Chapter 1831

Six lovely young ladies emerged one by one from behind the screen, dancing gracefully; they all stood on tiptoe, and among these six there was no Huo Xiaoru, but when Hu Xiaotian saw their dance steps, his mind buzzed, and the long-buried image of Huo Xiaoru surged into his thoughts; he could be certain that Huo Xiaoru was in Kangdu.

Xi Ma, seated to Hu Xiaotian's right, noticed his change in expression and felt quite puzzled—how could a song and dance move him so deeply? It was also her first time seeing someone dance on tiptoe; Xi Ma herself was a skilled dancer, and she found it quite interesting.

Wanyan Liexin gave Hu Xiaotian a squinting smile and said, 'Prince, what do you think of this dance?'

Hu Xiaotian thought, 'You've asked the right person—this tiptoe dance was choreographed by Huo Xiaoru under my inspiration.' He praised, 'The melody is good, the dance is good, the performer is good! It fits the saying: "This melody should only be heard in heaven; how rare to hear it on earth!"'

Wanyan Liexin praised, 'I've long heard of the Prince's great talent; indeed, his reputation is well deserved—offhand he produces lines that are breathtaking.'

Hu Xiaotian secretly grew wary—could this scene be merely a coincidence? Yesterday he had inquired about Xue Shengjing, and Wanyan Liexin only said he had no contact with Xue Shengjing; why then was this scene unfolding now? Was Wanyan Liexin deliberately arranging it? Where was Huo Xiaoru? If she had already come to Kangdu, why would she refuse to meet him? For a moment, Hu Xiaotian's thoughts raced.

Xi Ma said, 'The song and dance of the Central Plains truly have a unique flavor; I have never before seen anyone dance on tiptoe.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'The culture of the Central Plains is vast and profound; tiptoe dance is merely a small part of it.'

Wanyan Liexin said, 'Speaking of song and dance, the Princess is also an expert in this art.'

Xi Ma, embarrassed by his praise, whispered, 'Our tribe's song and dance is quite different from that of the Central Plains.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'If I ever get the chance, could I see it?' He had expected Xi Ma to shyly refuse, but to his surprise she nodded and readily replied, 'Sure!' Indeed, this Hu girl's nature is straightforward.

Hu Xiaotian, intrigued by everything before him, developed a strong interest in the Flavor Return Pavilion, and he called the waiter over, asking, 'Is the manager here?'

The waiter nodded and said, 'Yes, he is.'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'Then please ask him to come over so I can meet him.' As the Prince Zhenhai of Dakang, proactively inviting the tavern's manager to meet was a great honor for the establishment, but the waiter laughed and said, 'Sir, I'm really sorry, but our manager has a rule: he refuses to receive anyone who comes to socialize.'

Before Hu Xiaotian could speak, Xi Ma could not hold back: 'Your manager sure puts on airs…'

Wanyan Liexin coughed, cutting off Xi Ma's next words, and said with a smile, 'Waiter, go tell your manager that this person is the Prince Zhenhai of Dakang.'

At that moment the waiter finally realized Hu Xiaotian's identity, and he immediately showed respect, hurriedly bowing and saying, 'Prince, Thousand Years, I have eyes but fail to see Mount Tai; I will go report this at once, though I cannot guarantee whether our manager, whose temperament is odd, will come.'

Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing, seeing no need to embarrass a mere waiter, and told him, 'Just go and report; whether he comes or not, I won't blame you.'

The waiter hurried off, but after a long wait the manager still hadn't appeared, and Xi Ma could not help but say, 'Indeed, the Central Plains is different from our homeland—even a lowly tavern manager dares to ignore a prince.'

Wanyan Liexin, fearing Hu Xiaotian might lose face, whispered softly, 'Perhaps the manager really has an urgent matter.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, 'Actually, the prince and the manager are no different—both are human, both experience birth, aging, sickness, and death; it's only their positions that differ. In this life I am the prince and he is the manager; perhaps in the next life we will swap places. Just like you, Princess: born into the khan's household you are a princess, but if you were born among the common folk you would naturally be an ordinary maid—am I right?'

Although his words were simple, they contained the notion that all people are born equal—an idea that, spoken in this era, was already astonishing.

Wanyan Liexin fell into deep thought upon hearing Hu Xiaotian's words; he is merely the adopted son of Khan Wanyan Lushi, and to this day he still does not know who his biological parents are, nor whether they are alive or dead. Had the Khan not taken him in, he might have lived an ordinary, unremarkable life, never achieving prominence, let alone becoming the Northern Palace King of the Black Hu. He nodded and said, 'Prince, your insight is extraordinary; every word provokes deep reflection.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily and said, 'Brother Wanyan, you're overpraising me—I'm just voicing my thoughts; it's not anything extraordinary.'

At that moment a gaunt-faced middle-aged man entered the room slowly, smiling and saying, 'I've come late, Prince, please don't take offense.'

Hu Xiaotian found the voice somewhat familiar; taking a closer look, he saw that the middle-aged man was Xiang Shancong of the Yanxi Hall. He had met this man once before in the Bohai State. Back then, Xiang Shancong had been entrusted by Huo Xiaoru to deliver a portrait to him, but when Hu Xiaotian asked about Huo Xiaoru's whereabouts, Xiang Shancong remained evasive—this man must know everything about Huo Xiaoru.

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, 'I was wondering who it was—turns out it's Manager Xiang!'

Xiang Shancong came forward to pay his respects, and Wanyan Liexin said, 'So the Prince and Manager Xiang have known each other for a while?'

Hu Xiaotian smiled and said, 'Yes, we're old friends.'

Xiang Shancong said, 'I, Xiang, am truly ashamed; not knowing that the Prince would personally visit, I hid in the backyard tending to my flowers and plants. As soon as I heard the Prince had arrived, I hurried to bathe and change clothes, which delayed me so long. I hope the Prince will not blame me, and I hope the honored guests will not blame me either.'

Wanyan Liexin laughed and said, 'No one blames you; Manager Xiang certainly seems like a refined person.'

Xiang Shancong laughed and shook his head, saying, 'Apart from farming, I can't do anything else; I certainly can't be called a refined person, let alone possess any superficial elegance.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Manager Xiang, there's no need to be overly modest—you certainly have a knack for business. After the Yanxi Hall disbanded, I lost track of you, yet I never expected you to come to Kangdu without a word, open this Flavor Return Pavilion, and make your business thrive.'

Xiang Shancong humbly said, 'Thanks to the court's blessings and the Prince's blessings, we're getting by.' He had the waiter add a set of utensils, then offered a toast to each person in turn, and added, 'Since the Prince has honored us with his presence, and several envoys have graced us with theirs, I will consider this meal on my tab and act as host, doing my utmost to show hospitality.'

Wanyan Liexin said, 'That's too kind of you.'

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, 'Since Manager Xiang is sincere, we should respectfully comply.'

Wanyan Liexin, hearing that, no longer insisted.

Xi Ma said, 'Manager Xiang, what is the name of the dance those girls just performed?'

Xiang Shancong said, 'I, Xiang, am not sure either; I simply hired a song-and-dance troupe to entertain the guests here, changing them frequently along the way, and it was only with these girls that the act settled. I only know their performance was well received; as for anything else, I never inquired.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'You manage this place with such ease—you're exactly the sort of absentee manager the phrase describes.'

Wanyan Liexin laughed and said, 'True masters of business are all absentee managers; those who busy themselves with every detail rarely make their ventures prosper.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Truly wise words—Brother Wanyan, every sentence of yours is a profound truth.'

Everyone laughed together; Xiang Shancong made a round of toasts, then rose to take his leave, since he didn't want to stay too long and disrupt the others' drinking session. Xi Ma suggested that he take her to see the song-and-dance troupe.

Hu Xiaotian, however, noticed that the Black Hu princess was deliberately avoiding them, her aim being to give him and Wanyan Liexin a private space to talk.

After everyone had left, Wanyan Liexin rose, closed the door, and returned to Hu Xiaotian's side, saying, 'Prince, last night someone sneaked into the inn where we are staying with the intent to assassinate.'

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows—the Black Hu envoy's troubles were indeed numerous—and he said in a low voice, 'Brother Wanyan, why are you only telling me this now?'

Wanyan Liexin said, 'Because we discovered it in time, no harm was done.'

'And the assassin?'

Wanyan Liexin said, 'He got away, but I think it's very likely the work of Da Yong.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Any evidence?' He was actually reminding Wanyan Liexin that it's best not to speak without proof.

Wanyan Liexin shook his head and sighed, 'Prince, you should know the purpose of my visit this time.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'Brother Wanyan, it seems you haven't yet explained your mission to me!'

Wanyan Liexin said, 'To be frank, I have come to Kangdu at the command of the Great Khan to discuss an alliance with your court.'

Hu Xiaotian said, 'That's a good thing—Dakang has always upheld the principle of peace as supreme, maintaining non-aggression with its neighboring states; but Da Yong is also here seeking an alliance. Could it be that you two had already coordinated and planned to come together for an alliance?' He naturally understood that Da Yong and the Black Hu are now irreconcilable rivals, and both sending envoys to Kangdu is merely an attempt to win over this powerful Central Plains force.

Wanyan Liexin sighed and said, 'We and Da Yong have been locked in constant warfare over border issues; although we have repeatedly shown restraint, Da Yong presses forward aggressively, occupying our borders and slaughtering our people. We once tried to negotiate peace with Da Yong, but they showed no sincerity whatsoever—instead, they assassinated our fourth prince.' Saying this, his face filled with grief and indignation.

Hu Xiaotian was well aware of the enmity between Da Yong and the Black Hu; when the Black Hu's fourth prince, Wanyan Chixiong, was killed, he was present at the scene. Da Yong blamed Huo Shengnan for it, forcing her to flee the country together with him, but in fact this deed should have been the work of the Wuxian Sect, and to this day the case remains unresolved, having become a headless mystery. Although Da Yong pushed the blame onto Huo Shengnan, the Black Hu firmly believes that Da Yong is the true culprit behind the murder of Wanyan Chixiong. Moreover, the Black Hu and Da Yong have harbored grudges for years—back then, the man who would become a generation's heavenly pride, Wanyan Tietong, was assassinated by the founder of the Sword Palace, Lin Bai Tao; new and old grudges are not so easily eased. (To be continued~^~)