During the banquet, the Queen Mother remained silent as usual, but now she changed the subject and asked: "I heard that during the Kyushu state banquet, Zhao State sent a twelve or thirteen-year-old princess to marry us. How come the Ai family never

Never seen it?"

Liu Ying replied: "The princess of Zhao State is still young. I have told the envoys of Zhao State to let them return to Zhao State first, and then we can discuss the marriage in the long term."

The queen mother sighed: "The prince is confused. If this happens, how can the princess of Zhao marry someone else in the future? She married Song, but was sent back to her mother country. This is not only a denial of her, but also an alienation from Zhao.

.”

Liu Ying explained: "I think that the Zhao State is weak and sandwiched between the Chen and Song Dynasties. It is best to be impartial and unbiased. This is the long-term solution. By sending the princess to marry the Song State, the King of Zhao expressed his intention to marry the Song State.

The country is unanimously against Chen. If I agree to marry Zhao, I agree to use Zhao as a barrier to counter Chen. In this way, the relationship between Chen and Song will become rigid."

Qiao Jing asked: "But how does your Majesty know that the State of Zhao will not unite with the State of Chen to fight against our State of Song? Your Majesty will send the Princess of Zhao State back to the State of Zhao, and King Zhao can also send other princesses to the State of Chen for marriage. It is also unknown."

Liu Ying said: "King Zhao Duguyu is an old fox. He once used his sharp tongue to convince his father not to break the Zhao Kingdom. He naturally understood what I meant by sending his granddaughter back to the Zhao Kingdom. He

After understanding my goodwill for the sake of Zhao State, naturally he would not mind me sending his granddaughter back. Such goodwill can play a more important role in forming an alliance than marriage. Besides, since ancient times, which monarch is sincerely willing to let himself

Marrying my own flesh and blood to another country? It’s too late for the old King Zhao to thank me.”

Qiao Jing said with admiration, "Your Majesty is indeed very resourceful."

Liu Ying sighed lightly, glanced at Xiao Yi, and thought: In front of Yi'er, I am both successful and defeated. I'm afraid she has already hated my cleverness. How can she be so talented?

Are you willing to condescend to be such a well-mannered and unassuming harem beauty? After all, I broke her heart and she became a completely different person. Unable to count on my protection, she found another way out and formed an alliance with Lin Long.

, fearful of Qiao Jing and his mother.

Xiao Yi was also lowering her head and sighing. She no longer trusted Liu Ying, and she no longer wanted to figure out his thoughts. He once told her to abdicate, but he was still planning for the Song Dynasty. He once said to her,

He will not marry the Princess of Zhao, because Xiao Yi is his last woman. But now, not marrying the Princess of Zhao will gain the trust of King Zhao, which is the best way to form an alliance between Song and Zhao...

Maybe those love words he said to himself were just a means to swallow up the last trace of Qi's blood.

Liu Ying heard her sighing in the distance, but was unable to do anything for the time being.

At this time, An Tai hurriedly came in from the door and knelt down to report: "Your Majesty, Cao Ming, the governor of Jiangyi, has sent an urgent military report." Jiangyi is an important border city between Zhao and Song Dynasties. Just now, it was mentioned that the princess of Zhao Kingdom was sent back. Everyone

Upon hearing the military information in Jiangyi, they couldn't help but look at An Tai nervously. An Tai handed over the secret military information letter and said, "Your Majesty, please read it."

Liu Ying opened the secret letter and frowned for a moment. The Queen Mother asked: "Prince, what happened on the border between Song and Zhao?"

Liu Yingdao: "The state of Chen changed hands. Chen Wangchan, who was not originally in charge of the war, was appointed by Prime Minister Li Heng. Li Heng's son Li Chen was named a forward general and led an army to raid the state of Zhao. He captured the king of Zhao and also led an army to attack Jiangyi, our country of Song.

Cao Ming, the governor of Jiangyi, wrote this bloody letter before he died in the line of duty. Li Chen's army of 100,000 troops is directly attacking our Jade Capital. If we break five more important cities, we can take over the Jade Capital."

The Queen Mother was horrified and said: "What are the soldiers of the Song Dynasty doing? They can actually let the son of a prime minister of the Chen Kingdom lead an army and march straight into our territory!"

Liu Ying said coldly: "The elite army of the Song Dynasty had long since been torn apart with the departure of his father and brother. And in the end, which general who was good at conquering and fighting could escape the punishment of his brother's sudden death?

"

The Queen Mother said: "Prince, these are all for your own good..."

Liu Ying said: "If it is for my own good, please ask my mother to take good care of the harem and take good care of my heirs. As for the current plan, I have no choice but to drive and conquer personally. I cannot let Chen Guo be so arrogant."

When the King of Song hurriedly left the table, he glanced at Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi met his eyes for a brief moment, and saw that there seemed to be some doubts in his eyes, and she didn't know what he meant. Did he know that Li Chen, the eldest son of the Prime Minister of Chen State,

Is he her former friend? Does he suspect that the assassination at the Kyushu state banquet that day is directly related to Chen's attack on Song today? Will he never trust that he has ever been sincere to him?

****

The family banquet at Jinghe Palace ended in a hurry due to the departure of King Song. Xiao Yi returned to Suhua Palace, feeling a little sleepy. Recently, her body has become heavier and she occasionally has symptoms of ecstasy. She wanted to rest early. Aunt Tingfang who was beside King Song

While he was helping her wash up, she suddenly heard a few weak knocks on the door, probably not wanting others to know.

Tingfang opened the door, and the person who came was Antai, the personal attendant of the King of Song Dynasty. Antai handed a letter to Tingfang and said: "Your Majesty is busy with military affairs and cannot come to say goodbye. He specially ordered me to send a letter to Xiao Meiren.

Ask Meiren Xiao to read it and burn it. Tingfang took the letter and An Tai hurriedly turned around and left.

Xiao Yi took the letter from Tingfang. The envelope was written in regular script by Song Dynasty King Liu Ying, which she recognized. There was only one word: "Memory." She opened the letter gently, and there were only sixteen short words: "Death and Life Contract."

"Kuo, tell me about Zicheng. Return to the garden and live in the fields, meet Zhao Guo." There is only one word "Ying" in the signature, and no other words.

Xiao Yi stared blankly at the word "ying", her heart shrank, and she actually started to worry about him. Chen Guo's Prime Minister Li Heng was cunning and cunning, and his eldest son Li Chen was also very powerful. Chen Guo's national power was prosperous, and all the people were united, often fighting with the outside world.

When the Rong people went to war, they not only had foreign horses with blood, but also loyal generals. Although the territory of the Song Dynasty was large, it was suffering from internal and external troubles due to the recent annexation of Qi and Wei, and the national treasury was empty. In the Jinghe Hall, King Song also said to Qiao

In order to consolidate their power, the clan purged the elite soldiers and generals of King Wu of the Song Dynasty and Prince Liu Jue. Is the Song Dynasty really the most powerful in the Nine Provinces today? Liu Ying has never led an army or fought in a war.

, does he have a decent military advisor by his side?

What does "life and death have a broad contract, tell Zicheng. Return to the garden, live in the fields, and meet the Zhao Kingdom?" And he wants to threaten her with death? Use death to win her sympathy? What does it mean to return to the gardens, live in the fields, and meet the Zhao Kingdom?

They were all just distant dreams that they once talked about. Now that the king of Zhao State has been captured by Chen State, where will there be Zhao State in the future? Without Zhao State, how can she "meet" him?

She burned Liu Ying's handwriting, leaving only a few pieces of black dregs flying from the candlestick to her dressing table.
Chapter completed!