Chapter Twenty-Two
As they spoke, Xia Jingshi, seated at the head of the table, rose to his feet.
His gaze swept over the provocative Su Sha nobles with undisguised disdain and an air of lofty arrogance. It seemed they had forgotten—he was no ordinary frontier prince. He was the Brocade War God who had once dominated the battlefield, his veins flowing with the noble blood of royalty, his very nature rooted in an inviolable dignity.
A heavy, oppressive silence spread through the hall. All the boisterous troublemakers involuntarily fell quiet.
Feng Suige, sensing his aura, couldn’t help but brighten. This was the Xia Jingshi he knew.
Fu Yixiao, who had been seething with anger moments ago, shot Xia Jingshi a sidelong glance and muttered in resignation, as if responding to Xiao Weiran’s earlier words, “We should’ve known he wouldn’t miss such a grand opportunity to steal the spotlight. Why did we even bother worrying?”
Huan Xiang remained kneeling in the hall. Seeing Xia Jingshi command the room with his presence, his eyes burned with venomous resentment. He straightened up and met Xia Jingshi’s gaze head-on, sneering, “Does the King Who Pacifies the South not feel he’s overstepping his bounds as a guest?”
Xia Jingshi suddenly smiled, gentle as the morning dew and a light breeze. “If standing up counts as overstepping, General Huan, why don’t you continue kneeling?” A wave of stifled laughter rippled through the Brocade delegation.
Ignoring Huan Xiang’s flushed face, Xia Jingshi turned and bowed gracefully to Feng Qishan. “Lord of the Nation, may this humble prince ask General Huan a few questions?” Feng Qishan waved a hand magnanimously. “Of course.”
With a faint smirk, Xia Jingshi descended the imperial steps leisurely and asked in a measured tone, “General Huan, is this so-called ‘sincerity’ of yours someone else’s—or your own?” Huan Xiang hadn’t expected such a question and remained guarded, answering curtly, “Both.”
“From your earlier tone, General Huan, you seemed to hold the Nine Dragons and Nine Phoenix Crown in rather low regard. So, this prince assumes you must have prepared an even more precious gift. Might you share a glimpse of it, so I too may admire it?” By the time he finished speaking, Xia Jingshi had already strolled over to him with effortless grace.
Huan Xiang hesitated for a moment, stealing a glance at Feng Xiyang—only to find her gaze fixed solely on Xia Jingshi. Gritting his teeth, he declared, “A two-foot-tall White Jade Nine-Tiered Exquisite Pagoda.” The moment the words left his mouth, murmurs erupted around them.
Seeing the gleam in Xia Jingshi’s eyes, Feng Suige’s heart stirred, a thought flashing through his mind—but before he could dwell on it, Feng Qishan nodded approvingly. “General Huan remains as devoted to Xiyang as ever.” Huan Xiang hastily demurred, but when Xia Jingshi remained silent, he provoked with a laugh, “I wonder if this jade pagoda can compare to Your Highness’s golden crown?”
Xia Jingshi smiled in reply. “Of course it can. Might I ask—is it a family heirloom, or a gift from friends?” Huan Xiang boasted, “I acquired it last year at a black-market auction for one hundred and thirty thousand silver coins.” Instantly, the hall erupted in gasps.
Feng Qishan’s expression darkened, but before he could speak, Xia Jingshi cut in with a cold laugh. “General, what is your annual salary?” In an instant, Huan Xiang’s face turned ashen. He still tried to defend himself. “I purchased it with inherited family wealth. What does my salary have to do with it?”
Tension thickened in the hall. Xia Jingshi, wearing a mocking smile, remarked leisurely, “Judging by your demeanor, General, you don’t strike me as the descendant of an aristocratic family. So, this prince was merely making an idle guess.”Feng Suige stepped out from the banquet table, laughing heartily. "The King Who Pacifies the South's wisdom and strategy are indeed as renowned as they say." His words subtly confirmed Xia Jingshi's conjecture without outright denial. Xia Jingshi smiled modestly in response, then turned his gaze to Feng Xiyang, who was beaming with joy. "May this prince make a decision on behalf of the princess?"
Seeing Xiyang nod in agreement, Xia Jingshi surveyed the hall filled with Su Sha's nobility and high-ranking officials. "On behalf of the princess, I shall accept all the congratulatory gifts from everyone here. These, along with the gift lists, will be handed over to the Phoenix Prince for processing. After all, these are valuable items—if sold, the proceeds could cover years of disaster relief funds for the national treasury. If any of these were extorted from the common people, I suggest you report them now and retrieve them from the prince to return them intact." His icy gaze swept over the pale-faced ministers before settling on Feng Suige before him. "Should General Huan Xiang's white jade pagoda and the other lords' tokens of goodwill also be included?" Feng Suige chuckled. "Naturally."
Feng Qishan, seeing the situation spiraling out of control and the once-harmonious wedding banquet now in disarray, directed his fury at Huan Xiang, immediately ordering the imperial guards to bind him and imprison him pending trial.
As Huan Xiang was dragged away, wailing in distress, the great hall fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the subdued breaths of hundreds of attendees.
Xia Jingshi and Feng Suige locked eyes for a moment before Feng Suige spoke first, candidly admitting, "Since you've married Xiyang and incidentally helped Su Sha resolve its disaster relief funding for the coming years, let's consider the grudges between us—old and new—settled today." Xia Jingshi raised an eyebrow slightly. "How astute of you. I'd long forgotten the old grudges, and the new ones hadn't even had time to be tallied before being wiped clean." With that, the two exchanged smiles and sealed the agreement with a firm handclap before returning to their respective seats.
Feng Qishan's expression softened slightly as he forced a smile. "Enough—let's not allow these matters to ruin the mood. Let the banquet continue." The perceptive nobles, sensing the shift, relaxed somewhat, and the stifling atmosphere in the hall began to ease, though it never regained its earlier natural cheerfulness.
As the water clock marked the hour of Xu, it was time for the banquet to conclude. The master of ceremonies approached, leading a procession of beautiful palace maids holding fragrant flower palace fans, his face wreathed in smiles. "The hour is late. May Princess Xiyang and His Highness the King Who Pacifies the South accompany this humble servant to Biying Palace—"
Before he could finish, Xia Jingshi frowned. "Biying Palace?" Xiyang blushed slightly and explained, "Biying Palace was bestowed upon my mother by Father. After her passing, it remained unoccupied, so it was recently renovated to serve as our bridal chamber."
Xia Jingshi listened and smiled faintly. "We must depart for Brocade tomorrow morning, so I must return to the guest residence to make the necessary arrangements. It would be inconvenient to stay in the palace tonight." Xiyang was momentarily taken aback, while the master of ceremonies nearly jumped in alarm. "This—this is against propriety!"
Hearing this, Feng Qishan narrowed his eyes sharply but could only offer a diplomatic smile. "The wedding night and the bridal chamber are among life's most significant moments. How can they be skipped?"
Xia Jingshi smiled apologetically. "If arrangements aren't properly made, the journey tomorrow will be arduous. Besides, by propriety, the true wedding festivities should take place in Brocade before it can be considered official." Just as Feng Qishan was about to speak again, Xiyang interceded with a gentle smile. "My husband's words are not without reason. Then, Xiyang shall take her leave first.""Wait, it's unheard of for a wedding ceremony to not be followed by entering the bridal chamber," Feng Qishan said, his voice rising in anger, drawing the attention of others in the hall. Feng Xiyang, embarrassed and annoyed, whispered sharply, "Father, why are you shouting so loudly!"
Feng Qishan took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "There has never been such a precedent in Su Sha. If the bride and groom sleep separately after the wedding, where does that leave the dignity and decorum of the Su Sha royal family?" Xia Jingshi, suppressing his frustration, conceded, "If the Lord of the Nation is concerned about public opinion, I will immediately send someone to prepare a bedroom at the guesthouse and have the princess move there."
Feng Qishan firmly refused, "No, how can a guesthouse room serve as a bridal chamber? Tonight, you must stay at Biying Palace no matter what." As Xia Jingshi's gaze grew colder, Feng Xiyang interjected angrily, "Father, how can you force him like this? People might think I'm desperate to keep my husband in the bridal chamber! What will they say about me if this spreads?"
Feng Qishan snorted. "This is my decision, not yours. I fear someone is preoccupied with thoughts of another and is using excuses to delay..." Before he could finish, Xiyang dropped to her knees with a thud. "I beg you, Father, please stop. My husband is not unreasonable—I trust him!"
Feng Qishan's earlier outburst had already drawn many curious glances, and now Xiyang's sudden kneeling elicited gasps of surprise from the crowd.
Fu Yixiao and the others were seated too far away to hear the conversation at the main table. They only saw Feng Qishan's anger and Xiyang kneeling abruptly. Xiao Weiran's expression darkened, and he signaled Ning Fei with a glance. Understanding, Ning Fei subtly shifted into a half-crouch, ready to spring from his seat at the first sign of trouble to protect Xia Jingshi.
Though Yixiao also didn't understand the situation, seeing Xiao Weiran and Ning Fei on guard put him on alert as well. He whispered to Xueying, "If anything happens, don’t panic—just stay close to me." Xueying, though uneasy, nodded calmly.
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