Teasing the First Dragon at the Start

Liu Ji gave her a half-smile and said, "There is no king here. The Chu Kingdom was destroyed more than ten years ago. You are citizens of the Great Xia, yet you do not show gratitude, but instead support the false emperor and collude with the rebellion. You are nothing but traitors!"

“Originally, I should have annihilated all of you traitors, but the Grand Chancellor is merciful and has spared the lives of 100,000 of you traitors. However, as the saying goes, you may be spared the death penalty, but you cannot escape punishment.”

"As their leaders, you shall naturally be escorted to Xianyang for His Majesty's personal judgment..."

Yes, although the various rebel armies regained control of the six kingdoms, the officials at all levels of the empire did not acknowledge this. From the empire's perspective, the six kingdoms had long since perished, and their people had become the people of the empire.

In the eyes of Liu Ji and others, the Chu army in front of them was nothing more than a group of rebels plotting a rebellion!

As the situation grew increasingly tense, Mi Xiongxin, at the center of the vortex, remained remarkably calm.

Clad in white like snow, with a delicate face that seemed to defy frost, the young girl's calm face held a unique charm, a charm that evoked pity.

It seems that for so many years, her fate has always been decided by others.

Now that she had finally done something she wanted to do, even though she knew the situation was dangerous, she felt no fear at all, but rather a great sense of calm.

Mi Xiongxin looked up at Liu Ji and asked, "If I go with you, will you let them go?"

Liu Ji glanced at Green Pearl, Long Qie, and the others beside him, and said, "The Grand Chancellor said that the targets this time are the Xiang family, who are the leaders of the bandits, and you. He has not ordered the arrest of the others."

"I understand."

After pondering for a long time, Mi Xiongxin said to Long Qi in front of him, "You... step back."

"But Your Majesty..."

Long Qi and the others wanted to argue, as if they wanted to say something.

"Get out!"

With a shrill shout, Mi Xiongxin, though a woman, exuded an aura of authority that inspired fear in both her guards and the Xia army that sought to capture her.

No one expected that this seemingly gentle young woman would one day be so angry.

Although Long Qi and the others were unwilling, they still obeyed and withdrew.

Seeing that there was no longer any obstacle, the Xia army who had gone to lock up Mi Xiongxin and Xiang Liang and the others looked at each other, stepped forward, and locked Mi Xiongxin and the others with thick iron chains.

"take away!"

"Yes!"

"and many more!"

Green Pearl, standing to the side, tried to stop her.

"What is it?" Liu Ji looked at the woman beside him, her delicate eyebrows twitching slightly.

Green Pearl took a deep breath and said with a serious expression, "I want to go with him."

Mi Xiongxin's expression immediately became flustered: "Green Pearl, what are you doing? I, as the King, order you to leave immediately and not to come any closer."

After all, the fate of those going to Xianyang this time was uncertain.

Luckily, Green Pearl wasn't targeted by Xia Jun, which was a good opportunity to escape. But now she's following him, isn't that just walking into a trap?

Looking at the flustered girl, Green Pearl couldn't help but smile: "Didn't I just say that you are no longer the king? As a commoner, you have no right to order me around. I have watched the king grow up from childhood and spent more than ten years with him. How can the king abandon me now?"

"you……"

Looking at the gentle Green Pearl in front of her, Mi Xiongxin felt a lump in her throat and tears welled up in her eyes.

She knew she was being selfish; Green Pearl's decision to accompany her to Xianyang was a dangerous and life-or-death situation.

But when she heard that Green Pearl was willing to go with her, she couldn't help but feel a surge of undisguised joy.

The feeling that whether she was poor or rich, there was always someone standing by her side, and she would never be alone, was truly blissful.

It seems she realized this happiness a little too late.

Looking at the once strong girl now crying like a child in Green Pearl's arms, Liu Ji couldn't help but smile. They really were a pair of mistress and servant with a deep bond.

Given your character, young master, you must greatly admire a woman with this kind of personality.

She couldn't help but smile, then waved her hand gently. Xia Jun behind her walked over, chained everyone up, and escorted them onto the carriage.

The army slowly returned towards Xianyang.

Chapter 368 Fu Su Sacrifices Himself to Feed the Tiger, Safeguarding the Country

Several days later.

Xianyang was filled with an atmosphere of anticipation, with crowds thronging the streets and the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Everyone stood on tiptoe, gazing at the distant city gate. Even the windows of the surrounding wine shops and teahouses were filled with people.

"What are you waiting for?"

Some businessmen from out of town, seeing this scene, couldn't help but ask a pedestrian on the street.

"Hehe, you must be from out of town."

Looking at the merchant who nodded slightly, the man said smugly, "Today is the day the army quelled the rebellion and returned to Xianyang with the prisoners of war. His Highness Hu Yu led the civil and military officials to come out to welcome them. I heard that even Grand Chancellor Bai Su will be here today."

"Is the Lord Bai you mentioned the stone statue in the temples where he holds a stalk of rice?"

"Besides Lord Bai, is there ever another Lord Bai in the world?"

"I never expected to have the honor of being here today and seeing the legendary Lord Bai. I must see him for myself."

Soon, the merchant also squeezed into the crowd, his eyes gazing towards the distant city gate, eager to catch a glimpse of its splendor.

In no time, the streets were packed with people.

Just then, a large number of Imperial Guards, dressed in black armor and wielding long spears, were dispatched to maintain order on the streets.

"I didn't expect even the Imperial Guards to be mobilized. Could it be... that Her Highness the Princess has arrived?"

This thought involuntarily popped into everyone's mind.

The Imperial Guard's duty is usually to protect the safety of the royal family. Their presence here means that someone from the royal family has come.

Everyone stood on tiptoe out of curiosity, their hearts filled with anticipation.

After all, the monarchs of the Central Plains are different from the monarchs of small foreign countries. They rarely show their faces in public and usually stay in the palace, like a chess player, controlling the game of the world.

The common people only knew the monarch's name, but never what the monarch looked like.

Some people have never even seen the monarch in their entire lives, which naturally fills them with curiosity about the mysterious royal family.

A large number of heavily armed imperial guards cleared a path through the streets, and all the civilians were blocked on both sides of the street by armored soldiers holding long spears.

Once order was restored, a large procession approached from afar.

Led by the Imperial Guards, a royal carriage pulled by five white horses slowly approached.

The emperor rides in a six-horse chariot, feudal lords in five, and ministers in four. The only people who can ride in a five-horse chariot in Xianyang are the current princesses Hu Yu and Fu Su.

Following closely behind were countless civil and military officials, many of whom were dressed in black official robes.

This caused some of the onlookers to gasp in shock.

Although they didn't recognize these officials, they understood perfectly what their clothes represented: the Great Xia Dynasty revered black and considered black the most prestigious color.

Every official who wore the black robe was of low rank.

Any one of them, if placed in a local prefecture or county, would be considered a powerful figure, but now these people can only follow behind the group, looking all cheerful and without any vitality.

This is simply unbelievable.

"The imperial court really values ​​Lord Bai."

"Needless to say, Lord Bai is no ordinary person. He is a remarkable individual who entered the temple at the age of twenty, a pillar of the court. Even with the most dignified etiquette, it would not be excessive. Even if His Majesty the current emperor bowed to him, he would be worthy of it."

"Why do you think His Majesty didn't come out to greet them personally for such an important matter, but instead entrusted the task to the Princess?"

"Your Excellency means..."

"I suspect that His Majesty the Emperor has experienced some health issue and cannot appear in public for the time being, perhaps due to pregnancy..."

"Hiss, does this brother have some inside information? Could you tell me the details?"

Upon hearing such explosive news, the people next to him widened their eyes.

"Hehe, I just noticed that His Majesty the Emperor hasn't shown his face for about seven or eight months, and he does look somewhat like him, so I just said it casually. Don't take it seriously..."

"cut……"

As the crowd whispered among themselves, the imperial carriage slowly came to a stop.

This was an extremely magnificent carriage, with gold studs on the wheels and lifelike black bird patterns carved on the body. The curtains were made of the finest silk, with gold thread embroidered along the edges, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.

The curtains swayed in the wind, and two very similar-looking figures could be vaguely seen sitting inside.

Hu Yi, sitting on the left, wore a black palace dress with a jade belt around her waist, which accentuated her slender waist and made her look graceful and charming.

She was extremely beautiful, but what was most striking were her rare heterochromatic eyes, which, with their upturned corners, carried a hint of allure, making it impossible not to take a second look.

Fu Su, dressed in a white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), sat gracefully to one side, her beauty stunning, like a rare orchid in a secluded valley.

Although the two look somewhat alike, they are quite different in both temperament and physique.

Compared to Hu Yu's slightly developed breasts, Fu Su perfectly inherited Zheng Jie's excellent bloodline. The collar of her dress could hardly contain her, and the tight fabric was stretched into a full curve.

Hu Yu glanced at her sister's overflowing heart, then subconsciously touched her own chest, feeling the air squeezed out of her collar as it deflated. Her eyelids twitched involuntarily.

That wretched Fusu! Why is it that even though I'm married, have a husband, and eat papaya every day, I still can't compare to her in terms of figure?

Sure enough, she must have been secretly eating something with her back to me.

Seeing that Hu Yi's eyes were fixed on her, Fu Su tilted her head in confusion.

After a moment's hesitation, she said, "I wonder when Lord Bai and the others will arrive."

Hu Yi awkwardly withdrew his gaze, thought for a moment, and said, "It's almost noon, the army should have arrived by now. My husband will go there then, and after we've finalized the plan, he'll lead the army back through the main gate..."

Fu Su nodded slightly. She lifted the curtain and looked at the bustling scene on the street, her delicate eyebrows furrowing slightly.

She couldn't help but say, "Aren't you worried about raising a tiger to cause trouble by welcoming Bai Su in such a grand manner?"

Hu Yi was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

Fu Su lowered the curtain, turned around and said, "You have seen Bai Su's reputation among the people. He is more than a saint. Even we, as members of the Ying clan, cannot compare to his influence among the people."

"His influence among the common people was already great enough. After making such a great contribution, he also established considerable prestige in the army. Whether it was the Western Regions, the grasslands, or the present-day Chu region, everyone followed his lead."