Chapter 76 The flag dance is never the same as the young man’s travel.
At the end of June, the emperor went hunting in Xunling.
Outside the enclosure, tents were set up, drums were displayed, and a golden platform was built.
After the emperor offered sacrifices to the Queen of Heaven, the Western Tatar envoys presented gifts. A tall and strong Western Tatar warrior with thick hair and beard held up an iron box and walked to the bottom of the golden platform to place the box.
Behind him, six other Western Tartar envoys carried a long flag. The flagpole was a solid copper and iron pole, about as thick as a hand's grip and two meters long. The crimson golden eagle atop it was the tribal banner of the Western Tartar royal family. The Western Tartar warrior took the flag steadily, crouched in a horse stance, gathering strength, and with a loud, lion-like roar, he thrust the flag into the ground in front of the iron box.
He laughed heartily at the crowd and spoke in broken Great Zhou dialect, "Inside the iron box are the relics left behind by Master Jubatuo after his death. They are national treasures presented by our clan to the Great Zhou. Master Jubatuo was our clan's greatest warrior, strong enough to lift a tripod. As his last disciple, I possess only half his power. If a Great Zhou warrior can remove our clan's flag, Master Jubatuo's relics will belong to your dynasty. Otherwise, this royal flag shall remain forever planted on Great Zhou soil."
This was a blatant provocation. Emperor Fengqi looked displeased and glanced at the imperial guards on his left and right: "Who can pull down this flag?"
The young imperial guard on the right said, "I will leave now."
He held the flagpole with both hands, held his breath and gathered strength to pull it up. The flag showed signs of loosening, but even after he exerted all his strength, the flag still did not rise even a little bit.
Zuo Yuwei stepped forward and tried again, but the same thing happened.
The Western Tartar warrior laughed triumphantly, his face scornful. "If General Wang Zhaoshen were here, he might be a match for me. I heard he was framed and imprisoned. What a shame the Great Zhou doesn't recognize talented people!"
This was a very unpleasant thing to say, and people around were whispering to each other, like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, spreading among the onlookers.
Cong Ying and the other women of the Xie family were standing near the platform, where they could see clearly. She lifted her veil and whispered to Zi Su beside her, "The Western Tartar envoy's attitude is a little strange. They said they were here to negotiate peace, but now they're suddenly provoking. Could they be being instructed by someone?"
As soon as she spoke, the King of Jin at the top noticed where she was.
Their eyes met through the crowd, and Cong Ying nodded slightly before lowering her veil, her gaze deliberately shifting elsewhere. The King of Jin frowned imperceptibly; he hadn't expected that in this life, even though Cong Ying hadn't married into the Xie family, she would still come with him to Xunling to hunt.
Did she notice anything?
Emperor Feng Qi saw that his men were useless, so he sighed silently and asked, "Where is Xie Sanlang?"
The eunuch called out to him, and Xie Xuanlan, who was leading the Fengchen Guards, answered loudly, "I'm here."
He was dressed in an indigo-colored Qilin robe, a golden waist armor, and a black cape embroidered with gold. He strode forward from the outside of the crowd, knelt down, and saluted Emperor Fengqi: "I thank Xuanlan for your summons."
Emperor Feng Qi: "Stand up, you too can try the royal flag."
Xie Xuanlan replied yes, stood up and walked to Wang Qi. As if he felt that the iron box containing the relics was in the way, he kicked it to the side.
The Western Tartar warrior sarcastically said in Western Tartar, "You little white face from Yunjing City, what are you so proud of? I can stick you into the ground with just a wave of my hand."
Unexpectedly, Xie Xuanlan understood what he said. Instead, he raised his eyebrows and smiled at him, saying in Western Tartar: "Girls like you if you are white. What, did I wink at you?"
He held the flagpole in one hand and said calmly, "I'll really show off when I swing the flagpole at you. Remember, you have to kneel on the ground and kowtow three times, and shout 'Master' a few times in the Great Zhou dialect, and then I will let you go."
The Western Tartar warrior saw someone even crazier than himself for the first time, and he rolled his eyes to the sky in laughter.
Xie Xuanlan didn't have quite the same airs, simply standing with his feet slightly apart and his hands clasped around the flagpole. His eyes were downcast, his expression unchanged, as if he were waiting for something. However, the veins on the back of his hands gradually became prominent, revealing the strength he was exerting.
Everyone looked at him with bated breath, as if their last hope for the Great Zhou generals was placed on him.
Emperor Fengqi's brows knitted together, and it was unclear whether he was hoping for his success or failure. The chief eunuch, Xue Huanjin, beside him, whispered, "Your Majesty, should we send someone back to fetch Wang Zhaoshen? After all, Wang Zhaoshen defeated the Western Tartars, and his aura could intimidate these barbarians."
Emperor Feng Qi said, "Wait a little longer. Don't underestimate Xie San."
This conversation was heard by the King of Jin who was sitting below. He raised his eyes and looked at Xue Huanjin with a deep gaze.
Then he said to Princess Chun'an, who was not far away, "Madam Jiang is here too. Princess, you'd better think of a way to get her out of the way and stop her from watching."
Princess Chun'an tilted her head slightly and asked, "Why, are you afraid that Xie San will lose too badly?"
Prince Jin smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Quite the contrary."
No one knew better than him what would happen next. He didn't want Ah Ying to be like she had been in her previous life, seeing Xie San so high-spirited and full of himself, attracting so many people's favor, that she would fall even deeper in love with him and become trapped in the mud.
After about ten breaths, Xie Xuanlan's expression did not change and his strength was not exhausted, but the flagpole of the king's flag was slightly loose.
Everyone watched the flag with bated breath. Suddenly, there was a "click" sound, and the flagpole was lifted out of the ground, stirring up a lot of mud. The Western Tartar warrior was hit in the face by the mud, and he retreated and spat twice.
He said awkwardly, "Just now a vanguard shook it loose for you. Although you have some strength, it's not surprising."
Xie Xuanlan sneered, raised the royal flag and thrust it back into the soil, then drew his sword and chopped at the flagpole.
Although the flagpole was cast from copper and iron, the Yanzhi Knife was even more famous for its ability to cut through iron like mud. Xie Xuanlan swung the purple-blue thin blade into a silver arc like a full moon. The arc blade collided with the flagpole, and golden sparks instantly burst out. A high and sharp clang made everyone's ears buzz.
In front of everyone's astonished eyes, the flagpole of the Western Tatar King's flag seemed to be broken in half like a clay sculpture.
The faces of the Western Tatar envoys suddenly changed, and they retreated in the shadow of the flagpole. However, Xie Xuanlan stopped the flagpole before landing, picked up the half-folded flagpole with one hand, and held it across his arm.
On either side of the Golden Terrace stood eight towering phoenix drums, along with Huangzhong, Dalu, and bronze chimes, playing whips, to accompany the emperor's offerings to heaven. While the music was handled by palace eunuchs, the drums were handled by the Jianwei of the Twenty-Four Guards.
Xie Xuanlan held the royal flag horizontally and shouted coldly, "When the great general conquered the capital of the Western Tartars and captured the princes, he composed the song 'Treading on Swallows'. Play it for me immediately!"
Zhang Le looked at Emperor Feng Qi, who nodded slightly.
Suddenly, the sound of drums rose up, beating like thousands of horses galloping. Amid the exciting sound of bells and chimes, Xie Xuanlan suddenly waved the half-broken royal flag in his arm towards the Western Tatar warriors.
The Western Tatars screamed and retreated one after another, with the royal flag chasing them closely.
The crimson banner fluttered, enveloping Xie Xuanlan, clad in golden armor and a dark cloak, like a blazing flame ignited within gold and jade. He bowed his head slightly, and the long banner swirled several times on his back, then dropped a bit, swirling around his slender waist. The flagpole, once so heavy it required several men to lift, was now nothing more than a fragment of a spear in his hand, wielding it like an arm, sweeping away locusts like an autumn wind.
Princes, nobles, courtiers, women and children were all shocked by his burst of power and beauty, and were completely unaware of the danger.
Only the Western Tatar warriors who were just talking nonsense and were now being chased around by the flagpole understood that even if they were just hit by the tail of the flag, their skin would be torn at best, and their bones and limbs would be broken at worst.
He retreated in a hurry and pulled out any sword to block the attack, but the sword and knife were blown away by the king's flag. In an instant, the flagpole swept in front of him with a whirling blade.
Everyone gasped in shock, one exclamation after another.
Cong Ying was also standing on tiptoe, holding her breath and looking at Xie Xuanlan.
Suddenly, someone tapped her shoulder. It was the court lady beside Princess Chun'an: "Madam Jiang, the princess invites you to come forward."
Cong Ying glanced doubtfully in the direction of the princess and said to the court lady, "Please inform the princess that I will pay her a visit after the ceremony."
After saying that, he turned his gaze back to Xie Xuanlan.
After a while, Princess Xuande sent someone to invite her again. Cong Ying was watching intently, and without turning around, she raised her hand to signal her not to speak: "Shh, don't make any noise."
She was fascinated by the show, while the two female officials returned in disappointment. Upon hearing this, Prince Jin slowly pressed his hand against his forehead and sighed.
It's too late.
Princess Chun'an was deeply upset at being easily outdone by Xie Xuanlan. She blamed it all on the King of Jin's incompetence and taunted him, "Xie San may be frivolous, but he's handsomely arrogant. Look at all the women in this room—who isn't starry-eyed at him? Cousin, how can you possibly compete with him?"
Prince Jin said in a gloomy tone: "The princess already has countless handsome men. Since you think he is beautiful, why not take him in as well?"
Then the two of them fell into silence, both of them seemed to be disgusted by each other.
Looking down at the Golden Stage, the space they had made for Xie Xuanlan was becoming increasingly wider. As the "Treading Swallows" piece reached its finale, the drumbeats were as rapid as rain, and the flags whirled through the air with Xie Xuanlan, their rustling in the wind almost overwhelming the drumbeats.
The six Western Tatar envoys all disappeared, leaving only one Western Tatar warrior on the field. After being hit twice by Xie Xuanlan, he was trembling and could hardly stand.
Seeing that the flagpole was about to fall on his head, the warrior finally admitted defeat, shouted "Master, spare my life" in the Da Zhou dialect, and knelt down.
Even faster than him kneeling was the speed at which Xie Xuanlan waved the flag. The warrior's knees were kneeling on their noble royal flag, and he knelt the royal flag into the mud.
When the song ended and the drums stopped, cheers broke out all around.
Congying saw Xie Xuanlan looking at her, and the two looked at each other. Congying smiled implicitly and lowered the veil.
Mrs. Xie saw this scene and whispered to Cong Ying, "Sanlang is good at more than just polo and cuju. If you weren't here, he wouldn't have so much energy."
…
Until the ceremony ended in the evening and everyone returned to the tent at night, they were still discussing this matter enthusiastically.
"Third Master Xie is only half the size of that Western Tartar, yet he's incredibly strong. He must weigh at least 200 kilograms!"
"It takes three strong men to pull the Divine Arm Bow, but it's quite common for Third Young Master Xie to do so!"
"I didn't expect that the Third Young Master, who looks like a pretty boy, is actually not a pretty boy..."
Because they were all women of similar age from various noble families, they spoke more freely than usual in such an occasion and atmosphere.
A young lady, elegant and graceful, who appeared to have just gotten married, suddenly said, "Xie Sangong has such great strength. How will his wife be able to withstand it in the future?"
Everyone was silent for a moment, and at the same time turned their eyes to Cong Ying who was sitting in the corner.
Cong Ying was caught off guard and a mouthful of tea got stuck in his throat, neither able to swallow it nor spit it out.
As the girls looked at her playfully or curiously, she slowly stood up and moved out along the edge of the tent. "Take your time chatting, everyone. I'm going back to sleep first."
She fled from the young girls' tent.
But she lived with Madam Xie, and there was no peace in Madam Xie's tent at the moment. Cong Ying had nowhere to go, so she walked slowly along the tent. The scene of Xie Xuanlan's flag dance during the day could not help but emerge in her mind.
The green banner dances in the air, casting a cold and sharp light on its shadow.
Xie Xuanlan is full of vigor and ambition, and seems to have the potential to overturn the world. Such a person is bound to attract attention and be admired by others.
However, it would be a waste if such a skill could only be displayed briefly on the polo field or during a flag dance...For a moment, Cong Ying actually felt a sense of mutual appreciation.
Suddenly, two or three fireflies floated before her eyes, attracting her attention.
Looking up from the firefly, she saw many fireflies floating on the grass behind the tents, their soft light illuminating a winding stone path. Since the entire Xunling Mountain was patrolled by military guards, she was pleased and walked forward boldly, following the firefly lights.
After walking a few dozen steps along the path, you will find a small wooden pavilion at the end.
A faint fragrance was burning in the wooden pavilion, which attracted many fireflies to fly up from the grass, dancing around the pavilion and illuminating the wooden pavilion like the bright moon.
However, what surprised her more than the hazy fireflies was the person in the wooden pavilion—
His light clothes and loose belt, wide robe and sleeves, wet with the dew from the grass and trees, made him look even more lonely and desolate, as if he were a dream body of stone and fire in the dustless night and silver moonlight.
He closed his eyes and slowly turned a folding fan in his hand. The handle of the fan passed around his slender fingers and thin wrists, slowly unfolded and covered his face, then moved from his back to his waist, and unscrewed neatly around the jade belt at his waist. The gold sprinkled on the fan surface trembled, competing with the fireflies.
His legs were not agile, so his movements were small and he looked lazy and unfocused.
Although Congying did not understand martial arts, he could see clearly that this was the same move as Xie Xuanlan's flag dance in broad daylight.
The former had the strength of flaming waves, and his mighty movements could force a strong man to his knees. However, the one in front of him was like a monster condensed from ink, frost and white dew in a painting. Although he was graceful, he was weak and powerless, and seemed to be scared away at a breath.
Cong Ying looked at him silently.
Of course she knew that the royal flag weighing over a hundred pounds was different from the folding fan several inches long, and of course she knew that the blazing sky fire was different from the frost under the moon.
But she always subconsciously and uncontrollably associated the two of them together. Now, seeing Prince Jin repeating the moves of Sanlang's flag dance in the daytime, she associated the two figures with the same one, and her heart was inexplicably ached.
It was as if the high-spirited Xie Xuanlan during the day had become the man in front of him after experiencing some unimaginable hardship.
"Why are you crying?"
Prince Jin put away his folding fan and sighed softly.
Cong Ying suddenly came to her senses and raised her hand to wipe away tears. Sure enough, she felt a tear mark under her eye. She looked at her wet fingers, her heart blank and empty, and she couldn't find a reason for it.
"I see you're quite happy during the day," the Prince of Jin said in a gentle and calm voice, with a barely perceptible loneliness. "Are you shedding tears now out of pity for him, or for me?"
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