Chapter 239 There Must Be Something Lucky
Yun Qingqing originally thought that since Xiao Changheng had specially sent someone to dress her up, she would dress up as extravagantly as other distinguished women to show off her status.
After all, it was a palace banquet attended by envoys from several countries, so she was mentally prepared.
But the woman in the mirror at this moment was wearing a palace dress with dark-flowered cloud brocade. It was gorgeous but not gaudy, expensive but not vulgar. Her bun was simple but dignified. The cloud-shaped and green hairpins decorated her hair just right. There was not a single superfluous ornament on her body. From head to toe, it was obvious that the dress was carefully designed and tailored for her.
"Hiss...Miss is usually beautiful enough, but she is especially beautiful today!" Qiao'er's gasp sounded behind her.
Mammy smiled and said:
"Of course! These clothes and jewelry were all chosen by the prince himself. He and the princess don't like tedious things, so he asked us to draw a hairstyle book a few days in advance. This one, chosen from hundreds of hairstyles, really suits the princess perfectly!"
Yun Qingqing picked up the green jade hairpin on the dressing table and put it back on her head. She saw that the flower-adorned hairpins around it matched the green jade hairpin perfectly, without any sense of abruptness.
She pursed her lips, turned around and walked out, facing the astonished and envious gazes of the maids.
Under the tree in the yard, a tall and graceful man in a black robe turned around when he heard the voice and met her gaze.
The man's deep eyebrows and eyes were hidden in the shadows of the trees, and his expression could not be seen clearly. Only the elegant curve of his lips was clearly visible.
"Qingqing," he strode forward and looked down at her, "it's time to go."
Yun Qingqing was not short, but when she looked up at Xiao Changheng, she realized that he was a head taller than her.
At this moment, the bright sunlight shone diagonally on his side face, casting a layer of golden light on his drooping long eyelashes, making his already perfectly contoured face look like a god.
A clear light faintly flowed in her black pupils, and the pure purple air and the man's figure appeared in her eyes, making her dazed for a moment.
Yun Qingqing suddenly felt a little happy for no reason.
This is what a son of luck should be like, free and easy, without any bad luck entanglement. As long as he stands there, he will always be the most eye-catching one.
It was worth it that she spent so much effort to protect him.
"What's wrong? Are you stunned?" Xiao Changheng's magnetic voice sounded in his ears, with a hint of smile.
Yun Qingqing was stunned for a moment, then she looked away, coughed lightly, and answered the question irrelevantly:
"The palace banquet has already begun. What are you going to do if the regent is late for such an important occasion?"
Xiao Changheng chuckled softly:
"Anyway, I have the princess with me, so I'm not afraid."
Yun Qingqing: “…”
Who asked you if you were scared or not? What the hell are you talking about, you evil prince?
Xiao Changheng's eyebrows curved slightly, and he took her hand as if nothing had happened:
"Let's go, don't keep my brother waiting too long."
Yun Qingqing looked down at the two people holding hands, and out of the corner of her eye she saw the gleaming gazes of the maids and servants.
...Forget it. Anyway, the showdown will have to wait until the envoys leave, so let's not worry about it for now.
She didn't say anything in the end. She let Xiao Changheng lead her, and together they went to the gate to get on the carriage and headed straight for the palace.
…
Inside the palace.
Because the palace banquet was to receive audiences from envoys from various countries, it was originally held in the main hall, but now the venue has been moved to the parade ground.
The emperor sat in a makeshift greenhouse, his seemingly calm face revealing a hint of anxiety.
He lowered his chin and coughed twice, and the chief steward Li Liangui next to him immediately came up to him with a look of understanding.
"Why hasn't the Regent arrived yet? Where is the person we sent to urge him?" The emperor lowered his voice with a hint of anger.
Li Liangui quickly replied:
"Your Majesty, please calm down. According to the time, the person we sent out should have just arrived at the palace. I think there will be a response soon."
The emperor took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, frowned and looked towards the center of the training ground.
A competition was going on over there, and all the civil and military officials and their families were gathered around, all looking unhappy.
Near the emperor were envoys from the three countries of Nanyu, Xilan and Beicang, and behind them were envoys from several barbarian tribes in the northwest.
The visit of the envoy from Beicang was completely unexpected. He suddenly appeared early this morning, and the envoy was the third prince of Beicang, Prince Li, Yuwen Ye.
It was very against the rules for the royal family of the Lin Kingdom to cross the border and visit without sending a letter. It would have been fine if it happened in private, but Yuwen Ye's appearance in public was tantamount to a slap in the face of the Liang Kingdom.
However, Beicang's strength cannot be underestimated, and it appeared when the envoys from the other two major countries were present. The emperor was not sure whether there was anything fishy going on between these countries. If he turned against them directly, Liang would become the target of public criticism.
He had no choice but to suppress his displeasure for the time being and wait until the Regent arrived before making any plans.
As a result, when the palace banquet began, Xiao Changheng was late, and Beicang started trouble.
The cause was that the envoys of Xilan were mocked by the officials of Liang State at a palace banquet, saying that Xilan had no generals available.
A full army of 200,000, plus an additional 50,000 barbarian troops, was still defeated by the Regent and almost completely wiped out. Not only did the commander lose his head, but the deputy commander was also captured alive. It was only thanks to the Regent's mercy that they were able to return home.
The envoy from Xilan was none other than an elder from the Deputy Commander Qiu's family, who held the title of Duke. He was humiliated but speechless.
Prince Lu Fan of Nanyu and Deputy Envoy Chu Jingyan just watched the fun calmly.
But the Li King of Beicang suddenly interrupted.
"So, Liang State is very confident in the strength of its own generals!"
As soon as he said this, he immediately attracted the attention of the military generals in the court.
"Why, Your Highness Prince Li, do you doubt the strength of our Daliang generals?" A general spoke frankly and said unhappily.
In fact, other people had similar thoughts, not to mention the emperor, who was already dissatisfied with Prince Li's almost provocative words.
"The general is overthinking it." Yuwen Ye tapped his palm lightly with his folding fan and laughed nonchalantly.
Everyone thought he knew he had spoken out of turn and was trying to smooth things over. Just as the atmosphere had eased for a moment, he spoke again in a nonchalant tone:
"But we only managed to win against Xilan. It's not worth it for me to doubt you." Yuwen Ye raised his lips, not disguising his contempt. "You're just the tallest of the short guys."
Now the officials of Liang State could no longer pretend not to hear and their expressions changed immediately.
The general slammed the table and stood up, saying angrily:
"What did you say? How dare you look down on my Daliang generals? Come and compete with me if you dare. I want to see if you have the guts to brag!"
Yuwen Ye glanced at him lightly and said with a chuckle:
"Do you think I need to do it myself? One of my guards can beat ten of you."
The general was so angry that he stood up and knelt before the emperor:
"Your Majesty, the Northern Cang envoy has insulted Daliang in this way. This general cannot tolerate it! Please, Your Majesty, issue a decree allowing me to compete with this boy!"
Yuwen Ye's attitude was too arrogant, and just a few words angered the entire court, making the civil and military officials want to kick him out. Many ministers immediately agreed.
The Emperor had been worried about why Xiao Changheng hadn't arrived yet, and didn't want to cause any more trouble. However, Yuwen Ye's words were indeed excessive, and he was unhappy, so he nodded:
"Since Prince Li is so confident, why not have a duel with my Daliang generals? This will prevent people from thinking you're just talking big."
Yuwen Ye curled his lips and smiled:
"Normally, when His Majesty the Liang Emperor makes a request, foreign ministers should be respectful and obey. However... these generals in your court seem really incompetent. Even if I only send a retainer to compete with them, it would be too cheap!"
The emperor's face darkened.
Yuwen Ye did not wait for him to speak and said with a smile:
"I can agree to a competition, but I wouldn't feel honored even if I won. There should at least be some kind of prize, right?"
The emperor said coldly:
"What prize do you want?"
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