Chapter 287: Chao Chao’s Opinion
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Lu Yuan Ze had become the laughingstock of the entire capital.
As Lu Yan Shu picked up his little sister, Lu Chao Chao, she was still gripping a roasted sweet potato in her small hands.
“Today, the envoys from the Southern Kingdom are coming to the palace. His Majesty has asked you to be there,” Lu Yan Shu said, lifting his sister onto the carriage.
Chao Chao’s tiny face scrunched up with annoyance.
“Why do I have to go to the palace on my hard-earned three-day break?” she complained. “Can’t he wait until I’m back at school? Then I’d get another day off!”
“You’ve become more calculating since you started school,” Lu Yan Shu said, shaking his head with a smile.
Chao Chao’s face puckered up like a wrinkled bun.
Li Siqi, who was watching, laughed. “There’s a lantern festival tonight. How about I pick you up after the banquet?”
Chao Chao’s eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes! Brother Siqi, come early!”
The little girl bobbed her head excitedly, her mood quickly improving.
“The Southern Kingdom always looks down on us. If there’s any trouble during the talks, Chao Chao, you must hold back, okay?” Lu Yan Shu warned her seriously.
“North Zhao is just a regular place; we can’t compete with the Southern Kingdom,” he continued. “They have divine spirits on their side. We can’t match that.”
“This time, they even brought a fierce beast, Xiangliu. I’m worried they’re planning something against us.” Lu Yan Shu sighed heavily. North Zhao was weak; they could only endure these humiliations.
“Don’t be scared. Just stay away from the beast,” Lu Yan Shu advised as he led Chao Chao into the palace.
Chao Chao took a big bite of her sweet potato and burped. Xiangliu? A fierce beast? Maybe.
The palace banquet hadn’t started yet, but the hall was already crowded with noblewomen and officials. Chao Chao spotted a few familiar faces.
“Big Brother, you go do your thing. Chao Chao’s going to find her friends now,” she said and scampered off toward the sixth prince.
“Brother Six, whatcha doing here?” the little girl asked in her sweet, childish voice.
The sixth prince was crouching by the palace gate, looking like he was waiting for someone.
“Waiting for Brother Yu Zhou. Did you see him, Chao Chao?” the sixth prince asked, still clueless. Ever since he gave Lu Chao Chao some wine, they’d been close. Now, they were best buddies.
“No need to wait! Brother Yu Zhou took a whole week of sick leave. He’s probably still in bed,” Chao Chao replied with a little pout. “Let’s go inside together, Brother Six.” She grabbed the sixth prince’s hand and pulled him along.
“Ah, he’s in trouble again…” The sixth prince sighed. What could be worse than when he gave Chao Chao wine and got scolded for it? He’d have to ask after the banquet.
“Is Brother Five feeling better?” Chao Chao asked, looking around for him.
“Much better, thanks to you bringing him to see Consort Xian Shu.” The sixth prince whispered, “Chao Chao, stand behind me later, okay? Don’t stand in front…”
He glanced around nervously.
“The envoy from the Southern Kingdom brought a scary beast that eats people every day. They say it can even make babies stop crying,” he whispered. “The Southern Kingdom is so mean. They love to see us North Zhao folks scared. You’re North Zhao’s favorite little princess, so they’ll definitely try to scare you to make us lose face.”
“Stand behind me later,” he repeated.
Chao Chao, now dressed in a light green dress, with ribbons fluttering in her hair, nodded obediently. “Okay, Brother Six,” she said, staying close to his side.
Soon, they heard a loud announcement from outside.
“His Majesty has arrived…”
“The queen has arrived…”
The king and queen walked into the hall one after the other, and all the officials stood up and bowed deeply.
“Isn’t Grandma coming?” the sixth prince whispered to his Brother Five.
Prince Five put a finger to his lips. “Shh, Grandma sweated a lot yesterday and caught a cold today. Let’s let her rest.”
It wasn’t really a cold. It was more that the Southern Kingdom was up to no good this time. So, to keep the dowager from being stressed, she abstained from attending.
The king’s face was serious today, but when he saw Chao Chao, his expression softened.
“Why is your face all dirty?” The king raised his hand to wipe the smudges from her cheeks, catching a whiff of burnt sweet potato.
Chao Chao grinned. “Chao Chao ate sweet potato!”
“Daddy King, are you mad today?” She tilted her head, looking up at him with big, curious eyes.
The king pushed down his frustration. “Seeing Chao Chao makes me happy.”
“But later, be quiet and eat properly. No making noise, okay?” The king wanted to keep his little lucky star safe.
Chao Chao nodded obediently.
The king hesitated for a moment. “Chao Chao, do you know about Xiangliu?”
The Southern Kingdom envoys had been in the capital for three days, and the beast had already eaten many people. The area around it smelled of blood, which made the king feel both disgusted and scared. The creature had a huge appetite.
Every day, he had to send death row prisoners from the dungeons to feed it.
“Xiangliu…” Chao Chao’s little face scrunched up in thought.
“Chao Chao thinks… it doesn’t taste very good,” she finally said after a long pause.
In her mind, all divine and fierce beasts were categorized by whether they tasted good or not.
The king’s eyes widened a bit, but before he could say more, a eunuch called out from outside the door.
“The envoys from the Southern Kingdom have arrived.”
Even before they came in, the thick smell of blood filled the air, making everyone wrinkle their noses in disgust.
“Your Majesty of North Zhao won’t blame us for being late, will you?” A young man’s arrogant voice grated on everyone’s nerves.
“It’s just that your Majesty is stingy. Lord Xiangliu wasn’t full, so we had to find some food along the way…” Nan Mu Bai said provocatively, glaring at King Xuan Ping.
King Xuan Ping’s face turned dark. The only “food” along the way was innocent people!
The queen gently patted his hand, reminding him that North Zhao, being mortal, couldn’t afford to fight openly with the Southern Kingdom right now.
The king’s expression softened a little as he tried to hold back the anger in his eyes. “His Highness the crown prince is joking. Eunuch Wang, send fifty prisoners over tomorrow.”
Eunuch Wang answered softly.
Nan Mu Bai gave a mock bow to the king. “I hope His Majesty understands. The blood of the Southern people is special—we bow to the gods and the king of the Southern Kingdom. As for the mortal king of North Zhao, we wouldn’t want to shorten your life, so we won’t be kneeling for you.”
The entire hall went silent.
This was a clear insult that North Zhao was beneath the Southern Kingdom.
Not even worthy of a bow.
A mere crown prince dared to disrespect the king, showing how arrogant the Southern Kingdom was.
The king gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with fury, his fists clenched tightly. This again!
Every time the Southern Kingdom came to the capital, it was the same! They did this with every country, no exceptions!
They were the only ones who could call on divine help, who could ask for blessings from the gods. Everyone else had to obey their whims!
King Xuan Ping took a deep breath, his eyes cold. “Prepare seats for the crown prince and Lord Ming.”
The fierce beast circled in the hall, its cold, snake-like eyes scanning the room, sending chills down everyone’s spines.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
It was huge and looked down on everyone with contempt.
“This is Xiangliu, the divine beast of our Southern Kingdom. Xiangliu has been here since the beginning of time and always protects our royal family. It is our royal guardian,” Nan Mu Bai said with pride.
“It’s also called the little dragon. The crown on its head looks just like a dragon’s,” he added, sounding smug.
Chao Chao peeked out from behind the sixth prince.
“Such big words! They’re even trying to copy the Azure Dragon now?”
“What kind of divine beast eats people?” Chao Chao huffed, saying out loud what everyone else was thinking.