The rural doctor bought a husband who was very treacherous

Chapter 264 Emperor Jing’s Ambition

The Banquet of All Nations was held as scheduled.

Because there were many foreigners coming this time, all court officials above the fourth rank in Kyoto were allowed to attend with their families.

Therefore, this palace banquet was held in the largest palace in the palace.

"At this kind of banquet, the dishes are usually served cold. You should have some snacks first, and then we'll go." Qi Lingheng ordered people to make a lot of cakes today.

Su Tang looked at the table full of various pastries and said with a smile, "I can't eat so much."

"We'll send these foods to the farm later and distribute them to the children." Su Tang only took one plate and pointed at the rest, asking Chunmei to pack up the pastries and send them to the farm.

"Okay." Chunmei agreed.

Su Tang held the cake in one hand and pinched a piece of it with the other hand and handed it to Qi Lingheng, "Have some too."

"Okay." Qi Lingheng responded, but just opened his mouth and waited for Su Tang to feed him.

Seeing this, Chunmei immediately asked the maids to take the food off the table. She also took everyone away and considerately helped Su Tang and the others close the door.

Su Tang of course noticed what Chunmei and the others did, and stuffed the cake into Qi Lingheng's mouth, "Look, your action has made them think wrongly."

"Oh? I don't know if they are wrong, but I am indeed a little hungry..."

"Oh, we still have to attend the palace banquet tonight, so we should go to the palace early. What are you thinking about..."

Fortunately, Qi Lingheng didn't really do anything.

Qi Lingheng restrained himself and just glanced at Su Tang, then whispered in her ear, "Give it to me when you come back tonight."

Su Tang...I won’t answer, I didn’t hear it.

Dayong Palace.

After Su Tang and Qi Lingheng entered the palace this time, they went to see Emperor Jing together first.

When seeing Emperor Jing today, Su Tang suddenly felt that Emperor Jing seemed to have aged several years. His face was full of fatigue and there were dark circles under his eyes. It should be that he had not slept well for a long time.

"Father."

"Here you are. Someone, please take a seat." As soon as Emperor Jing finished speaking, a eunuch brought two chairs over and asked Su Tang and Qi Lingheng to sit down.

"There are many foreigners coming to the banquet today. Tang'er is usually interested in foreign objects, so you can talk more with them. I will let the Minister of Rites take you to meet them then." After Emperor Jing finished speaking, he picked up the hot tea on the table and took a sip.

"Yes, every time I visit foreigners' stalls, I can indeed find many new and interesting things." Su Tang agreed happily.

"Well, let's see if they have any firearms similar to cannons this time. If they do, we must buy them."

Having witnessed the power of artillery, Emperor Jing was very interested in foreign firearms.

Emperor Jing thought that since foreign countries could make cannons, they could definitely make other firearms that were not much different from cannons. If Dayong had firearms, the surrounding countries would naturally submit to it.

This banquet for all nations was attended not only by envoys from several neighboring countries, but also by some foreign nations further afield who had heard of the excitement of Dayong and came.

"Yes." Su Tang agreed again, but she still glanced at Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing looked at Su Tang and said with a smile, "Haha, I'm sure you won't have to pay for the firearms. Didn't I ask the Minister of Rites to follow you? Let him pay for it, and you just need to help keep an eye on it."

"That's good. It's okay for me to buy a small gadget. I heard that firearms are very expensive. I can't afford it with that little money." Su Tang replied with a smile.

"Okay, it should be very lively outside. You go to the front first. Qi Lingheng and I will discuss some things."

Su Tang left, leaving Qi Lingheng and Emperor Jing alone in the imperial study to discuss matters.

When she arrived outside the imperial study, Chunmei and Xiamei were waiting for her outside. Seeing Su Tang coming out alone, they couldn't help but look into the palace again. "Princess."

"Let's go." Chunmei stepped forward and helped Su Tang walk towards the front hall.

In the imperial study room.

Su Tang was not there at this time, and the imperial study was silent for a while. Qi Lingheng, on the other hand, kept his head down and remained silent, waiting for Emperor Jing to ask questions.

"Before, you used artillery in the northern border to intimidate not only the Nalan clan, but also several countries neighboring Dayong are now wary of Dayong. But I need you to use artillery to help Dayong conquer the southern border and even the two countries in the northern border."

Upon hearing this, Qi Lingheng suddenly looked up at Emperor Jing who was sitting on the throne. He did not expect that Emperor Jing actually had plans to annex Northern Xinjiang and Southern Xinjiang. However, with the current national strength and combat power of Dayong, it was simply impossible to annex two neighboring countries in succession.

Moreover, Southern Xinjiang is more difficult to conquer than Northern Xinjiang. The people of Southern Xinjiang are accustomed to using poisonous insects, and they have believed in the witch tribe for hundreds of years. It cannot be conquered by force.

Even in his previous life, when he assisted the eldest prince at the time, he invaded Southern Xinjiang many times, suffered a lot of losses there, and ultimately failed to truly conquer Southern Xinjiang.

I didn't expect that in two lives, this father and son had the same idea.

Thinking of this, a hint of coldness flashed across Qi Lingheng's lowered eyes, and then he stood up and saluted and replied, "Yes, I will definitely help Your Majesty take over the southern and northern borders."

"Well, we still need to discuss the specific details. Today, I am just telling you my thoughts. You and Tang'er are half my son, and the state affairs of Dayong are also your family affairs."

"I thank Your Majesty for your trust and respect. I also thank Your Majesty for marrying the princess to me. It is my blessing to marry the princess."

"Well, if we continue talking, Tang'er will probably get impatient waiting. You should go to the front first." Emperor Jing waved his hand to signal Qi Lingheng to leave.

In the banquet hall in front, a group of court officials and their families gathered. Of course, the only family members who could be brought in were the wives and legitimate children of the officials.

When Su Tang arrived, the female relatives came forward to greet her. They had heard that Emperor Jing was very fond of the eldest princess, and that she was marrying the Prince of Qi, who held military power in the court.

Although the King of Qi had his property confiscated before, he was not only reinstated but also reused by Emperor Jing. It is said that the artillery that shocked other countries is now in the hands of the King of Qi, and only the King of Qi's personal guards can use it.

"The Grand Princess."

Su Tang didn't know the families of many officials, but fortunately Chunmei and the others helped remind her, and Su Tang was able to get to know the wives of those officials.

"This is the wife of the Minister of Rites."

"That person just now is the wife of the new Minister of Revenue." Su Tang raised her eyebrows when she heard that. It seemed that the former Minister of Revenue was demoted because of the Prince Li incident. Su Tang deliberately looked at the wife of the new Minister of Revenue a few more times. The other party looked friendly.

Seeing Su Tang looking over, the wife of the Minister of Revenue stepped forward and said a few more words to Su Tang, "I am Zhao, a member of the family of the Minister of Revenue, and I am honored to meet the Grand Princess."

Su Tang raised her eyebrows and nodded to the other party in response.

"My sister mentioned the eldest princess to me a few days ago, saying that it was thanks to the eldest princess's family that their grievances were redressed. I would like to thank the eldest princess for her kindness in reshaping my sister's family."

"Oh? Who is the Madam's sister?" Su Tang couldn't remember which court official she had saved.

"The former head of the Ministry of Revenue, Sun Bowen, is my brother-in-law."

Oh, it’s Sun Yueyun’s father.

Su Tang smiled and asked, "Is Yueyun in Kyoto now?"

Since separating from Sun Yueyun and her brother, Su Tang has not seen them again. It seems that his father was transferred to Jiangnan for a post.

"Now Yueyun and the others are all in Suzhou."

"Well, it's a good place." Being transferred to Jiangnan to take up a post must be the compensation given to their family by Emperor Jing. After all, it is a good place. Even if they are ordinary officials, they can make more money than many local officials.

After talking to Su Tang for a few words and becoming familiar to her, the wife of the Minister of Revenue did not dare to waste Su Tang's time any longer. She bowed and took a step back, making way for Su Tang.

After being led by the palace maid to Su Tang's location, Su Tang looked around and indeed did not see the eldest prince. Instead, the second prince and several officials were chatting about something. After seeing Su Tang, the second prince separated from those officials and walked towards Su Tang.

The atmosphere of this banquet was really relaxed. Before the banquet started, officials and their families were able to walk around and chat with each other.

Of course, the women were greeting each other, while the men were talking to each other about unimportant topics.

"Tang'er." The second prince walked over from afar and sat down at Su Tang's table.

"Second brother." Su Tang nodded in response.

"Have you seen my eldest brother in the capital these days?" the second prince asked in a low voice.

"No, what's wrong?" Su Tang blinked and looked around the hall, "Why can't I see my eldest brother?"

Looking at Su Tang's expression, the second brother breathed a sigh of relief, "My eldest brother has been ill recently. He said someone drugged him. I thought..."

"Big brother was poisoned?" Su Tang asked in surprise.

"No, it's just medicine that makes him feel unwell. It's not poison." Although Su Tang was married, the Second Prince still couldn't tell his sister about the First Prince's illness so openly.

What the second prince didn't know was that the poison given to the eldest prince was given by Su Tang.

Seeing that the eldest prince was extremely licentious, Su Tang gave him a drug that would make him impotent.

After eating this, the eldest prince never touched any woman since he woke up that day.

And it was a hidden disease that forced him not to touch women.

Although the eldest prince had many concubines in his mansion, none of them had been able to give birth to a child for him.

The eldest prince did not dare to seek help from the imperial physician for this matter.

No country would push a prince without children to the throne, and those court officials who are still on his side will also find another prince to follow.

He was even more afraid that Emperor Jing would know that he was impotent, otherwise the throne would have nothing to do with him anymore.

The reason why the Second Prince asked this today was, firstly, that he knew that Su Tang and the First Prince were not on good terms, and secondly, Su Tang's medical skills were excellent, so it was not impossible for her to give the First Prince this kind of medicine.

However, after asking Su Tang in person today and confirming that Su Tang did not attack the eldest prince, the second prince felt much more at ease.

Even if the eldest prince wanted to suppress the fact that he was ill, how could such a big thing be concealed? Now some court officials who originally stood on the eldest prince's side have begun to secretly look for other princes to take sides.

Su Tang smiled and chatted with the second prince for a while. Qi Lingheng also came into the hall.

"Brother-in-law." The second prince greeted Qi Lingheng with a smile.

Qi Lingheng was very satisfied with being called the Second Prince. He clasped his fists and saluted the Second Prince, then sat on the other side of Su Tang.

"Today's banquet is really lively. Since entering the hall, I have seen many familiar faces." Qi Lingheng picked up the wine in front of him and raised his glass to the Second Prince.

"Yes, today my father has allowed officials above the fourth rank and their families to come. It is indeed much more lively than before." The second prince picked up the wine in front of him and raised his glass to Qi Lingheng, but he did not drink a drop of the wine.

Ever since he recovered from his illness, whenever he attended a banquet, he would refuse others' toasts on the grounds that he had just recovered from an illness. All the officials in the court knew this.

Qi Lingheng held the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. He did not care that the Second Prince did not drink. After putting down the wine glass, Qi Lingheng said to Su Tang, "Just now when I came into the hall, the Minister of Rites found me and asked me to take you over there. He will introduce you to a few envoys from overseas."

Perhaps because Qi Lingheng had arrived, the Second Prince stood up at the right time and said, "You guys chat first, I'll go over there and take a look."

Qi Lingheng and Su Tang stood up and bowed to see the Second Prince off.

"Then let's go over there too." Just now in the imperial study, Emperor Jing asked Su Tang to contact the Minister of Rites to go and see the envoys from foreign countries and communicate with them more to see if they had any other firearms.

But Emperor Jing had no idea that today's firearms were like an old lady's foot binding in front of the modern weapons in Su Tang's space. They were all antiques with insufficient lethality and could only make a noise.

Su Tang wanted to communicate with these people from overseas, but she just wanted to find out about the current situation in overseas countries and see what kind of ships they took to come from afar.

There is no equipment for long-distance navigation in her space, which is a shortcoming.

Following Qi Lingheng, the two walked hand in hand to a place where a few people with European faces stood in front of them, communicating with the Minister of Rites through gestures and words.

As they approached, Su Tang also heard what both sides said.

Su Tang couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"What's wrong?" Qi Lingheng didn't know what funny thing Su Tang had heard.

"They all say their own things. Don't you think it's funny?" Su Tang raised her chin in the direction of the Minister of Rites.

"You can understand what those foreigners say." Qi Lingheng said in surprise.

"Well, I'm awesome, right?" Su Tang's eyes curved into crescents as she looked at Qi Lingheng proudly.

"Amazing! As far as I know, there is not a single person in the entire Dayong who can truly understand foreign languages."

Su Tang understood, but people don’t necessarily have to share a common language to communicate with each other. General body language expressions can also allow two people who don’t speak the same language to have simple communication.

This happens frequently in modern society, where many people who do not speak the same language can use body language to express simple meanings when traveling abroad.

"Your Highness the Grand Princess, Prince Qi." The Minister of Rites bowed after seeing Su Tang and the others.

"Well, today our father is hosting a banquet to entertain these foreign envoys, so there's no need to be too formal." Su Tang raised her hand to signal.

"Yes." replied the Minister of Rites.