Yuan Fang, who was seated nearby and knew the situation, managed to remain relatively calm. However, Fang Zhe, who had just arrived and knew nothing, was completely bewildered.
*What is this? Kill Song Lun?*
He desperately wanted to pull Niu You Dao aside and ask, "Are you doing all this for the Prince? Why kill an envoy? Will this truly benefit the Prince, or not?"
A few people standing behind Zhuge Xiong exchanged bewildered glances.
Zhuge Xiong himself choked on his tea, even spluttering some onto the table. He had evidently lost his composure.
He put down his teacup and said with a smile:
— Brother Niu, are you perhaps joking?
Niu You Dao: I'm not joking. I am serious.
Zhuge Xiong shook his head:
— You're serious. Very well. If you were joking, that would be alright. Let's not talk about it for now. Drink your tea! — He waved his hand.
— Very well. Let's drink! — Niu You Dao reached out and grasped the teacup with both hands. — Thus, he drank with the host.
After a while, Zhuge Xiong asked:
— I wonder, Brother Niu, where are you from? And what is your position?
Niu You Dao: I am from the Yan Kingdom, now a Guardian-Mentor to the humble Prince Shang Chao Zong. The Princess has turned forty, and the Prince is currently occupied, so he sent me to congratulate his aunt on his behalf.
*Shang Chao Zong?* Zhuge Xiong was agitated.
Complex emotions surged within him. This name was not unfamiliar. When he was imprisoned, the Han Kingdom had kept a close eye on the situation.
Ning Wang Shang Jian Bo had exerted immense pressure on the Han Kingdom back then. With merely ten thousand troops, he had broken through a hundred-thousand-strong Han army. This inflicted a massive blow to the Han Kingdom's martial spirit. Only after Ning Wang's demise did the Han Kingdom dare to provoke the Yan Kingdom.
Zhuge Xiong tilted his head and winked at the people, signaling for them to leave.
He slowly sipped his tea, then asked again:
— As someone also from the Yan Kingdom, why does Brother Niu wish to kill Song Lun?
Niu You Dao: I only arrived in Qingzhou today, and Song Lun has already tried to kill me. I escaped him, but my sworn brother was captured. If not for the governor, who rescued my brother, he would already be dead. If Song Lun tries to kill me, why shouldn't I kill him?
Zhuge Xiong asked, surprised:
— And why would Song Lun try to kill Brother Niu?
Niu You Dao: I was once a disciple of the Supreme Purity Sect, and I had a fellow disciple, Song Yang Qing. When I abandoned the sect, Song Yang Qing refused to let me go. On the way, he tried to kill me. Only, in self-defense, I killed him. Now the Song family seeks revenge!
A cultivator quickly appeared, approached Zhuge Xiong, and whispered:
— Speaking of what was just said, I heard that there indeed was a disciple named Niu in the Supreme Purity Sect. It seems there truly was such an incident. The sect publicly announced in the cultivation world that a disciple from the Song family tried to kill a fellow disciple. And recently, we received news that the Supreme Purity Sect has sought patronage from our northern region, which is ruled by Shao Deng Yun!
Zhuge Xiong pondered for a moment, then sighed and said:
— No wonder. It turns out Brother Niu and the Song family have such a feud. For him, an envoy of the Yan Kingdom, to tie personal matters to state affairs, is truly reckless.
— However, returning to our topic, the envoy of any state is the face of that state. Regardless of which state, if there is no clear evidence, one cannot attack them. Otherwise, it will escalate conflict between the two states. Brother Niu, your request is currently unfeasible.
— The Han and Yan Kingdoms are currently hostile states. However, the assassination of an envoy... that is a rare occurrence among states. Even warring states cannot simply kill an envoy.
Niu You Dao: I am not asking Brother Zhuge to attack, nor am I asking him to bear responsibility. I only ask for you to create an opportunity for me to act myself!
Zhuge Xiong's eyebrows shot up. So that's how it is... He held his teacup and pondered.
Not long after, a person came in from outside, approached Zhuge Xiong, and whispered to him:
— We inquired with their house guards. It's true. His name is Niu You Dao, he is a subject of Shang Chao Zong and has come to congratulate Hai Ru Yue on her fortieth birthday.
Zhuge Xiong had been waiting precisely for this news. He couldn't simply take Niu You Dao's word for it.
After clarifying the situation, he quickly put down his teacup and said with a sigh:
— Brother Niu, it's not that I don't want to help you. In truth, I think highly of you. But you want to kill a state envoy, and that's a serious matter. Will the Yan Kingdom simply let you go afterward? I imagine as soon as you leave Qingzhou, trouble will find you!
— The Song family has already tried to kill me three times. Each time, I suffer from their relentless attacks. How much longer will this continue? A cornered rabbit may flee swiftly, but it can also bite! — Niu You Dao raised three fingers, then lowered them.
He asked again:
— Does Brother Zhuge truly believe that if I don't kill Song Lun, he will simply let me leave Qingzhou? I think this matter is already decided!
Zhuge Xiong smiled mysteriously, lost in thought...
At the Yan Kingdom's envoy residence, Song Lun also sat beneath a lamp, examining documents. News had arrived from the Zhao Kingdom's capital. As the envoy to the Zhao Kingdom, he naturally had to stay abreast of the kingdom's news daily and send reports back to the Yan Kingdom's capital using a Bird King.
A subordinate entered and reported:
— Your Excellency, news has already come from the governor's palace. Someone there conveyed that Niu You Dao has no connections to the palace. He simply arrived from Shang Chao Zong to congratulate his aunt on her fortieth birthday.
Song Lun leaned back in his chair, a cunning glint appearing in his eyes:
— Ask Huang Xiu Sheng to come.
— Yes, Your Excellency! — The subordinate departed.
Not long after, Huang Xiu Sheng entered:
— Your Excellency, do you require something?
Song Lun slowly said:
— Niu You Dao only just arrived to congratulate Hai Ru Yue on behalf of Shang Chao Zong. As the hostess, Hai Ru Yue cannot allow anything to happen to her guests who came to offer congratulations. That is why she intervened on their behalf. Now, we have made our presence known.
Huang Xiu Sheng remained silent, thinking to himself: "Given your position, you shouldn't be doing anything about this now."
At the same time, he simply remained silent, understanding that one sentence wouldn't be the end of it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been summoned here.
Song Lun raised his head and said with a sigh:
— I know that given my position, I cannot do anything. But this is a fortuitous opportunity, and I cannot let it pass. When I return home, how will I face my third brother? He had only one son, and I failed to avenge him when I had the chance? Brother Huang, keep an eye on Niu You Dao. Find an opportunity to kill him!
He stood up and, cupping his hands, bowed to Huang Xiu Sheng:
— I implore you, assist me!
Huang Xiu Sheng furrowed his brows and eventually nodded:
— I will exert every effort!
Song Lun smiled:
— Brother Huang, do not worry. After this matter is concluded, the Song family will reward you handsomely!
Just then, an attaché arrived. He placed an invitation on the table and reported:
— The Han Kingdom's envoy invites Your Excellency to a banquet!
Song Lun took the invitation, opened it, and frowned as he looked at it:
— It's already late. What kind of banquet is this? What is this little imp planning? Was anything else said?
Attaché: Nothing else. He only said that the night scenery here is beautiful. Therefore, he invites the envoys of all kingdoms.
— All of them? — Song Lun was immediately surprised and became agitated. If he had been invited alone, he might have hesitated. But now that everyone was invited, he certainly couldn't allow all the envoys to chatter about something behind his back!
Seeing that the banquet time was drawing near, he immediately instructed everyone to attend.
The Hundred Flowers Palace. It was located in the center of the Liusu Courtyard, a central park illuminated by a multitude of lights. It was quite beautiful here, with its own small lake and numerous small pavilions within the park.
The guests had not yet arrived, but the host appeared first. Zhuge Xiong, with his hands clasped behind his back, stood by the railing of a waterside pavilion. Musicians were nearby, and the sounds of the zither and flute filled the night sky.
Before long, the esteemed envoys began arriving one after another. Song Lun was among them. Everyone inquired about the matter, but Zhuge Xiong asked them all to wait.
When all the envoys had arrived in full, Zhuge Xiong invited them to be seated at a table laden with all manner of delicacies.
Only after everyone had settled down did they notice that one seat remained empty. The Wei Kingdom's envoy, Sui Pai, asked:
— Zhuge, has another person been invited?
Clap, clap, clap! — Zhuge Xiong clapped his hands.
The zither music on the stairs ceased, and from a door adjacent to another pavilion, Niu You Dao emerged. Behind him stood Fang Zhe and a limping Yuan Fang. Yuan Fang was carrying a sword in his hands.
Some were in doubt, others did not understand. Song Lun narrowed his eyes and gazed at Niu You Dao with a cold stare.
Yuan Fang and Fang Zhe remained outside, and the others did not enter either. Only Niu You Dao walked in, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
However, no one was concerned that Niu You Dao would do anything. After all, there were many high-level masters present.
Niu You Dao entered and immediately, cupping his hands, addressed all the envoys:
— Niu You Dao, by command of the humble Prince, has arrived to congratulate the Princess. As the Prince himself is occupied, he sent me to offer congratulations to his aunt on his behalf. It is my rare fortune to behold all of you esteemed sirs here!
Everyone was surprised, but no one spoke. Zhuge Xiong gestured with his hand, and Niu You Dao sat between the Jin Kingdom's envoy, Chu Xiang Yu, and the Wei Kingdom's envoy, Sui Pai.
Once they were seated, Song Lun sneered coldly:
— All here are envoys. Who are you to sit among us?
Niu You Dao sat calmly, completely unreactive to him.
Everyone else looked at Zhuge Xiong.
Zhuge Xiong waved his hand, calming everyone. He said with a smile:
— We need to clarify a matter that recently occurred. In truth, I encountered Brother Niu on a road in Qingzhou. Alas, it is a pity I only met him so late. Earlier, Brother Niu told me about his feud with the Song family. He said he did not wish to, nor did he dare to, confront the Song family. However, the matter has already progressed, so he asked me how he should proceed? He requested me to act as a mediator in this affair, to help dispel their enmity. And since everyone is here, we could bear witness to this matter. What do you think about this, Brother Song?