"His Majesty has arrived!"
As the eunuch's hoarse voice shouted, a group of soldiers cleared a path above the drill ground, and the figure who hadn't left the palace for a long time appeared before the public.
Many people had never seen an emperor in their lives, and after being shouted at like that, many of them looked over out of curiosity.
But the next moment, everyone's gaze froze inexplicably. No one knew what was going on. The emperor had swaggered over, but many people didn't react until he had reached his seat. They tried to see him with their eyes wide open, but the harder they tried, the less they could see clearly. Until he disappeared from sight, no one could remember what the emperor looked like.
I feel like I saw something incredible, but I can't remember it.
This feeling was also felt by the princes. They all revered their father and only dared to glance at him secretly while bowing. They didn't even dare to look at him with the same curiosity as the common people.
They naturally see it even less clearly.
The only things that could be clearly seen were the Empress Dowager on the stage and Xiao Mingxue beside her.
"Greetings, Father Emperor." Xiao Mingxue performed the proper courtly greeting, which brought a slight smile to the emperor's face.
"What is your status in performing this bowing ceremony?"
"Naturally, as a princess!" Facing the emperor's strange and powerful aura, Xiao Mingxue still stood ramrod straight as she answered, "The king is Father's subject, and as his daughter marries him, she naturally pays her respects as the principal wife of a subject."
"Oh?" The Emperor laughed, "Then you'll only be the King of Qin if Chen Qing wins today!"
"He will win." Xiao Mingxue looked up.
"So confident?" The emperor smiled.
"My mother once said that the scholar is very cunning. He seems bold, but in reality, he is someone who doesn't do things without being sure of winning. If he wasn't confident of winning, he would have secretly taken my daughter away long ago."
"Hahahaha!" The emperor burst into laughter. "You and your mother speak highly of him, huh? Does that mean even if he can't beat me, he can still snatch you away right under my nose?"
"It should be possible." Xiao Mingxue smiled for the first time. Her cold and beautiful face was now radiant with a smile, like a plum blossom blooming in the snow, making the surrounding colors brighter.
The emperor glanced at Xiao Mingxue, and after a long while, nodded slightly. "You and your aunt used to look very alike."
Upon hearing the Emperor mention Xiao Mingyue, the Empress Dowager's face immediately darkened. Xiao Mingyue Xiao Mingyue was her bottom line; for years, the Emperor's prohibition against touching her was the Xiao Household's bottom line. The Emperor had indeed refrained from doing so. Although Xiao Mingyue's death seemed unrelated to the Emperor, she always felt it was connected.
"How are they similar?" Xiao Mingxue looked at the other person curiously.
"They are all of such proud blood, yet they trust one man so much." The emperor looked at Xiao Mingxue seriously. "Don't trust outsiders too much. Even the strongest man can disappoint you. If you are not strong yourself, sooner or later the sky you believe in will collapse."
Xiao Mingxue was stunned for a moment, then nodded seriously. "I will become strong, and I will let him know that marrying me is the most worthwhile thing in the world!"
"Hahahaha!" The emperor laughed again; he hadn't laughed like this in a long time.
He had indeed heard these words before. Back then, he greatly admired Xiao Mingyue, who was truly like a Mingyue.
It's a pity. Chen Qing didn't have that good fortune.
The time has come!
The eunuch with a hoarse voice walked to the front of the martial arts arena, glanced at the pavilion that had originally belonged to the King of King of Qin, and said coldly, "According to the agreement, if you cannot arrive on time, you will be considered to have conceded defeat!"
"Please welcome the Second Prince of the Wutu Kingdom: His Highness Wutu Gu!"
As the voice faded, Wutu Gu opened the door of the pavilion and walked down from the top of the training ground step by step. He walked slowly, each step like walking on people's hearts. With each step, everyone's heart tightened, causing many commoners to stop watching and turn away, panting heavily.
On the training ground, most of the older generation of martial arts generals had flushed faces, enduring the suffocating feeling in their chests as they watched their opponents take a dozen steps. Slowly, some began to lose patience. But martial arts practitioners were different from ordinary people. Others could simply stop watching if they couldn't bear it, but they couldn't. If they couldn't even manage to watch their opponents walk to the arena, then all the martial arts officials of the Great Jin Dynasty would probably be too ashamed to leave their homes.
But the thing is, nobody can do it!
puff!!
One, two, three.
More and more scions of noble families couldn't help but cough up blood, then averted their eyes. Gradually, the older generation of military generals also began to lose control, their faces turning ashen like liver. In the end, they too coughed up blood, clutching their chests and avoiding eye contact. When they looked at each other, they could see the shock and shame in each other's eyes.
They had witnessed the Southern Barbarians Barbarian's abilities before, but they hadn't expected the difference to be so vast—they couldn't even see him walk onto the arena?
The Great Jin Dynasty was founded on military might, and for twenty years it was invincible throughout the land. How could it be so humiliated by a prince of a barbarian kingdom?
In an instant, all the warriors lowered their heads in shame!
" General Yuchi, don't force yourself!" Several young men nearby quickly advised Yuchi Peng, whose eyes were bloodshot and blood was flowing from his seven orifices.
Yuchi Peng remained unmoved, stubbornly holding on until the tall, Wutu Gu walked onto the arena and slowly looked towards Yuchi Peng.
At this moment, blood was continuously flowing from Yuchi Peng's eyes, making him look terrifying.
"There are still some tough guys out there." Wutu Gu grinned, noting down Yuchi Peng's name in his mind, and then looked towards the pavilion where Chen Qing should have come out.
To be honest, he really wanted to fight Chen Qing, but yesterday he learned some news that made him unhappy.
The Chen Qing who came to Beijing this time is an imposter.
And yet, he himself was determined to expose a counterfeit in front of so many monkeys from the Central Plains!
Hmph. If it weren't for that person's orders, he would never have agreed. Although he's on this stage, he's inevitably bored.
That's all there is to Jiangnan. Perhaps it will only become interesting when the great era that the great man spoke of arrives?
puff!!
In the distance Yuchi Peng spat out a mouthful of blood. After the other party withdrew the pressure, he trembled all over and could hardly even sit still.
Only then were the military officers on the viewing platform able to finally look down at the training ground.
Honestly, if they weren't afraid of losing face, they would all want to go home and hide in shame right now. It's just too embarrassing!
What a humiliation!
"Does the Emperor not want to say anything?"
The Empress Dowager, standing on the viewing platform, coldly looked at the Emperor and said, "Is this what you wanted to see—your own subject being insulted like this?"
"This is not what I wanted to see; they are simply too weak."
"Haha." The old man chuckled, "If that Southern Barbarians prince hadn't acquired some crooked and evil methods, with the Southern Barbarians lands they are, even a thousand years from now, they wouldn't be worthy of our attention."
"But he did it." The Emperor looked at the Empress Dowager: "Whether it's crooked means or special opportunities, strength is strength, and weakness is weakness. In a battle, no one cares how you got your strength; this world judges victory and defeat by results."
"Is that so?" The Empress Dowager sneered. "Does the Emperor think he has a sure win?"
"Does the Empress Dowager believe there is any chance of a turnaround?"
This time, the Empress Dowager did not speak, but looked at the stage. Jiangnan was a good place. If Chen Qing could win, Xue Yatou, whose strength had not yet grown, was indeed suitable to be entrusted with the task. She believed that if Xue Yatou was given some time, she could become the second phoenix of the Xiao Household!
"Please welcome Prince Chen Qing, King of Qin of Jiangnan, to the stage!"
The eunuch with a hoarse voice roared at the empty attic.
Is the King of Qin here?
First question
Everyone watched the pavilion with bated breath, and this time even the martial arts masters from powerful families had a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
Frankly speaking, from a purely economic standpoint, they would definitely want Chen Qing to be killed here. But deep down, they still hope that this guy, who is rumored to be able to defeat Lu Ming, can at least bring some honor to the Central Plains.
"Is the King of Qin here?" This was the eunuch's second question, "If not, will this competition..."
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm a little late."
A gentle yet somewhat apologetic voice came from the crowd. The voice was gentle, but it could be heard clearly by tens of thousands of people in the entire training ground, almost cutting through all the noise.
Many people instinctively looked over there.
The sound didn't come from the attic, but from the surging crowd below.
"Excuse me, excuse me, please make way." The scholar in white looked somewhat embarrassed as he carefully squeezed forward through the crowd, smiling and apologizing to everyone who made way for him, "I'm so sorry, so sorry."
"Um?"
The emperor, rarely showing any unusual expression, looked towards the center of the arena. Wutu Gu, who had been looking bored, also put away his bored expression and looked at the white-robed scholar in the crowd.
Is that Chen Qing?
Is that a fake?
wrong!!
The emperor and Wutu Gu immediately became serious.
That somewhat disheveled scholar is no fake!!!
Four more chapters to go!