Chapter 1721: Gold Jade Alliance (Upper)

Among the onlookers, many shy girls had covered their eyes, yet they couldn't help but peek through the gaps between their fingers; although their faces flushed and hearts raced, deep down they also hoped they could have a wedding like this.

Old Lady Xu sat under a specially made parasol, wearing a wide-brimmed hat whose edge had a veil covering her face; through the hazy veil, everything before her felt so intimate and familiar, as if she had returned to the past world in a daze; no one saw her expression at this moment, nor did anyone notice the tears shimmering in her eyes.

Given Old Lady Xu's status, she could have served as the wedding witness, and Hu Xiaotian had made this request of her, but the old lady refused; she did not want to show herself in public and wished to keep her mystery. Beside her, Xu Mubai's eyes showed a mix of envy and jealousy; today's Long Xi Yue was truly as beautiful as a celestial maiden.

Since Old Lady Xu was unwilling to act as the wedding witness, it naturally fell to the Empress Dowager of the Tianxiang Kingdom, Long Xuanjiao. Amid the crowd's cheers, Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao came before the newlyweds, smiling sweetly as she bore witness to their marriage, and then said, 'Taking the occasion of my daughter and son-in-law's wedding, I hereby announce another matter to the world.' Having said this, she deliberately paused.

Everyone knew she certainly had an important announcement to make, and all fell silent at once.

Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao's gaze turned to Hu Xiaotian as she said, 'Xiaotian, I think it would be most appropriate for you to make this announcement.'

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said, 'I will obey the Empress Mother's command.' He scanned the crowd and quickly spotted Qiqi among the guests; Qiqi's pretty face was as pale as snow, with no expression at all. The moment their eyes met, her heart was pierced anew, and she truly regretted coming here. Is Hu Xiaotian's marriage not a demonstration aimed at her? Is he taking revenge on her!

Qiqi was clearly agitated, which led to her misjudging the situation; Hu Xiaotian was not seeking revenge on her, for his magnanimity extended far beyond such petty acts, and his vision reached much further. Hu Xiaotian proclaimed loudly, 'First, thank you all for not shirking hardship, traversing mountains and rivers to come to Yunze for my and Xi Yue's wedding; thank you for your blessings. We will surely not disappoint your expectations and will live happily ever after.'

Long Xi Yue took the initiative to hold his hand, the two gazed at each other and smiled; their affection was obvious to everyone.

Hu Xiaotian said, 'As the saying goes, worry before the world worries, rejoice after the world rejoices. Although I am happy and blessed, I still remember the countless people suffering in war and famine across the world. After discussion with the Empress Mother, we have decided to form a covenant and establish the Gold Jade Alliance, whereby we will watch over each other, advance and retreat together; if any side is attacked by another's forces, the other will certainly not stand idly by but will give full assistance.'

Hu Xiaotian's words caused the greatest shock among the forces of Dakang, Shajia, and Xichuan, since they are nearest to those two powers; if Hu Xiaotian and Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao reached such an agreement, it would amount to forming an offensive-defensive alliance.

But the matter was not over; Hu Xiaotian continued, 'Although the Empress Mother and I are the initiators, soon many forces will wish to join our Gold Jade Alliance: the Bohai Kingdom, Mangjiao Island, Tianlang Mountain, the Beggar Sect, and the Falling Cherry Palace! These include states and jianghu sects; as long as they are willing to join the Gold Jade Alliance and agree to uphold the treaty we set, we will welcome them with open arms. Once they join the Gold Jade Alliance, any side that dares to instigate internal conflict, harming fellow members, will be jointly attacked by the rest; if any side's interests are harmed by external invasion, we will unite to resist the foreign enemy.' His words were resolute and ringing.

The Eldest Princess of Da Yong, Xue Lingjun, could not help but turn her gaze to Yan Dongqing beside her; this woman is truly unreasonable, always calling herself sisters yet never informing me of the major matter of the Bohai Kingdom joining the Gold Jade Alliance—indeed, one cannot trust anyone, for most people in this world only look out for their own interests. Yan Dongqing sensed Xue Lingjun's look, obviously feeling guilty, she lowered her eyes and said, 'I am not aware of these matters; they are all handled by Zou Yong.'

Xue Lingjun chuckled and said, 'Gold Jade Alliance? Alliances throughout history have been as numerous as stars, yet which of those pacts has ever endured to the end?' Her remark was not wrong. However, Hu Xiaotian, together with Empress Dowager Long Xuanjiao, initiated this alliance move; the Bohai Kingdom was the first to join, amounting to already having a three‑kingdom alliance. Mangjiao Island, Tianlang Mountain, the Beggar Sect, and the Falling Cherry Palace—though they are merely green‑forest forces and jianghu sects, any one of their strengths is not to be underestimated. What worries Xue Lingjun is that the Falling Cherry Palace has openly sided with Hu Xiaotian's side and even joined something called the Gold Jade Alliance; one must recall that Li Chen Zhou once controlled the three major jianghu powers. The Falling Cherry Palace, the Sword Palace, and the Jiangbei branch of the Beggar Sect—now two of the three are gone, leaving only the Sword Palace, which also opposes Li Chen Zhou in word but not in deed; for them, this is certainly not good news.

Shajia's Prince He Erdan is no fool; upon hearing the news of the Gold Jade Alliance, his first thought was his father's grand plan to advance into the Central Plains. Fortunately, the Nanyue Kingdom has not yet joined the Gold Jade Alliance, but if Hu Xiaotian and company allowed the Nanyue Kingdom to join, Shajia's invasion of Nanyue would essentially be making them enemies.

The King of the Black Hu North Court, Wanyan Lie, secretly sighed that Hu Xiaotian hid his depths too well; he had presented such a heavy gift, yet this fellow had not leaked a hint beforehand. However, the Gold Jade Alliance, at least for now, has little relation to the Black Hu; the Black Hu's main target is Da Yong, and another objective is to conquer the Yulan Kingdom. As long as those two nations have not joined the Gold Jade Alliance, they have little to worry about; the Black Hu side currently does not wish to make more enemies, while the greatest significance of the Gold Jade Alliance's founding lies in uniting those former small states and scattered forces into a formidable power.

The one who felt the most alarm was Yao Wenqi, who had come representing Xichuan and also brought a gift; Xichuan's situation is now the most difficult. After the Gold Jade Alliance is formed, if Hu Xiaotian harbors designs on Xichuan's land, then the forces of the Tianxiang Kingdom and Tianlang Mountain will inevitably intervene, making Xichuan's plight even worse. The establishment of the Gold Jade Alliance was surely not a sudden proposal; it seems they had previously held secret talks, and it is understandable that the great powers of Da Yong, Dakang, Black Hu, and Shajia were excluded, but why did they also exclude Xichuan? Could it be that they intend to take Xichuan?

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