As soon as he said this, all the green-clad guards present drew their swords almost simultaneously and glared at Niu Ben.
The latter was so frightened that he knelt on the ground in an instant and said in a trembling voice: "My lord, I know clearly that I am loyal to my humble position. Even if I have the courage, I would not dare to betray the king and Xuan Guo."
Even at this time, he was still complaining. It was obvious that he would not give up until he reached the Yellow River.
Yang Zhao still stood above him with his hands behind his back. He didn't say much nonsense and only raised his head slightly to signal to the outside of the hall.
There were guards standing outside the hall. After understanding, they quickly left.
Not long after, a disheveled man was escorted in and kicked to the ground.
The man had been tortured to a state of disgrace, his whole body was covered in scars, and he knelt there silently.
Seeing him, Niu Ben's expression changed significantly.
Yang Zhao looked at Niu Ben and said: "This person is the person you met before the king went out. I am not wrong."
Niu Ben swallowed his saliva and did not dare to look at the man, let alone Yang Zhao. Instead, his eyes were wandering, his face was pale, and cold sweat was already oozing out from his forehead.
Yang Zhao pointed at the man again: "Huo Yiming, deputy commander of the third team of the Lingguo Sili Camp, and the person in charge of the assassination of the king today."
"Niu Ben, you said you were so good, why did you see him? Huh?"
"This, this, my lord, have mercy on me, my lord, have mercy on me! I am just a temporary fool in this humble position..."
Now that the evidence was conclusive and all exposed, there was no chance of luck, and Niu Ben immediately began to cry sadly.
When the other team captains heard this, they all took a deep breath. At first, people were just shocked by the change, and most of them held on to a glimmer of hope. They didn't expect that this thing turned out to be true.
Someone yelled angrily: "Niu Ben! I treat you as a brother in vain! I didn't expect you to be an enemy spy!"
"Niu Ben! Do you still remember the oath you said when you entered the Qingyi Guard!"
On weekdays, everyone calls themselves brothers, works for the same department, and works together for the country. When something like this happens, anger is inevitable.
Yang Zhao waved his hand to interrupt everyone, and said quietly: "The Tsing Yi Guard is a special organization of our Xuan Kingdom family. Since its establishment, it has been deeply trusted by the king, but this incident has harmed the entire Tsing Yi Guard, and also I will not be able to explain this to you."
Hearing this, all the team captains bowed slightly.
Niu Ben, knowing that he was going to die, suddenly reached into his arms and wanted to take out the poison. But as soon as he made this move, the two team captains beside him were alert and immediately rushed forward, one to the left and one to the right. Pressed it there.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Niu Ben started struggling and yelling, but he stopped begging for mercy.
"They are all in the industry, why bother." Yang Zhao said and waved his hand.
The two team captains understood and began to lead Niu Benn down.
"Let me die quickly! Let me die quickly——"
The latter screamed miserably. As an insider of the Tsing Yi Guard, he certainly knew what would happen next.
As for the spies from the Ling Kingdom who had infiltrated their own side, Yang Zhao certainly could not just let him die and would interrogate him himself.
On Xuanguo's side, Lu Yunyan could only withstand the political pressure against Yao Tingyu, an overt obstacle in the court, but for Lingchu and other countries' subtle lurkers, he must clear them all out before getting engaged.
She would never allow Lingguo and Chuguo to disturb this matter.
Two days later, Yan Ming, the Minister of Rites of the State of Qin, arrived in Xuandu. After receiving him with courtesy from Xuan State, he rushed to the posthouse to meet Xiao Yuan.
During this period, the Xuandu Post House was heavily guarded and heavily fortified, with elite soldiers of the Xuan Army standing guard inside and outside.
In the room where he stayed, Xiao Yuan was sitting at the table reading a book about some of the previous state governance policies of the Xuan Prime Minister Yao Tingyu.
Not long after, Xu Hu stepped in, clasped his fists and bent down and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Yan Ming is here."
"Oh?" Xiao Yuan was shocked, put down the bamboo slips and said, "Please invite him in quickly."
"promise."
After a while, Yan Ming entered and saw Xiao Yuan. He hurriedly stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and shouted loudly: "My lord, see you, my king, I will be king for ten thousand years."
"Ai Qing, get up and talk." Xiao Yuan smiled gently, stretched out his hand to pull him up, and pointed to the round table: "Sit down."
"I don't dare." Yan Ming was a little flattered.
"You and I, the monarch and his ministers, meet in private. There is no need to be formal. Let's sit down and talk." Xiao Yuan remained calm and gestured to Xu Hu as he spoke: "Go and serve some good tea."
"Yes." The latter bowed and excused himself.
Yan Ming also sat down as he was told. He said he was sitting, but in fact he just touched his buttocks, still looking respectful.
Xiao Yuan smiled and said: "Master Yan, I have to trouble you to make a hard trip this time. I heard that everyone knows what you did along the way."
"I dare not hide it from your Majesty, this is Lord Shangguan's idea." Yan Ming returned truthfully.
"This is Shangguan Wenruo." Xiao Yuan shook his head and didn't talk much about it. He added, "Let's get back to business. Regarding the engagement, do you have a detailed plan for what I will do next and how to handle it."
"Your Majesty, all the etiquette and other matters have been prepared. We are just waiting for the King's order to choose an auspicious day." Yan Ming said.
At this time, the tea had been served. Xiao Yuan picked up the teacup, blew on it lightly, and said casually: "Let's talk about the specific matters."
Yan Ming pondered for a moment and said: "In private engagement, usually the man's matchmaker goes to the woman's home to propose marriage, bringing some daily gifts, but the engagement between two monarchs is a major event between the two countries, and it should be done with three letters and six etiquette."
"What are the three books and six rites?"
"This is the letter of appointment, the letter of etiquette, and the letter of welcome. The six rites are acceptance, asking for name, acceptance, acceptance, request for appointment, and personal welcome. In addition, regarding the monarch, it is also necessary to ask for instructions from ancestors, ancestral temples, and the country, so as to ensure the prosperity of the country. Luck." Yan Ming said seriously.
How could Xiao Yuan know this? He couldn't help but frown slightly and said: "So complicated?"
"Oh, Your Majesty, these are all procedures that must be followed, otherwise the etiquette will not be complete. Moreover, Your Majesty and Xuanjun are both princes of the empire, and the people of the world are watching. We, the Qin State, cannot be rude." Yan Ming said.
"Well, that makes sense. I'll do as you say." Xiao Yuan nodded and said, "Then tell me how to proceed in this first step."
Yan Mingdao said: "The eighth day of the next month is the most auspicious day to pray for blessings, get married, accept gifts, and make alliances. Your Majesty should send a letter of credence to Xuanguo."
"Sending credentials?" Xiao Yuan was a little puzzled.
Yan Ming quickly explained: "No, no, no, this letter of credentials is the letter of appointment among the three letters."
"Oh, that's it. Okay." Xiao Yuan nodded helplessly.
Next, the two talked a lot about the engagement. Xiao Yuan was quite troubled by the cumbersome ancient etiquette. It was equivalent to marrying the queen, and it was obvious that their identities were there.
