Chapter 1258: 23 Things About the Fake Emperor and the Powerful Officials
On the day when the envoys from the Northern Kingdom arrived in the imperial capital, the capital was exceptionally lively.
The country was strong, and the common people in the imperial capital were only curious about the tough northerners, but not afraid, so they came out to watch, and the streets were filled with people.
The northerners were tough and wild. A group of them were riding on fat and strong black horses. When they saw so many people looking at them, they waved to them enthusiastically.
The Second Prince of the Northern Kingdom rode on the leading black horse, wearing northern costumes with half of his forearms exposed. His bronze skin was completely different from that of the elegant gentlemen in the imperial capital.
He is also good-looking, with thick eyebrows and deep eyes, and his expression always carries a bit of arrogance.
When the second prince met the people from the Ministry of Rites who came to welcome him into the palace, he raised his eyebrows condescendingly and said in a loud voice, "Is His Majesty waiting for me in the palace? I thought I could see His Majesty riding a horse!"
"His Majesty has been waiting for you for a long time." The man from the Ministry of Rites smiled with his face but cursed the Second Prince in his heart for not knowing etiquette.
Who is he to have such high status that he even dreams of having His Majesty come out of the palace to greet him? He really overestimates himself.
"Ha! Good, good, good!"
The second prince gave a sly laugh but didn't say what he meant.
The news that Emperor Jingchao was weak had long since spread throughout the North. He was used to being arrogant and willful in the North and didn't care whether he came to pay tribute or not. He just said whatever he wanted.
All the ministers were indeed waiting in the hall for the arrival of the Northern Kingdom group.
Before the Second Prince and others entered the palace, what he had just done had already reached the ears of Shi Li and Yuan Chizhi.
Shi Li didn't show it on her face, but she rolled her eyes fiercely in her heart. She had heard that the second prince was a scoundrel who indulged in sensual pleasures in the Northern Kingdom all day long and had been scolded by his father countless times.
This time he was sent as an envoy to pay tribute, probably with the intention of training him, but his son still seems to be disappointing.
As the ruler of the world, she should have some magnanimity and not punish the envoys who came to pay tribute because of a small matter.
Unlike her, Yuan Chizhi raised his eyebrows when he heard the Second Prince speak disrespectfully to Shi Li.
After waiting for a while, the second prince led the envoys from the Northern Kingdom into the hall.
Unlike the others who bowed their heads to pay their respects to the emperor, although he also knelt down to pay his respects to Shi Li, after standing up he looked up very naturally and generously, looking at Shi Li without any hesitation.
There was a hint of barely perceptible contempt in his eyes.
"Thank you for your hard work coming all the way."
Shi Li was not afraid of his gaze, she smiled gently and continued to say polite words, "I have already set up a banquet to welcome you all."
Not everyone could attend the banquet to receive the envoys from the Northern Kingdom. Some of the ministers only showed up, and only the most important and trusted ministers with extremely high status could actually sit at the table.
The leader was naturally Yuan Chizhi.
His position is just below and to the right of Shi Li, second only to him and above everyone else.
The second prince of the Northern Kingdom sat opposite him to show the courtesy of Jingchao to the Northern Kingdom.
As soon as the banquet began, the second prince started to act up.
He drank three cups of wine in a row, and then said with a displeased look: "Your Majesty, this banquet is too boring without beauties to liven up the atmosphere. I heard that the women's school has just been established, so why not invite two of them to recite poems and compose couplets, which would be so elegant."
For a moment, Shi Li wanted to smash the wine glass in her hand directly onto the second prince's head.
Shi Li would not care about anything else he said, let alone take it to heart. But when he mentioned the girls' school, he still used such a contemptuous tone and words.
Once the news gets out, won't the common people think that girls' schools are just tools for the amusement of the nobles, no different from the original singers and dancers?
Shi Li was filled with anger, but after a while of calming down, she said with a smile, "All the girls in the school are outstanding elites. If they are really invited to the banquet, I'm afraid they will be outshined by everyone present. Then, it will not be a boost to the fun, but a spoiler."
The Second Prince did not expect Shi Li to speak so bluntly, even belittling himself, and could not help but be stunned for a moment.
Then he smiled and laughed again, "In that case, why not let me dance with the sword to liven up the atmosphere!"
After saying this, without waiting for Shi Li to speak, he stood up, turned around and asked the palace servant standing behind him for the sword.
As everyone knows, everyone has to take off their armor before entering the palace.
Everyone present had their eyebrows twitched when they saw him being so unruly.
Shi Li was already feeling annoyed and just as she was frowning and about to scold, Yuan Chizhi's voice rang out before her.
"Your Majesty, please grant me and the Second Prince two long swords. I have not exercised for a long time, so I will help you today."
Shi Li finally felt surprised. She looked at Yuan Chizhi and met his deep eyes.
He seemed angry.