Chapter 35: A Grand Banquet

Sword Dynasty

Volume 2

Chapter 35: A Grand Banquet

For the common people of Changling, the most important thing they did during the New Year was to visit their friends and relatives. Most importantly, they had to visit their elders and wish them good luck.

However, for the nobles and important figures in Changling, the arrival of the new year marked a new chapter in history and held a much deeper meaning.

Emperor Yuanwu had entered the twelfth year of his reign, but the nobles and important figures in Changling knew that starting in the sixth year of his accession, this strongest emperor in the history of the Qin Dynasty rarely inquired about government affairs and had secluded himself for cultivation.

Even though the majority of people did not know Emperor Yuanwu’s true cultivation, almost everyone knew that realm eight was not a problem for him.

Therefore, the path he pursued was realm nine, the Immortal Realm.

In recent years, all government affairs, both internal and external, of the Qin Dynasty were almost entirely handed over to the two prime ministers and the empress.

But that did not mean that the emperor was solely concerned with his cultivation, neglecting everything else while he cultivated. Just like when Bureau Chief Ye of the Bureau of Astrology returned in the rain to kill Zhao Zhan with a single sword, all the nobles and important figures in Changling felt that he had an invisible hand controlling the entire Qin Dynasty, constantly reminding them of his ascension to the throne.

Since the sixth year of his reign, although the strongest emperor in the history of the Qin Dynasty, he rarely met with his officials. Usually, only the two prime ministers and the empress were able to see him. However, every New Year, he would host a banquet for his officials, and then the following day, he would ascend the Heavenly Prayer Altar to pray and attend to some imperial family affairs.

So the nobles and important figures knew that His Majesty would appear within these two days. He needed to show everyone, including those from the enemy dynasty, that he was still healthy and strong, or rather, even stronger.

As a result, even the banquet on the first day, which did not strictly adhere to tradition, had a very heavy and tense atmosphere.

In Preserving Harmony Hall, the grayish-blue tiles radiated a watery light as if covered with seaweed.

All the nobles and important figures sat gracefully in front of their tables.

Ye Celeng sat in the first row of the table. Among all the bureau chiefs, she was the only woman, making her appearance very striking.

Not far from her, a stout man with a figure like an iron tower narrowed his eyes and exuded a powerful presence. This was Marquess Xu of Mount Heng who had once forced her to draw her sword.

The seats of the two prime ministers were on the two sides closest to the emperor's throne. The two prime ministers had not arrived yet, but the empress, the future ruler of the Qin Dynasty, and several imperial sons had.

The empress, who had stepped into the hall, wore the most magnificent phoenix crown and robes of the Qin Dynasty, making her appear even more graceful and enchanting.

Ye Celeng’s eyelashes flickered. She did not let her eyes rest on the empress at all, but instead focused on Prince Fu Su behind her.

Her gaze suddenly turned cold.

There was certainly something unusual that caused her to shift her gaze.

Many nobles and important figures also noticed the difference in Fu Su compared to before. They sensed the presence he exuded, and those with enough influence to speak before the empress expressed their congratulations, “Your Highness Fu Su truly possesses extraordinary talent; to have stepped into realm five at such an age is truly worthy of celebration.”

Many officials who had not yet realized this was astonished.

Although Fu Su was an imperial son and born from the empress, he naturally had the strongest support in his cultivation and had spent far less time in the previous realms. Given Fu Su's age, entering realm four was normal, but realm five could not be achieved just because he had the resources of a country. This was related to his own talent and the guidance he received.

An Baoshi, Jing Liuli and the others might have had better talent and education than Fu Su, but they did not have such great support. So many officials were thinking to themselves that in the future, the next emperor of Qin would remain the strongest cultivator in the Qin Dynasty.

The Empress smiled faintly. She was naturally satisfied at this moment.

However, in the next moment, a female palace attendant beside Fu Su spoke up, “His Highness Fu Su can already comprehend the sword manuals and cultivation records at the age of three. In the history of the Qin Dynasty, there is only one person like His Highness Fu Su. His Highness Fu Su will naturally become a top cultivator in Changling in the future.”

Many of the palace attendants were close to the empress and the imperial sons, and even if they spoke on such an occasion, no one would consider it too presumptuous, especially since His Majesty and the two prime ministers had not yet arrived. The atmosphere became more relaxed after the nobles and important figures had spoken. However, this female palace attendant’s words were like lightning, like the coldest blade. They immediately shocked everyone, and also instantly frightened many people.

Even Ye Celeng's face paled slightly.

Even Marquis Xu of Heng Mountain felt a cold sweat run down his back.

Many people even stopped breathing at that moment, and an incomparably cold sweat poured down their foreheads.

The air in the entire hall seemed to freeze at this moment. Complete silence fell.

Everyone stared at this female palace attendant in disbelief.

How much courage must she have had, how insane must she have been to dare utter such treasonous words!

At this moment, the sound of authoritative chanting could be heard from the street outside the imperial palace. This meant that the two prime ministers and His Majesty were not far from the hall.

With His Majesty's cultivation, he must have heard those harsh words from such a distance.

Many people's faces immediately paled.

They stared at the beautiful female palace attendant and began to understand that those profound words were not an accidental mistake.

Although the female palace attendant was telling the truth, in the history of the Qin Dynasty, there was indeed only one person like Fu Su, able to comprehend the sword manual at the age of three. But all the history books about That Person had been burned before Emperor Yuanwu ascended the throne!

More importantly, many nobles and important figures knew… the most noble woman in the Qin Dynasty, Her Majesty the Empress, had some very complicated history with That Person that could not be clarified.

That Person comprehended the sword manual at the age of three. Fu Su comprehended the sword manual at the age of three.

What kind of wild thoughts would this give rise to?

Although these words sounded like praise for Fu Su, in these people's ears, they were more poisonous than anything else, and they made them feel cold all over.

A young man with a very gentle face trembled slightly.

He sat not far from Ye Celeng and held a very high position. He was the bureau chief of the Bureau of Ancestral Law, Huang Zhenwei.

At that moment, he was staring at the beautiful female palace attendant. He showed a pitying expression and wanted to speak. However, in the end, he himself did not dare open his mouth.

Fu Su, who had been smiling brightly just a moment ago, sensed a dramatic change in the atmosphere. However, he did not understand why.

Because before he had a chance to read the sword manual, the history books had been burned and rewritten. Before he was born, no one dared to mention the name of That Person.

He looked at the beautiful female palace attendant behind him with inexplicable shock and then asked his Mother-Empress for help.

The Empress still had her perfect and exquisite features, but her gaze gradually turned cold.

Even Fu Su felt as if he had seen a terrifying, cold sword being pulled out of a bottomless, icy lake. His eyes felt a piercing pain, and he felt a cold terror that had never before surfaced in his heart.

The officials near the back looked terrified and trembling, their heads bowed.

The empress slowly turned around and coldly stared at the beautiful, confused-looking female palace attendant. She said, “Regardless of who is behind you, do you think you can change anything with what you've done?”

The Preserving Harmony Hall fell into deathly silent.

She looked at the palace attendant and shook her head, saying, “You can't change anything.”

The beautiful palace attendant said respectfully and apologetically, “I apologize.” Then she said in a low voice, “Just saying these words is enough.”

Before the empress could speak again, the beautiful palace attendant smiled sadly and said, “This sinful servant deserves to die.”

Poof.

She did not make any further movements, but blood gushed from her mouth.

Fu Su watched this scene in shock. He could sense that the palace attendant had completely lost her vitality when she said these words. He was right in front of her, so he witnessed the mouthful of blood the palace attendant vomited spraying almost onto his clothes.

But at this moment, an inexplicable power appeared in the hall.

A wave of primal energies of the universe suddenly surged from the hall entrance and enveloped the palace attendant.

Time seemed to stop completely.

The wave of blood and the palace attendant’s body seemed to be completely still.

In the next moment, the palace attendant’s blood and body… all her clothes and flesh, were shattered by this force into countless fine grains of dust in an instant.

Because the dust was so fine, because this transformation was so unrealistic, no one felt any horror at the time.

Only when all the dust dissipated and was blown high into the air by the wind currents created by the primal energies of the universe, falling to unknown destinations, were the people in the hall overcome with various emotions.

Ye Celeng lowered her head and looked at nothing but the table in front of her.

A figure dressed in a dragon robe appeared at the entrance of the hall.

Behind him were two dignified figures with auras as powerful as towering mountains. They were the two prime ministers of the Qin Dynasty. But they seemed very short compared to him, like they were just stairs under his feet.

This emperor, the most powerful and beloved in the history of the Qin Dynasty, wore an expression of absolute confidence and power on his face. He did not appear as distracted and scattered as he had that night when he was alone with the empress.

“Rise.”

Facing all the bowing nobles and important figures, he smiled faintly, as if the terrifying power he had just displayed had nothing to do with him. As if nothing had happened.

The palace attendant seemed to have never appeared in the hall, just as everything else had been erased.

The coldness in the empress's eyes had long since vanished.

The gracious smile of an empress appeared on her perfect face.

As in previous years, the emperor sat down and began the banquet with a toast without further ado. The banquet began.

This was a grand banquet for the emperor and his officials, celebrating the steady progress of the Qin Dynasty.

 

Notes:

This novel is not my work... I just translated it from a Chinese web novel written by Wu Zui

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