After dinner, Zhulan signaled the maids to leave before talking about the twins again, worriedly saying, "Unless Jiang An fakes his death, he can't return to the country. He has reached his current position and won't easily return, right?"
Zhou Shuren stroked his beard, "As long as he's not exposed, the Emperor won't let him return, unless we annex that country."
Zhulan, "..."
If the Emperor wanted to annex it, he would've done so long ago. Now annexation would be a burden; the grasslands and Dongbei are two large gluttons devouring gold. In times of food scarcity, the Imperial court lacks the spare capacity to manage surrounding small states.
Zhulan calculated the twins' age, "They're not young anymore; they should have been engaged by age. Now they can't return, and abroad they can't just remain unmarried, can they!"
Thinking of her grandchildren marrying overseas, for their country but marrying someone they don't like, it made her feel suffocated!
