Taohua was startled and quickly bowed her head in greeting, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s gracious favor.”
As the Emperor was about to continue, Li Jin, standing nearby, spoke up in bewilderment, “Wasn’t our princess supposed to marry the Prince Nan? Why is she dressed like this?”
Taohua lowered her head and raised an eyebrow, wondering if they hadn’t clarified the matter yet.
Shen Zaiye smiled, “We were busy exchanging national gifts earlier. This matter will be explained slowly during the banquet.”
Li Jin frowned, his eyes filled with indescribable emotions. His gaze fell on Jiang Taohua and didn’t move away, causing those around to notice the oddity. Even the Emperor glanced at him, then at Taohua.
Displeased, Shen Zaiye stepped forward, directly blocking Li Jin’s view. He then smiled and said, “Your Majesty, perhaps we should take our seats first.”
Lan Guifei quickly smoothed things over, coming forward to support the Emperor as they walked inside. “The banquet is ready. Your Majesty, please see if there’s anything amiss.”
“With you in charge, I’m naturally at ease,” Emperor Mingde smiled. The others followed them inside.
Li Jin tried to approach Jiang Taohua, but Shen Zaiye consistently blocked his path, seemingly unintentionally standing in front of him. No matter how Li Jin tried to maneuver, he couldn’t get past.
“Chancellor Shen,” Li Jin finally couldn’t help but ask, “Have I offended you in some way?”
Shen Zaiye turned his head, giving him a light glance, and smiled, “Chancellor Li, you’re overthinking. We’ve never met before, so there’s no way you could have offended me.”
“Then…” Why did it seem like he had something against him?
Nodding politely, Shen Zaiye didn’t speak to him further. He turned back, swiftly pulling Jiang Taohua into his arms, and said softly, “Watch your step.”
Taohua was surprised, blinking as she looked up at him, and remarked, “My lord, you’re being quite manly today!”
“Oh?” Secretly pinching her waist, Shen Zaiye asked with a forced smile, “Are you implying that I’m not usually manly?”
“No, no, no,” Taohua nestled obediently in his arms and sincerely said, “You’re always very manly, truly!”
Shen Zaiye curled his lips, glancing at the ashen face of the man behind them. For a moment, he felt a childish sense of satisfaction.
Li Jin watched the couple in shock, unable to understand what was happening until they entered the main hall and sat down. Seeing the two sit at the same table, he finally realized.
Jiang Taohua had married Shen Zaiye, not the Prince Nan.
“Your Majesty!” Unable to sit still, Li Jin had just reached his seat when he bowed and said, “This humble servant doesn’t understand. What exactly is the situation with our princess’s marriage?”
“It’s quite a fateful encounter,” Lan Guifei sat down in the main seat with the Emperor. After adjusting his robes, Emperor Mingde began, “Originally, your country’s princess was indeed promised to the Prince Nan, but due to an unexpected turn of events, she ended up in the Chancellor’s household. Our Great Wei’s Chancellor is no less than a prince, so your princess hasn’t lost out.”
How could this be? Li Jin’s face paled slightly as he looked at Shen Zaiye and Jiang Taohua, then at the Prince Nan beside him.
Although the Prince Nan had been promoted to prince and now held a unique position in Great Wei, he was still young. If Taohua had married him, Li Jin could have felt a bit better, knowing she wouldn’t like someone younger than herself. But Shen Zaiye…
How could it be Shen Zaiye?
Smiling slightly, Taohua looked at him calmly and said, “I’m living well in Great Wei. Who I married isn’t important. What matters is that if my presence can foster a hundred years of friendship between Great Wei and Zhao, then this journey hasn’t been in vain.”
“The princess speaks wisely,” Lan Guifei laughed delicately. “Seeing how affectionate the princess and the Chancellor are, I’m sure our Great Wei and Zhao will maintain friendly relations for generations to come.”
Emperor Mingde gently squeezed Lan Guifei’s hand. She was startled and immediately fell silent.
If Zhao were strong and prosperous, Great Wei could indeed maintain harmonious relations with them indefinitely. But now Zhao was declining day by day, with weakened military power and vulnerable border defenses. It was like a piece of meat on Great Wei’s lips, just waiting to be swallowed. He had such intentions, so these words couldn’t be said too definitively now.
Li Jin pressed his lips together, his gaze deep as he looked at Taohua for a long time. Lowering his eyes, he said, “Since the princess is living well now, this humble servant can rest easy.”
What do you have to feel at ease about? Taohua couldn’t help but secretly roll her eyes. He spoke as if he were so noble and cared so much about her, but had he forgotten how he abandoned her in her time of need? Had he forgotten how he ignored her and Chang Jue? Always forgetting his misdeeds and acting like some romantic hero was truly irritating.
In the past, she might have been moved by Li Jin’s sweet words and passionate gaze. But now she had grown up and learned to see through these superficial things to a man’s true nature. In all matters, look at results, not process. Whether a person is truly good to you or not, don’t listen to what they say, look at what they do.
“Now that our two countries are joined by marriage, we are one family,” Emperor Mingde smiled and spoke. “If Zhao has any difficulties, feel free to speak to me. I will help in any way I can.”
Li Jin was slightly surprised and couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Taohua again.
Originally, when she came for this political marriage, there had been no hope of improving relations between the two countries. But she had somehow managed to get the Emperor of Great Wei to say such words.
Jiang Taohua herself was also taken aback. She quickly glanced at the main seat, then looked at Li Jin, frowning slightly and shaking her head.
What did she mean? Li Jin couldn’t understand what she was trying to express. Emperor Mingde was still waiting, so after some thought, he spoke up, “Zhao has recently suffered many natural disasters and calamities, resulting in food shortages. If Great Wei has sufficient grain, would it be possible to lend us some?”
“Natural disasters and calamities?” Emperor Mingde sighed, “This is truly unfortunate. Let’s discuss it with the Minister of Agriculture later. Whatever amount of grain you need, feel free to take it from Great Wei’s granaries.”
Li Jin was overjoyed, not expecting the Emperor of Great Wei to be so generous. He quickly came forward and bowed deeply, “Your Majesty’s great kindness, this servant thanks you on behalf of all of Zhao.”
Taohua closed her eyes, thinking that her father, far away in Zhao, must have become senile. Even when visiting a stronger country, how could he send someone like Li Jin, who only understood romance and not statecraft? How could she have the power to make Emperor Mingde lend so much grain? This was a probe into Zhao’s vulnerabilities, and this fool couldn’t even understand her eye signals!
He and Jiang Suxue truly were a match made in heaven!
Shen Zaiye noticed her mood but didn’t say anything. The banquet began, with music playing and dancers performing. Exquisite dishes were also served.
Taohua had intended to channel her frustration into her appetite and enjoy a good meal. However, Shen Zaiye seemed to have a knot in his brain today, either serving her food or wiping the corners of her mouth. Even Lan Guifei above couldn’t help but remark, “The Chancellor is becoming more and more gentle.”
Smiling awkwardly, Taohua’s hand under her sleeve lightly grasped Shen Zaiye’s thigh. Her lips didn’t move as she spoke through gritted teeth, “My lord, the one opposite is no match for you. Why are you doing this?”
“Because I want to,” Shen Zaiye smiled, placing another piece of venison in her mouth. “If he likes to watch, let him watch his fill.”
Caught between laughter and tears, Taohua watched Li Jin continuously drinking across the table. She thought that these two, master and servant, must have planned together today to trap Li Jin. Trapping him was fine, but behind him was still Zhao. If he got drunk and said something he shouldn’t…
“Chancellor Shen.”
Before she could finish worrying, Li Jin indeed stood up. His face was slightly flushed, and his eyes weren’t quite focused as he said, “Do you truly like our princess?”
Seeing the potential for drama, Emperor Mingde put down his chopsticks and, holding Lan Guifei’s hand, watched with great interest. Lan Guifei smiled apologetically, her gaze falling on Shen Zaiye with some complexity.
Shen Zaiye looked up, smiling politely, “She is the mistress of my household and my lawful wife. How could I not like her?”
“Then do you know what she likes and dislikes?” Li Jin sneered, “The princess has been married to you for nearly half a year. If you truly care for her, these questions shouldn’t be difficult to answer, right?”
Taohua’s heart skipped a beat. She wanted nothing more than to throw a plate from the table at him!
What kind of occasion was this to ask such questions? Was it appropriate for someone of his status? If he wanted to die, did he have to drag her down with him?
Shen Zaiye’s eyes darkened slightly, but his face still wore a smile. He calmly replied, “She likes money, likes eating meat, likes sunbathing. She hates betrayal and deception.”
“Wrong,” Li Jin shook his head. “She likes candied hawthorns from the common markets and dislikes sesame.”
The surroundings became lively, with many people whispering and looking at Li Jin and Jiang Taohua with deeper meaning. Shen Zaiye narrowed his eyes, about to say something more, but Taohua pressed her hand on his.
“People’s tastes change,” she smiled gently. “The candied hawthorns I liked as a child are no longer special now that I’ve grown up. The sesame I disliked as a child, I’ve found isn’t so hard to swallow now that I’m older. My lord is right, nowadays I like money, meat, and sunshine, and I hate betrayal and deception. These are the things that won’t change for the rest of my life.”
After speaking, she emotionally held Shen Zaiye’s arm and said, “I thought my lord didn’t understand these things, but I never expected that although you never said it, you cared so much about me…”
Shen Zaiye paused, looking at her deeply, “Now you know I’m good to you?”
“It was my foolishness,” Taohua’s eyes glistened. “My lord is the best person to me in the whole world!”
Emperor Mingde laughed heartily, tapping the table and teasing, “It’s good that you two have such a harmonious relationship, but this is still a state banquet. Save the rest for when you’re home.”
“This subject has been disrespectful,” Shen Zaiye quickly cupped his hands, and Taohua nodded along, smiling brightly. As she turned her head, she shot Li Jin a fierce glare.
Li Jin pressed his lips together, his eyes lacking luster. After being glared at by her, he sat in his seat and didn’t speak again. Yang Wanqing beside him quickly smoothed things over: “Chancellor Li and the princess are like siblings, so it’s understandable that he’s concerned about the princess’s marriage. But seeing that the princess is living well, we can all rest assured.”
(End of Chapter)