Princess Yongjia bit her lip so hard that her rouge was almost smudged.
"Today is Imperial Father's birthday banquet. If no one in the court can defeat Gong Linjue, Imperial Father will inevitably be furious and blame others, and the imperial court will suffer a massive loss of prestige."
Song Jinzhao cast a surprised glance at Princess Yongjia; she certainly knew her father well.
Seeing the defeats of Fang Leitian and Shan Congwu, many military officials began to feel intimidated and shrank back.
Three more men went up after that. Although they managed to exchange more moves than the first two, the result was exactly the same.
In the end, they were all carried off, either limping or clutching their chests.
The Emperor's complexion grew increasingly ugly, to the point where he had almost scraped the gold powder off his dragon throne.
If this continued, every military official in the court would be defeated by Gong Linjue alone.
Sitting in his seat, Chu Liuyun stared at Gong Linjue with a dark and heavy expression.
In terms of individual martial skill alone, this man was even stronger than He Mingnan.
"Is there anyone else who wishes to spar with this prince?" Gong Linjue's wicked and charming gaze swept over everyone present.
The smile tugging at the corners of his lips seemed to mock the military officials of the Dongzhao Kingdom as a bunch of weak-kneed, useless trash.
The crowd dared to be angry but dared not speak. No matter how much fire burned in their hearts, they could only suppress it.
Seeing no one answer, Gong Linjue raised his sword and pointed it at Chu Liuyun. "Duke of Qing, it is your turn."
Princess Yongjia gasped, her gaze falling straight onto Chu Liuyun, her eyes full of worry.
"County Princess Linghui, do you think the Duke of Qing can win?"
Seeing Gong Linjue sweep away five men in a row, Xiao Yongjia was extremely panicked, worried that Chu Liuyun would not be able to defeat him.
Song Jinzhao shook her head, her brows furrowing slightly.
"The five men just now failed to push Gong Linjue to his limits. I don't know exactly how high his martial arts are, so I cannot judge."
Chu Liuyun also chose a longsword, as it was what he was most skilled at.
The two sides stood facing each other. The civil and military officials, including the members of the imperial family, all held their breath, their hearts in their throats.
If the Duke of Qing lost as well, the Dongzhao Kingdom would lose all its face.
Swords were drawn. The two longswords reflected a piercing light under the glow of the candles.
A sharp sound of slicing through the air broke the tranquility within the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
The figures of the two men on the stage approached each other swiftly like swimming dragons. As their sword blades clashed, the ear-piercing sound of vibrating metal reached everyone's ears.
Many people covered their ears in discomfort, feeling as if their eardrums had suddenly been pierced by chopsticks.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Short, crisp striking sounds rang out frequently, and the exploding sparks frightened people into covering their eyes.
It could be seen that both men on the stage were masters of the sword, neither losing the upper hand in their exchanges.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Chengjing, who was sitting on the dragon throne, truly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed that Chu Liuyun still had the strength to put up a fight against Gong Linjue.
He did not ask for a win; as long as they could draw, he would be satisfied.
A cup of tea's time passed, and the two had exchanged no less than a hundred moves, yet a victor had not been decided.
Both sides' attacks could always be neutralized by the other, making it difficult for either to secure a victory.
When she saw Gong Linjue temporarily avoid Chu Liuyun's vital points for the second time, choosing instead to strike where the opponent could block, Song Jinzhao's hands resting on her lap began to gradually clench.
Was it a coincidence, or was he going easy?
Something was not right.
Not only did Song Jinzhao notice something wrong, but Fan Guanshan, standing beside Xiao Chengjing, also sensed the anomaly.
He leaned in and whispered into the Emperor's ear, "Gong Linjue is not using his full strength. I am afraid the Duke of Qing is no match for him."
A dark glint flashed in Xiao Chengjing's eyes. He raised his gaze to meet Fan Guanshan's, and his heart could not help but start drumming.
On the arena, Chu Liuyun grew increasingly anxious in his heart every time he was about to succeed, only for his opponent to dodge just in time.
Breathing slightly heavily, the movements of his hands began to speed up.
Withstanding a blow, Gong Linjue flew over Chu Liuyun's head and landed behind him.
Seeing that Chu Liuyun's turning speed was no longer as fast as before, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Gong Linjue's face.
It seemed his martial arts were only slightly stronger than He Mingnan's, far from being his match.
Having tested him for so long, it was time to let this proud son of heaven know his power. He would gladly take the face of the Dongzhao Kingdom.
Upon seeing that smile on Gong Linjue's face, realization dawned on Song Jinzhao.
He was not going easy; he was luring Chu Liuyun.
Worried that his opponent was hiding his true strength, he deliberately fought back and forth, giving Chu Liuyun the illusion that they were evenly matched.
Step by step, he lured him in until all of his true strength was revealed.
A fierce sword glare flashed in front of Chu Liuyun. He quickly raised his sword to block it, the shock numbing his palms.
A cold sneer appeared on the corner of Gong Linjue's mouth as he raised his foot and kicked Chu Liuyun's trembling calf.
Bang! His knee slammed heavily against the stage, emitting a loud thud.
Realizing that the two hundred or so moves just now were Gong Linjue toying with him, Chu Liuyun's bulging eyes filled with the anger of humiliation.
He gripped the sword hilt forcefully with both hands, his blade grinding against his opponent's. An ear-piercing metallic screech rang out, sounding like a knife being sharpened on a stone.
"You overestimate yourself," Gong Linjue spat out coldly, his dark gaze falling on the wrist with which Chu Liuyun held his sword.
His tall figure appeared before Chu Liuyun like a phantom. His sword struck out like a rainbow, cold light flashing.
Fan Guanshan, standing beside the Emperor, widened his eyes in horror, a roar tearing from his throat.
As the word "Careful" blurted out, he was already rushing down the steps.
At the same time, Song Jinzhao quickly reached out and flicked a cup full of hot tea from the table, sending it flying.
The white porcelain cup turned into a streak of light, crashing directly into the blade of Gong Linjue's sword just as it was about to slash Chu Liuyun's wrist.
Accompanied by a crack, the sword blade deflected half a foot to the side, striking nothing but air.
The exploding porcelain shards and tea splashed onto Chu Liuyun and Gong Linjue, simultaneously leaving several bloody scratches on both their cheeks.
Rushing over to save him, Fan Guanshan swiftly pulled Chu Liuyun's arm and shielded him behind his back.
He said to Gong Linjue with a vigilant face, "Prince Wei, since this is for entertainment, why resort to lethal moves? The Duke of Qing concedes."
This man was unpredictable and audacious.
As an envoy, he actually dared to try and cripple Chu Liuyun at the Emperor's birthday banquet. In the future, he would definitely become a major threat.
Half the people in the hall had already stood up. If that cup had not blocked it just now, Gong Linjue's sword would have likely severed the Duke of Qing's wrist.
Gong Linjue lowered his eyes to look at the sword in his hand. The blade vibrated violently, unable to stop for a long time.
One could only imagine how immense the force of that strike had been.
"Commander Fan is mistaken. Since it is a martial arts spar for entertainment, how could this prince deal a lethal blow? I naturally know when to stop and would not have harmed the Duke of Qing."
He turned sideways and looked in the direction from which the teacup was shot, his gaze falling straight onto Song Jinzhao.
"On the contrary, it was County Princess Linghui who smashed a cup over and cut this prince's face. Shouldn't your esteemed country give this prince an explanation?"
Fan Guanshan narrowed his eyes in displeasure. "Do you think we are blind? Just now, if we had been a step later, the Duke of Qing's hand would have been crippled."
Gong Linjue chuckled lightly, completely disregarding Fan Guanshan.
He looked around and mocked, "Just because you cannot stop does not mean this prince cannot stop. If you couldn't see that, it only proves that you are too weak."
