Leshan was so frightened he didn't dare move. " Rourou, let's talk this out... put the knife down first."
"Shut up! If you keep dawdling, I don't want your money anymore. I'll finish you off right now," she said, sliding the knife against her neck.
A bloody gash appeared on Leshan's neck instantly, and beads of blood rolled down the wound onto Yuniang's face, then onto the ground.
Yuniang trembled and looked down, then collapsed to her knees in terror. " Zhou Rourou... I was wrong. Which bastard from Leshan seduced me? I'm a victim too."
Leshan flew into a rage upon hearing this, "You're the one who seduced me, Rourou, listen to me! I was momentarily blinded by greed and fell for this woman's tricks. Please give me a chance, I promise I'll live a good life with you..."
Zhou Rourou's heart wavered slightly, but then she remembered Jin Shanyao saying that money could support many men, and her heart immediately hardened.
She snapped, "Bah... You're both no good, you both have to give me money... Otherwise, I'll stab you in the back and we'll both die!"
Yuniang immediately replied, "Here, here, here... The hairpin in my hair is worth two taels of silver, and I also have a silver bracelet on my wrist, both bought in Leshan. That's all I have. Please, please let me go."
Leshan swallowed hard. "I have a stash of money hidden on the wall of our outhouse, a full ten taels of silver."
Zhou Rourou Rou grabbed Leshan and stomped on Yuniang, yelling, "Leave the silver bracelet and hairpin behind, and get out..."
Yuniang dared not hesitate, hurriedly taking off her jewelry and placing it on the ground. Zhou Rourou Rou kicked Yuniang away, "Get out..."
Yuniang felt as if her internal organs had been displaced by the kick, but she dared not hesitate for even a moment.
This Zhou Rourou is like a ruthless butcher, she's heartless... She stumbled to her feet and ran away.
Zhou Rourou grabbed Leshan by the collar, picked up the jewelry with one hand, and dragged Leshan home.
Jin Shanyao breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. Thank goodness... She had thought she had said something wrong again! It seems that her years of honing her verbal skills have finally yielded some results.
The following day, Meng Anci his horse to court as usual. At 3:45 AM, he left the palace gate and met Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi to enter the palace for a banquet.
The two were entering the palace for the first time and couldn't help but look around curiously.
All I could see were high walls.
Jin Shanyao couldn't help but think to herself: What's the difference between living here and being in prison?
When the group arrived at Hanguang Hall, half of the guests had already arrived.
The little eunuch led them to sit in the last row of seats. Jin Shanyao head and immediately recognized the little girl who had stolen her dried venison last time. She saw that the girl wished she could bury her head in the table.
Jin Shanyao chuckled and poked her back. "Hey... we meet again. What's your name?"
The little girl said in a muffled voice, " Xu Pingwan."
Xu Pingwan's father was a Doctor of the Imperial Academy. He turned around and glanced at Jin Shanyao with a cold look in his eyes. Jin Shanyao awkwardly withdrew her hand and sat up straight.
The head eunuch shouted, "The Emperor has arrived... The Empress has arrived..."
Everyone rose and bowed. After they were seated, the chief eunuch announced, "The Silla envoy has come to pay his respects..." As the voice faded, You Tuo led a group of people into the main hall.
He bowed to the emperor, "Your humble servant, You Tuo, has come from afar to offer my congratulations on the orders of my king. I wish Your Majesty good health and the prosperity of the nation!"
The emperor suppressed a cough, forcing himself to stand tall, and said slowly, "Young Prince, you have come from afar and must be tired from your journey. No need for formalities, please rise."
The Silla envoy was led to his seat. You Tuo subtly observed the emperor, and seeing his terminal illness, a smile crept across his face. This man who had conquered battlefields and built Sheng Dynasty was finally going to die.
The banquet officially began.
As the crown prince, Xiao Yuan was tasked with receiving the envoys. He chatted with the officials from the Ministry of Rites and You Tuo, but the topic suddenly changed.
You Tuo looked at the officials with a puzzled expression and said, "Why haven't I seen Lord Su? Last time we were short on time and parted after only a few words. This time I must have a long chat with him."
Xiao Yuan smiled and looked at the second row, " Lord Su... won't you have a drink with the young prince?"
Su Wenqian stood up, holding his wine cup, and smiled at You Tuo, "I am honored that Your Highness still remembers me. This cup of wine is for Your Highness who has come from afar."
He raised his hand to drink after speaking, when You Tuo spoke again, "Wait, Lord Su... I remember there was a man named Meng Anci. I heard from Lord Zhu Huaizhang that he passed the imperial examination with top honors. I wonder where he sat."
Upon hearing this, Meng Anci stood up and bowed to You Tuo, "Greetings, Young Prince."
Looking from You Tuo's perspective, he immediately spotted Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi. His expression shifted, and he smiled at Xiao Yuan, saying, "These are all people who received me in Qingzhou Prefecture. My trip to Qingzhou Prefecture left a deep impression on me. I humbly request Your Highness's permission to allow these gentlemen to come forward and take a seat, so that we can reminisce about old times."
After receiving the emperor's approval, Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "Add two tables next to the young prince."
Jin Shanyao sat down next to You Tuo with the siblings. She recognized Jin Xiaoji, and her eyes lit up. Just as she was about to greet him, she saw him silently close his legs and turn his head away from her.
Jin Shanyao her You Tuo, looked at You Tuo and grinned, whispering, "I didn't expect you to still remember me. I had completely forgotten about you."
You Tuo's lips twitched, suppressing his rebuttal. "I've heard that women in the Sheng Dynasty are often famous for their talent. How about we guess some idioms?"
Jin Shanyao taken aback; she'd barely settled into her chair before playing games?
Jin Xiaoji glanced sideways at Jin Shanyao, scoffing inwardly, "Just you wait... you pervert who only knows how to rip people out of their pants, this time we'll avenge ourselves."
Although Xiao Yuan had never met Jin Shanyao, he heard from Lu Chi that she was impolite and worried that Jin Shanyao might be taken advantage of, so he suggested, "Since it's a game, it's more fun with more people."
You Tuo chuckled inwardly, knowing that Sheng Dynasty would pull this stunt. Fortunately, he was prepared and with a wave of his hand, two girls came forward.
Seeing this, Xiao Yuan glanced around at the families of the officials, then paused. The young lady from the Xu family was renowned for her talent; she should be able to handle this kind of situation without any problem.
"Miss Xu..."
Xu Pingwan's heart skipped a beat. It was exactly what she feared. She should have let her mother attend the banquet. She took a deep breath and slowly stood up. Led by the eunuch, she went to the front row and sat down next to Xiao Changchuan.
Seeing her obedient and well-behaved appearance, Xiao Changchuan silently rolled his eyes.
The competition has officially begun.
The Silla envoy posed a challenge: Ming Shan and Pu Shan are two sisters who have been practicing idioms for eight years, all for today's battle.
Ming Shan smiled and said, "Let's start with an easy one: which idiom describes the fact that Celestial Person?"
Just as Xu Pingwan was about to reply, "The seats are full," she heard Jin Shanyao his hand and say, "Not a single one escaped."
She looked at Jin Shanyao in astonishment. Was it really necessary to be so murderous just for a friendly sparring match between two countries? Did she have to go all out?
Seeing her sister at a disadvantage, Pu Shan laughed and said, "I suppose you're right, but the next question is: Which idiom includes men, women, old and young?"
Jin Shanyao was about to answer when Pu Shan chuckled and cut her off, "You've already answered one question, it's this young lady's turn."
Xu Pingwan blinked twice, then steeled her resolve, "Execute the entire family."
Upon hearing this, those around gasped. They exchanged bewildered glances. Wasn't Miss Xu supposed to be gentle, virtuous, and intelligent? Why would she kill them all right off the bat?