But some people thought it was entirely feasible, especially the military generals, who had been eyeing the emperor openly and secretly for a while, just waiting for his approval.
With just a word from the emperor, they could smash that box to pieces.
emperor. "..."
The Yun Kingdom is clearly not sincere, so this method is not entirely unacceptable, but... what if this hammer blow destroys the precious treasure inside?
At that point, it will be even harder to explain.
[A priceless treasure indeed! It's just an empty box. I don't know if the Yun Kingdom is just too bold, convinced we can't open it, or if someone has tricked the Yun Kingdom.]
An empty box... The emperor narrowed his eyes, his face showing displeasure. Then there was no need to worry about the future.
The emperor asked, "My esteemed ministers, do you have a solution?"
Does this mean "agree"?
Several military officers stepped forward, saying in unison, "We have a solution."
Seeing this, the eldest princess and the second prince were somewhat sweating.
Does the Great Xia truly possess so many talented individuals?
The second prince looked at the eldest princess with anxious eyes, as if afraid others wouldn't know he had a problem.
What an idiot.
The eldest princess told him to calm down and not to give himself away.
In fact, the emperor had witnessed their entire interaction.
Okay, there was definitely something fishy going on.
The emperor appointed Sha Cheng Ministry of War.
Sha Cheng said happily, "Your Majesty, I will certainly live up to your expectations."
What a coincidence!
When Sha Cheng fought on the battlefield, he used double hammers.
However, the double hammers were in his residence, and going to retrieve them now would be a waste of time, so he had someone find him a large hammer instead.
Seeing Sha Cheng gripping the hammer tightly, his expression one of absolute certainty, four words suddenly flashed through Tong Aning's mind—
[Relevant to your major.]
The eldest princess and the second prince stared wide-eyed, but before they could stop him, Sha Cheng had already brought the hammer down.
With a bang, the eldest princess and the second prince looked extremely grim.
How come she never knew before that the people of the Great Xia were so ruthless?
Sha Cheng deliberately held back his strength, so that he neither smashed the box to pieces nor failed to make sure that everyone could see what was inside.
Sha Cheng handed the hammer to the eunuch beside him, frowning and asking in surprise, "Why is it empty inside?"
"Empty?" The emperor was also surprised. "Bring it here."
Immediately, eunuchs collected the remains of the box, placed them on a tray, and presented them to the emperor.
The emperor, upon seeing this, was furious. He stared at the Yun Kingdom envoys below and asked, "It is indeed empty. What do you mean by this?"
The emperor's imposing presence was enough to terrify anyone; a large number of people knelt in the court, while the envoys from the Yun Kingdom stood among them, at a loss for what to do.
The eldest princess gritted her teeth and said, "This item is kept by the prime minister of my Yun Kingdom; he must have switched it."
[Prime Minister: I was just sitting at home when a pot fell from the sky.]
The emperor, half-believing and half-doubting, asked with a dangerous look, "Why would he switch them?"
"He disagrees with my father and has been firmly controlling of the court. He must be trying to use this court ceremony to incite the Great Xia to send troops to the Yun Kingdom. His intentions are despicable."
The emperor waved his hand, signaling for someone to take the box away.
Upon seeing this, the eldest princess breathed a sigh of relief.
Wen Chensi as he watched this scene, thinking to himself, "This eldest princess is much smarter than the second prince beside her."
She managed to turn such a mess around and even killed the prime minister with one stroke of genius.
In contrast, the second prince was nothing but a good-for-nothing.
If we can use this opportunity to win over the eldest princess...
After Wen Chensi, she went to see the emperor alone. When she arrived, she found that Tong Aobai was also there.
Wen Chensi moment and said, " Marquis Tong."
Tong Aobai nodded, " Lord Wen."
The emperor glanced at the two of them. "You two mean to support the eldest princess and make the Yun Kingdom completely submit?"
Tong Aobai Wen Chensi replied in unison, "Yes."
Wen Chensi, " The Yun Kingdom has always been eyeing us covetously. This tribute alone is enough to demonstrate the king's wolfish ambitions."
"Yes, General Meng is leading a large army to deal with the Yu Kingdom on the border. They might very well be planning to take advantage of the situation."
The emperor remained silent, pondering the feasibility of this matter.
Finally, he said, "Wenqing, you should secretly make contact with this eldest princess first."
"I obey the decree."
Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu were unaware of these matters; they accompanied the eldest princess and the second prince back to the post station.
Tong Aning said, "Our Great Xia is a vast and resource-rich land, and the capital city is especially bustling. Your Highnesses are welcome to wander around."
The second prince remained as arrogant as ever. The eldest princess said, "Very well, thank you both. I have something to discuss with my second brother. My lords..."
This was a clear order for them to leave, and Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu withdrew.
To avoid being overheard, Lou Yingyu didn't speak until they left the post station and boarded the Marquis's carriage, saying, " Aning, did you see the Second Prince's expression? He's probably about to explode with anger."
Tong Aning recalled for a moment, "His face turned green with anger."
Lou Yingyu burst into laughter.
Tong Aning said, " A Shu, let's go."
"Yes, miss."
Lou Yingyu leaned against Tong Aning and said softly, "I want to go to your house too."
Tong Aning was most susceptible to Lou Yingyu's coquettishness, and she said indulgently, "Alright, alright, go ahead."
Lou Yingyu was completely satisfied.
As the carriage traveled along the bustling East-West Avenue, a sudden sound of crying rang out.
Lou Yingyu sat up abruptly. "What's wrong? Why are you crying so desperately?"
Tong Aning lifted the carriage curtain, and Lou Yingyu leaned over to look out with her.
A young man was pulling a middle-aged couple along.
The man cried out in anguish, "Father, Mother, my wife... she really won't be coming back."
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it! How could my perfectly healthy A Lü be killed by bandits and her body left no trace? I'm going to the Jingzhao Prefecture! I'm going to have the officials kill those damned bandits!" The middle-aged woman resolutely shook off the man's hand and, supported by the middle-aged man beside her, walked forward.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade the woman, the man went to pull the middle-aged man, saying, "Father, please try to persuade Mother."
The middle-aged man looked up at the sky, tears streaming down his weathered face. "I couldn't persuade her, and I didn't want to. I support her; I want to see her alive or dead."
The man was helpless, his face filled with sorrow.
Lou Yingyu: "So, my wife was killed by bandits, and my parents are going to report it to the authorities?"
Tong Aning nodded. "It should be."
Lou Yingyu sighed, "Sigh."
After sighing, she added indignantly, "There are even vicious bandits! I'll tell my father when I get back, and he'll report to His Majesty to wipe them all out. They're so arrogant; who knows how many evil deeds they've committed behind the scenes."
Lou Yingyu looked again and saw that the man had probably given in. He walked forward with the two of them, but his steps became heavier and heavier.
Lou Yingyu on her hand, "He seems to be a very affectionate person?"
She wasn't quite sure either.
[He had an assassin impersonate a bandit and kill his wife so he could easily take advantage of her childless state; he was truly deeply in love.]
Lou Yingyu's face turned ugly, as if she had swallowed a fly.
Hiring someone to kill, and the person he had been married to was his wife, with whom he shared a loving and harmonious life. Now he was putting on this act of being heartbroken. Lou Yingyu felt that he shouldn't have gone to the Jingzhao Prefecture; he should have gone to the opera troupe.
Upon hearing this heartfelt message, the middle-aged couple were both taken aback. Looking at their son-in-law beside them, they suddenly felt a chill run up their spines.
What followed was anger.
How dare he!
With a loud slap, the man was given a slap.
The man covered his face innocently and said, "Dad, why did you hit me?"
The middle-aged woman lunged at the man and grabbed his hair, shouting, "You killed my daughter! You owe me her life!"
The man was pulled so hard he was grimacing, and finally managed to shake the person off. Despite being treated like this, he wasn't angry at all.
"Father, Mother, I know that my wife's death has been a great blow to you. You have every right to hit me or scold me."
The man lowered his head, appearing as if he was willing to accept it.
The onlookers were abuzz with discussion.
Those words praising the son-in-law and husband were like knives, cutting into the hearts of these parents piece by piece.
This two-faced beast is still putting on an act, and it's infuriating that they've been kept in the dark!
The two were swaying precariously when someone caught them in time.
Lou Yingyu glanced at the man, then asked impatiently, "Are you still going to the Jingzhao Prefecture?"
How can you be so shameless?
The man had no idea where the two women had come from, but that didn't stop him from putting on an act. He reached up and touched his face, saying solemnly, "Of course I have to go."
Seeing his disgusting appearance, Lou Yingyu wanted to slap him too.
Lou Yingyu was eager to get started, but Tong Aning stopped her.
Tong Aning whispered, "The more you target this kind of person, the more aggrieved he'll feel. That will only fuel public outrage and make things harder to handle."
Lou Yingyu had no choice but to give up.
Tong Aning said, " Lord Cen and Lord Xue of the Jingzhao Prefecture are both experts at understanding people's hearts. Are you sure you can fool them?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Lou Yingyu smiled and said, "In that case, let's go to the Jingzhao Prefecture. Sigh, it's quite a novel thing that the murderer has walked right into our trap for the first time."
Lou Yingyu's words were so blunt, yet the man remained completely unfazed. He murmured, "If only the murderer would walk right into our trap."
He walked at the very front, his steps heavy.
Lou Yingyu gritted her teeth, "If Cen Yu and Xue Lin can't tear him to pieces, I'll die of anger."
Tong Aning patted Lou Yingyu's hand. She was the one who told Lou Yingyu about the man killing his wife, so it's no wonder Lou Yingyu was so angry.
Even Tong Aning couldn't help but exclaim, "[This mental fortitude is just too strong.]"
When the group arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture, they happened to run into Xue Lin.
The couple knelt before Xue Lin, begging Xue Lin to intervene on their behalf. Xue Lin then instructed Sichen to help them up.
Xue Lin Xue Lin glanced at the man. Although he hadn't heard Tong Aning's thoughts, he felt that the couple didn't seem to be lying.
It must have been their son-in-law who killed him.
Xue Lin said in a deep voice, "Leave it to me. I will get to the bottom of this."
After he finished speaking, he nodded to Tong Aning.
Tong Aning trusted Xue Lin, and besides—
What would the killer's expression be if he knew that the person he was trying to kill wasn't dead at all?
The middle-aged couple were startled.
Their A Lü, she's not dead?