The Emperor's heart is won, she sits on the Phoenix Throne! The Divine Physician's Eldest

As the supreme ruler, Emperor Changlong hated being threatened by anyone, no matter who it was!

His face darkened the moment he heard Princess Qingyan's words.

"Since the Yan Kingdom has no intention of a marriage alliance, please return!"

Seeing that the marriage negotiations were about to fall apart, Wen Yuan immediately changed his tune, "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. It was Qingyan who went too far. Qingyan, why don't you apologize to His Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Princess Qingyan looked at Emperor Changlong and said, "Your Majesty, I was being presumptuous. Please forgive me."

Emperor Changlong remained unyielding, saying, "The alliance between the Great Zhou and the Yan Kingdom is for long-term peace, so we should respect the wishes of both sides and negotiate together, rather than having one side impose its own hegemonic terms!"

Princess Qingyan remained silent; she was merely a pawn, moving wherever those above directed.

Wen Yuan said, "What Your Majesty says is very true. We can discuss the matter of the marriage alliance later."

He raised his glass and said, "I would like to propose a toast to everyone here, thank you for your kind hospitality."

He drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, and the others raised their glasses to drink with him.

The tense atmosphere dissipated with the drinks, and the atmosphere returned to normal.

Princess Qingyan returned to her seat, and she no longer covered her face with a veil.

Her stunning beauty was on full display, captivating all who looked at her.

Now that everyone has seen her face, there's no longer a requirement for the first person to see her to marry her.

However, only a few princes are eligible to marry her, and now these princes must compete fairly for her hand.

Shen Heng took the initiative, "Princess Qingyan, I just heard you play the zither, and it was like heavenly music. May I ask you to accompany me on a piece while I perform a sword dance for everyone?"

“Princess Qingyan is very talented. She has already played the zither, so there is no need for her to play another piece. How about we dance? I will accompany you on the flute.” Shen Xuan was not to be outdone.

Shen Xuan, who had been silent all along, spoke up, "Princess Qingyan is stunningly beautiful, and Seventh Brother is skilled in both literature and martial arts. Brothers, you should stop arguing. Seventh Brother and Princess Qingyan are the best match. Only when they are together can they truly represent peace between Great Zhou and Yan."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to him, and the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone in the capital knows that Shen Pei loves Song Siyao to death. He's the kind of person who would destroy the Yan Kingdom to be buried with Song Siyao. How could he possibly have room for anyone else in his heart?

Shen Xuan's words were meant to sow discord between Song Siyao and Shen Pei; he did it on purpose.

But his words had a certain truth to them, making them hard to refute.

Shen Pei led his troops to defeat the Yan Kingdom. If he were to marry Princess Qingyan, the two would go from being enemies to being the closest of friends. This would indeed be the best marriage alliance.

But how could Shen Pei possibly agree to that?

Shen Xuan knew that with his current conditions, he definitely couldn't compete with his other brothers. So, he killed two birds with one stone: sow discord between Song Siyao and Shen Pei, and divert the battle to Shen Pei, making the other brothers see Shen Pei as their rival. Then, he could approach Princess Qingyan with peace of mind.

Emperor Changlong glanced at Shen Xuan, immediately seeing through Shen Xuan's thoughts. He frowned, realizing that if he wanted to take action against Song Siyao, he would have to ask for Shen Xuan's consent first.

Princess Qingyan glanced at Shen Pei, but only gave him a brief look before lowering her eyes, and no one could see the emotions in them.

Everyone turned their attention to Shen Pei, wanting to see his reaction.

Shen Pei's expression was cold. "My heart belongs to someone else, and I have no interest in anyone else."

He didn't look at Song Siyao, but everyone knew he was talking about Song Siyao.

He once again publicly confessed his feelings for Song Siyao.

Although the marriage to Princess Qingyan was a political alliance, everyone was discussing feelings. Only those who truly cared about Princess Qingyan could be considered to have truly promoted peace.

Shen Pei made his position clear: he had no interest in Princess Qingyan, and a marriage alliance with her would not contribute to peace between the two countries.

All eyes shifted from Shen Pei to Song Siyao, to see how she would react.

Unwilling to give up after his first plan failed, Shen Xuan devised another scheme.

He looked at Song Siyao and asked, "Princess Youfeng, what do you think of this matter? Are you willing to watch your achievements go to waste?"