The official letters of the Song Dynasty traveled across the territory like a rushing wind, quickly reaching Yanjing, and fell into the hands of Emperor Wanyan Zonghan of the Jin Kingdom without any error. The letter was harshly worded and went straight to the core of the problem. It questioned Wanyan Zonghan unceremoniously about his actions, causing the Emperor of Jin's face to instantly become as gloomy as a dark cloud. Wanyan Zonghan was sitting in the imperial study, the dim light in the study barely illuminating his livid face. He held the letter tightly, his fingers trembling slightly with anger. A cold light flashed in his eyes, like the biting north wind in winter, making people shudder. Every word in the letter was like a sharp arrow piercing his heart. Now, Wanyan Zongyi did not die, but took the life of Han Fang. This plan was a complete failure. Wanyan Zonghan felt that his authority had been challenged as never before, and his heart was filled with frustration and anger. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil. Then, he slowly raised his head and looked towards the entrance of the study. There, Wanyan Zongfu's figure gradually appeared. He walked steadily to Wanyan Zonghan, bowed his head and saluted. "Zongfu, you're here." Wanyan Zonghan's voice was low and hoarse, as if he was calling from the depths of hell.
Wanyan Zongfu raised his head slightly, glanced at the letter in Wanyan Zonghan's hand, and he already understood. "Your Majesty, are you summoning me here because of Han Fang's affairs?" he asked cautiously. Wanyan Zonghan nodded and said in a deep voice: "Han Fang is dead, but no news about this matter must be leaked. What did you do?" Wanyan Zongfu felt a chill in his heart. He knew how seriously Wanyan Zonghan attached importance to this matter. He quickly replied: "Your Majesty, don't worry, I have made all arrangements. Han Fang's family and cronies have been closely monitored, and no one will dare to leak a word. " Wanyan Zonghan nodded slightly, and the cloud on his face dissipated a little. He was well aware of Wanyan Zongfu's ability to do things. Since he said so, there would naturally be no problem. However, for the sake of safety, he warned again: "Zong Fu, this matter is related to the face of the Kingdom of Jin and my prestige, and there must be no room for failure. You must confirm it again and again to ensure that nothing is missed." Wanyan Zongfu respectfully promised: "I understand, your Majesty, please rest assured." Wanyan Zonghan finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the pressure in his heart was slightly relieved. He waved his hand, signaling Wanyan Zongfu to step back. Then, he picked up the letter again and read it carefully over and over again, as if he wanted to find the weaknesses and flaws of the Song Dynasty court between the lines. However, the wording of the letter was rigorous and the logic was clear, leaving Wanyan Zonghan unable to find anything to refute. He had to admit that he really made a big mistake this time. However, as the king of a country, he must not admit defeat. So, he ordered someone to draft a reply letter and send it to Kaifeng. In the letter, he firmly denied all accusations against him and placed all the blame on Han Fang. He said that the innocent death of the Jin envoy in Kaifeng was a tragedy caused by the Song Dynasty's dereliction of duty and negligence. He asked the Song Dynasty court to give a reasonable explanation and compensation, otherwise the Jin Kingdom would protect its dignity and interests at all costs. The reply letter was quickly sent out of Yanjing and rushed towards Kaifeng.
Wanyan Zonghan stood in front of the window of the imperial study, looking at the distant skyline. This contest had just begun. In the coming days, he would have a fierce contest with the Song Dynasty court. It was not yet known who would win. The Song court received a reply from Wanyan Zonghan. There was an explosion in the court, and officials were talking one after another, expressing strong dissatisfaction and indignation at Jin Guo's unreasonable demands and arrogant attitude. Zhao Yingluo was sitting on the dragon chair with a calm expression, "What do you think of the reply letter from the Kingdom of Jin?" His Highness and the ministers looked at each other and no one dared to say anything. They all know the importance of this decision, and if they say the wrong thing, it may lead to endless trouble and disaster. Therefore, they all chose to remain silent and wait for Zhao Yingluo's decision. Zhao Yingluo frowned slightly when she saw this. He knew that someone had to stand up and express his position at this time, so she turned her attention to Left Prime Minister Lu Yihao. "Your Highness Princess, although Jin Guo's reply is arrogant and unreasonable, we cannot easily start a war because of it." Lu Yihao said with some caution. Zhao Yingluo nodded slightly when she heard this, feeling quite satisfied with Lu Yihao's answer. Lu Yihao is right. The most important thing now is to stay calm and rational, and not to make impulsive decisions because of temporary anger. The Song Dynasty, a once glorious dynasty, has now greatly surpassed the Jin Kingdom in national power. However, war is still the next best option, which Zhao Yingluo knows very well. She was afraid that the court would be enveloped in an atmosphere of arrogance and arrogance, and she often resorted to war, but ignored that real power did not just lie in force. Zhao Yingluo knew that to make the world surrender, it did not rely on military conquest, but the powerful strength of the Song Dynasty. More specifically, it was the economic strength of the Song Dynasty. Only when the economy is prosperous and the country is prosperous can it truly win the respect and surrender of other countries. Earlier, Zhao Yingluo had written a letter to Emperor Wanyan Zonghan of the Kingdom of Jin, cleverly leading Han Fang's death to the Kingdom of Jin in an attempt to distance the Song Dynasty from its relationship. However, she did not expect that Wanyan Zonghan's reply would be so strong, denying that Han Fang's death was related to him. This caused a trace of doubt in Zhao Yingluo's heart. She couldn't help but start to think, maybe there was someone else behind Han Fang's death? The thought lingered in her mind. She knew that more clues and evidence were needed to solve the mystery. Her eyes were as deep as autumn water, scanning the faces of each courtier, as if looking for different voices and opinions. In the court hall, the atmosphere was solemn and solemn, and the ministers lowered their heads, waiting for her questions. "My dear friends, do you still have different opinions on the affairs of the Kingdom of Jin?" As soon as she finished speaking, Wan Qixi coughed twice and stood up. He was always known for advocating compromise with the Kingdom of Jin. However, today, he went out of his way and said that the Jin Kingdom was so arrogant and the Song Dynasty should send a king to investigate. "Your Royal Highness, the Jin Kingdom's reply this time is arrogant and rude, treating the Song Dynasty as if it were nothing. If we do not send troops to put pressure, I am afraid that the Jin Kingdom will become more arrogant and may even trigger a greater war. I believe that we should immediately Mobilize troops and horses to show the majesty and strength of the Song Dynasty to the Kingdom of Jin." Zhao Yingluo couldn't help but frown slightly when she heard this. She was well aware of Wan Qixi's personality and opinions, and was very surprised by his abnormal behavior today. What surprised her even more was that Wan Qixi's words were supported by most of the courtiers. They were very excited and expressed their intention to send troops to the Kingdom of Jin to boost the country's prestige.
Zhao Yingluo's eyes glanced around the ministers, and finally landed on Lu Yihao, Zhu Shengfei and others. She noticed that there were expressions of doubt and confusion on their faces. Obviously, they were also surprised by the abnormal situation in the court today. At this moment, Zhao Gou's voice suddenly sounded: "Royal sister, I think what Wan Qing's family said is reasonable. The Song Dynasty is a huge country, and we should show our majesty and strength. This time the envoys of the Kingdom of Jin are in our country We should give them an explanation for the misfortune encountered in the Song Dynasty. What's more, the Jin Kingdom's reply this time is so rude. If we don't send troops to put pressure, I'm afraid they will think that our Song Dynasty is weak and can be bullied." When Zhao Yingluo heard this, she felt even more outrageous. This royal brother Zhao Gou had always had a weak attitude towards the Jin Kingdom, and today he actually advocated sending troops to the Jin Kingdom. She couldn't help but begin to suspect that there must be some conspiracy behind the abnormal statements of Zhao Gou, Wan Qixi and others.
