northernbook Chapter 257 Personal Invitation
Chapter 257 Personal Invitation
"That's really strange." Chen Xin put down the flower wine she was drinking as she held the letter in her hand, looking utterly surprised.
The men's gazes also turned serious. Jiang Yu looked up and saw the emblem of the Forest Empire's royal family printed on the envelope, a rose entwined with thorns.
"They actually invited us to a royal banquet." Chen Xin asked in confusion, "How could someone of our rank be invited?"
"My only connection with the royal family is when the lord reports for duty; my family is not a great noble family."
After speaking, she looked at Gilbert and asked, "Did you receive praise for revising the history book? Is this invitation an award?"
Gilbert remained calm and shook his head: "The royal family does not directly manage matters like ours. Our revised history has only just been completed, and the higher authorities probably haven't had time to report it to the royal family yet."
Then that's not it.
Chen Xin raised an eyebrow and looked at Jiang Yu: "Xiao Yu, do you know that the royal family of our Forest Empire is in complete chaos?"
"Xin Xin." Gilbert spoke softly, feeling that he shouldn't be discussing such a topic, but Chen Xin waved her hand to interrupt him: "It's okay, there are no outsiders here, what's wrong with talking about it?"
She continued, "The previous generation of royalty are almost all dead. The queen died early, the king died an unnatural death, and the queen's children all met bad ends. Only His Majesty Mattia, who is now sitting on the throne, remains. He is a true descendant of the king and queen."
"I heard that she was rescued by the regent and raised until she came of age, and that he supported her succession to the throne."
"Hmm." Jiang Yu's eyes flickered: "It seems that the royal family of the Forest Empire is even more turbulent than I imagined."
"Sigh, what does this have to do with us? We're far from the emperor's reach. I don't know what kind of weird wind came up with to invite me."
Jiang Yu sensed something was wrong and advised, "The royal family's situation is so complicated, it's best to stay far away and avoid getting involved."
Even Dovica and Xiang Lan thought it best not to attend the banquet.
"Unfortunately, I cannot refuse." Chen Xin continued reading, slowly gritting her teeth, and raised the letter in her hand: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a letter personally written by His Majesty the Emperor, and it also says..."
Chen Xin looked at Jiang Yu: "...Please be sure to bring your distinguished guests with you."
"Xiao Yu, it seems your real intention wasn't what you said. I'm really grateful to you." Chen Xin joked, but no one, including herself, found it funny.
“I have never had any contact with any nobles or families in the Forest Empire, let alone royalty. My only connection with the Forest Empire is you, Xin Xin. How would royalty know about me?” Jiang Yu asked, puzzled.
"Could it be that she's holding a grudge against me because of Lady Tini's affair? As a member of the royal family, don't you know that I was also a tool and a victim in this whole affair?" Jiang Yu frowned, and Moya immediately grabbed her hand, indicating that she didn't need to be nervous and that it was nothing to worry about.
“It’s definitely not because of that. When I went to report on my duties, I didn’t pursue these matters, and I didn’t even mention them.” Chen Xin shook her head and said, “You probably don’t know what kind of person His Majesty is now.”
"Unlike Your Highness Turner of the Ocean Empire, His Majesty Mattia, though also a young man at the pinnacle of power, lives like..."
She hesitated for a moment before choosing her words: "He...doesn't live like a king at all." Seeing Jiang Yu's questioning look, Chen Xin didn't say anything more, after all, saying anything more would be a bit offensive.
"You'll know when you meet him."
Then she raised her reasonable suspicion: "I suspect it's still related to Kong Yiche. The whole world knew he was pursuing you back then. Kong Yiche is currently in contact with the Regent's daughter."
"Her family background is no less than that of the Ren family back then. The fact that the Regent can spread such a rumor shows that they are very optimistic about the marriage alliance with the Kong family."
Chen Xin was somewhat worried: "The King follows the Regent's lead. This is a secret that is kept under wraps but is common knowledge. His intentions may well be the same as the Regent's intentions."
"So you think this is a trap?" Jiang Yu sighed. "Otherwise, I'll set off for the Ocean Empire immediately."
Chen Xin was taken aback: "It can't be that bad."
Then Moya chuckled softly, his voice carrying a hint of danger: "Of course not. I've never been to the Forest Empire before, and I know nothing about its royal court. Now is a good time to learn about it."
He squeezed Jiang Yu's hand reassuringly, his brows furrowed with disdain and contempt: "I just don't know if they'll want to get to know me."
Jiang Yu laughed too. Indeed, she had Moya, so she had no reason to be afraid.
"It's alright, let's just treat it as a trip. Besides, these are just our guesses, maybe the real situation is much better." Jiang Yu made her decision, afraid that leaving would bring trouble to her friend.
Whether it's the Kong family, the Regent, or the royal family, none of them are people Chen Xin can afford to offend. Since their target is him, there's no reason for him to avoid them. He should face them head-on and see what they really mean.
Moreover, looking at Moya beside her, with his powerful weapon and cheat code right next to her, she felt it was time to let them know that she was no longer a fish to be slaughtered.
"When is the banquet?" Jiang Yu asked.
“A week from now,” Chen Xin said, “there’s still time, so I can help you finish making the dresses.”
“No need. Moya and I will just wear our own clothes. We have relatively formal attire in our luggage. There’s no need to rush to do as the Romans do and show weakness before we even know whether they are good or evil,” Jiang Yu said in a deep voice, her eyes lowered.
“You’re right, that makes sense,” Chen Xin agreed. “Then let’s not let this affect our mood. Let’s have some fun for a few days first, and then we’ll deal with whatever comes our way.”
Chen Xin has always been a decisive person. Once she made the decision, she immediately put the matter aside and started planning her trip for the next few days.
Meanwhile, Moa secretly sneaked into the royal court several times at night. Although he couldn't know everything about it, he still had a general idea of the Forest Empire's defenses and strength.
As for the regent, who was described as both kind and unfathomable, Moa felt it was irrelevant what kind of person he was or what he wanted to do.
After all, any conspiracy or trickery is nothing but trash in the face of his simple and brutal strength.
The Forest Empire is not as well-protected as the Aurora Empire, which has the last ray of divine light shining upon it. This is the place where the gods have completely abandoned it. Only in this dark and sunless forest, where faith has been lost and good intentions have been absent, can so much greed be born.
Not enough to be afraid of.
With this conclusion in mind, Moya ate better and slept better for the next few days.