The Whole Dynasty Spoils the Tyrant's Beloved Youngest Daughter-Chapter 420: I Really Can’t Swallow This Humiliation

Chapter 420: Chapter 420: I Really Can’t Swallow This Humiliation

Emperor Yongning came to Jun Ning’s side as she sat in front of the desk reviewing memorials. After carefully observing her for a moment, noting that the little girl appeared normal and had no visible injuries, he was slightly relieved.

However, he feared this might be a facade the little girl put on to keep him from worrying. His brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed tightly again.

"Ah Ning... you must tell Father the truth!"

The little girl was growing up with more thoughts on her mind. Although she had handled state affairs well over the years, she had also encountered numerous problems. Yet, she usually only reported positive news, avoiding things that would trouble him.

Emperor Yongning felt a pang of heartache.

Jun Ning met his concerned eyes, which were the same as when he doted on her as a child, without much change.

She smiled, helping Emperor Yongning to the bedside table to sit down, then stood in front of him and obediently recounted how she managed the issue with the Minister of Public Works.

After listening, Emperor Yongning finally breathed a full sigh of relief.

"Ah Ning, Father has to admit, you handle these ministerial issues better than I do." Emperor Yongning, a little breathless and speaking with effort, struggled through the short sentence, already panting by the end.

After a while, he continued, "You are more decisive in handling matters than Father is; my being too circuitous has led to so many thorny problems..."

"Father, please stop talking for now and have some water to catch your breath." Jun Ning quickly poured water for Emperor Yongning and handed it to him.

Emperor Yongning took a sip.

The warm tea slightly eased his urgent breathing, and his throat felt much more comfortable.

Still worried, Jun Ning gently patted Emperor Yongning’s back, "Father, you’ve already done your best over the years, there’s no need to blame yourself. Every dynasty has problems, different issues arise for different events, it’s unavoidable. If we earnestly solve them, we surely can. When everyone’s efforts are united, there’s nothing that can’t be accomplished."

Her words were firm, with unwavering resolve in her eyes.

The little girl possessed a decisiveness and boldness that even many men might not have.

Emperor Yongning was quite gratified, but after that satisfaction, he mentioned another significant issue he had come to discuss, "Ah Ning, there’s another matter, and I’m not sure if you’ve received the message from your side. Father already has confirmed information."

Jun Ning, recently busy preparing for war, might not have been paying attention to certain news between several countries.

She asked in confusion, "Father, what news?"

Emperor Yongning was utterly solemn, "It’s not good news."

Jun Ning spread her hands, "No matter how bad it is, it can’t be worse than now; several neighboring countries are just waiting to see me fail in Eastern Chu!"

With that said, Jun Ning took a few steps forward, sat at the desk next to Emperor Yongning, and exhaled several deep breaths in succession, rubbing her temples tiredly.

Recently, she had been busy preparing for military affairs, taking care of various aspects, and had only been sleeping two hours a night; it had been a long time since she had a good sleep.

"Ah Ning, you’ve been working hard lately..." Emperor Yongning looked at Xiao Lizi beside him. Xiao Lizi placed the sleep-aiding medicine he brought onto the desk and respectfully said to Jun Ning, "Crown Prince, His Majesty heard you haven’t been resting well lately, so he specially brought you medicine prescribed by the Chief of the Imperial Hospital. This medicine can help you sleep; take one pill before sleeping each day, and you’ll sleep soundly until morning."

Jun Ning glanced at the small porcelain bottle containing the pills in front of her and said, "Thank you, Father!"

"Back to the main point, Ah Ning." Emperor Yongning was extraordinarily serious, "A spy I placed in the surrounding countries reported that the northern Yu Country, which has developed well in recent years, is seeking to marry a princess from us at the crucial moment when Eastern Chu and Bei Xia are about to go to war..."

Bringing it up now was clearly an opportunistic move between Yu Country and Bei Xia!

If Eastern Chu refuses to marry off a princess, it would provide Yu Country with a legitimate excuse to send troops. If that happens, and they join forces with Bei Xia to fight Eastern Chu...

Yu Country is already close to Eastern Chu, and once they send troops, Eastern Chu will face even more difficulties and obstacles.

"Father, is your information reliable?" Jun Ning was quite surprised, with a rare ripple in her pretty, big eyes.

Emperor Yongning nodded, "It’s true..."

Jun Ning paused for a moment before speaking, "Then, Father, what do you think?"

"At this critical juncture, sending a diplomat to stall for time certainly won’t work; they’ll easily see that we don’t want to marry off a princess. But if we agree to their request, the only princess we can send is Princess An Ding..."

"My Princess Anle is unique and should be matched with the finest man in the world; she won’t marry the rough men of Yu Country!"

When Emperor Yongning finished, a hint of relief appeared on his face.

He was glad he retained Yao Yao as a bargaining chip many years ago, without executing or exiling her for the outrageous things she did. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

When Jun Yang secretly assisted her, he had chosen to turn a blind eye and not pursue it further.

Now, Yao Yao had lived peacefully for so many years and should be of use.

"Father, I think so too, but what if..." Jun Ning said, "What if they specifically ask to marry me, and offering them Yao Yao won’t work..."

"You don’t need to worry about that..." Emperor Yongning sneered slightly, revealing the strategy he had long conceived, "Years ago, Yao Yao disguised herself as my daughter, using a human skin mask to resemble me. Now, to marry her off, we can make her a similar mask resembling you and send her in your name..."

"But ultimately, whom we marry off is something we in Eastern Chu will know ourselves."

"We just need to marry someone over, stabilize them, and then focus all our efforts on fighting Bei Xia in this battle. If we win, even if Yu Country is eating this dumb loss, they wouldn’t dare say much, let alone confront us directly in war."

"Without Bei Xia as their backup, their combat strength is hardly worth mentioning."

Emperor Yongning did not view Yu Country as a threat, but given the current circumstances and their proximity to Eastern Chu, he had to be cautious, which gave them an opportunity.

"Father, your analysis is spot on..." Jun Ning agreed, "I was thinking the same. But besides that, I have some other ideas; would you like to hear them, Father?"

"Speak freely, Ah Ning."

"What I want to say is, apart from confronting Bei Xia this time, I also want to suppress Yu Country’s arrogance." Jun Ning said with some anger, "Their request to marry a princess at this moment is akin to stabbing Eastern Chu in the back. I really can’t swallow this insult..."