Spring arrives and the land smiles

She was actually conscious, but felt very tired and didn't want to open her eyes. Qingyan knew that the hand pressing on her pulse was about to prescribe a bunch of incredibly bitter medicine for her.

"How is she?" Someone had informed the Emperor and Empress, and their sudden appearance startled everyone, causing them to kneel on the ground. "Alright, I'm asking you about the Princess's condition." Emperor Longqing walked to Qingyan's bedside, gesturing for everyone to rise, but his gaze remained fixed on the imperial physician. Empress Shangguan, with tears in her eyes, sat down beside Qingyan's bed, tightly holding her hand.

Imperial Physician Chen Bin was startled by the Emperor's sudden appearance. It took him a while to recover before he stammered, "Her Highness the Princess is simply weak from overwork, and on top of that, and on top of that..."

"Add what?" Emperor Longqing asked impatiently, his love for his daughter evident.

"In addition, it seems that she fainted because she was pregnant. She should get better after a few days of rest," Chen Bin replied carefully after thinking for a while.

Chen Bin's answer made Qingyan, who was lying on the bed, feel uneasy. Ningyuan and Yunxuan also regretted their actions. They exchanged glances and thought: We really shouldn't have invited the imperial physician. Now things have gotten worse. This farce has even reached the emperor's ears.

"If it's true, it's true. What do you mean by 'seems'?" The Crown Prince's pregnancy should have been a great joy, but this phrase "seems" immediately dampened Emperor Longqing's spirits.

"Your Highness's pulse is sometimes bright and sometimes faint, and sometimes it is not. I dare not be sure," Chen Bin answered truthfully, cautiously raising his head.

As an imperial physician, he wouldn't be unsure even about the pregnancy pulse. Perhaps it was truly difficult to make a diagnosis. So, Emperor Longqing turned his head and instructed, "Huaisheng, go and invite all the imperial physicians on duty at the Imperial Hospital today to come and consult with the Princess."

"Yes." Wang Huaisheng immediately ran out to deliver the message.

Before long, Wang Huaisheng led a group of imperial physicians dressed in official robes of various ranks into the room. The one in the lead was He Shou, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, and behind him was Li Pinrong, the left vice-president of the academy.

Upon seeing the Emperor and Empress, no one dared to be negligent. After paying their respects, He Shou immediately took Qingyan's pulse.

On the way to Xuanhua Palace, Yu Huaisheng had already informed the princess of her condition. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, several imperial physicians had taken Qingyan's pulse. After discussing the matter, He Shou, the head of the imperial physicians, spoke up under the expectant gaze of the emperor: "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Princess! Your Highness does indeed have a faint pregnancy pulse, but it is slippery and weak, sometimes strong and sometimes weak. Perhaps it is due to physical weakness, but there is nothing to worry about. A few doses of medicine to stabilize the pregnancy will suffice."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Longqing was overjoyed. He hurried to the bedside, took Qingyan's hand, and his voice was different from usual as he excitedly said, "Good, reward them all!"

Qingyan lay on the bed, unsure of what to do, but forced a smile onto her face. Ning Yuan and Yun Xuan, standing to the side, could only helplessly accept everyone's congratulations.

Emperor Longqing stayed with Qingyan for a while longer until someone from Jingxin Palace arrived before he left. Before leaving, he did not forget to ask the Empress to inform the other palaces of the good news. The Empress happily accepted the decree and left.

After dismissing everyone around her, including her personal maid Zhui'er, Qingyan sat up and looked helplessly at the two people in front of her. Ningyuan quickly put a soft cushion behind her.

"Well? Let's come up with a solution!" Qingyan sighed.

Ning Yuan and Yun Xuan looked at each other and shook their heads.

The three looked at each other, realized it was a complete blunder, and burst into laughter.

"Alright, let's not talk about that for now," Qingyan said after a while, her laughter subsiding and her expression turning serious. "You all heard it behind the screen. Haitu has come prepared and is determined to get it. Ningyuan," Qingyan turned to him, "Ina is the key. We must not allow any mistakes."

"I know, don't worry." Ning Yuan nodded to her.

"Yunxuan, have someone keep an eye on the sea chart. I'm going to Jingxin Palace right now." Qingyan got out of bed and straightened her clothes. Ningyuan and Yunxuan quickly supported her, as if afraid that she would break if they let go.

"What are you doing!" Qingyan found the situation amusing. "I was just a little tired, but I'm fine now."

"It's better to be careful." Yunxuan still didn't let go, so Qingyan didn't say anything more.

Seeing Yunxuan and Ningyuan leave Xuanhua Palace one after another, Qingyan also took Zhuier and walked out.

On the way to Jingxin Hall, Qingyan was still shaken. If Qinghuan hadn't warned her beforehand and tricked Ina into coming with the Haihui Temple ceremony, she would never have dared to so brazenly propose submission to Haitu today, turning the previous passivity into initiative. She might have been led by the nose by Haitu with the marriage proposal and thus found herself in a predicament.

In this light, she is indeed too inexperienced in the position of crown prince. Compared with the shrewd and cunning fifth prince of Nanxia, ​​Qingyan feels that she is far inferior. Moreover, this demon is certainly not willing to be a subject. Given what happened at Quhe Garden, there will probably be countless opportunities for her to participate in the struggle for the throne in Nanxia in the future!

She gently touched her forehead and let out a barely audible sigh, then let Zhui'er help her all the way to the Jingxin Palace.

Having served Emperor Longqing for many years, Wang Huaisheng was indeed quite adept at reading people. Upon seeing Qingyan approaching Jingxin Hall from afar, he immediately went to greet her and did not forget to send a eunuch to report to her inside the hall.

"Princess, please be careful." Wang Huaisheng bowed respectfully and stood on Qingyan's other side, gently supporting her. The earlier misunderstanding about her pregnancy had made Qingyan the only specially protected animal in the palace.

"I have urgent business to attend to the Emperor, and I would like to trouble Eunuch Wang to inform him." Even Qingyan had to treat the Emperor Longqing's personal attendant with utmost courtesy.

"Please wait a moment, Your Highness, this servant will go right away." Wang Huaisheng replied with a smile, bowed and hurried towards the Jingxin Palace. As soon as he entered the palace, he saw the little eunuch who had been sent to report earlier walking back. The little eunuch saw Wang Huaisheng coming in a hurry and quickly bowed. The two whispered to each other for a while, and then Wang Huaisheng dismissed the little eunuch and hurried to report to Qingyan.

Having served two emperors in succession, this was something Wang Huaisheng was always proud of. As the chief eunuch, he also boasted that he was unprecedented and unparalleled. Despite his wild ambition, he acted with extreme humility and was always a shrewd and astute person in the palace.

"Princess, His Majesty summons you in." Facing the Crown Prince, Wang Huaisheng maintained his consistently respectful demeanor.

So fast! Qingyan glanced at Wang Huaisheng and smiled slightly: "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch."

It seems he anticipated Qingyan's arrival and had already sent a eunuch to inform her beforehand; otherwise, even flying wouldn't have been possible to get here from Jingxin Palace so quickly. Speculating on the Emperor's intentions is always a major taboo, and Qingyan, as the Crown Prince, is certainly no exception. Why was Wang Huaisheng so blatantly displaying himself in public this time, so different from his usual cautious approach? If he wanted to curry favor with Qingyan, it seemed premature, which truly puzzled Qingyan.

"Please, Princess." Wang Huaisheng still gently supported Qingyan, serving her with utmost care.

Because she had something on her mind, Qingyan followed Wang Huaisheng into the Jingxin Hall without thinking too much.

In the Jingxin Hall, just as Qingyan was about to pay her respects, Emperor Longqing quickly stopped her, saying, "You are not feeling well now, so let's skip these formalities in the future."

"Thank you, Father Emperor." Even so, Qingyan still gave a simple curtsy.

After Wang Huaisheng brought up a cup of tea, the Longqing Emperor waved him away, then gestured for Qingyan to sit down, and said with a hint of reproach, "The imperial physician said you are weak and need to rest. What is it that you need to say at this time?"

"Your Majesty, I have come regarding the Qiu Rong matter," Qingyan replied, feeling a warmth in her heart from Emperor Longqing's concern.

"I heard you met with Qiu Rong's envoy." After expressing his concern, Emperor Longqing regained his composure and solemnity befitting an emperor, making him seem devoid of warmth.

"Yesterday, an envoy from Qiu Rong came with a visiting card, and I received him at Chenshi today." Qingyan paused, then glanced at Emperor Longqing. Seeing that he had no reaction, she continued, "What I did not expect was that the visitor was actually Hai Tu, the heir of Qiu Rong."

"Oh?" Emperor Longqing took a sip of the tea beside him, but still did not make any comment.

Qingyan continued, "Prince Haitu originally came to establish a marriage alliance with our Great Qi, but on his way to the capital the other day, he unexpectedly met Princess Yina, who was attending a Buddhist ceremony at Haihui Temple. He was immediately captivated by her beauty, and the two fell in love at first sight. I have met Prince Haitu a few times and also have some childhood friendship with Princess Yina. That's why Prince Haitu rushed here, eager to see me and ask me to come up with a compromise. I dare not make a decision on my own, so I have come to report to Father Emperor."

Upon hearing Qingyan's words, Emperor Longqing's expression turned extremely ugly: "How can a marriage alliance be treated like a child's play! This Hai Tu is far too ignorant of the bigger picture, or perhaps Qiu Rong simply doesn't take our Great Qi seriously at all?"

“Father, please calm your anger,” Qingyan said, gathering her thoughts. “The Crown Prince Haitu’s request is indeed somewhat impolite. However, a beautiful lady is sought after by a gentleman, and as mortals, we cannot escape the influence of love.” As she spoke, the image of Yunxuan flashed through Qingyan’s mind, and she couldn’t help but feel a little helpless. She paused and continued, “The Crown Prince Haitu knows that this matter will inevitably bring irreparable trouble to both countries. Therefore, he is willing to persuade Khan Tat to submit to our Great Qi, only asking that Father grant his request.”

Upon hearing these two words, Emperor Longqing involuntarily stood up from his dragon throne, his expression showing considerable excitement.

"Yes." Qingyan nodded solemnly to Emperor Longqing, her expression devoid of any hint of jest.

Since Geya Khan, Haitu's grandfather, unified the dozen or so Qiu Rong tribes through reform and modernization, the Qiu Rong grew powerful, creating a thirty-year-long standoff with the Great Qi in the region of the Changbai Mountains and the Heilongjiang River. However, nomadic peoples cannot change their nomadic nature, so the border with the Qiu Rong was never peaceful, frequently harassed and plundered by the Qiu Rong who lacked food and clothing. To find a solution, Emperor Longqing, at the beginning of his reign, established a trade market, allowing the Qiu Rong to exchange cattle, sheep, and dairy products for other necessities rare on the grasslands. This policy brought several years of friendly relations between the Qiu Rong and the Great Qi. However, in years of severe snow disasters, the border people were still not spared, and the lure of profit inevitably attracted unscrupulous merchants, so despite the trade market, conflict was still unavoidable. Today, Qingyan suddenly mentioned the matter of pledging allegiance, which must have delighted Emperor Longqing.

"Does Qiu Rong have any other requests?" After receiving an affirmative answer, Emperor Longqing seemed to calm down. Unconditional submission was naturally impossible; whether or not he could agree to these conditions was the key to success or failure.

All the groundwork laid beforehand was in the hope of hearing Emperor Longqing's words. After pondering for a moment, Qingyan said, "The first request of the Heir Apparent of Haitu is to marry Princess Jing of my Great Qi."

"Princess Jingguo? Isn't he in love with Princess Ina of Kucha?" Upon hearing the words "Princess Jingguo," Emperor Longqing felt annoyed at being mocked. Looking at the entire Great Qi Dynasty, there was only one person who was qualified to be named Princess Jingguo, and that person had become the high-ranking Crown Prince. Where was he supposed to find a Princess Jingguo for him to marry?

Nowadays, Emperor Longqing has very few daughters who have reached adulthood. If we were to select suitable women from the imperial family, it seems that only the eldest daughter of Prince Jin, Princess Qinglan, and the second daughter, Princess Qingyi, are of the right age and qualified to be named Princess Jingguo.

Prince Jin! Emperor Longqing immediately rejected the two men. If Prince Jin were to openly collude with Qiu Rong, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

"Father, since he and Yina are in love and he is also interested in the vanity of Princess Jingguo, why not bestow the title of Princess Jingguo upon Yina? This would not only be a marriage alliance between Daqi and Qiurong, but also a good deed done to help others achieve their goals, and would also grant Qiurong's request to become a vassal state. Wouldn't that be killing three birds with one stone?" Qingyan answered cautiously while glancing at Emperor Longqing's expression, afraid that Emperor Longqing would see through her scheme and expose her as the mastermind behind the scenes who spared no effort to prevent herself from becoming a victim of the marriage alliance.

"Ina?" Emperor Longqing asked.

"Your Majesty, I have some childhood friendship with Ina. Ina has been virtuous and talented since childhood, and she is indeed worthy of the title of Princess of Jingguo." Qingyan continued to promote Ina.

"That's something we can consider," Emperor Longqing nodded thoughtfully.

Although the Kingdom of Kucha was not considered a major power among the Western Regions, its ruler was adept at governance. Since ascending the throne, he had begun to make peace with other countries. After learning of the death of the Queen Consort of the King of Shule, he even went so far as to marry his youngest sister to the King of Shule, who was much older than her, as his first queen. At this time, Kucha was no longer the same as before. If a Princess Jingguo were to emerge, it might be possible to break the Wusun Kingdom's monopoly in the Western Regions. In this light, it might not be such a bad thing.

After pondering for a moment, the Longqing Emperor spoke again: "Then it shall be as you wish, and Yina shall be conferred the title of Princess of Jingguo. However, this is a matter of great importance, and a reasonable excuse is needed to make it legitimate."

"Your subject will certainly handle this matter properly." Having received Emperor Longqing's approval, Qingyan was overjoyed, but on the surface he had to appear calm.

"You just said that this is the first requirement of the nautical chart. Are there any others?" The matter of submission is not enough with just a marriage alliance. The subsequent requirements will surely become more and more significant. Emperor Longqing's expression became solemn.

Indeed, the marriage proposal was the easiest for Emperor Longqing to accept, while the latter few seemed to challenge imperial power. Qingyan thought for a moment, took a deep breath, and then spoke: "The Crown Prince of Haitu hopes that our Celestial Dynasty will lend the vast grasslands south of Xiguan Mountain to Mohe to the Qiu Rong for fifty years, open the trading ports of the Western Regions countries, allow the countries to trade freely with the Qiu Rong, and promise that the Qiu Rong will station foreign affairs officials in the four countries of Wusun, Yutian, Loulan, and Shule."

Qingyan finished speaking in one breath and secretly glanced at Emperor Longqing's expression. Fortunately, it was still relatively normal.

Time stood still, and the air seemed to freeze.

For a long time, the Longqing Emperor remained silent.

"That's right."

Just when Qingyan thought the worst was yet to come, she was surprised to hear an affirmative answer. This made Qingyan so happy that she almost jumped for joy, but she couldn't show it on her face and could only keep her happy in her heart.

From a modern perspective, these acts of challenging authority are actually beneficial to all countries. Open exchange itself is a form of promotion; learning from each other's strengths and making up for weaknesses, and developing together through interaction, can lead to a win-win situation. However, Qingyan would not say any of this to the Longqing Emperor. Even if the Longqing Emperor disagreed, Qingyan would not risk trying, because the level of productivity at that time was far from being able to achieve such foresight, and forcibly persuading him would only make her a target.

“However, I also have a request,” just as Qingyan was indulging in her wild daydreams, the Longqing Emperor’s words immediately brought her back to reality, “I heard that General Ning is still alive, so have them send General Ning back.”

The Longqing Emperor actually knew about this? Qingyan's heart skipped a beat. Since that was the case, there was no need for her to report it again.

"Your subject obeys the decree and will do everything in his power to accomplish this task." Qingyan bowed, accepted the order, and took his leave.

"Jiaojiao." Just as Qingyan was about to leave, Emperor Longqing called out to her gently, using a title that was rarely seen. This was the second time in a few days. Qingyan was startled and quickly stopped and turned to look at Emperor Longqing.

"Father." Qingyan's heart pounded with anxiety. Had someone noticed something?

"Jiaojiao," the Longqing Emperor stepped forward and called out again, seemingly with more helplessness than before, "Actually, even if you didn't say it, I would still be reluctant to marry you off again. The matter of making Fu Yunxuan my consort before was already a grievance for you."

What? Qingyan was suddenly taken aback. The Longqing Emperor had actually known her thoughts all along.

Seeing that Qingyan remained silent, the Longqing Emperor continued, "I know that you and Ningyuan are childhood sweethearts, and I should have asked for your opinion first. However, as the crown prince, I naturally have many things I cannot control. Do you blame me?"

“Father,” Qingyan said, her voice rising with emotion after hearing these words, “How could I blame you? You must have your reasons for doing this. I am still young and far from your wisdom and foresight. I should obey your orders.”

Hearing Qingyan say this, Emperor Longqing felt a little relieved but also somewhat disappointed. However, since things had come to this point, saying more would only add to his troubles, so he waved his hand and dismissed Qingyan.

Watching Qingyan's retreating figure, Emperor Longqing murmured helplessly, "Jiaojiao, I really hope you don't blame your father."

"Someone come here." Wang Huaisheng, who had been waiting outside the door, immediately pushed open the door respectfully upon hearing the Longqing Emperor's voice and waited to the side.

"Prepare the carriage for Yonghe Palace," Emperor Longqing ordered, waving his hand.

"Your servant obeys the decree." Wang Huaisheng immediately ordered people to prepare, while he himself accompanied Emperor Longqing to Yonghe Palace.