Chapter 1225: Provincial Inspector of Beizhou, Shao Pingbo!

His attitude of protecting his daughter could not have been made any clearer. The declaration also came from guilt; he wanted to give his daughter an accounting.

None of the ministers objected. Whatever the truth might be, they would all return home and warn their families that no one was to discuss the matter in secret again, lest they invite disaster.

But how could that answer satisfy Taishu Huan'er? It was not the answer she had come for. She immediately asked, "Imperial Father, killing people is easy, but can you kill what lies in people's hearts? If the people of the world dare not say anything aloud, yet still believe in their hearts that your daughter was violated, and that belief becomes the common judgment of men, would your daughter not still be wronged?"

The court hall once again fell silent. The ministers looked at one another. They all understood perfectly well that even forcing everyone to keep their mouths shut was already difficult enough. How could anyone control what people thought in their hearts? Wasn't this princess being unreasonable?

But at a moment like this, no one was in a position to say so. His Majesty's family affair was best left for His Majesty to handle himself.

Taishu Xiong stared silently at his daughter. The longer he looked, the less he understood her. He truly had no idea what she was trying to do.

Taishu Huan'er broke the silence again. "If everyone thinks this way, how is your daughter supposed to marry in the future?"

Taishu Xiong slowly said, "You are Our daughter. Why would you ever need to fear finding a husband?"

Taishu Huan'er suddenly turned toward the assembled ministers and fixed her gaze on one man. "Lord Zhao, if this princess took a liking to your son and wished to marry him, would you agree?"

"Ah!" Lord Zhao was badly startled, caught completely off guard. Never even in his dreams had he imagined the matter would suddenly fall on his own head. "This... this..."

What kind of joke was this? He held high rank and great power. Was he supposed to let his son marry a woman who had been used by that old bastard Chen Changgong and had already become the butt of the world's jokes? Would the Zhao family not become the greatest laughingstock beneath Heaven?

Under ordinary circumstances, he could have declined with some respectable excuse. At this moment, however, he truly did not know how to respond.

Everyone's gaze turned toward him. Taishu Xiong stared coldly as well. Whether the marriage was possible was one matter; he wanted to see what attitude Lord Zhao displayed.

Some worried for him. Others secretly delighted in his misfortune.

Lord Zhao felt the Emperor's gaze boring into him and nearly broke into a cold sweat. Yet he was a veteran of the court after all, quick-witted and experienced. He soon regained his calm and cupped his hands toward Taishu Huan'er. "The few unworthy sons in my household are either already married or too foolish to be worthy of the Princess."

Taishu Huan'er had no intention of letting him escape so easily. "Whether they are foolish is another matter. This princess asks only one question: if I am willing to marry, would the Zhao family be willing to take me?"

Lord Zhao could not have felt more vexed. He and this princess had never had any grudge, so why was she determined to make trouble for the Zhao family? Instinctively, he glanced left and right at his political enemies in court, wondering whether someone had deliberately incited her. He had never heard that this princess possessed the ability to command the court like this.

Taishu Huan'er said, "Lord Zhao refuses to answer. It seems you too believe in your heart that this princess has been violated and is unworthy of a son of the Zhao family."

Lord Zhao hurriedly said, "The Princess thinks too much. To win the Princess's favor would be that boy's good fortune. If His Majesty grants the marriage, how would we dare refuse?"

He threw the ball directly to the Emperor. Let His Majesty decide. If the Emperor truly meant to trap him, then Lord Zhao was no meek fool either. His Majesty could weigh for himself whether he really wanted to issue such a marriage decree.

Taishu Huan'er ignored him and fixed her eyes on another man. "Lord Gong, if this princess took a liking to your son and wished to marry him, would you agree?"

With the previous example before him, Lord Gong was no longer flustered. He copied the answer almost word for word. "To win the Princess's favor would be that boy's good fortune. If His Majesty grants the marriage, how would we dare refuse?"

He too tossed the decision back to the Emperor.

Taishu Huan'er then turned to another man. "General Cheng, would a son of the Cheng household be willing to marry this princess?"

General Cheng followed the same pattern and gave the same reply.

Taishu Huan'er proceeded to name several other senior court officials whose households had sons of marriageable age. Every answer she received was identical.

With the people before them having already shown the way, those questioned later grew increasingly relaxed. They could see that Taishu Huan'er was merely probing everyone's attitude, not truly planning to marry into each household she named.

Nor did she question every suitable family one by one. Once she had asked enough, she turned back toward Taishu Xiong on the throne. "Imperial Father, what the lords truly think in their hearts, your daughter cannot know. But I will still say the same thing: killing men is easy; killing what is in men's hearts is hard. What your daughter wants is not people saying one thing while believing another. I want all under Heaven to truly believe that your daughter is innocent."

Taishu Xiong had also calmed down by now. From his lofty seat, accustomed to watching the struggles of the court, he could finally see that this whole sequence from his daughter had not been without purpose. She clearly had a plan. He wanted to see what she was actually trying to do. "What do you want?"

Taishu Huan'er said, "Your daughter was born into the imperial clan and holds the rank of Princess of Jin. I know perfectly well there is no reason for me to marry an ordinary commoner. If, at a time like this, no household of the court's senior officials is willing to take me, yet I am hurriedly married off at random to someone else, how could the people beneath Heaven not misunderstand?"

"If the households of senior ministers are willing to take your daughter, then that itself proves my innocence. Imperial Father, to prove your daughter's chastity, your daughter wishes to marry. I beg Imperial Father to grant the marriage!"

The ministers looked at one another.

So after circling around for so long, the Princess truly did intend to marry into the household of someone here!

Every man immediately grew nervous, afraid she would actually choose his family.

Lord Zhao, who had been the first one singled out, felt his heart hang even higher. He kept wondering why she had started with him.

Taishu Xiong swept his gaze across the ministers and took in their reactions. "Huan'er, wishing to marry is a good thing. But this is a private affair of the inner palace and not something suitable for discussion in the court hall. Return for now. Later, We will discuss the matter properly with your mother. We promise you that We will certainly find you a husband after your own heart!"

Taishu Huan'er had no intention of withdrawing so easily. She raised her voice. "A princess of a state marrying, and marrying down into an official household at that—how could this concern only the inner palace? Your daughter went personally to the front to encourage the army and raise morale, risking herself for the state. Now I have been left with such a reputation. How could that be merely a family matter? Soldiers who render merit are still rewarded according to their achievements, yet your daughter has instead been left too ashamed to face anyone."

"Imperial Father, it is not that your daughter refuses to obey and withdraw. Your daughter already has a husband in mind, but I fear the senior ministers will oppose it, and I fear Imperial Father may go back on your word. So before the hundred officials and before Imperial Father, I want to ask one question. Before your daughter went to Xiping Pass, Imperial Father promised to grant me one request. Does Imperial Father still remember?"

She already had someone in mind?

The ministers immediately began glancing left and right. Everyone wondered who it was, hearts tightening. The Princess had caused such an uproar. If she named someone here and now, the chosen household might truly have no escape.

Those with talented unmarried sons were especially afraid of catching the Princess's eye.

Taishu Xiong said, "Naturally We remember. We allowed you to name one condition. But that promise had a premise: your request must be reasonable and proper."

Taishu Huan'er said, "Your daughter risked herself for the state and has been reduced to this state. Everyone despises me, no one dares marry me, and I fear my entire life will be ruined. Now I ask only that Imperial Father grant me in marriage to an official household. Is even that excessive? Does that not count as reasonable and proper?"

Outside the hall, beside the moon gate at the edge of the square, Noble Consort Lan stood beneath an umbrella gripping her robes tightly, filled with nervous apprehension.

Exactly what would happen inside the court hall was something even Jia Wuqun could not determine with certainty. But at the temple, he had taught them methods for adapting to whatever arose.

The plan was good, but Noble Consort Lan had worried that once her daughter entered court she would become nervous and afraid, stumble over her words, and fail to achieve the desired effect.

She would probably never have dreamed that her daughter was not nervous at all. Instead, she was extraordinarily calm. Following the methods she had been taught and adapting as needed, she was handling the court with remarkable composure.

Inside the hall, Taishu Xiong sat high above in brief silence. His strange gaze slowly swept over the assembled ministers.

He thought to himself that this was not actually a bad method. After what had happened to his daughter, if he had tried to arrange a marriage under ordinary circumstances, this whole crowd would probably have found excuses to refuse. None would have agreed. Now that his daughter had created such a scene in public, these men instead found it difficult to decline.

As her father, he was also somewhat curious. Who exactly was the husband his daughter had set her heart on?

He wanted to hear the name first before making a final decision.

A number of ministers noticed His Majesty's gaze and felt their scalps prickle beneath it.

After a short pause, Taishu Xiong slowly said, "My lords, even We do not know which household the Princess has chosen. We ask only one thing of you: are you willing to share Our worries?"

Share this worry? Not one of them was willing!

Yet every mouth answered in unison, "We are willing to share Your Majesty's worries!"

Taishu Xiong said, "If the Princess chooses the son of one of your households, are you willing to take her?"

As though they had rehearsed beforehand, the ministers once again replied in one voice, "To receive the Princess's favor would be an honor. We are willing!"

Their words contradicted their hearts so completely that even they themselves felt they were going too far.

"Good!" Taishu Xiong nodded in approval. Then his gaze returned to his daughter. "Huan'er, which family's son is the husband you have in mind? You may first speak his name for Us to hear."

Even now, his phrasing left himself room to maneuver. He had not bound himself completely, preserving final authority over the decision.

Without the slightest hesitation, Taishu Huan'er clearly spoke a name and office.

"Provincial Inspector of Beizhou, Shao Pingbo!"

Earlier, Jin had found it awkward to assign Shao Pingbo an official post. Taishu Xiong had come up with a clever solution: he granted Shao Pingbo an office located in another state. That avoided provoking criticism within Jin's court while still giving Shao Pingbo the corresponding rank and treatment.

Shao Pingbo?

The hall fell silent.

Every official froze on the spot.

Shao Pingbo?

Even Taishu Xiong was momentarily dumbstruck.

The answer had genuinely exceeded everyone's expectations.

Taishu Huan'er declared forcefully, "Your daughter went to Xiping Pass to encourage the army and raise morale because Shao Pingbo proposed the plan. It was also because of that proposal that your daughter's reputation was ruined. Whether your daughter is innocent or not, Lord Shao knows perfectly well."

"Your daughter cannot defend myself convincingly, and Lord Shao would likely be unable to explain the matter clearly on my behalf. But if Lord Shao is willing to marry your daughter, the rumors will collapse of their own accord!"

After his initial shock, Taishu Xiong's face darkened.

He greatly admired Shao Pingbo.

Especially in this present war for the fate of states, Shao Pingbo's ability had been thoroughly proven. Xiping Pass had been an almost impossible bone to gnaw through. Even the entire Blackwater Terrace had failed to take it. Shao Pingbo, however, solved the problem the moment he acted. That only made Taishu Xiong value him more.

The method used to secure Xiping Pass might not have been honorable. It had also cost Taishu Xiong dearly in the form of his daughter.

But in a struggle between states, the victor became king and the loser a bandit. Deception was never shunned in war. Who cared whether the method looked honorable?

With such a talent assisting him, why fear that all under Heaven could not be pacified?

How could a man of such ability be treated unjustly?

Taishu Xiong knew perfectly well whether his daughter was truly innocent. If he forced her onto Shao Pingbo and thereby humiliated the man into resentment, the loss might outweigh the gain.

He could force his daughter into almost any other official household.

But Shao Pingbo alone was unsuitable.

That was no way to reward, retain, and command a meritorious minister!

[End of Chapter 1225]