Chapter 830 - 755: Political Marriage (3)

Chapter 830: Chapter 755: Political Marriage (3)

Prince Xin shook his head and said, "You can’t say it like that, Fifth Imperial Brother. Seventeenth Sister is going to get married eventually, whether she finds a husband in the Capital City or marries into another country for a diplomatic marriage, as long as she finds a suitable match and lives happily! That is, of course, a beautiful wish and something we, as elder brothers, should consider for her. But Seventeenth Sister marrying into East Tang isn’t a simple marriage. It’s about the diplomatic relations between two countries. If we only send our daughters out without marrying their women in, wouldn’t that be a huge loss for us?"

Prince Lu laughed softly from the side: "Fifth Brother, you were also on the battlefield back in the day, so you should be well aware that war consumes both Silver and manpower. The longer the war drags on, the more resources it consumes. Father is concerned for the people and is willing to send our sister to marry and form a good diplomatic relationship between the two countries, to lessen the people’s suffering and to reduce the drain on the National Treasury due to war. This is the wisdom and benevolence of Father; we should not act recklessly out of impulse!"

In all matters, there is no familial affection, and it’s common for brothers to fight to the death among themselves. A princess of the Imperial Family who is lucky can choose a husband in the capital; the unlucky ones are sent by their father and brothers for a diplomatic marriage to buy a period of peace between nations.

Prince Liang and Prince Zhuang remained silent.

Prince Liang was reminded of when he was the Crown Prince; whenever he spoke and gave advice, he was often scolded by Father. Now that he’s no longer the Crown Prince, remaining silent should be fine, right?

Prince Zhuang knew that among the brothers, he currently held the lowest rank, and having suffered several losses before, he decided that saying less would mean fewer mistakes and would avoid angering Father!

Prince Li smiled and said, "I agree with Sixth Brother’s opinion. What East Tang is doing is testing our Nanxia, right? We should let East Tang also send a princess over, so they would not dare to underestimate our Nanxia!"

Prince Cheng furrowed his brows, unwilling to argue with his brothers. He respectfully said, "Father, although East Tang has such intentions, they are the ones seeking marriage; we don’t necessarily have to agree! Besides, Seventeenth Sister is right here in the palace; naturally, her opinion should be sought. If she agrees to marry, then let it be settled; if she doesn’t, as her royal brother, I am willing to go to East Tang to decline the diplomatic marriage!"

Prince Xin scoffed and said, "Fifth Brother, did I hear wrong? What’s there to ask? As a princess, isn’t it part of her duty to engage in a diplomatic marriage? The people provide for her, allowing her to live in Brocade Clothes and eat lavishly. By using herself to lessen the country’s war efforts, this is her true value."

Prince Li also smiled and said, "Sixth Brother is right, Fifth Brother’s words are inappropriate. Moreover, since when do we need to ask for her opinion when Father is here to make decisions for her lifelong matters, following the orders of parents and arrangements of matchmakers?"

Prince Zhuang, who initially didn’t want to speak, saw the opportunity as rare and also said, "Being able to spare the people from the suffering of war is ultimately a good thing! Seventeenth Sister would surely be happy about it; what Fifth Brother said is really inappropriate!"

He wasn’t trying to show off in front of the Emperor; rather, he wanted to take this chance to further undermine Prince Cheng.

The Emperor didn’t speak or interrupt; he watched their brotherly dispute with seeming interest.

Prince Cheng swept his gaze across and found that this time, the brothers seemed united against him. However, he was undaunted and sneered, "Aren’t you also princes provided for by the people, living in Brocade Clothes and eating lavishly? Moreover, you are men, yet you wish to place the responsibility of sparing the people from the horrors of war upon the shoulders of a weak woman? Avoiding conflict and ensuring the other country doesn’t dare invade has never been about diplomatic marriages! It’s about having wise ministers in court and strong generals at the borders!"

Prince Zhuang shouted harshly, "Old Fifth, are you speaking like this because you want to start a war again? I heard that over in Yunzhou, there were battles every day in the early years, and the people never had a day of peace. What you faced were just some uncivilized brutes, where losses were minimal. Are you now trying to provoke a war between East Tang and Nanxia?"

How lightly they brushed it off as minimal losses. When Prince Cheng first arrived in Yunzhou, he was all alone, without soldiers, without generals, without provisions, knowing he was sent there because he had fallen out of favor with the Emperor. The local troops, who only honored the strong, looked down on him, while local officials openly complied but covertly disobeyed.

Later, Prince Cheng recruited local civilians as soldiers, self-funded provisions, trained the troops to protect the borders and maintain peace, a venture that took twenty years to achieve the status he had today, which they dismissed with such frivolous words.

However, these things Prince Cheng didn’t want to discuss further with them. Those living in the Capital City in luxury or those on prosperous lands without any worries wouldn’t understand even if said!

Prince Cheng coldly glanced at his brothers and firmly stated, "If East Tang intends to wage war on Nanxia, would sending a princess prevent it? If East Tang has no intent to wage war, would refusal of a diplomatic marriage necessarily lead to conflict?"