The Eldest Daughter Is Beautiful and Saucy
Chapter 1001: Besieged
Chapter 1001: Besieged on All Sides
Because it was located in a newly rebuilt house of a noble family of the Jin Dynasty on the outskirts of Dadu, and could be used after a slight renovation by the Ministry of Works, the girls’ school went very smoothly. On August 13th of the first year of Yuanhe, ministers in the court sent their daughters to the school one after another.
Shen Tianzhi was sitting opposite Bai Qingyan, having lunch with Bai Qingyan, while talking about the grand occasion of this girls’ school.
“The girls from the families of important officials in the court will go first, and then when the girls’ school is expanded, it will be able to accommodate more girls…” Shen Tianzhi said.
Bai Qingyan nodded: “Master Shen, please take care of the expansion…”
“Your Majesty…” Wei Zhong took small steps towards Bai Qingyan and whispered, “Prince Yan of Xiliang wants to see you. It seems that he wants to resign and return to his country.”
Upon seeing this, Shen Tianzhi hurriedly put down the chopsticks in his hand, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, stood up and walked to the center of the hall to salute Bai Qingyan: “Your Majesty, I have finished my meal, and I will take my leave now…”
Bai Qingyan nodded and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. “Master Shen, please take care of the expansion drawings. I won’t look at them again.”
Shen Tianzhi hurriedly bowed to Bai Qingyan and then left the hall.
“Take it!” Bai Qingyan put down the handkerchief and took the honey dew handed to him by Chuntao to rinse his mouth.
After a brief tidying up, Nanny Tong and Chunzhi helped Bai Qingyan change her clothes, and then they went to the front hall accompanied by Wei Zhong and Chuntao to meet Li Zhijie, the King of Yan of Xiliang.
In the hall, Li Zhijie tightly grasped his folding fan. Today was his last fight for Xiliang. Since Yan dared to tell him that the ghost-faced general of Rongdi was from the Bai family, why couldn’t he tell the Queen of Da Zhou about this news? If he could provoke Da Zhou and Da Yan to fight, Xiliang would at least be temporarily stable.
He would try his best once. If it didn’t work, he would have to go back to Xiliang and find another way.
Hearing the eunuch’s announcement, Li Zhijie stood up and bowed towards the outside of the hall.
Bai Qingyan glanced at Li Zhijie, who had his eyes downcast and looked unhappy, and stepped over the threshold, saying, “King Yan, there is no need to be so polite. I heard that King Yan is here to say goodbye?”
Li Zhijie bowed respectfully until he heard Bai Qingyan take a seat, then he straightened his back and nodded, saying, “Yan State is staying in Dadu for the purpose of marriage, and Xiliang is staying in Dadu for the purpose of alliance, but… I have received a message and have hesitated for nearly a month, but I have decided to bid farewell to the Empress. If the Empress is really willing to form an alliance with Xiliang, please send an envoy to accompany me back to Yunjing to sign the treaty.”
She looked at Li Zhijie’s serious tone and asked with a low laugh, “But is it because… the Ninth Prince of Dayan told you that the Ghost-faced Prince of Rongdi is a member of the Bai family?”
Li Zhijie suddenly raised his head…
Seeing Li Zhijie’s surprised expression, she stroked the armrest of the chair with her fingers and said with a smile: “Because Dayan signed an alliance with Rongdi that it would not attack Xiliang within three years, Dayan’s army was able to return home, so there was no legitimate excuse to attack Xiliang. Let me guess…did the Ninth Prince of Dayan tell you…the way to preserve Xiliang was to pay tribute to Dayan and become its vassal?”
Li Zhijie’s palms were covered with sweat, and he even suspected that Bai Qingyan had sent someone to eavesdrop on his conversation with the Ninth Prince.
“After being frightened by the Ninth Prince of Dayan, is Prince Yan planning to return to his country and tell the Queen of Xiliang that he wants to pay tribute to Dayan?” She took the wide-mouthed sky-blue sweet porcelain teacup handed to her by Chuntao with a half-smile, and when she saw Chuntao winking at her, she waved her hand to signal Li Zhijie to sit down, “Prince Yan, please sit down and have some tea first.”
Li Zhijie stood still, resisting very much. She did not force him, but smiled and said, “Let’s not talk about it for now. If Xiliang wants to pay tribute and become a vassal, will the Queen of Xiliang agree? Will the eight major families that truly control Xiliang agree? Even if… it is really according to what the Ninth Prince of Dayan said, the Ghost-faced Prince of Rongdi is from my Great Zhou, then… if we really want to pay tribute and become a vassal, wouldn’t it be better for Xiliang to pay tribute and become a vassal to the Great Zhou?”
Hearing this, Li Zhijie felt like a piece of meat on the chopping board even more. He pursed his lips and finally sat down at the seat below Bai Qingyan.
“What does King Yan think? Tell me about it…” Bai Qingyan said with a smile.
Li Zhijie felt that Xiliang was now surrounded by internal and external troubles. He smiled bitterly and looked up at Bai Qingyan, saying, “I guess your Majesty’s conditions for peace talks are going to change again, right?”
She smiled and nodded: “Since Rongdi is all part of our Great Zhou, and Dayan can ask Xiliang to pay tribute and become our vassal, why can’t Great Zhou do the same?”
Li Zhijie closed his eyes, his mind filled with the words… The Ninth Prince of Dayan has harmed me.
“If the country is no longer in the state of paying tribute and being a vassal, Li Zhijie dare not become the eternal sinner of Xiliang!” Li Zhijie straightened his back and bowed to Bai Qingyan, “Therefore, I, a foreign minister, can only bid farewell to Your Majesty and return to my country to live and die with Xiliang.”
“King Yan, don’t worry. I have sent my third brother Bai Qingqi to Yunjing, Xiliang, to discuss the alliance with the Queen of Xiliang. According to the date, he should be on the way back. King Yan can wait for news with me in the capital first.” Bai Qingyan said with a smile.
Li Zhijie was startled, and then he remembered that the Ninth Prince of Dayan had said before that the cousin Bai Qingqi, who had just returned from the Empress of the Great Zhou Dynasty, was heading towards Southern Xinjiang. It turned out… he was going to Xiliang!
“Why haven’t I heard Your Majesty mention it before?” Li Zhijie asked with a frown.
“Of course, to prevent Dayan from eavesdropping on the news…” Bai Qingyan put down the teacup in his hand.
“If the envoys sent by Your Majesty… want us to pay tribute and become your vassal.” Li Zhijie looked at Bai Qingyan steadily, “Then, I can tell Your Majesty with certainty that I, the Queen of Xiliang, will never agree to it.”
“Whether you agree or not, we just have to wait and see! After all, even if King Yan returns to his country now, it will not help. Staying in the capital… can still negotiate with Dayan, oh… or discuss with the Ghost-faced Prince of Rongdi to see if the war between Rongdi and Xiliang can be avoided.” Bai Qingyan looked unconcerned and blew slowly into the teacup, “King Yan, have a taste. This is the cloud tea sent by Mr. Xiao. I remember that Mr. Xiao has few shops in Xiliang, so he probably didn’t send such good tea there.”
Bai Qingyan’s seemingly casual words made Li Zhijie’s heart suddenly move…
Perhaps, we can try to talk to the Ghost-faced Prince of Rongdi about the alliance. Logically, weak countries should unite to resist the strong, but why did Rongdi insist on holding on to Xiliang? The Ninth Prince of Dayan took advantage of this and made him believe that the Ghost-faced Prince of Rongdi was a member of the Bai family.
He claimed to be so wise that he never thought of asking the Ghost-faced Prince of Rongdi seriously about this matter.
Thinking of this, Li Zhijie stood up with forced calmness and bowed slowly towards Bai Qingyan.
Third update! Continue to ask for monthly votes…