This woman was graceful and elegant. Her beauty was one thing, but more impressive was her dignified bearing as a ruler, making one hesitant to look directly at her.
Only those who held great power could cultivate such an aura.
Princess Hanyue spoke up: “This is the Queen of New Xia.” She then introduced Zhao Rushan’s identity to Feng Miaojun.
Time was pressing, so she kept it brief.
Now Zhao Rushan was truly shocked. With Yinzi City facing catastrophe, how could the Queen of New Xia suddenly appear at such a critical moment? With his keen instincts, he immediately sensed something unusual.
Princess Hanyue bit her lip and said clearly: “By the Crown Prince’s order, our Jiao Kingdom will merge with New Xia, starting… from this moment.” As she spoke, Miao Fengxian’s spirit slowly manifested behind her.
Zhao Rushan’s eyes widened in shock: “What!” Though his mind was quick and he soon grasped the key points, he still knelt before Miao Fengxian’s spirit. “Crown Prince, this absolutely cannot happen! Merging with New Xia means Great Jiao will cease to exist—how is this any different from being devoured by the Wei Kingdom!”
“Of course, there’s a difference,” Princess Hanyue’s almond eyes opened wide. “The people of Yinzi need not die, General Zhao, you need not die, and you need not trouble yourself with escorting mother and son out of the city.”
Zhao Rushan raised his voice: “If we die in battle, Great Jiao still has a chance to rise again; but if we submit and merge, then, then…” If Jiao were destroyed by Wei, millions of Jiao citizens would still hold hopes of restoration, and a spark could eventually ignite a prairie fire. But if the Jiao royal family actively surrendered, they would not even have this last excuse.
Before he could finish, from the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the Queen of New Xia holding up an object—white with a hint of green, with a soft luster—the jade seal of Jiao Kingdom!
Zhao Rushan was suddenly speechless, the veins at his temples throbbing visibly.
The Crown Prince’s consort had already handed over the imperial jade seal!
Feng Miaojun spoke in a gentle voice: “General Zhao’s loyalty is admirable, but may I ask in what capacity are you speaking? If as a Jiao official, you should obey the orders of the Crown Prince and his wife, and perform your duties.” At this point, she gave a cold smile. “If not a Jiao official, how do you have the nerve to demand death for a million civilians in Yinzi?”
The ministers of the Jiao Kingdom possessed loyalty and integrity in abundance, with just one flaw:
They were too fond of overstepping their bounds and making decisions for their rulers.
How many times had they pushed the royal family to their deaths? As a ruler herself, Feng Miaojun greatly disliked this habit.
Zhao Rushan looked as if he had been struck by a mallet, his face flushing crimson.
Feng Miaojun ignored him, put away the jade seal, and said to the Crown Prince’s couple: “Time waits for no one; let’s go to the ancestral temple.” Issuing the edict and handing over the jade seal wasn’t enough; the procedure for surrender and merger was still missing its most important step.
That was to enter Jiao’s ancestral temple and retrieve the foundation stone!
Only when this object was removed would the two-hundred-year legacy of the Jiao Kingdom truly be concluded.
Under normal circumstances, the foundation stone had to be offered by the ruler for the surrender to be official, but since the only royal bloodline was too young, Feng Miaojun had no choice but to retrieve it herself.
Princess Hanyue carried her son and led Feng Miaojun toward the exit.
Zhao Rushan crossed one leg in front of them, blocking the two women’s path, his eyes bloodshot with a dangerous gleam.
Princess Hanyue angrily shouted: “Step aside!”
Zhao Rushan didn’t move, saying softly: “Crown Prince’s consort, you must not!”
Princess Hanyue gritted her teeth and called out loudly: “Guards, protect us!”
Thirty to forty imperial guards converged from all directions, surrounding them protectively. Zhao Rushan’s subordinates also rushed in quickly, and the two sides found themselves in a standoff.
With her vast experience, Feng Miaojun was all too familiar with the killing intent he was releasing. She smiled coldly, her aura expanding outward. Though she stood without moving half a step, to Zhao Rushan, she no longer appeared to be a young woman, but rather a fierce tiger just descended from the mountains!
Zhao Rushan’s jaw twitched, and just as he was about to speak, a tremendous boom unexpectedly came from outside, shaking the entire hall. The twenty-some people inside were caught off guard and knocked to the ground.
That sound was not far from here now.
Miao Fengxian’s judgment was correct; this time, Jiao’s forces had collapsed like a mountain, beyond salvation.
Feng Miaojun gazed at Zhao Rushan and slowly said: “General Zhao, this opportunity will vanish in an instant. Don’t misguide others and yourself.”
Zhao Rushan’s expression changed several times, and Feng Miaojun could hear him grinding his teeth.
Finally, he waved his hand dejectedly: “Stand down, all of you!”
His guards dispersed, and Zhao Rushan stepped aside, clearing the hall entrance.
Princess Hanyue, carrying her son, quickly left the hall. Feng Miaojun followed beside her, turning her head to glance at Zhao Rushan before leaving. She saw that his spirit had deflated, his face ashen, aging five or six years in just a few breaths.
“Which way to the ancestral temple?” She had no time to sympathize with others and went straight to the point.
The biggest problem now was that the Jiao royal ancestral temple was in the northern part of Yinzi City, and the road to the north gate had been cut off by Wei forces.
“To break through, wouldn’t we need to carve a bloody path?” Feng Miaojun could easily imagine that the ancestral temple would certainly be a target for Wei forces. By now, it was probably surrounded by numerous troops. For them to attempt to break through—wouldn’t that be like sending sheep into a tiger’s den?
“Not necessary,” Miao Fengxian shook his head. “There’s a simpler way.”
Surprisingly, he led Feng Miaojun into a small waterside pavilion. While the estate was in chaos, with figures rushing about, no one was heading toward this scenic spot, making it exceptionally quiet.
The floor of the pavilion was paved with thin yet durable blue-veined square tiles unique to the region, with a circular phoenix pattern in the center.
He gestured for Feng Miaojun to take out the jade seal and lightly press the jade knob twice. The small tripod lid on the seal then opened by itself.
So the imperial jade seal contained such a mechanism.
She reached inside and extracted a crystal-thin film, as thin as a cicada’s wing, inscribed with red filaments almost indiscernible to the naked eye, incredibly intricate.
Now she twisted off the jade tripod and discovered that its bottom was transparent with a curved surface.
Following Miao Fengxian’s instructions, she re-embedded the crystal film into the groove at the bottom of the tripod’s foot. At this moment, Princess Hanyue handed over a brocade pouch.
The pouch was of unusual quality; Feng Miaojun examined it briefly before opening it. Inside was an ice box no larger than a palm. As soon as it was taken out, a layer of frost formed on the nearby floor, pillars, and furnishings. Princess Hanyue shivered twice, her delicate body trembling.
This was a crystal box carved from an ice core taken from an extremely cold region. Whatever it contained must be even more precious.
“Step back.”
Seeing Princess Hanyue comply and retreat to the doorway, Feng Miaojun gently opened the box lid.
Inside lay an elemental pearl the size of a grape.
Unlike other beast cores, this object emitted strong light constantly. The light was blindingly white and incredibly hot. If not contained in this ice box, it could have set the entire hall ablaze in just two or three breaths.
Miao Fengxian’s soul, most fearful of such bright yang fire, had already retreated far away.