Ning Chen was about to write the last couplet.
However, right at this moment, the emissary from the True Extreme Kingdom moved his left hand under his sleeve. A gust of wind swept out from his palm and attacked the incense platform at the entrance of the hall.
The military officials were stunned, but by the time they regained their senses, it was too late to stop him.
"Whoosh!"
A strong palm wind swept past, and the few incense sticks that were left instantly burned out.
" Time's up. You've lost," the emissary from the True Extreme Kingdom stood up and said arrogantly.
The sudden turn of events had left both Emperor Xia and his ministers ashen. The emissary of the Zenith Kingdom had been so secretive that they had no evidence.
In front of the desk, Ning Chen was also stunned. His expression immediately turned slightly cold. The couplet he was about to write immediately changed direction, and the meaning behind it instantly changed.
One two three four five six seven
Filial piety, loyalty, honesty, etiquette and honesty!
The officials present were puzzled at first, but after a moment of savoring, their expressions instantly became interesting.
The meaning of the couplet was so clear that even the military officials could see it. The ancient eight virtues, filial piety, loyalty, propriety, honor, and shame. The only thing missing from the couplet was shame. The meaning was very obvious. It was a blatant mockery of the shamelessness of the envoy of True Extreme Kingdom.
" That's right!" A great scholar in the court stood up and shouted.
The defeat was already set in stone, but Ning Chen's actions had indeed helped Great Xia vent their anger. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, filial piety, loyalty, honesty, etiquette, shamelessness, shamelessness!
The emissary from the Zenith Kingdom looked a little upset. His good mood from winning a round had been ruined. Could it be that the Great Xia's luck had yet to come to an end, and a eunuch was already ruining his plans?
"Young Eunuch, I have another question." The messenger from the Zhen Ji Kingdom sneered and asked,"Which of these bastards is Mister?"
The officials of Great Xia were in an uproar. This was already scolding.
Ning Chen turned sideways and looked at the messenger from the Zenith Kingdom. He did not show any weakness and replied coldly," There are many classics in the Book of Songs, Book of Rites, Spring and Autumn Annals. Why ask me?"
"Good!"
All the officials were excited. What a good question. Why ask me? This little eunuch is a great talent. He is really a wonderful person.
During the meal, Zhangsun's eyes were filled with relief. He had lost the battle, but not the other way around. This kid had finally not embarrassed her.
"Alright!"
On the long chair, Emperor Xia stood up and decided the outcome of this battle of words." For this round, Great Xia admits defeat. I look forward to the third round of the emissary tomorrow."
" I won't disappoint Emperor Xia," the emissary said coldly.
After the court session ended, many civil officials and generals cast admiring looks at Ning Chen due to his outstanding performance today. The Xia Emperor specially rewarded him with a hundred taels of gold as a form of commendation.
Unfortunately, the gold was taken away by Zhangsun before it could even warm up, leaving nothing behind.
Ning Chen was depressed the entire way, but since Zhangsun had spoken, who could he reason with?
However, before his depressed mood could pass, a piece of news from the palace scared Ning Chen out of his wits.
The corpse of the old eunuch who had been missing for more than half a month was fished out of the Qingyuan Lake not far from the bathroom.
After hearing this news, Ning Chen paced back and forth in his room for the entire day. There were several times when he had the urge to run away.
The old eunuch's corpse was discovered. If someone were to match the time of his disappearance with the day Mu Chengxue entered the palace to assassinate him, it would not be difficult to discover that the old eunuch had most likely disappeared on that day.
If that was the case, this batch of young eunuchs who had just entered the palace would definitely have to undergo another clean body inspection.
Telling Zhangsun and then begging for mercy would definitely not work. He was still guilty. If he added crimes to his crimes, Zhangsun might cut him down in a rage.
Zhangsun was good to him, but he couldn't bet his life on Zhangsun's forgiveness.
"Run, right, we must run!”
Ning Chen stopped in his tracks. A hint of determination flashed in his eyes. He had to leave. The palace would find out sooner or later. If he did not leave, he would not be able to leave even if he wanted to.
However, how could he leave the palace?
He had just knocked out a eunuch this morning. Now that Zhangsun was watching him even more closely, it was basically impossible for him to run away.
"Ah, headache!"
He had finally made up his mind, but he was powerless. Ning Chen scratched his hair hard, but he couldn't think of any way.
"Oh right, Ninth Princess."
All of a sudden, Ning Chen's eyes lit up as he thought of the ninth princess of Great Xia. He might not be able to defeat Zhangsun, but he could think of a way to deal with Xia Xinyu.
In the past two days, in order to prevent Xia Xinyu from marrying into Zhen Ji Kingdom, he had put in so much effort, not only did he not earn a single cent, but he might even lose his life now. The Ninth Princess had to pay him some interest.
The Great Xia and the Zenith Empire had each won one round. The last round tomorrow would decide the fate of the Ninth Princess. The first two rounds were a competition of courage and wisdom, but in reality, it was a competition of scheming.
Great Xia ruled the country with Confucianism and was greatly influenced by the Confucian Sect. The shameless words of the envoys of Zhen Ji Kingdom were far inferior.
Fortunately, he was thick-skinned enough to block this big hole.
As long as he could win, he could die with his morals.
He didn't believe that the messenger of the Zenith Kingdom would compete in luck. His surname was Ning, not Silly. Such an obvious thing could only fool the dull scholars in the court.
If Great Xia won, they would definitely send a woman from the royal family to the State of True Extremity for a marriage alliance. If he wanted to leave the palace, it would be the best time for him to join the marriage alliance.
His only chance was to make this matter a fact before Zhangsun reacted.
Of course, if Great Xia was defeated, the marriage partner would become the Ninth Princess, and the situation would be much more troublesome.
However, no matter what, the ninth princess was the best person he could negotiate with. The reason was simple. Whether he won or lost, the ninth princess was the person who could influence Emperor Xia's decision the most.
And Emperor Xia's imperial edict was the only key to rescuing him from Weiyang Palace.
Right now, he needed to think about how to convince Xia Xinyu to request for the imperial edict in front of Emperor Xia.
Fortunately, the ninth princess would come to Weiyang Palace every morning and evening to pay her respects to her eldest grandson. It was not difficult to see her.
As expected, Xia Xinyu arrived at the sunset. She was dressed in a jade-green robe and a pleated skirt with flowers and grass. She was wearing a thin muslin, and her shoulders and waist were as thin as silk. Her muscles were smooth and her aura was like an orchid. She was extremely charming.
There was no doubt that the ninth princess of Xia was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was only sixteen years old, but she had already displayed her peerless beauty.
"Princess!"
Ning Chen was waiting on the road when they accidentally bumped into each other.
Xia Xinyu recognized the person in front of her and stopped in her tracks.
Now, the entire Imperial City knew that a little eunuch named Ning Chen had been in the limelight in the Imperial Court, and had repeatedly defeated the arrogance of the envoys of the True Extreme Kingdom.
However, she knew that Ning Chen was still under house arrest. However, other than the people in Weiyang Palace, only she knew what was going on.
"Mother still hasn't lifted your confinement?”
Xia Xinyu asked curiously. Logically speaking, she should have been pardoned long ago for such a meritorious deed.
" Hehe." Ning Chen smiled awkwardly and did not answer. Not to mention lifting his confinement, even the 100 taels of gold that Emperor Xia had rewarded him had been confiscated by Zhangsun.
Xia Xinyu's mind was clear, so she naturally understood the meaning behind Ning Chen's smile. She couldn't help but wonder what her mother was thinking.
Wait a minute, Xia Xinyu suddenly glanced at Ning Chen. She had almost forgotten that the latter should not be here during his confinement period.
" Eunuch, you must have something to tell me, right?" Xia Xinyu narrowed her eyes and said softly.
Ning Chen was shocked. The ninth princess was not as gentle and innocent as she looked. It was true. How could there be a truly simple person in the palace?
Since he had already said it, Ning Chen did not beat around the bush. He said respectfully," I want to join the wedding procession. I hope that the Ninth Princess can help me with this."
Xia Xinyu furrowed her brows. After some thought, she understood what was going on. She asked curiously," Why are you so persistent in leaving the palace? Why do you want to escape time and time again? Do you know that if you are captured again, even Mother won't be able to protect you?"
"Ninth Princess, please help!" Ning Chen didn't answer, but respectfully said again.
" Why should I help you?" Xia Xinyu asked calmly.
Ning Chen thought about it and said seriously," I can do my best to help Great Xia win the third round. This way, not only can Great Xia protect Bai Ruo Yuan, but the princess also doesn't have to go to a foreign country."
Xia Xinyu's eyes flashed with a strange light as she asked," How do you know that you will definitely win? And how do you know that the other officials of Great Xia will not be able to do it?"
" As everyone can see, this is the truth," Ning Chen said calmly.
It was a casual sentence. Although it hid the sharpness, it was still difficult to hide the arrogance in his tone. Ning Chen would not look down on everything, but he would not belittle himself.
After living two lifetimes, he had not only increased his age.
Old but not dead was a demon. Logically speaking, his current situation was not much different from a demon.
" I didn't expect that there would be someone like you by my mother's side." Xia Xinyu looked at Ning Chen and smiled.
"Princess, you flatter me."
After Ning Chen put down his disguise, he no longer put on a respectful expression and replied indifferently.
" Alright, I'm going to pay my respects to my mother now. As for your conditions, I'll consider them seriously," Xia Xinyu said with a gentle smile. She then continued walking towards her eldest grandson's bedroom.
After Xia Xinyu left, Ning Chen heaved a sigh of relief. The women in the palace were not easy to deal with. They would never be so stubborn.
However, he believed that Xia Xinyu would weigh the pros and cons. After all, the conditions he requested were only a matter of a few words to her. It was not a wise choice to break her promise and force him to stay.
Xia Xinyu had been in the palace for sixteen years, so she understood this principle better than anyone else. He was confident that if Xia Xinyu really broke her promise, he would make her pay a hefty price in the future.
He respected his eldest grandson and even dared not speak loudly in front of him. That was because his eldest grandson had helped him and protected him. However, this did not mean that he could tolerate discrimination and bullying from others.
He had never been someone who could swallow his anger.
After doing what he was supposed to do, Ning Chen remembered that he had not thanked her for saving him last night.
Also, he still couldn't understand the words behind the golden paper.
He was worried that if he continued practicing, he might become an idiot one day.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was amiss. Ning Chen took out the golden paper from his pocket and took a look at it. Then, he eagerly walked towards Xiaoning's residence.
Compared to princes and princesses, he preferred to spend time with Xiaoning. Although she was a little fierce, she was cute.
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