Before he finished speaking, Lao Yu had already sat down at the table, holding up the glass of wine he had just filled.

He drank it all in one gulp, smacked his lips and looked at Bai Shaoqiu: