Chapter 840 You Northern Owl Kingdom are late to the wedding banquet!

Meanwhile, on the bluestone ground of Kunning Palace, three figures, one large and two small, were practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, holding sword hilts. Jiang Fenghua, dressed in a red outfit that accentuated her tall and straight figure, had a sharp gaze. The sword light pierced through the hazy morning mist like water, drawing frequent cheers from the two children.

Jiang Fenghua stopped her sword strike and said, "Yan'er, You'er, try out the moves your mother just used."

The two little figures held wooden swords in their hands and imitated each other's movements.

Jiang Fenghua then said, "Keep your wrist steady, your eyes following the sword, don't get distracted..."

She walked up to Xie Ziyan again, used her arm to propel herself forward and thrust forward sharply. "Yan'er, your posture is good, but your strength is too weak. You need to use more force when you strike."

She said to Xie Hongyou, "You'er, your swordplay is too hasty. Remember to keep your stance steady..."

The two little figures nodded repeatedly, learning with great seriousness.

At this moment, Wuxin sent a eunuch to report on what had happened in the Golden Palace: "Your Majesty, Chief Eunuch Wuxin has sent me to inform you that three people who claim to be envoys from the Northern Xiao Kingdom have suddenly appeared in the Golden Palace. The people are arrogant."

Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice, "I understand."

She never expected that the Northern Xiao Kingdom she saw in her dream would appear so quickly. There was no Northern Xiao Kingdom in her memories of her previous life, and no such country appeared even in the next ten years. She didn't know why, but she dreamed that the Northern Xiao Kingdom would destroy the Great Zhou Dynasty decades later.

Many things have changed in this life, and it no longer follows the trajectory of the previous life.

The sudden appearance of the Northern Owl Kingdom, and the meaning behind her dream.

Jiang Fenghua always felt that this dream was not because she took the medicine to restore her memory, but because it was related to the recent appearance of assassins in the palace, the assassination of Zhang Yurou, and the crescent moon and whale pattern of the Di Sha Sect.

She then asked, "What reason did the people from the Northern Xiao Kingdom give for coming to the Great Zhou?"

The eunuch said, "I heard they've come to congratulate the Emperor and the Empress on their wedding."

Jiang Fenghua sneered, "Congratulations on your wedding? It's been more than two months and you're only now coming to offer your congratulations. It's like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken."

She turned to the children and said, "That's enough for today's practice. You'er, Yan'er, go back to your rooms now!"

Xie Hongyou asked, "What kind of people are the people of Beixiao Kingdom?"

Jiang Fenghua didn't know what they looked like either. "Your mother will find out when she goes to see them. You all stay obediently in the palace and don't go anywhere."

She then said to Lianye, "Have more people guard the princes and princesses. No one is allowed to approach them, including the concubines in the palace."

She didn't want to appear too cautious, but in her dream, the Northern Owl Kingdom would one day destroy the Great Zhou...

Although it was decades later, many things in this life had changed.

Jiang Fenghua hurriedly returned to her bedchamber and quickly changed her clothes. Hongxiu helped her change while asking, "Your Majesty, why are you in such a hurry? Has something happened?"

"When an envoy came to the Great Zhou, I had a feeling that something was going to happen. I went to check on the situation in the Golden Palace."

Jiang Fenghua quickly changed her clothes, and the palace maids put a nine-phoenix crown on her head and a gorgeous phoenix robe. In the blink of an eye, the woman in the bronze mirror transformed from a heroic warrior into a graceful and noble empress. A red spider lily between her eyebrows made her look as sharp as ever, and a fierce glint flashed in her eyes.

Jiang Fenghua looked at herself in the mirror, her slender fingertips gently stroking her hair. "Hongxiu, bring me that silver hairpin and put it in my hair."

Hongxiu naturally knew what the silver hairpin the Empress was talking about was. When she heard this, a look of doubt flashed in her eyes. Didn't the Empress lose her memory?

Jiang Fenghua glanced at Hongxiu and said in a deep voice, "Go on, I haven't worn this in a long time, have you forgotten where you put it?"

Hongxiu was stunned, and dared not say anything else, so she quickly went to get it.

All that was left was for her to take out the specially crafted silver hairpin from the storeroom, and say, "Your Majesty."

"Put it on me!"

Hongxiu replied, "Yes."

She glanced at Hongxiu in the mirror. In her previous life, this girl had only left two years after Lianye. In the end, it was she who had let them down.

This seemingly ordinary silver hairpin is actually a hidden weapon; with a gentle press, it can shoot out three poison needles as thin as cow hair.

She didn't want to wear it, but she always felt like there was a pair of eyes watching her. With so many things happening, she had to be careful.

She suddenly pulled Hongxiu's hand and said, "The people I trust most are you and Lianye. It hasn't been easy for us to get to where we are today."

Hongxiu's eyes were red-rimmed. "Your Majesty."

Jiang Fenghua placed her finger between her lips, "Shh! Come with me!"

“Yes.” Hongxiu immediately understood what she meant.

-

The Golden Palace.

Xie Shang sat up abruptly, his brows furrowing even deeper. His gaze swept over the assembled officials, finally settling on Minister You of the Ministry of Rites. "I have not received any report of an envoy from the Northern Xiao Kingdom visiting," he said.

Minister You hurriedly stepped forward: "Your Majesty, I was just about to report this at the morning court session. I have just received the news. According to the post station, in addition to the Northern Xiao Kingdom, envoys from sixteen other countries, including the vassal states, the Western Regions, the Chaoxi Kingdom, and the Dandong Kingdom, have arrived in the Great Zhou. Their unified statement is to congratulate Your Majesty and the Empress on their wedding."

A sharp glint flashed in Xie Shang's eyes. He and Jiang Fenghua had married five years ago, and this second wedding was to prepare for the Empress's coronation ceremony. More than two months had passed, and their sudden visit to offer congratulations seemed rather suspicious.

The assassins of the Earthly Fiends organization all have crescent moon and whale patterns, while the totem of the Northern Owl Kingdom is a whale pattern. They also have no actual evidence to prove that the assassins of the Earthly Fiends organization were created by the people of the Northern Owl Kingdom. The two may just be a coincidence.

Xie Shang withdrew his gaze and said calmly, "Bring them in!"

He wanted to see what the people of the Northern Owl Kingdom, who lived north of the extremely cold Arctic glaciers, looked like.

Soon, following the summons from the eunuch outside the door, three burly men, dressed in wolf-skin cloaks and with curved swords at their waists, entered. They did not kneel but bowed slightly, saying, "The envoys of the Northern Owl Kingdom greet the Emperor of the Great Zhou."

Following them in were the Imperial Guards. Shangguan Li said, "Your Majesty, we asked them to hand over their weapons, but they refused."

Xie Shang's gaze was cold and deep. He waved his hand at them, signaling them to leave.

The court officials were immediately in an uproar upon seeing the three men's attitude. Liu Yong, the Left Censor-in-Chief, shouted sternly, "How dare you! You have the right to kneel before the Emperor!"

The envoy grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "We men of Beixiao only kneel to the Eternal Heaven and the Khan. Coming here today to congratulate His Majesty of Great Zhou on his wedding is already the highest courtesy we of Beixiao."

Upon hearing this, the court officials began to whisper among themselves, saying, "This...this...arrogant, far too arrogant."

Xie Shang raised his hand to stop the anger of the ministers, calmly looked at the envoys of the Northern Xiao Kingdom, and said in a deep voice, "The wedding ceremony of my empress and me has ended. Your Northern Xiao Kingdom is too late to attend the wedding banquet of my empress and me."