Chapter 863: Chapter 685: Empress Xiao, the First Generation Heroine
The crowd watching in front of the City Gate sighed collectively.
The scene is a bit chaotic!
How did the tense atmosphere at the Capital City Gate turn into a child’s play area in the blink of an eye?
On the gate tower, the faces of Prince Liang and another Prince turned dark. Originally, the shocking response from the city already made them a bit uneasy, and now the scene down below changed to this, it was a blatant despise!
They were prepared for battle, but the other party didn’t take them seriously at all! How could they not feel aggrieved?
"That person running in panic, is that the Southern Emperor Changsheng?" In the distance, a curious noble spoke with uncertainty.
That has to be the Southern Emperor Changsheng, right? The legendary figure who was unstoppable and seized the throne alone in the Southern Border!
How come now he looks so miserable? For a moment, everyone felt disillusioned!
"That, the Dowager Empress Xiao of Xian Country! She... she’s a spiritual transformation realm expert, a transcendent being!"
Finally, a martial arts giant swallowed and spoke.
Spiritual Transformation Realm, the pinnacle of Martial Dao, a transcendent existence, and they actually saw a living one!
This...
To not be subdued in one move under a spiritual transformation realm expert, is the Southern Emperor Changsheng still considered a woman?
For a moment, all eyes were focused on the farce before the City Gate.
Following the chased figure, circling back and forth.
A bit dizzy...
"Hey, I say Dowager Empress Xiao, let’s not be too serious!" The large wooden club behind nearly knocked on her head a few times, Gu Changsheng was indeed in a bit of a sorry state.
A spiritual transformation realm expert indeed has some potential for sneak attacks!
This realization made Gu Changsheng feel quite stifled.
She felt the future seemed bleak; it seemed she hadn’t thrown away the hot potato of her Southern Country and yet had received another from the Northern Country Liaodong, the potato had gotten larger and even hotter!
"The Southern Emperor is mischievous, I shall experience whether it’s worth our Northern Country’s full trust!" Dowager Empress Xiao truly got angry. As Gu Changsheng said, she wasn’t young anymore; she devoted herself to martial arts in her youth, ultimately reaching the peak of Martial Dao, then married into the Northern Country Royal Family. Though still elegant and unmatched back then, there was suspicion of an old cow eating young grass. Now being bluntly pointed out by a junior, how could she not be annoyed?
"Hey! Empress Xiao, you’re using age to bully the young!" Gu Changsheng shouted loudly, no longer running, because the Heaven Seizing Pearl above her head had fallen off. It was a Supreme Treasure she had plundered from the Southern Chen, a war trophy, she couldn’t lose it, she needed to pick it up!
Dowager Empress Xiao didn’t take this chance to attack, after all, she still had to consider the dignity of the Southern Emperor.
However, seeing this stance, it seemed the two were really going to have a fight, in this setting, under these circumstances!
"Hey, Gu Changsheng, you’ve lost your mind, Dowager Empress Xiao has reached the pinnacle of Martial Dao, fighting her is asking for death! Hurry up, return, don’t forget the important matters!" Borjigin Nian hurriedly shouted upon seeing this, though she was proud and arrogant, a spiritual transformation realm expert was a rare number even in the world.
And Gu Changsheng at this moment, without a doubt, was courting death!
Picking up the Heaven Seizing Pearl, placing it back above her head, Gu Changsheng smiled broadly at Borjigin Nian, then turned back to look at the furious Dowager Empress Xiao, with a face as if everything was negotiable, "Empress Xiao, calm down. How about this, we exchange a few moves, if you win, Liaodong still belongs to you, paying tribute annually. If I win, you take back your hot potato from Liaodong, how about it?"
She’s such a reasonable person, isn’t she?
If she can’t throw away the hot potato, it’s fine, but she’s actively receiving another one, do you think she’s foolish?
Liaodong without a top master—she would accept it, it’s nothing to worry about, but now this Empress Xiao is undoubtedly an overwhelmingly strong presence. At this moment, Gu Changsheng felt a bit apprehensive, thinking this was a hot potato that might become a future threat because with her temper, she was really unsure if she could take care of Liaodong without getting smashed by Empress Xiao’s sneaky attack someday!
"You!" Empress Xiao’s face turned unsightly hearing this; what Gu Changsheng said was utterly shameless. Staring at the woman with a roguish look in front of her, reluctantly, she withdrew the big club formed by spiritual power, though the residual anger was still on her face, she no longer had the mood to teach Gu Changsheng a lesson, "The State Document is presented, the Jade Seal is sent, the country once given, cannot be returned!"
The crowd "..."
The reversal came too fast, they couldn’t quite grasp it.
On the ground, hearing these words, Gu Changsheng’s forehead was marked by three black lines, glaring in anger at Empress Xiao, hopping mad, "You darn you, you you! This is flat out forced buying and selling!"
Another blatant example of forcing someone onto the spot!
At this moment, she truly wished that the master protector of Liaodong from the Northern Country were a reclusive master and not this old woman steeped in power for so long!
Because reclusive masters are principled, while Dowager Empress Xiao really lacks principles!
"Dowager Empress Xiao, let’s have a fight!" Gu Changsheng was relentless, though she truly had no interest in Liaodong anymore.
"I don’t bully the young with my age," Dowager Empress Xiao raised her eyebrows.
Gu Changsheng was momentarily choked, wiped her face, and spoke loudly, "It’s okay, just consider me an old granny like you!"
"You!" Dowager Empress Xiao was angry but managed to hold back, smiling coldly at Gu Changsheng, "Trying to provoke me into action? Southern Emperor Changsheng, you’re still a bit too green."
Gu Changsheng’s face turned dark instantly. She pondered for a moment and then spoke earnestly, "Lady Xiao, my Celestial Tome has descended, but the troops have ceased fighting. The catastrophe in the Central Plains has ended fruitlessly. The evildoer had a rampant sweep through your Liaodong, so let’s write off the old grudges and feuds. You continue being the reigning Empress Dowager, and we won’t meddle in each other’s affairs, okay?"
Hand Liaodong back! Damn it, I don’t want such a dowry! To be precise, damn it, I don’t want Liaodong as a dowry with an Old Demoness like Dowager Empress Xiao sitting in charge!
Seeing this, Dowager Empress Xiao’s old face flickered with expressions before she finally sighed, "Southern Emperor, do you think I’m joking?"
Gu Changsheng nodded swiftly, "To be honest, that’s exactly what I thought!"
If Liaodong hadn’t had such a heaven-defying existence like Dowager Empress Xiao, it wouldn’t matter. But since it does, and it surrenders so tamely, something’s off!
"Not at all, not at all!" Dowager Empress Xiao shook her head solemnly, "As I said, I made this decision out of helplessness!"
At this point, Dowager Empress Xiao looked up, beyond Jiang One, at a place where, unknowingly, many women dressed in Liaodong attire had appeared, presumably members of the Liaodong Jin Imperial Clan.
"As of today, the world is no longer a place for our generation of elders, and my Liaodong can no longer steer the big picture, inevitably heading towards annihilation. So rather than wait for you and that kid from the Zhou Family to reign supreme, it’s better for me to hand over Liaodong. If we don’t break, we can’t stand; preserving the green mountains might lead my clan’s future generations to produce one or two who can contend with your descendants. Among other things, she’s quite straightforward." Dowager Empress Xiao has quite a long-term vision and is quite outspoken in her manner.
This left Gu Changsheng stunned in place for a long time, unable to say a word!
Heck, she’s open about it, serving herself up for Gu Changsheng to nurture a tiger! What else could she do?
"Lady Xiao, isn’t this a bit unscrupulous on your part?" Gu Changsheng twitched her mouth in great frustration.
"What? Is the Southern Emperor afraid? Afraid that your descendants will struggle to compete with mine?" Dowager Empress Xiao raised an eyebrow, speaking as if naturally.
"..." Gu Changsheng was at a loss for words.
"Southern Emperor, you must have a far-reaching vision. Your name, Changsheng, means longevity, but how many in this world truly live long? Future generations need to be tempered to grow. It’s easy to establish a country but hard to maintain it. Even if you do unify this world one day, your descendants may not be able to hold on. So why not accept my Liaodong?" Dowager Empress Xiao looked the part of an earnest old granny, but the wisdom shining in her old eyes had quite the unyielding quality, "In this sense, offering you Liaodong as a dowry spares you the future effort, making your descendants the whetstone for your future generations. By careful calculation, I’m the one at a loss here!"
"You!" Gu Changsheng was speechless. At a loss? You’re at a loss? Not a chance!
I’ve never seen such an old woman so shameless!
Truly choking!
Gu Changsheng felt a bit frustrated. Aside from being stripped of her imperial robe once, she’d never felt so aggrieved in this life and the past! Yet, what Dowager Empress Xiao said left her unable to argue.
How the future generations turn out is their business. No matter how valiant she is, she’ll ultimately end up buried in yellow earth one day!
"Fine! As you wish!" Gu Changsheng looked at those Liaodong Imperial Family women from afar, smiling somewhat slyly, "Let’s just see if your calculated plans lead to losing it all in the end!"
Liaodong’s royal family marrying into Great Zhou’s officials, doesn’t that make future generations kin?
Tsk tsk... how wondrous this matter is!
Dowager Empress Xiao obviously knew what Gu Changsheng had in mind and smiled at the sky, "The waters will blend, and in the future, only one person may rule the realm. Whether your descendants have more bloodline or mine have closer ties will have to be settled by themselves, what does it matter to us?"
The matter of marriage means the intertwining of bloodlines. By the next generation, many may become kin. By then, disputes and contests will have nothing to do with them!
Dowager Empress Xiao could secure the roots and continuity of Liaodong bloodline and had already given Liaodong a chance to rise again!
Truly a remarkable woman of her generation! Even Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but hold sincere admiration for Dowager Empress Xiao from the bottom of her heart!
"This is really quite irresponsible of you!" Admiration aside, Gu Changsheng mumbled in disdain about Dowager Empress Xiao’s unscrupulousness, "Just standing by as our future generations slaughter each other, is that really okay?"