Some words have a better effect when spoken by someone else.

Like now.

Under the gaze of the crowd,

First, the princess took the initiative to throw herself into his arms,

Then she personally announced it in a high-profile manner.

She wasn't kidnapped, she wasn't coerced, she simply believed that the Earl of Pingye was her man. She wasn't ashamed to say it. Since she had chosen this man, she was willing to make a name for him.

There were countless stories and plays in the world,

Some about yearning for love but never attaining it,

Some about holding hands and growing old together,

Some about early setbacks and later fulfillment.

Such stories, based on love and affection, were inexhaustible topics for people's leisure.

Among them, the most numerous were the plays about poor scholars being favored by ladies from prominent families. Stories based on this outline were often the most famous, and several renowned ones were must-see performances on the stage.

The reason why this kind of story about a sparrow flying onto a branch and transforming into a phoenix was so popular among the common people was simple: because the audience listening to the stories and watching the plays were mostly sparrows.

At this moment, Earl Zheng, alone in Chu, on the day of the wedding, in front of all the Chu nobles,

Made the Great Chu princess主动 shout out, "This life is only for Zheng Lang,"

No need to adapt,

No need to embellish,

You don't even need the actors to test their singing and acting skills.

No,

Even the actors and the stage aren't necessary.

Just hearing about it

Is enough to make the audience's blood boil!

A commoner rising through military merit to become an earl,

Young and accomplished,

Appreciated by the emperor and supported by the Marquis of the South,

Alone in Chu, the princess throwing herself into his arms.

From his background to his experiences, he was perfect. From now on, the prestige of the Earl of Pingye could be called the highest among the younger generation!

Prestige was something that couldn't be seen or touched, but it was by no means useless. It depended on who it landed on. On Earl Zheng, it was a combination of the strong and the strong;

Because Tian Wujing had made it clear that he wanted to support Zheng Fan, and Little Sixth was also supporting him in the court, Earl Zheng didn't lack outside water. What he lacked was the height of his own wooden barrel plank;

Once the prestige went up, water would naturally be absorbed, without worrying about "people not being convinced" or "virtue not matching the position";

When he took,

When he used,

When he acquired,

Outsiders would have nothing to say, and would even find it justified!

Perhaps after a few years,

A saying would spread in Great Yan:

If the Earl of Pingye doesn't appear, what will become of the common people?

Therefore,

What was being snatched wasn't the princess,

It was clearly the ladder to climb up in the future!

Qu Peiluo tilted his head, still unable to understand the situation. No, to be precise, he dared not understand.

Mr. Su Mingzhe,

How did he become the Earl of Pingye of Yan?

The literary guest who promised to write a poem for his wedding,

How did he end up holding his fiancée in his arms?

He had actually lived in the inner courtyard for so many days!

He had actually been smiling and flattering him for so long!

Earlier, he had even taken the initiative to send him a box of gold and red envelopes!

And,

And,

And,

And he was also his... father's killer!

In the Battle of Cheng, Marquis Jinnan's great defeat of the wildmen's main force on the Wangjiang River was the greatest achievement, and the second greatest was Earl Zheng's thousand-mile surprise attack on Xuehai Pass.

Not to mention that the order to slaughter the prisoners was issued by Zheng Fan, although discerning people knew who had suggested it.

But for Qu Peiluo,

It was simply one who issued the order to behead, and the other who personally wielded the knife to cut off his father's head. Both were to be hated, and hated very clearly.

At this moment,

Earl Zheng looked down at the princess in his arms.

He was very satisfied with Xiong Liqing's performance today.

For someone like Earl Zheng, it was really difficult to fall in love at first sight. Even if he was attracted to her beauty, with his current status and position, there would naturally be plenty of women offering themselves to his bed.

But he admired the princess's attitude towards him.

Regardless of men or women, men with several boats at their feet and women with a group of simps, the favored ones were always fearless, and this feeling was extremely satisfying and comfortable.

Fortunately, Earl Zheng always believed that if someone respected him a foot, he would return the favor a yard. He was ruthless, but he had a bottom line. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fun, it would be low-level, and it would be inferior.

This was Earl Zheng's aesthetic, and also the common aesthetic of the devils.

Therefore, Earl Zheng could risk letting the princess die in his Xuehai Pass for the sake of Shatuo Queshi;

Therefore, when Marquis Jinnan's hair turned white overnight, Earl Zheng followed on horseback, prepared to follow Marquis Jinnan in "suppressing the rebellion."

Inside the temporary palace, Si Niang, having taken off her eunuch robes, opened a box that was originally supposed to hold new bedding, and A Ming was lying inside.

However, A Ming was now wearing a white brocade robe, and his face was also that of the "Regent."

"Is it stuffy?"

Si Niang asked.

"I'm used to it," A Ming replied.

"Yeah, anyway, you like to lie in coffins when you have nothing to do."

Si Niang carefully helped A Ming out, making sure not to mess up his makeup.

After A Ming stood up, Si Niang also checked his clothes and nodded in satisfaction, saying:

"It should be about right."

A Ming seemed very calm, and joked: "That princess, she's walking a wide path."

"Isn't that more interesting?" Si Niang didn't care. "A smart princess is easier to train. Whether it's talking or doing things together, she can keep up the pace. If she's really a fool, it's very boring.

In the past, haven't you brought some women back to the mansion, both plump and slender? But which one has the master ever taken a fancy to?

Those who are too much like vases, too uncharacteristic, and only have a pretty face are like Lizhuang pork slices,

They're amazing at first sight, but after trying a piece, you find out that's all there is to it. After eating a few more bites, it's still greasy."

"Whatever makes you happy."

A Ming didn't worry about Si Niang either. With Si Niang's skills and abilities, if she still had to worry about competing for favor, then she would have wasted her title as a devil.

"You have to pay attention to your temperament later. We rehearsed it last night."

"I know."

Si Niang nodded and said, "That's right, you vampires have always had a firm grasp on temperament. You don't need to act, just be yourself."

Zhao Cheng watched A Ming from the side, his eyes full of amazement. The effect of this disguise technique really shocked him.

This was also because Si Niang's disguise technique was not only reflected in her face, but also in her whole body, making it as realistic as possible.

A Ming looked at Zhao Cheng,

Said:

"Bring me a knife."

Zhao Cheng shivered directly. Knowing it was fake, his legs were still trembling uncontrollably when A Ming spoke.

Si Niang shook her head and said, "I'll do it."

With that, Si Niang drew a knife and placed it on A Ming's neck.

A Ming twisted his neck slightly and said, "Press the back of the knife down a little more, it's a bit cold."

"You're afraid of the cold?"

Usually, A Ming liked to sleep in coffins or ice cellars.

"There's rouge on my neck, it's too greasy when I press it, it's uncomfortable."

"Is that so?"

Si Niang readjusted the position and said, "How about this?"

"That's good."

"Then, Your Majesty the Regent, can we go out and save the day? If we delay any longer, I'm really afraid that the master will be shot to death by random arrows."

A Ming waved his sleeve,

Said:

"Prepare the carriage."

...

Outside the temporary palace, the black mass of Great Chu nobles below woke up after the initial shock.

Although they felt that the scene before them was really absurd, it had indeed happened.

For a time,

The Qingluan Army soldiers began to quickly approach, and at the same time, the servants of each department also swarmed here in response to their masters' summons.

But after all, today was the princess's wedding day,

Actually,

The outer perimeter of the royal villa was still heavily guarded. Furthermore, multiple troops were arranged to guard and respond on the road from the royal villa to Juyan City.

However, the location of the incident was precisely here.

At this moment,

The Qingluan Army soldiers and the troops from each family on the true outer perimeter couldn't be summoned back in an instant. Most of the Qingluan Army soldiers and royal guards here were acting as ceremonial guards, and the Chu nobles mostly brought pageboys or handsome servants, while the guards who were truly responsible for their safety couldn't enter here and all stayed on the outer perimeter.

In addition, with the various shouts and orders, and the Great Chu nobles around the temporary palace panicking and retreating, the surroundings suddenly became chaotic.

There was a team of Qingluan Army soldiers who rushed over first, but they were holding ceremonial instruments. These things looked magnificent, but they were not practical at all. Moreover, these Qingluan Army soldiers were not for real field battles. They were specially selected for their suitable height and build, and were equipped with the most exquisite armor for the sake of being neat and beautiful today. A large portion of them were also filled with Qu clan children who wanted to show off and see the world.

Therefore, this team of hundreds of people seemed to have bright armor and extraordinary power, and they were also commendable for their courage, but before they could even reach the temporary palace, they were shot down by a volley of Xuehai Pass armor. Coupled with the charge, they were repelled in an instant.

Jin Shuke was commanding in the midst of it. Seeing this, he immediately raised his hand to signal his subordinates to retreat and regroup back to the side of the temporary palace to provide support.

Several other teams pressed forward, including more than a hundred attendants on white horses who had previously acted as groomsmen.

But under the command of Jin Shuke, the less than two hundred Xuehai Pass armor conducted an orderly assault, defeating them in waves.

This was the difference between the well-trained and battle-hardened and a disorganized mob. In fact, the difference was really big.

At the same time, this was also the reason why Si Niang and Xue San ultimately chose to launch the attack here. The first element was definitely that the effect would be best with the witnessing of many Chu nobles.

Another reason was that the place that seemed the most dangerous was actually the most flowery in its defense.

The Yan people had experienced the true field elite of the Chu Qingluan Army. If they were to fight on foot, their military formations and tacit cooperation would be difficult for Jin Shuke to resist, and they might even be forced back to the temporary palace to become the final battle.

However, after this back-and-forth tossing, as the Chu nobles retreated in batches in panic, the guards and soldiers with knives constantly moved forward. The surroundings began to show an overwhelming advantage in numbers, and even some powerful enshrined warriors appeared. Jin Shuke didn't dare to lead his team to charge forward again, but just confronted them.

The reason why the Chu people didn't take advantage of the chaos to surround and kill them was that the princess was still on the temporary palace. No matter what the princess had said or done before, she was still a princess;

Furthermore, many people would think that the princess was actually being coerced. Otherwise, everyone's worldview would really collapse. How could their own princess do such a thing? And willingly?

In addition, the bridegroom today, Qu Peiluo, who was originally on the temporary palace to receive the imperial decree, was still kneeling on the temporary palace, not coming down, and not intending to come down.

Even though he was only a few zhang away from the Yan armor next to him, he was unmoved.

It wasn't that the bridegroom had been completely defeated and lost his mind,

But that Zhao Gonggong had secretly poisoned the three bowls of wine he drank at the gate of the bedroom when he was welcoming the bride.

However, Zhao Gonggong had a bit of a problem with the dosage adjustment because it was his first time poisoning, causing Qu Peiluo's medicine to take effect not quite on point.

But fortunately, the toxicity was accelerated under the influence of anger, and the energy finally came up.

It wasn't that Qu Peiluo didn't want to move now, but that he was now weak and powerless all over his body, unable to move even if he wanted to.

At this moment,

The curtain was lifted again,

The "Regent" was walked out with a knife held to his neck by a woman.

At the same time,

Zhao Gonggong also ran out, he also had a knife in his hand, but it was a short knife.

It was strange,

Zhao Gonggong didn't dare to stab the Regent, who was obviously fake, but he dared to show a fierce look to Qu clan's eldest son, who was the real deal. He also had a lot of strength, even if he had castrated himself, but these days he had made up for the loss of his body with good food, drink, and medicine. He directly grabbed Qu Peiluo's collar and lifted up Qu Peiluo, who was already "soft as mud", with the knife across his neck,

And shouted with his voice that hadn't completely become shrill:

"Whoever dares to come over, whoever dares to come over, I'll kill him, kill him!"

Zhao Gonggong was still nervous.

Less than a month ago, he was still a beggar head in Xiayong City, but now, he had to threaten a noble with a high status in Great Chu. His whole person was already in an extremely abnormal state of excitement.

Therefore, he stole the lines.

Everyone knew,

When the "Regent" came out as a hostage,

Qu Peiluo,

Was no longer that important.

Fortunately, Zhao Gonggong was extremely excited, but he was excited. The large group of Chu nobles below quickly regained their composure after passing through the initial panic and being separated from the innermost circle by the guards.

Many of them had seen the Regent, and many of them exclaimed directly:

"Fourth Highness?"

"Your Majesty?"

Qu Yinglun's hands and feet were already cold. Damn it, how was it possible? How could the Regent be in their hands?

Many Chu nobles and dignitaries present actually knew that the Regent had come to the royal villa to send off his sister for her marriage.

So after seeing the Regent on the temporary palace, they instinctively believed it.

This was very normal.

Knowing that he was here, but he didn't show up today, and he was being held hostage above, then wasn't it definitely him?

At this time, those nobles immediately shouted for their guards to withdraw, and also for those masters and enshrined warriors to move back.

No one could afford the price of harming the Regent. To be precise, no one dared to do such a thing openly.

Even Qu Yinglun immediately roared to order the Qingluan Army around him not to move.

This made the Chu soldiers, guards, and those enshrined warriors who had just passed through the chaotic period once again fall into chaos.

The "Regent" shouted loudly at this time:

"What are you still standing there for? Don't care about me, come up and kill all these Yan dogs!!!!!!!!!!!"

Even with a knife held to his neck,

The Regent still straightened his body,

His voice carried a kind of aura and majesty belonging to a superior.

"What are you still standing there for? Are you trying to resist the imperial decree!!!!!!!!!!!"

Two roars, coupled with the Regent's words, instantly made the surrounding Chu nobles sure that this was the Regent!

Yes, only the Regent could and dared to say such words at this time, and only the Fourth Highness who had won in the battle for the throne had such spirit!

But at this time, no one dared to obey the decree.

At the moment, dust could be seen flying in the outer perimeter. It should be that the real Qingluan Army and troops on the outer perimeter were rushing here after hearing the commotion, but no one here dared to order their own guards to go forward and fight.

Even Qu Yinglun didn't dare. For the Qu clan, Qu Peiluo, if he was gone, then he was gone. If he was gone openly, then these two uncles from the collateral line would have the opportunity to inherit the main family.

But if the Regent was killed by the Qingluan Army under his orders, then the Qu clan's guilt would be too great.

Even if the central government was in chaos because of the Regent's death, the Qu clan would inevitably become the object of venting anger for the royal guards and other great Chu nobles.

"What are you still standing there for? I order you to rush up and kill all these Yan dogs for me!!!!!!!!!!!"

The princess in Earl Zheng's arms looked at the "Imperial Brother" and whispered: "He really looks like him."

Even the princess said he looked like him, then it must be really like him.

Earl Zheng put down the princess,

And slowly walked towards the "Regent."

"Yan dogs, do you think that by holding me hostage, you can escape from my Great Chu? Dream on, dream on!!!!!!!!!!!"

A Ming's acting,

Was truly impeccable.

Especially the "pride", "expression", and "demeanor" that belonged to a true superior, which could be said to be fully displayed.

Earl Zheng walked slowly,

When passing by Zhao Gonggong, who was holding Qu Peiluo hostage,

He reached out,

And easily took the short knife from Zhao Gonggong's trembling hand,

And unhesitatingly stabbed it directly into the Regent's chest.

"Puff!"

The knife entered the flesh,

And pierced the Regent's chest.

The Regent's body trembled,

And looked at his chest in disbelief,

His body also swayed for a while, but he didn't fall down, stubbornly maintaining his standing posture.

This decisiveness,

This neatness,

This calmness of not saying much and directly stabbing the "Emperor" was really too terrifying.

For a time,

The surrounding Chu guards and nobles, a dark mass of people, all fell silent.

Earl Zheng, in full armor, looked around the temporary palace,

And roared:

"Anyone who dares to step forward, this Earl will immediately commit regicide!"

————

Thanks to Huai Zhu, Little Dragon Iron Fan, and He Becoming the 120th, 121st, and 122nd Alliance Masters of *The Descent of Magic*!

Every time I finish writing a long chapter, I'm more tired the next day.

But there will be a second chapter tonight, don't panic!