Chapter Forty-Six

Chapter Forty-Six

As the drums and gongs sounded, the capital city was filled with excitement.

Officials of all ranks were invited to the banquet, and Jiang Chaoyu looked at the crown in front of her with some difficulty.

"Do I really have to bring it again?" He looked at Cuicui with a helpless expression, but Cuicui had no choice.

"All right."

Resigned to her fate, Jiang Chaoyu had no choice but to wear the headdress that weighed down her neck again. It was a little better when she was in the carriage, but the real test was after she got off the carriage.

Looking at the endless road, Jiang Chaoyu closed her eyes helplessly, then took a deep breath and opened them again, entering the palace with Jiang Yuyao.

The male and female relatives were in different positions, so they went in different directions. Just now, Jiang Cheng and Jiang Yunxin went in the opposite direction.

Along the way, she received different glances. Perhaps Jiang Chaoyu had good hearing, because she heard all the people talking about her, but she didn't show it on her face.

"This is the second young lady of the Jiang family? But she doesn't seem to be the frail person that was rumored before."

"Yes, but it seems that you are feeling better."

"However, this second young lady is rather unlucky; she actually has to marry that lame second prince."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chaoyu looked toward the group of women who were discussing. The women seemed to notice Jiang Chaoyu's gaze, quickly stopped talking, and hurried forward.

However, Jiang Chaoyu was even more surprised to hear this. Shouldn't she say that she was enjoying good fortune? Why did she say that she was having a terrible time?

Jiang Chaoyu was completely baffled. The answers she had heard from those men a while ago made it seem like she had found a golden opportunity, but now she was hearing different explanations.

Jiang Yuyao noticed Jiang Chaoyu's thoughts and said directly, "What others say is their business. You just need to care about yourself."

These words seemed to be meant to comfort Jiang Chaoyu, but Jiang Chaoyu wasn't the type to take these things to heart, and the matter quickly dissipated.

"good."

The women walked forward one by one, and the long, bottomless road seemed like an abyss, with no one knowing what awaited them at the end.

According to the official ranks of their family members, Jiang Chaoyu and Jiang Yuyao sat in the second row. As soon as they sat down, it seemed to attract a lot of attention. Jiang Chaoyu noticed that many eyes seemed to be on her.

However, she couldn't easily turn around to look, but those gazes didn't seem to make her feel uncomfortable at all, so she felt at ease.

Meanwhile, opposite them were the seats for the male relatives, separated by a pool that they had never seen before. It seemed to have been specially dug out for the birthday banquet, and fresh water was added to it, along with live fish and lotus leaves.

However, judging from the view above, it seems that a stage needs to be set up, and wisps of mist are drifting outwards, so it seems that the upcoming performance will take place up there.

Jiang Chaoyu thought to himself, "As expected of the emperor, he has so many tricks up his sleeve, but all he does is waste the people's money and resources."

Not daring to look around, Jiang Chaoyu could only obediently sit in her seat, but her gaze seemed to notice an acquaintance sitting in the seat that time.

Her swaying figure carried a hint of illness, yet this did not diminish her charisma. Jiang Chaoyu was greatly alarmed; her initial guess had indeed been correct—the woman she had seen at the banquet was none other than Princess Xu Huanong.

Xu Huanong seemed to notice Jiang Chaoyu's gaze, and nodded slightly to Jiang Chaoyu with a smile on her face.

This made Jiang Chaoyu a little embarrassed, and she quickly returned the greeting. However, Jiang Chaoyu was even more convinced that this princess must be a martial arts practitioner. She could fool those who didn't know better, but the calluses on her hands couldn't fool her.

It seems that this princess has many secrets. As long as she doesn't pose a threat to me, no matter how many secrets she has, they are none of my business.

Half an hour later, everyone at the banquet had arrived, and they were all waiting for the venerable one in the high position.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

As that shrill voice pierced the sky, everyone began to bow. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the emperor, dressed in a yellow robe, enjoyed the utmost respect and ascended to his high position step by step.

"May His Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace, and live ten thousand years!"

"My beloved subjects, rise!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The group then sat back down in their places, having previously knelt on a slightly uneven stone slab, which caused Jiang Chaoyu some pain in her knees.

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to her, she gently rubbed it.

The envoy from Chaoyang Kingdom presented a scroll inscribed with "Long Live the Emperor," saying, "This is the highest tribute from our country. We wish His Majesty a long life."

These words pleased the emperor greatly, and he clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Very good, very good, thank you very much, Chaoyang Kingdom!"

The gifts presented by the next envoy were all exceptionally good: a complete tonic pill, a longevity lingzhi medicine, a flawless Hetian jade ruyi, and so on. To Jiang Chaoyu, they were things she had never seen before. She thought to herself, "No wonder they were sent by envoys."

Seeing the emperor's delight, they repeatedly praised him and rewarded him with the finest food and wine.

"Thank you very much to the envoys from various countries. However, we cannot let you go back empty-handed. We hope you will enjoy the finest food and the performance that will follow."

Looking at these things reminded Jiang Chaoyu of her school days, when the leaders would give long speeches while she dozed off.

Now I dare not doze off. This is a monarchy where people can be killed in a minute. I have to pinch my leg to keep myself awake.

Fortunately, the emperor said there would be a performance, which should help him regain his senses.

As the music began, a woman emerged from the center of the pool, dressed in a colorful dance costume, with bells on her feet, and danced to the music.

Jiang Chaoyu looked around cautiously, but still couldn't figure out where the music was coming from. She only knew that the music was pleasant to hear and the woman's dance was captivating.

Her face was veiled, and her features could only be glimpsed during her dance, which added a touch of mystery to her appearance.

This examination actually woke Jiang Chaoyu from her drowsiness, and she became completely absorbed in seeing the woman's face.

The emperor was completely captivated by her dance. The rising and falling smoke added to the woman's mystery, sometimes appearing in front of the smoke and sometimes hiding behind it, which delighted the emperor. When the dance ended, applause was the first to erupt.

The crowd chimed in, wondering whose idea it was to create such a wonderful dance.

"I wonder whose idea it was to produce such a wonderful performance; it truly leaves a lasting impression."

The emperor, from his high position, declared that he would find the mastermind behind the scheme and reward him handsomely.

Upon hearing this, Xu Huanong quickly stepped down from his high position, bowed on the stage, and said, "This was my idea. This dance is called a birthday celebration!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor was overjoyed and said, "What a wonderful birthday gift! As expected of my daughter. Is there any reward you would like?"

Xu Huanong shook her head and said politely, "Making Father happy is the greatest reward I could ask for."

"How could I let you work for nothing? Here's what I'll do: I'll grant you a wish. Come back to me when you've thought of it."

Xu Huanong's lips curled slightly, which others might have thought indicated her happiness, but in reality, Xu Huanong had been busy all this time just to hear the emperor's words.

The emperor is hypocritical but also cares about his image. He will not change the promise he made in front of all the civil and military officials. Xu Huanong's move is to leave himself a way out.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

As the foremost scholar, Xie Yunyin was naturally prepared. The person he sent sat at the desk, his every stroke elegant and graceful. The atmosphere around them froze as everyone held their breath, waiting to see what this person was capable of.

As Jiang Chaoyu watched, she became somewhat bored, yawned several times, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

She propped her chin up with her hand to keep herself awake, forcing her eyes open. When Zeng Chenhua, who was watching her write poetry, shifted his gaze to Jiang Chaoyu and saw her eyes about to close, he couldn't help but chuckle.

But thinking about his own task, he glanced at the person writing, and at the moment of their unexpected collision, the person nodded slightly to Zeng Chenhua, indicating that they could begin.

In this way, Zeng Chenhua leaned back in his chair, pretending to be relaxed.

Everyone saw that the man stand up and shout, "May His Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and longevity!"

Immediately afterwards, he rolled up the scroll and headed toward the emperor's seat.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Chaoyu suddenly felt that it was similar to something she had learned before. Could it be that the person would pull out a knife in the next moment?

Before Jiang Chaoyu could think any further, the man confirmed her guess by taking a dagger directly from the scroll and stabbing it at the emperor.

However, there was a difference. In Jiang Chaoyu's memory, he approached first and then stabbed, but this person showed his dagger before he even got close, as if giving others time to react.

Jiang Chaoyu looked at Zeng Chenhua and saw that he was surprised on the surface but hadn't moved an inch. The closest people to the emperor were the eldest princess and the empress, but they couldn't save him either. So who was he waiting for?

Looking elsewhere, Jiang Chaoyu silently counted, "Three, two, one."

"!"

Xie Yunyin appeared out of nowhere, knocked the assassin's dagger away with his longsword, and stood in front of the emperor, his sword pointing directly at the assassin's throat.

Jiang Chaoyu immediately looked at Zeng Chenhua and saw the smugness in his eyes. Only then did she realize that this scheme was set up by Xie Yunyin to expose his martial arts skills.

After the assassin was subdued, Xie Yunyin knelt before the emperor and begged for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I was unaware of the situation and have disturbed Your Majesty."

The emperor raised his hand and said, "Rise, my dear minister. You did not expect this either. Since I am unharmed, then there is no problem."

Looking at the envoys from various countries below the stage, the emperor was now fully committed to playing the role of a wise monarch.

Seeing the emperor's magnanimous demeanor, Zeng Chenhua couldn't help but feel disgusted in his heart, and he could hardly hide it on his face.

He had no choice but to look away, but his gaze met Jiang Chaoyu's teasing eyes, which seemed to want to see through Zeng Chenhua.

Jiang Chaoyu gestured to Zeng Chenhua with her eyes, indicating that Zeng Chenhua was indeed the one who did it.

Looking at her enemy on the stage, how could Jiang Chaoyu not hate him? However, she had to suppress her hatred in order to get revenge, so she had no choice but to shift her gaze elsewhere, only to unexpectedly meet Zeng Chenhua's eyes.

The two spoke without saying a word. Xie Yunyin was a carefree poet in public, but now he had revealed his martial arts skills. It seemed that this was Zeng Chenhua's real purpose.

Jiang Chaoyu saw through Zeng Chenhua's purpose; it seemed that the person from earlier was also sent by Zeng Chenhua.

However, it seems that he has been planning this step for some time now.

Only then could Xie Yunyin trust that person enough to use him. Looking at the emperor's hypocritical appearance was truly laughable. No wonder Zeng Chenhua couldn't help but look away earlier.

Since the truth has been revealed, we might as well let Xie Yunyin show off his skills in front of the emperor. Otherwise, how could we do justice to his martial arts prowess?

Jiang Chaoyu picked up a peanut from the table, looked at the pillar next to her, used it to get around to the emperor's back, and then hit him on the head.

Xie Yunyin was still relieved that the matter was over when he sensed another attack and instinctively used his longsword to knock it away.

This time, all the martial arts skills were displayed in front of the emperor, and someone started clapping.

At this moment, the entire banquet was filled with applause. After achieving her goal, Jiang Chaoyu also clapped, a mocking smile on her lips.

He thought to himself, "It would be such a waste not to show off such amazing martial arts skills!"