The more honest of the two bearded men stood up first and bowed to Yong Yaxuan and Ji Feiyu. "We've traveled a long way for this visit and are truly grateful for the emperor and empress's generous hospitality. Even before we crossed the passes, we'd heard that the empress of the Great Yong Dynasty is the paragon of all women, surpassing countless in charm and grace. We've been eager to see for ourselves. In our Northern Cold Region, whenever there are honored guests, the most noble woman of the royal family will dance for them as a sign of respect. We wonder if the Great Yong has the sincerity to welcome us distant guests today."
As soon as these words were spoken, the feasting officials, who had been in high spirits, stopped and stared at the bearded man in astonishment, as if wondering why he dared to make such a request of the emperor. In the Great Yong, who didn't know who the emperor cherished most? Moreover, it would be quite improper to ask the mother of the nation to dance for a few barbarians!
Ji Feiyu shook her head as she looked at the man, thinking that this fellow really knew how to intimidate the Great Yong. If she didn't dance, according to their logic, it would mean the Great Yong lacked the sincerity to entertain guests. Then, even if the matter of returning the cities remained unsettled, it would be the Great Yong that lacked sincerity first. But if she really danced as he asked, it would indeed damage the dignity of the Great Yong. She was the mother of the nation; how could she really dance for foreign barbarians?
At this moment, a pair of eyes fixed on her. It was the good - looking envoy. Ji Feiyu looked back at him from afar and saw him smiling at her. She detected the provocation in his eyes. As her mind raced, she heard Yong Yaxuan firmly refuse, "That's the custom of your Northern Cold Region, not ours in the Great Yong. If the envoys want to watch a dance, I have my own arrangements."
The honest - looking bearded man shook his head. "We've long heard that the empress of the Great Yong is both talented and beautiful. We just want to see for ourselves. Please don't be so stingy, Your Majesty."
"Crunch!" The handle of the white jade cup in Yong Yaxuan's hand suddenly broke. The atmosphere at the banquet instantly turned icy cold. Seeing him angry, Ji Feiyu thought it was bad. She quickly said, "Since the envoys think so highly of me, I'll just have to make a fool of myself."
As soon as she said this, the entire banquet hall erupted in an uproar. At the same time, Yong Yaxuan shot her a stern look. Ji Feiyu motioned for him to be patient and then, in her gorgeous dress, slowly stepped down from the high platform.
When the bearded man saw Ji Feiyu coming down, his eyes lit up. He clapped his hands happily and said, "The empress is so straightforward!"
But before his applause died down, Ji Feiyu let out an "ouch" sound. Her elegant lotus - like steps suddenly turned into a clumsy stumble as if she'd sprained her foot.
"Your Majesty, be careful!" Before Ji Feiyu could fall, Father Li quickly supported her. Everyone gasped in shock, while Ji Feiyu wore a pained expression.
Ji Feiyu saw the emperor's expression change on the stage. Then, she let Father Li lead her limping to the center of the stage. With an apologetic look, she said, "I'm really sorry. I was going to dance for everyone today, but unexpectedly, an accident happened. Well, if the two of you don't mind, I'll play the zither instead. How about that?"
"Uh, since the empress is not convenient, playing the zither will do." The bearded man seemed a bit disappointed and scratched his head awkwardly.
Humph, even though she was "injured", they still wanted her to play the zither. They really wouldn't give up until they got what they wanted!
Ji Feiyu smiled at him and whispered something in Father Li's ear. Father Li nodded and immediately brought her a zither. Ji Feiyu sat down on the spot, spreading out her skirt, and gently plucked a few strings on the zither.
The tinkling sound of the zither brought back memories of the days when Ji Feiyu used to play the zither freely across the land. She smiled faintly and looked at Yong Yaxuan. Seeing him nod, she casually scanned the banquet hall and noticed that the shadows at the exit of the banquet hall had indeed retreated. Then, she slowly and formally started to play the zither.
The zither music was like mercury bursting. Ji Feiyu played music that seemed to depict high mountains above and flowing water below. With her dexterous fingers dancing on the strings, she played a wonderful tune.
The bearded man and the fair - skinned man beside him, who only showed a pair of narrow phoenix - like eyes, both cheered in approval.
Ji Feiyu gave them a cold smile and continued playing the zither.
The zither music soared and then ebbed, rising again when it seemed to fall. It made everyone's emotions rise and fall with it.
Ji Feiyu played the zither calmly. Suddenly, she plucked a high - pitched note. With a "puff" sound, the bearded man spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, staining his beard.
Ji Feiyu quickly stopped playing and looked over. She saw the fair - skinned man supporting the bearded man, pressing a few acupoints on his body, and whispering something in his ear in a foreign language. Then, they both looked at Ji Feiyu.
Seeing this, Ji Feiyu feigned surprise and said, "What's wrong with the two envoys? Could it be that you've been in the desolate Northern Cold Region for so long that you're not used to such a sumptuous feast today?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Feiyu quickly covered her mouth, pretending to have said something wrong. Oh, she was really too hasty. She'd accidentally said something she shouldn't have...
The fair - skinned man immediately shot her a cold look. The overbearing look in his eyes seemed to confirm Ji Feiyu's previous suspicion that this man was by no means an ordinary envoy!
Seeing this, Yong Yaxuan quickly took control of the situation and said, "What's wrong, Envoy? If you're not feeling well, go back to the annex to rest first."
The bearded man finally caught his breath. He held his chest and coughed twice, then smiled at the emperor and said, "I think I'm just not used to the water and soil here in the Great Yong. It's nothing serious..."
The fair - skinned man looked displeased. Supporting the bearded man, he pretended to bow to everyone and said, "We'll take our leave first!" Then, he led the bearded man away.
Ji Feiyu was then helped up by Father Li and sat back beside Yong Yaxuan.
When Yong Yaxuan saw Ji Feiyu return, he immediately looked at her foot. "Your foot..."
Ji Feiyu quickly pretended to look down at her foot but actually whispered in his ear, "It's fake..."
Hearing this, Yong Yaxuan couldn't help laughing. "My dear..."
Seeing his rare smile, Ji Feiyu whispered to him, "How about it? Did I perform the string - killing technique well at the banquet today?"
"Excellent! It's just as powerful as before!" Yong Yaxuan was in high spirits. Fortunately, Ji Feiyu had taught him the breathing technique before, which could resolve the impact of the sound waves. Otherwise, he would have had to quietly stuff something in his ears.
Seeing his elated look, Ji Feiyu felt like slamming the table in frustration! She couldn't help but recall her past.
In the past, before Ji Feiyu entered the palace, she relied on the string - killing technique and poisoning to protect herself.
As for poisoning, she had demonstrated it when Concubine Li offered a toast.
The string - killing technique was passed down to Ji Feiyu by her tutor. It used the zither music to resonate with internal energy and the pitch to guide the flow of internal energy. It could disrupt a person's internal breath slightly or cause them to bleed to death severely. However, although this zither music was powerful, it had a fatal flaw: it had no effect on people without internal energy.
So before she started playing, Ji Feiyu had asked Father Li to inform the emperor to have the martial generals with internal energy and the shadow guards at the banquet temporarily retreat.
In this way, Ji Feiyu could easily target the two envoys with this tune.
Thinking of this, Ji Feiyu suddenly felt a bit sorry for the bearded man. She smiled at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, guess who will feel worse tonight, the two of them?"
The emperor saw Ji Feiyu's mischievous smile and immediately understood. Curving his lips, he said, "Naturally, it's the one who's been holding back."
The implication was obvious.
Presumably, the two envoys from the Northern Cold Region never expected that Ji Feiyu, the empress of the Great Yong, would dare to use force subtly right at the banquet.