Chapter 02: The Phoenix Arrives, A Glimpse Beyond the Fragrant Dust (II)

Shen Chaoxu was both angry and embarrassed, commanding his subordinates: "Stop them! This is absolutely outrageous!"

General Shen Du, Zhou Shaorui, and others submitted a petition requesting to launch a northern expedition while the Bei He forces were weak. Emperor Zhou, Tang Tianxiao, did not express a clear stance but agreed to the marriage alliance with Bei He and consented to establish mutual markets at the border, exchanging tea, silk, and medicinal materials from the Central Plains for horses, leather, and other goods from Bei He

Following her were a dozen or so warriors from a foreign tribe, all of whom were exceptional fighters. At her command, they drew their weapons and charged forward.

In the fourteenth year of the Jiahe era, the Northern He Kingdom, having suffered from frequent natural disasters, was unable to launch a large-scale invasion to the south, and thus proposed a marriage alliance to establish friendly relations.

Shen Chaoxu's eyes nearly popped out, "Marriage alliance? Her?"

The young girl raised her eyebrows and smiled, then turned the horse's head to leave

As she spoke, she rode off with her attendants, cracking the whip.

Shen Chaoxu rubbed his injured arm and turned to look at his subordinates, who were clumsily getting up to help him. He angrily said, "Go find out where this wild girl came from!"

Is Beihe planning to seek a marriage alliance, or does it intend to provoke a conflict between the two countries

The young man beside the girl hurriedly whispered to her: "Princess, leave your belongings and go! This person is Master Shen Shen Chaoxu, the son of General Shen and the younger brother of the Empress. It is unwise to offend him"

At this moment, the young master finally came to his senses and said: "This is the territory of the Shen family. Leave the items behind, and I shall not hold you accountable for your trespassing!"

They acted with fierce and ruthless determination, and their numbers held an absolute advantage. In just a short while, they knocked everyone from the Shen family off their horses, leaving them covered in dirt and rolling on the ground, before they finally disappeared into the distance

She turned to Shen Chaoxu and said: "Birds fly in the sky, they are not raised in your home; moreover, I have driven a wild deer into your estate, so it is still your family that has benefited! If you prefer to be petty, that is your business; I will be magnanimous and not hold it against you!"

Seeing the servants of the Shen family rushing over, the young girl did not slow down her horse, but instead galloped straight out, cracking the whip in the air with a sharp whistle, and turned her head to command her subordinates in a local dialect: "Hit them!"

Is that so? The young girl, stroking the long whip coiled around her wrist, laughed casually, "Zhuo Rui, are you really the personal guard of the Emperor of the Great Zhou? You look so timid, not at all like a man! What a waste of a good name; you might as well change it to Zhuo Wuyong!"

At this moment, the young girl had already vanished without a trace.

The foreign servant noticed his distraction, quickly bent down and with a single lift, picked up the large goose, swiftly grasping it in his hand and retreating beside the young girl

Prime Minister Du Desheng privately asked Tang Tianxiao, to which Tang Tianxiao sighed and replied: "The Great Zhou only destroyed the Southern Chu five years ago, occupying the Jiangnan region. Following that, the rebellion of Lord Kang lasted nearly half a year. Does the old Prime Minister know how many citizens of the Great Zhou have been displaced because of this? And how many soldiers have shed their blood on the battlefield, causing elderly parents at home to send off their children in mourning? The Northern He is a great threat to the northern borders; how could I be unaware of this? However, if we can allow both sides to recuperate, it would be a great benefit to the common people."

The clever subordinate replied: "This woman is surrounded by many attendants and is referred to as a princess by the guard Zhuo. She must be the Princess Kezhu sent by Beihe for a marriage alliance. Just now, Marquis Cheng'an took his leave, didn't he say he was preparing to welcome the Beihe princess?"