After rebirth, I made the princes cry

At midnight that day, the side of the Mingqu was brightly lit, and a large group of officials from the Northern Han Dynasty gathered around.

They all knew that three days ago, the Lord of Shenyuan Palace had ascended the stage and personally placed the precious jade that proved that she was a descendant of the Divine Sect into the clear spring. If they could see the precious jade emitting the moonlight today, it would be enough to confirm the Lord's identity.

Of course, these people were invited by Jiang Tai to witness.

Princess Ran's suggestion to watch together in Qingliang Palace was somewhat of an unnecessary development. In order to prevent Ran's clan from encouraging the Dongyu envoys to put pressure on him, Jiang Tai simply gathered almost all the important officials in the court. In this case, of course, Sikong Mujiao and Nan Ci would not be excluded from waiting for news in Weiyang Palace. However, so many people certainly could not all go to the stage at the same time.

Queen Mother Yao and Xiping empress have also arrived.

*** showed a charming smile to Da Shangchen, and when her eyes swept over Xiping Gong Tu Dongdang, they suddenly became sharp. Tu Dongdang felt as if his bones were scraped, and he felt a gloomy pain. He rolled his eyes to look at the moon in the sky. He hoped that Da Shangchen would agree to marry *** away, so that he would not always worry about his affairs after his death. Now the Han Kingdom has the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, but he has no legitimate son, so the family business will definitely be passed on to the eldest illegitimate son. But with a stepmother like *** above his head, can the eldest illegitimate son keep the Tu family business? !

***'s eyes were fixed on Da Shangchen, but Da Shangchen suddenly looked to the side, and *** also looked over there. Then, Queen Mother Yao heard the sound of gnashing teeth.

"Look, mother, Ran is so brave!"

A group of people came from the direction of Qingliang Palace.

Queen Mother Yao’s eyes were accurately locked on Princess Ran’s face. Her eyebrows were trimmed thinly and drawn in a relaxed manner. There was a flower ornament on her forehead. Rouge was evenly applied to the corners of her eyes. Bright red lip balm was used to make her lips look like cherry blossoms. This was the makeup of a Han Chinese woman. When the Queen Mother was in power, the Han palace maids put on their makeup in this way!!!

Queen Mother Yao couldn't help but snort coldly.

Jiang Tai was probably used to seeing Madam Wei's makeup, and did not think that Princess Ran's outfit was that eye-catching. Besides, he really did not have the leisure to pay attention to women's makeup. It was not until Princess Ran spoke that Jiang Tai paid special attention to her.

"I hope Your Majesty will allow me to ascend the stage with you today."

Xiping *** was jealous because Princess Ran's makeup seemed to have attracted the attention of Da Shangchen. She squeezed out a few words from between her teeth: "How can you be worthy of it!"

Yingshu had been paying attention to a pleasure boat docked at the embankment. If she hadn't said anything, she really hadn't noticed that this person had also come to watch.

"If I'm not worthy, who else is?" Princess Ran had just had her new makeup done by Yingshu herself. The dark color that had accumulated between her brows seemed to have been shaved off by the eyebrow razor. Under the moonlight and the lights, she looked particularly radiant. She wasn't actually smiling, but because she had put on makeup, a faint smile could be seen through her two cinnabar cheeks. "Three days ago, I told the envoy that you could leave the fat rose on the Jiantai without worry. In the past three days, I have also been in the Qingliang Palace to guard against anyone stealing the fat rose. I have been doing it from beginning to end. I will verify the authenticity of the fat rose soon. I am not worthy to be there to witness it. Does that mean you are qualified?"

"Ran, don't you know that only people from the royal family are qualified to step onto the stage?" Queen Mother Yao said coldly.

Princess Ran was about to retort when someone else interrupted.

Yingshu had seen this man before. He was the father of Princess Ran, the now famous Duke of Chamdo, Ran Zhugu of the Northern Han Dynasty.

"Since the Prince of Zhenyuan is a prince, isn't the Princess of Zhenyuan a member of the royal family?"

Jiang Tai's eyes were gloomy, but when he met Ran Zhugu's eyes, he smiled calmly: "Duke Changdu is right. Princess Zhenyuan is of course still a member of the royal family. It's just that today's matter involves state affairs. Princess Zhenyuan has no official position, so it seems inappropriate for her to be involved in state affairs."

"My husband is still in Jiankang Palace. He can only return safely after the peace agreement is reached. Today's event is crucial to the peace agreement and the establishment of diplomatic relations. As the Queen Mother said just now, only people in the royal family are qualified to ascend the Jiantai. If I don't ascend the Jiantai and don't bear witness to this, won't I have to listen to your majesty and the Queen Mother's words about what happened on the Jiantai? Your Majesty, forgive me for being frank, but outside the palace and in the streets, there have always been rumors questioning your majesty's intentions to harm my husband. I am skeptical about whether your majesty is really sincere in establishing diplomatic relations with Dongyu, and whether Dongyu is really sincere in establishing diplomatic relations with our Han Dynasty. Only by witnessing it here can I feel at ease."

"Ran, you are so brave!" Queen Mother Yao scolded.

Ran Zhugu sneered, "Empress Dowager Yao, your courage was given by His Majesty, and Princess Zhenyuan's courage was given by me. Don't you think that my Ran clan doesn't have the strength to support Princess Zhenyuan?"

Yingshu has broadened her horizons today.

The imperial power of Dayu is now constrained by the aristocratic families, but no matter whether it is He Ao or Zheng Bei, even if they are as arrogant as Zhang Cu, they dare not challenge the king so boldly. No wonder in his previous life, Jiang Tai's power was short-lived, and in less than a year, he was seized power by the Ran family and other factions. It seems that the power of the Ran family is indeed strong. Jiang Xiongying found such a marriage for Jiang Mo, so he would be careless about Jiang Tai. Jiang Tai's seizure of the throne was a desperate gamble, and Jiang Mo's temporary loss of power was just a close call.

"No need to argue." Jiang Tai quickly made a decision: "Princess Zhenyuan must be a witness, so go to Jiantai to be a witness. You don't have to go to Xiping, just wait here."

Seeing that Jiang Tai was helping the Queen Mother to board the pleasure boat first, and Ying Shu was also about to follow the Prince on board, Nan Ci took a step forward, but saw Ying Shu gently shook her head at him, so Nan Ci frowned and did not continue to follow.

"Why doesn't the Left Deputy Envoy allow us to go up to the stage?" asked Sikong Mujiao.

"I don't know." Nanci felt a little annoyed.

"It's not like Jiantai will be in danger, right?"

"Jiang Tai doesn't dare to openly harm our envoys, otherwise why would he make such a big scene? Not all of those present here are Jiang Tai's followers."

"In my opinion, one Duke of Changdu is enough to contain Jiang Tai."

"Third brother should take this opportunity to establish friendship with Lord Changdu."

"Fifth brother is right." Sikong Mujiao didn't realize at all that he was disliked by Nanci at this moment.

Nan Ci looked at the pleasure boat heading to Jiantai. He didn't think there would be a big risk tonight. He believed Yingshu's words that if she could force Jiang Tai to admit the identity of Dianjun, she would definitely be able to do it. But what if Jiang Tai admitted it? Would he be forced to give up the idea of ​​forcing Dianjun to stay? Yingshu had already persuaded the Ran clan to help with Jiang Mo's safety, but if Jiang Tai found another excuse to detain Dianjun, he would definitely find a way to appease the Ran clan. Yingshu didn't let him go to Jiantai, she must have anticipated Jiang Tai's backhand, and Jiang Tai's backhand was probably related to him, and he would definitely raise objections.

Is there anything that he would definitely disagree with, but Yingshu doesn't leave him any room to object?

Before he knew it, the pleasure boat had disappeared from Nanci's sight.

Jiantai was built in the middle of the open channel, with only the east side having docking piles for pleasure boats. However, Nanci and others were now standing on the west side of Jiantai. Everyone could only see the high pavilion of Jiantai, which had no lights or candles, and only a faint glow of light.

"Could that faint light be the glow of the rose? Why is there such a glow on every floor of the attic?" someone asked.

"It is forbidden to light lights on the Jiantai Terrace, so there are moon beads on each floor. This is the dim light emitted by the moon beads." Someone answered.

Everyone was paying attention to the high pavilion of Jiantai, and seemed to be ignoring the Qingliang Palace, which was built to the east of Jiantai and could also be seen.

The pleasure boat avoided everyone's sight and docked steadily. The gangway was lowered from the upper deck of the pleasure boat and placed on the high platform. First, two eunuchs came down the gangway to make sure that there would be no accidents. Then a palace maid held the lamp in front and led everyone down the gangway one by one. After Ying Shu stood firmly on the platform, she looked at the water surface under the platform.

It is actually more than ten feet high. Although the piles below are just enough for one person to stand on, there are no steps leading to the platform. Indeed, only this kind of boat can ferry people to Jiantai.

Yingshu had heard from Dianjun before that Emperor Muzong built Jiantai in order to mourn his favorite concubine who died of illness. He built it in the middle of the water and did not build a stone staircase to climb up, so that when he occasionally lived in Jiantai, he would not be disturbed by idle people and trivial matters. This event was not recorded in the national history of Daji, but only reflected in the palace records. However, these materials were lost because of the fall of Luoyang and were collected by Dayu. Only the palace servants who escorted Dianjun to escape at that time preserved the treasured old records with great difficulty.

Princess Ran said that the Emperor Taizun believed that Jiantai was the place where Emperor Muzong prayed for longevity and practiced Taoism, and that it could sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, so he attached great importance to it. As for Jiang Tai, he continued to restrict the qualifications to climb Jiantai purely to show his authority.

There were only five people entering the pavilion, each holding a lamp.

The three-story building is not high, and climbing up it does not need to make people breathless. Yingshu asked: "Why didn't Your Excellency put Zhigui directly on the bottom floor? If it was placed on the bottom floor, it would be much easier."

The Palace Master responded softly: "I never have so many thoughts, and the Queen Mother went straight to the top floor that day, so I had to follow her up."

Three days ago, Yingshu did not accompany them. It was Ling Shang Gong who came to Jiantai with the clear spring water. Of course, Empress Dowager Yao personally supervised the prince and put the Zhigui into the clear spring water with her own hands.

Queen Mother Yao, who was walking in front, heard the question and answer behind her. After a few breaths, she responded, "The Japanese palace also wants the Lord of the Divine Yuan Palace to take a complete tour of Jiantai."

"If Deputy Envoy Zuo thinks the building is too high, it's okay for him to wait downstairs." Princess Ran joked.

Yingshu: It is said that talking about makeup and clothes can bring women closer together. Look, I just did my makeup for Princess Ran, and she understood me.

Queen Mother Yao in front of her even paused: "Since Deputy Envoy Zuo is a witness, what's the point of waiting downstairs!"

"Yes, I just said it casually. Even the Queen Mother doesn't feel tired, so how can I complain about the height of the building?"

After a few words, they went up the stairs. Yingshu held up the lamp and shone it around. She saw Queen Mother Yao standing at the foot of the stairs, staring at her grimly. She smiled and said, "Queen Mother, please go first."

Jiang Tai was the first to go up to the third floor and lit a candle, and Princess Ran followed suit and lit a circle of candles. Yingshu opened a window, and a breeze blew in her face. She could see the other side of the huge lake. The courtyard was also bright and brilliant that night, and there were crowds of people. They were a little far away, and everyone's face was blurry, but Yingshu could feel that they were all looking here, waiting for a big show to officially begin.

No one would believe that there would be no twists and turns tonight.

Some things are just like this. Everyone knows that it will not go smoothly, but they still want to create the illusion that "it should go smoothly". They are bystanders and participants. The situation is already tense, and when facing their opponents, they have to continue to play the role of ignorant spectators.

Yingshu turned around and went back to the large square table covered with a black brocade and on which was a basin of clear spring water.

On the four sides of the palace, Queen Mother Yao and Princess Ran were standing opposite each other, while Ying Shu was standing next to the Prince of Palace. They were facing Jiang Tai.

"Let the prince give the instructions personally." Jiang Tai nodded slightly.

The palace master then uncovered the black brocade, revealing a silver basin with white and precious flower patterns carved on it. The teardrops lying at the bottom of the basin were still as red as blood, lying quietly without emitting any light.

"Is it too late?" Jiang Tai frowned.

Ying Shu refused to play along with Jiang Tai: "It's not that the time has not come yet, this is not Zhigui at all."

"What does Deputy Envoy Zuo mean by this?"

"I mean, this is just a very ordinary jade pendant."

The anger that Queen Mother Yao had been accumulating for a long time finally erupted: "It seems that Deputy Envoy Zuo has admitted that the identity of the Lord of Shenyuan Palace is false. Your Emperor of Dongyu has no sincerity in establishing diplomatic relations with our dynasty!!!"

"I didn't say that. The Lord is the Lord, but this jade pendant is not Zhigui." Ying Shu said calmly: "The jade pendant that the Lord placed here three days ago was indeed replaced by someone else."

"This is ridiculous!!!" Queen Mother Yao clenched her fist and dropped it on the table. "Ran, you have been watching from the beginning to the end. You have been on the Jiantai before and are familiar with its structure. In the past three days, apart from the Lord of the Divine Origin Palace who went on the Jiantai again this evening, is it possible that someone else has replaced the Zhigui?!"

Princess Ran looked at Yingshu suspiciously.

"But the jade pendant has indeed been replaced." Ying Shu actually smiled: "Your Majesty, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

Jiang Tai frowned even more tightly: "Is the Left Deputy Envoy so confident?"

"The foreign ministers said that the identity of the Lord of Shenyuan Palace is definitely not a fake. If Your Majesty does not believe it, then the peace talks will definitely not be able to proceed. It is better for Your Majesty to pardon the Lord and the two princes of our dynasty and return them to Dayu. The foreign ministers can stay as hostages until His Royal Highness the Prince of Zhenyuan returns safely to Han and brings back the letter of credence canceling the peace talks. I don't think Your Majesty will decide that the peace talks cannot be reached and then declare war on our dynasty, right?!"

She is still so fearless.

"You have committed the crime of deceiving the emperor..."

"If the Queen Mother does not understand the etiquette of diplomatic relations, then stop being so aggressive and ruthless." Ying Shu did not think about saving face for Queen Mother Yao today: "I am a foreign minister, not a minister of the Northern Han Dynasty. I obey the holy orders of the emperor of our dynasty, and I am loyal to the emperor of our dynasty. The Queen Mother has no right to decide whether I deceive the emperor or not.

From the fire in the Spiritual Tower, the identity of the Palace Master was questioned, and then there was the incident where the Xiping thieves broke into the Baoguang Palace and tried to seize the Zhigui. Don't I know that there are people with ulterior motives in the Northern Han Dynasty who want to damage the diplomatic relations between the two countries? However, I believe that Your Majesty, as the King of the Northern Han Dynasty, will definitely not want the peace talks to fail and war to break out. Therefore, I would like to hear Your Majesty's opinion first. What should we do next?"

Jiang Tai felt relieved.

Seeing that the Left Deputy Envoy was so calm, he thought that the Queen Mother's plan had not come to fruition. It turned out that she was so confident because she had seen through that he would not go to war with Dongyu. Then everything that followed would go smoothly.