“This… this one…” The furious Empress of Dongqin found herself momentarily at a loss for words, but then suddenly grew calm, instantly understanding exactly what had happened!
Jun Beiyue had been inside the room the entire time—this man had deliberately set the trap, luring her in!
“Well? Explain yourself! What exactly is the meaning of this!” Jun Beiyue’s voice was cold, fury radiating from him. Though merely a prince, his commanding presence utterly overwhelmed that of an empress—even the King of Nanzhao fell silent.
That single question—”what is the meaning of this”—seemed to demand the Empress of Dongqin explain herself… and there was no way around it!
The entire scene fell utterly silent. No shortage of important figures were present here—the King of Nanzhao, the elders of Nanzhao’s Medicine and Beast Clans, Yelu Qianqian representing Xijing, the Xiliang envoy, and Situ Haonan representing the martial world’s alliance.
Aside from Western Chu, virtually every major power on the continent of Longyuan was gathered right here. Though no one from Western Chu was present, this incident would certainly reach the ears of the Western Chu royal family regardless!
The Empress of Dongqin understood perfectly well that if she failed to answer Jun Beiyue’s question satisfactorily, she would become a laughingstock across the entire continent of Longyuan, mocked from the grandest palace halls down to the humblest street corners.
But how was she supposed to answer?
The black-robed assassin had already been thrown out before she’d even rushed in!
She had never been the type to act rashly or impulsively—she never personally intervened without absolute certainty!
If not for Shiliang’s earlier reports, and the nervous, evasive behavior of Minister Bomiluo, Physician Gu, Yingzi, and even the Medicine Clan Elder—
Even at the very door, with the assassin already having burst inside, they’d still nervously tried to block the entrance.
She would never have been so certain otherwise!
She’d known perfectly well that charging in herself was a point of no return, but she’d calculated that with Jun Beiyue not actually in the room, the King of Nanzhao would fly into a rage and launch an investigation—and no one would think to question why a sovereign empress herself had barged into an enemy prince’s chambers.
How was she to know this had all been a carefully calculated trap, step by step!
“Shiliang!”
She cursed inwardly. That Jun Beiyue could arrive ahead of schedule meant he must have received word in advance—and that girl Shiliang hadn’t noticed a single thing!
Had Shiliang been exposed, or was there some other explanation?
At this point, the Empress of Dongqin had no time to think further. Her face, covered in angry red welts, flushed a furious crimson. She glared coldly at Jun Beiyue, gritting her teeth, unable to answer.
Just then, Ziqing spoke up. A woman needed poise, and integrity even more—she certainly wasn’t going to lower herself to address the Empress of Dongqin first. “King of Nanzhao, an assassination attempt was made against Prince Yao here on your soil—surely you owe my husband and me an explanation?”
The King of Nanzhao drew in a sharp breath, shooting the Empress of Dongqin a look of thinly veiled disdain. He understood perfectly well—if the Empress refused to speak, he would have to deal with this matter himself!
Whether it was Jun Beiyue or Han Ziqing, their position was unmistakable. The black-robed assassin already lay dead nearby, and now they demanded an explanation—which could only mean they’d concluded the Empress of Dongqin herself was behind the assassination attempt!
This… how was he supposed to handle this?
In truth, Nanzhao did have established protocols for situations like this. Though Nanzhao kept itself largely isolated from the outside world, it frequently hosted royalty, nobility, and officials from various kingdoms as guests!
No matter how hostile two nations might be toward each other, once within Nanzhao’s borders, mutual coldness and silence were entirely their own affair—but should either party threaten the other’s safety on Nanzhao soil, there was only one consequence: expulsion from Nanzhao, blacklisted from future invitations, permanently barred from ever setting foot on Nanzhao soil again.
The Empress of Dongqin had indeed approached the King of Nanzhao previously, specifically regarding Jun Beiyue’s absence from the capital, and the King had looked into the matter himself. Though he lacked conclusive proof, his suspicions had lingered—which was precisely why he’d taken the opportunity of the hunting trip, amid his own busy schedule, to come meet with Jun Beiyue in person!
But who could have anticipated the matter would escalate to this point?
With Western Chu’s princess about to be officially married in, expelling the Empress of Dongqin at this precise moment would make Nanzhao appear to be siding with Western Chu—severely damaging Nanzhao’s carefully cultivated image of neutrality!
Had this not coincided with the royal wedding, the King of Nanzhao might well have acted decisively—after all, the evidence was clear and irrefutable.
But with the wedding underway, the King found himself in an genuinely difficult position!
Seeing the King of Nanzhao still hesitating, Jun Beiyue spoke coldly at once. “Qing’er, give the order—have everything packed.”
He spoke with obvious fury, yet still maintained perfect courtesy, turning to bow formally to the King of Nanzhao. “Your Majesty, this King’s own affairs of state…”
Before he could even finish, the King of Nanzhao broke into a cold sweat and moved to step forward, only to be reminded of Jun Beiyue’s illness, forcing him to remain by the door instead, waving his hands urgently. “Worthy brother Prince Yao, there’s no need to rush—this King will absolutely give you a proper explanation for this!”
“You’d better! Otherwise, staying here offers us no sense of security whatsoever—we might as well simply leave. This Princess has plenty of matters to attend to as well!” Yelu Qianqian chimed in at once, jabbing Situ Haonan sharply in the ribs with her elbow.
Situ Haonan had already been about to voice his agreement, and the sudden jab made him wince in pain. Unexpectedly, the Xiliang envoy spoke up as well—this official proved remarkably direct. “Your Majesty, in Xiliang, Nanzhao’s envoys’ compound is renowned far and wide as a place where all of Longyuan’s grievances are set aside, where everyone coexists peacefully—this is a rule Nanzhao holds in the highest regard. This is my very first mission abroad, and already I’ve witnessed such a flagrant violation of this custom. Your Majesty, surely this explanation isn’t owed to Da Zhou alone, but to all the assembled kingdoms as well?”
Only now did Ziqing truly take notice of this reserved Xiliang official—a burly man with a thick, bushy beard that obscured most of his features, making it hard to judge either his appearance or his age. Judging by his voice, though, he couldn’t be too old.
Blunt as his words were, they carried considerable weight. The Empress of Dongqin’s already ashen face turned a shade of green.
Finally, the King of Nanzhao turned his gaze toward the Empress of Dongqin, demanding, “Your Majesty, this explanation should rightfully come from you. If you cannot provide one, do not blame this King for… for showing no leniency and handling this strictly by the rules!”
Xuanyuan Zhaoxi retreated several steps at once. There was truly no explanation to be had here—where would any excuse even come from? She thought, we’re finished!
Jun Beiyue had outmaneuvered them completely, checkmate!
Though the Empress of Dongqin remained standing where she was, her fingernails dug so deeply into her palms they nearly broke the skin, forcing herself to stay calm, searching desperately for a way out.
Was there a way out at all?
Could the trap Jun Beiyue had so carefully laid possibly offer her any retreat?
Either apologize, or admit to the assassination attempt—those were the only two paths available.
Apologizing meant utterly humiliating herself and all of Dongqin, becoming the greatest laughingstock on the entire continent of Longyuan. Admitting to the assassination attempt meant expulsion from Nanzhao—equally humiliating, equally disastrous!
In this moment, the Empress of Dongqin wanted nothing more than to strangle that wretched girl Shiliang with her own bare hands!
With everyone’s eyes upon her, she finally drew a deep breath and, at last, began to speak…