Chapter 91 The Final Counterattack

The victory celebration banquet in Liangzhou was scheduled for the night before the army was to return to the capital.

Inside the main hall of the Marshal's Mansion, the lights were bright and the aroma of wine filled the air.

Having survived a life-or-death battle, the soldiers removed their heavy armor, changed into civilian clothes, and drank until their faces were flushed. The sounds of them playing drinking games and laughing almost lifted the roof off.

Jiang Mianmian sat in the main seat, with a freshly roasted whole lamb in front of her.

Ah... this is life!

There's nothing a whole roasted lamb can't fix. Look at that skin, golden and crispy; look at that meat, tender and juicy. Just a sprinkle of cumin, and it's a soul-soothing experience!

She disregarded her princess image and tore off a leg of lamb with her hands, taking big bites.

Shen Jin sat beside her, holding a wine glass in his hand, watching her eat with tender eyes. Every now and then, he would reach out and wipe the grease from the corner of her mouth.

Eat slowly.

Shen Jin said softly, "No one's going to take it from you."

"That's not necessarily true," Jiang Mianmian said vaguely. "Look at that pack of hungry wolves down there, their eyes are practically green with envy."

Just then, the sound of string and wind instruments rang out.

A troupe of dancers in colorful costumes slowly entered the hall to the accompaniment of music. Their graceful figures, flowing sleeves, and alluring smiles instantly captivated the attention of every man present.

"Good! Reward me!"

Several drunken generals slammed their fists on the table and cheered.

Jiang Mianmian gnawed on a lamb leg, squinting at the dancers.

[Tsk, this dance is just so-so.]

[That lead dancer's back is too stiff; she almost fell over while spinning. And that pipa player, her nails are so long, doesn't that affect her hand speed?]

The strangest thing is... why is the guy on the left in the green shirt staring at Shen Jin?

That look in her eyes...it didn't seem like she wanted to seduce him, it was more like...she wanted to kill him?

Jiang Mianmian paused slightly.

As a survivor of the apocalypse, her sensitivity to killing intent is ingrained in her bones.

She put down the lamb leg and glanced discreetly at the hands of the dancers.

Something's not right.

These dancers' hands... have calluses. Not from playing the piano, but more like... the calluses from holding a knife for years!

Moreover, although their steps were light, their landings were steady and powerful—the kind of lower body skill only a trained martial artist possesses!

These aren't dancers! They're clearly a group of female assassins clad in colorful robes!

At this moment, the lead dancer in red had already twirled and reached the foot of the main steps. Her eyes were alluring, and she gently waved her folding fan, standing less than three steps away from Shen Jin.

"Your Highness~"

The woman in red called out sweetly, her body going limp as if she were about to fall into Shen Jin's arms.

Shen Jin didn't even lift his eyelids, and the wine glass in his hand remained steady.

But he heard the scream in Jiang Mianmian's heart:

[Be careful! Don't help her! She's an assassin! That's a poisoned fan!]

In the blink of an eye.

The moment the woman in red fell, her folding fan snapped open, and several blue poison needles shot out from the fan ribs, aiming straight for Shen Jin's face!

At the same time, the other dancers also instantly tore off their disguises.

"You scoundrel! Prepare to die!"

The pipa, originally intended for entertainment, was smashed, revealing a short sword inside; daggers slid out from long sleeves. A dozen dancers, like a dozen venomous snakes, simultaneously pounced on Shen Jin and Jiang Mianmian, who were seated in the main seats!

"An assassin!"

"Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor!"

The generals below were terrified and wanted to draw their swords and rush forward, but they were too far away and their reactions were numbed by the alcohol they had been drinking, so they were too late!

This was a meticulously planned decisive strike!

It could be the remnants of the Northern Yan regime, or a final counterattack by certain people in the capital!

Despite the oncoming poison needles, Shen Jin remained unfazed. He suddenly threw his wine cup, the wine infused with his inner strength splashing out like a curtain of water.

"Ding ding ding!"

The poisoned needles struck the wine screen and were shaken off one by one.

Immediately afterwards, Shen Jin slammed his hand on the table, leaped into the air, and kicked the woman in red away.

"You want to kill me?"

Shen Jin sneered, his figure flashing like lightning as he snatched a short sword from an assassin. With a backhand swing, blood splattered, "Maybe in your next life!"

However, there were simply too many assassins, and their targets were clear—half of them were sent to entangle Shen Jin, while the rest rushed towards Jiang Mianmian, who appeared to be "unarmed"!

"Kill that witch!"

"If it weren't for her, how could the Northern Yan army have been defeated!"

Several ferocious-looking dancers, brandishing daggers, blocked Jiang Mianmian's escape route from three directions.

"Your Highness, be careful!" Jiang Zhan and Jiang Li were frantic below the stage, rushing up as fast as they could.

Jiang Mianmian sat in her seat, watching the assassin rush towards her, and sighed.

Sigh, this meal is going to be unpleasant.

I wanted to be a lady, but you all forced me to.

[Hey you, you got my leg of lamb dirty, you know that? It was freshly roasted!]

Faced with the dagger thrusting at her, Jiang Mianmian advanced instead of retreating.

Her huge leg of lamb, which she had just gnawed on half of and still had bones and bits of fat on it, became her most handy weapon.

"Take this—Lamb Leg Strike!"

"call--!"

Jiang Mianmian swung the lamb leg, which weighed at least five or six pounds, and with a whistling sound, smashed it hard at the green-clad assassin who was charging at the front.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The hard sheep bone struck the green-clad assassin precisely in the face.

"ah--!"

The assassin screamed as her nose collapsed, her entire face covered in greasy mutton. The force of the impact sent her flying backward, crashing into the screen behind her.

The entire audience was astonished.

Using a lamb leg as a meteor hammer? Is this also a goddess's magic?

Before anyone else could react, Jiang Mianmian had already jumped up from her chair.

"Come on! Let's hurt each other!"

She carried a leg of lamb in one hand and grabbed the porcelain plate of braised pork from the table with the other.

[Hey, you with the dagger! Look at the plate!]

"Smack!"

The porcelain plate flew out and hit the head with pinpoint accuracy.

[Look at the bones of that guy playing the pipa!]

Jiang Mianmian threw the leftover bones like darts, each one whistling through the air, causing the assassin to flee in terror.

This is hardly an assassination attempt.

This is clearly a one-sided "feeding" scene!

After dealing with most of the assassins, Shen Jin turned around and saw his princess waving a lamb leg, chasing two assassins all over the hall.

"Don't run! Pay me back for my meat!"

"You've dirtied my dress! It's made of silkworm silk! Pay up!"

Shen Jin: "..."

His previously tense nerves instantly relaxed, and he even felt like laughing.

This is his queen.

Whether facing a massive army or a deadly assassin, she always manages to turn a crisis into a farce with her unique style.

"Keep alive!"

With a single, decisive strike, he deflected the weapon of the last assassin and let out a loud shout.

Shadow One and his guards finally rushed up and pinned the remaining half-dead dancers to the ground.

The thrilling assassination attempt ended amidst the smell of mutton and screams of agony.

Jiang Mianmian stopped, panting, and looked at the lamb leg in her hand, now just a bare bone, with a pained expression.

What a pity.

Such good meat, all fed to the dogs.

Shen Jin walked to her side, took the bone from her hand, and then took out a handkerchief to wipe her hands.

"Are you alright?"

"No," Jiang Mianmian pouted, "I'm just not full."

Shen Jin looked at the mess on the ground and his eyes turned cold.

"rest assured."

"I will make people pay this debt a hundredfold."

He looked at the assassins pinned to the ground, his gaze sharp as knives:

"Take them away. I will make them regret ever being born."

"besides……"

Shen Jin turned his head to look in the direction of the capital, where all these conspiracies originated.

"Since they don't want me to have a proper meal, then this victory celebration banquet... we'll eat it back in the capital."

"Let's eat in the Golden Palace."

Jiang Mianmian's eyes lit up.

[The Golden Palace?]

Wouldn't that cause trouble?

[Yay! I've never eaten hot pot next to a dragon throne before!]

"Pack your things!"

With a wave of his sleeve, Chen Jin declared, "Tomorrow morning, we will return to the capital in triumph!"

This final counterattack not only failed to harm them in the slightest, but also completely ignited the Regent's anger.

The journey back to Beijing was destined to be a path of reckoning.