RWNEFE -Chapter 250 From Envy to Sympathy!

No matter how Zhou Yunyue reacted, Cheng Zheng felt perfectly calm and resumed handling official matters at an unhurried pace.

Zhou Yunyue was practically about to explode with anger. What kind of creature was this, daring to comment recklessly on the imperial clan?

“You dare speak disrespectfully to this princess—do you want to lose your head?” Zhou Yunyue shouted furiously, her words spilling out without restraint.

“What are you, anyway? This princess will definitely have Shen Lanxi cut off your head and wipe out your entire family!”

Che Mingyuan let out an amused laugh and said without restraint, “Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and go get the General to cut off my head.”

Zhou Yunyue was so angry she felt as if she were being roasted over a fire, barely able to restrain herself from screaming.

“You—drag him out for this princess!”

Che Mingyuan glanced at Zhou Yunyue with contempt, smiling faintly. “Looks like the princess’s words don’t carry much weight, do they?”

Cheng Zheng chuckled softly.

That laugh completely ignited Zhou Yunyue.

She rushed forward, raising her hand as if to strike.

“Guards, next time don’t let this palace maid come in again.”

“And she calls herself a dowry maid—she doesn’t know a shred of etiquette. Send her to the palace attendants and have them teach this maid proper rules again!”

Once the guards entered, they seized Zhou Yunyue from both sides and dragged her out.

Zhou Yunyue let out hysterical screams.

“I’m a princess! Let go of me!”

“You dare treat me like this—when my imperial father finds out, I’ll have your heads cut off and exterminate your nine clans!”

Her shrill screams faded farther and farther away.

Che Mingyuan snorted with a laugh. “It’s only because our General insists on doing everything properly and with justification. If it were up to me, someone like that would’ve had an ‘accident’ long ago.”

Cheng Zheng wrote, “The General is kind-hearted~”

Che Mingyuan recalled the butcher-like figure Shen Lanxi had once been on the Dongchuan battlefield and twitched the corner of his mouth hard.

At last, Abu Khan could no longer hold back and sent an envoy to discuss a second round of peace talks.

With only a few days left before the New Year, after discussion, Shen Lanxi decided to schedule the talks for after the holiday.

Abu Khan quickly sent back a reply—he insisted on holding them before the New Year.

“Previously, when the three tribes attacked the Oirat, the grain, livestock, and supplies they seized are enough to last them until spring,” Che Mingyuan analyzed.

Cheng Zheng and the others nodded.

“They’re deliberately provoking us. The New Year is the most important time for Great Zhou. They chose this moment on purpose to disrupt our state of mind!”

Shen Lanxi nodded; her thoughts aligned perfectly with Che Mingyuan’s.

“If the talks fail, will they send troops against us?” Shen Yuanjing asked worriedly.

Che Mingyuan said, “No. Sending troops consumes supplies. Once a war starts, it drags on. Unless they can end it quickly and are certain of victory, they won’t start a war.” The same was true for their side.

“So we still have to negotiate?” Shen Yuanjing asked. He was still young and hadn’t yet cultivated steady patience; after only a few rounds of back-and-forth, he was already feeling restless.

Shen Lanxi said, “Supervisor Che, I’ll leave advancing the peace talks to you.”

Che Mingyuan accepted the order.

Shen Lanxi’s strategy was to maintain tension both externally and internally. Even during the New Year period, training could not stop—internal drills were doubled.

Everyone knew that sooner or later, they would fight the Turkic Three Tribes.

Only the peace envoys from the capital were still meticulously rehearsing the complicated procedures of peace talks and political marriages every day.

On the day before the New Year, Wei Dongzhu and the others who had been dispatched returned to the city one after another.

Wei Dongzhu brought back large amounts of gold, silver, treasures, and valuable supplies from the salt fields. On Liu Yanhui’s side, it was as if they had gone out to purchase New Year goods—chickens, ducks, fish, meat, vegetables, dried provisions, and herds of cattle, sheep, and horses. It took more than half a day just to settle all the livestock!

The others also brought back quite a few items, but compared with Wei Dongzhu and Liu Yanhui, theirs seemed insignificant.

Even more gratifying was that Baru had returned as well, bringing plenty of dried meat and dairy products.

As soon as Shen Lanxi saw these, she understood their meaning.

She, too, needed to make a statement.

“This year, we have officially established our name—the Zhenbei Army!”

“Next year will certainly be an even better beginning!”

“Every bit of effort you put in will be rewarded within three years!”

“As long as I, Shen Lanxi, am here for a day, you will be here for a day!”

“I am the Grand General; you are deputy generals—ya generals, assistant generals, vanguards, grand commanders, commandants, and junior commanders…”

“If I have a chest of gold—each of you will have a gold ingot from it.”

“If I have a load of grain, I will never let you go hungry!”

“On such a joyous day, we must have double happiness!”

“Next, I announce a major event: the sister of Baru, leader of the Oirat tribes, will form a marriage alliance with the third young master of my Shen family. The imperial edict for the political marriage will be officially delivered soon.”

“My intention is that, since New Year supplies are abundant, their wedding will be held together with the New Year celebrations!”

Shen Yuanxu and the other brothers who had been away never dreamed that after being gone for just a short while, they would come back to find their brother about to marry into the Oirat through a political alliance!

“Liu Yanhui, see to the preparations.”

“Slaughter sheep and cattle—we must make sure the brothers enjoy a New Year rich in meat and fat!”

Liu Yanhui immediately accepted the order. Before Shen Lanxi even finished speaking, he had already coordinated with the relevant people—himself being one of them.

After the welcoming banquet, the returning generals immediately surrounded Shen Yuanjing.

“Brother, even for the sake of the northwest, the sacrifice doesn’t have to be this big!”

“Yuanjing, before the imperial edict arrives, there’s still room to turn things around. Even if we have to stake all our military merits, we’ll get you your freedom!”

Shen Yuanjing listened with his mouth twitching.

“Brothers, comrades—I’m mutually in love with the Oirat princess. You really don’t need to do this!”

Everyone: “……”

“Impossible—absolutely impossible. We were only gone a short time, and you’re already ‘mutually in love’?”

“Isn’t that a bit too fast?”

Shen Yuanjing smiled awkwardly. “What do you rough men know? Kang Zhu and I bonded through combat—we fought, and that’s how we came to know each other~”

Shen Yuanxu was happy for his brother, yet also worried for him.

“Yuanjing, what about the one in the West Courtyard?”

Only then did everyone realize—there was still a huge problem unresolved.

Those who had just been puzzled, doubtful, and even envious all instantly turned sympathetic!

If that big trouble wasn’t dealt with, even if this marriage went through by force, there probably wouldn’t be much joy in it.

With such a big commotion in the residence, Zhou Yunyue learned within a single day that Shen Yuanjing was about to marry—and that the woman he was marrying was not her.

“Shen Lanxi, what did you promise me back then?”

“Is your Shen family bullying the imperial clan because no one is left to defend us?”

“I’ll write to the capital right now and say that Shen Yuanjing bullied me—let Father Emperor punish him!”

Zhou Yunyue was beside herself with rage. She was a dignified princess of Great Zhou—what was an Oirat barbarian woman, anyway? She wasn’t even worthy to compare with a single toe of hers. Why should Shen Yuanjing marry her?

Even if that barbarian woman were to be a concubine, it wouldn’t be acceptable!

The man Zhou Yunyue claimed belonged to her was not allowed to take concubines.

She, the legitimate mistress, hadn’t even entered the household yet—how could a concubine dare to marry before her?

What they were doing was nothing less than humiliating a Great Zhou princess and showing disrespect to the imperial family.

By law, Shen Yuanjing’s actions counted as favoring a concubine over the wife—and for that, he should be stripped of his official position!