Premier Li and the other veteran ministers, hearing this, couldn't help but roll their eyes. The emperor and his trusted confidant, Fei Yongxing, were surely up to no good.
Their actions at this moment seemed more like a performance staged for the ministers' benefit.
Premier Li and the others sat like clay statues, eyes fixed, noses aligned with hearts, silent and still. They lowered their heads, watching coldly as the emperor and the "brilliant" Fei Yongxing put on their show.
Fei Yongxing felt this was his moment of glory—a loyal minister serving his sovereign. Encouraged by Gan Sheng's gaze, he finally revealed his true intent. "Marriage alliance!" he declared loudly.
He blurted out the words "marriage alliance," his face swiftly adopting an expression of pain and reluctant resolve, his eyes brimming with tears. He was so emotionally charged, you'd think it was his own daughter being sent away.
Premier Li sighed inwardly. What an act from that old scoundrel Fei!
"A marriage between two kingdoms is no trivial matter," Fei continued, smiling with an air of absolute control. "Your Majesty, we can use this negotiation period to make our deployments."
Though heavy troops had always guarded the border, those forces were clearly insufficient if war truly broke out.
The Southern Yue could even launch a surprise attack while the wedding procession entered Dayan, catching them off guard.
Premier Li's lips curled into a mocking sneer, but it vanished in an instant.
By now, they all understood. The emperor and that scoundrel Fei had joined forces to remove the Eldest Princess, that obstacle in their path.
As the only legitimate offspring of the late emperor, Gan Tang naturally had her followers.
Neighboring Nanzhao had a female emperor, and Southern Yue, separated from Nanzhao by only a single mountain, wasn't as hostile to women in power as other kingdoms.
When the late empress, the Eldest Princess's mother, was alive, she had intended to arrange a marriage with a military noble family. Though the plan was dropped after her untimely death,
the Eldest Princess was still surrounded by many outstanding young men—sons of civil officials and elites from military families.
The emperor feared that if the Eldest Princess truly married a military noble as her consort, it would strengthen her power. So he was trying to drive her out of Southern Yue in a roundabout way.
As for Fei Yongxing, news had it that his sons were among the most attentive suitors around the princess.
Both his eldest and second sons were smitten with the princess. Last year, during the literati delegation to Dayan, the second son of the Fei family had nearly sneaked along.
Rumor had it that he’d failed only because the eldest son had sabotaged him.
How could Fei Yongxing, who prided himself on being the emperor’s most loyal subject, tolerate that?
For the sake of his own family, he would even scheme against a royal princess. If he didn’t have the emperor’s secret backing, then this Fei Yongxing had some nerve!
Gan Sheng, who had just sworn to agree on the princess's behalf, now put on a troubled face. He rhythmically tapped the armrest of his dragon throne. The ministers kept their heads down, offering neither support nor opposition.
Though it involved state affairs, at its core it was still the royal family's private matter. Since they weren't sure if the emperor had orchestrated this beforehand, they chose to stay silent.
"A distant marriage alliance does indeed wrong Ah Tang," Gan Sheng said, his face full of reluctance, his voice laced with sorrow. "But it concerns the very survival of Southern Yue. We can only let her bear this burden."
Gan Sheng looked around at the officials, his tone resolute. "Ah Tang is still in Dayan. I'll write her a letter immediately, explaining the situation. Knowing her sense of duty, for the sake of Southern Yue, she will surely agree."
Gan settled the matter on his own, but before concluding, he still asked, "Dear ministers, what do you think of this plan? Do any of you have suggestions for the Dayan marriage candidate?"
By now, Premier Li had basically figured out the emperor's intentions. When asked for a candidate, he pondered briefly before replying, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, the only adult, unmarried sons of the Dayan emperor are the Fifth and Sixth Princes. In my opinion, the Fifth Prince, Xie Zhiquan, is quite talented and keeps a low profile. He would be a suitable match for the Eldest Princess."
Gan Sheng nodded. "Then choose the Fifth Prince to marry my Ah Tang."
Far away in the capital city, Shangjing, Gan Tang, who was currently reading the biweekly Shangjing Gazette, had no idea that her dear imperial brother was planning to sacrifice her marital happiness to buy time for Southern Yue to attack Dayan.
And Yue Fuguang, who was already approaching the border, had no clue that her failed 'kidnapping' attempt had sparked Southern Yue's idea of a marriage alliance—an alliance that would ultimately affect her sister's marriage.
Yue Fuguang, still sprinkling water along the way, was now less than two hundred li from the border.
She quietly took out colorful plastic pendants from her storage ring—the ones inscribed with 'The Five Kings unite all under heaven' and 'The Divine Maiden descends, destiny lies in Dayan.'
[Host, are you planning to use these worthless plastic trinkets to stir up trouble among the neighboring kingdom's commoners?]
"System, watch your wording! Besides, plastic is such a rare thing here; I'm the only one in this world who has these. As the saying goes, rarity makes value. These people won't be able to make plastic for centuries. Are you telling me a piece like this isn't worth more than gold of equal weight?"
Yue Fuguang rolled her eyes, picked up a pastry from the small table, bit into it fiercely, and continued, "More importantly, it's not the material that matters, but the words carved on it. Given how superstitious these people are about gods and fate, these plastic plaques might not sway the nobles, but they'll definitely influence the common folk."
She planned to teach these kings—who ruled by keeping their people ignorant—a lesson. If they chose to stupefy the masses, they'd have to swallow the consequences.
Yue Fuguang pulled out a few drones from her storage ring. Tomorrow, when she reached the border, she would fly them across. The opposite side was a Southern Yue village. If she dropped the plaques in different spots, at least one would be found.
The things were so unusual that whoever found them would find it hard to keep them hidden. If a commoner got their hands on something so 'precious,' they'd surely sell it for money. Circulation would ensure the message spread.
As for hiding them in fish bellies or burying them, that would be too troublesome and lacked control. Using drones was more direct.
Whether it would work or not—this was just something she'd do in passing. She didn't care much about the outcome.
"Look! It's really raining on the other side!" On the Southern Yue side, only a small river, about a dozen meters wide, separated them from the Dayan border.
The river had dried up due to the drought. The riverbed was cracked, and even the mud at the bottom had turned into ash-white powder.
On both sides of the river, the Dayan bank was a muddy, barren wilderness. Originally, this land had belonged to Southern Yue, but near the end of last autumn, it suddenly fell under Dayan's control—a full thirty li of territory.
On the Southern Yue side, there were a few connected hills and wastelands. A few li further down the mountain path, a handful of small villages appeared.
It was high noon on the Southern Yue side, the sun blazing overhead. People from nearby towns and villages, having heard that the Divine Maiden would pass through this area, had brought their families and had been waiting on the Southern Yue hills for a day or two.
Families like Widow Hu and Third Brother's—who lived farther away—had arrived a day or two early.
Hills on the Southern Yue side were full of people, and the Dayan side was no less crowded.
The county magistrate and village head had long told the locals that the Divine Maiden was still several dozen li away.