ebookland Chapter 181 The Choice
Chapter 181 The Choice
"Today in court, Prince Jing immediately rejected the marriage alliance with the Northern Di princess! You didn't see the look on Prince Jing's face at the time; he was extremely disgusted, as if the Northern Di princess was a fly in a latrine!"
"I saw that the Northern Di princess was beautiful, yet King Jing was not moved?"
"A beauty like that would make any man's heart flutter. Is King Jing perhaps afraid of the power of the Chu family?"
"Although the Chu family is powerful, they cannot compare to Prince Jing. Prince Jing is His Majesty's own younger brother. Today in court, His Majesty reprimanded many officials for Prince Jing's sake! In fact... to prevent Prince Jing from marrying the Northern Di princess, His Majesty said that whoever marries the Northern Di princess will be granted the title of Duke of Qing!"
“Look, those are all scions of noble families who want to become the Duke of Qing.”
As they spoke, everyone looked toward the post station.
Normally, in order to distance themselves from foreign powers like the Northern Barbarians, the post station was usually deserted.
But after today's grand court assembly, many "dazzling" young men from noble families came to the post station.
Looking around, there were six or seven people within ten steps, all of them handsome young men from noble families.
"These young noblemen are dressed up so extravagantly for this title. Could it be that they want to use their good looks to bewitch the Northern Di princess?"
The Northern Di princess, angrily shut the window amidst the gossip.
"Too deceiving!"
Yelü Dan's expression shifted between anger and resentment. She gripped her hands tightly, her voice filled with rage and hatred.
Huyan Tu was panting heavily, gripping his knife tightly, wishing he could kill all those people below who were mocking Yelü Dan.
“Princess, the emperor of the Great Li doesn’t take us seriously at all!” Huyan Tu said through gritted teeth. “They are treating you like a commodity to be sold, letting those noble families choose you at will!”
These young men from prominent families flocked to the post station to curry favor, seemingly because Yelü Dan had chosen them. However, in reality, the emperor's words were a trampling on Yelü Dan's dignity.
Yelü Dan wanted to marry Xie Jinghan, not these vulgar scions of noble families.
Looking around, most of the scions of noble families had unsteady steps and dazed eyes, clearly showing that they were indulging in women and had been drained of their bodies.
"How can such a person be worthy of the princess?" Huyan Tu said angrily. "They look down on us Northern Di! Let's teach them a lesson!"
Having said that, Huyan Tu could no longer restrain himself from drawing his knife.
"Stop!" Yelü Dan shouted coldly, causing Huyan Tu to stop in his tracks.
Yelü Dan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger for the moment, and said, word by word, "Now is not the time to act rashly. What if you rush down and kill all these people now?"
“We are now on Dali’s territory. If you do this, our entire Northern Di delegation will be buried with you. You can kill ten, a hundred, or even a thousand people, can you?”
"Don't be impulsive." Yelü Dan closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes were calm and still, showing neither sadness nor joy.
For her, the humiliation was only temporary.
When the opportunity comes, she will surely repay all the humiliation she suffered today.
Hearing this, Huyan Tu was stunned.
He looked at Yelü Dan, his eyes filled with heartache: "Princess, you have suffered."
As Yelü Dan's maternal relative, he was most aware of the grievances Yelü Dan had suffered.
She was clearly the most intelligent of all the princes and princesses, and she made the most contributions, but because of her status as a woman, she was not valued, and everything she had was taken away by others.
Yelü Dan was indeed the most beloved daughter of the Northern Di King, but for Yelü Dan, this affection was insignificant; what she wanted from beginning to end was power.
The Huyan family was Yelü Dan's maternal clan, and they consistently supported him after his mother's death.
Over the years, they have all witnessed Yelü Dan's efforts.
The throne of the Northern Barbarians should rightfully belong to Yelü Dan.
"Princess, you..."
Huyan Tu's mind raced, but in the end he obeyed Yelü Dan's words. He stood at the door, holding the knife, somewhat at a loss, wanting an answer from Yelü Dan.
Yelü Dan stood by the window for a long time, the sour poems recited by the scions of the noble families of Dali still echoing in his ears.
She made her decision quickly.
“I’ll go see Prince Xin again,” Yelü Dan said, narrowing his eyes. “If he can’t help me, I’ll have to find another partner.”
Huyantu nodded quickly: "This Prince Xin broke his promise. He said he would help you, but these days he has been like a turtle hiding in the palace and not going anywhere."
"This person is unreliable," Huyan Tu said, making his judgment.
Yelü Dan agreed, saying, "He is indeed unreliable. He probably wants to use me to ruin Xie Jinghan's reputation."
“However… I’m not so easy to manipulate.” Yelü Dan sneered. “Since he used me, he will have to pay the price.”
And the price...
Yelü Dan narrowed his eyes and said, word by word, "Either he helps me get the border map, or... I will reveal his identity. His identity is worth a lot of money."
Both border defense maps and money are what she desperately needs.
Upon hearing this, Huyan Tu's eyes lit up with astonishing brilliance: "Princess, what a brilliant plan! If we obtain the border map and present it to the King, it will surely..."
"Who said I was going to present it to Father?" Yelü Dan interrupted Huyan Tu. "Uncle, haven't you figured it out yet?"
"As long as I am a woman, all my efforts are in vain, just paving the way for my brothers." Yelü Dan sneered, "If we get the border map, which brother will Father give it to?"
Upon hearing this, Huyan Tu shut his mouth tightly, not daring to answer at all.
The credit for repelling the Dali army last time was given to the eldest prince by the king, and this time it's for the border defense map...
Huyan Tu vaguely sensed Yelü Dan's intentions. He stared at Yelü Dan and said, "Princess, whatever you wish to do, the Huyan family will always be by your side!"
"With your words, Uncle, I am relieved." Yelü Dan helped Huyan Tu up and said calmly, "With the border defense map and the Huyan family's army, what else do I need to worry about?"
"All I need to do is lead my troops to recapture those two cities, and I will be able to establish my prestige in the army. Even if my father tries to steal the credit from me and give it to those useless brothers, it will be of no use."
"The army is under my control, so the throne... will naturally be mine." Yelü Dan said with a slight smile, "If I could get a large sum of money, that would be easy too. Those families in the royal court are all greedy and greedy."
"Using money to pave the way is not only safe, but also quick and effective."
Either way, it's better than her placing her hopes on her father.