Just as Ma Ruofei was wondering what to say, a loud noise suddenly broke out throughout the banquet.
"Li Baiqiu, don't think that just because you're a member of the Li family, I won't dare to hit you."
Meng Xiujie said, his face flushed.
Immediately, everyone present looked towards where Meng Xiujie was.
Li Baiqiu remained smiling, like a refined gentleman, while Zhao Zheng watched the two with a light laugh, his mouth moving constantly, clearly trying to persuade them.
"You brute, you are truly ignorant. Today is His Highness Kai's grand banquet. I'd like to see if you dare to make a move."
Although Li Qiubai was a scholar, his imposing manner showed no fear of Meng Xiujie.
When Li Qiubai said that, Meng Xiujie's face turned even redder.
"Alright, you two, stop arguing. What can't we say in private? Today is His Highness Kai's banquet, so let's not disturb his banquet."
Zhao Zheng tried to persuade Zhao Kai earnestly, but Zhao Kai's expression grew increasingly grim.
Just then, Meng Xiujie roared.
"I'll give Prince Kai face today and I definitely won't throw a tantrum here. If you're so arrogant, then come out and have a go at me right now."
"Ha, you brute, let's practice then. Where are the Li family members?"
Li Qiubai instantly opened the folding fan in his hand, covering his mouth, then squinted at Meng Xiujie and shouted loudly.
"exist."
Throughout the banquet, several elegant gentlemen stood up.
"Come on, let's go out and practice. Anyone who leaves today is a coward. Where are the Meng family members? Where are the Northern You Wolf Riders?"
Meng Xiujie clenched his fists, his face flushed, and glared at Li Qiubai, shouting.
"exist."
A dozen or so young people, including Ma Ruofei, stood up instantly.
"Let's go."
The two of them said in unison.
After saying that, he stormed out the door, and the other young men followed him in a similarly aggressive manner.
Zhao Zheng also took the opportunity to follow them, and kept trying to persuade them from behind.
Before they knew it, the group rushed out of the banquet hall.
As for most of the people in the hall, they all looked on with anticipation, after all, the conflict between the Meng family members and the Li family members had been going on for quite some time.
So it's normal to play a match like this occasionally.
However, Zhao Kai's expression was extremely unpleasant because the person he wanted to win over had actually run away.
They were taken away just like that.
…………
As soon as Zhao Zheng and his group stepped out of Yiran Courtyard, the two groups of people who were originally angry instantly calmed down.
Ma Ruofei also cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Zhao Zheng and the other two.
"Thank you, Your Highness, Brother Li, and Brother Meng, for rescuing me from this predicament."
Upon seeing this, Meng Xiujie burst into laughter.
"We're all comrades, there's no need to be so meticulous. Actually, I was just thinking of leaving anyway. Someone like Zhao Kai should take a good look in the mirror and see what he's really like, daring to try and win us over."
Meng Xiujie's words were full of disdain for Zhao Kai.
Li Qiubai immediately followed up with his reply.
"You're being incredibly disparaging of the royal family. You're a complete brute. The Meng family will be ruined by you sooner or later. Why don't you hand over your family fortune to me now? That way, if your family falls on hard times, I can help you out. Isn't that right, Your Highness?"
Li Qiubai seemed to casually point at Zhao Zheng.
Zhao Zheng understood instantly.
“Brother Li, you’re mistaken. My cousin is just an average-looking man. What you say makes sense.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Xiujie, who had initially felt he had spoken out of turn, felt relieved.
After all, it is indeed inappropriate to discuss members of the royal family in private, but now that Zhao Zheng has said so, and since Zhao Zheng is Zhao Kai's cousin, it is no longer a matter of discussing Zhao Kai in private.
Immediately, Meng Xiujie and Ma Ruofei felt a surge of goodwill towards this son of the Prince of Yan.
Li Qiubai smiled, completely unconcerned that Zhao Zheng had refuted his words.
Everyone here is a smart person, so they all understand the meaning of this sentence.
"Thank you all very much, brothers. However, I may have to go to the Northern Ghost Wolf Cavalry for duty tonight, so I'll take my leave now."
Ma Ruofei cupped his hands and said.
"Haha, go ahead, but be careful tonight."
Meng Xiujie laughed heartily, but still spoke with a pointed tone.
After watching Ma Ruofei leave, Meng Xiujie also got up to say goodbye, got into his own carriage, and left.
The scene suddenly became very deserted.
"Your Highness, it would be better if you went back earlier tonight."
Li Qiubai looked up at the crescent moon and then advised Zhao Zheng.
"I understand, but Brother Li, our Nanya Pass is still lacking a young advisor. I wonder if you would be interested?"
Compared to the other two, Li Qiubai's position in the Northern You Empire was so important and special; he was an advisor to the Northern You Empress.
Therefore, he is the easiest person for Zhao Zheng to win over right now.
However, Li Qiubai was also the most intelligent of the three.
Upon receiving Zhao Zheng's invitation, Li Qiubai narrowed his eyes and spoke after a long while.
"Hehe, let's not talk about this today. I will definitely visit the Prince of Yan's residence in the future and have a good chat with Your Highness. However, Your Highness was too sharp today. Be careful not to catch the Empress's eye."
"Haha, thank you for the advice, Brother Li."
Zhao Zheng bowed again in thanks.
Seeing that Zhao Zheng understood his meaning, Li Qiubai didn't say anything more. Instead, he got into the Li family's carriage and headed back to the Li family home.
Zhao Zheng slowly boarded his carriage and headed towards his Prince Yan's residence.
"Your Highness, the capital city is quite unusual tonight."
Inside the carriage, Elder Mu suddenly spoke, completely unconcerned that the guards beside him might have overheard something; clearly, Elder Mu had already shielded them from view.
Zhao Zheng did not speak immediately, but instead turned his questioning gaze to Elder Mu.
“Your Highness, when I was guarding outside the gate just now, I discovered that there were four Venerable auras hiding in the shadows outside the Yiran Courtyard alone. It is clear that they all have unspeakable secrets.”
"Therefore, I predict that the capital city will be anything but peaceful tonight."
After hearing what Elder Mu said, Zhao Zheng nodded approvingly.
"The powerful families are starting to stir; they're about to lose their temper. Today might be the day to force some of them to make a statement. This is just a small matter; I believe the bigger picture is definitely unfolding."
"Moreover, four old men actually showed up tonight. It seems that their aristocratic family was too hasty."
"By the way, Elder Mu, you'll have to work hard tonight to ensure the safety of the Prince of Yan's residence. Tomorrow, when the people from the Offering Hall arrive, you'll be able to relax."
Zhao Zheng said.
"I understand, Your Highness. Rest assured, as long as I am here, no thief will be able to break into my Prince Yan's residence."
Old Mu's eyes sharpened instantly, and an aura of a venerable being erupted from him.
Upon returning to the Prince of Yan's residence, Zhao Zheng immediately went to his room to rest, while Old Mu brazenly sat cross-legged in the entire courtyard of the Prince of Yan's residence.
In the dead of night, the once quiet capital city was suddenly filled with the sounds of fighting. Zhao Zheng, who had been sleeping, instantly opened his eyes and sat up.
"Old Mu."
"Your Highness."
Immediately, Elder Mu appeared in the room.
"How's the situation outside?"
"Based on my observation, it's possible that some powerful families couldn't wait any longer and started targeting other families loyal to the Empress. However, now that the Northern You Wolf Riders have entered the city, the situation has begun to stabilize."
"Is it just a small-scale operation?"
Zhao Zheng squinted as he pondered.
"Tsk tsk, kid, can you believe it? This little skirmish has already claimed the lives of two Venerable-level ancestors. Hehe, these two families may have to be removed from the list of Northern Netherworld families from now on."
Ye Yi recounted everything he had seen that evening.
Zhao Zheng was immediately surprised.
It's important to remember that today is only the first day. The most important thing is to force some neutral families to take a stand, so we absolutely cannot go too far with the rebellious families. Let tonight be just a minor skirmish.
However, Zhao Zheng did not expect that even a small-scale operation would result in the deaths of two Venerable-level experts.
"Ancestor, how did these two Venerable-level experts perish?"
Zhao Zheng asked, somewhat puzzled.
It should be noted that in battles between experts of the same level on the mainland, it is extremely rare for one to perish.
Unless it was Empress Beiyou who personally suppressed them, but if Empress Beiyou were to take action, it would definitely not be so quiet. Therefore, Zhao Zheng was very curious about how these two Venerable experts had fallen so silently.
You should know that if Elder Mu were to truly engage in battle, there would be endless strange phenomena filling the sky. Although it might not be visible to the entire Northern You Empire, it would certainly be clearly visible in the capital.
However, this situation has not occurred in the capital, so it can be said that the two Venerable Masters died quietly.
"Hehe, of course it was the Northern Nether Wolf Riders who made the move. You should know that the predecessor of the Northern Nether Wolf Riders was the Great Ying Wolf Riders. If the Great Ying Wolf Riders didn't have the means to suppress Venerables, how could they be called the number one army in the world?"
"Both Venerable Ones died at the hands of the wolf riders?"
"Um."
Ye Yi nodded calmly.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zheng gasped in shock and said in disbelief.
"Two Venerable Ones died silently at the hands of ten thousand wolf riders?!"
Zhao Zheng knew that tonight it was Ma Ruofei's wolf cavalry that was on duty.
"That's right, but the Venerable of the Ma family also made a move. The battle is not as simple as you believe. It's just that the wolf cavalry's formation covered the entire battle scene, so it didn't cause too much noise. But if you go to the place of the battle tomorrow, you will definitely see ruins everywhere."
However, after tonight's battle, the Ma family's wolf cavalry will need a long time to recover.
Ye Yi couldn't help but say with dissatisfaction.
Although it wasn't as outrageous as he had imagined, Zhao Zheng was still quite amazed by the wolf riders' combat power, after all, there were a full two hundred thousand wolf riders.
If 10,000 units can suppress a Venerable, then wouldn't the Northern Nether Empire have the fighting power of twenty Venerables?
"Haha, kid, don't underestimate Bei You. Do you know why the Bei You Wolf Riders have never acted together in groups of 200,000?"
"Why?"
Zhao Zheng immediately asked.
"Because if all the high-ranking members of the Northern Ghost Wolf Riders are included, then the Northern Ghost Wolf Riders will become a supreme-level combat force."
Ye Yi revealed a shocking truth.
Upon hearing these two words, Zhao Zheng was stunned once again.
"As expected of the legacy left by the once mighty empire."
Zhao Zheng couldn't help but let out a long sigh, his words filled with resentment.
He originally thought that his forces were enough to rival the Northern You Empire, but upon hearing this, he immediately realized that the idea of challenging the Northern You Empire was a joke. Putting aside everything else, the two Venerables of the Northern You Empire alone could easily wipe out his forces.
Zhao Zheng immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he hadn't rebelled.
I am now a member of the royal family loyal to the Northern You Empire, and the Northern You Empire is my faith.
Zhao Zheng calmly suppressed his desire to rebel.
The sounds of battle in the capital slowly subsided. Even after the battle ended, Zhao Zheng did not rest, because he had been frightened by the power of the Northern You Empire that night.
He sat alone in his study until daylight.
The next day, after the housekeeper served breakfast, Zhao Zheng came to his senses.
After breakfast, Zhao Zheng led Elder Mu out of the Prince of Yan's residence and headed towards the place where the battle had taken place the previous night.
When Zhao Zheng arrived at the market, he saw many men, women, and children being escorted by a group of imperial guards.
Upon seeing these men, women, and children, Zhao Zheng instantly understood. These were the rebellious aristocratic families.
Zhao Zheng had no ill intentions towards these people. Although the vast majority of them were innocent, they had enjoyed the favors of the powerful families, so now that the family was in ruins, they should also share the burden.
After passing through the market, Zhao Zheng was stunned by the ruins before him.
The bloodstains and countless collapsed floors tell the story of the bloody battle that took place here.
Of course, there was also a large group of armored soldiers wearing black armor and black masks patrolling around.
Zhao Zheng understood that these people were the Northern You Wolf Riders, who instilled fear in the entire world.
Each of them exuded a terrifying aura of malevolence and killing intent; their armor didn't even expose a single patch of flesh, making them appear like killing machines.
Just as Zhao Zheng was staring blankly at the crowd, a group suddenly appeared in front of him.
Mu Lao immediately stepped forward, blocking Zhao Zheng and the armored soldiers.
"Your Highness." The leading armored soldier ignored Elder Mu and instead saluted Zhao Zheng.
The moment he heard the voice, Zhao Zheng immediately realized that this person was Meng Xiujie.
However, Zhao Zheng still asked in a somewhat uncertain tone.
"Brother Meng?"
The leading armored soldier nodded and then spoke.
"Your Highness, this place is stained with filth and blood. Please move aside and wait until we have cleaned it up before we respectfully invite Your Highness to come down."
"Okay, I understand."
Seeing Meng Xiujie's cold and unapproachable demeanor, Zhao Zheng was not angry at all, but nodded and left the scene.
However, as he left, Zhao Zheng still looked at the Northern You Wolf Riders with lingering reluctance.
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