Chapter 854 Died

The Prince of Pingxi looked around and smiled, saying,

"I am fine."

For a moment, all the officials present breathed a sigh of relief.

Those who could sit here today, no matter how twisted their words or what disdain they usually wore on their faces, were actually soft at heart.

Perhaps they had all sorts of sentiments, perhaps there were capable officials, diligent officials, and incorruptible officials among them, and they had even written many articles expressing their feelings of serving the country and benefiting the people;

But a single "fear of death" could negate everything at a critical moment.

Everyone's heart had experienced a surge, up and down, and under the Prince of Pingxi's words "I am fine," they finally felt a sense of relaxation.

If the Prince had been assassinated, even if he had only been injured, all those present would inevitably suffer the consequences.

The Prince of Pingxi took two steps back and sat down again.

Originally, Princess Consort Fu should have been sitting to the Prince's right, so the Prince stretched out his left hand and gestured next to him.

Chen Xianba understood and brought another armchair, placing it there.

"Help her up."

Chen Xianba and Liu Dahu stepped forward and helped the female assassin up.

Before further instructions could be given, Chen Xianba was already helping the assassin towards the chair. Liu Dahu was clearly a step behind. The two tugged slightly, and the female assassin, already injured in the spleen by the Sword Saint's sword energy, spat out another mouthful of blood.

The Sword Saint, on the side, was somewhat helpless.

Ever since this young fisherman from Yan became a guard, it was really true that comparing goods meant having to throw some away.

The female assassin was placed on the chair, her hands resting on the armrests. Chen Xianba stood behind her, one hand holding the female assassin's shoulder, allowing her to continue maintaining her seated position.

The Prince pointed to the group of actors kneeling on the stage, saying,

"Continue the music, continue the dance."

"The Prince commands, continue!"

"Continue, didn't you hear!"

Under the scolding and urging of the soldiers, the actors began to perform again.

It was still the same play,

But because the *Kun Dan* (male actor playing female roles) who played Emperor Taizu of Qian was now sitting below, a red-faced actor was chosen on the stage to replace this role.

They didn't know how to continue the play, but they just fought, jumped, and sang;

The actors on the stage were actually a bit confused, just relying on instinct to continue the commotion on the stage. The music would occasionally become a bit chaotic, but it would quickly adjust back;

The Prince nodded his head in satisfaction, turned his body, and looked at the female assassin sitting beside him.

He reached out, picked up a piece of cake, and brought it to the female assassin's mouth, asking,

"Have some?"

The female assassin's injuries were very serious.

Although the Sword Saint didn't go so far as to directly open his second-rank, even without opening his second-rank, the Sword Saint was still one of the Four Great Swordsmen back then.

If she wasn't treated urgently now, her life would definitely be in danger.

She wasn't a Silver Armor Guard, she really wasn't, because the assassinations of the Silver Armor Guards wouldn't be so hasty and impulsive.

She was really just a… righteous person, a very pure righteous person.

No matter the profession, a pure person is worthy of respect.

Especially here, surrounded by this group of "beasts in clothing," this woman with thick powder and paint on her face was like a breath of fresh air in this dying Great Qian;

Unfortunately, the one who smelled this wind was the Prince, who was on the side of the invaders.

The female assassin looked at Zheng Fan, she gritted her teeth while resisting the constant pain coming from her body.

After all, she had been practicing opera since she was a child, and she was, after all, a woman. With life flowing away and her body inevitably weakening, this "gritting of teeth" became difficult to be fierce.

Seeing that she didn't eat, the Prince put the cake back on the plate.

His fingertips caressed it.

Princess Consort Fu handed her silk handkerchief to the Prince;

The Prince wiped his hands, folded it again, and stretched it to the female assassin's mouth, carefully wiping away the blood that had spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Those in the back could actually see these movements clearly, after all, the height of the stage went up layer by layer.

At this moment,

What was being performed on the stage didn't matter anymore, everyone's attention was focused on the Prince.

"What's your name?"

The female assassin didn't speak.

"My name is Zheng Fan, what about you?"

The female assassin still didn't speak.

The Prince smiled, saying,

"Daring to assassinate me, but not even daring to tell me your name, that will make me think that the people of Qian are all soft-boned showpieces."

"Jing… Niang…"

The name "Niang" was similar to "Mei'er" or "Niu'er," it was a suffix for addressing people, and strictly speaking, it wasn't a formal name.

But in this day and age, having a name, surname, courtesy name, and even a title was the privilege of a small number of people. Ordinary commoners often only took formal names when dealing with the government.

The Prince nodded, saying, "Why did you want to assassinate me?"

The female assassin didn't speak.

"What, you don't even dare to say the reason?"

"Yan dogs… everyone has the right to kill them…"

"Yes, that's right."

"Did your family have relatives who died on the battlefield?"

"No…"

The Prince moved his back, changing to a more comfortable position:

"I just saw you on stage, you performed very well, you really have the demeanor of Emperor Taizu of Qian."

"You… are not worthy… to watch…"

"Why?"

"Emperor… Taizu… you… are not worthy… to watch…"

Zheng Fan understood.

This woman, she had integrated herself into the role, that is to say, she was immersed in the play;

Earlier,

She was playing Emperor Taizu of Qian on the stage in the guise of a woman, and she was performing the story of Emperor Taizu;

But right here, under the stage,

Sat a Prince of Yan;

"Emperor Taizu" was performing on top, and the Prince of Yan was sitting below watching;

How could this be tolerated?

Yes,

How could it be tolerated?

This was actually a kind of humiliation, a humiliation that had been arranged long ago.

The temple fair and the opera stage were prepared in advance, but who knew that the Yan people would invade.

But which play to perform on stage had to be decided temporarily, and Zhao Yuannian decided on this one for his "Prince Father's" consideration.

This was a kind of humiliation,

Trampling on the Qian people's "totem" to humiliate them.

The actor felt that she couldn't tolerate it, but the officials, known for being sentimental, able to write poems at the sight of snow, appreciate flowers, and listen to rain, were all extremely sensitive, but they all turned a blind eye;

Zheng Fan turned his head, and Zhao Yuannian immediately bent down and leaned closer;

The Prince asked, "Why did you arrange this play? Aren't you also a member of the royal family?"

"Replying to Your Highness, this humble one is from the line of Emperor Taizong."

"Oh, I see."

Emperor Taizu died in middle age, and after Emperor Taizong succeeded to the throne, the subsequent emperors were all passed down through the line of Emperor Taizong. The line of Emperor Taizu had always been "controlled," and once the population grew, there would be accidental drownings and deaths.

Even the current feudal princes were basically conferred by Emperor Taizong.

Zheng Fan looked at the female assassin again, saying,

"Jing Niang, is there anything you want to say to me?"

Before she could respond, the Prince said again:

"Your spear can't kill me anymore, and you're seriously injured now, you're going to die soon, you can only rely on the words in your mouth."

"Yan dog…"

"Yes."

"Withdraw… from… Qian… Leave… you… a whole corpse…"

"Yes, good."

These were the lines from the stage earlier;

A Jianghu bully wanted to forcibly snatch the woman that Emperor Taizu wanted to protect, and Emperor Taizu rebuked him, saying: "Withdraw from Cangzhou territory, and I will leave you with a whole corpse!"

The Prince of Pingxi shouted loudly:

"She said, she wants me to withdraw from Qian and leave me with a whole corpse, what do you think?"

The voice was very loud, enough to ensure that everyone around could hear it clearly.

The officials fell into silence.

Then,

A small official suddenly stood up, shouting:

"She's presumptuous, she's bold, daring to be disrespectful to the Prince, she deserves to die!"

Zheng Fan hooked his finger,

Chen Xianba stepped forward and brought the official who had shouted over.

After that official came over, he immediately knelt down in front of Zheng Fan:

"Your Highness, I am Pei De, the officer in charge of the treasury, greetings to Your Highness!

I have long admired Your Highness's valor, and I hope Your Highness can give me a chance. I am willing to serve by Your Highness's side and be of service!"

The officer in charge of the treasury was a very small official, barely out of the scope of a clerk.

This person was here to speculate, wanting to rely on hugging a thigh to obtain an opportunity for rapid advancement, even if it wasn't in Qian.

Didn't Wen Sutong go to Yan and receive high-ranking positions and generous salaries? He didn't ask for as much as Wen Sutong, but being erected a small memorial arch would be better than continuing to manage a small warehouse in Qian.

The female assassin's chest twitched slightly, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth again.

The Prince picked up a handkerchief and continued to help her wipe it away;

"I know."

"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness!"

Chen Xianba stepped forward and escorted this person out.

The Prince then continued to say to the female assassin:

"Don't be angry, don't be agitated, you're about to die.

Actually,

I have never looked down on the people of Qian, really.

Everyone has a head on their shoulders, and if they take a knife, they will bleed.

The people of Qian are not all cowards, and we Yan people are not all warriors.

Besides,

Eight hundred years ago, we were all one family."

Back when he first arrived in Nanwang City, the Prefect was killed, and then many people died at his funeral.

Then, Marquis Jingnan led troops into Nanwang City.

This was originally a purge.

That Prefect had a dirty background, and after a hundred years of peace, he had cultivated a lot of bones weakened by the gentleness of women.

Perhaps, the Yan people's handling of it lacked political artistry, but this feeling of happiness from cutting you down and killing you was still something that Zheng Fan felt addicted to when he reminisced about it now.

Zheng Fan didn't know what he was thinking about now, just like today's leisure, it was just wandering around, looking around, and thinking about things.

"I once saw a fort chief on the border fortresses of the Three Sides, who, under my grace of deliberately leaving him a life, still chose to light the fire and release the beacon smoke;

I also saw a pair of father and son coming up against the tide of people under the city of Mianzhou;

There was once a magistrate of a dilapidated small county, who knew that he could not stop the charge of my Great Yan iron cavalry, led the people to surrender, and after asking my Yan army not to harm the people, he really drew his sword and committed suicide, dying decisively.

Not long ago,

I also heard about it in Lanyang City,

A family who had migrated from Jin, because I came, committed suicide.

That family was from Jin, but they had always admired the Qian Kingdom, so they were actually considered Qian people.

For example,

This time in Chuzhou City, apart from the Queen Mother, everything else was very boring."

Princess Consort Fu's face turned red.

"Actually, I don't like this opera either, it's so repetitive. At first, it was a novelty to watch, but in the end, how should I put it? Maybe I'm just a Yan barbarian, or just a Yan dog as you said.

Dogs, after all, can't change their habit of eating shit;

I'm sitting down here,

Looking up,

Thinking,

You're still wearing too many clothes, tsk tsk, boring."

The female assassin smiled with ridicule upon hearing this.

"You smiled."

"I… am… laughing… at… dogs…"

"Yes, I'm a dog, woof woof woof."

The Prince barked a few times, not deliberately lowering his voice.

Then,

He stopped,

And leaned back slightly, assuming a listening posture.

Chen Xianba raised his hand, and the surrounding Yan soldiers drew their swords and drew their bows and arrows;

The next moment,

"Dog barks" also came continuously from behind.

Humiliating things, always not matter, against, is humiliating;

"Do you know why you Qian people have always been suppressed by my Yan people? Even though you Qian people just won a battle in Liang, I, the Prince, can still come and go as I please, and even take a rest in this Chuzhou City, without fear of being caught by your official army.

In fact, your official army has arrived long ago, but they don't dare to come close."

"People are all the same, the emperor governs the borders, and the great officials govern the people for the emperor. This person is just like this, led by wolves, they are a group of wolves, led by sheep, even if they were originally wolves, they will have to become sheep.

Um, it doesn't seem rigorous enough, but that's roughly the meaning.

In Liang, my Yan army was defeated, a Tiger Might Earl died, and tens of thousands of Yan soldiers died. Many people told me that his Qian Kingdom was about to rise.

Because his Qian Kingdom has the largest population and the richest products, once it rises, it will be unstoppable.

But I never considered this at all,

Because I know,

A few generals have emerged, a few new armies have been trained, and a few prime ministers have fallen, but essentially, your masters are still this group of goods, unchanged goods."

"I… am… tired…"

"I know you don't want to hear these words."

"I don't want… to… hear… dog barks…"

"But I still want to say it, whether you want to hear it or not is secondary, just like you want to assassinate me, but I'm still sitting here.

From beginning to end,

You are just an accessory.

You perform on stage, and I watch you, it's just for entertainment;

You come to assassinate me,

I'm sitting here waiting for you, it's also because I think today is a bit too monotonous, and I want to find some fun;

The reason why I'm saying these words to you, is to you, but also not to you. This is my second time attacking Qian with a large army, and there are some things that I've wanted to say for a long time, and I've just caught this opportunity."

Blood continued to spill from the woman's mouth.

Zheng Fan helped her wipe it away again.

"Do you have parents?" the Prince asked.

The female assassin didn't answer.

"You should have them, if you didn't, you would answer."

The female assassin wasn't professional after all;

She wasn't a death warrior, the assassination was also a temporary idea, arrangements for the future didn't exist either. Now, she wasn't afraid of death, because she knew her injuries, but for her relatives…

Her relatives were actually in this opera troupe.

Her father was still the leader of the troupe;

But at this time, her father was still organizing the others in the opera troupe, continuing to perform according to the Prince of Pingxi's request. If one was sharp-eyed, they could see that the woman playing the *pipa* (Chinese lute) was already in tears, and the old leader, who was organizing the actors to keep coming on stage to maintain a lively and noisy atmosphere, was biting his lip tightly, his face pale.

"You think I would involve them?"

The Prince picked up the peanuts on the coffee table and peeled one;

"I always like to cut weeds and eliminate the roots when I do things, but that's for those who have really angered me. As for those who haven't really angered me,

Zhao Yuannian…"

Zhao Yuannian leaned forward again, saying,

"Woof."

"You see, I'm not that vengeful."

"Don't… pretend to be kind… why do you… want to ask…"

"I'm asking you, it's to protect your relatives, do you believe it? When I and my army leave, these ministers present here will not only not commend you, not erect a monument to write about your deeds;

On the contrary,

They will bury your parents and this opera troupe,

Together under some pretext.

Because,

They listened to the same play, and it was still Emperor Taizu's play.

As a result,

These adults who are well-read in the classics are sitting and watching the play with me, a Prince of Yan, as if nothing happened;

As a result, you, an actor with a humble status and who is not on the stage,

Dared to assassinate me?

Are you slapping me in the face?

You are slapping the faces of all these adults present here."

"You… I…"

"In the opera, it's always the story of righteous people being vindicated and good triumphing over evil.

I can tell,

You really like playing Emperor Taizu.

Emperor Taizu valued loyalty and morality, and his civil and military achievements were all admirable. Regardless of whether putting on the yellow robe was forced or not, at least, he can be considered as protecting the orphans and widows at that time. Compared to the rebels who often killed their former masters and their entire clans in that era, he was indeed much nobler.

But even a person like Taizu, did he have a good ending in the end?

His younger brother sat on his dragon throne, his own crown prince was abolished, and then he drowned at a young age;

Look at the lineage of Emperor Taizong, how lush and prosperous it is now, and the lineage of Emperor Taizu is still sparsely populated."

The Prince pinched out two fingers,

Liu Dahu took out a cigarette, handed it up, and then took out a fire starter to light the cigarette.

The Prince slowly exhaled a smoke ring, saying;

"Even if you don't tell me, I can't find out who your relatives are?

Even, if I don't say anything, these adults will send your relatives to me to beg me to calm down as soon as I leave.

Family, country, and individual, you little girl, you have fulfilled righteousness today.

Do you want to consider it for your family?"

The female assassin was stunned;

"Will you tell me or not?"

"My father… is the leader of the troupe…"

"Good, I will protect their lives."

The female assassin looked at Zheng Fan in confusion.

"You assassinated me, and now I want to save your relatives, you owe me a thank you, say a thank you, and this matter is settled.

I am a Prince, there is no need to deceive you, a little girl."

"Thank… you…"

"Good girl."

The Sword Saint spoke at this time; "If you seal her Qi channels now, there is still a chance to save her."

"Do you want to save her?" Zheng Fan asked.

"It's up to you."

The Prince smiled, but didn't speak, but straightened his body again and looked at the stage.

Everyone else stepped back a little, not wanting to disturb the Prince watching the play.

And at this time,

The chaotic play on the stage was sorted out, and a happier story was changed to be re-enacted, no longer the previous version.

This time,

The Prince watched very seriously;

Everyone else present, in this atmosphere, even coughing, had to cover their mouths with their sleeves, as if at this moment, making even the slightest sound was a great sin.

The Prince watched more than half of this second play seriously.

But when the ending, which was also the most exciting part, was about to arrive;

The Prince stood up from his chair, turned around, and left without any nostalgia.

The female assassin, who was originally sitting on the chair to the Prince's left,

Her head had already drooped to the right side of her body,

She,

Was dead.