Chapter 1014

Li Tianheng stepped onto the seat, pressing his hands down slightly to signal the crowd to quiet, and he smiled: 'Today I, Li, am celebrating my fiftieth birthday, distinguished guests fill the seats, honored guests crowd the door; what merit do I have to receive such favor from you all, traveling thousands of miles over mountains and rivers to come to Xizhou to congratulate me—here I first thank you all!'

The crowd again erupted in cheers, giving great face to this Xichuan Grand Marshal.

Li Tianheng smiled: 'No need for pleasantries today; everyone here is my friend—I hope you all let go of everything and enjoy yourselves fully; today we will certainly not return until drunk.'

Laughter filled the air.

Li Tianheng turned to Prince Long Yefang and said: 'Before the banquet begins, let us first hear a few words from Your Highness, shall we?'

'Good!' the crowd exclaimed in unison.

Prince Long Yefang, unable to decline, stood up and said to everyone: 'Today is a good day for Grand Marshal Li; originally I shouldn't speak, but since Marshal Li has allowed me to speak, I will say a couple of sentences: first, I wish Grand Marshal Li blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea, longevity as the Southern Mountains; may he be vigorous as a dragon and tiger, his might enduring, leading the people of Xichuan to live in peace and prosperity, forever enjoying tranquility.'

No one knew who started the applause, but many in the crowd immediately responded.

Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered, Prince Long Yefang seemed to have been completely frightened by Li Tianheng, actually saying such submissive words; although Li Tianheng is the actual ruler of Xichuan, Xichuan after all is still the territory of the Dragon family, for Prince Long Yefang to say this is truly losing all royal face, yet it's understandable—after all, this guy lives under others' roofs, everything depends on Li Tianheng's expression; to preserve his life, he can't care about royal dignity.

Li Tianheng smiled: 'Your Highness Prince Long Yefang, your words are mistaken; the only one capable of leading Xichuan and even the entire Dakang out of difficulty is Your Highness. As a subject of Dakang, I ought to be loyal and devoted, I and these officers of Xichuan will do our utmost to assist Your Highness the Prince.'

Hearing this, Xue Shengjing couldn't help but grin at his sister and whispered: 'Those words are truly high-sounding; is Prince Long Yefang an idiot? Let him be played with in the applause.'

Princess Xue Lingjun whispered: 'I already knew he would make an issue out of Prince Long Yefang, but this is also a good thing.' She glanced across, seeing Hu Xiaotian still smiling at her; her heart fluttered involuntarily, she lifted the Chazan before her and took a sip, avoiding Hu Xiaotian's gaze, and whispered: 'Wasn't it said that Hu Xiaotian would read the imperial edict at the birthday feast, announcing the ennoblement?'

Xue Shengjing also glanced toward Hu Xiaotian and said: 'He's no idiot; if he publicly reads the edict and Li Tianheng refuses to comply, wouldn't that put him in a bind?'

Xue Lingjun said: 'Your sworn brother's situation seems rather dire, ah!'

Xue Shengjing smiled at his sister and said: 'How come? You seem quite concerned about him, ah!'

Xue Lingjun let out a faint sigh: 'He is indeed an outstanding young man.' Her eyes shifted: 'He is your brother, ah!'

Xue Shengjing said: 'In my heart there is only one brother!' The brother he referred to was of course the Emperor of Da Yong, his blood brother Xue Shengkang.

Prince Long Yefang was visibly moved by Li Tianheng's words, he nodded to Li Tianheng and said: 'Thank you, Sir Li, for your trust in me; without Sir Li I would not be where I am today. Dakang is now in troubled times: first my elder brother plotted to usurp the throne, then Ji Fei seized sole control of power, bringing chaos to the court. Before today's birthday feast begins, I have a few words I wish to say.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered, Prince Long Yefang seemed to have been completely frightened by Li Tianheng, actually saying such submissive words; although Li Tianheng is the actual ruler of Xichuan, Xichuan after all is still the territory of the Dragon family, for Prince Long Yefang to say this is truly losing all royal face, yet it's understandable—after all, this guy lives under others' roofs, everything depends on Li Tianheng's expression; to preserve his life, he can't care about royal dignity.

Prince Long Yefang said: 'The Emperor has also sent an envoy from the capital.' As he spoke, his gaze turned to Hu Xiaotian, and everyone present focused their attention on Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian had thought there was nothing for him to do today; he had already privately conveyed the Emperor's edict to Li Tianheng, who had just said not to publicize it, yet now Prince Long Yefang has announced it publicly—what could his motive be? Why not let him speak, but instead have the Prince proclaim it to all?

Prince Long Yefang said: 'The Emperor has issued an edict to enfeoff Sir Li as a lord of a different surname, which ought to be congratulatory, but when I looked at the edict I discovered it was not written in my father Emperor's own hand, and even the jade seal is fake.' Upon these words the whole hall gasped, people whispered among themselves, and the situation before them was truly beyond anyone's expectation.

Hu Xiaotian stared coldly at Prince Long Yefang; from outward appearance there was no flaw, yet the Prince's entire manner of speaking carried an inexplicable strangeness—Hu Xiaotian couldn't pinpoint the problem, feeling that this Prince Long Yefang was completely different from the one he had known before; could this Prince Long Yefang be an impostor?

Prince Long Yefang produced a secret decree, raised his hand to show it to everyone, and said with deep sorrow: 'This is a secret decree entrusted by my father Emperor to a loyal confidant who risked life and limb to deliver it to me; if not for this decree from my father, I would still not know that my father Emperor has been controlled by that traitor Hong Beimo, Zhou Ruiyuan and Wen Chenghuan, cowed by Hong Beimo's lustful might and colluding with him, have seized control of the court's power; poor my father Emperor, after finally escaping confinement, is now again being coerced by these villains.'

The crowd murmured in discussion; originally they had thought it would be a joyous, harmonious birthday feast, but unexpectedly the tone shifted, turning into a meeting of grievances.

Li Tianheng rose to his feet and spoke softly: 'Esteemed guests, perhaps you have already heard of the events that occurred these past two days in Xizhou city: Hong Beimo conspired with some of Xizhou's commanders, intending to harm Prince Long Yefang; if the Prince suffers any misfortune, the Dakang state will have no hope of future revival. I had originally reached an agreement with Prince Long Yefang, preparing to lead the people of Xichuan back to Dakang, but—' his face filled with indignant expression: 'Today's Dakang is not the Dakang of His Majesty; treacherous ministers hold sway, the court is covered in dust, sun and moon lack light; Dakang is not merely the Dakang of His Majesty alone, it is the Dakang of the Dragon clan, it is the Dakang of the people; we, as subjects of Dakang, ought to bear the responsibility to restore the state and revive the mountains and rivers; if we turn a blind eye and do nothing, what face will we have to face the Emperor, what face to face the Dakang populace!' This passage was delivered with passionate fervor.

Hu Xiaotian discreetly gave a glance to Liang Yinghao standing aside, using voice transmission to whisper: 'The signs are wrong; let's split up and flee.' Li Tianheng was determined to sever ties with Dakang, and his situation instantly became perilous. Before Hu Xiaotian could leave, he saw a group of soldiers rush from behind, cutting off his retreat, the leader being Li Honghan. Clearly they were preventing his escape; Liang Yinghao, who shared the table with Hu Xiaotian, turned pale with fright and whispered: 'Hu brother…' Nobody is a fool; everyone could see these soldiers were coming for Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said: 'Hong Yingtai brother, don't worry, this matter has nothing to do with you.' After all, he had underestimated Li Tianheng's tactics; it seems this guy is also a honeyed‑mouth‑sword type, superficially feigning closeness with him, then in a short time turning hostile and refusing to acknowledge him—indeed political interests trump everything; Li Tianheng threw out the bombshell that the retired Emperor Laohuangdi is controlled by Hong Beimo, using the opportunity to prop up Prince Long Yefang, enabling his scheme of holding the emperor hostage to command the princes to continue.

Xue Shengjing said to Xue Lingjun: 'Things are getting more and more interesting; a rift between Xichuan and Dakang would actually be a great joy.' From his position in Da Yong, he naturally did not wish to see Xichuan return to Dakang; as Li Tianheng finally made clear his break with Dakang, even turning the tables by claiming that the Dakang monarch Long Xuan'en is in fact controlled by Hong Beimo, he would naturally be able to support Prince Long Yefang's ascension, and could foresee that Dakang would henceforth have two courts and two emperors.

Xue Lingjun said: 'There's no need to speak of such matters at the birthday feast.'

Xue Shengjing said: 'Li Tianheng has always been indecisive; if the situation were not urgent, he would not take this step—it seems Long Xuan'en has driven him to desperation, and today he is determined to sever ties completely with Dakang.'

Xue Lingjun's gaze remained fixed on Hu Xiaotian; seeing him rise at this moment and walk outward.

Hu Xiaotian had taken just a few steps when Li Honghan met him head‑on, blocking his path, a faint cold smile curling his lips as he said: 'Prince Consort, where are you headed?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled: 'Everyone has three urgencies; General Li, if you're interested, come along.'

Li Honghan laughed: 'Good! Good!' He gestured with an inviting hand.

Hu Xiaotian strode forward without fear, Li Honghan leading eight soldiers close behind as they left the banquet hall; Hu Xiaotian said: 'It's just to relieve myself—General Li, why make such a fuss?'

Li Honghan said: 'You are both an imperial envoy and a Prince Consort, so naturally we must attend to you more thoroughly.'

The eight soldiers surrounded Hu Xiaotian; he sighed and shook his head: 'Is this how the Li family treats guests? I suppose this is the second time I've received such treatment.'

Li Honghan said: 'If you're sensible, you'd best not resist; considering our families' past friendship, I won't make things difficult for you.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded, and immediately two soldiers rushed forward, twisted his arms behind his back and bound them.

Li Honghan waved his hand and said: 'Take Mister Hu to rest.'

At this moment Liang Yinghao was also bound and shoved over by several soldiers; Hu Xiaotian and he exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of helpless smile; today could be said to have been a case of walking into one's own trap, yet they did not resist; Hu Xiaotian used voice transmission to Liang Yinghao: 'Let's first see the situation.' (To be continued~^~)