The imperial study was quite a distance away from Grand Phoenix Palace. He had just come back, and now his old and feeble legs had to carry him there again?
Zhao Qian was reluctant. “Her Highness must have already gone to bed…”
“What if she hasn’t? Go and see, and if she’s still awake, tell her,” Long Yang commanded domineeringly.
Zhao Qian was close to tears.
He had no idea why his master refused to go over tonight.
He had been so proactive last night.
He even threw away his dignity just to see the Empress bathe.
Why was he suddenly so reserved tonight?
Zhao Qian was bemused.
Despite his reluctance, he did not dare to defy his master’s orders and could only resign himself to taking another trip.
/
However, it was destined to be a fool’s errand.
When he arrived, the doors of Grand Phoenix Palace were already locked, and he could not enter at all.
To his surprise, when he returned to the imperial study, his master was still wide awake in his seat.
“Is the Empress asleep? Did you deliver my message to her?”
As soon as Zhao Qian stepped inside, Long Yang asked.
Zhao Qian grumbled inwardly, ‘Since you’re so concerned about the Empress, why do you keep acting all haughty?’
Nevertheless, he replied politely, “When I arrived, the doors were already locked, and I couldn’t go in. The Empress must have already gone to bed.”
A frown creased Long Yang’s forehead, and he glanced at the moonlit sky outside. “Isn’t it still early? Why did Grand Phoenix Palace lock its doors so soon?”
Zhao Qian sighed helplessly. Still early? Seriously?
“Her Highness is pregnant, so she must have gone to bed after learning that you weren’t visiting, and the servants must have locked the doors after that.”
Long Yang’s expression turned sour when he heard this.
What a lazy bunch of servants – how dare they lock the doors before the fixed time? Damn it!
Noticing the change in his master’s countenance, Zhao Qian sighed secretly.
‘You may not need sleep, but I do.’
‘Are you done being a drama king?’
Fortunately, his master still had an ounce of conscience left and stopped acting out. “You may leave.”
Zhao Qian was so ecstatic that he felt like lighting firecrackers in celebration.
However, something unpleasant happened when the two kingdoms signed the treaty the following day.
Originally, Danjue had agreed to become Great Shang’s vassal state forever, not antagonize Great Shang, and pay a certain amount of treasure as tribute every year. However, when the time came to sign the treaty, Wanyan Jin changed his mind.
“Prince Wanyan, we’ve already agreed to all these terms. How could you go back on your word?”
“You were the one who asked for peace, and our merciful Emperor accepted your request because he couldn’t bear to see blood being shed. If you want to violate the treaty, we have no choice but to resort to violence.”
An uproar broke out among the Great Shang officials as they condemned Wanyan Jin furiously.
Long Yang sat on his throne, staring at Wanyan Jin with piercing eyes. He remained silent, knowing that the latter had a card up his sleeve.
Sure enough, Wanyan Jin waited for a while before getting up smugly. “Everyone, please calm down. I don’t mean to violate the treaty. It’s just that, when I came here, I’ve already stated in my letter of credence that our kingdom would willingly become Great Shang’s vassal state on the premise that the Grand Duke marries my sister. However, since the Grand Duke refuses to do so, this treaty between Danjue and Great Shang should be reconsidered.”
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the room, the corners of his mouth turning up into a smirk. “To be frank, aside from Great Shang, the Yan Kingdom has also expressed their wish in allying with us and has, in fact, offered far greater conditions. If our kingdom is willing to make peace with them forever, their Emperor will show his sincerity by taking my sister as his consort right away. I have only one sister, and I merely wish for her to have a good future home.”