After my soul traveled to ancient times, I don't want to be cannon fodder

Li Yuanji, the counselor standing by, was confused.

I really don't know what's so ridiculous about the Seventh Prince being plotted against by Nanzhao.

Yelu Jiao spat a grape seed into a plate beside him with a carefree and effortless motion. "My seventh brother is known as the smartest man in Northern Di. Do you think that little princess of Nanzhao can plot against him?"

"What does Your Highness the Crown Prince mean?" Li Yuanji asked carefully.

"Perhaps the Nanzhao Princess did commit the crime, but my seventh brother would have known that. He simply took advantage of the situation and took possession of the Nanzhao Princess. It would be best if he could marry her back to help him!"

A palace maid handed him a handkerchief, and Yelu Jiao picked it up and wiped his fingers carefully, one by one, with great piety.

"But that is the Hehuan Gu, a Nanzhao Gu that can be controlled easily if you are not careful. Why would His Highness the Seventh Prince dare to take the risk?" The counselor Wang Tong standing on the other side also asked puzzledly.

Yelu Jiao sneered, "This is Seventh Brother's forte, getting involved and then taking advantage of the situation. I remember that the delegation was full of talented people, and it's not surprising that there were hidden witch doctors!"

"What's more, if this succeeds, he'll have an extra layer of support. If it doesn't, he can still enjoy the beauty's favor. At worst, he can call a witch doctor to remove the poison afterwards. How could the tricks of a Nanzhao princess be hidden from my good seventh brother?"

Yelu Jiao spoke in a calm voice, showing that he did not underestimate his younger brother.

Although he appeared to be noncompetitive on the surface, he was able to take the responsibility of visiting Dayong with just a few words, which showed his scheming and manipulative nature.

Thinking of this, Yelu Jiao sighed, "My seventh brother is really a big thinker!"

If the other princes were fine, he would be able to handle it.

But what he feared most was a prince like his seventh brother Yelu Zhen, who was extremely intelligent and won the hearts of the northern barbarian literati.

If he wanted to compete for that position, he could not take it lightly just based on his influence among the officials.

To be honest, he should thank Dayong for the sudden appearance of a talent known as the Immortal Poet. If it weren't for his sudden appearance, his seventh brother's reputation would have been even higher.

This time, he went on a diplomatic mission to Dayong, but came back with nothing.

I'm afraid it was because of this that he wanted to use Princess Nanzhao.

However, he did not expect that Princess Zhaohua, who was newly welcomed back to the capital by Dayong, was also a ruthless character. She completely destroyed his plan with one move, not only making him lose face, but also his money.

"Seventh brother, it's time for you to come back, right?" Yelu Jiao asked.

Wang Tong pondered for a moment before replying, "I heard that His Highness the Seventh Prince left Shengjing right after the Prince of Xirong. I think he's almost reached the northern border by now!"

"You haven't accomplished your mission, yet you still have the nerve to come back," Yelu Jiao sneered. "This is a good opportunity for us Northern Di scholars to see that the literary leader they admire can't even surpass Dayong!"

"Your Highness said that you want to secretly spread the news of what the Seventh Prince did in Dayong among the scholars in Shangjing?" Wang Tong asked again.

"If you don't return home when you're rich and powerful, it's like walking in the night in fine clothes! My seventh brother is extremely concerned about his reputation. It's rare for him to fall into such a state of disgrace. How can I not help him?"

"Yes, I will send someone to do this right away. I will make sure it is done beautifully and satisfies Your Highness."

Yelu Jiao nodded in satisfaction, his lips curled slightly, as if he had thought of something. Then he asked, "Have we arranged all our people?"

"Your Highness, rest assured. I have made all the necessary arrangements. There will be at least three waves of assassinations. We will hunt down and intercept the delegation that Your Highness is with. We will make sure that the entire delegation dies within the borders of Dayong!"

"Excellent!" Yelu Jiao praised. "If this succeeds, you will be credited with the main achievement! You must not let Yelu Zhen return to Shangjing alive!"

"Subordinates take orders!"

"My seventh brother has quite a few experts under his command. If I can't stop him, I'll take one of his legs. I'll destroy his reputation, leaving him physically crippled and faceless. From now on, there won't be any more of the smartest people in Northern Di!"

"Well, that's it for now. I should go to the palace and talk to my father about the hard work and great contributions of my seventh brother on this diplomatic mission."

Yelu Jiao patted his sleeves, stood up and walked towards the palace.

In the palace, the emperor, after receiving the intelligence from the delegation and learning the whole story, was so angry that his face turned ashen.

This is really his good son!

He was given two tasks in total: one was to investigate the disappearance of Lao Ba, and the other was to propose the annual tribute and title increase to Dayong.

As a result, he first lost to Dayong at the Chongyang Palace Banquet, and then was plotted against in the embassy, ​​and his innocence was almost lost.

He even lost the confidence to make demands to Dayong.

In the end, I could only come back in disgrace.

This is truly shameful!

Is this still the son that made him so proud?

The Northern Di Emperor was upset. After hearing that the prince had entered the palace, he no longer cared about maintaining the dignity of the royal family and roared directly: "Get out, get out, don't bother me!"

All of these made him tired!

.......

Dayong, in the Qionghua Palace.

The palace maids were packing Zhong Ning's clothes and jewelry. Although she had not been in the palace for long, she had obtained quite a few things.

Some were awarded by the emperor, some were awarded by the imperial concubine, some were awarded by the ladies in the palace, some were gifts from various noble ministers, etc.

Just adding these together, there are dozens of boxes.

The princess's mansion has been renovated and can be moved in at any time. The emperor originally wanted her to live in the palace for a while longer.

After all, after that incident, she had been confirmed by Emperor Yong as the empress's daughter and the legitimate princess of the current dynasty. It was only to cover up this royal scandal that Zhong Ning could not be cleared of her name.

The affairs of the crown prince involve the foundation of the country.

Once the fact that the royal family was being plotted against becomes public, it will inevitably lead to a lot of speculation and panic.

Royal affairs must never be discussed by the people.

This is detrimental to the royal family's reputation.

There should be awe between the people and the royal family. Once there is discussion and the awe is gone, it will be extremely troublesome for the court to govern the world.

Emperor Yong also knew that this matter was extremely unfair to Zhong Ning, so he could only try to make up for it in other ways.

In addition to all the gold and silver jewelry, he also planned to make Luoyi the fiefdom of Princess Zhong Ning, and all taxes would belong to Zhong Ning from then on.

But Zhong Ning refused.

She couldn't use so much money by herself. The national treasury was already in deficit, disasters were frequent in many parts of the country, and the people were in urgent need of help. The war on the front line also needed money.

Luoyi is the transportation hub of the North-South Grand Canal. It is an absolutely prosperous place. If the tax revenue here is taken privately by Zhong Ning, it will be a huge loss to the country and the people.

So she refused flatly.

She takes what she should take and doesn't take what she shouldn't take.

As a princess, she already enjoys all the glory and wealth, so she really doesn't need to ask for too much.

Emperor Yong was also moved by Zhong Ning's innocent heart and his eyes were red.

Everyone loves fame and fortune, but it is rare to find someone like Zhong Ning who can refuse fame and fortune.