Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

The invitation issued by Tuoba Lie under the pretext of "hosting a private banquet for the envoy of Da Ying" was not informed by the Ministry of Rites of the royal court, nor were any civil officials from the Northern Shuo invited to attend.

There were only four tables in the flower hall. The host was Tuoba Lie, the guest was Xiao Yanzhi, and the two people sitting below him were Tuoba Lie's trusted adjutant and a staff member of the royal palace.

The banquet was small, but three times more lamps than usual were lit, illuminating the entire flower hall as bright as day. Deep red brocade curtains hung on all four sides, suppressing the chill of the autumn night.

Tuoba Lie sat in the main seat, wearing a dark purple embroidered gold casual robe today. He looked less official than he did at court, but when his imposing figure leaned back in the chair, the light in the entire flower hall seemed to dim by half a degree.

He held up his wine cup and gestured slightly towards Xiao Yanzhi: "Envoy Xiao has come from afar. I have prepared a small amount of wine, which is of little importance. The northern north is cold, unlike the warm south. Envoy, please have a few more cups to warm yourself up."

Xiao Yanzhi returned the toast with a gentle and polite smile: "Your Highness is too kind. The wine in Your Highness's cellar smells very old. I'm afraid I'll have to drink too much tonight."

Tuoba Lie invited him here tonight for more than just drinking.

After the song and dance performance began, a red carpet was laid out in the center of the flower hall, and three dancers twirled in, the silver bells at their waists jingling softly with each dance step.

Xiao Yanzhi watched the first dance while holding his wine glass, his peripheral vision always lingering on the movements in the direction of the main seat.

During a lull after the dancers left, Tuoba Lie leaned towards him, his voice slightly lower than before: "Envoy Xiao, on your mission to Beishuo this morning, at the banquet, the Chief Clerk Zhou was humiliated by the new Imperial Preceptor. I hope you will forgive him."

Xiao Yanzhi's smile remained unchanged: "Master Zhou is new to Beishuo and talks a lot. The Grand Preceptor is young and impetuous, so he replied with a few words, which is nothing."

Tuoba Lie chuckled, his voice rough and stern, typical of a northern general: "Young and impetuous? I think this new national advisor is quite shrewd."

Xiao Yanzhi has been drinking impeccably so far, neither responding to his words nor revealing any loopholes that could be exploited.

Tuoba Lie turned his head to look behind the screen, and after a moment a maid came out carrying an ebony tray with a curved sword on it. The scabbard was inlaid with a circle of fine jade, which gleamed with a faint green light under the lamp.

"This sword was hunted by me in the North many years ago. The blade is made of meteorite iron and can cut through iron like mud."

Tuoba Lie took the knife from the plate, drew off an inch of the blade, and the lamp flame drew a cold, sharp light across the blade.

"Envoy Xiao has served on the frontier for many years and must know his stuff. I'm giving it to him today as a way of making friends."

Xiao Yanzhi looked down at the curved sword. The jade on the scabbard gleamed with a warm green light under the lamp. It was indeed a fine item. He reached out and took it, weighing the scabbard in his palm to assess its weight, then placed it back on the tray and pushed it back to the maid.

"I appreciate Your Majesty's kindness. However, it is inconvenient for me to carry valuable weapons while on a diplomatic mission. If I accept Your Majesty's gift and am discovered by the soldiers at the Northern Border on my return journey, I will have no way to explain myself."

He smiled, picked up his wine glass, took another sip, his Adam's apple bobbing twice. When he put the glass down, his ears were already flushed. "I accept this toast from the Regent."

As Tuoba Lie watched him place the wine cup back on the table, his fingertips trembled slightly, and the blush from his ears had spread to his cheekbones.

The strong liquor from Beishuo has a powerful aftereffect; ordinary civil officials from the south would start to flush after the third cup. Xiao Yanzhi had already drunk five cups, so it was normal for him to start showing signs of intoxication at this point.

But as Xiao Yanzhi leaned back in his chair, still slightly drunk, he glanced out of the corner of his eye toward the curtain of the side door of the flower hall.

Xi Yueli stood behind the curtain, holding her pipa horizontally, her fingertips resting on the strings, adopting the posture of a pipa player waiting to perform with her head bowed.

Tonight she changed into a dark blue, narrow-sleeved short blouse, with a dark green vest over it. Her long hair was not tied up, but loosely tied in a bun, with a few strands of hair hanging down her cheeks, covering half of her face.

Xi Yueli infiltrated the Regent's Palace an hour ago through the secret service.

Liu San Niang's people had made arrangements in advance with a dance troupe leader to include the substitute pipa player in the list of performers for tonight.

She had overheard most of the conversation while waiting at the side door. She had heard every word of the conversation: Tuoba Lie's offer of a knife was rejected, and Xiao Yanzhi's flawless response.

On the mat outside the curtain, Tuoba Lie was speaking to Xiao Yanzhi in a lower voice, which was difficult to hear clearly through the curtain and the direction was unclear.

Xi Yueli took a half step forward, holding her pipa, intending to lift the curtain a crack. But just as her toes touched the bottom edge of the curtain, the burly figure in the main seat suddenly turned his head.

A musician waiting to perform will not approach the edge of the curtain unless summoned by her master.

Tuoba Lie didn't move his hand holding the wine cup, but he subtly raised his chin towards the guard standing behind him. The guard understood and lowered his eyes slightly, then moved two steps towards the side door without making a sound.

Xiao Yanzhi took in this scene. He leaned back in his chair, the thin blush from his ears to his cheekbones turning into a translucent pink from the alcohol, and the way he held the wine glass began to loosen.

But he saw the guard move toward the side door, and with each step he tightened the encirclement.

When he put down his wine glass, he deliberately made a crisp sound as the bottom of the glass hit the table, and then leaned forward on the table as if he was too drunk to sit still.

Then he raised his head, his gaze sweeping aimlessly around the flower hall, finally settling on the direction of the side door curtain. He pointed and said, "That...that one with the pipa, come in and play a tune for me."

Tuoba Lie's gaze froze for a moment the instant Xiao Yanzhi pointed. He had originally planned to have his guards take the pipa player to the backyard for interrogation, but Xiao Yanzhi spoke first and pointed at her.

Xi Yueli stood behind the curtain and, upon hearing Xiao Yanzhi's words, lightly pressed her fingertips on the strings of the zither.

She had already sensed the approaching footsteps, and her right hand was already reaching for the thin blade at her waist, but Xiao Yanzhi's voice arrived first.

When she emerged from behind the curtain, her bangs partially obscuring her face, her head bowed and eyes downcast. Her steps were a beat faster than those of ordinary musicians; she adjusted her pace, deliberately displaying a hint of panic.

Tuoba Lie leaned back in his seat and watched her walk out, his gaze sweeping from her lowered eyes to her gesture of holding the pipa.

He watched her play the first piece. The pipa music flowing from her fingertips was standard, without any wrong notes or anything particularly outstanding. It was about the same level as those pipa players who were just there to make a living in the Xishi Music Hall in Shuojing.

Tuoba Lie picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and as he put the cup down, he made a gesture to another guard standing in the shadow of a pillar.

The guard quietly withdrew from the flower hall and reappeared a moment later at the side door, carrying a tray with a pot of freshly warmed wine on it.

He carried the tray toward Xi Yueli, but stumbled as he passed her, spilling the entire pot of scalding wine onto the pipa in her arms.

In that instant, Xi Yueli clearly saw the angle and speed at which the wine pot was poured. The person's arm was lowered, and they were deliberately pushing the wine pot towards her pipa.

She had only two choices to avoid the pot of wine: either step aside, revealing her body's reaction speed to sudden accidents, or catch it head-on and burn her hand.

She leaned back slightly, holding her pipa, as if startled by a suddenly tipped wine jug.