Zicheng readily agreed, his smile beaming. "They are Consort Ning's maternal relatives. It's good for them to accompany you more."
Consort Ning understood perfectly why the Emperor was being kind to her and what her role was. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zicheng patted her shoulder and said to Lord Zhao and the others, "Consort Ning misses her hometown greatly. I hope Lord Zhao and you gentlemen can accompany Consort Ning more to alleviate her homesickness."
Lord Zhao and the others knew this matter was not that simple. They bowed their heads in agreement. This was truly a Hongmen Banquet.
"Your Majesty Wenzong," Lord Zhao took two steps forward, his head slightly bowed. "Your Majesty Wenzong, may I ask if it's possible to meet Your country's Prince Mingrui and General Sheng?"
Zicheng thought to himself that the main topic had finally arrived. He chuckled and said, "You may. Uncle, General Sheng."
Mo Lingxi slowly stood up, his every movement exuding an indescribable nobility and aloofness.
Sheng Tianchun stood up aggressively, one hand on his hip, looking fierce and ready to fight.
This was the first time Lord Zhao had seen Mo Lingxi and General Sheng, but he felt a sense of dread. As expected of the two great war gods of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, their mere presence was beyond that of ordinary people.
If it weren't for these two great war gods of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, why would the Northern Yuan Dynasty have sent a princess for a marriage alliance, and why would they have endured and not sent troops?
"Greetings, Prince Mingrui, General Sheng."
Sheng Tianchun snorted from his nose, and Mo Lingxi responded with a faint "En."
Lord Zhao's eyes darted, and he respectfully asked, "Does Prince Mingrui have any dissatisfaction with our Princess Nan Ning? The agreement between the two countries was for Prince Mingrui to marry our Princess Nan Ning."
Mo Lingxi stood with his hands behind his back, coldly looking down at him. "Do I need you to teach me how to do things?"
Although his tone was very calm, it struck Lord Zhao like a thunderclap, making his legs weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.
"Please forgive me, Prince Mingrui. I did not mean it that way. It was as agreed upon back then."
Mo Lingxi let out a cold scoff. "What was agreed upon? When did my Eastern Jin Dynasty agree for me to marry the Princess of Nan Ning?"
The guests present began to discuss amongst themselves.
"Exactly, exactly. Our Eastern Jin Dynasty never agreed to such a thing. The Northern Yuan Dynasty truly has a lot of nerve to question Prince Mingrui in public."
"The Northern Yuan Dynasty's intentions are known to everyone. Now that the Princess of Nan Ning is Consort Ning, the Northern Yuan Dynasty asking such a question in public clearly shows they want to use Consort Ning to sow discord between His Majesty and Prince Mingrui. It is truly malicious."
"I knew why the Northern Yuan Dynasty came so early. It turns out they had this kind of plan. Your Majesty, you must not let the Northern Yuan Dynasty off lightly."
"Your Majesty Wenzong, that is not the case," Lord Zhao said calmly, bowing to Zicheng. "My Northern Yuan Dynasty had some doubts, which is why we asked. After all, this is different from what was discussed before."
Zicheng held his wine cup, his eyes sharp. "If I understand Lord Zhao correctly, does my Eastern Jin Dynasty have to listen to your Northern Yuan Dynasty on how to act?"
These words carried great weight.
Lord Zhao immediately knelt on the ground, his words earnest. "Your Majesty Wenzong, absolutely not. My Northern Yuan Dynasty never had such intentions. It's just that my Northern Yuan Dynasty has some things it doesn't understand."
This newly appointed Emperor of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was no simple character; he was even more formidable than they had investigated.
Suddenly—
Zicheng slammed his wine cup in front of Lord Zhao.
With a 'bang,' the wine cup shattered, and wine splashed all over the floor.
"Please, Your Majesty, calm your anger!" Everyone present either knelt or bowed, begging Zicheng to calm down.
Lord Zhao's heart sank. "Please, Your Majesty Wenzong... Ah!"
Mo Lingxi kicked him flying, his eyes fierce and murderous. "Does the Northern Yuan Dynasty really think of itself as something! Come, have this man publicly flogged fifty times!"
As the order was given, several imperial guards stepped forward. Two guards held Lord Zhao down, while the others began striking him with planks, one after another.
The 'crack, crack, crack' of the planks, accompanied by Lord Zhao's screams and pleas, "Please, Your Majesty Wenzong, Prince Mingrui, spare my life. It is my fault."
Why was the Eastern Jin Dynasty acting so out of the ordinary?
Mo Lingxi didn't even lift an eyelid. Wenzong embraced Consort Ning's shoulder and smiled without warmth in his eyes. "Consort Ning, your maternal relatives seem to be rather ill-mannered. You should teach them how to behave on my Eastern Jin Dynasty's territory."
Consort Ning trembled and said obediently, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. Your subject will handle this matter properly."
Her father truly didn't care about her life or death, only thinking of using her to achieve his schemes, without considering her situation at all.
Wenzong was very pleased with her words and gently patted her face. "Consort Ning is truly sensible."
Consort Ning lowered her eyes. She had no choice but to be sensible here. However, it was better than being in the dangerous and scheming Northern Yuan Dynasty's imperial palace.
At least, she didn't have to live in constant fear.
Seeing this, Sheng Lengshuang couldn't help but sigh. This Hongmen Banquet was truly nerve-wracking. Look at all these people with their schemes, all trying to achieve their own goals.
Not long after, she saw Lord Zhao, who looked like he wished he were dead, finish his flogging and be dragged back to his seat by two imperial guards. She shook her head, thinking the Northern Yuan Dynasty was too hasty.
With Lord Zhao's example, the other envoys from the Northern Yuan Dynasty dared not speak rashly. They didn't dare to say another word, keeping their heads down and eating and drinking throughout, fearing they would suffer the same fate as Lord Zhao.
After the palace banquet, Lord Zhao and the others were sent back to the post station.
The emphasis was on *sent*.
In the room.
Lord Zhao lay on the bed with a pale face, his eyes sinisterly looking at his colleagues. "You are all aware of the consequences if we fail to complete the task assigned by His Majesty."
The envoys were all too aware of the consequences, and they trembled uncontrollably.
"Lord Zhao, after tonight's palace banquet, we understand that Your Majesty Wenzong and Prince Mingrui are difficult to deal with. So how can we complete the task assigned by His Majesty?"
"Yes, yes. More importantly, Consort Ning does not seem to be willing to help us. Without her help, it will be much more difficult for us to complete the task."
Lord Zhao had also realized this, his eyes filled with malice. "I have my own methods. Tomorrow, when we go to see Consort Ning, you will listen to me."
He wanted to see if Consort Ning had the courage to disobey His Majesty's orders.
The envoys nodded to each other, feeling somewhat relieved.
"Lord Zhao, should we proceed with the plan regarding Sheng Lengshuang? I think we need to change the plan." one envoy said.
Lord Zhao also had an idea about this. "There's no rush with Sheng Lengshuang. Let's see how the situation develops. The more important thing now is Prince Mingrui. As long as we handle Prince Mingrui properly, are you afraid we can't deal with Sheng Lengshuang?"
The envoys breathed a sigh of relief, smiles appearing on their faces. If they could complete the task assigned by His Majesty this time, they would all be promoted and granted titles.
What they didn't know was that every word they spoke was relayed to Zicheng and Mo Lingxi by hidden guards.