Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 152 Night Banquet Horror
The Queen of Silla looked at Xiao Muchen, her expression filled with boundless guilt and longing. She said in a hoarse voice, "I have dedicated the first half of my life to Silla. In the second half, I also want to experience the joy of being surrounded by my children and grandchildren."

“Achen, your mother knows it was wrong of me to leave you when you were young, and your father’s family also owes me a debt because of me…”

“It has nothing to do with you. You made the right choice from Silla’s perspective. You did nothing wrong. Father has never blamed you. Moreover, the extermination of the Xiao family was not solely due to you. I am grateful that you came back to see me, but…” Xiao Muchen changed the subject, speaking calmly and decisively, “I will not go to Silla with you, and the Emperor will not agree to let me go to Silla for a marriage alliance.”

The Queen of Silla paused for a moment, but was not too surprised; this answer seemed to have been expected.

A child who has grown up here has long regarded this Great Zhou as his hometown and has connected it with his own honor and disgrace. This is a recognition that has been ingrained in his bones. No matter how unfriendly everything here is to him, he cannot choose to betray his homeland.

Just as she once could not choose to turn a blind eye to the suffering of her Silla subjects for the sake of her own happiness.

This is her son!

Although they serve different masters, their fundamental nature is still the same.

Queen Silla nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips, but her bright eyes were brimming with tears.

"Achen, can your mother hug you?" she suddenly asked.

In front of her son, the eyes of this Silla king revealed the tenderness and longing for family that only an ordinary woman possesses.

Murong Huan was also filled with emotion and nodded to Xiao Muchen.

Seeing that Xiao Muchen did not refuse, the Queen of Silla tried to take a step closer to him and pull him into her arms. Because he was very tall, almost a head taller than her, she could only lean gently on his shoulder and gently stroke his long, snow-white hair, quietly shedding tears from an angle where no one could see.

Ah Chen, your mother hopes you can live a good life, whatever kind of life you want to live, live according to your heart's desire.

After holding him for a long time, the Queen of Silla wiped away her tears and looked at him with a smile, saying, "Take me to see your father! Then, as an envoy, take me to see your saint."

Xiao Muchen froze on the spot for a moment, and it took him a while to recover before he finally nodded.

Afterwards, he took the Silla Queen to the Xiao family's ancestral hall, lit incense in front of his father's memorial tablet, and Murong Huan also bowed in front of the tablet with him.

When the Queen of Silla saw her father's portrait, she remained silent for a long time, only clenching her fists tightly. After a change of extreme sorrow, the expression in her eyes turned extremely cold.

As if she had made up her mind, she lit an incense stick before the memorial tablet, nodded to Xiao Muchen, and said with a smile, "Take me to see your sage!"

Xiao Muchen said "okay," and together with Murong Huan, they brought the Silla Queen, who had reverted to her old woman attire, to the embassy. At that time, officials had already come to the embassy to urge Princess Huishan to attend the banquet.

Upon seeing Xiao Muchen and Murong Huan arrive, several officials bowed and said, "Prime Minister Xiao, His Majesty has prepared a banquet at the Wanxiang Divine Palace and invited the Silla envoy to attend. Moreover, the envoys from Tibet, Khitan, and Turks are already at the banquet."

The envoys from Tibet, Khitan, and Turks arrived three days ago. Given that these three countries are engaged in continuous warfare with the Great Zhou, their intentions in sending envoys to the Great Zhou are rather unclear.

"Okay, I understand. You guys go ahead, we'll be right there!"

Several officials glanced at Princess Huishan and the woman standing behind Xiao Muchen, nodded with some suspicion, and left.

After they left, Princess Hye-sun immediately pulled the Queen of Silla into the embassy and whispered, "Aunt, how is it? Is he willing to go back to Silla with you?"

Queen Silla shook her head. Princess Hye-sun was a little annoyed and turned her head as if she wanted to scold Xiao Muchen, but Queen Silla pressed her hand to stop her from saying anything more.

"Let's go and meet the sage of the Great Zhou Dynasty. She is the most outstanding woman since Emperor Taizong of Tang, who has created an immortal legend. She is the first female emperor in the Central Plains since ancient times!"

Princess Huishan nodded, glancing at the Queen of Silla with a hint of heartache. She then looked at Xiao Muchen with a hesitant expression, sighed for a long while, and finally said, "Let's go. Please ask Prime Minister Xiao to take us to the Myriad Manifestations Palace!"

Xiao Muchen said "okay" and then led the two of them, along with Murong Huan, to the magnificent Wanxiang Divine Palace.

Seeing such a magnificent palace soaring into the moonlit sky, with bronze tripods and twelve divine figures standing in all directions, each over ten feet tall, the Silla Queen and Princess Hye-sun felt the majesty and grandeur of the Great Zhou Empress and were filled with endless emotion.

When the group entered the main hall, it was already filled with distinguished guests, and bright red lanterns hung from the eaves, sparkling brilliantly.

Xiao Muchen immediately spotted the Khitan envoy, dressed in a fur coat, with his head shaved except for a tuft of hair on the back of his head and temples, and the two men accompanying him.

Three years ago, in a battle with the Khitan, Li Jinzhong's head fell on the land of the Great Zhou. After that, Sun Wanrong became the leader of the Khitan. He fought against the Great Zhou several times but was defeated one after another. Until half a year ago, Wang Xiaojie fell into a valley and died in an ambush. Su Honghui then became the military governor of the Four Garrisons of Anxi.

Why would Sun Wanrong send an envoy to form an alliance with the Great Zhou at this time?

The Silla queen's gaze, however, fell on a man beside the Khitan envoy, her eyes deep and probing.

The Tibetan envoys sat at the lower right, all wearing long robes with turned-down collars, their hair braided, and their faces painted with ochre makeup. Their eyes looked around with great surprise and curiosity.

The envoy sent by Tibet this time was Langzong Qisiluo. Xiao Muchen had also inquired about his background. He was sent by the famous Tibetan general Lun Qinling. A year ago, Lun Qinling and his brother Zanpo defeated Wang Xiaojie at Suoluohan Mountain. Lun Qinling then proposed that the Great Zhou withdraw the garrison troops of the Four Garrisons of Anxi and give the land of the Ten Turkic Clans to Tibet as a peace condition. The Empress did not agree immediately, but instead asked Tibet to send an envoy to the Great Zhou for detailed discussions.

Therefore, among these envoys, only this Qisi Ruo stood in the Mingtang with an extremely arrogant expression, looking down on everyone sitting in the Mingtang with great audacity.

In addition to some important officials of the court, Crown Prince Li Xian and his family, Prince Xiang Li Dan and his family, Princess Taiping, and Wu Sansi were also present at the banquet.

Qisi and the Tibetan envoys around him couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful, elegant, and radiant the princesses, noble ladies, and other women of the Great Zhou Dynasty were.

When Murong Huan, Xiao Muchen, and Princess Huishan walked to the banquet, the envoys widened their eyes and stared intently at the three of them.

"I had long heard that the young prime minister of the Great Zhou, Xiao Muchen, was the son of the Queen of Silla. Seeing him today, I can see that he is indeed extraordinary. Even his appearance is one in a million, the most outstanding I have ever seen. Moreover, the two women beside Prime Minister Xiao are also rare beauties!"

Upon hearing the word "exquisite beauty," Li Guo'er, sitting next to Madam Wei, became somewhat unconvinced.

"What beauty? Can they compare to me?" Just as Madam Wei was about to cover Li Guo'er's mouth, Qi Siruo's eyes lit up and she stared intently at Li Guo'er.

"Gu Zaili, may I ask which princess this is, whose beauty is as radiant as the moon in the sky?"

“This is Princess Anle of our Great Zhou!” an official replied.

Qisi Ruo immediately stepped forward, entered the hall, bowed to the Empress at the head of the table, and pleaded, "Qisi Ruo, the Tibetan envoy, sends his regards to the Heavenly Khan Jin'an. I wonder if the Heavenly Khan would allow this princess to marry my Tibetan prince, thereby promoting the alliance and peace talks between our two countries?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent. Although the Empress was displeased, she remained silent for a moment. Only Li Guo'er cried out in terror, "No, no, I don't want a marriage alliance, I don't want to..."

"How dare you! Tell her to step back!"

The Empress gave a displeased shout, and Lady Wei quickly pulled Li Guo'er away.

"I've heard that the warriors of Tibet are skilled in riding and archery. How about we have them test their skills against the generals of our Great Zhou at the training ground tomorrow?"

Qisiluo's face darkened with displeasure, but he dared not openly confront the Empress in the Mingtang Hall, so he could only reply, "Then we shall obey the Heavenly Khan's arrangement!"

The Empress smiled and said, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so let's set aside other matters for now. Today, I invite you all to drink and enjoy the dances and music of my Great Zhou!"

As soon as she finished speaking, twelve dancers dressed in colorful cloud-patterned skirts and draped in gossamer-like veils swayed their waists and twirled gracefully to the accompaniment of the sounds of the jie drum and konghou.

These dancers all had plum blossom makeup painted on their foreheads and their lips were painted vermilion. Under the dazzling light of the glass palace lanterns, they all looked extremely enchanting and beautiful.

Qi Siruo was dumbfounded again. At this moment, Wu Sansi suddenly suggested, "Esteemed envoys, music and dance alone seem a bit monotonous. Would you esteemed envoys like to see the elegance of the literati of our Great Zhou?"

Qi Si Ruo glanced at Wu Sansi, his eyes darting around slightly, and suddenly laughed loudly: "Not bad, not bad. I have long heard that Xiao Xiang, the number one talent of the Great Zhou, is exceptionally talented in literature. Not only is his poetry excellent, but his zither playing is also superb. I wonder if I will have the honor of hearing Xiao Xiang's zither playing today?"

"Isn't this esteemed envoy going too far? Prime Minister Xiao is a subject of the Great Zhou Dynasty. How could he possibly perform here like an entertainer?" Princess Huishan said unhappily.

“This Silla envoy speaks too highly of himself. Although I am not talented, I have heard that the scholars of the Great Zhou regard the qin as an instrument of a gentleman. Moreover, we Tubo also have people who are skilled in the qin. Why don’t we have a contest with the xiao?”

His words were met with approval even from the Turkic and Khitan envoys.

The Empress also looked at Xiao Muchen and said, "Zicheng, then let's have a musical contest with their Tibetan envoys!"

"Here!"

So Xiao Muchen summoned someone to bring his zither and began to play it in the main hall.

The music was like jade striking each other, pearls falling onto a jade plate, and white cranes spreading their wings, soaring throughout the hall. It quickly transported people into a very relaxed and bright dreamlike state, giving them an extremely pleasant and pure enjoyment.

When the music ended, someone exclaimed, "Truly a heavenly melody, unforgettable to hear!"

After a long while, someone said, "It's your country's envoy's turn!"

Then Qisi Ruo let a young man beside him step forward and introduced him, "This is Prince Chidu of my Tubo. His zither playing is unparalleled in Tubo. Let him have a contest with Xiao!"

"Please!" Xiao Muchen raised his hand and said.

The prince of Chidu bowed politely to Xiao Muchen, then sat down in the spot where Xiao Muchen had been, and asked Qisiluo to bring over a zither, which he placed on the table to play.

Unexpectedly, Qi Siruo then said, "Our King of Chidu plays the zither and needs dancers to accompany him. I have heard that the women of Silla are extremely skilled at dancing and have been paying tribute to the Great Zhou by offering beautiful women. Why don't we invite the women of Silla to dance for him?"

Princess Hye-sun was extremely displeased upon hearing this and was about to refuse when the Queen of Silla grasped her hand, and she held back her words.

At this moment, the Empress said, "Silla women are skilled dancers, but the Silla envoy did not bring many dancers with him. How about our Great Zhou's dancers accompany Prince Chidu?"

Qisi had nothing to say. He frowned and pondered for a moment, then waved his hand and said, "That won't be necessary. On this mission to the Great Zhou, my Tubo has also brought several dancers. I wonder if the Khan would allow all of you present to witness the charm of my Tubo dancers?"

The Empress said, "Granted!"

Qisi Ruo then clapped his hands in delight, and a dozen or so dancers, led by the Tibetan envoy, entered the main hall of the Mingtang.

These dancers wore all sorts of necklaces and bracelets, and had bells hanging from their feet, exuding an extremely charming exotic style.

The dancers bowed to the Empress, then to the people sitting around them, and finally to their most respected Prince Chidu. Only after Prince Chidu nodded in greeting did they take their places and prepare to dance.

So Prince Chidu sat down at the table and played the piano as if no one else was around. A group of dancers danced around him, and for a moment, they were all immersed in their own music and dance.

"Gentlemen, while enjoying my Tibetan dance and music, shouldn't you all raise a glass and drink to your hearts' content?"

At Qi Siruo's loud shout, everyone around began to raise their glasses, and in an instant, the atmosphere was lively and bustling.

After an unknown amount of time, just as Prince Chidu's zither music reached its most intense and soaring point, a cat's meow suddenly echoed through the hall, startling all the noble ladies who screamed and covered their eyes, trying to hide.

At the same time, Murong Huan saw the dancers who were playing the zither around Prince Chidu approaching him like stars surrounding the moon. At this closest moment, the dancers also let out a scream in unison.

The dancers immediately lifted their skirts and scattered, and everyone saw that Prince Chidu had inexplicably fallen down.

Qisi Ruo was greatly alarmed upon seeing this. He quickly strode over and helped Prince Chidu up, shouting excitedly, "Who? Who dares to assassinate our Tubo Prince Chidu?"

After saying that, he looked at Xiao Muchen and asked sternly, "Prime Minister Xiao, although your zither playing is good, our Chidu prince's zither playing is also quite good. You don't need to kill my Tubo prince because of my impolite request just now, do you?"