After Emperor Zhou issued the last decree regarding the demons, he suddenly said leisurely: "From today on, my Great Zhou will prioritize the extermination of demons. You and I must not slack off... Therefore, I will not hold my birthday celebration this time."
As soon as these words fell, there was an uproar in the room, because the several ministers of the Ministry of Rites who had arrived to announce the decree immediately kowtowed. Just as they were about to speak, the Emperor of Zhou waved his hand and said, "Family affairs are always more important than state affairs. Pass the decree, on this birthday, let my children come to the palace and have a family dinner with me..."
After a pause, he suddenly seemed to think of something, and turned his eyes to look at Chu Zhongtie: "Lord Chu?"
Chu Zhongtie stepped forward quickly: "What do you want, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Zhou smiled faintly and said meaningfully: "Find that little prodigal son and let him come to the palace."
"He must not be absent from this family dinner."
After these words were spoken, there was silence at first, and then everyone looked surprised, almost in an uproar!
Chu Zhongtie was stunned for a moment, and then he said: "But, Your Majesty... You said this is a family banquet. The Great Zhou has been established for so many years, and only a few people have been favored by this... Uh, how can Tianxiao bear it..."
"He can bear it."
Emperor Zhou said this calmly, and then paused, as if he was explaining, or covering up
"… Zhong Yi and I are as close as brothers. What is the difference between his son and my own son? Just let him come."
After Emperor Zhou finished speaking, several old officials from the Ministry of Rites wanted to speak again, but Emperor Zhou had already said a long "Hmm?", which immediately made them hold back their words...
Seeing this, no one in the room was stupid enough to say anything, but everyone was secretly complaining in their hearts. Could this Chu Baijia really be as miraculous as the rumors said? Could he be the illegitimate son of Emperor Zhou? Otherwise, why would His Majesty favor him so much? The previous turmoil caused by his "treasonous words" was fine, but now he was actually allowed to attend the family banquet
What does this mean? This favor is a bit too much! It can't be that he has done something great again!
However, not everyone thought that way. For example, Chu Zhongtie and other members of the Chu family knew very well that Chu Tianxiao was their bloodline. They had personally tested the bloodline and it couldn't be fake! Therefore, those who knew about it thought more about another possibility...
"... I heard that Princess Tianmei is almost fifteen years old... According to the tradition of the Great Zhou Dynasty, she is indeed of engagement age... She and Tianxiao are so close, could it be that His Majesty... intends to grant them a marriage?"
When Chu Zhongtie thought of this possibility, he felt indescribable... Happy? Of course I am happy! Even for a family like the Chu family, it would be a great honor to marry a princess. Who wouldn't want to be a royal relative? But Chu Zhongtie had a feeling that his nephew might love little girls, but he would never have any romantic feelings for them. If Lu Mei'er could raise her for a few more years, it would be fine, but now...
I heard from Fan that this matter has been hinted at several times, and Chu Tianxiao played dumb every time...
"My second brother also said that Tian Xiao is a bit stubborn in this regard. The more you push him, the harder it will be for him to succeed... If I offend His Majesty..."
Chu Zhongtie thought about this and suddenly realized that he seemed to have missed the most crucial question...
"Your Majesty, Tian Xiao is now..."
"Don't worry, the little prodigal is fine." Emperor Zhou said calmly, pointing to the top of the Forbidden City. As he pointed in the air, a sound like cloth being torn came from there. "The little prodigal is over there, go find him, and... keep your mouth shut about certain things tonight."
Everyone agreed in unison: "As you command."
…
…
It was a long night and a lot happened, but when the dust settled, the so-called riots were actually easy to quell.
When the situation in Kyoto was stabilized again, most of the people like Chu Tianxiao who had fallen into the strange array of the demon clan were rescued safely. The young heroes suffered more injuries, but most of them were not serious. After recuperation, they can turn this experience into experience and further grow... Of course, those fallen demons were not so lucky. When their nest was overturned, they ended up being annihilated.
"Brother Chu, thank you very much."
"This time, thanks to Brother Chu."
"No matter what happens to my family in the future, I will always regard Brother Chu as a friend."
"Me too! It's a pity that Brother Chu's... was kept silent, otherwise more people would come to make friends with Brother Chu..."
"Alas, there is nothing we can do about it. The demons love to kill human geniuses. If they knew what would happen tonight... uh, they would definitely do their best to kill Brother Chu! Your Majesty must be doing this to protect Brother Chu..."
Perhaps it was the reason mentioned by the last person, or maybe it was some other reason... In short, the battle record that Chu Tianxiao spread tonight was a "weakened" version for a long time. The general idea was that he remained calm in the face of danger, exerted the organization's talents in dangerous places, and saved many human geniuses... As for who destroyed the Black Sky Blood Altar? Let the demons guess it! In this world, except for a few people, no one else knows the truth of this matter...
…
…
After saying goodbye to everyone, Chu Tianxiao just returned home and hadn't even taken a hot bath to calm down when he heard about the weird thing of going to a 'family dinner'...
Looking at Chu Zhongtie who looked worried, Chu Tianxiao smiled faintly: "This matter is simple, it's nothing more than your majesty has something to tell me, and wants to help me answer some questions, it's not as complicated as you think, Third Uncle!"
After saying this, Chu Zhongtie frowned: "That's it?"
"Well... that's it." Chu Tianxiao said, but his eyes turned away slowly.
…
…
A few days later, the aftermath of the demon invasion was slowly dissipating, and the people of Kyoto began to be interested in the unique family banquet that His Majesty was about to hold. The various rumors and stories in the streets were so well-made that it was difficult to tell whether they were true or false...
However, in fact... when that day really came, Chu Tianxiao knew that the family banquet was quite simple. He didn't even see all the princes. For example, the strongest contender for the crown prince position... the leader of the four heroes, the eldest prince, did not show up at the family banquet. He said that he was training with the army and had no time to return to the capital. This behavior seemed irrational, but he did it anyway, and Emperor Zhou... didn't seem to blame him...
Besides that, some not-so-important princes and princesses didn’t come… This family dinner also went by very quickly and was monotonous. When Chu Tianxiao recalled it afterwards, he could only remember bits and pieces… For example, Lu Meir kept picking food for him. She was not sick or in any way, but she was trying to please him. There was a hint of ambiguity and shyness in her eyes…
He must be harboring evil intentions!
Well... apart from the fact that this matter is a little "special", it seems that there is nothing else.
But there is nothing strange about this - the real purpose is not the wine.
…
At midnight, the night was as cool as water.
Chu Tianxiao followed the "hint" during the banquet and came to a certain railing in the palace. Here, he met the Emperor Zhou as he wished. Of course, there were two glasses of wine and a seat together...
Previously, Emperor Zhou sat too high up, and Chu Tianxiao did not dare to look directly at his face. But at this moment, Emperor Zhou no longer had any dignity. When he looked at Chu Tianxiao, his eyes were filled with admiration and genuine concern...
Just like treating your children, nephews and younger generations.