Chapter 51: Xīn Jiǎo

  At this point, Haotian's eyebrows were already tightly furrowed together, and his face was a picture of sorrow. He wasn't someone who was good at acting, and the expression on his face was genuine. Liu Xiang and An Yongchang were both people who had seen their fair share of storms, so although they had their own thoughts in their hearts, they didn't show any signs on the surface. On the other hand, Xin Jiao and the two other women by Haotian's side did have some feelings, as they were all used to seeing various faces, and at least when it came to a man like Haotian, they could tell whether what he said was true or not.

  "It seems that the problem of He's family is indeed very serious, it seems that I still have to reflect on it carefully for my brother. Hmm, the reason why my brother hasn't given you an answer for so long is mainly because the pressure the empire is facing now is really too heavy, don't take it to heart, Duke Jingbei." Liu Xian sighed and said.

  Hao Tian hastily replied, "Your Majesty, I dare not. As the Emperor of all under heaven, your heart is worried about all under heaven, which is a blessing for Qing Feng. For a moment, I couldn't take care of it, and it's also reasonable. As a minister of Qing Feng, I should be happy about this."

  Liu Xian nodded: "If the Marquis of Jingbei can think so, that's the best. This matter, I will definitely discuss it with my imperial brother and give a perfect account to the tens of millions of people in He Tao."

  "The lower officials will first thank the king on behalf of the more than 50 million people in Hetuo." Haotian hurriedly stood up and bowed, saying. Liu Xian smiled and waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

  Liu Xian took a sip of wine and then let out a sigh, saying: "Alas, the current situation in the empire is indeed particularly clear to the Marquis of Jingbei. I have repeatedly advised my imperial brother to work diligently and govern with virtue, but given the current state of the empire, my imperial brother has been hesitant to agree. In many matters, my imperial brother always prioritizes the bigger picture, so it's inevitable that there will be some oversights. Just like what Your Excellency said about the situation in Hezhou. Unfortunately, I am a person of little importance and have no power to do anything."

  Hao Tian was shocked, and he naturally understood what this sentence meant. After some thought, he said: "The emperor is considering the overall situation, and it's normal that some things haven't been thought of. And for Prince Wang to be so worried about national affairs, that's also a blessing for the empire."

  Liu Xian's eyebrows rose, and he continued: "Standing in my position as the king, I can only worry about it, but I have no way to influence the overall situation. If the Marquis of Jingbei could work with a certain person, that would be great."

  This sentence is already very obvious, Haotian is not a fool, how could he not hear the meaning in it. Looking at Haotian holding his wine glass and hesitating to speak, Liu Xian and An Yongchang couldn't help but put down their cups, while Xin Jiao's big eyes were also constantly turning around on Haotian's face.

  Hao Tian's forehead suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, and the hand holding the wine cup became somewhat unnatural. He suddenly understood Liu Xian's intention for inviting him to dinner today. On that day, he had lost the battle for the throne due to insufficient support. It seemed that Liu Xian had never given up on this idea, and today's dinner invitation was clearly meant to test his inclinations. Recalling Luo Xiang's evaluation of Liu Xian, Hao Tian felt another chill run down his spine. If he refused Liu Xian today, would he be able to leave the Luoxing Residence alive?

  After a long time, Haotian suddenly burst out laughing: "As the son of Qingfeng, it is natural to follow my orders. The king and I are brothers born of the same mother, what difference does it make whether you follow the emperor or the king? As someone from a military background, I have never been concerned with politics. However, as a citizen of Shen Zhou, one should naturally obey me, even if it means being beheaded."

  This remark clearly stated his position, and looking at Liu Xian and An Yongchang's somewhat disappointed expressions, Huang Tian couldn't help but straighten his waist a bit more. And beside him, Xin Jiaming was obviously a little absent-minded, the tea in his hand actually spilled onto the table.

  "Marquis, you truly live up to being a national teacher's highly valued person. Our dynasty having such a loyal minister is indeed heaven's blessing for our Qing Feng." An Yongchang was the first to come back to his senses, using drinking as an excuse to cover up his own awkwardness, and laughed loudly. Liu Xian, who had been startled awake by An Yongchang, also forced out a smile, but the expression of loss on his face could not be concealed. Meanwhile, Xin Jiao's body slightly shrunk back, from her angle, she could just see the flash of viciousness in Liu Xian's eyes.

  "The king and the prime minister praised him, but someone was just a simple soldier, only knowing loyalty to the monarch and love for the country." Haotian also said humbly. However, the atmosphere in the hall became much more awkward, while Haotian, who had calmed down, suddenly felt particularly relaxed and started chatting with Liu Xian and Yongchang about trivial matters. Compared to the beginning, Liu Xian's interest was obviously not high, but Haotian didn't bother to pay attention, simply drinking alone in joy.

  Seeing the scene ease up, Xin Jiao also plucked up her courage, holding up her wine cup with both hands, and said somewhat resentfully: "Is it that Master Hou looks down on my humble appearance, thus not even giving me a glance?"

  Hao Tian came back to his senses and hastily shook his head, saying: "No, no, if all the young ladies were as plain-looking as you said, then there would be no beautiful women in the world."

  Xin Jiao's face lit up with joy, although she knew that Huan Tian was just flattering her. However, no woman dislikes being praised for her beauty. She still teased him, saying: "Is it not that the prince is looking down on me because I come from a humble background and have a lowly status?"

  "Miss Xin, please don't misunderstand. I absolutely didn't mean to look down on you. It's just that I was thinking about something earlier and got a bit distracted. Please forgive me." Huanghai said hastily.

  Xin Jiao smiled faintly and said with a hint of self-pity: "Thank you, Master Hou, for your protection. I am grateful beyond words. As a humble courtesan, I know my status is lowly and I didn't dare to approach you at first. But I must admit that I admire your heroic deeds, which is why I came to serve you. Please be assured, Master Hou, that I have no intention of clinging to your greatness."

  "Hao Tian hastily said: 'Miss, please don't think that way, I absolutely didn't mean it. Although you were born in a brothel, your status is not lowly. Except for the imperial family, there is no one in this world who is more noble than anyone else, everyone is equal. Just like those small vendors on the street, the actors and performers in tea houses, you are living in Luoxing Residence because of life's difficulties.'"

  Xin Jiao's expression was stunned, looking at Huang Tian's sincere eyes, and after a long time, she said: "The lord can recognize this, it is indeed a blessing for the people. I am grateful and cannot express my gratitude in words. Nowadays, almost everyone looks down on us courtesans with contempt, only the lord can look at us with equal eyes. In fact, just like the lord said, we women in the brothel are also forced by life. Many times, I have wondered, like many sisters in our Luoxing House, they came here because of family reasons. To support their families, they had to sell smiles in the brothel. Like Yan Cai girl, her parents are old, and she has a younger brother and two younger sisters, the burden of the whole family is on her shoulders alone. But as a woman, she has no ability to bear this burden at all. What can she do except sell her own body? There are many sisters who come from Youyun 16 states or Xibei 2 roads, even Jiangnan Road and Yangzhou Road in the south, they have no relatives in Tiandu Shengjing, under the pressure of life, they had to temporarily stay here. Lord, not every sister in our Luoxing House is selling her body, many sisters are only selling art, not their bodies. Please don't misunderstand all courtesans because of some sisters."

  Hao Tian only felt a wave of bitterness, and forced out a smile. He then said: "Actually, this is not your fault, as ordinary people, you don't have the ability to change your lives much. The mistake doesn't lie with the commoners, but with the imperial court. To be honest, when I heard what you just said, my heart felt extremely cold. As an official of the imperial court, entrusted by the people, yet unable to let them live in peace and happiness. I truly feel ashamed before all living things."

  "Does the young master think we want to be here? Does he think we were born to be playthings for men to use as they please? Absolutely not! We also detest this life of leaning on doors and selling smiles. We are ashamed of our actions, but what choice do we have? In this society, we cannot survive without doing this, and we have no power to resist our fate. We too have our own dignity and hope to be treated equally by others, but for the sake of survival, for the sake of our families, we have no choice but to lean on doors and sell smiles."

  Xin Jiao didn't respond to Huan Tian's words, instead continuing with a more mournful expression: "We too have loved before, we too have had people we cared about, but they all only liked our bodies. They never acknowledged us as women in their hearts. As soon as they turned around, they would curse us as whores without hesitation! We too yearn for love, but who can truly accept us, throwing away our identity as courtesans and accepting us from the heart? We have given time and time again, only to be hurt time and time again. Later on, as the wounds accumulated, we became numb, timid. We no longer dare believe in love, no longer dare believe that there is justice in this world. So all we can do is continue staying here, continuing our familiar routine. In the past, when we were young and foolish, we would often think of leaving this place to see the world. But later on, we didn't dare leave because we knew that as soon as we stepped out of the gate of Luoxing Residence, we would be met with contemptuous gazes and cold words from everyone. Staying here may still be detestable, but at least we have grown accustomed to this life. We can still maintain a bit of our last shred of dignity, and in this world, we can still find a tiny bit of affection and friendship."

  Highly recommended books: "The Little Prince", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "1984", "Pride and Prejudice", "The Catcher in the Rye", "Jane Eyre", "Wuthering Heights"

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