That night.
Inside the main hall of the Uyghur royal palace, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin hosted a banquet for the kings and envoys of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions.
The leaders of the various kingdoms of the Western Regions gathered together, singing and dancing, creating a joyous and extraordinary atmosphere.
This magnificent scene was something that even his father, the late King Chen Polu, had never achieved when he led the Polu Army on two expeditions to the Western Regions.
At the young age of twenty-five, Chen Huai'an achieved such great success in his first expedition to the Western Regions, bringing all thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions to their submission.
This achievement is probably unprecedented and will likely remain so.
However, Chen Huai'an was also well aware that the fact that all thirty-five kingdoms in the Western Regions were able to surrender in such a short time was largely due to the heroic Khan Moyanchuo.
Chen Huai'an was well aware of the principle that a county official is not as powerful as a county magistrate.
For the Western Regions and the Silk Road to enjoy lasting peace and stability, the future will depend on the power of the mighty Khan Moyanchuo and the Uyghur Khanate.
Naturally, the matter of Princess Bhikkhu's marriage to the king cannot be avoided.
Thinking of this, Chen Huai'an, who was sitting in the center of the hall, unconsciously looked at Yue Qiluo, who was sitting not far from him.
Coincidentally, Yue Qiluo was also secretly observing Chen Huai'an.
The moment their eyes met, Yue Qiluo was immediately defeated, and she quickly looked away, pretending to look around.
However, her heart pounding like a deer's, her blushing cheeks, and her burning ears were all reminders to Yue Qiluo that she was burying her head in the sand and deceiving herself.
"Your Highness Prince Jin—"
At this moment, the valiant Khan Moyanchuo, his face flushed and looking quite drunk, came to Chen Huai'an, emboldened by the alcohol.
She moved closer to him and said sincerely, "During my time as an envoy to the Western Regions, Your Highness has taken good care of my daughter, Qiluo. This cup of wine is a toast to Your Highness!"
With that, Mo Yanchuo tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.
Chen Huai'an naturally understood that Mo Yanchuo had come to him to curry favor and make demands.
Then, he raised his wine cup and encouraged Mo Yanchuo, saying, "You have made a great contribution to the fact that all thirty-five kingdoms of the Western Regions have submitted to me in such a short time."
"This cup of wine, I also toast to you!"
After saying that, Chen Huai'an didn't hesitate and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.
Seeing this, Mo Yanchuo said with a grateful expression, "It is my honor to be able to help His Highness Prince Jin and make the various ethnic groups along the Silk Road in the Western Regions feel like one family. I would never dare to claim this achievement as my own."
Ha ha!
Having already seen through everything, Chen Huai'an laughed heartily and said, "Mo Yanchuo, I have always been fair in my rewards and punishments, so you don't need to worry. Just make any requests you may have!"
Mo Yanchuo's shrewd eyes darted around, and he immediately said, "Your Highness, I really didn't come here to ask for a reward!"
"Ever since I decided to lead the Uyghur Khanate to pledge allegiance to the Prince of Jin and presented the letter of state to Your Highness, you have regarded me as one of Your Highness's subordinates. It is my duty to persuade the various countries of the Western Regions to surrender to Your Highness."
hehe!
Chen Huai'an chuckled to himself, thinking: "That shrewd Mo Yanchuo is putting on an act for me!"
Then, he waved his hand and said, "Mo Yanchuo, you only have one chance. If you try to ask me for a reward again after tonight, I won't allow it!"
Forehead!
Mo Yanchuo's expression froze, and he looked at Chen Huai'an somewhat awkwardly, hesitatingly saying, "Your Highness, if that's the case, then I do have a request."
Chen Huai'an said, "Speak freely!"
Mo Yanchuo said, "Back then, when I sent envoys to visit the army in Longcheng, I suggested that my daughter Qiluo go to the fiefdom of the Prince of Jin for a marriage alliance, so as to demonstrate the friendly relations between the Uyghur Khanate and the Prince of Jin's residence."
"The news of Princess Bhikkhu's marriage to the Prince of Qinjin was already common knowledge in the city of Harabalgas."
"Now that the situation in the Western Regions has been stabilized, I dare to suggest that Your Highness, while the rulers of the thirty-five kingdoms of the Western Regions are all in the inner city of Harabalgas, could you hold a grand wedding ceremony with my daughter Yue Qiluo before returning to the fiefdom of the Prince of Jin?"
With that, Mo Yanchu knelt directly before Chen Huai'an and said, word by word, "If I, your humble daughter, am fortunate enough to be betrothed to His Highness Prince Jin;"
"This is not only an honor for my Yaoluoge family;"
"It is also a beautiful story of the intermarriage and friendly relations between the millions of people of our Uyghur Khanate and the Han people of Jin."
"It will also demonstrate His Highness Prince Jin's determination to unite all ethnic groups along the Western Regions and the Silk Road as one family!"
Hahaha!
After hearing what Mo Yanchuo said, Chen Huai'an couldn't help but burst into laughter.
While laughing, he asked, "Mo Yanchuo, you just said you didn't come here to ask for a reward, but this request you made is more difficult to fulfill than any reward you could ask me for!"
As he spoke, Chen Huai'an stood up from his seat, ignoring the astonished and complicated look in the eyes of Mo Yanchuo, who was still kneeling on the ground, and walked straight to Princess Yue Qiluo of Pijia.
Then, he leaned close to Yue Qiluo's ear and whispered, "Yue Qiluo, did you hear what your father Khan said to me just now?"
"I......"
Yue Qiluo's heart raced, and she dared not look directly at Chen Huai'an.
She was even more afraid that if she turned her head slightly, Chen Huai'an, who was so close, would kiss her cheek without her noticing.
"It doesn't matter if you didn't hear me clearly, I'll tell you!"
Chen Huai'an didn't give Yue Qiluo a chance to speak and continued, "Your father, Khan Moyanchuo, requests that I hold a grand wedding ceremony with you in front of the kings and envoys of the thirty-five kingdoms of the Western Regions!"
"Would you marry me?"
After speaking, Chen Huai'an looked at Yue Qiluo, whose pretty face was flushed, with deep affection.
However, there seemed to be a hint of intriguing amusement in those affectionate eyes.
"I--"
This time, Yue Qiluo, whose heart was practically pounding out of her chest, couldn't hold back any longer and jumped up.
With her head held high in a defiant manner, she met Chen Huai'an's gaze without fear.
They were so close that they could even hear each other's heartbeats.
In an instant, everyone's attention was drawn to Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin and Princess Yue Qiluo of Pijia.
Unbeknownst to anyone, in a corner of the main hall near Chen Huai'an and his companion, a member of the Western Regions delegation dressed in formal attire quietly lifted the wide sleeve of his robe, pointing the cuff toward Chen Huai'an.
Hidden on the man's arm was a concealed weapon, a sleeve dart.
Whoosh!
The next moment, the assassin, disguised as an envoy from the Western Regions, triggered the mechanism without hesitation, and a short arrow was released, heading straight for Chen Huai'an.
Clang!
Perhaps due to nervousness, the assassin's arrow, fired from a distance of twenty paces, missed its target and struck a pillar within the palace, less than half an inch from Chen Huai'an.
Whoosh!
One arrow missed, so another was shot.
This time, Princess Yue Qiluo of Pijia was the first to react and unhesitatingly shielded Chen Huai'an with her own body.
puff--
In the blink of an eye, the arrow, released from the bow, mercilessly pierced Yue Qiluo's back.
She was shot down and fell straight into Chen Huai'an's arms.
"An assassin!"
"Protect the Emperor—"
It was only then that Xiao Po, the commander of the Imperial Guards in the main hall, reacted and swung his sword at the Western Region assassin who had an arrow hidden in his sleeve.
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