Chapter 848 Strange
All that could be heard was the melodious, clear, and pleasant sound of his flute, with notes slowly spreading from the bamboo flute.
However, the eldest prince of Beixiao did not simply play the flute. He played the flute in one hand and held a sword in the other. The sword was pure white, with a faint chill swirling around its blade. His swordsmanship followed the flute music, making it indescribably eerie.
His figure moved swiftly, and where his sword passed, fine ice crystals condensed in the air, causing the temperature in the hall to drop sharply, making people shiver.
Everyone exclaimed in amazement, "He was playing the flute and wielding a sword at the same time... his sword dance was absolutely exquisite..."
All eyes were on the eldest prince of Bei Xiao. They listened intently and watched with rapt attention, and no one even noticed that the red petal between Jiang Fenghua's brows seemed to have shifted position. She swayed her hips like a bewitching demon, a fierce light shooting from her eyes. Her brows were filled with resentment, making the flower even more vibrant and Jiang Fenghua's face even more alluring.
As Xiao Shang played his flute, his eyes were fixed on Jiang Fenghua. A faint smile appeared on his lips as he confirmed his suspicions: it really was her.
She was destined to change the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty, but unfortunately, he beat her to it. If this destined beauty is not used properly, she may become a demonic woman who hastened the downfall of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Jiang Fenghua felt a heaviness between her brows. She pinched her brow to come back to her senses. She realized that she had been swayed by his flute music.
She suddenly smashed the wine glass on the table to the ground with a loud crash, and the glass shattered into pieces.
Jiang Fenghua glanced at everyone in the hall and said coldly, "Stop."
She turned to Xie Shang beside her and said, "Your Majesty."
Xie Shang, however, was completely absorbed in the music and did not react.
Suddenly, Xiao Shang smiled at her, and the sword in his hand moved faster and faster until it turned into a ball of white light.
Suddenly, he turned his sword and pointed it directly at Xie Shang on the throne.
The next moment, the sword tip stopped abruptly three feet away from Xie Shang. Jiang Fenghua reacted quickly, drawing her sword from under the throne to block Xiao Shang's thrusting sword tip.
Before she could even utter a rebuke, everything in the hall that seemed to have been frozen into icicles vanished instantly.
The entire hall was deathly silent. The next moment, everyone in the hall suddenly clapped and praised, "What excellent swordsmanship!"
Xie Shang, seemingly unaware of what had just transpired, suddenly smiled. "The eldest prince of Beixiao Kingdom is indeed a master swordsman, and his flute playing is even more exquisite. Guards, please offer the eldest prince of Beixiao royal wine. Please, eldest prince, take a seat."
Xiao Shang sheathed his sword and looked in Jiang Fenghua's direction. "Does Your Majesty also wish to perform a sword dance?"
Jiang Fenghua was dumbfounded when she saw the scene before her. She had clearly used her sword to block Xiao Shang's sword that was trying to assassinate Xie Shang. How could this be?
Seeing Jiang Fenghua stand up, still holding a sword in her hand, Xie Shang asked in confusion, "Empress."
Jiang Fenghua knew something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was, nor could she provide any evidence that Xiao Shang intended to assassinate Xie Shang.
She said calmly, "I saw that everyone really enjoyed the sword dance performance, so I wanted to go on stage and dance for everyone."
She wanted to see what kind of sorcery Xiao Shang had used to bewitch everyone in the hall, and why everyone acted as if nothing had happened, not even Xie Shang.
Xie Shang disagreed with Jiang Fenghua's desire to perform a sword dance.
Xie Shang said, "The Empress has drunk too much today, so she shouldn't go on stage. Swords have no eyes, so she might hurt herself. Let the musicians play!"
The happy teachers and dancers took to the stage one after another.
Jiang Fenghua didn't speak, but sat down again, staring at Xiao Shang.
Xie Shang noticed this and quietly squeezed her hand, asking softly, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing much," Jiang Fenghua said softly. "I have something to say to Your Majesty after the banquet."
Xie Shang nodded. "Okay."
He knew that Jiang Fenghua must have discovered something was wrong; this eldest prince of the Northern Xiao Kingdom looked to be only about thirty years old.
Looking at the Empress's expression, Jiang Jinyan felt uneasy. Ever since the eldest prince of Beixiao Kingdom entered Qiming Palace, Ruan Ruan's face had been pale.
They had been sitting there the whole time, but something seemed to have happened that caused them to temporarily lose their memory.
Sang Yupian toasted Jiang Jinyan, saying, "Lord Jiang, please drink."
Jiang Jinyan asked softly, "Does the Empress know him?"
Sang Yupian smiled and said, "Jin Yan calls me Pianpian, so I'll tell you his background."
Jiang Jinyan coughed lightly, sat up straight, and took a sip of wine.
Sang Yu said gracefully, "Fine, I won't make things difficult for you. Considering your kindness in escorting me back to the inn, I'll tell you!"
Jiang Jinyan's ears turned slightly red. The Empress of Chaoxi Kingdom really had no restraint at all. Was this how she treated the imperial consorts in her harem?
Sang Yu Pianpian leaned close to his ear and said, "Legend has it that the most ruthless and cunning demon prince of the Northern Owl Kingdom killed his three uncles at the age of fifteen, successfully seizing the Khanate of the Northern Owl Kingdom for his father. From then on, the Northern Owl Kingdom was ruled by his father. At the age of seventeen, he led his army to massacre the leaders of other tribes in the Arctic, causing all the surrounding tribes to submit to the Northern Owl Kingdom. Those he killed at the time gave him the title of 'Demon Boy' out of fear of him..."
Jiang Jinyan asked in confusion, "Why are there so few historical records about the Northern Owl Kingdom?"
Sang Yupianpian actually looked down on the Northern Xiao Kingdom. Before she ascended the throne, she liked to travel around. She went to various countries while hiding her identity, but she did not go to the Northern Xiao Kingdom north of the glacier. The reason she knew about this was because she heard it from others. At that time, she was young and had only heard of the title of "Demon Boy" but had never seen him.
She organized this trip for various countries to congratulate the Emperor and Empress on their wedding in Great Zhou, partly out of curiosity about the "devilish boy" and partly because she wanted to visit Great Zhou again.
She stared at Jiang Jinyan's face, almost infatuated, her cheeks flushed as if she were drunk, and suddenly wrapped her arms around Jiang Jinyan's neck.
Jiang Jinyan tried to move aside, but she said, "Don't move. Don't you want to know why Empress Jiang's actions were so abrupt just now?"
Jiang Jinyan was stunned. "What do you mean? What do you know?"
Sang Yupianpian, reeking of alcohol, chuckled, "Xiao Shang wasn't called that before. His real name was Xiao Chuanyun. Although the Northern Xiao Kingdom has existed for two hundred years, it's not powerful. It's like the natives of the Northwest, with their own territory and power, living there for generations. They don't have a strong army and can only guard their own corner of the land. The tricks he uses to deceive people are indeed very strange, and I can't see through them either. Now, if the Northern Xiao Kingdom wants to attack Chaoxi, Chaoxi has no ability to resist, also because Chaoxi has a geographical advantage, and no one dares to touch it."
Sang Yu Pianpian will definitely form an alliance with Da Zhou. Da Zhou can act as a shield for Chaoxi Kingdom, but if Da Zhou cannot defeat Bei Xiao, Chaoxi will certainly not be safe either.
Therefore, Sang Yu Pianpian, bearing the heavy responsibility of being the Empress, had no choice but to make this trip.
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