Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 468 Please forgive me for being unable to comply!

Lin Zhiqing paused, then looked sharply at Princess Pingning, who was sitting not far from Consort Rong.

Princess Pingning raised her eyebrows and slightly tilted her chin. When she saw Lin Zhiqing looking at her, she even smiled kindly.

Amidst her smile, Consort Rong spoke:

"The second young lady of the Marquis of Changning's mansion once won the championship at the Spring Banquet. I believe that with her performance this time, she will definitely be able to showcase the charm of a woman from the Great Sheng Dynasty."

Lin Zhiqing's expression remained unchanged. If she could speak now, she would definitely call her an idiot.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and everyone stared at Consort Rong with astonishment.

No one expected that Consort Rong would speak at this moment, which was tantamount to directly agreeing to the request of the Liang envoy.

Isn't this an act of boosting others' morale while diminishing one's own?
Moreover, everyone knows that Marquis Changning and Marquis Wangshu have guarded the frontier for many years, and it's no exaggeration to say that they have a blood feud with the Liang Dynasty.

Consort Rong's words have thoroughly offended the Marquis of Changning's household.

“Your Highness, please reconsider. All the women in the palace are of noble birth, and it is especially inappropriate for Miss Lin's father, Marquis Wangshu, to have passed away on the frontier.” Lu Huai stood up and rejected Consort Rong’s opinion.

Lin Qingshan followed closely behind:
"Your Highness, please reconsider. I have guarded the frontier with Marquis Wangshu for many years, and we absolutely cannot suffer such humiliation!"

As he spoke, he kowtowed heavily, but did not get up.

Lin Shi'an kowtowed heavily as well, but did not get up.

Consort Rong glanced at her nails painted with henna, her tone nonchalant:

"It's been many years since I last saw you, and the Marquis of Changning seems to be in even better health."

"Lin Zhiqing is indeed the daughter of the Marquis of Wangshu, but she is also a subject of Dasheng."

"If one accepts the support of the people but is unwilling to consider their interests or those of the Great Sheng, wouldn't that disgrace the name of Marquis Wangshu?"

"Your Highness, I have something to say." Lin Zhiqing did not look at Consort Rong, but looked at the Crown Prince.

Seeing the Crown Prince nod, she rose and walked to Lin Qingshan's side, kneeling down as well.
“Your Highness, my memories of my father and grandfather have been very vague since I can remember.”

“When I came of age, my father and grandfather were away fighting and were unable to attend my coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Three thousand miles south of the military camp, every inch of land is stained with the blood of my father and grandfather, as well as the blood of countless soldiers.”

"Some of those soldiers are still sitting here, while others have already returned to their hometowns."

"But they all had wives and daughters, and Marquis Anping also risked his life on the spot."

"May I ask Consort Rong, if I were to suggest that Princess Pingning be compared to that dancer today, would you hope that the princess would stun the audience, or would you feel ashamed?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Rong immediately looked at her father, Marquis Anping.

Marquis Anping glared angrily, his face devoid of any smile.

Consort Rong felt a little flustered, but before she could speak, Lin Zhiqing spoke up again:

"Your Highness Consort Rong, please forgive me for being unable to comply!"

"If Your Majesty insists that I bring honor to the Great Sheng, then I would rather die."

She performed a standard curtsy, kneeling on the ground and refusing to rise.

Lin Yangyang and Lu Nanyue both stepped forward and knelt down:
"I humbly request that Consort Rong rescind her decree!"

After just a few words, a large group of people were kneeling on the ground.

Lin Zhiqing's words were resounding, striking like a thunderbolt.

Her shoulders remained motionless, and her entire being exuded an aura of fearlessness in the face of death.

Everyone knew that Consort Rong had angered the people of the Marquis of Changning's residence.

This is not surprising.

Consort Rong recommending that Lin Zhiqing compete with the dancers is no different from making someone recognize a thief as their father.

This is an insult, a blatant insult.

No one in the main hall dared to speak.

Consort Rong was now also feeling frightened. She looked at Marquis Anping with pleading eyes, then at the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince remained expressionless and spoke softly:
"Eunuch Wang, help Marquis Changning up."

He gave orders to Eunuch Wang, who had just returned to the main hall.

Eunuch Wang hurriedly stepped forward to help Lin Qingshan.

But Lin Qingshan remained motionless.

Seeing this, the Crown Prince looked at the Liang envoy and spoke again:
"Marquis Wangshu and Marquis Changning are the pillars of our Great Sheng. Lin Zhiqing comes from the Lin family, and no one can ask her to compete with others."

This statement already expresses his attitude.

Marquis Changning closed his eyes briefly, not wanting to offend the Crown Prince, and rose with the help of Eunuch Wang.

As soon as he stood up, Lin Shi'an, Lin Zhiqing, and the others also stood up and returned to their original positions.

Princess Pingning looked at Lin Zhiqing, and the smile on her face almost disappeared.

The Liang envoy shook his head:

"The way the Great Sheng treats its guests is truly peculiar. It's just a matter of singing a little song and dancing, yet it has somehow become a topic of discussion on the battlefield."

"What? Do the Lin family's words have any weight over the Crown Prince? Does our Great Liang not have any brave warriors willing to sacrifice their lives?"

His tone was somber, which made the atmosphere in the hall tense.

After Jiang Yunhe's death, there was no decent general left to guard the frontier. The few experienced and capable military officers were either dead or had retreated.

Like the Great Liang, the Great Sheng Dynasty valued military generals more than civil officials.

Many years ago, after Lin Qingshan and his son Lin Congrong defeated the Great Liang, the Great Liang suffered a great loss of strength and had to recuperate for a long time.

On the contrary, the military generals of the Great Prosperity died one by one.

The Great Liang has become quite active recently, with occasional disturbances on the border.

The envoy's attitude, in a sense, represented the attitude of the Great Sheng.

Everyone had previously felt that the Liang people came with ill intentions, and everything that has happened now has confirmed their suspicions.

The problem is that, given Dasheng's current situation, if it were to go head-to-head with Daliang, it would definitely suffer losses.

If they refuse to let the noble ladies participate, they are destined to anger the Great Liang.

But if they were to take the stage, what would become of Da Sheng's reputation?
Everyone understood this, and their expressions naturally turned sour.

"Why do you say that, envoy?" the crown prince asked. "I have heard that your country has a princess whose voice, appearance, and smile are all excellent."

"Why didn't that princess come to this palace banquet to exchange skills with my imperial sisters?"

This attempt to shift the topic was quite obvious, but it quickly sparked discussion.

"I heard that there is only one princess in the Great Liang Dynasty. She is not only dark-skinned, but also very vulgar and clumsy."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is still mindful of the decorum between the two countries; if the princess doesn't come, she certainly wouldn't dare to."

“The noble ladies of our Great Sheng are all well-educated and reasonable, each with their own strengths and weaknesses in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. How can they be compared with a bunch of barbarians?”

"If we absolutely must have a competition, then let Princess Pingning go first. After all, she was the one who started this trouble."

Some people began to complain about Princess Pingning.

If Princess Pingning hadn't urged Consort Rong to speak up, the matter could have been easily diverted, and the atmosphere wouldn't have become so serious.

The noble ladies dared not discuss Consort Rong, but could only complain about Princess Pingning.

The Liang envoy's gaze swept over the noble ladies, pausing when he saw Lin Zhiqing before withdrawing his gaze, looking somewhat unwilling.

"Since Your Highness has said so, then let's leave it at that."

Giving up so easily?

wrong!

Lin Zhiqing had a bad feeling.