Chapter 497: Chapter 269: The Ill-Intentioned Xiongnu_3
"If you’re not seven feet tall, you’re not a man?" The Eighth Prince was puzzled as to why Zhao Yao cared so much about height. "Am I not a man but a woman?"
Zhao Yao silently thought to himself: Eighth Brother, judging by looks, everyone would think you’re a woman.
The nearly adult Eighth Prince had his features mature, becoming increasingly handsome. However, his frail frame and face fairer than a woman’s added a hint of femininity between his brows.
"Although I’m not yet six feet, I’m not the shortest in the court." The Eighth Prince didn’t feel short; compared to the ministers, he was considered tall. Of course, compared to the Princes, he was indeed the shortest.
The Zhao family members are all tall. The late Emperor was six feet, and the Emperor is almost seven feet.
Most court ministers were less than six feet tall, and even many military officers were not six or seven feet tall, being around his height.
"Eighth Brother, but you are the shortest in our Lao Zhao family." Zhao Yao encouraged the Eighth Prince, "Eighth Brother, you can still grow taller, but you need to eat more."
Upon hearing Zhao Yao’s last sentence, the Eighth Prince realized Zhao Yao’s previous comments about his height were aimed at making him eat more and couldn’t help but laugh, "Tenth Brother, you really go to great lengths to make me eat more."
"Unfortunately, Eighth Brother, you don’t appreciate my wholehearted effort." Zhao Yao showed a hurt expression on his face. "To make you eat more, I really exhausted all my means, but you... sigh..."
The Eighth Prince laughed and said, "I want to eat more too, but I can’t. If I eat too much, I feel nauseous." Over the years, imperial physicians had been improving his digestion but hadn’t entirely healed it. Unlike his childhood when he often had cold sweats from pain, he still couldn’t eat much, as overeating made him uncomfortable.
"Eighth Brother, you can’t eat a lot at once, but you can eat more often. Eight meals a day would be great."
"Eight meals a day, even pigs don’t eat that much."
"Eighth Brother, if you could be as fat as a pig, it would really be a blessing."
The Eighth Prince reached out and tapped the brim of Zhao Yao’s bamboo hat.
The two brothers chatted as they walked and soon arrived at Wende Hall.
After sending Zhao Yao to Wende Hall, the Eighth Prince then turned towards Chengguang Hall.
Zhao Yao had just sat down when Mr. Xiao entered with a book.
Mr. Xiao didn’t start the lesson immediately but chatted with Zhao Yao for a while before beginning the lesson.
Meanwhile, the Eighth Prince had just reached Chengguang Hall when the morning court session began.
The Eighth Prince wasn’t granted a title, nor held any official position, but stood behind the Crown Prince due to his status as a prince.
As for the other princes, Prince Dai continued to stay in the capital for the past few years without going to his fiefdom in Jizhou. The Third Prince wanted to remain in the capital but was sent to Jiaozhou by the Emperor two years ago.
The Fifth and Sixth Princes went to their fiefdoms immediately after receiving their titles, just like the Fourth Prince. They didn’t want to go to their fiefdoms, but the Emperor didn’t let them stay.
The Seventh Prince also received his title but stayed in the capital, citing poor health as the reason.
A few years ago, the Seventh Prince was seriously injured after falling from horseback during an autumn hunt. Since then, his health has been poor.
It’s well understood among the court ministers whether the Seventh Prince’s health is truly poor or feigned.
Due to his supposedly poor health, he holds no official position in the court and is a carefree prince.
The Ninth Prince is currently a minor sixth-grade officer at the Forbidden Army Camp outside the capital.
Today’s court had a major issue to address: the new Modu Chanyu was about to send an emissary to Great Zhou.
Since the end of last year, the Northern Frontier has been uneasy, with groups of Xiongnu harassing the area, causing distress among the population.
Great Zhou naturally couldn’t let the Xiongnu continue harassing the Northern Frontier, so troops were sent to exterminate them. However, the Xiongnu were slippery as loaches and couldn’t be caught.
The Emperor wrote a letter questioning the new Modu Chanyu about his intentions. The Chanyu claimed he knew nothing about it and hadn’t sent anyone to disturb Great Zhou.
Later, he sent investigators who reported that those disturbing the Northern Frontier were local bandits, unrelated to the Xiongnu Royal Court.
Of course, the Emperor didn’t believe the new Modu Chanyu’s words, knowing this was a test from the Chanyu. The Emperor firmly stated that if the Xiongnu didn’t give Great Zhou an explanation, Great Zhou would seek justice itself.
The new Modu Chanyu, seeing the Emperor of Great Zhou’s firm stance, was unsure and promptly stated he would capture the bandits and deliver them to Great Zhou for the Emperor to deal with.
Thus, the Xiongnu emissary coming to Great Zhou became an event.
The Emperor and ministers understood the Xiongnu’s emissary was coming to analyze Great Zhou’s situation, so they not only mustn’t let their guard down but also intimidate these Xiongnu visitors.