A short while later, Emperor Wenxuan and the Empress entered, followed by Consort Wei and Consort Xian.
Everyone immediately knelt down and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress! Long live the Empress!"
Emperor Wenxuan sat on the dragon throne and gestured for his ministers to rise.
At this moment, the envoy from Southern Xinjiang, dressed in exotic attire, and Princess Lingxiang, wearing a veil, knelt respectfully in the center of the arena. The envoy from Southern Xinjiang was their Grand Preceptor, Li Yuan, who shouted...
"Your Majesty, I, the envoy from the Southern Frontier, pay my respects. The Prince of Yan is valiant, and the Great Xia is powerful. My Southern Frontier is sincerely convinced of your might and has specially dispatched Princess Lingxiang to accompany me, hoping to forge an everlasting alliance with the Great Xia."
Emperor Wenxuan scrutinized Lingxiang and said in a deep voice, "Princess Lingxiang, are you willing?"
Princess Lingxiang lifted her veil, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. Her skin was as white as snow, her eyes were deep, and her nose was high and straight, instantly captivating everyone's attention.
She bowed to Emperor Wenxuan using the etiquette of the Great Xia Dynasty, her voice clear, melodious, and sweet: "Lingxiang from the Southern Frontier pays her respects to Your Majesty of Great Xia. I wish to marry into Great Xia in order to seek peace between our two nations. I humbly request Your Majesty's permission."
The emperor looked at her, a hint of amazement flashing in his eyes, and asked, "Princess Lingxiang has been in the capital for quite some time now. Is there someone you have your eye on?"
Princess Lingxiang looked up, smiled gently, and replied, "Lingxiang, I leave it to Your Majesty's decision."
Emperor Wenxuan curled the corners of his lips and suddenly called out, "Seventh Prince, you have rendered great service in this battle. How about I entrust you with the selection of Princess Lingxiang's bride?"
Chu Tianze rose and calmly said, "Your Majesty, I only know how to fight; I know nothing about these matters. This matter is entirely up to Your Majesty to decide; I dare not presume to offer any opinion."
Upon seeing this, the envoy from the southern border quickly bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that His Highness the Prince of Yan is already engaged. May I ask which young lady is she, and if I may meet her?"
"Why is the Grand Preceptor of Li Yuan interested in my future queen?" Chu Tianze asked indifferently. What kind of scheme are these people plotting?
Princess Lingxiang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Prince Yan is brave and skilled in battle. I'm sure his future wife will not be a weak woman either. Our Southern Frontier has always admired the strong. I, Lingxiang, am not very talented, but I can ride a horse and shoot arrows. I wonder if I could have a contest with my future Princess Yan?"
Bai Chuxiao was speechless. Princess Lingxiang was now pretending not to recognize her. Not content with competing in dance and music at the Spring Banquet, she was now trying to outdo her with archery.
The eldest princess smiled gracefully, "Didn't Princess Lingxiang compete with the future Princess Consort of Yan at the spring banquet some time ago? The princess's dance and Miss Bai's pipa playing were both stunning."
He then turned to Emperor Wenxuan and said, "Father, our Great Xia does not require women to be able to ride horses and shoot arrows. This kind of competition is meaningless. I think it doesn't matter whether Miss Bai participates or not."
Emperor Wenxuan pondered for a moment and said, "Yonghe is right, Miss Bai. Are you willing? I won't blame you if you're not." Whether you compete or not is fine, but if you compete, you must win; otherwise, don't compete.
Bai Chuxiao stood up, smiled, and said, "Your Majesty, I grew up in my maternal grandfather's house and am somewhat skilled in horseback riding and archery. May I ask how Princess Lingxiang would like to compete?"
Princess Lingxiang looked at her and chuckled, "Let's decide how to compete, Miss Bai."
Seeing her confident expression, Bai Chuxiao smiled with amusement. If we're going to play, let's play!
"Your Majesty, in that case, how about we place a target behind both of us, Princess Lingxiang and I, facing each other, and shoot an arrow at each other simultaneously? Whoever hits the target wins."
Emperor Wenxuan was somewhat surprised; this was no longer just a contest of ability, but also a contest of courage. "Granted, let's do it this way."
Li Yuan frowned. Who knew if Miss Bai could shoot arrows? What if she accidentally injured Princess Lingxiang during the competition? "Your Majesty, isn't this a bit inappropriate? What if she gets hurt..."
Emperor Wenxuan couldn't help but laugh, then instructed, "This time, just make sure it's a simple selection; the winner will be richly rewarded."
Chu Tianze was naturally not worried about Xiaoxiao, so he casually sipped his tea. "Grand Preceptor Li Yuan, there's no need to worry. I believe in Xiaoxiao, and you should also have faith in the princess."
Before long, the two archers were ready, facing each other, both in their shooting stances.
Princess Lingxiang looked at the arrow pointed at her forehead, then at Bai Chuxiao's trembling hands, and began to doubt whether she really knew how to shoot an arrow. A hint of panic flashed across her face.
This was naturally intentional on Bai Chuxiao's part; she needed to scare away someone who was always causing trouble.
After Ling Xiang heard Jin Zhong count down three, two, one, she saw that Bai Chuxiao still hadn't moved the arrow up, and was looking at her with a mocking yet slightly murderous gaze. She realized that Bai Chuxiao clearly wasn't aiming at the target, but at her. This made her even more panicked, and she lost her grip on the bow and arrow. She wondered what would happen if the arrow really went straight for her head.
In the blink of an eye, as Jin Zhong announced the start of the competition, Bai Chuxiao drew her bow and fired an arrow without hesitation. Princess Lingxiang, however, dodged to the side, her arrow flying from her bow and landing on the ground.
When everyone saw that Bai Chuxiao's arrow hit the bullseye, they couldn't help but clap and cheer.
Upon seeing this, Emperor Wenxuan exclaimed, "Excellent, very good!"
Ling Xiang felt a surge of resentment, realizing that Bai Chuxiao was clearly just trying to scare her.
She quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Lingxiang has been disrespectful and is willing to admit defeat."
Emperor Wenxuan spoke softly, "It's alright."
Then he added with a smile, "Minister Bai's daughter is virtuous, gentle, and exceptionally courageous. I hereby bestow upon her one hundred taels of gold, one thousand bolts of brocade, and a pair of luminous pearls."
Bai Chuxiao bowed deeply, and Bai Linan also rose and knelt down, saying: "Thank you for your reward, Your Majesty."
Xie Shi and Bai Chuwan were extremely envious.
Not wanting to lose face, Ling Xiang put on a smile again, "Your Majesty, Ling Xiang wishes to offer a dance to wish the Great Xia Dynasty prosperity and strength."
Upon hearing this, Consort Xian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Yonghe just said that Princess Lingxiang's dance was quite stunning. I would also like to see it. How about having that girl Shuyao play a piece to accompany it?"
Liu Shuyao, naturally unwilling to miss the opportunity to shine, also stood up and said, "Your Majesty, this humble woman is willing to accompany Princess Lingxiang on a piece of music."
Today is a banquet for the emperor and his subjects to enjoy together, so Emperor Wenxuan naturally agreed to everything without hesitation.
The melodious sound of the zither filled the air, clear and pleasant like a babbling brook, captivating all who heard it. Liu Shuyao lowered her head slightly, focusing intently on playing the guqin in her hands. Her fingers nimbly plucked the strings, and each note seemed to come alive, leaping and dancing in the air.
Meanwhile, Princess Lingxiang, dressed in a deep blue dress, possessed a graceful and ethereal beauty, like a fairy descended to earth. To the rhythm of the zither, she danced lightly, her steps as nimble as a swallow, each step seemingly treading on clouds, her skirt swaying gently with her movements like petals fluttering in the wind, exuding captivating charm.
Both women on stage were stunning beauties, and their performance captivated the audience.
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