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墨書 Inktalez
"Ninth Princess!"
With a single move, a scholar could perish!
Hong Qianjun leaned closer to the Ninth Princess, lowering his voice as he spoke, "We come here to exchange ideas and appreciate literature, to conquer the Great Zhou Dynasty with the power of words, not to gamble with our lives!"
"Brother Hong, you truly worry too much!"
The Ninth Princess replied confidently. "For years, our Xia Guo Literary Circle has looked down upon the world. How could a mere Great Zhou Dynasty possibly defeat us?" She lifted her chin slightly and stared directly ahead at Su Qianxue, her eyes filled with provocation.
Hong Qianjun, also known as Hong Dajia, was one of the seven leaders of the Xia Guo Literary Circle. He had once written thirteen poems in a single night, earning him fame across the land. Yet despite his accomplishments, he did not support this life-and-death gamble.
"Hong Dajia!"
"Be quiet!"
Impatience flickered across the Ninth Princess's face as she glanced at Hong Qianjun. "If we win, we gain two thousand finely crafted weapons. Even if we lose, it’s just a life. My Xia Kingdom has plenty of people!"
"Ninth Princess!"
"That’s all my effort!"
Hong Qianjun became visibly displeased and pointed at the Ninth Princess. "I ask you, Your Highness, not to indulge in such recklessness!"
"Hong Dajia!" The Ninth Princess huffed softly, her phoenix eyes revealing her dissatisfaction.
"There’s no need to argue; let’s first take a look at these finely crafted weapons," Su Qianxue said with a smile as she waved her hand.
A eunuch beside her shouted out, and soon after, several female guards appeared carrying wooden trays.
On eleven wooden trays lay various weapons such as the Eight-Sided Han Sword and Fire Axe.
As the Ninth Princess gazed at the Eight-Sided Han Sword, memories of Quan Gai Su Wen's tragic death outside Jiang Han's shop flooded her mind once more.
"Ninth Princess, you can take a look at these weapons first! Would you like to compete with me?" Su Qianxue smiled knowingly, intentionally drawing attention to the Eight-Sided Han Sword to entice the Ninth Princess.
Hong Qianjun was momentarily taken aback; he did not fully understand what Su Qianxue and the Ninth Princess were discussing.
However, the Ninth Princess stepped forward slightly and picked up an Eight-Sided Han Sword. As she opened it gently, images of that fateful scene kept replaying in her mind.
The weapon in Quan Gai Su Wen's hands had been unable to cut through the armor of the Great Zhou Guard. Instead, it was the Great Zhou Guards wielding such weapons who had injured Su Wen and even killed some of their own men. It was this very weapon that had led to Su Wen and his companions' near-total annihilation.
The Ninth Princess trembled slightly, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared fiercely at Su Qianxue. It was a provocation! Su Qianxue understood that This Palace had participated in the assassination of Jiang Han. She also knew that on that fateful night, This Palace had been involved, which was why the Eight-Sided Han Sword was brought out to provoke This Palace.
"Ninth Princess? Ninth Princess?" Hong Qianjun asked softly, confused. He noticed the trembling of the Ninth Princess and the redness in her eyes but couldn't comprehend why she reacted so intensely upon seeing this weapon.
Mu Jinkun, standing to the side, also examined the Eight-Sided Han Sword and couldn't help but marvel at its craftsmanship. No wonder that scoundrel Quan Gai Su Wen met his end under such a weapon; just looking at the blade and its body made it clear it could cut through iron like mud.
If one were to gamble with such a sword and win, they could obtain two thousand weapons of this caliber. Even I could use these weapons to arm a formidable force.
Mu Jinkun, known for his literary prowess in Xia Kingdom, was not without martial skills. In a flourishing nation like Xia Kingdom, many were well-versed in both literature and martial arts, with talented families often having their own personal guards.
At that moment, Mu Jinkun had only glanced at the Eight-Sided Han Sword a few times, but he was already tempted. He wanted to persuade his master Hong Qianjun to agree to gamble lives for this opportunity. The Ninth Princess had just agreed, and since the Confucian Envoy was led by Hong Qianjun, her words carried weight.
"Ninth Princess! This is feasible!" Mu Jinkun stepped forward and whispered, "Such a divine weapon can truly bring us fortune. Whether we arm our own or present it to His Majesty for replication, we will gain immensely."
The Ninth Princess held the Eight-Sided Han Sword in her hands, memories of Quan Gai Su Wen being shot down by countless arrows flooding her mind. She closed her eyes in sorrow. When she opened them again and saw Su Qianxue, hatred flickered across her face before she turned to Hong Qianjun and declared resolutely, "We must gamble!"
"Master, for the sake of Xia Kingdom and the military! We must take this divine weapon with us!" Mu Jinkun earnestly pleaded with Hong Qianjun.
Hong Qianjun sighed and waved his hand dismissively. "Very well, if you insist on gambling, then let us gamble!"
Upon hearing this, the Ninth Princess immediately placed the Eight-Sided Han Sword on the tray and looked at Su Qianxue. "This Palace demands seven rounds of gambling! Each round must involve three thousand refined weapons as the bet! If your Da Zhou loses, you will provide us with three thousand refined weapons—all of this kind of sword!"
"And if we lose," she continued fiercely, "we will participate with our lives!"
"Ah, are you raising the stakes?"
Su Qianxue chuckled and replied, "That won't do. I only agreed to two thousand!"
Just as the Ninth Princess was about to speak, she interrupted again, saying, "How about this: if you lose, not only will you have to pay with your lives, but you must also present a treasure worth ten thousand taels of gold! Furthermore, it must be delivered promptly to the court without any delays! Of course, if you are unwilling to part with a treasure, you will need to agree to one request of mine!"
Su Qianxue's words were laced with a chilling intent. How dare they conspire against Shopkeeper Jiang? She would make them pay dearly! The treasure was secondary; that request was what truly mattered.
"Alright!" The Ninth Princess showed no concern about losing. "Then it's settled—one match a day for seven days. How does that sound?"
"Sounds good!" Su Qianxue agreed. "Each side will present a topic, and this time, you can go first!"
"Excellent!" The Ninth Princess nodded in satisfaction and signaled Hong Qianjun.
Hong Qianjun immediately called forth a Young Confucian from the delegation.
The Ninth Princess continued, "Our Xia Kingdom borders many nations, and our troops often need to defend the borders. Let's use border defense as our topic!"
"Agreed!" Su Qianxue nodded and instructed her Personal Eunuch to inform Jiang Han of the topic.
The Personal Eunuch rode swiftly out of the palace towards Jiang Han Tavern. Meanwhile, the Young Confucian stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the surrounding Great Zhou Civil and Military Officials. With a proud expression on his face, he announced, "I am Xia Nong Mingkun from the Xia Country Qiwen Academy. I have been studying the Four Books and Five Classics for twelve years! Now, with border defense as our poetic theme set by the Ninth Princess and the Da Zhou Emperor, I have prepared my poem for your appreciation!"
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