[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world":3,"chapter-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-196":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Phoenix Returns to Rule the World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2353320,4602,"Chapter 196: Where Does Your Confidence Come From?","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-196",196,"\u003Cp>\"I heard the Jun family searched the world for famous physicians for years but couldn't cure the Old Madam's illness; how did she suddenly get all better?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Have you all forgotten about Princess Qingping? I heard that Princess Qingping performed surgery on Old Madam Jun a while ago, and the Old Madam can already stand up. It’s no surprise she’s doing so well now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re right. I heard the Head of the Imperial Hospital wants his son to take Princess Qingping as his master...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can you just say anything? The Head of the Imperial Hospital's son taking Princess Qingping as his master? Can you even believe such nonsense?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think it’s possible; that’s exactly the kind of thing Old Man Guo would do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as everyone was whispering and filled with shock,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>they saw Eunuch Wang Xi whispering something into the Emperor's ear, and the Emperor frowned and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then they heard an attendant shout at the top of his lungs:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Summon—the Northern Kingdom envoy, Wang Baolai, to have an audience!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the four words \"Northern Kingdom envoy\" rang out, the noise in the great hall was instantly swept away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the carved beams and painted rafters, the court officials and their families turned their gazes toward the slowly opening hall doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As everyone knew, not long ago, the Northern Kingdom invaded the Tianqi border, and due to a smallpox outbreak, they were forced to sign a humiliating treaty with the Tianqi Crown Prince. This year was the first year they were paying tribute for the New Year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Baolai strode in. He was tall and burly, wearing a black robe embroidered with silver thread outlining the totem of the Northern Kingdom's ice plains. His steps were steady yet carried a hint of caution as he entered the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, the tribute chests carried by his attendants shimmered with light, filled with rare treasures. Gold and jade utensils and precious furs gleamed under the sunlight, showcasing the Northern Kingdom's sincerity in this tribute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the crowd's attention was quickly drawn to a woman beside the Northern Kingdom envoy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a woman wearing a sable fur crown, dressed in fiery red fox fur that made her skin look whiter than snow, yet her eyes held a haughty look, and she possessed a wild, unruly appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the woman walked in, she rolled her eyes as if she were flipping through a book, making no effort to hide her disdain as she scrutinized the young ladies in the hall, looking over every single one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her demeanor made it clear at a glance that she was someone troublesome and annoying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your humble subject, Wang Baolai, brings Princess Tuoba Yaoguang of the Northern Kingdom to congratulate His Majesty of Tianqi on the New Year and to present the annual tribute.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Baolai knelt and performed the salute, his voice resonant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuoba Yaoguang bowed slightly, performing a non-standard Tianqi court salute. Having grown up on horseback, she was truly unfamiliar with these tedious formalities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said that this Tuoba Yaoguang was the Northern Kingdom King's most favored princess. The atmosphere in the hall was strange, and even Jun Zijin frowned slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the four vassal states of Tianqi, the Northern Kingdom was the most restless, engaging in petty theft and even murder and looting at the Tianqi border every year, leaving the people miserable and displaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, they had been beaten by Quan Aoyu so badly they wouldn't be able to lift their heads for at least 50 years. Bringing such a princess to pay tribute again, who knew what kind of mischief the Northern Kingdom was brewing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuoba Yaoguang scanned the reactions of the people in the hall, a hint of disdain in her eyes, and stepped forward, saying crisply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your Majesty, besides the tribute, our Northern Kingdom has brought a wonderful proposal. I have long heard of the fame of the Tianqi Crown Prince, Quan Aoyu, and I admire him. I wish to marry into Tianqi and form a marriage alliance with the Crown Prince.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Goodness, once these words were out, the entire court of civil and military officials was shocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officials whispered to each other, their faces showing astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some whispered rebukes of Tuoba Yaoguang's arrogance and willfulness, while others wore expressions of watching a show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This rival of Princess Qingping was not like those previous nobodies who could be dealt with easily; she was, after all, a princess of a nation. Now, there was a good show to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianqi Emperor, Quan Wuji, sneered inwardly; the Northern Kingdom really knew how to calculate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he did not respond immediately; he looked at the expressionless Jun Zijin, a playful curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flash of displeasure crossed the Empress's eyes, and she spoke neither too fast nor too slow:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Princess of the Northern Kingdom, are you aware that our country's Crown Prince is already betrothed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuoba Yaoguang raised her head, her eyes flashing with unbridled light, a confident curve at the corner of her mouth, not intimidated in the slightest by the Empress's presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know, but so what? In our Northern Kingdom, that is not a problem. I won't be coy; I am willing to follow our Northern Kingdom's rules and compete with her on the riding and archery field. If I lose, I will never mention this again; if I win, I hope Your Majesty will grant my marriage to the Crown Prince.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, a cold yet somewhat lazy voice came from the shadows of the hall:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph! Have you asked if I even have any interest in you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quan Aoyu appeared in a black ornate robe, wearing a jade crown, his long hair tied up, smooth and dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face was handsome, his eyes deep as an abyss, yet they held a hint of coldness and laziness. He exuded an innate nobility as he walked in from outside the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I tell you, the person in my heart will never be you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tuoba Yaoguang's face flushed red—that was the anger of humiliation—and then it turned pale. She had never suffered such indignity, and her tone was full of provocation:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard the young lady betrothed to the Crown Prince is named Jun Zijin. I think it's that Miss Jun who doesn't dare to compete with me, right? I wonder if Miss Jun is here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once these words were spoken, some covered their mouths to hide their laughter, secretly thinking that this ignorant Northern Kingdom princess was about to be severely taught a lesson by Princess Qingping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the entire Tianqi Imperial City, who didn't know that Princess Qingping's archery was superb? Everyone still remembered the scene where she threaded several copper coins with one arrow and made the arrow turn corners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But some also showed worry; although Princess Qingping's archery was famous, no one had ever heard of her riding and archery skills. The outcome of this match was truly hard to predict.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of how much they schemed against Jun Zijin in the open or in secret on ordinary days, at this moment, they could not tolerate an outsider princess running wild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Quan Tianyi, standing in a corner, frowned secretly and cursed Tuoba Yaoguang as a \"fool\" in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin sneered inwardly. Since she had inquired about her name, it meant the Northern Kingdom princess had put in some effort, yet she deliberately used an disrespectful form of address, attempting to step on her and embarrass her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of person was she, Jun Zijin? Would she care about such tricks?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who in the great hall wasn't a sharp person? It wasn't just Jun Zijin who realized this. Just as everyone was waiting to watch the show,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a cold voice rang out unhurriedly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Northern Kingdom certainly knows how to calculate; if you lose, it's no skin off your back, but if you win, you want to break up a marriage in my Tianqi! I wonder, Princess Tuoba, where does your confidence come from in my Tianqi? You think that just because you want to bet, others must bet with you? Since Princess Tuoba wants to bet with me so much, why don't we change the stakes?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin wore a look that was half-smile, half-serious, looking straight at Tuoba Yaoguang without being humble or pushy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jun Zijin kept saying \"Tianqi\" this and \"Tianqi\" that, elevating a private bet to a matter between two nations in one sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd turned their heads; sowing discord was Princess Qingping's usual tactic.\u003C\u002Fp>",1431,"2026-06-21T03:35:39.629Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","1373aa23bfc62a2a7bc2dd699e4578b249b735797341e9c04ac8a49c401627eb","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-197","the-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-chapter-195",224,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-phoenix-returns-to-rule-the-world-cover.jpg"]