Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law-Chapter 441: The Bestowed Female Musicians Arrive

Chapter 441: Chapter 441: The Bestowed Female Musicians Arrive

"Is this slander? The examples are right here..." Saying this, Xia Zhining glanced at Xiao Yunxi again, who was a living example of it.

And also Ning Wan.

In a certain sense, Han Anniang could be considered too.

Xiao Yunxi’s face flushed under the gaze.

Xia Zhining continued, "So this is catering to taste, how could there be no relation."

Chen Mo: "..."

"This is a misunderstanding, and I didn’t let him send it. You’re making it seem like I’ve committed a serious crime." Chen Mo argued with logic and reason for himself.

"Is that so? If it’s a misunderstanding, then when the people arrive, you send them back, and I’ll treat it as a misunderstanding. Furthermore, I’ll even personally bow to you in apology. You can do whatever you want with me then." Xia Zhining said confidently.

Chen Mo: "..."

Do you have to speak so harshly?

"This... Lu Sheng sending female musicians is a gesture of goodwill. If I send them back, it would mean not accepting his goodwill, and he would definitely think I have an issue with him. Given the current complex situation, with Prince Huai and King Chong in the south, and the Longyou Yuezhi Clan in the west, holding a grudge with Lu Sheng is disadvantageous for us." Chen Mo explained solemnly. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Xia Zhining immediately displayed a smile as if she had seen through him long ago.

"Ahem ahem..." Chen Mo lightly coughed twice, somewhat guilty as he avoided Xia Zhining’s gaze. Although he spoke of slander, he was full of anticipation for the former Empress and Princess sent by Lu Sheng.

After all, they had been Empress and Princess, their statuses were clear.

Everyone is captivated by strength, men and women alike.

It’s just that Chen Mo admired strength in a different way.

Just imagining the former Empress and Princess being subdued by him...

Doesn’t everyone have their fantasies?

He quickly changed the topic seriously, "Lu Sheng patricides and made the Emperor abdicate, and the King of Qi ascends the throne. With this news spreading, various forces are bound to take action. We need to be ready. We haven’t mobilized troops for over half a year, it’s time to organize a full-scale military exercise."

...

The facts were exactly as Chen Mo had stated.

In Fengzhou.

Upon learning the news, Prince Huai flew into a rage again, though fortunately did not faint this time.

For him, if Lu Sheng had only killed Xu Guozhong, it could be considered a great boon.

But now, with the Emperor abdicated and the King of Qi on the throne.

If this wasn’t coerced by Lu Sheng, Prince Huai wouldn’t believe it.

He immediately instructed his staff to draft a proclamation against Lu Sheng, expressing the intent to welcome back Emperor Chu Nan.

Even though the current situation made offending Lu Sheng unwise, as a Vassal King of Great Song and a member of the Imperial Family, ignoring this palace affair would imply tacit approval of the King of Qi’s legitimacy, which was clearly inappropriate.

"By the way, Prince, news from the palace also says that female musicians were granted to the Marquis of Pingting County." After hesitating for a moment, the person reporting the news finally spoke up.

"That’s it?" Prince Huai discontentedly looked at the reporting soldier, as the last name he wanted to hear was Chen Mo’s, especially when he had received rewards.

"Among them, there is the former Empress Xu Clan and Princess Zhaoqing." reported the soldier.

At this, Prince Huai’s expression turned ugly.

Although he did not recognize the Xu Clan Empress, as she was the Emperor’s woman, it was a fact connected with the Imperial Family.

Princess Zhaoqing needed no introduction.

So giving them to Chen Mo, in a sense, was damaging to his dignity.

He knew the Xu Clan Empress and Princess Zhaoqing were closely linked to the Xu Family, and now with Xu Guozhong killed, the Xu Family would certainly be implicated, thus...

After pondering for a moment, Prince Huai said, "Has the palace pardoned the Xu Clan Empress and Princess Zhaoqing?"

"No, they haven’t."

"That’s good then."

Prince Huai nodded, without pardoning their crimes, the two were just criminals’ relatives, merely female musician singers, legally detached from the Imperial Family.

Lu Sheng ultimately left the Imperial Family some dignity.

Like Prince Huai.

King Chong, King Anping, and all the other Vassal Kings, big or small, stationed outside with some troops, openly declared a need to denounce Lu Sheng.

...

Xu Ying and her companions, after all, did not receive the news as quickly.

They arrived in the jurisdiction of Xiangyang on the tenth of May, not yet having entered the city, but news of them being granted to Chen Mo had already spread around Xiangyang and its vicinity.

The ones sending Xu Ying and her companions were Lu Sheng’s Personal Soldiers, with orders to deliver them personally to Chen Mo.

To better fulfill Lu Sheng’s entrusted task, upon learning that Chen Mo was outside the city at the training grounds, Lu Sheng’s Personal Soldiers quickly had someone escort them to the grounds.

"Turn to the right at one drumbeat, left at two, advance with a continuous beat, retreat with the bell. Any mistakes in the drill will be met with corporal punishment and no dinner at night. Do you hear?" A resonant and clear voice suddenly echoed in the training ground.

"Yes, we hear."

Ten thousand voices resonated, shaking the heavens and earth, deafening.

"Boom boom boom..." The drum sounded.

Xu Ying and Princess Zhaoqing opened the curtain of the carriage and gazed at the orderly formation of armored warriors marching out of the training grounds not far away.

They looked solemn, exuding a murderous air.

"Who are you? This is a military restricted area, no unauthorized persons allowed." Just as Xu Ying and her companions were observing, a stern voice came from not far away.

Xu Ying and her companions hurriedly lowered the carriage curtain.

"We are the Prime Minister’s people, ordered by the Prime Minister to deliver the female musicians granted by the palace to the Grand Commandant." Lu Sheng’s Personal Soldier quickly said, pulling out proof of identity from his bosom.

The guard, having heard of this matter, quickly let them wait here while they went inside to report.

After the training ground guard left, Xu Ying and her companions lifted the carriage curtain to observe.

At this time, the army that had left the training ground had halted, forming rows of packed formations. The dense spears and halberds obscured the sky over their heads, and the war sabers stretched to the horizon, causing even the early summer warm breeze to carry a touch of murderous air.

Solemn military prowess, like a tornado coalesced between heaven and earth, ready to obliterate all in its path at the slightest disturbance.

Though Xu Ying was a woman, as the daughter of Xu Guozhong, she understood a bit about military affairs, knowing that to assess the strength of an army one looked at soldiers, armor, military might, and discipline.

The subordinates before her obeyed commands strictly, fully armored, with strict military discipline, exuding grandeur.

No wonder...

A glimpse reveals the whole picture; just by seeing this army at first glance, Xu Ying understood why Huai State had been seized.

And what kind of person Chen Mo, who led this army, must be.

For the first time, Xu Ying felt anticipation towards Chen Mo.

The saying goes, "Like father, like daughter," and Xu Ying, like her father, enjoyed the feeling of wielding power, having the life and death of others at her command.

Hence, when her father found her and asked her to enter the palace, she accepted without hesitation.

At the time, she was still inexperienced, never expecting that the exalted Emperor, noble in his standing, would be a weak and incompetent man, with no power at all.

So even later, though she became the Empress, she never experienced the grandeur an Empress should have.