"Father, I have been unfilial, showing my disgrace in front of others and bringing shame to the royal family. I beg you to punish me."
After the delegation left, the eldest prince Zhu Yunwen suddenly stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and spoke with a face full of shame.
When the eldest prince knelt, all the princes and princesses who had been on the stage all knelt to the ground, their faces filled with shame and self-blame.
This time, they were utterly embarrassed. Usually, they were self-righteous, thinking they were superior and above all others.
After a match, they finally realized the harshness of reality. They had only been living in the dreams they had woven themselves; in front of true masters, they were nothing.
Especially Zhu Yifeng, whose eyes were bloodshot, his face full of regret, gritting his teeth and kneeling silently, everyone waiting for their father's punishment.
But to everyone's surprise, Yu Xiaoyun smiled slightly and said kindly, "
You all performed well today, which greatly pleased me!"
"Father..."
All the princes and princesses showed a look of shock on their faces. It seemed that, in their memory, Yu Xiaoyun had always been extremely strict and harsh with them, never speaking to them so kindly before.
Now, all their princes and princesses had fallen and fallen to others, which was truly a humiliating disgrace.
They had lost all face for the royal family. Instead of punishing them, Yu Xiaoyun comforted them kindly. Their eyes were filled with shock and doubt, thinking the emperor was speaking sarcastically, and each was so frightened they dared not make a sound.
Yu Xiaoyun slowly stood up, approached the princes and princesses, and personally reached out to help Zhu Yunwen and the others up one by one. A rare smile appeared on his face:
"You are all my good sons and daughters, exemplary models of the Vermilion Bird Empire. Being born into the imperial family is your misfortune."
You cannot enjoy the freedom of ordinary people, nor feel the warmth of family affection. You are born to endure and run forward desperately from birth.
I know you are tired and suffering. I have seen everything about you. In fact, I feel sorry for you too. I want to be like ordinary parents, to spoil your children, to watch them grow up and start families without expecting anything in return, and to watch the children laugh and play together under the eaves...
"Father ...."
Hearing Yu Xiaoyun's kind voice, for the first time in their lives, they felt the warmth of family affection. The princes and princesses all had red eyes.
"But I cannot. In this world, many things are predestined. From the moment you are born, you must bear your own mission.
We are the heirs of the Vermilion Bird Empire, the inheritors of the Jiuli bloodline. We are destined not to be supporting roles, so we can only hold ourselves to higher standards than others.
The billions of citizens of the Vermilion Bird Empire have entrusted their lives to us. The responsibility on our shoulders cannot allow us to relax even a little.
In today's battle, you felt shame, saw the gap, and realized your shortcomings, so you feel ashamed.
But what I saw was that you knew you were no match and knew you might die on the arena, yet you still charged forward without hesitation. I saw the inheritance of the Vermilion Bird's will, and the noble character of the Jiuli bloodline.
Momentary victories and defeats mean nothing; knowing shame leads to courage is what matters most. Children, get up. Today, I will drink a good drink with you. Today, we will not rest until we get drunk! Hahaha! Yu Xiaoyun laughed heartily, his voice full of relief and satisfaction.
The princes and princesses were both moved and ashamed. They returned to their seats, their hearts heavy with sorrow—how could they possibly drink any more?
"Long Chen..."
Yu Xiaoyun looked at Long Chen.
"I have achieved great merit today. Is His Majesty going to reward me?" I don't want any rewards, just that you marry Princess Qingxuan to me. Long Chen chuckled, taking advantage of Yu Xiaoyun's good mood to test the waters.
"Achieved great merit?" Still want a reward? You almost ruined my great plan. If I don't beat you up, that would be a huge blessing. Yu Xiaoyun snorted coldly.
Hearing Yu Xiaoyun say this, Long Chen was about to retort, but suddenly his face lit up with understanding. He glanced at Jiang Huixin and Xu Lanxin, and suddenly seemed to understand something.
When they saw Long Chen's expression, Yu Xiaoyun, Jiang Huixin, and Xu Lanxin were all shocked: Has this little guy become a spirit?
"No matter what, at least I haven't embarrassed the Vermilion Bird Empire, have I? Even if our merits and faults offset each other, I don't want any rewards, I won't accept any punishment, so we're even. Long Chen hurriedly said.
"Hmph, wishful thinking. I heard you have fine wine, cough cough... Do you really want me to continue speaking? Yu Xiaoyun said with a hint of meaning.
Damn, how shameless is that? You mean, let me show some gratitude, huh? Long Chen was speechless.
But since his father-in-law had spoken, Long Chen naturally couldn't be stingy. He took out hundreds of jars of fine wine from the chaotic space. All of Long Chen's wine came from the Wine God Palace, far superior to these palace wines.
When the aroma of fine wine filled the air, the aroma alone was intoxicating and helped people forget some worries. Yu Xiaoyun raised his glass and drank three cups with everyone. The harmonious atmosphere quickly eased the shame and humiliation brought by the competition.
"Father, this time the Eight Great Empires ...," Zhu Yunwen said boldly, seeing Yu Xiaoyun very happy today.
Yu Xiaoyun waved his hand and interrupted him: "Today's state banquet is a family banquet, so we won't discuss state affairs. Everything is under control. Children, don't worry." Hearing
Yu Xiaoyun say this, the atmosphere at the banquet became even more relaxed. Seeing Yu Xiaoyun happy, Zhu Yifeng boldly apologized, saying that since he was worried about his mother, he went to visit her first.
"Brother Long, back at the city gate, I overestimated myself and offended you. Please forgive me, and if there's a chance, I hope you'll give me your guidance." The Crown Prince raised his wine cup and walked up to Long Chen, speaking respectfully.
The eldest prince's actions instantly drew everyone's attention. When all the princes and princesses looked at Long Chen, they recalled his fierce attacks, exquisite moves, and agile movements. Each of them was filled with excitement and deep respect for him.
Though both were Immortal King realm experts, Long Chen was far stronger than them. Even the strongest, Weng Tianyao, had no strength to resist before Long Chen. Facing a Sanhua-level expert, he was as if he were reaching into a bag, treating the Eight Nations experts as nothing. How domineering and arrogant was that!
If they had even half of Long Chen's abilities, they wouldn't have been so embarrassed today. So when the eldest prince came to toast, all the princes and princesses raised their glasses to show respect to Long Chen.
"You're too polite, aren't we? We're all family, no need for separate conversations. Come on, cheers!" Long Chen laughed heartily; such a trivial matter, he naturally didn't take it to heart.
Seeing Long Chen so generous, the princes and princesses were even more delighted, all offering him a toast. Soon, some people passed out drunk. After all, this was fine wine from the Wine God Palace, and its aftereffects were strong.
After drinking almost all the time, Yu Xiaoyun stood up: "Let's end today's family banquet. Long Chen, I have a task for you: tomorrow, you need to visit the Scholar's Courtyard." Long
Chen was taken aback: "Have you made up your mind?" If I go, I might just tear down the Confucius' Courtyard! "
Do as you please!"
Yu Xiaoyun left behind only these four mysterious words before turning and leaving.