"The barbarian's national letter says that Changning wants to be buried in the capital before his death?!" Ji Xiaotang frowned slightly.

Others may not know, but how Changning died, and when he died, she and Qin Zhen knew very clearly. Changning has been dead for a while, but the Beiban side has not sent any news to the Empress Dowager Han. They sent such a letter of state at this time, not only concealing the real cause of Changning's death, but also saying that Changning had just died and must have a plan.

"Did the barbarians ask the Queen Mother to promise something, and then they would be willing to send back Changning's corpse? Did the Queen Mother agree? Ji Xiaotang narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and immediately asked Qin Zhen.

"Xiaotang, you've guessed it again!" Qin Zhen nodded.

The Northern Barbarians did put forward the conditions, and it can be said that the lion opened his mouth.

"You don't have to guess this, they must be asking for something. Zhenshan Pass had a bumper harvest in the military fields, and their eyes were red when they looked at it. Asking for food must be the first thing, as well as gold and silver cloth, and everything they look at us is good!" Ji Xiaotang sneered.

"That's right." Qin Zhen nodded again, "They do want food, gold and silver cloth. But they wanted something else. ”

"I don't think they have the guts to want us to cede land to them." Ji Xiaotang looked at Qin Zhen.

Since the founding of the Great Qin, there have been many conflicts with the Northern Barbarians. Daqin's posture has always been very tough, and he has always refused to give up an inch of land. Changning and his relatives are just to fight for a moment of peace and make a respite, and now with only Changning's corpse, Beiban should not be whimsical. It is the territory of Great Qin.

Qin Zhen also smiled.

"Lend them the bear-hearted leopard gall, and they don't dare to make such a request. They want good seeds. ”

Ji Xiaotang suddenly realized.

The Northern Barbarians are all inhabited by nomadic tribes and do not engage in farming. And he is good at plundering, once he has the opportunity to enter the territory of Daqin, he has always dried up and fished and burned forests to hunt. Now he has learned smartly, not only does he want ready-made grain, because he knows that the grain is cold-resistant and high-yielding, and he even wants a good seed of the grain.

The good seed of the grain is that Master Ji San led people to risk their lives and went through a lot of hardships. It took a little luck to find it from overseas. Nowadays, even in the territory of Daqin, the improved varieties of this grain have not yet been fully promoted.

There are not enough varieties of grain in China. Where is there a surplus for the Northern Barbarians.

Moreover, even if there is a surplus, you can't give it to them.

"What did the Queen Mother say?" Ji Xiaotang was anxious to ask Qin Zhen about the situation at that time.

Empress Dowager Han learned of Changning's death and heard the so-called Changning's last words before his death. Very excited. I almost fainted from crying. After coming to her senses, Empress Dowager Han said that she must welcome back Changning's bones and bury them in the imperial mausoleum.

When Qin Zhen and the others left Cining Palace, Empress Dowager Han was still crying.

As for the conditions proposed by the Northern Barbarians, Empress Dowager Han had to agree. Empress Dowager Han even said that the gold and silver cloth that the Northern Barbarians wanted did not need to be taken out of the treasury~. She will take out all her private rooms to satisfy the conditions of the Northern Barbarians.

The Empress Dowager Han can be ~ out of her own private house, and even food can be ~ out of her private property. However, the good varieties of pangrain are not the private property of the Empress Dowager Han.

Empress Dowager Han also did not have a good seed of grain in her hands.

Ji Xiaotang listened to Qin Zhen's narration, his belief turned several times, and he couldn't help but let out a cold snort.

"I'm just afraid of this matter, the Queen Mother can't make her own decisions."

Qin Zhen also thinks so.

Empress Dowager Han is no longer able to cover the sky with one hand. Just like the matter of Changning and his relatives back then, weighing the pros and cons, in the end, under the pressure of the courtiers, the Empress Dowager Han had to give in and personally arranged for Changning to go to the north to make peace.

It's the same today.

The civil and military officials of the court are not stupid~, they know too well the importance of good grain varieties. If the good seeds of Fanliang are handed over to the Northern Barbarians, it is undoubtedly a knife handed over to his enemies, and this enemy's wolf ambition will definitely use this knife to deal with them.

Empress Dowager Han and the courtiers will inevitably wrestle again in this matter.

"Lord Wang, do you think that the Queen Mother really wants to welcome Changning's bones back for burial?" Ji Xiaotang suddenly asked Qin Zhen.

Qin Zhen's gaze was deep, and he looked at Ji Xiaotang for a moment, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly~.

"Why did Xiaotang ask that?"

Ji Xiaotang would ask like this, and she had already faintly said that she didn't believe that Empress Dowager Han really wanted to welcome Changning's bones back for burial.

"I just think that with the Queen Mother's temperament, even if she knows that Changning is sad when she is dead, she will not be so out of shape." Although he didn't see it with his own eyes, according to Qin Zhen's account, Ji Xiaotang felt that Empress Dowager Han's sadness was too expressed.

Empress Dowager Han is by no means such a fragile person.

Moreover, what kind of place Beiban is, Empress Dowager Han knows very well. What kind of temperament Changning is, and how to grow up pampered, she also knows it.

A realistic and calm person like Empress Dowager Han should have expected that there would be today when she sent Changning to make peace.

At the beginning, for the sake of her own power, Empress Dowager Han could ruthlessly send away the living Changning, but today, in order to take back Changning's corpse, she would give the good seeds related to the fate of the country to the barbarians.

It is true that Empress Dowager Han feels sorry for Changning, because she will also be sad about Changning's death. But she is not an emotional person and would not make such a stupid decision.

But Empress Dowager Han not only showed heartbreak, but also made such a statement that she must welcome Changning's bones back.

Ji Xiaotang believes that the Empress Dowager Han is making a show.

"She wants to maximize the benefits of Changning's death!" Ji Xiaotang pointed out sharply.

For a while, after the contest with Qin Lin, Empress Dowager Han's power was even worse than before. In this case, if she continues to wrestle with the courtiers, she will only lose the hearts of the people more and more and weaken her own power.

But now that she has made such a gesture, she will win the greatest sympathy for herself, and make the courtiers realize that the current peace in the world is returned by her most beloved biological daughter.

It is equivalent to after the courtiers quarrel. If she makes a decision again, if she doesn't welcome Changning's bones back, it will take the overall situation into account. For the sake of this country and the people of the world, great sacrifices have been made.

In this way, Empress Dowager Han will not only gain popular popularity, but also win the support of more courtiers.

"What does the prince think of my judgment?" Ji Xiaotang asked Qin Zhen with a smile.

"Xiaotang, you can see through the Queen Mother!" Qin Zhen smiled.

"No matter what, this time the wishful thinking of the Northern Barbarians is about to come to naught."

This. is the most important thing.

And the development of things was as Ji Xiaotang expected, Empress Dowager Han wanted to welcome Changning's bones back, but it was not as before. Forcefully clash with the courtiers.

Empress Dowager Han cried twice and scolded twice in the court, and gradually showed signs of compromise, next. All it takes is a small step. She can complete her entire plan and gain a reputation for understanding the righteousness and taking the overall situation into account.

However, it was not only Qin Zhen and Ji Xiaotang who saw Empress Dowager Han's plans clearly.

At this juncture, a group of merchants suddenly came to the capital. It was from the mouths of this group of merchants who often came and went to Zhenshan Pass that the real cause of Changning's death was revealed.

Changning did not die of illness in Beiban.

Princess Changning came to Heqin, and after arriving in Beiban, she not only lived like a fish in water. And a heart is towards the Northern Barbarians. Moreover, she also gave birth to ambitions. Unwilling to be the queen of the Northern Barbarians, she still wants the Northern Barbarians to annex Daqin, and wants the whole world to be owned by the Northern Barbarian King, and she is such a woman who is the mother of the world.

Changning not only has ambitions, but also puts her ambitions into action.

Changning took the soldiers and horses of the Northern Barbarians and wanted to borrow her identity as the princess of Daqin, deceitfully open the gate of Zhenshan Pass, and lead the commander of the Northern Barbarian army ~ drive ~ straight ~ into and seize the world of Daqin.

It's just that the sky is not beautiful, and Changning and his soldiers and horses have not yet arrived in front of Zhenshan Pass, but they encountered an ambush of Zhenshan Pass soldiers on the road.

The two armies fought, and Changning died in the chaos.

The Northern Barbarians snatched back Changning's body and concealed the news of Changning's death, and only now did they send a letter of state, lying about Changning's death and last words, wanting to extort Daqin.

These rumors first spread in the streets and alleys, and soon spread and reached the ears of the courtiers, as well as the Empress Dowager Han and Emperor Longqing.

The rumors are so realistic that many things are impossible to know unless the person concerned has seen them with their own eyes.

Moreover, because Qi Younian often sends war reports back, the rumored date and place can coincide with a certain battle report of Qi Younian.

That time, the soldiers of Zhenshan Pass patrolled the border, and happened to encounter an army of the Northern Barbarians who planned to sneak attack Zhenshan Pass, and the two armies fought, and the soldiers of Zhenshan Pass repelled the Northern Barbarian army, but there were also many dead and wounded.

According to Qi Younian's battle report, that time was the largest and most dangerous of the several harassments of the Northern Barbarians.

Changning died in that encounter.

If Changning really died of illness in Beiban, she died for the safety of Daqin's Jiangshan Sheji and the people, but if she took the Beiban army to deceive the gate of Zhenshan Pass, then she died of treason.

Such Changning is no longer the princess of Great Qin at all, but a sinner of shame.

The most serious crime in the world is to plot treason, which will punish the nine clans.

Empress Dowager Han naturally knew the seriousness of the matter, and although she pretended not to know anything on the surface, she took immediate action in private. On the one hand, she asked people to quell the rumors, but on the other hand, she asked people to inquire about all the details of the rumors.

After knowing all the details, Empress Dowager Han couldn't sit still.

With the shrewdness of the Empress Dowager Han, of course, it can be seen that the rumors are by no means groundless. And with her understanding of Changning's temperament, she also knew that Changning was indeed a person who could do that kind of thing.

Empress Dowager Han made a decision, she secretly sent an envoy to Zhenshan Pass.

She wants to find out the real cause of Changning's death.

The envoy sent out traveled day and night, and soon returned, bringing back not only a secret letter from Qi Younian, but also a blood-stained skirt.

“…… According to the instructions of the Queen Mother, the marshal and his subordinates went to that place to check the ......, although it had been a long time, but the traces left at that time could still be seen. …… The skirt was found in a nearby mountain depression......"

Empress Dowager Han didn't read the letter, but grabbed the skirt in her hand first.

Empress Dowager Han's hands trembled a little.

Changning's dowry was prepared by her own hands, especially the four-season clothes prepared for Changning, she had seen almost every one. In her memory, Changning happened to have a skirt like this.

Empress Dowager Han shook her hand and unfolded the skirt, and the blood stains of the big ~ piece had dried up and turned black, but under such stains, the original pattern on the skirt could still be distinguished.

The embroidery of the hundred birds and the phoenix is the craftsmanship of the palace, and the fabric used in the skirt is also made inside, and it is also customized for Changning by ordering Jiangnan Weaving.

This is indeed Changning's skirt.

How did Changning's skirt get to the battlefield, and how could it be stained with this big~ piece of blood?

The answer has already surfaced on its own!

As soon as Empress Dowager Han's hand was released, her body was paralyzed. She sat slumped for a long time before her eyes regained focus and slowly came back to her senses. After another moment, she had the strength to pick up Qi Younian's secret letter and open it to read it.

At the court meeting the next day, the ministers were still preparing to deal with the crying of the Empress Dowager Han, but the Empress Dowager Han surprised them.

Empress Dowager Han claimed that she was confused for a while because of the death of her beloved daughter Changning, and almost fell for the Northern Barbarians. Empress Dowager Han said that Chang Ningsheng could go to Beiban for the sake of the rivers and people of Great Qin, and after she died, it was even more unlikely that the rivers and people of Great Qin would suffer losses because of her.

The so-called last words of Changning in the book of the Northern Barbarian Kingdom must have been forged by the Northern Barbarians!

Not only did Empress Dowager Han not intend to agree to any of the requests in the Northern Barbarian Kingdom, but she also did not intend to welcome back Changning's bones.

Since Changning is already the queen of the Northern Barbarian King, then he should be buried in the Northern Barbarian and be buried with the Northern Barbarian King in the waiting day.

Empress Dowager Han also summoned the envoy of the Northern Barbarians to the palace, explained her intention in court, and ordered the envoy to leave the capital on the same day.

“…… The Queen Mother asked them to bury Changning in accordance with the etiquette, otherwise Daqin would not give up with them......" In the upper room of Xuchun Hall, Qin Zhen told Ji Xiaotang about the scene at that time.

Ji Xiaotang held Xuan'er in his arms, and he listened to it with relish.

"The Queen Mother is really shrewd and sophisticated, turning so fast, so wonderful!" Ji Xiaotang couldn't help but admire.

Xuan'er spit out at the right time, as if she was agreeing with his mother's ~ relatives' words.

"King Su must be very annoyed." Ji Xiaotang picked up the white soft cloth and gently wiped Xuan'er's mouth, before raising his head and said with a chuckle.

Qin Lin has laid out two times, both of which were resolved because of Empress Dowager Han's timely response.

Because of Empress Dowager Han's wonderful performance in the court, now the courtiers have no heart to track down the true ~ phase of Changning's death, and the Empress Dowager Han has passed this hurdle again, and has also won the support of many popular and courtiers who do not know the true ~ phase.

And in the streets and alleys, because of the heavy suppression of the Empress Dowager Han, those rumors about Changning slowly stopped.

Empress Dowager Han didn't let go of this matter because of this! (To be continued.) )