Three days later, Emperor Wenxuan held a banquet at Tianxing Terrace.

The Tianxing Terrace is located on a high platform in front of the palace, and further ahead is the altar for sacrifice. When the Wutuo envoy Maningbu came to the capital, His Majesty agreed to the Wutuo people's payment of money to seek peace. On the surface, it was to show the generosity of the monarch of the Great Wei, but in fact it was also to enhance the prestige of his country.

In her past and present lives, this was the first time He Yan had attended such an event. Early in the morning, she changed into her official uniform, which had a red background with a round flower pattern and a dark black belt in the middle. She was not as tall as the men, so the uniform was a bit too much for her, but because she was tall, it actually made her look a bit elegant.

Now that everyone in the court knew that she was a woman, she didn't need to put on makeup like a man. Qingmei only lightly drew her eyebrows and put on a thin layer of powder. Her lips were already pink, so she didn't use lip balm. Her long hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, which was very neat.

He Yan looked at the woman in the mirror. She was handsome and beautiful. She was neither dressed as a man nor too delicate. This outfit was the most pleasing to her eyes since her rebirth.

He Yan grabbed the tea on the table and took a sip, then said, "It's almost time, I'll go out first."

Qingmei asked: "Miss, do you really not want me to accompany you?"

"I'm not going to a banquet, why would I bring you along?" He Yan laughed, "Just wait for me in the mansion."

She went out and got into the carriage herself.

Xiao Jue didn't come to pick him up today. Although they were going to get married soon, before the wedding, He Yan was still the Marquis of Wu'an before she became Xiao Jue's fiancée. He had to distinguish between public and private matters. On an occasion like today, he shouldn't be too casual.

She didn't have a servant by her side, and it was rare for someone to go to the Tianxing Terrace alone like her. The carriage was arranged yesterday, and when they arrived near the Tianxing Terrace, He Yan got off the carriage and walked towards the Tianxing Terrace alone.

Some officials had already arrived. Those who knew each other exchanged greetings and reminisced about the past. He Yan didn't know many people, so she was standing there when suddenly someone's excited voice came over: "Sister He!"

He Yan was startled, turned around, and saw Lin Shuanghe running towards him.

He was dressed neatly today. If he didn't speak, he looked like a talented young man in the court. He Yan asked curiously, "Why is Brother Lin here too? Isn't it said that only officials can be here..."

"My grandfather and my father are here," Lin Shuanghe said nonchalantly, "The Queen Mother likes me and asked me to join in the fun."

I see. Master Lin came in through the back door again.

Lin Shuanghe looked He Yan up and down, his eyes sparkling: "Sister He, this is the first time I see you in official uniform. You look good! Our Huai Jin is so lucky to have found such a beautiful wife."

This guy always compliments without thinking about whether others can accept it or not. He Yan interrupted his flattery and said, "I haven't seen Brother Lin for a long time. What are you busy with?"

"Don't talk about it," Lin Shuanghe said with a bitter face, "I have only been away from Shuojing for a year or so, and there have been many female patients coming to see me in Shuojing. Since I came back, I have been seeing patients every day. Didn't Sister He notice that I have become tired and thin?"

Seeing his energetic appearance, He Yan said, "That's not the case. If you don't want to see the doctor, just stay away from him. Why force yourself like this?"

"They are all women," Lin Shuanghe said solemnly, "A gentleman should be kind and gentle to women."

He Yan was speechless for a while before he said, "So that's how it is. Brother Lin was so busy that he completely forgot about helping me find a house."

Lin Shuanghe was stunned for a moment, and finally remembered something that he had forgotten for a long time. He looked at He Yan strangely, "But aren't you and Huai Jin going to get married on the tenth day of the first lunar month? Why are you buying a house?"

"It's not for me." He Yan was helpless, "I want Dad and Yunsheng to change houses." In the past, she was poor and had no choice, but now she has a proper official position. The money Xiao Jue gave her last time was enough to build a new house in the capital. Although it is not as luxurious as the rich, it is much better than the current one. He Yan thought about it and just regarded it as a loan from Xiao Jue, and returned it to him after the salary was paid in a year.

"It turns out that it is for uncle and brother to live in," Lin Shuanghe breathed a sigh of relief and patted He Yan on the shoulder, "Don't worry, leave this matter to me, I promise to help you do it properly!"

He Yan: "Now you're not saying you're too busy to take care of this?"

"Well, if you have some free time, you can still find some if you squeeze in."

"You really didn't look for it for me before."

"Sister He, how could you miss me so much?"

As they were talking and laughing, Lin Shuanghe suddenly waved behind He Yan, "Huai Jin!"

He Yan looked back and saw Xiao Jue and Xiao Jing coming over from the other side.

The two brothers were both handsome, and they stood out among the young officials like a crane standing out from the crowd of chickens. When they got closer, He Yan saluted Xiao Jing, who smiled and said, "This is the first time I have come to Tianxingtai with a female official. Miss He is so heroic and brave, and she is as good as a man."

He Yan was polite for a while. Lin Shuanghe stroked his chin and looked at He Yan and Xiao Jue for a while. He said, "I have to say, you two really look a good match."

He Yan looked at Xiao Jue. He was also wearing an official uniform today. What a coincidence! The round flowers embroidered on his dark blue uniform matched the round flowers on hers. He also had a belt around his waist, which made him look particularly heroic, noble, and handsome.

"Sister He," Lin Shuanghe said, "You said that if you get promoted a few more levels, you can go to court with Huai Jin in the future. It's really convenient. Looking at the whole Wei Dynasty, this is the first time that you two are a couple."

"Miss He hasn't married yet," Xiao Jing said softly, "Mr. Lin, please be careful with your words. If others hear you, it will damage Miss He's reputation."

He Yan looked up at Xiao Jing in front of him. Everyone said that Mr. Xiao was a gentle and polite gentleman. Now he has seen that he cares about such a small matter. However, when he said it, it didn't make people feel pedantic, but rather thoughtful. No wonder Song Taotao wanted to be Xiao Jue's sister-in-law before. After all, it would be hard to find someone like Xiao Jing in Wei.

She was lost in thought when someone suddenly appeared in front of her and blocked her gaze from looking at Xiao Jing. He Yan raised her head and met Xiao Jue's eyes, which seemed a little unhappy.

He was quite protective of his eldest brother. He Yan wondered if he was afraid that he would also set his sights on Xiao Jing?

At this time, someone in front called Lin Shuanghe's name, probably a friend of Lin Shuanghe, so Lin Shuanghe followed the voice. Xiao Jing also walked forward a few steps and talked with his colleagues.

He Yan finally had some time to be alone with Xiao Jue. She moved to Xiao Jue's side, spread out her sleeves and asked, "How is it? This is the new official uniform. I'm wearing it for the first time today. Doesn't it look very romantic and murderous?"

The sun shone on the girl's face, seemingly making each of her dense eyelashes distinct. Her eyes were bright and lively, and her smile still carried a bit of pure youthfulness. However, the red official uniform made her look more heroic, a boldness that was completely different from all other women.

There are tens of millions of women in the world, but she is the only one who is different.

Xiao Jue turned sideways and looked away.

Seeing him like this, He Yan retracted his sleeves and moved closer: "Is that so?"

"You don't see any murderous aura." Xiao Jue couldn't stand her pestering, he looked down at her, a smile flashed in his eyes, the corners of his lips slightly raised, deliberately angering her, "but you keep emitting a silly aura."

He Yan gritted her teeth and said, "How come you can't even say a nice word?" She turned around and pretended to leave, but she turned her head and bumped into someone, almost falling into the other person's arms.

When she stood still, Chu Zhao stood in front of her and looked at her: "Miss He."

"... Fourth Master Chu."

Xiao Jue pulled He Yan back to his side. Chu Zhao first glanced at Xiao Jue, and then his eyes fell on He Yan, still with the familiar gentle smile, "I already know about Miss He's wedding. Congratulations to you two in advance."

"Same here." He Yan said with a smile, "I also wish the Fourth Master and Miss Xu a happy marriage."

Chu Zhao's eyes trembled slightly when he heard this, as if he was a little sad, but he still bowed to He Yan and walked forward.

He Yan looked at his back and felt particularly embarrassed. He couldn't help but said to Xiao Jue beside him: "Xiao Jue, don't you think that the Fourth Master Chu is actually quite pitiful?"

Xiao Jue said coldly: "I don't think so."

"How could that be? I think he..." He Yan whispered, "Maybe he doesn't like that Miss Xu. One's eyes can't lie. There's something wrong with his eyes. When he mentioned marriage, he didn't look happy at all, and he seemed very sad."

"You look very carefully."

"After all, I was blind once before, so now I have to look at people more carefully... Unfortunately, the imperial decree has been issued, so he can only do this. Do you think he is... Hey?" He Yan looked back and saw that Xiao Jue had already walked forward for a distance. She hurriedly caught up with him: "Xiao Jue, wait for me!"

A while later.

"Xiao Jue, are you angry?"

"no."

…

All officials stood in the square on the Star Tower.

Due to her position, He Yan couldn't stand with Xiao Jue. However, most of the people in her group thought of her as Xiao Jue's fiancée and didn't dare to do anything to her. Because she was small, they were afraid that she wouldn't be able to see the scene on the platform, so they reserved the first row for He Yan.

He Yan stood at the front, looking at the emperor on the stage.

Sitting on the high seat, Emperor Wenxuan looked at the officials below the stage with a smile.

All the officials were dressed in their official uniforms and stood in neat rows. From the outside, they looked quite respectable. I heard that Wutuo was a land of mountains and hills with few plains. Its palace was not even half the size of the palace of Wei. I thought that whenever they held sacrificial ceremonies, the scene would be very shabby.

He was old, and although he had not made much achievements in government affairs, he hoped to leave behind one or two things that were worthy of praise. Unfortunately, he had not done so in all these years. In ancient times, emperors either left their names in history or were infamous for eternity. He had no intention of leaving his name in history, and Emperor Wenxuan did not have the courage to face the spit of future generations for being infamous for eternity. Therefore, since he ascended the throne, he had never done anything like building large-scale projects or setting up many Buddhist temples. Only a banquet on the Tianxing Terrace like this made him regain some of his pride as an emperor.

Several princes sat on one side. The fifth prince Guangji was still young, and when he saw the beautiful cakes, he wanted to grab them, but was stopped by Guangshuo, who said softly, "Fifth brother, sit down, you represent the face of the Wei Dynasty."

Guangji pursed his lips, but behaved well, not daring to take the snack again.

Guangyan glanced at the two of them, his eyes full of contempt. Emperor Wenxuan held a banquet on the Tianxing Terrace, which showed his sincerity in accepting Wutuo's request for peace. There was no need to rush to open a market, and he could do it slowly in the future. As long as he could get the help of Wutuo people and get rid of Xiao Huaijin, the Fourth Prince and that bastard Concubine Lan would sooner or later be his prisoners.

He really was too eager to get to that position.

The Utuo envoy, Maninbu, stepped forward, knelt down and paid great respects before Emperor Wenxuan, spouting a string of flattering words, mostly praising the emperor's benevolence and broad-mindedness, and being amazed by the prosperity and splendor of the Wei Kingdom. In the future, the Utuo Kingdom was willing to be on good terms with the Wei Kingdom, and even respect the Wei Kingdom.

Emperor Wenxuan was greatly pleased when he heard this.

Among the hundreds of officials, some were as proud as the prince, while others, like Wei Xuanzhang, had anger written all over their faces. Most of them were silent but dared not speak out. People said that the court of the Great Wei Dynasty was no longer named Song, but Xu. That was fine, but what about allowing foreigners to come to the Tianxing Terrace openly? When did the Great Wei Dynasty reach this point?

Among the generals, He Rufei stood at the front with a relaxed look, and there was no hatred in his eyes when he looked at Wu Tuo. On the contrary, Yan He, who was standing behind, had anger in his eyes and his hands were already clenched into fists. If he was not in Tianxingtai at the moment and the emperor was there, he might have rushed up to beat Manning Bu.

Xiao Jue was standing beside him. Yan He couldn't help but whisper, "What the hell is this dwarf talking about? Who is he trying to fool? Wutuo wants to make friends with Wei? I'll go to Wutuo and kill 10,000 of their people first, and then tell them that Wei is willing to make friends with Wutuo. Will their king believe it?"

Seeing Xiao Jue didn't answer, Yan He became even angrier and turned his head to the side to sarcastically ask, "Aren't you General Feng Yun? Are you just going to watch the Wu Tuo people run wild in Tianxingtai?"

Xiao Jue said calmly: "Aren't you the Lieutenant General of Guide? If you want to teach them a lesson, why don't you go there yourself?"

Yan He was speechless, snorted and stopped talking.

On the other side, Emperor Wenxuan accepted the flattery and gifts from the Utuo envoy. Maninbu said, "The warriors of Utuo are best at wrestling. They usually perform wrestling matches for the king at ceremonies and banquets. Today, we would like to perform for Your Majesty."

Yan He said: "You are showing off your skills in front of an expert."

In fact, Emperor Wenxuan himself did not like these things involving swordplay and gunplay. After he ascended the throne, the court also favored civil officials over military officials. However, since it was proposed by the envoy Wutuo himself, he could not refuse it in order to show the magnanimity and broad-mindedness of the Wei Dynasty. Therefore, he waved his hand lightly, "Yes."

Maninbu turned around and saw two burly men coming out from among the Utuo messengers. These two men looked different from the short stature of the Utuo people, and they looked exceptionally tall and strong. Their hair was tied into a bunch of fine braids at the back of their heads.

Maninbu said: "Your Majesty, these are the two best warriors of Utuo, Nadaduo and Huyunmu, who are willing to serve Your Majesty."

The two Uto men walked to the open space in the center of the square, took off their outer clothes, and in the freezing cold, with their bare chests, they shouted loudly twice and then hugged each other and wrestled.

He Yan stood among the officials and heard the officials behind him whispering, "This is really a barbarian land. The way they are hugging each other is really too indecent. Very indecent."

He Yan didn't think it was indecent, he just thought that wrestling was actually a test of skill rather than brute force. Others only saw them hugging each other and trying to knock each other down, but in fact, tripping, back throws, mentality and speed were all things that needed to be paid attention to. These two Uto people were indeed not to be underestimated.

The wrestling match took a long time to decide the winner. The officials of the Wei Dynasty, including the emperor, were actually a little bored because the match was not exciting enough. After the match, they had to go against their conscience and praise the emperor.

Emperor Wenxuan rewarded the two warriors with a plate of silver each. After Maningbu thanked him, he said, "I heard that the Wei army is full of talented people, and there are more warriors than the Wutuo Kingdom. Since the adults are here today, can Your Majesty show mercy and let the Wutuo warriors open their eyes?"

Is this a competition?

Emperor Wenxuan's heart moved and he suddenly became excited.

It was recorded in the unofficial history that when a certain country received a foreign envoy, the envoy's princess had said something provocative, but was severely humiliated by the daughter of a military commander with the art of archery, which greatly increased her face. Although I don't know whether it is true or not, this slap in the face that came right to her door was really wonderful.

The Great Wei is a vast country with many people. There are so many talented people in the square today. No matter what, the two Wutuo people can take them down. Moreover, most of the people in the Great Wei are thin and handsome. Compared with those barbarians, they are also pleasing to the eye. For example, Fei Hong and Feng Yun are both first-class handsome men. When they fight, they will definitely make the Wutuo people embarrassed.

Emperor Wenxuan thought about this and said happily: "This is not difficult. The men of Wei never retreat. If you pick the military commanders, they will fight."

Emperor Wenxuan was not worried that some of his generals would be unable to defeat the Wutuo people. First, the two Wutuo people had no weapons at all, but just used brute force to fight each other, which showed that they were not very skilled. Second, if the Wutuo people were really smart, they would not dare to win in front of so many people.

After all, the Wutuo people still wanted to ask for permission to open a trading post in Wei.

Manningbu smiled and said, "I heard that your majesty has previously conferred the title of the first female marquis in the Wei Dynasty."

Everyone on the field was stunned.

Emperor Wenxuan was also startled and said, "Not bad."

"That female marquis, among us Wutuo people, has also heard of her reputation. I heard that she once followed General Feng Yun into the battlefield and was very brave and intelligent. Is she here today?"

Emperor Wenxuan frowned slightly. He had never thought that Manningbu would choose He Yan. Of all the civil and military officials in the Manchu dynasty, the Wutuo people chose a woman. How does a woman's physical strength compare to that of a man? Although he had heard of He Yan's achievements on the battlefield, he had also seen it with his own eyes. She was just a thin and weak woman. Standing next to the two Wutuo people just now, they were like a lamb and a black bear.

"She is a woman."

"But she is not an ordinary woman." Manningbu smiled and said, "We also have women in Wutuo who participate in martial arts competitions, but we have never had a woman serve as an official in the court. Since she is brought by General Feng Yun, she must be different from ordinary women. Your Majesty," he bowed, "please let the female marquis fight with our Wutuo people."

Guangshuo shook his head slightly. These Wutuo people were clearly bullying women, or perhaps they were seeking revenge. But Guangshuo knew his father's character very well. He put his face first, and since he had agreed, he would not go back on his word.

Emperor Wenxuan was silent for a moment, then said, "Marquis Wu'an."

He Yan stood up, bowed and said, "I am here."

"You shall compete with their warriors."

There was silence for a moment, and then whispers gradually came.

Lin Shuanghe hurriedly asked Lin Mu beside him: "Dad, how can we let a woman participate in a martial arts competition?"

Lin Mu said: "Shut up."

Xiao Jing was also worried. Yan He poked Xiao Jue with his arm and couldn't help but said, "Hey, your wife has been forced to do this, how can you remain calm? Xiao Huaijin, you are so heartless."

Xiao Jue ignored him.

He Yan stood up and did not respond to the emperor's words. Instead, he looked at Maningbu and asked, "Emissary Maningbu, what do you think of the two famous generals of Wei?"

Ma Ningbu looked at the woman in front of him. Before coming to Wei, He Yan's name had already spread throughout Wutuo. This woman had fought alongside Xiao Jue in Jiyang City, and had single-handedly made Hu Yat suffer a loss in the Battle of Rundu City. Even the spy sent into Liangzhou Guards was discovered by her at first. Xiao Huaijin was certainly scary, but this woman who suddenly appeared was definitely not simple either.

She is just like the former general He Rufei, who always has the ability to turn the tide. He Rufei, the eagle, has finally had his wings broken. Is it possible that a powerful enemy from Utuo will reappear?

Even though she was just a woman.

A woman who can kill people on the battlefield is no longer considered a woman. In some ways, she is qualified to compete with men.

Manning said: "General Feng Yun and General Fei Hong are both heroes that people admire. They are talented generals that appear only once every hundred years, no, once every thousand years."

"What a coincidence, I think so too." He Yan smiled slightly, "Just like the Wutuo warriors who came to Wei and wanted to fight with heroes when they met them, He Yan also has heroes she admires in her heart. If you just want to see my skills, you don't have to compete with me, Master Maninbu," she said, "I am good at swords. If it comes to wrestling, I can't bring out my strength. The only way is to fight with swords, and if it comes to fighting with swords, I won't compete with you."

Emperor Wenxuan's eyes lit up.

He Yan meant to compete with Xiao Jue? This was great. She and Xiao Jue would be husband and wife immediately. If she won, she could say that Xiao Jue was being polite to her. If she lost, she would lose to her own people anyway, and it wouldn't bring shame to the Wei Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Emperor Wenxuan immediately spoke: "I agree. Since we want to see Marquis Wu'an's skills, we should choose the category that Marquis Wu'an is good at. Marquis Wu'an, who do you want to duel with?"

The people who were holding their breath for He Yan breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. Emperor Wenxuan said this, giving He Yan a chance to step down. The officials who were watching the excitement were also a little disappointed. If He Yan had to choose, he would naturally choose Xiao Jue. The couple could come up with any result they wanted by sparring with each other.

Just when everyone was thinking this, He Yan walked to the group of generals. She did not stop beside Xiao Jue, but walked in front of He Rufei before looking at the person in front of her.

"General Feihong," she said with a brilliant smile, with a hint of sarcasm, "I want to see your sword."

－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－

Jiaojiao: Did you pay me for taking me out?