Chapter 847: Valley Scenery (Part )

Today, Jingyun Pavilion is packed with distinguished guests and friends. At a glance, there are at least three or four hundred people, half of whom are court officials, and the other half are prestigious gentry and celebrities in Lin'an.

There was a commotion upstairs and downstairs. These people were either powerful ministers or well-known people with high moral character and prestige. They were all influential figures who could command the support of hundreds of people. But now they were like old friends from the village who had not seen each other for a long time. They gathered in groups of three or five, chattering and singing in unison, laughing and talking happily.

Even the officials from the East and West Prefectures, who had always been at odds with each other, would put on a show and ask about each other's well-being when they met. If one did not know the inside story, one would really think that the court was in harmony and that the East and West Prefectures were like brothers.

Among all the dignitaries, the one with the highest status was the handsome and majestic Prince Rong, and the young prince Zhao Xie who came with him.

Especially since Prince Rong came here today on behalf of the Emperor, his significance is self-evident.

Although it is nominally the "Double Ninth Festival Banquet", many people have heard that today's banquet is closely related to the "Song-Mongol Marriage".

In the procession of the bride, the guard general Xu Guangsheng had died, and the leader of the Xiangfu Feng Tianba was not invited because of his insignificance. As a eunuch, Ding Qinghong was not qualified to attend today's banquet. In this way, only the "Song Dynasty Marriage Envoy" Liu Xunyi was present.

His appearance inevitably made people think about it. After all, even Qin Wei, the "Marquis of Heaven", had not received an invitation, so how could Liu Xunyi attend for no reason?
Many people secretly speculated that Liu Xunyi's attendance at the "Double Ninth Festival Banquet" was most likely a signal released by the court, indicating that the emperor was about to use him.

Therefore, some people who were good at flattery came up to Liu Xunyi early and exchanged insincere politeness with him, hoping to get some of his blessings in the future.

Since entering Jingyun Pavilion, Liu Xunyi has been socializing with different people. The constant stream of connections has made him overwhelmed and dizzy.

"master."

When Liu Xunyi sent away a stranger from Lin'an with an almost stiff smile, a low and complex voice suddenly sounded behind him.

He turned around suddenly, only to see Zhao Xie with a serious expression staring at him blankly with an indescribable strange look.

"Greetings, young prince..."

"No need to be so polite!" Zhao Yu held him and asked hesitantly, "Master, is Sister Xin...doing well in Mobei?"

When Zhao Xin was mentioned, Liu Xunyi's heart suddenly ached, his eyes dimmed, and he forced a smile: "The princess is very good, Mobei... has everything."

"That's good!" Zhao Yu nodded absentmindedly, then his eyes moved and he asked, "Did your trip to Mobei go smoothly?"

Liu Xunyi didn't seem to understand what Zhao Yu meant, and said hesitantly: "Thanks to the young prince, everything went well for me. But... why did the young prince ask this?"

"I……"

It seemed that Zhao Xie was feeling depressed and unable to speak. He hesitated several times and could not say anything further.

"Little Prince, what are you doing..."

"Master, you have deep feelings for Sister Xin, but you were able to bear the pain of giving her up for the sake of your family and country, and personally sent her to Mobei... This shows that you are loyal to the court and regard the rise and fall of the Song Dynasty as your own responsibility."

Looking at Zhao Yu who was talking around, Liu Xunyi was even more confused. But before he could ask, Zhao Yu said confidently: "You sacrificed your feelings for the court and almost paid with your life. You are a true hero. The emperor's uncle should reward you handsomely."

"Thank you for your kindness, young prince. I am truly honored."

"Master, I sincerely admire you, really!" Zhao Yu said righteously, "No matter what time, I believe in your loyalty to the Song Dynasty, to the emperor's uncle, and to the court!"

"This..." Looking at the sincere Zhao Yu, Liu Xunyi was very moved, but also very confused, "Young Prince, you seem... a little strange today?"

"It would be great if the court could have more loyal and brave people like you." Zhao Yu's words were incoherent, making Liu Xunyi feel even more confused.

At this point, Zhao Yu's eyes suddenly flashed with determination, as if he had made up his mind. He looked around and saw that no one was paying attention to him, so he quickly stuffed a note into Liu Xunyi's hand.

"This is……"

"Don't look at it now!" Zhao Yu said hurriedly, "Open it when you are at your wit's end."

"Desperate?" Liu Xunyi was surprised and horrified. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing... nothing." Zhao Yu waved his hands in a panic, "I hope... everything is just my imagination."

After saying this, Zhao Yu turned and left in Liu Xunyi's puzzled gaze, without giving him the chance to ask further questions.

"Everyone is here, Your Majesty can begin now."

Suddenly, Lord Qian's voice resounded throughout Jingyun Pavilion, gradually quieting the bustling and noisy scene. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Prince Rong, with a ruddy face, slowly stood up, and looked around upstairs and downstairs with his piercing phoenix eyes. Wherever his eyes passed, they were all full of humility.

"Today, on behalf of the Emperor, I have set up a banquet with 7749 tables at Jingyun Pavilion to celebrate the Double Ninth Festival with all my colleagues and the country's heroes. This is to reward you for your decades of hard work and dedication for the Song Dynasty, the court, and the people. The Emperor knows that you have worked hard day and night, so he specifically asked me to toast everyone on his behalf."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!"

Everyone present knelt on the ground and kowtowed in unison. Some elderly ministers even raised their wine glasses and shed tears, unable to hold back their excitement.

"Besides that, there is one more thing I want to announce to you all today." After everyone stood up, Prince Rong continued calmly, "As everyone knows, Song and Mongolia have always been in constant conflict, and wars of all sizes have disturbed the peace of soldiers and civilians on the border. After repeated consultations and negotiations between the court and Mongolia, they finally reached a consensus and decided to make peace forever. Four months ago, the court sent people to send Princess Xinde to Helin, and she married the Mongolian prince at the 'Nadam Festival'. So far, the marriage between Song and Mongolia has been completed, the two countries have stopped fighting and made peace, and from now on, the Song Dynasty will no longer have to worry about war."

"Okay!"

As soon as Prince Rong said this, there was immediate cheering.

"The emperor played a great role in this marriage, and the court officials who negotiated with Mongolia also made great contributions. There is no doubt about this. In addition, there is another person who must be mentioned, that is, the 'Song Dynasty's marriage envoy' Liu Xunyi."

In an instant, almost everyone in Jingyun Pavilion turned their eyes to Liu Xunyi, who was troubled, making him look confused and at a loss.

"Liu Xunyi traveled thousands of miles north without any complaints, especially when Yunya Town experienced a turmoil. Fortunately, he risked his life to protect the princess, which made the marriage between the two countries go smoothly. The emperor is very pleased with this." While speaking, Prince Rong took an imperial edict from Lord Jia, slowly opened it under the expectant and nervous eyes of everyone, and said loudly, "The emperor has ordered that Liu Xunyi has made great contributions in escorting the bride and has lived up to the emperor's orders, so he is promoted from the third rank Tianji General to the deputy head of Tianji Pavilion to commend his merits."

"This……"

Liu Xunyi knew that the emperor was very dissatisfied with his repeated offenses, especially his lingering relationship with Zhao Xin, and his use of the power of the Mongols to force the emperor to pardon his death sentence. Even the bloody case in Yunya Town was inextricably linked to him... All these past events made Liu Xunyi realize that it was extremely difficult for him to keep his life, so how could he dare to hope for a reward?
Furthermore, Qin Wei had assured him yesterday that the Emperor had other plans for him, and that they would not have much time left to work together. But the imperial edict he received now was completely different from what Qin Wei had said, adding to the confusion of Liu Xunyi, who was already full of doubts.

"Master Liu, why don't you accept my order and express your gratitude?"

At the whispered urging of others, Liu Xunyi suddenly came to his senses. Without having time to think too much, he quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Lord. I will obey your command."

"Congratulations, Lord Liu, on your promotion to General!"

"Master Liu is young and promising, his future is limitless!"

"Lord Liu sacrificed his life for the court, and his promotion is well deserved. Congratulations!"

"congratulations!"

……

All of a sudden, everyone came forward and vied with each other to raise their glasses to congratulate Liu Xunyi.

However, as the protagonist, Liu Xunyi should have been as happy as he wanted and overjoyed, but he was in a trance and uneasy. He always felt that this matter was like a dream, which came a little suddenly, a little easily, and even a little incredible.

At this moment, he was confused: Is the emperor really so magnanimous? Will the court let bygones be bygones for what happened in Yunya Town? Why did Prince Rong only say "I took the trouble to escort the bride all the way" but not mention anything about what happened in Mobei? Little did he know that his glorious deeds of fighting with the Mongols at the "Nadam" had already been known to everyone. Did Prince Rong accidentally omit it... or did he deliberately not mention it?
Although he had a lot of worries in his heart, he could not resist the overwhelming enthusiasm of the crowd, and Liu Xunyi's worries were quickly drowned in the toasting and chatting.

"Everyone, congratulating Liu Xunyi now...maybe it's too early."

Just when everyone was full of enthusiasm and excitement, an old voice sounded quietly, interrupting everyone's interest and attracting suspicious glances.

Mr. Qian, with an expressionless face, slowly stood up. His neutral expression, his eyes that were neither happy nor sad, and his tone that was neither salty nor bland all seemed somewhat out of place with the festive atmosphere.

Seeing this, except for Prince Rong, Lord Jia and a few other important court officials who remained calm, everyone else, including Liu Xunyi, was secretly shocked, and a bad premonition arose in their hearts.

Judging from the situation, it seems that the highlight of today's "Double Ninth Festival Banquet" is not the emperor's reward to Liu Xunyi, but the unknown scene that is about to appear.

Although it was not stated explicitly, the atmosphere suddenly became depressing and solemn, causing many people present to have fantasies. Some "old foxes" who were observant of Qian's words and expressions gradually realized the hidden meaning of Lord Qian and began to subconsciously distance themselves from Liu Xunyi.

Liu Xunyi, who didn't know the truth, suddenly had an idea and quickly cast a thoughtful look at Zhao Chen, only to see him staring at her deeply with a pair of sad eyes.

Seeing this scene, Liu Xunyi's heart sank immediately. An indescribable sense of crisis surged from the bottom of his heart and quickly spread throughout his body.

"The court clearly distinguishes merits from demerits, and rewards and punishments are orderly. The emperor will not ignore merits, nor will he condone crimes." In the dead silent Jingyun Pavilion, Lord Qian broke the silence again, his attitude became more fierce, and his words became more sharp, "Liu Xunyi, do you know your crime?"

……

(End of this chapter)