xymnovel Chapter 84 Arranged Marriage?
Chapter 84 Arranged Marriage?
"Traitors, they're all traitors!"
"And you bunch of good-for-nothings!"
The study in the palace was brightly lit, yet a sense of oppression permeated the air.
At this moment, Emperor Si Xiaofei of the Great Qian Dynasty was sitting on a large dragon throne, his face gloomy and his brows furrowed, listening to the officials beside him report on the battle situation at the front.
And...the Xiongnu, a foreign tribe from the north of Cangzhou, launched a large-scale invasion and besieged Taiping Pass.
Chang Ke, the governor of Cangzhou, led his troops north to provide support, but was attacked by elite troops of a foreign tribe and died on the spot.
Although Prince Yun, Su Jinyu, was appointed to take over the power of Cangzhou in a time of crisis and led troops to repel the Xiongnu tribe.
Protect the northern border of our Great Qian Dynasty from loss.
The intelligence indicated that everything was normal and there was nothing wrong with it.
However, the problems behind the intelligence are serious.
After defeating the Xiongnu, this Crown Prince of Yun took over the power of Cangzhou.
Instead of sending anyone to report to the Daqian court, he led his troops to garrison Dongning Pass, the gateway between Cangzhou and the Central Region, and forcibly took control of this strategic pass that Daqian had held for hundreds of years.
He even appointed himself as the governor of Cangzhou and arbitrarily selected officials to govern Cangzhou without going through the imperial court.
Their wolfish ambitions are blatantly obvious!
Seeing this, Si Xiaofei knew perfectly well that the so-called temporary leadership of Cangzhou by the Prince of Yun was nothing but a waste of money.
"Your Majesty, the situation at the front is not good. Our army's offensive against the Yellow Turban rebels has been hampered, and the two sides are currently locked in a stalemate."
A general in armor bowed his head and reported, his voice trembling slightly.
Si Xiaofei slammed his hand on the table, causing the teacup on the table to jump up and splash tea that drew an arc in the air.
The other officials in the study all lowered their heads, not daring to meet the emperor's angry gaze.
They knew the emperor's temper well; at this moment, he was extremely angry, and anyone who dared to offend him at such a time could face certain death.
"A bunch of incompetent good-for-nothings! What use are you to my Great Qian?!"
Si Xiaofei's roar echoed in the study, accompanied by thunderous slamming of the table.
The atmosphere in the study instantly became tense, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
An older official stepped forward, attempting to ease the tension. "Your Majesty, please hear what this old minister has to say. The current unfavorable situation is not only due to the incompetence of our soldiers, but also to the cunning and treacherous nature of the Yellow Turban rebels. The best course of action now is to quickly mobilize elite troops from all over the country to defend the capital, while actively raising funds and supplies for a long-term effort."
Upon hearing this, Si Xiaofei's expression softened slightly.
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He knew he needed to remain calm and not let anger cloud his judgment. So he said, trying to composed himself, "Very well, issue the order to immediately mobilize troops from all over the country to defend the capital. At the same time, thoroughly check the grain and fodder reserves in the rear to ensure that military supplies are sufficient."
"Your Majesty, the most urgent task now is to appease the Prince of Yun in Yunzhou and the heir of the Prince of Yun in Cangzhou."
Seeing that Si Xiaofei's anger had subsided a little, the older official bowed and said.
Upon hearing this, Si Xiaofei's expression changed drastically.
He stood up abruptly, and the air in the study seemed to freeze instantly.
Si Xiaofei clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together: "Why is that so-called Prince Yun so audacious? How dare he cause trouble in the rear when my Great Qian is in such dire straits!"
The officials in the study looked at each other, none daring to answer rashly.
Si Xiaofei's gaze swept over them one by one, finally settling on the older official from before: "What insightful opinion does my esteemed minister have?"
The older official was slightly taken aback, but quickly regained his composure: "Your Majesty, I implore Your Majesty to immediately issue an order to appease Prince Yun and grant his heir the position of Prefect of Cangzhou."
"Our Great Qian Dynasty is currently beset by internal and external troubles. If we were to investigate that Prince Yun now, it would surely cause chaos."
"If the Crown Prince of Yun causes trouble in Cangzhou, the Prince of Yun of Yunzhou will definitely come to his aid."
"If the King of Yun, who is not of the same surname, starts a rebellion, the other two kings who are not of the same surname will surely follow suit."
Seeing the emperor's increasingly grim expression, the older official spoke cautiously.
Si Xiaofei sat wearily back on the dragon throne, his hands supporting his forehead: "Where exactly did I offend Heaven? Why is Heaven treating my Great Qian like this, causing chaos throughout the land!"
The officials in the study stood silently, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
They knew that the emperor was already under immense pressure and suffering.
"Very well, draft an imperial edict and issue a decree approving Su Jinyu's appointment as the prefect of Cangzhou."
As Si Xiaofei gave his order, the atmosphere in the study became even more somber.
As time went by, the lights in the study gradually dimmed.
At this moment, a young civil official stepped forward and cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I am not sure if I should."
Si Xiaofei turned to look at the young civil official, a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Speak."
The young civil official took a deep breath: "Your Majesty, I believe we can consider a marriage alliance to appease the Prince of Yun and the heir of the Prince of Yun in Cangzhou."
"We just need to appease the Crown Prince of Yun and keep him from making any rash moves for the time being. As for the rest of the Prince of Yun, we don't need to worry about him."
Si Xiaofei was taken aback, clearly not expecting this young civil official to make such a suggestion.
He frowned. "A marriage alliance? But Su Ye has taken advantage of the internal strife in my Great Qian Dynasty, and his actions have clearly shown that he has betrayed me. Would he still care about these things?"
The young civil official smiled slightly: "Your Majesty is wise. Although the heir of the Prince of Yun has taken Cangzhou and Dongning Pass and is now a powerful military force, he is still nominally on the land of the Great Qian Dynasty."
"If he wants to truly establish a separatist regime, he will need to gain more support."
"And marriage is an important means to gain his support, giving him a legitimate reason to do so!"
"Moreover, this is only a temporary appeasement measure. Once my Great Qian Celestial Master has finished suppressing the Yellow Turban rebels..."
"Then we can turn the gun on him and eliminate this traitor directly!"
Si Xiaofei pondered for a moment, seemingly considering the feasibility of the suggestion.
He stared intently at the young civil official: "Go on."
Encouraged, the young civil official continued, "Your Majesty can arrange a marriage between your princess or a member of the royal family and this Crown Prince Yun."
"In this way, the Crown Prince of Yun will have the support and recognition of the royal family, and his ambition to seize power may be somewhat restrained."
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Si Xiaofei's eyes.
He began to think that the suggestion was not entirely without merit.
After all, in the game of power, marriage is a common political tactic.
He could have used this opportunity to temporarily appease Su Ye and buy the Great Qian Dynasty more time to deal with the current crisis.
After the Great Qian Dynasty suppresses the Yellow Turban rebels, with the strength of the entire dynasty, surely it can handle a mere Cangzhou?