Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Actually, it wasn’t just the Empress; I realized many people had changed.

Take Grand Commandant Li, for instance. He was never this aggressive before.

During the recent court sessions, he had been subtly or overtly undermining Cui Yan, as if trying to force him to step down.

Has he set his sights on the position of Chancellor?

Then there were Minister Feng, Minister Wu, Marshal Ji…

I recalled that their relationships hadn’t seemed this close in the past.

Even Grand General Zhou Ke, who had always been simple and straightforward, had become clever, learning how to skillfully navigate the various factions in the imperial court.

It was truly surprising.

Among my remaining sons, there seemed to be a couple of muddle-headed ones who had begun harboring thoughts they shouldn’t have.

In the midst of this mess, envoys arrived from the Wei State.

On the surface, they claimed to be here to congratulate the new King of Great Xia on his ascension, but in truth, everyone knew what they were really up to.

They were simply here to scout things out, looking for an opportunity to sow discord while things were in flux.

My idiotic youngest son fell right into their trap.

The moment the Wei State envoys delivered a chest of eastern pearls and a hundred bolts of silk to Prince An’s Mansion, the news reached me.

This fool even had the audacity to speak highly of the Wei envoys in my presence, looking quite pleased with himself.

I took a deep breath, trying my best to suppress the urge to give him a resounding slap right then and there.

You short-sighted idiot, being bought off by such pittance!

However, I couldn’t entirely blame him. Most of Great Xia’s territory consisted of harsh, cold lands. The people were fierce and their craftsmanship was rugged, far less delicate and refined than that of the south. Consequently, southern silks were considered rare treasures in Great Xia.

I gave the foolish boy a thorough scolding, but my words went in one ear and out the other. He just blinked his large eyes and looked at me in confusion. “Imperial Brother, why do I feel like you’ve suddenly become just as nagging as Father?”

Looking at his useless display, my anger flared. I raised my foot and kicked him. “Get out of here and go reflect on yourself!”

He clutched his backside and ran out. “Really! Even the strength of the kick is exactly the same as Father’s!”

The Wei State envoys also presented me with two beauties.

They were stunning enough to make the moon hide and flowers blush, to make fish sink and birds fall from the sky. They were beautiful, spoke eloquently, could write and paint, and were excellent at singing and dancing.

They asked me if the ladies were to my liking.

I nodded and gave the beauties a very grandfatherly smile. With such talent and grace, my son was in for a treat.

With a wave of my hand, I accepted them into the harem.

After the beauties entered the palace, the Wei envoys found various excuses to linger for as long as possible.

I heard that during this time, they tried to exchange messages with the two beauties in the palace through both overt and covert means, but to no avail.

Heh, what were they thinking?

Once they enter the palace of Great Xia, they belong to Great Xia.

As for those restless officials, I executed a batch and dismissed another. Combined with Cui Yan’s mediation and balancing of power, they gradually settled down and returned to their duties.

Seeing that there was no more room for their schemes, the Wei envoys slunk back home in defeat.