"What!" Yelü Nanxian's shock was not feigned. She had never expected Li Yuanhao to pull a switcheroo. But on second thought, it made sense. If he did not put on some sort of show and simply kept the Crown Princess in the palace, word getting out would sound terrible. He had been emperor for many years; he certainly had such methods.
"Your Liao Country delegation acquiesced to this as well." Li Yuanhao leisurely lifted a cup of tea and took a sip. He greatly enjoyed watching others panic.
Yelü Nanxian's face truly went pale. "How is that possible?"
"Why is it impossible?" Li Yuanhao set down his teacup and said teasingly, "The reason Liao Country sent you here for a political marriage was nothing more than to seek peace and a cessation of hostilities. Now, Western Xia is ruled by me. So long as I am pleased, a truce will naturally follow. But if you displease me, heh heh..." Though he did not finish, the threat was plain.
Yelü Nanxian's expression revealed her struggle. "Your Majesty, you are my future father-in-law. Would doing such a thing not invite the condemnation of the world?"
Li Yuanhao burst into laughter, his voice filled with disdain. "Do not try to shackle me with the moral codes of the Han Chinese. I won this realm through iron and blood on the battlefield, not through propriety or virtue. Besides, you and the Crown Prince have not yet married, so you cannot be considered my daughter-in-law. If you had married him and I then summoned you to share my bed, that would be a violation of human ethics."
Li Yuanhao suddenly clicked his tongue. "Come to think of it, those southern barbarians prattle on all day about benevolence, righteousness, and morality. Yet Yang Yuhuan was clearly