What was Ning Chen doing?
Ning Chen was brushing his teeth. He had made a simple toothbrush made of pig hair. The hair would fall off when he brushed it.
"Bah! Bah!"
"Bah! Bah!"
Early in the morning, Ning Chen squatted in front of the door, brushing his teeth and spitting out pig hair. He was so focused that he did not even know when Xiaoning had arrived.
"Woo!"
Ning Chen whimpered as a greeting.
"The Empress is looking for you, come with me."
Qing Ning did not have time to waste and pulled Ning Chen away.
Ning Chen was shocked. Before he could take a sip of water to rinse his mouth, he was pulled away by Qing Ning.
"Wait, drink some water."
"It's too late, there's plenty of time to drink later."
Ning Chen felt miserable. How could it be the same as now? If you have the ability, you should also try to swallow a mouthful of salt.
With the help of Qing Ning, the distance between Weiyang Palace and Revelation Hall, which was originally quite a distance, was covered in the time it took to brew a cup of tea.
On the way, Qing Ning quickly explained the situation in the palace. Ning Chen listened to her and despised the behavior of the emissary from Zhen Ji Kingdom. It was strange that he was so shameless.
In fact, the most difficult part of the problem was the person who took the needle. Earlier, the envoy of the Zhen Ji Kingdom had suggested that the person who took the needle should be chosen by the other party, which was a reasonable request. However, the emperor and minister of Xia still underestimated the shamelessness of the envoy.
There were only five representatives of the True Extreme Kingdom in the hall, and all of them were martial artists. How would Great Xia choose them?
Zhangsun also realized this, so he called Ning Chen over. If a martial artist had true energy to protect himself, it would not be a big deal for him to put his hand into the pot of oil for a short period of time. In this way, Great Xia would be at a disadvantage in terms of candidates.
Ning Chen followed Xiaoning to Zhangsun's back and quickly whispered a few words into his ear.
"Feasible?" Zhangsun asked worriedly.
Ning Chen nodded and softly said,"Your Highness will know when you see it."
"Qingning, make the arrangements."
Zhangsun nodded slightly and indicated that this was the only way now. It would be best if they could win this first round. At the very least, it would be a draw.
After hearing Ning Chen's words, a hint of doubt appeared on her face. However, she still obeyed his orders and went out to make arrangements.
His Highness, the ministers, and the emissary of the True Extreme Kingdom were already seated on both sides, enjoying the delicacies of the banquet while enjoying the singing and dancing. Ning Chen was very jealous of them.
He hadn't even finished brushing his teeth, let alone eating. Thinking of this, he looked at the envoy from True Extreme with even more displeasure. He smiled shyly, his signature smile, and he was already cursing his entire family.
Suddenly, Ning Chen felt a gaze on him from the side. He looked back from the corner of his eye and was instantly shocked.
Wan…Noble Consort Wan!
Among all the women Ning Chen had seen, Mu Chengxue and the Ninth Princess Xia Xinyu were definitely not inferior to anyone in terms of beauty. In terms of elegance, the eldest grandson was naturally the most suitable. Even Qing Ning, regardless of her personal bias, was also a rare beauty.
However, when it came to women's charm, Wan Yunshang was definitely the most outstanding. Seventy percent of her looks and thirty percent of her charm were perfectly combined. She was a femme fatale.
Of course, it was not to say that these people were not as charming as Wan Yunshang. It was mainly because they had a major flaw in one aspect that severely reduced their points. Simply put, Mu Chengxue was too cold, the Ninth Princess was too young, Qing Ning was too fierce, and the eldest grandson…This was something that he dared not comment on.
It felt good to be stared at by a beautiful woman. If someone said yes at this time, Ning Chen would definitely slap him with a smile.
Lowering his head, Ning Chen secretly prayed that Wan Yunshang didn't recognize him. On the first day he entered the palace, he had offended this noble Noble Consort Wan. At that time, he didn't seem to care, but who knew what she was thinking.
Fortunately, Wan Yunshang's gaze only swept past and did not stay for too long. Ning Chen heaved a sigh of relief and his tense body relaxed slightly.
Ning Chen didn't know that Wan Yunshang had almost forgotten what happened that day. However, when she saw him just now, she remembered that the person sitting in front of him was her eldest grandson.
Wan Yunshang retracted her gaze and the corners of her lips curled up slightly. Her smile was charming and soul-stirring, causing the hearts of the few ministers who had subconsciously looked over to jump.
Zhangsun naturally noticed her gaze, but he did not make a sound and waited quietly for the food that Qing Ning had prepared.
At this banquet where the princes and nobles gathered, eunuchs were the least noticeable people. Even if someone noticed that the little eunuch behind the Empress looked unfamiliar, they would not take it to heart. After all, in the thousand years of Great Xia's history, eunuchs had never been the focus of attention.
The Xia Emperor's expression remained calm. The majesty of an emperor came without anger. To be able to protect such a large empire for nearly twenty years, no one would believe that he was muddle-headed and useless.
Zhangsun had already sent someone to inform the Xia Emperor last night, so he was the main character of today's matter.
The Xia Emperor was not in a hurry. He quietly waited for Zhangsun's arrangements. No one understood Zhangsun's personality better than him. Unless he was absolutely certain, he would not interfere.
The message that Zhangsun had sent last night was very simple. There was only one sentence: " Great Xia will not lose the first round."
The meaning was obvious. It was either a draw or a victory.
The Xia Emperor believed that there would be no better outcome, so he let Zhangsun make the arrangements.
The messenger of the Zhen Ji Nation was also waiting quietly. He was not in a hurry. He was already in an invincible position, so there was no need to fight for this moment.
After waiting for a long time, Qing Ning finally returned. She stood behind Zhangsun and signaled with her eyes that she was ready.
Zhangsun nodded slightly, then turned to the Xia Emperor and nodded.
"Set up the oil pan!"
Upon receiving the signal, the Xia Emperor no longer remained silent and issued his decree.
Not long after, a huge pot of oil with a stove was moved to the gate of the Heavenly Mandate Realm. The fire under the pot of oil danced violently, looking very scary.
" Emissary, please appoint a candidate," the Xia Emperor said.
The Great Xia officials trembled involuntarily when they heard this. It was not that they were afraid of death, but pure fear.
In reality, they were thinking too much. No matter how bold the emissary was, he couldn't possibly force the officials of Great Xia into boiling oil in the imperial court.
It wasn't hard to guess who this candidate was. They were nothing more than palace maids, guards, and…eunuchs. They were powerless and insignificant people.
Thinking about it further, the guards were all martial artists. It was impossible. The palace maids were women after all. They were not people who would take pity on women and were unwilling to bear the notoriety of bullying women. The only ones left were... eunuchs.
Ning Chen was very smart. He knew better than anyone else, so he lowered his head more than anyone else. If it wasn't for the fact that the situation wasn't right, he would have run away.
He had already said what he needed to say. Why should he go up and do such a thankless thing?
"This young eunuch, please."
The emissary of the Extreme State stepped forward to take a look at the pot of oil. After checking that there was nothing wrong, he turned around and scanned the hall. He immediately took a fancy to Ning Chen, who had his head lowered the most. His identity was suitable, his age was suitable, and he was not a martial artist. He was the best candidate to be put into the pot of oil.
If Ning Chen knew what the messenger was thinking, he would definitely cry out that he was innocent. He was a martial artist! He really was!
Unfortunately, he was just a low-level person who had not yet entered the rank. Moreover, he had lost his only bit of true qi in the past two days. It was no wonder that others did not notice.
Zhangsun was stunned when he saw that Ning Chen had been chosen as the emissary of the Zenith Kingdom. He was worried, but he also felt a hint of anticipation. What worried him was that she had been trying her best to conceal Ning Chen's existence so that he would not be affected by the undercurrents in the palace. Therefore, no matter how much Ning Chen had contributed, she did not express anything. Even in front of Emperor Xia, she deliberately hid Ning Chen's name.
However, after a short period of interaction, Zhangsun became more and more clear that she could not hide Ning Chen's light forever. Therefore, while she was worried, she always had expectations. She also wanted to see how far this light could shine after breaking free from her shackles.
However, compared to Zhangsun's complicated feelings, Xiaoning's emotions were much simpler. Her only worry was whether this kid would cause a mess in the court today.
Was Ning Chen happy? Unhappy! Did he want to make a contribution? No! Because he was a eunuch, how could he be promoted? The head of the eunuchs? Chief eunuch?
It was a matter of core principles. He would have to run away sooner or later. He could not stay in the palace for his entire life.
The reason why he helped Zhangsun was firstly to appease Zhangsun's anger, and secondly, Zhangsun treated him quite well.
The current situation was the last thing he wanted to encounter. He knew that from now on, countless eyes in the palace would be watching him. Neither Noble Consort Wan nor Emperor Xia would allow someone they knew nothing about to appear around Zhangsun.
Heartless was the most common in the imperial family. Emperor Xia was like this, Imperial Concubine Wan was like this, and even his eldest grandson was like this.
Seeing the hesitation in Ning Chen's heart, Zhangsun shouted in a low voice,""What are you panicking for? Do it boldly. If anything happens, BenGong will take responsibility!”
Ning Chen's mind cleared up a little after being reprimanded. He knew that he couldn't escape this time.
After taking two steps forward, Ning Chen looked back at Zhangsun worriedly, meaning that he had to keep his word!
Zhangsun ignored him. She was the Empress. If she couldn't even protect a little eunuch, then there was no need for her to be the Empress.
The oil pot in the hall began to bubble, and the dancing flames in the furnace burned so hard that it hurt one's face. Ning Chen waited for a while, and when the bubbles in the oil pot reached their peak, he reached his hand over the oil pot and smiled brightly at the messenger of the Zhen Ji Kingdom sitting in the hall. He mouthed,"Damn you!"
The envoy's face darkened. He didn't know what the eunuch was talking about, but he knew it wasn't anything good.
However, when he thought about how this kid's arm would turn into a fried mudfish in the next moment, his mood inexplicably improved.
Ning Chen put his left hand in, and his expression instantly became interesting.
Shen went in!
In the hall, all the officials 'eyelids twitched. The timid ones subconsciously turned their heads away, not daring to look anymore.
Hiss, Ning Chen's eyes turned red and his entire body was trembling. His arms were shaking violently, causing the oil to splash out and fall into the furnace, causing flames to rise.
Seeing this, the emissary's smile became even more radiant. It was as if what was in the pot of oil was not the arm of a eunuch, but the entire Great Xia Dynasty waiting to be slaughtered.
However, the next moment, the smile on the messenger's face froze.
In front of the pot of oil, a pair of trembling hands, half of which were covered by the oil-stained sleeves, clearly took out a needle as thin as hair.
Ding! There was a sound that might or might not have been heard. The needle fell to the ground. The young eunuch with a pained expression squatted on the ground, hugging his arm, grinding his teeth.
" Call the Imperial Physician!" Zhangsun shouted in a deep voice in the main hall, waking everyone up.
"Good job!"
It was unknown which official had forgotten the etiquette in front of the hall. He slammed the table and shouted excitedly.
Immediately after, a wave of cheers erupted for this brave, unfamiliar, and painless little eunuch.
A hint of satisfaction flashed across the Xia Emperor's tense face. It was very faint and fleeting.
The imperial physician arrived very quickly. A guard went forward to help Ning Chen up and followed the imperial physician to take the meritorious minister away.
Zhangsun glanced at the envoy with a heavy expression and said," Qingning."
"Yes, sir."
Understanding his words, Qing Ning walked to the front of the hall and placed the needle back into the pot of oil.
After a few simple actions, Qing Ning turned around and looked at the five emissaries of the Zhen Ji Kingdom in the main hall." I heard that the Zhen Ji Kingdom values martial arts, but I don't know if it's true or not," she said calmly.
After saying that, Qing Ning took a step forward and said coldly,"
"May I ask who is coming?"
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