Hearing this, the Emperor remembered that this year was the decennial tribute ceremony of the barbarian tribes beyond the Great Wall.
Originally, other vassal states were required to pay tribute every three or five years, but these barbarian tribes beyond the Great Wall were so impoverished that the Emperor specially permitted them to pay tribute every ten years.
Even so, they couldn’t bring much value.
However, the contents of their tribute were secondary; the homage from all directions demonstrated the power and prestige of the Great Zhou!
The Emperor then loudly proclaimed, “Summon them!”
About half an hour later, the barbarian envoy was brought to the Golden Palace.
Upon seeing the Emperor, he first knelt down tremblingly like a clown and then explained his purpose: the barbarian princes, the First Prince and Second Prince, would be bringing tribute and would enter the Great Zhou capital in a month.
The Emperor nodded immediately and entrusted the task to the Second Prince.
The Second Prince immediately accepted the order with some excitement. With his maternal grandfather protecting him, he was sure that he would handle this task perfectly!
News of the barbarian tribes from beyond the Great Wall coming to pay tribute soon spread throughout the inner palace.
Upon receiving the news, Zi Ling’s eyes gleamed with excitement. She remembered that the First Prince of the barbarian tribes beyond the Great Wall, Suo Tu, was an extremely lecherous man. Shortly after arriving in the Great Zhou, he had already harassed several respectable women.
A month later was the Ninth Princess’s eleventh birthday. Although still young, the Ninth Princess was exceptionally beautiful. At her birthday banquet, Prince Suo Tu had been captivated by her beauty and even asked the Emperor for her hand in marriage. However, the Ninth Princess scolded him mercilessly on the spot, and the others secretly mocked Suo Tu’s overestimation of his abilities.
However, all of this was under the condition that the Ninth Princess did not like Suo Tu!
If, however, the Ninth Princess fell in love with Suo Tu and the two of them developed an ambiguous relationship, with so many officials and women present at her birthday banquet, even if the affair failed, the Ninth Princess’s reputation would be ruined!
Thinking of this, Zi Ling couldn’t help but curl her lips slightly.
Then she began to have people privately discuss how the First Prince of the barbarian tribes beyond the Great Wall was rumored to be so heroic and extraordinary.
An eleven-year-old girl is at the age most prone to romantic feelings. If these words reach the Ninth Princess’s ears, she will surely become curious about Suo Tu. Moreover, because of everyone’s discussion, the Ninth Princess’s first impression of Suo Tu will definitely be very good.
Then, she will secretly help Suo Tu.
She isn’t worried that the Ninth Princess won’t take the bait!
…
A few days later, while Mu Yunge was strolling in the Imperial Garden, she indeed overheard palace maids whispering about Suo Tu.
“I’ve heard that the prince from the barbarian tribes beyond the Great Wall is very handsome, unlike the dashing men of our Great Zhou, but he has a very strong masculine spirit!”
“Yes, yes! It’s said that the First Prince is an excellent rider. How romantic it would be to ride with him to the borderlands to admire the sunset over the long river!”
“And also, I’ve heard that the barbarians are particularly tolerant of women; no one says anything if they show their faces in public!”
Hearing their chatter, Mu Yunge sneered inwardly. Then she asked Yan Fei, “Xiao Xi, who is this First Prince they’re talking about?”
When Mu Yunge asked this question, Yan Fei’s heart skipped a beat. He replied, “It should be the First Prince of the barbarian tribes beyond the Great Wall, Suo Tu. But the environment beyond the Great Wall is harsh, with wind and sun blowing every day. Therefore, the barbarians are mostly robust and have rugged appearances. They are not as good as they say.”
As he said this, Yan Fei gave the palace maids a cold look.
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Loveguy On CFRFGC Chapter 7