Lady Wu stepped forward a few paces, her sharp gaze fixed on Deputy General Xu, and asked in a deep voice, "Xu Deputy General, the son of Great General Xu Haoran of Tiger Might?"
"Indeed, and who... are you?" Deputy General Xu shot a cold glance at Lady Wu, the pain in his wrist disrupting his breath.
Captain Jin glanced at Lady Wu's expression and immediately said respectfully, "Deputy General Xu, this is the Grand Preceptor!"
"Grand Preceptor?" Deputy General Xu frowned, a hint of disdain appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Captain Jin, the Grand Preceptor has been missing for over a decade. You believe this woman is the Grand Preceptor just because she claims to be?"
Seeing Deputy General Xu's dismissive attitude towards the Grand Preceptor, Captain Jin silently broke out in a sweat for him. "Deputy General Xu, the Grand Preceptor holds the Azure Phoenix Grand Preceptor Token, and her identity information matches perfectly."
Deputy General Xu snorted coldly, "Even so, she cannot be fully trusted. After all, they come from the Great Xia Kingdom and have lived there for many years. Who can guarantee that people's hearts don't change?"
Lady Wu tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Deputy General Xu speaks wisely. Therefore, this Grand Preceptor and the Princess have waited here for many days, precisely to await the verification of identity by the Protector Great General.
However, this so-called 'Saintess' attacked this Grand Preceptor and the Princess without any investigation or understanding of the situation.
And Deputy General Xu seems to obey her words implicitly, drawing his sword and placing it at the Princess's throat as soon as he arrived.
If it is verified that the Princess's identity is genuine, I ask you, Deputy General Xu, can you bear the responsibility for offending the Princess?"
Deputy General Xu's expression shifted slightly. "But, this woman spoke disrespectfully to the Saintess and attacked her with her fists when her identity was unclear, injuring the Saintess. Your subordinate merely issued a slight threat."
Lady Wu sneered, "Saintess? Who bestowed that title upon her? What arrogance!
The Azure Phoenix Kingdom has never had a Saintess, only a Heaven-Chosen Empress! That is Princess Huang Xuesheng! And this woman is merely a minor princess who has repeatedly attempted to harm the future Empress. She was the one who first offended the Princess and attacked her with a sword. Should the Princess not resist?
Deputy General Xu, twisting black and white and treating Huang Liansheng's words as imperial decrees, do you have some illicit relationship with her?"
"You—" Deputy General Xu's face turned ugly. "Do not make groundless accusations. Your subordinate was merely anxious to protect his lord, with no other intentions!"
"Protect your lord?" Lady Wu raised her eyebrows, her voice growing colder. "What lord is she to you? Your lord is only the true Princess!"
Huang Liansheng, supported by Han Shuang, gritted her teeth in hatred and shrieked, "This Saintess, along with the people and soldiers of the Azure Phoenix, fought for over a decade, enduring hardships to reclaim half of our lost territory, thus achieving today's situation!
May I ask the two of you, where were you when the Azure Phoenix Kingdom was at its most perilous? By what right do you, upon appearing with the titles of Princess and Grand Preceptor, demand that others recognize you as their masters?"
Bai Sheng immediately retorted with a loud, mocking voice, "You fought alongside the Azure Phoenix people these years? Endured hardships? Hmph, Huang Liansheng, you are truly shameless! To utter such brazen words!
Look at yourself, clad in silk and brocade, pampered and delicate, your fingers never having touched dishwater, never having farmed, nor woven cloth, never having wielded a weapon, never having been on the battlefield, nor offered any strategies for the Azure Phoenix's situation. On what grounds do you claim to have fought alongside the Azure Phoenix people?!
Open your eyes wider and look at these border guards around you. Aren't they all in ragged clothes, gaunt and thin, bearing countless wounds? I ask you, what have you fought alongside them? What have you done for the Azure Phoenix people these past years?"
Everyone looked first at Huang Liansheng, then at the soldiers, their expressions speaking volumes.
The Princess's words made all the soldiers' noses sting. The guards who had followed Huang Liansheng quietly sheathed their swords.
Huang Liansheng averted her gaze, stubbornly retorting, "These years, I have stayed in the Azure Phoenix Kingdom! I was with the Azure Phoenix people, often visiting and encouraging them!"
"Visiting? Encouraging? What is that worth? Can it provide food and clothing for the border soldiers? Can it enhance their weapons and armor? Can it save their lives?" Bai Sheng scoffed. "You hid in the palace, living in comfort, while these soldiers were starving and poorly clothed, fighting brutally on the battlefield. Your visits and encouragement are truly worthless!"
"But even if you are the real Princess, what have you done? And you are a fake!" Huang Liansheng trembled with anger. Back then, she should have strangled that little idiot on the spot!
Bai Sheng's gaze suddenly sharpened, piercing Huang Liansheng like a cold sword. "These years, this Princess has indeed not done much, because this Princess was still a lowly slave in the Great Xia! And do you truly not know, Huang Liansheng, why this Princess became a slave in the Great Xia?!"
Huang Liansheng began to tremble uncontrollably. No one had witnessed what she had done to this idiot back then. Even if this idiot knew it was her, she couldn't do anything to her without proof.
Thinking this, Huang Liansheng regained some composure.
Zuo Ye looked at Huang Liansheng and said loudly, "I heard that the Azure Phoenix Army was able to come back from the brink of death and reclaim a large tract of land because a mysterious thief stole everything from the Great Xia's border encampments, inadvertently providing the Azure Phoenix Army with an opportunity to counterattack.
It seems to have no relation to you, this so-called Saintess.
Furthermore, judging by the current situation, the Azure Phoenix Kingdom's military and civilian population is severely insufficient, military pay and supplies are critically low, horses and weapons are inadequate, and the military and civilians are utterly exhausted. If the war of attrition continues, they may not last much longer."
"And who do you think you are, daring to boost the enemy's morale and dampen the Azure Phoenix's spirit!" Huang Liansheng glared at Zuo Ye.
Zuo Ye smiled smugly. "This young master is the Princess's husband, the驸马爷 of the Azure Phoenix Kingdom! This驸马爷 is not dampening the Azure Phoenix's spirit, but rather bravely facing the bloody reality and doing his utmost to salvage the situation."
"That's right! This Princess has returned to the country with her family and the Grand Preceptor precisely to thoroughly change the current state of the Azure Phoenix Kingdom.
This Princess will ensure the Azure Phoenix army and people have well-fed warhorses, elite weapons, ample provisions, and warm clothing! This Princess will reclaim all the territory of the Azure Phoenix, allowing all citizens to live in peace and prosperity, secure and stable! And ensure foreign enemies dare not trample on a single inch of the Azure Phoenix!"
Upon hearing this, the soldiers couldn't help but exchange glances, their chests burning with fervor and filled with hope.
Huang Liansheng suddenly laughed a few times, scoffing, "Based on you?"
Bai Sheng's gaze blazed, "Based on me!"
"Well said!" A tall middle-aged man suddenly walked out from the crowd. Around 40 years old, he wore silver armor, had a handsome face, a righteous demeanor, and bright, piercing eyes.
Two young generals followed behind him, the one on the right handsome and graceful, the one on the left tall and imposing.