Qi Qiuxin still nodded, "I won’t anymore."
With a heavy sigh, Qi Zonghao opened the door and walked out, first sternly warning the people outside, then ordering the palace maids to swiftly clean up the room. He also ordered a guard to fetch a doctor and arranged for another to go to the market to purchase new items.
Emperor Dongchu had already stated the rules: all items in the posthouse were registered, and if any damage or loss was discovered, the guests of the posthouse would have to compensate tenfold. He didn’t care about the silver, but word getting out could damage his reputation.
When Qi Zonghao’s footsteps had faded away, Qi Qiuxin raised her head, her beautiful face twisted grotesquely, void of all previous weakness and fear, her eyes bursting with deep-rooted jealousy and venom: once Yang Mengchen became the Emperor’s woman, she would surely make that wretch’s life a living hell!
In the posthouse where Nanping’s envoys were staying.
Xiahou Muyang was discussing the couple of Prince Chen with several of his confidants and how to maintain a good relationship with them, his brow suddenly furrowed.
"Li Jin, notify our spies in Dongchu Capital to evacuate immediately!"
The guard Li Jin respectfully complied and left.
The confidants looked at Xiahou Muyang, one of them asking doubtfully, "Third Prince, why suddenly order those people to leave? What has happened?"
"If this prince is not mistaken, Prince Chen will definitely use this assassination attempt to eradicate the spies from various kingdoms in the capital."
"Even so, as long as our people stay put, Prince Chen, no matter how capable, won’t be able to uncover them."
Another confidant urged persuasively, "Third Prince, it took us countless efforts to establish those spies. Wouldn’t it be a pity if they just left? Besides, it would be much more difficult to reinstate them later on. Please consider again, Third Prince!"
The others nodded in agreement.
"Of course, this prince is aware of the difficulty in establishing a spy network, but if we don’t evacuate them now, I fear we’ll suffer a total loss." Seeing some skepticism from his confidants, Xiahou Muyang said meaningfully, "With just Prince Chen, perhaps nothing will be uncovered, but what about with the addition of those three Spiritual Beasts? What do you think the outcome will be then?"
The group’s demeanor turned grave as their expressions changed dramatically.
They, too, were at the tournament grounds today and had witnessed firsthand the extraordinary abilities of those three Spiritual Beasts. Combined with Prince Chen’s acumen and Princess Chen’s intelligence, it was indeed highly likely that the spies from various countries could be exposed.
"As for re-establishing the spy network, let’s first see how things unfold. There will always be opportunities."
In fact, all kingdoms had established their spy networks in other countries, a fact mutually understood but unspoken.
"Who in the world would dare attempt to assassinate Emperor Dongchu and Princess Chen?"
Not just the confidants, even Xiahou Muyang was puzzled.
An assassination attempt on Emperor Dongchu would spark internal chaos in Dongchu, possibly even a coup d’état, but as for the assassination of Princess Chen...
Princess Chen was intelligent, competent, and proficient in both civil and military affairs, and she had an ability to amass wealth. Not just him, but any farsighted Emperor or anyone with designs on the throne would go to great lengths to win her over, rather than remove her, unless the person behind the scenes was certain they couldn’t sway her, hence resorting to elimination, unfortunately falling short of success.
In the posthouse where Beiyue’s envoys were staying, Wu Zhenglie also ordered his spies to evacuate, his line of thought mirroring that of Xiahou Muyang.
At the beginning of the hour of You (roughly 7 p.m.), the Emperor held a grand banquet in the palace to which Dongchu officials of the fourth rank and above were to bring their families, along with envoys and contestants from various nations, and judges, to celebrate the conclusion of the grand ceremony, and to distribute prizes to the winning contestants.
Yang Chengrong, being an earl, was eligible to enter the palace to attend the banquet; Yang Chengyou and Yang Chengbin did not have high enough rank, but the Emperor granted them special permission to attend.
Around Shen Hour (around 4 p.m.), Yang Chengrong and his wife, Yang Chengyou, and Yang Chengbin followed Yang Mengchen and Long Xuanmo to enter the palace.
Of course, Xiao Guai and the other three guards stayed close to Yang Mengchen’s side.
The group went directly to Cining Palace, where Yang Chengrong and his two brothers, though foreign males, were told by the Empress Dowager that they were all family and did not need to stand on ceremony. Therefore, they stayed in Cining Palace to chat about family matters, later joining the Empress Dowager and Empress in the Imperial Garden to attend the banquet.
The Emperor made an opening speech for the banquet and then announced the distribution of prizes. Palace maids holding trays covered with red silk streamed out and placed them on a long table not far from the main seat.
The Dongchu Prime Minister read the list of prize-winning contestants.
In this tournament, Dongchu had swept all the first-place positions in both the men’s and women’s categories, much to the delight of Dongchu’s citizens, who beamed with pride, looking smug and satisfied.
The Emperor was very pleased internally, but his demeanor remained commanding, while the Empress Dowager and Empress looked dignified, yet smiles twinkled in their eyes.
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