The elder of the two women, upon hearing Si Fengwu's words, crossed her hands over her chest and nodded. "Your Excellency, please calm your anger. Nazhen is not being disrespectful. It is simply that this dagger is a symbol of Nazhen's family's chieftain status. To Nazhen, it is as important as the Phoenix Seal of the Empress of the Hua Clan. We implore Your Excellency to show extraordinary mercy and allow Nazhen to bring the chieftain's dagger inside. Otherwise, Nazhen will have to turn back."
As she finished speaking, everyone present shifted their expressions. Firstly, it was inappropriate for this person to compare Nazhen's chieftain's dagger to the Phoenix Seal. Secondly, the words sounded like a threat to Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan. The implication was clear: "If you don't let me bring my dagger in, I will leave."
The Wu Clan's female chieftain had come to the Wen family. Anyone with a functioning brain could guess that Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan had some part in this. If she left before even entering, it would not only be a loss of face for the Wen family, but also for the entire New Dynasty. Everyone watched Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan with keen interest, curious as to how they would handle the situation.
Suddenly, Lu Qingwan burst into laughter under everyone's gaze. She made no attempt to suppress her laughter, which immediately caused the female chieftain named Nazhen to become enraged. "What are you laughing at? You invited me, Madam, to this birthday banquet, not as if I'm begging for an invitation. Now you're blocking me from entering. Is this the upbringing of your Hua Clan's high officials?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Qingwan's brilliant smile vanished. "You two ladies jest. The Wen family has only recently arrived in the new capital, and it coincides with Elder Wen's birthday banquet, where we are hosting guests from all directions. This is the upbringing of the Wen family. However, you two ladies, relying on the Wen family's unfamiliarity with the Wu Clan's customs and traditions, have brought weapons to our door. This is not an attendance at a birthday banquet, but rather an attempt to curse Elder Wen, is it not?"
Lu Qingwan's gaze was fixed on the ceremonial dagger at Nazhen's waist. "The seal that the Prince bestowed upon me cannot kill people, and the dagger in Nazhen chieftain's hand also cannot injure anyone? Or are you saying that Nazhen chieftain, with your蛊虫 and ceremonial dagger, came to Elder Wen's birthday banquet with no intention of getting along with the New Dynasty officials?"
As Lu Qingwan finished speaking, Nazhen chieftain instinctively clutched her chest and then flusteredly retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you're a Princess! You claim I brought蛊虫, where is your evidence?"
Lu Qingwan let out a cold snort from her nose. "To show off your meager skills in front of me, you truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!" As she spoke, she gently caressed the red bracelet on her wrist. Nazhen chieftain suddenly screamed and fumbled a small medicine bottle from her embrace, throwing it to the ground.
Soon, the small medicine bottle, like a firecracker that had paid its taxes, began to emit puffs of white smoke. Lu Qingwan looked at Nazhen chieftain with amusement. "Does Nazhen chieftain want to see what has become of your meticulously cultivated bloodthirsty蛊?"
The woman shook her head repeatedly. "No, impossible! Even the High Priest cannot kill my bloodthirsty蛊 from such a distance. Who exactly are you?"
"Me?" Lu Qingwan tilted her chin slightly. "I am Si Fengwu's Princess, the future mother of the New Dynasty! You Wu Clan people are all subjects of my New Dynasty. What is a mere蛊 of this magnitude?"
As she spoke, she turned and walked side-by-side with Si Fengwu towards the Wen family. She then announced loudly, "Our New Dynasty officials welcome all peacemakers, but we do not fear jackals. Friends who come are met with fine wine, and jackals who come are met with hunting rifles. Do the two ladies want fine wine, or hunting rifles? Please consider carefully."
With that, the two entered the gates.
At that moment, Si Fengwu leisurely uttered, "We of the Hua Clan are indeed not very familiar with the customs of the Wu Clan. However, the Wu Clan regards swords and daggers as inauspicious objects, and it is basic common sense to disarm when meeting a superior. Moreover, there is not a single item related to lamb in the banquet prepared by the Wen family today. It now appears that the Wu Clan is not worthy of the Wen family's sincerity."
Lu Qingwan, with her eloquent and artful words, managed to leave the two female chieftains seething with anger and rendered speechless by her mixed praise and criticism. However, Si Fengwu's single sentence then made them blush with embarrassment. They had assumed that since most of the New Dynasty officials were of the Hua Clan and unfamiliar with the customs of the Wu Clan, they could deliberately bring their daggers to the birthday banquet. Their intention was to make the Wen family, so heavily favored by Si Fengwu, a laughingstock in the court and among the populace, thereby diminishing the entire New Dynasty's standing relative to the Wu Clan. They did not realize that since Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan dared to have the Wen family invite them, how could they not thoroughly understand the Wu Clan? Especially Si Fengwu's mention that there was not a single item related to lamb at the Wen family's banquet today was like a resounding slap, leaving Madam Yue Zhao red-faced.
It was common knowledge in the new capital that Wu Clan people do not eat lamb. Even so, it was not guaranteed that people of the Hua Clan in the new capital would respect the customs of the Wu Clan. In fact, during times of decline, Wu Clan people were often forced to eat lamb by officials and bandits of previous dynasties as a show of dominance. Whether Si Fengwu knew of this Wu Clan custom beforehand or learned it at the last minute, the fact that he took it into consideration was a great show of respect for the Wu Clan. Yet, they had taken advantage of his presumed ignorance of their customs, intending to harm him. In comparison, the Wu Clan's magnanimity had already lost. Si Fengwu was right; the Wu Clan was not worthy of the Wen family's sincerity.
After this incident, the two women felt too embarrassed to continue blocking the entrance to the Prime Minister's residence. The officials and their families who had come to attend Elder Wen's birthday banquet no longer treated them with the same courtesy as before. They directly squeezed past the two women with their families. Seeing that the guests had all entered while they were left neglected and ignored, Nazhen chieftain, who had initially felt somewhat in the wrong, became angry again. "It's just a court official's birthday banquet. If we don't go, so be it. What's the big deal? Yue Zhao, let's go!"
Saying this, she was about to turn and leave. However, as she turned, a young woman dressed in special Wu Clan attire hurried to Madam Yue Zhao's side and whispered a few words. Madam Yue Zhao, who had already intended to leave with Nazhen chieftain, suddenly changed her expression. "Are you serious? Is there any evidence?"
The young Wu Clan woman whispered, "Caught red-handed. Ajia has already confessed."
"Outrageous!" Madam Yue Zhao abruptly changed her direction. "Go, bring out the birthday gift I prepared, and let's go wish Elder Wen a happy birthday!"
She had assumed that no matter how much internal conflict there was within the Wu Clan, Mu Ge and Nazhen, as a couple, would at least be on the same side as her when it came to dealing with the Hua Clan and the court. She had not expected that Mu Ge and Nazhen would deliberately let Nazhen participate in the birthday banquet with her dagger to prevent her from attending Elder Wen's birthday banquet. Mu Ge and Nazhen were always driven by self-interest; since they were going to such lengths to stop her, she was determined to attend this banquet!