His Rui

The banquet hall was now filled with ministers' voices as they voiced out their opinions regarding the ongoing matter.

The messenger opened his mouth several times but his voice would be suppressed by all these voices even before anyone would be able to hear it.

"Silence"

A deep and cold voice silenced the noisy banquet hall and everyone looked towards the Emperor.

Satisfied with the silence, the Emperor then looked at the messenger silently who understood that the Emperor was giving him the chance to speak.

"If Your Majesty wishes then this one can show everyone what is so special about the crossbow brought by this one."

Zhao Wang Li nodded his head and the messenger then requested for some special arrangements to be made.

A very wide wooden plank marked with different targets was placed at a very large distance in the large banquet hall and the messenger very easily picked up the crossbow from the pedestal.

Only those who knew just how heavy thee crossbows made in Xin showed surprised faces when they saw that not even a single muscle of the thin messenger twitched as he carried the crossbow to a certain distance from the target effortlessly.

Even Xi Ying, Yi Junjie, and General Li were looking at the crossbow in the messenger hands with very curious eyes now. 

In front of everyone, the messenger picked the three arrows and put all of them together. However, this was not the thing that surprised everyone because something like this was already seen in the Imperial Court two days ago.

What surprised everyone was the sound made by the thread when the arrows were released. The sound seems to have made the ground under everyone's feet tremble.

When everyone came out of their shock, they saw that the whole wooden plant that was before filled with so many targets now had a very wide hole in its middle. 

This was …shocking.

Was it possible to do so much harm with just a single crossbow? 

Mouths parted in shocks, everyone looked at each other and trembled as they moved back their eyes towards the hollow wooden plank. 

Only one person who had seemed curious in the beginning now had a very bored expression on his face and that person was Xi Ying.

The messenger surely noticed everyone's amazement and smiled proudly while going back and setting back the crossbow on its original place.

Turning back to the Emperor he saw that even the Emperor was looking at the crossbow so the messenger tried to hit the nail at this moment.

"Your Majesty, the whole crossbow is made from very special materials that are only produced by our people. The effect of the crossbow …this one thinks that he had already shown it to everyone. It is now Your Majesty decision whether Xin needs such a good weapon for its soldiers and their protection or not."

Xi Ying's lips were pressed in a thin line and he looked at the messenger coldly.

However, after showing off the crossbow in the banquet hall and seeing everyone admiration for it, the messenger seemed to have gained his confidence so he didn't mind Xi Ying's cold glances.

He silently waited for the Emperor's decision.

Anger flashed in Xi Ying's eyes but he pressed it down.

With a scoff, Xi Ying moved his eyes towards the silent General Li and found that the old General was already looking at him with a … smile on his lips.

Xi Ying looked away and then looked back at General Li again.

He raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner as he looked at General Li but saw the old General shaking his head with a widening smile on his lips which only irritated him.

'It seems that the old age has started to affect General Li's brain.' Thought Xi Ying and tsked inside his heart thinking that now only he would have to do something or else the cunning Emperor would not leave this chance to snatch whatever he wants from Li Clan. 

He already had a point that can make this possible exchange stop but if even that couldn't stop this deal then he would just take out some of his special weapons and ask the Emperor to choose which one he wants.

  No one better than Xi Ying knew the real quality of weapons. He had all kinds of weapons in his manor as well as in his secret manors and places where his hidden shadow guards lived and practiced.

In his eyes, the crossbow brought from the north was nothing in front of those weapons.

However, when he was about to open his mouth to say something, an old maid came running inside the banquet hall.

Eunuch Wang who had been standing by the Emperor's side immediately came down from the stairs of the large throne and went towards the maid.

Xi Ying saw Eunuch Wang bowing in front of the old maid with surprised eyes and what surprised him more was the way the old maid acted.

She stuffed a scroll in Eunuch Wang's hands and stood in front of him arrogantly without acknowledging his bow.

Eunuch Wang seemed to have been used of this behavior. He just accepted the scroll but didn't dare to open it.

The old Eunuch climbed the stairs and forwarded the scroll in his hands to the Emperor.

The silent Emperor looked at the scroll with blank eyes.

For a moment, no one understood what was going on. Even Xi Ying was confused with whatever was happening in front of him until…

Until his eyes caught the seal on the scroll.

It was an Imperial seal.

The seal that can only be used by the Emperor.

The scroll in Eunuch Wang had that kind of seal.   

Xi Ying's eyes narrowed as he observed the Emperor who was looking at the scroll with blank eyes but he seemed to have seen something in those blank eyes.

Was it anger, fear, or hurt?

Whatever it was, Xi Ying was just now very curious to know what was written inside the scroll and most importantly …..who sent the scroll.