Chapter 521: Interruption during the festivities
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The approaching entourage was over 5000 strong. This was a squad that was made up of all sorts of beasts. Their roars echoed through the air.
Each beast had a red silk tied around its body. These danced in the spring breeze.
There was a huge beast over three yards high in the middle of the formation. It was protected by thick white scales and it had snow white fangs. This was the leader of the beasts.
There was a silver carriage on top of it. A lady in a leather robe sat on it. She had beige skin, black eyes, and smooth hair.
A crown adorned with five gems and three seven-colored feathers sat on her head.
This was Shan Yu, the Queen of the Southern Region!
"The Queen of the Southern Region! She is so pretty!"
"We are extremely lucky to witness her beauty!"
"How do they manage to control these many beasts? Aren't they afraid that the beasts would run amok?"
"What are you talking about? These are all domesticated and trained! Why would they rebel?"
The crowd gasped in awe as they watched the approaching entourage.
By the time the entourage reached the gates of the city, the eyes of the crowd were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.
They could feel the powerful and domineering aura of the beasts.
"Roar!"
The thunderous roars echoed through the air.
The crowd instinctively took a step back in fear. After all, this was the first time that many of them had seen such beasts.
At that very moment, a middle-aged man in black official robes walked up to the lead beast.
"Welcome, I am Qin Yuan, the Minister of Rites!" Qin Yuan bowed and waved to the soldiers behind him.
At that moment, all of the soldiers walked forward.
According to Great Xia traditions, Emperor Lin Mubai would be waiting to welcome her at the gates of the palace, accompanied by the other officials. As such, the duty of welcoming her at the gates fell to Qin Yuan.
"Wooo!" The sound of the horn pierced through the air.
The entourage continued to move and entered through the eastern gates. With Qin Yuan leading the way, they began making their way towards the palace.
...
At the gates of Ping Yang's residence...
Wen Dabao was in good spirits today. He swayed from side to side as he sauntered about.
In fact, from the moment he had stepped out of his house today, there were dozens of people waiting for him outside the gates. Some brought him flowers, others invited him for drinks, whilst others invited him to the Seven Star Lane...
However...
Wen Dabao rejected them all.
The reason was simple. His dad had taught him that he will only be able to gain more by learning to reject.
Wen Dabao didn't really understand it before. However, he was starting to understand it now. Over the past two days, the people trying to court him were bringing him more valuable items.
They started bringing him antiques, works of art, even money...
"Reject them! I will only be able to gain more if I learn to reject!" Wen Dabao resisted the temptation to accept these items.
In the end, he was the one who was rejected.
"Young Master Wen, I'm sorry. The Princess has made it clear that there will be no visitors today." The guard at the gate stopped Wen Dabao before he could enter.
"Brother Li, do you not recognize me? I am Dabao! Won't the Princess meet with me?" Wen Dabao had spent much time in Ping Yang's residence.
He had also 'rewarded' the guard with silvers.
As such, he was able to move in and out of Ping Yang's residence with little to no obstructions.
"The Princess's orders are for no one to enter!"
"Oh..." Wen Dabao sighed in exasperation. He knew that the guard was not going to budge on that position.
Was this retribution? It was his turn to be rejected now...
But...
Why would Ping Yang and Fang Zhengzhi refuse to meet with him?
Something was wrong!
He was able to enter the residence when his father was an assistant minister. Why was he denied entry now that his father was the Minister of Law?
Wen Dabao couldn't figure it out, but the glistening spear in the guard's hand stopped him from trying to barge in.
Wen Dabao shook his head and began walking towards the palace.
After all, the Queen of the Southern Region was arriving today.
It would be a waste not to go and take a look and see what was happening.
Ping Yang's residence was nearby the palace. Wen Dabao had wanted to find a good vantage point inside the residence.
But now...
He had no other choice but to squeeze with the crowd.
Even though this was not his first choice, he still picked up his pace and walked briskly over to the palace.
Before long, he was at the entrance to the palace. The crowd was huge! The royal guards formed two rows and opened a path for the entourage to pass through. Emperor Lin Mubai was waiting for the arrival of the entourage inside the palace. He was flanked by all his officials.
Wen Dabao quickly spotted Ping Yang, who was standing by Emperor Lin Mubai's side. He was slightly shocked to see her there.
"She was here so early?" Wen Dabao could understand why he had been rebuffed at the gates of her residence. However, he didn't understand why the guard would not tell him that Ping Yang was already at the palace.
And...
Where was Fang Zhengzhi and Yan Xiu?
"Woo!"
At that moment, the sound of the horn pierced through the air and interrupted Wen Dabao's train of thought. The grand entourage appeared on the horizon.
The roar of the beasts and the domineering aura they exuded caused the crowd to step backward instinctively.
"Wow! White Jade Stone Elephant! That is the most powerful beast of all! And then there are the Silver Horned Wolves! The elite squad of the Southern Region!" Wen Dabao dismissed his doubts and craned his neck in excitement.
The crowd began to part to the side as the entourage approached. There was plenty of space for the Southern Region delegation to pass.
Emperor Lin Mubai looked like he was in a good mood.
His golden robe danced lightly in the wind. Four servants held up a golden umbrella above him to protect him from the heat.
The princes and princesses flanked Emperor Lin Mubai. They were led by Crown Prince Lin Tianrong and King Duan Lin Xinjue.
The Ninth Prince was also at the palace today. However, he stood far away.
Xing Yuanguo of the Stabilization Constabulary and Chi Hong of the Divine Constabulary led the delegation of ministers and officials. All of them smiled in a show of friendliness.
"The Queen of the Southern Region has arrived!" Qin Yuan's voice pierced through the air. Everyone in the vicinity of the palace could hear him clearly.
When his voice rang out, the convoy stopped in its tracks. All of the beasts let out a low rumble.
"Music!"
"Performance!"
"..."
The voices echoed through the air.
Music filled the air as red silk danced in the sky. More than a hundred ladies in red dresses dangled from red silk. Finally, they landed on the red carpet in front of the palace.
Each one of them held a sword in their hands.
"Woosh Woosh!"
The swords cut through the air as the ladies began to dance.
The Great Xia Empire valued rites, tradition, loyalty, and benevolence.
The sword dance was one of the traditions used by the Great Xia to welcome important visitors. There was also poetry and art to accompany this dance.
Once that was over, the Queen of the Southern Region would be invited into the palace to dine with the officials. There would also be a cultural exchange.
This was going to be a festive occasion.
However...
The festivities didn't last long. The ladies stopped dancing all of a sudden. There was a youth standing in front of them.
This youth had stepped out from the crowd.
He did not walk very quickly. In fact, each step he took was slow and deliberate. However, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at him.
They were not alone. The Royal Guards were equally shocked to see that someone had managed to get around them.
By the time they managed to react, the youth had already made his way to the sword-wielding ladies.
He didn't look at Emperor Lin Mubai or the Crown Prince. He didn't even look at King Duan, Ping Yang, or the officials. He simply stared at the White Jade Stone Elephant and the lady sitting on top of it.
The music stopped.
Everyone looked at the youth with his blue long sleeved shirt dancing in the wind. They couldn't believe their eyes.
Most of their eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets.
"What is he trying to do?"
"What is the Royal Guard doing? Why isn't anyone stopping him?!"
"This is rubbish!"
All of the officials were initially shocked to see this youth. This shock quickly turned to panic.
"Roar!"
The Silver Horned Wolves roared when they saw this figure. Every one of them glared at this youth.
They remembered who this youth was.
Everyone stared at this youth in shock. They recognized him instantly.
Their shock stemmed from the fact that they knew who he was.
Because...
He was Fang Zhengzhi.
Most importantly, he was the one who had killed Shan Ling and violated Shan Yu.
How could he possibly dare to show himself in front of thousands of Southern Region soldiers?!
"Quick, arrest him!"
"He is disrupting the festivities and affecting the course of diplomacy! Execute him!"
"Royal Guards!"
The officials recovered quickly and began bellowing orders to the Royal Guards.
The Royal Guards immediately surrounded Fang Zhengzhi and lowered their spears at his throat.
"Surrender!"
"Young Master Fang, please don't make things difficult for us."
Bai Qi stared at Fang Zhengzhi and frowned. He had no idea why Fang Zhengzhi would show himself here.
However, he knew that Fang Zhengzhi would not be able to escape the death penalty once he showed himself.
Fang Zhengzhi ignored Bai Qi completely. He didn't even look in that direction. He simply stood his ground and allowed the spears to be lowered at his throat.
He never looked away from the lady sitting atop the White Jade Stone Elephant.
The current Queen of the Southern Region...
Shan Yu!
At that moment, another figure walked out from the crowd. He wore a white robe embroidered with lotuses. His expression was icy.
He didn't go around the Royal Guards. He simply squeezed his way through and walked over to Fang Zhengzhi.
His body was glowing red.
Yan Xiu.
"Young Master Yan, you..." Bai Qi's Spear trembled when he saw Yan Xiu approach.
He was shocked to see Fang Zhengzhi. However, he couldn't believe that Yan Xiu was in on it as well.
He knew that Yan Xiu knew exactly how important this event was. Yet, Yan Xiu chose to take Fang Zhengzhi's side.
There was only one way that this was going to end...
Something bad was going to happen!
"Is the Queen of the Southern Region really going to do nothing now that your brother's murderer is standing in front of you?" A calm voice echoed through the air.
The voice was not loud, but everyone in the vicinity could hear it clearly.