Eldest Princess Xue Lingjun approached Xue Daohong with light, graceful steps, her figure swaying delicately. "Dao Hong, you came," she said in a honeyed voice. "You've truly done me an honor today."
Xue Daohong laughed heartily. "How could I be absent when my esteemed aunt is entertaining distinguished guests? Not only have I come today, I've also brought a most honored guest." He introduced him to Xue Lingjun. "This is the Fourth Prince of Black Hu, Wanyan Chixiong."
From the moment Xue Lingjun appeared, Wanyan Chixiong's eyes had been fixed on her face. Judging by his expression, his soul had all but flown away to who knew where. At the sight of such an alluring beauty, he had nearly begun to drool.
Xue Lingjun said, "Greetings, Fourth Prince!"
Xue Daohong gave a dry cough to remind him, and only then did Wanyan Chixiong come to his senses. "Ah... ah... hello... hello... hello!" His pronunciation of the Central Plains language was far from standard and sounded exceedingly comical. Wars between Great Yong and Black Hu had been constant, with another conflict breaking out only recently, so the people of Great Yong harbored deep hostility toward the Black Hu people. Seeing Wanyan Chixiong stare so brazenly at their country's Eldest Princess, many of the guests felt indignant and whispered among themselves. Still, they understood that since the First Prince had personally invited him, relations between Black Hu and Great Yong must have improved somewhat.
Huo Shengnan plainly disapproved of Wanyan Chixiong's behavior. She gave a cold snort and sat down. Hu Xiaotian sat down as well, saying quietly, "There are no eternal enemies in this world, nor are there eternal friends."
His words drew the attention of Li Chenzhou and his wife. Li Chenzhou smiled. "That sounds quite reasonable, Lord Hu. Then