PNB Chapter 369 Sowing Discord
Chapter 369 Sowing Discord
Yelü Yuanguang truly didn't want to face this fact, so he forced himself to save face, saying, "The Crown Prince of Great Zhou is only a little over a year old. He probably doesn't understand, and it's unlikely he did it on purpose."
However, it must be admitted that the child did it on purpose; at such a young age, he already seemed to be full of bad intentions.
At night, the Crown Prince and Princess slept on the dragon bed, so the couple couldn't exercise. They cuddled together to sleep, a rare occurrence. Li Yuanke separated the child from Shen Shixi and slept in the middle.
They started talking about the ceremony that day, and Li Yuanke was extremely proud of himself. "This kid looks like a great leader. He'll definitely be more powerful than me in the future."
Shen Shixi was also very happy, but she remained much calmer. "Even the most talented children need to be taught well; there's plenty of time in the future."
"I know!" Li Yuanke hugged Shen Shixi and kissed her. "You just focus on attending court and handling state affairs. Don't worry about anything else. I promise to raise our son and daughter well."
Shen Shixi was speechless. "Li Yuanke, do you even remember who you are?"
"Remember, I'm your husband! What's mine is yours, and what's yours is still yours!" Li Yuanke said with a wicked smile.
In the darkness, Shen Shixi rolled her eyes dramatically.
Li Yuanke then told her about her son cursing the wolf king of Beisha, which amused Shen Shixi. "No way, this little rascal, he probably doesn't know what 'dog' means, right? Maybe he just saw that the wolf king has a full beard and looks like a dog from a zoo?"
The royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty naturally kept many wild animals, as well as some rare and exotic animals that were presented as tribute from neighboring countries, such as elephants and monkeys, and also fierce beasts such as tigers and lions. Li Yuanke took his two children to see them.
Li Yuanke retorted, "Don't look down on your son. He knows a lot. He even had a verbal battle with Xihe last time. He called Xihe a dog, and Xihe called him a cat."
Shen Shixi's smile vanished. "Can you even speak properly? You're uttering one word at a time, and even the two words are reduplicated. You've even learned to swear. Didn't you stop you?"
"Didn't I care? I told them that swearing is wrong, but it's normal that such young kids wouldn't listen," Li Yuanke said.
Shen Shixi knew that this bastard was very hypocritical; whatever his own child did was right, so she couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.
The following day, the Ministry of Rites arranged for the delegations from Beisha and Xiling to meet with the Emperor, and naturally also arranged a banquet.
As an empress ruling as regent, Shen Shixi would inevitably have to participate in such occasions. Although the crown prince was still young, he was still the crown prince. Since the crown prince was participating, Xihe could not be left out.
So, all four members of the family attended.
Officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Court of State Ceremonial of the Great Zhou Dynasty, along with envoys from both countries, arrived first. After waiting for a while, the appointed time came, and everyone saw the Great Zhou Emperor enter with a child in each hand and the Empress beside him.
The prince leaned on the emperor's shoulder, first looking at everyone before focusing his gaze on the face of the Northern Sand Wolf King. He gave a wicked smile, and although he didn't say anything, the Northern Sand Wolf King felt offended.
He couldn't help but glare at the Crown Prince, but he was a beat too late, because the Crown Prince had already gone to see Yelü Yuanguang of Xiling.
The princess's bright eyes darted around. It was her first time appearing in public, but it was easy for everyone to see that she really resembled the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty in every way—her appearance, her demeanor, it was uncanny.
In fact, anyone who has dealt with the Emperor and Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty knows that, relatively speaking, the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty abides by many rules, but the Empress is different. Some of her words and actions are truly unconventional, but it cannot be said that she has no rules at all; it's just that she seems to follow a different set of rules.
The two children are still breastfeeding, but they mainly eat complementary foods. We moved the high chair over and placed it next to the imperial table, which is mostly filled with food that they can eat. Once they are settled, we don't need to worry about them anymore.
Li Yuanke, fearing that his two children were getting impatient, gave a brief welcoming speech and then announced that the banquet would begin.
After a few rounds of drinks, they started chatting casually.
Wolf King and Yelü Yuanguang exchanged a glance and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor of Great Zhou, Beisha and Xiling have discussed this and unanimously agree that it is extremely shameful for your country to use the same weapon that killed Beisha last time and later General Yelü on the battlefield."
Therefore, we believe that the Great Zhou should disclose the production techniques to both our countries; only in this way can it be considered fair.
Li Yuanke was stunned for a moment; he couldn't quite understand this train of thought.
Just like last time, the Wolf King of Beisha actually had a high-ranking monk try to convert the Queen into a nun.
Incredible.
Shen Shixi laughed and said, "The Great Zhou has not deployed such weapons on the battlefield, nor does it have any plans to do so for the time being; as you all know, these two weapons are powerful, without me having to say it."
Using it on the battlefield would be like a grown man with a machete fighting a three-year-old child—it would be unfair. We understand your concerns!
These were harsh words. Li Yuanke laughed, and the ministers of the Great Zhou all lowered their heads. The Empress had gone too far in bullying the weak.
Shen Shixi shook the emperor's left hand. "Last time, when His Majesty the Emperor of Great Zhou was about to lead an expedition in person, I was worried about his safety, so I ordered the Ministry of Works to make this weapon, mainly for self-defense."
I deeply regret the death of General Xiling and share his grief. I hope the Kingdom of Xiling can find solace and adapt to this difficult time. Every year, many young men die on the battlefield. I am committed to peace and hope that there will be no more war in the world, so that the people can live in peace and prosperity.
How can someone who creates powerful weapons of mass destruction have the audacity to say such a thing?
The Wolf King of Beisha is growing increasingly disgusted with Empress Da Zhou.
He wants to destroy what he can't have, but the problem is, he can't destroy it!
The Wolf King of the Northern Sands then said, "Your Majesty, this is a political forum. Why is Your Majesty not speaking, and it is only the Empress of Great Zhou who is doing all the talking? Could it be that now, the Empress is in charge of Great Zhou, while Your Majesty is merely a wife and mother?"
These words aren't very hurtful, but they are very insulting.
The officials of the Great Zhou were furious.
Grand Secretary Song Piyang said, "From what I've heard, the Wolf King of Beisha seems to be jealous of His Majesty of our Great Zhou?"
The Wolf King of the Northern Sands immediately denied it, "I'm jealous? Jealous that His Majesty the Emperor of Great Zhou has such a shrewish wife? I wonder when the Emperor of Great Zhou will abdicate and when the Empress will ascend the throne?"
This is a truly hurtful statement.
Any emperor would have taken his anger out on the empress by now. Shen Shixi was also fed up with this stupid wolf king of Beisha. If she were Li Yuanke, she would also be furious.
Li Yuanke, however, calmly served food to both the princess and the crown prince, then put down his chopsticks, slowly wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and said,
"Not to mention the support the Empress gave me when I was in decline, since she entered the palace, even when she was in a lowly position, she has been dedicated to improving the strength of the Great Zhou and ensuring the well-being of the people; many of the Great Zhou's national policies and systems were created by the Empress."
"I'm sure the Wolf King knows that the people of the Great Zhou deeply love and respect the Empress, and the officials in the court have great faith in her. I only ask one question: Do Beisha and Xiling have such a Queen Mother?"
No!
Yelü Yuanguang was also greatly surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, how can the emperor allow others to snore on his bed! I have no intention of sowing discord between the emperor and empress; I am simply deeply puzzled."
"Is my empress someone else?" Li Yuanke asked, displeased.