Chapter 90

As Xiao Sheng and Prince Xian conversed, in the center of the grand hall, Prince Jian recited in a long, resonant voice: "The white rainbow soars, the green snake roars in the box. Frosty blades, the moon shines on the hilt. Lightning fills the room, dragons circle around. The sword pierces the clouds, the sword strikes the sun. The sword slays the wicked, the sword beheads the traitors. It banishes evil spirits, not just to guard against concubines. It slays the dragons in the depths, never to test the dogs in the streets."

As he recited, Prince Jian brandished his sword and began to dance, his figure agile and dragon-like, moving in all directions. In an instant, the grand hall was filled with the cold light of the sword, and the temperature of the air dropped sharply. Truly, it was a scene of "sword energy spanning three thousand miles, a single sword shining coldly over ninety states."

In the grand hall, under the sword energy, everyone was visibly startled and pale. For at that moment, deep in their hearts, they felt as if even their most secret matters were being exposed to the light of day.

Prince Jian's gaze was sharp, and his sword pointed like the wrath of heaven, the punishment of the thunder god. Absolutely fair, absolutely selfless, and absolutely thorough. Whoever Prince Jian wanted to kill, he would kill, and no one could resist, defend, or evade!

Such a precious sword and such sword skills were truly eye-opening. However, at the same time, many people would rather never see this sword or the person wielding it.

In the blink of an eye, Prince Jian's sword dance had reached its end. He let out a long cry and threw his hand up. The Dustless Sword transformed into a bolt of lightning, vanished in a flash, and returned to the scabbard, lying dormant. Prince Jian then crossed his arms behind his back, faced the Empress, and said proudly, "Your humble son has nothing but the sword. Today, on the Empress Mother's birthday, I have nothing else to offer as a gift, so I can only perform a sword dance to entertain the guests. If there are any shortcomings, please forgive me, Mother Empress."

The Empress let out a faint hum and said indifferently, "The sword dance was quite good, very impressive. Well, I understand your intentions. You may return."

With a wave of her hand, she dismissed Prince Jian outright, without even a word of courtesy.

It was clear that Prince Jian's sword dance was not intended to please the Empress. On the contrary, it subtly carried a warning.

Although the warning was very subtle and many people did not understand it, the Empress herself certainly did. In an instant, her eyes turned dark, her lips were tightly pressed together, and a hint of anger appeared on her face.

Prince Xian was always adept at navigating complex situations. Seeing that things seemed to be going wrong, he quickly stood up and laughed loudly, "Prince Four's sword dance..."

"Prince Four's sword dance was excellent, very excellent, extremely excellent!"

A voice that made everyone in the Golden Hall feel a buzzing in their ears suddenly rang out, interrupting Prince Xian's words. Xiao Sheng didn't need to hear a second sentence to know that the speaker was his thirteenth brother, Prince Xia, Xiao Jing.

The current emperor, Emperor Xuan, had a total of fourteen sons. Five of them, ranked fifth, sixth, seventh, eleventh, and twelfth, died before the age of five. So after Prince Jian, who was ranked fourth, finished his "gift," it should have been Prince Xian's turn.

Unexpectedly, Prince Xia bypassed the three older brothers in front of him, stood up, and strode to the center of the grand hall. He clasped his hands and said loudly, "Mother Empress, I believe that Prince Four's sword dance is more precious than the rare treasures and auspicious signs offered by the other princes. I am not talented, but I was deeply moved by it, so I want to be the first to offer a birthday gift to the Mother Empress."

He paused and turned to Prince Xian, Prince Xiao, and Prince Cai, nodding at each of them and asked, "Brothers Eight, Nine, and Ten, will you mind if I go first?"

Prince Xian laughed and said, "It's all about showing filial piety. Whether early or late, it's all about filial piety. No problem, no problem, Thirteenth Brother, you go ahead. Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, you have no objections, right?"

Prince Cai, being a businessman, valued harmony and profit, so he naturally had no objections. Prince Xiao, though somewhat displeased, always followed the lead of his eighth brother. Since Prince Xian had no issues, he couldn't react either and said nothing.

With the agreement of the three older brothers, Prince Xia immediately raised his right hand high and then forcefully brought it down, shouting, "Bring it in!"

As he spoke, a guard carrying a large package walked in from outside the hall with great difficulty. At the same time, many people in the Golden Hall showed strange expressions, frowning and covering their noses, whispering, "So smelly, so smelly. What could be in there to be so smelly?"

Xiao Sheng reacted the fastest. He moved his nose and sniffed carefully. His face suddenly changed, and he whispered, "This smell... Could it be? No mistake, it's definitely that smell. Thirteenth Brother, you really have the nerve. I admire you!"

Ling Zileng, standing beside him, was confused and asked, "What? Xiao Sheng, do you know what's in that package?"

Xiao Sheng nodded and smiled, "Although I know, it's better if you don't. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss."

"… I don't understand what you're talking about." Ling Zileng was even more puzzled. However, before she could continue, the mystery was revealed. Prince Xia took the large package, which was almost as tall as an adult, and slammed it to the ground. He grabbed the knot on the package and pulled it hard.

In an instant, the contents, which had been piled up like a small mountain, collapsed and rolled all over the floor. It turned out to be...

One by one, blood-stained, distorted faces with wide-open eyes and expressions of terror and panic—human heads!

No one could have expected that Prince Xia would bring dozens of human heads to the Empress's birthday banquet. In an instant, almost everyone in the grand hall was stunned, and they all instinctively closed their mouths, making the scene completely silent.

The Empress's face had turned ashen. Her fists, hidden under her sleeves, were tightly clenched, and her whole body was trembling. She looked as if she might lose control at any moment. Her biological son, Prince Chu, was even more furious. He stood up and shouted, "Thirteenth Brother, what do you mean by this?"

Prince Xia said loudly, "Mother Empress, Second Brother, don't misunderstand. These forty heads are all of the most wicked people. They have bullied men and women, taken bribes, and oppressed the people. Each and every one of their crimes is well-documented and undeniable.

Originally, the Ministry of Justice had already apprehended them and sentenced them to death. However, in the past few days, due to the Empress's amnesty, and since their crimes were not among the ten unpardonable offenses, they were pardoned and allowed to return home. How can we justify this to the innocent people who have suffered at their hands?

I dare not say that the Empress's amnesty was wrong. However, I believe that the heavens will ultimately punish the wicked. So I captured and executed all forty of these villains. This is to make up for any omissions in the Empress's amnesty. I offer this as a birthday gift, Mother Empress, please accept it with a smile."

"Thirteenth Brother, well done." Xiao Sheng's blood was boiling. In his excitement, he stood up without thinking and praised loudly, "Fierce and righteous, speaking up for the people, upholding justice, and enforcing the will of heaven. Truly worthy of the title of Prince Xia.

Unfortunately, I was too isolated and didn't know about these scoundrels. Otherwise, I would have joined Thirteenth Brother and personally executed a few of these villains, not wasting the years of being a prince of the Great Hao dynasty, supported by the people."

"Oh, Fourteenth Brother, do you think I did the right thing?" Prince Xia turned around and laughed, "Good brother, if you're not afraid, next time I'll take you with me, and we'll have a good time!"

"Deal!" Xiao Sheng nodded forcefully and raised his wine glass, "Thirteenth Brother, I'll drink to you first." He raised the glass and drank it all in one go.

Prince Xia shook his head, "Fourteenth Brother, this cup is too small. To drink, you should do it like this." Without hesitation, he waved his hand, sending out a gentle force that brought a large wine jar from the side of the table. He broke the seal and drank from it, finishing the entire jar in no time.

Prince Xia threw the empty jar to the ground with a loud "clink." The jar shattered, and he laughed, "Pleasant, pleasant!" Xiao Sheng gave him a thumbs up, "Thirteenth Brother, you're so bold."

"Bold, bold, bold your head! Fourteenth Brother, Thirteenth Brother is crazy, but you, a normal person, why are you joining him in his madness?"

Xiao Sheng and Prince Xia's conversation made Prince Xian, who was sitting below, feel a pain in his molars. But with the situation developing this way, who else could clean up this mess if not him?

He immediately stood up and scolded, "Thirteenth Brother, Fourteenth Brother, you two are completely lawless. Today is the Empress Mother's birthday, a day of joy and auspiciousness. You two are causing a commotion here, what kind of behavior is this? Quickly apologize to the Empress Mother!"

He paused and forced a smile, trying to smooth things over, "Mother Empress, Thirteenth Brother and Fourteenth Brother are young and ignorant, and they lack a sense of the bigger picture. They should be punished. However, although their actions were rash, their intentions were good. Please, for the sake of Father Emperor, forgive them."

The Empress was deep in thought and knew that as a ruler, one should not show emotions easily. Moreover, in this situation, if she were to lose her temper in public, it would be a loss of face for her. So when Prince Xian tried to smooth things over, she took the opportunity to step down.

She waved her hand, signaling her biological son, Prince Chu, to sit down. She said calmly, "Eighth Son, your words are getting better and better. Fine, for your eloquence, I will let this go. Bring these things away."

She paused and said to Prince Xia, "Thirteenth Brother, after this, hand over the evidence you have collected about these people to the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court for a thorough review. If the evidence is solid, it should be published in the official gazette. This will show that the Great Hao dynasty will not punish without teaching."

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