Chapter 657: Chapter 657: Too Infatuated with the Princess Consort
After removing her makeup and hair ornaments, Princess Zhenming looked terribly pale, with slightly sunken eyes and an expression of sickness.
When she heard a gentle, concerned voice, she opened her eyes and saw Jiang Ning, struggling to sit up and greet her.
“You should lie down,” Jiang Ning pressed her down gently. “You seemed fine a moment ago. How did you suddenly become so ill? Imperial Physician Dong, can you diagnose the cause?”
An imperial physician quickly responded, “Your Highness, after my examination, I found that the princess has been weakened by the long journey and is unable to withstand the fatigue. The improper diet in the past two days has caused her to vomit, have diarrhea, and feel dizzy.”
“That’s right, the princess must not be used to our Chang’an cuisine?” Jiang Ning turned to Li Hongyuan and asked, “Your Highness, why don’t you ask the imperial physician in the palace tomorrow if there is anyone specialized in preparing Silla dishes?”
Li Hongyuan nodded, “Alright, I will arrange it.”
Since it was not a serious illness, and as a man, there was no need for him to stay here any longer.
Li Hongyuan turned and left, and Prince Xinhai followed him out, ordering someone to make tea for him and to let them talk privately.
As soon as he sat down, he couldn’t wait to ask, “Your Royal Highness, have you thought it through?”
Li Hongyuan took a delicate dagger out of his sleeve, played with it in his palm, and replied unhurriedly, “Thought what through?”
“Giving me the Princess Consort,” Prince Xinhai’s eyes sparkled with excitement and anticipation. He pulled his chair closer to Li Hongyuan and whispered, “I must tell you, the purpose of my visit to Great Sheng this time is to form a marriage alliance.”
“So, a marriage alliance in Silla means stealing someone else’s wife?”
“Of course not,” Prince Xinhai chuckled. “But I am really infatuated with the Princess Consort. Before I met her, I couldn’t imagine that there could be such a beautiful woman in the world. I think she must be the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“No, she’s not,” Li Hongyuan said indifferently. “Great Sheng has vast territory and abundant resources, with numerous talents and beautiful women. Your Highness has simply seen too few.”
“Hey, along the way, I have also seen many beautiful women in Great Sheng, but none of them can compare to the Princess Consort even by a tiny fraction.”
Li Hongyuan twirled the dagger in his hand slowly and deliberately asked, “So, Your Highness is determined to have my Princess Consort at any cost?”
“You’ve met my sister, Princess Zhenming, haven’t you? Although she doesn’t look great now because she’s sick, once she recovers, she’ll be a famous beauty in our Silla as well. The most important thing is that Princess Zhenming is the daughter of my father’s favorite consort, and she is the most favored one in the royal palace. If you marry her, there will be great benefits for the relationship between our two countries.”
Li Hongyuan nodded, “In that case, your sister’s identity is quite important.”
“Of course, marrying my sister would bring nothing but benefits for you.”
“Do you know the identity of my Princess Consort?”
“Well… Princess Consort, a great beauty.” Mentioning Jiang Ning, Prince Xinhai’s eyes were filled with an uncontrollable desire.
Li Hongyuan clicked the dagger, “My Princess Consort, is named Jiang Ning, the beloved daughter of Prime Minister Jiang, and the favorite niece of General Jiang. Do you know what it means to offend her?”
Prince Xinhai laughed, “I know she is a noble lady, so I will give her the position of Main Consort. I will definitely treat her well.”