"Thank you, father!" Zhao Che said loudly and kowtowed heavily to the ground.
The princes and ministers followed suit and loudly praised Zhao Che's bravery.
Yan Xun sat at the bottom, drinking tea with his head bowed, indifferent and silent, but his eyes slowly narrowed.
“Seventh brother is brave and has guarded the border for our Great Xia for many years. He is indeed a rare talent. With seventh brother in the northern border, the territory is worry-free.” The third prince Zhao Qi nodded slowly, his face calm, without any jealousy or annoyance. Whether it was sincere or false, he deserved the title of a wise king.
After expressing his gratitude, Zhao Che withdrew with his subordinates. The atmosphere in the field became harmonious and gradually became lively. Each warlord clan put on various martial arts demonstrations, including horse fighting, archery competitions, military dances and sword practice. Delicacies were served to the seats like water, all of which were grilled game, with excellent taste and tempting aroma.
The Batuha family from the northwest came all the way to participate in the hunt. Apart from a few uncles born out of wedlock, there were only two legitimate descendants, Zaru and Zama. At this moment, Zaru had just led his family warriors to perform a unique Northwestern style of wrestling, which drew enthusiastic applause from the audience. Zama led a group of fit northwestern girls into the arena and performed superb horsemanship.
Although their methods are not particularly outstanding, a group of young and beautiful aristocratic girls will inevitably win a lot of praise.
Emperor Xia was happy and bestowed twenty rolls of Huaisong tribute gauze as a gift. For a moment, it brought about another climax in the scene.
Zama smiled and thanked the emperor for his grace. When he stood up, he suddenly said, "Your Majesty, it's pointless to perform all the time. In our northwest, martial arts competitions are allowed at banquets. This is my first time in Zhenhuang. Can I ask Your Majesty to allow me to challenge someone?"
She was still a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old, not very old, and her expression was very cute when she spoke, which made everyone smile. Emperor Xia sat in the upper seat. His expression was unclear, but his voice was slightly amused as he asked, "Who are you going to challenge?"
"I've heard for a long time that the maidservants under the command of Prince Yanbei are skilled in martial arts, but I've never had the chance to learn from them. Today, everyone is in a good mood, so why don't we go down and play together?"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes immediately turned to Yan Xun, who was sitting at the last seat. Those who knew about the fight just now naturally understood the whole story. Those who didn't know thought that Zama was deliberately looking for trouble. After all, the Batuha family in the northwest and the Yanbei lineage have always been hostile. Before Yan Shicheng's death, there had been many confrontations in such public occasions.
Before King Xia could say anything, Yan Xun stood up and declined indifferently, "I am still young and have only a basic understanding of martial arts. How dare I show off in front of Your Majesty. Princess Zama is an excellent horseman and martial artist. Please don't force her." He was wearing a moon-white robe embroidered with dark lotus patterns with fine lines and hidden patterns. He had black hair and black eyes, a face as white as jade, and an unrestrained air of a gentleman.
"Prince Yan, pretending to conceal something is a crime of deceiving the emperor. Besides, Princess Zama is only sixteen years old. She is a princess and is competing with a slave. This is a great honor. You are being so reluctant. Aren't you being too ungrateful?"
A young man sitting in the fourth seat at the top, next to Wei Jing, spoke up. This man was a newly rising descendant of the Wei clan, named Wei Qingchi. He was eloquent and well-spoken. Yan Xun had met him at several banquets before, but he had never expected that he would dare to confront him so openly today.
"Qing Chi is right," Wei Jing laughed. "Prince Yan, a gentleman should help others achieve their goals. It's rare that the pearl of the Northwest grassland has such a refined interest. You might as well help her. Otherwise, General Batu will blame the Zhenhuang clans for bullying his precious daughter in the future."
As soon as he opened his mouth, someone immediately echoed him. Emperor Xia smiled at Zama and said, "Your request will be granted."
Yan Xun raised his eyebrows and was about to say something else, but Chu Qiao suddenly stood up from behind him, grabbed the corner of Yan Xun's clothes, and shook her head silently.
Yan Xun's face was gloomy, but he knew that the arrow had to be shot today. If he continued talking, he would most likely be criticized. Under the wide cuffs, Yan Xun held Chu Qiao's hand tightly and whispered, "Be careful."
The girl nodded and smiled, "Don't worry."
Taking off her long fur coat, Chu Qiao walked to the center of the venue, bowed to the north, then turned around and saluted Princess Zama, saying, "If that's the case, I'm sorry to offend you."
In an instant, everyone's eyes were focused on this girl.
Seven years ago, eight-year-old Chu Qiao and Yan Xun were in the same boat. They cut off three fingers of Wei Jing on Jiuwai Street and used them as hostages to escape from Zhenhuang. Later, they fought with the imperial guards in front of Jiuyoutai and almost escaped. These people still remember it vividly.
If an eight-year-old child had such courage and strength back then, then what kind of abilities would she have after seven years? Even though she was just a little slave girl of low status, she represented the Yanbei lineage.
Everyone in the Great Xia Dynasty knew that although Yan Shicheng died seven years ago and the lineage of King Yan was wiped out, the policy of self-selection of officials in Yanbei, which had been implemented for more than a hundred years, allowed the Yan lineage to take deep roots in the northwestern grasslands. Due to the constant harassment of the border by the Quanrong people over the years, Daxia had no time to completely replace the blood of Yanbei. This was also the primary reason why Emperor Xia did not dare to get rid of Yan Xun for a long time. What's more, in private, there is such a mysterious force secretly supporting Yanbei's economy and politics. Before there is absolute certainty of eradicating it, Yan Xun is still the nominal master of Yanbei.
The wind blew outside the tent, hitting the girl's light blue clothes. Chu Qiao has dark eyebrows, black hair, and a thin face. Although she cannot be described as a stunningly beautiful woman, the calmness and courage she exudes are enough to make any man look at her with awe.
This was the first time that Chu Qiao stood in front of all the people of the Great Xia royal family. As a female slave, she accepted the challenge of Princess Zama, the most prominent princess in the northwest.
Zama looked at the girl who had just embarrassed him, sneered, and said proudly: "I just performed horsemanship, and my strength has not recovered yet. It is unfair to fight like this. How about this, I will send my slave to fight you first, and you can beat him, and then come and fight me."
When these words came out, everyone in the room was shocked. Zhao Song finally couldn't hold back any longer. He stood up and said, "Father, this is not fair, regardless of Zhao Qi's frown."
"Princess Zama is a delicate woman, and it is inappropriate for her to compete with a female slave, not to mention she just performed horsemanship. Your Highness Thirteen, she is just a slave, there is nothing unfair about it." Zhao Zhongyan, the youngest son of King Ling, laughed and said nonchalantly.
Wei Jing raised the corner of his mouth, looked at Chu Qiao with a gloomy look, and said lightly: "What the young prince said is very true, he is just a slave, just for fun."
"you……"
"Thirteenth brother!" Zhao Qi shouted in a deep voice, "Sit down."
Seeing that Emperor Xia had no objection, Zama turned around and said to a burly man sitting in the back seat: "Tuda, come and play with this little girl."
As soon as the big man stood up, everyone exclaimed in surprise. They saw that the big man was very tall, more than seven feet tall, with eyes like copper bells and tangled muscles on his arms. Standing next to Chu Qiao, he looked like an elephant and a cat, with no proportion at all.
At this point, everyone immediately understood what Princess Zama meant. This was not a competition at all, but a murder. However, no one raised any objection. After all, in their eyes, it was just as Wei Jing said: just slaves, for fun.
Chu Qiao raised her head and looked at Tuda calmly. She knew that today's battle was related to Yanbei's reputation. This was the first time in many years that Yan Xun had shown his face in front of the officials and soldiers of the empire. If she was defeated, it would be a great blow to Yanbei's morale. The foundation of Yan Xun's survival now was the unconditional loyalty of Yanbei's soldiers.
She took a deep breath, walked out of the imperial tent, and came to the center of the enclosure. She walked to the weapon rack next to her and picked up a spear. She weighed it in her hand for a few times, then turned around and walked back, looking up and saying, "What weapon do you use?"
Tuda clenched his fists and bumped them together a few times, making a harsh sound, and said triumphantly, "My fists are my weapons."
"Knives and guns have no eyes, so be careful."
A gust of wind suddenly came, attacking towards Chu Qiao. Tuda roared loudly, his voice was as loud as a thunder exploding in the air!
The girl suddenly turned around and moved. Just as she left the spot, a huge fist slammed into the ground. Suddenly, snow flew, smoke filled the air, and a huge hole appeared on the ground.
There was a cry of surprise from the crowd. Judging from the force the big man used, it was clear that he was going to kill the girl. There were many young girls and ladies in the scene. They were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they covered their eyes and dared not watch.
Chu Qiao picked up the spear, but had no chance to use it. Tuda was incredibly strong and very agile. For a moment, he was like a ferocious tiger, pressing forward step by step.
Zhao Song looked nervous. Although he knew Chu Qiao was very skilled, how could she be a match for such a big and strong man? The young prince made up his mind to rescue immediately if the situation got bad.
In a flash, the two had exchanged several moves, but the thin girl never fought back. She dodged everywhere and avoided a head-on conflict with Tuda. Just when everyone was sure that she was bound to lose, they suddenly heard Tuda shout loudly and pounced on Chu Qiao with a ferocious look on his face and cruel means. A strong wind blew, torches burned high and crackled, and everyone exclaimed in unison, thinking that Chu Qiao could not escape this disaster and would surely die.
However, in the crowd, Yan Xun's tense face suddenly relaxed. He brought the wine glass held tightly in his hand to his lips and took a sip indifferently. When he let go of his hand, a crisp sound was heard and the wine glass broke into several pieces, scattered messily on the table.
Under the gaze of millions of people, everyone was stunned. The girl who had been running around suddenly turned around, with strange steps and a flexible body. She twisted her waist and turned her body upside down in the air with the help of her waist strength. She immediately pulled the spear back, fired the pistol backwards, and sent it out with the power of thunder!
There was a muffled sound of "puff", blood splattered everywhere and screams were heard.
A strong wind came howling, blowing up the girl's hair. She was seen holding the gun in one hand, pointing it at Tuda's chest. The spear penetrated half an inch into his body, but did not go deeper. It was obvious that she intended to hold back and did not want to kill him.
With a whoosh, Chu Qiao retracted her spear and nodded indifferently, "Thank you for giving way." After that, she turned around and kowtowed to the main seat at the north end.
The crowd watching suddenly burst into thunderous applause! Daxia places the greatest emphasis on military force. Seeing such a young girl with superb spear skills defeating such a burly man in the blink of an eye, everyone shouted at the top of their lungs.
However, at this moment, Tuda suddenly shouted, rushed forward with his fist, and hit Chu Qiao's back hard as she faced away from him!