65. The Xiongnu Farewell Banquet

◎The show has only just begun◎

Inside the Jade Flower Palace, Li Qiao laughed smugly. It was the first time that Qi Gu had ever seen Li Qiao smile like that. Back in Li Family Village, when they argued, Li Qiao had also shown that mischievous smile, a simple kind of joy.

The smile Li Qiao has now is full of meaning; it is a smile that comes from her own inner strength and confidence.

In just half a month, Qi Gu was curious about what Li Qiao had gone through that made her so confident and energetic.

Unbeknownst to her, it was she herself who gave Li Qiao tremendous encouragement.

"Qi Gu, you have no idea how interesting the Xiongnu language is. Although I can't speak it very well yet, I can understand some simple phrases." Her words were full of confidence and pride that she herself was unaware of.

She no longer had the bluster she had when she impersonated the princess. Qi Gu thought she knew what had changed about Li Qiao. She no longer relied on a hollow princess title, no longer depended on lies that would be exposed at any time, and no longer used the jewelry she wore as a source of confidence. She knew in her heart that these things did not belong to her.

However, the knowledge and skills she learned were something no one could take away from her; they were truly hers. She knew clearly that her ability to speak the Xiongnu language would become her most reliable source of strength for survival in the future.

Seeing that she had swept away her previous despair and self-abandonment and was now filled with endless longing for the future when she went to the Xiongnu, Qi Gu was happy for her. "Li Qiao, you are now a real princess."

Li Qiao gave a haughty snort and glanced sideways at Qi Gu: "This princess has always been a princess."

The two exchanged a knowing smile. "By the way, I heard that you were kidnapped by villains this time, and it was Sima Hong who rescued you. Do you know that you are now the common enemy of all the ladies in the capital?" Even the servants in her palace are talking about it now.

Qi Gu was puzzled. Her mother had ordered the news of her kidnapping to be kept secret, but how did the two princesses know the inside story that day and even go to Sima Hong's villa to visit her?

Now the whole capital knows she was kidnapped and rescued by Sima Hong who happened to be passing by. And what about Shen Wei, who was assassinated? Has the Empress Dowager found out?

Could these rumors have been spread by Madam Guo? But this would not benefit the Guo family, who wanted to win over Sima Hong and marry the Second Princess to him. Madam Guo wouldn't be that stupid, would she?

Qi Gu looked at Li Qiao and teased her, "Could it be that you're holding a grudge and spreading rumors behind my back?"

"Li Qigu, you're really ungrateful!" Li Qiao asked curiously, "You wouldn't actually have taken a fancy to the unparalleled Sima Hong, would you?"

Qi Gu explained in horror, "Nonsense, what nonsense are you talking about? There is absolutely no romantic relationship between Lord Sima and me. We have a purely brotherly and sisterly relationship. We address each other as brother and sister now, and in the future, no matter which young lady from the capital marries him, I will respectfully call her 'sister-in-law'."

Li Qiao looked at him with disbelief, "Oh~ really?" That day she went to the Sima Mansion's villa and saw Sima Langjun, who was being pampered by the ladies of the capital, and was being held in the palms of the Second Princess, the Ninth Princess, and the Second Miss Gao for fear of flying away, and was being kept in the mouth for fear of melting. The way he looked at Qi Gu completely revealed his naked possessiveness.

The idiot Qi Gu pretended to be stupid, but unfortunately, after the banquet tomorrow, she would be leaving the capital for the Xiongnu, and she probably wouldn't be able to watch her antics anymore.

The two stood on a high building in Yuhua Palace, overlooking the entire Changyang Palace, as the autumn wind blew their long hair and robes.

Li Qiao looked at Qi Gu and saw her staring intently at a section of the city wall of Changyang Palace, her eyes filled with endless sorrow, as if she were trapped in painful memories and unable to extricate herself. She had never seen Qi Gu like this before.

...

Empress Zhang's "farewell banquet" for the Xiongnu was a grand affair, attended by all the court officials. Moreover, Empress Zhang had some "inspiration" from Qi Gu's words that day, and today's banquet would also feature a spectacular drama.

Heland led Arunji and the others forward, kneeling on one knee with their right hand on their left chest. "Your Majesty and Empress, we are very grateful for your hospitality and flattery. You have prepared such a grand farewell banquet for us today. When I return, I will definitely speak well of you to the Chanyu. The Chanyu will surely pardon the Great Jin and allow the Great Jin to live in peace with the Xiongnu."

Helande spoke with a Xiongnu accent, his sentences were incoherent and he misused idioms, yet every sentence he uttered was perfectly apt in elevating the Xiongnu and belittling the Jin Dynasty.

The Xiongnu envoy, Qiu Linhuan, was sweating profusely again. He hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, our lord means that the Xiongnu and the Great Jin should be as close as one family from now on. Please forgive our lord for not being very familiar with the culture of the Central Plains." He used the same old trick as before.

Whether they are truly proficient, or merely pretending to be proficient, or whether they are proficient when they should be and not proficient when they shouldn't be, only they themselves know.

Emperor Yuan of Jin watched the two of them singing in unison. If he were to reprimand them, they would likely say that they were simply not fluent in the language of the Great Jin and beg him not to blame them.

He stroked his beard. "Is that so? Well then, I see that Lord Helan is so fond of Central Plains culture. However, the language of the Great Jin is profound and extensive, and Lord Helan still needs to continue learning. So I will reward Lord Helan with a few good books. These books are a collection of the profound culture of our Central Plains, and can be enjoyed by everyone from young children to old men in their fifties and sixties."

"Someone come here!" Chu Pei called out to the eunuch behind him.

Soon, two eunuchs brought several books to Heland, which were none other than children's primers such as the "Three Character Classic," "Primer of Prosody," and "Standards for Being a Good Student and Child."

Helande remained expressionless and respectfully said, "Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty. I like these books very much, so I will gladly accept them." In reality, he knew that the Emperor of Jin was humiliating him. What a scoundrel Chu Pei! He was making fun of him in public.

The court officials suppressed their laughter, watching as Helande had just pretended to be incoherent and acted like a fool. Now he was being treated like a child of the Great Jin Dynasty. Ignorance is no excuse, but that's not always the case.

Helande lowered his deep blue eyes. One day, the iron hooves of the Xiongnu will surely trample the mountains and rivers of the Great Jin. Helande will never forget the humiliation of today!

The Empress, sitting to one side, said, “Your Majesty, today I have prepared some special performances as a farewell gift for the Xiongnu envoys. Please move to the Shanglin Garden.”

Chu Pei had long known the Empress's plans for today, so naturally he wouldn't refuse. Thus, the group headed to Shanglin Garden in a grand procession. Helande and the others were wondering what the Empress was up to. Ever since the princess who had been found from the common people was kidnapped, the Empress had taken the opportunity to carry out a major purge in the palace. Previously, they could buy some information from the palace, but recently they had been unable to obtain any information at all.

This sense of uncertainty about the movements of the Imperial Palace filled Heland with unease. He said to his confidant Qiu Linhuan, the envoy who had just been speaking with him, "Is there still no news about what 'performance' the Empress has prepared?"

Qiu Linhuan's face was grim. He had heard that the eunuch who had contacted them earlier had been ordered by the Empress to be torn apart by five horses.

Could Emperor Yuan of Jin's bestowal of a book today be a warning from the Great Jin to them? Qiu Linhuan whispered in his ear, "My lord, please calm down. Although we have lost our sources of information in the palace, we have already reached an agreement with... them."

Heland, who felt humiliated today, listened to his words and his expression changed from gloomy to bright. However, the shadow in his eyes had not yet dissipated. This trip to the Great Jin was not entirely fruitless.

Although Shanglin Garden was a hunting ground, it was built to be as complete as Changyang Palace, and most importantly, it also had a large, open hunting ground.

All the civil and military officials gathered today, as did princes and princesses such as Lady Qi, and even favored concubines such as Lady Guo and Lady Zhao.

As the autumn wind howled, the Empress's authoritative voice proclaimed, "Let the banquet begin!" Suddenly, soldiers hidden around the hunting grounds rushed towards the banquet hall from all directions in a rapid and orderly fashion, almost surrounding the entire venue!

Heland was shocked. What was going on? Were these soldiers coming for them? Had the Emperor and Empress of the Great Jin Dynasty prepared a trap for them today?

Qiu Linhuan was also filled with fear. Was this a trap set by the Great Jin Dynasty? Had they fallen for it? In a flash, his gaze swept in a certain direction. The person there also seemed to have a hint of panic in their eyes. Could it be that he, too…

Although Helan Deqiu Linhuan was anxious and sweating profusely, if the Great Jin Dynasty did not uphold martial ethics and really wanted to kill them, there was no way that the dozen or so of them would have survived today.

But they still retained a shred of reason, because they knew that killing them would mean that the Great Jin would have to go to war with the Xiongnu, which was something the Great Jin did not want to see; otherwise, why would it have promised a marriage alliance?

While Helande and Qiu Linhuan were hesitating in the blink of an eye, Alunji, who was as big as a mountain behind Helande, stepped forward with his eyes wide open and shouted in the Xiongnu language: "Damn the dogs of the Great Jin want to kill us! Protect the master!" As he spoke, he raised a large iron hammer in his hand and stood in front of Helande.

Arunji was eight feet tall and enormous, at least two or three times the size of Holland. He stood in front of Holland, and from the front, Holland was almost invisible.

This turn of events caused even some uninformed ministers, let alone Heland and Alunji, to suspect that the emperor and empress were preparing to deal with these Xiongnu people.

Even Lady Guo, who was sitting to the right and behind Emperor Jin Yuan, turned pale with fright. Could it be that the Empress really wanted to kill these Xiongnu people today? How could she dare? No, no, she dared not, but His Majesty dared.

She couldn't help but look at her husband. He had always been very good to her, gentle and doting, showering her with countless gifts. The other women in the palace envied and resented her immensely. Before Zhang Ling came along, she was the only one by His Majesty's side.

Zhang Ling's appearance changed everything. His Majesty was still very good to her, but when facing Zhang Ling, he would hesitate and weigh the pros and cons. He was no longer the His Majesty who was wholeheartedly devoted to her before Zhang Ling appeared!

Could it be that Zhang Ling was behind all of this today? She looked at the emperor with burning jealousy. She had no idea about such a big thing and had kept it from her!

She could tolerate Zhang Ling briefly occupying the Empress's position, but she couldn't tolerate the Emperor keeping such a big matter from her. Could it be that they...

With tears blurring her vision, Lady Guo threw herself into the Emperor's arms, looking at Chu Pei in a panic, "Your Majesty, I'm scared."

With the beautiful woman nestled in his arms, her soft, warm skin and delicate fragrance filling his senses, he gently stroked her frail, helpless shoulders, smiling but offering no explanation. He simply said, "My beloved consort, rest assured, I will never let anything happen to you."

Empress Zhang sat calmly on the left, not wasting a single glance on her husband and his concubine.

Guo Ji, this clown, is not important. She sipped her tea, keeping an eye on Helande and the others. The real show is just beginning.

Sitting next to Aunt Qi, Li Qiao wondered if she wouldn't have to go through with the marriage alliance. But then she thought something seemed off. She looked at Aunt Qi, who was calmly eating pastries, and said, "Aunt Qi, how can you still be eating pastries at a time like this?" She thought, "I hope you don't starve to death."

At this moment, Qi Gu was thinking how regrettable it was that her father couldn't participate in the grand celebration. If he could have come, he would surely have said things she didn't quite understand, such as, "Keep playing the music, keep dancing."

Thinking of this, Qi Gu's lips curved into a smile. Seeing that she was still in the mood to smile, Li Qiao thought it was probably not a big deal.

As for Sima Hong, Wei Xin, Gao Yi and other trusted ministers, their expressions were as calm as the Empress's. If the Emperor and Empress really wanted to kill the Xiongnu envoys, they would never have done so without informing them.

Therefore, after a little thought, these people realized the Queen's intention. Looking at Arunji's appearance, they found it even more ridiculous. The Queen's bluff had exposed the true nature of these Huns.

Killing the Xiongnu envoy was a momentous event, signifying that the Great Jin Dynasty was about to formally declare war on the Xiongnu. Yet, the Emperor and Empress remained calm, not even glancing at the Xiongnu, indicating that they had no intention of starting a war and were simply observing.

Wei Xin looked at the composed Empress on the high platform. He truly admired this sister-in-law. Back then, she was abandoned by His Majesty during his escape and captured by the Prince of Yan for half a year. Not only did she not show any signs of disloyalty to His Majesty, but she also did not lose her spirit. Instead, she infiltrated the Prince of Yan's camp and learned such important intelligence as the infighting and division among the Prince of Yan's subordinates.

Furthermore, the analysis revealed Zhao Ji's predicament and the King of Yan's wavering and suspicious nature, laying a solid foundation for the victory in the Battle of Guanshan.

One-third of the credit for the Great Jin's unification of the world goes to this sister-in-law. She not only has strategy and vision, but also helped His Majesty stabilize the rear, allowing His Majesty to focus on fighting without any worries.

The remaining third of the credit belongs to His Majesty, and the third of that credit naturally belongs to the soldiers who fought valiantly. Among these brave soldiers, there is also a share for Zhang's elder brother and a share for Zhang's brother-in-law.

Empress Zhang's confidence never came from His Majesty's love. Wei Xin looked at the eldest prince sitting with the second prince. To be honest, the second prince was tall, handsome, and had an extraordinary demeanor. He still had some of His Majesty's youthful charm between his brows.

He sat with the eldest prince, who was somewhat thin, pale, and looked more like a member of the Zhang family, while the second prince resembled him even more.

However, Wei Xin glanced at the Zhang family and the Guo family, looking at Marquis Huicheng sitting at the very end and Lady Guo, who was nestled in His Majesty's arms.

It was hard to say who would become the crown prince, and at this moment he seemed to understand the emperor's hesitation.

[Author's Note]

Hey Fei Zhang, I'm in good shape today, finally recovered, so there's a chance I'll post two updates tonight, but it's uncertain. If I finish writing before midnight, I'll post one; if not, I'll post one after midnight and consider it tomorrow's update, hehe [sunglasses]