Cui Buqu stares back with a blank expression, "What is the prince talking about? Why do I find myself not understanding anything?"
Then he turns to ask Jin Lian, "Who is the HeiYue Shaman?"
Jin Lian says, "He is the wisest, and most well respected elder in all of Western Göktürk. He is also the Khan's subject."
Although she has already introduced this person to Cui Buqu, right now her heart is also mumbling questioningly, wondering if Feng Xiao would have gone to seek the HeiYue Shaman for trouble. However, in front of everyone, she is willing to cooperate with Cui Buqu and answer any questions he asks, giving a shocking look, she turns to Ade and asks him instead, "Who has the bravery of a lion and dared to disturb the HeiYue Shaman? I will inform the Khan right now!"
Ade snickers a cold snort, "I have already sent someone to inform Lord Father!"
The First Prince asks, "What has happened?"
The servant who brought the news answers him, "Just now a fire breaks out from the stone hut and there were even sounds of fighting that could even be seen from here. Right now, the fire has been extinguished, but the culprit has not yet been caught, the Shaman is injured, and the physicians are already working on saving him!"
The First Prince immediately panics, "I want to see him!"
The Second Prince reaches out a hand to block his path, "No need to go. There are physicians with the Shaman! Usually, nothing happens here. Tomorrow is the gathering of the Eight Ministries, today, outsiders have come to our lands, and immediately something happens! From the way I see it, there is no need to look. The culprit is right here!"
The First Prince displays a look of displeasure, "They are Lord Father's guests of honour!"
The Second Prince has never respected this elder brother of his, so even in front of everyone, he pays him no attention, "Didn't someone come uninvited as well?"
He casts a look at Cui Buqu and Qiao Xian, speaking in a warning tone, "If I discovered that this has something to do with you people, you just wait!"
Jin Lian feels a little troubled.
What does it mean to come uninvited? Cui Buqu is obviously invited by her, so this move of Ade is obviously not putting her in his eyes.
Although her authority faces threat upon her return this time, she is still the Khan's second kedun, yet Ade has never behaved respectfully with her, in fact, he has come to see her as an annoyance that he wishes to remove.
As she thinks about how she could take care of the matter, she hears a loud 'ping!', as Cui Buqu slaps the table loudly and gets to his feet.
"Although the Khan and the Sui Empire has not yet form an alliance, but the Khan sees us as his guests of honour, yet you pin a sentence upon us with no proof or evidence, setting shame upon the Sui Empire. Even if a sentence is to be bestowed upon, it should be the Khan himself who does it! I want to see the Khan!"
Ade gives a cold laugh, "Even if the Khan is here, his words are the same!"
Cui Buqu's tone amplifies, "Can you represent the Khan? In the day, the Khan says so himself that we are his guests of honour, right now are you having the intentions to think yourself greater than him?!"
Ade also slaps his table and rises to his feet, "Since when have I said that!"
Cui Buqu responds with an even louder voice, "You father is not yet dead! He is the only Khan of Western Göktürk. Before you, there is still your brother, the authority to speak has not yet fallen upon you!"
Although the one with the loudest voice is not always right, but when facing someone like Ade, one cannot lose when it comes to their authoritative atmosphere.
Cui Buqu is very tall, except that he is slightly too thin. However, if he insists on mustering a cold expression with a determined look, he could make Ade's ear blush red, immediately rolling his sleeves up wanting to punch Cui Buqu.
But Qiao Xian and Jin Lian, of course, would not let him do that, so they immediately jump in front of him in defense.
When the First Prince sees this scene unfold, he could not help feeling envious.
Of course, he is not envious of Cui Buqu that he has women to protect him, but he is envious of Cui Buqu because, as a foreigner, he still has his pride and dares to initiate a discourse with his foolishly stuck-up little brother.
But for Ade, this sickly ambassador from the Sui Empire with a pale complexion is nothing to be afraid of. If he represents the Sui Empire, it can only be said that the Central Plains has no skilled talents left, thus sending a sickly man and women to represent themselves and wanting them to bend the knee.
As for the woman next to Cui Buqu, the one who had him under her foot the same morning, although her martial art skills are not bad, wait until after he deals with Cui Buqu, this beautiful woman would only be a servant begging under his foot.
As he thinks of this and laughs wickedly, he calls for the guards.
"Without the Khan here, I am the one with the authority to speak! Men! Take these two Sui Empire ambassadors. They have three people among them. One of them is not present right now, so that is the one who set the fire!"
"Hold!"
The First Prince speaks before Jin Lian could, he says in a low voice, "They are the guests of Lord Father. Whatever happens, we should wait until Lord Father comes to make the decision."
After he finishes speaking, the Khan's servants came over to relay the fact that the Khan is not feeling well today, and thus will not be present as he needs to sleep early. So both the Princes will have the say in the banquet. Whatever is the matter, it can wait until the gathering tomorrow.
Those who knows what is going on exchange glances, saying, what is this all about not feeling well? It is obvious the Khan is occupied with his women and refuses to leave his yurt.
The First Prince turns around and says, "Since this is the case, then, let us wait for tomorrow, where Lord Father will make the decision!"
The Second Prince, "No! The HeiYue Shaman is a well-respected person for our race, whoever disturbs him should be punished! If we wait until tomorrow, the culprit would have been long gone. He is injured right now and would not have gone far, I have already sent people out scouting for him! However, it could be that he is hiding in one of the yurts, so if we search every one of them, we can find him!"
The First Prince says angrily, "All the ambassadors of different clans are all guests of honour, it is not your right to behave so rude towards them!"
(Translator's Note: Leaving a note here just in case, it is considered rude to search someone's private room or place forcibly. Ade giving that suggestion meaning that all the yurts of their guests are to be searched, and no one likes that.)
Kucha and Gaochang are countries surrounding Western Göktürk, in reality they are just their allies that depended on Western Göktürk, so most of the people naturally does not agree with the Second Prince, but they did not say anything about it. In fact, they are very surprised with the First Prince's behaviour tonight.
Before today, he has always been very quiet and seldom speaks.
The Second Prince squints his eyes and takes a step forward, using this height and authority to force his brother into submission.
"Without Lord Father present, I am in charge!"
Not only did the First Prince refuses to take a step back, he even moves forward, not willing to give way, "You are not even a Yabghu, Lord Father has never bestowed upon you any rank. I am your elder brother, so the one with the authority to speak should be me!"
The Second Prince laughs sarcastically, "Have you made up your mind to protect these people from the Sui Empire? You have already started scheming with them!"
"Quiet!" A woman wearing a headdress walks in, "If what Eden says does not count, then my words, should be of use?"
Cui Buqu has never seen her before, but it is not difficult to guess her identity.
The First Prince who has never dared to fight with his little brother had broken his record and stand his own grounds tonight, and the big Kedun who often never shows her face or participated in politics has finally come tonight as well.
The Kedun of the Göktürks possesses immense authority. When the Khan is not here, she could even represent the Khan. She would even lead on his behalf. The big Kedun has never made use of these authorities, but it does not mean that she will never use them.
When the Second Prince sees that the pair of mother and son that usually never show themselves, suddenly strives so hard to stand their ground, he could not help feeling provoked.
"The HeiYue Shaman has been disturbed by foreigners, who should be responsible for it? Do you want to be responsible for this, Kedun? Can you be responsible?!"
Kedun says calmly, "Without the Khan present, I have the authority to decide. You step away."
The Second Prince acknowledges that the sudden appearance of the Kedun could not be simply just for her son, and that if he gives way, his powers and authority will hence be gone for good, so he says abruptly, "No!"
Cui Buqu takes a step forward and uses a loud voice, "I have nothing to do with this matter. I can swear to the gods, swear to the beasts and creatures of your religion, that should I be lying, a thunder will be cast down to strike me, and if I leave this yurt, the gods will send their ambassadors the wolves to bite me to death!"
Everyone was stunned by his swear, even the Second Prince could not muster any words to speak in that moment.
People around here values oaths and swears, so they would never use these sorts of things to make a joke.
But Cui Buqu does not stop here. He turns towards the Second Prince, his eyes glowing fiercely, "His Highness the Second Prince has always disliked us, so you must have already decided that we are the culprits long ago. Do you dare say your selfishness does not play a role in this? The Sui Empire making enemies of the Göktürk royalties is exactly what Khan Ishbara wishes to see, and his Highness the Second Prince is now an accomplice to the Khan Ishabara!"
The Second Prince says angry, "Rubbish!"
Cui Buqu pushes further, "Then you should also make a swear! Swear that everything you do is for the sake of this clan, with no intention of gaining from it!"
Under the eyes of public, Cui Buqu has turned from the guest to the host. The Second Prince feels himself cornered, and when those who are close to him wishes to speak for him, Jin Lian speaks first, not giving them the opportunity.
"That is right. Since Ambassador Cui has already make his swear, if the Second Prince is true to his own heart, he should also make a swear!"
In that moment, a Göktürk servant runs in, his face pale and as white as a sheet, as if he wants to say something, but once he sees the atmosphere in the yurt, he was shocked stiff.
The Second Prince grabs the chance to change the topic, turning the attention away and shouts at him, "Whatever is the matter, speak quickly!"
The servant kneels on the ground and says, "The Shaman's injuries are too grave. He… He has ascended!"
Everyone displays a look of shock and disbelief.
Just now, they all think that it would only be a small incident, but why has death got involved all of a sudden?
The change of the Kedun's expression is the most obvious.
Cui Buqu and Jin Lian furrows their brows.
Even Qiao Xian attempts to say something, but in her heart she thinks that this time, Feng Xiao really went too far.
The Second Prince is the first one to look shocked, then he flares his temper, "The Shaman died because of them! Who is protecting them, then who would be their accomplices!"
"We are innocent! You can investigate us however you like." Cui Buqu suddenly says, pinning his gaze on the Second Prince, "But I have a request. If his Highness the Second Prince cannot find any evidence against us, then you have to apologize to us publicly, and treat us like guests!"
The Second Prince laughs coldly, "If I find that accomplice of yours is the one who killed the Shaman, then I will cut down your head and hang it on the wolf's spike, then feed your corpses to the wolves!"
He waves a hand and orders his men, "Search. I want that stupid boy found!"
As he speaks, he turns around and brings a few people, marching in large steps towards Cui Buqu's yurt.
Qiao Xian walks very close to Cui Buqu and whispers to his ear, "This Second Prince has always been on our tails. Could it be that he is the one who killed the Shaman?"
Cui Buqu responds with an "O", but neither declines nor accepts it.
Behind them, Göktürk soldiers surrounds them on purpose, blocking their escape route from behind, leaving them no chance of escaping. This is most likely orders of the Second Prince.
As for the other officers, the big Kedun, and her son, all of them did not leave, but come along.
Even though such a big incident has happened, the Khan did not even show himself.
Cui Buqu asks Jin Lian, "Does your Khan cares not even for the Shaman's death?"
Jin Lian laughs coldly, "During the day, I've had people brought me to see the Kucha beauty, and she really is a treasure of her kingdom. It is not strange for the Khan to be obsessed with her!"
She looks at the Second Prince, fuming with rage, before furrowing her brows and asks Cui Buqu in a quiet voice, "Does this matter really has nothing to do with you?"
"Of course." Cui Buqu's expression did not change, using a clean look. "I have even swore it. If you are suspicious of me, why don't try to be suspicious of the Second Prince who refuses to swear."
Jin Lian no longer suspects, but she even apologizes, "I should not be concerned too much over your decisions."
The corner of Qiao Xian's lips twitches, but she stops herself from saying anything.
She knows a little bit of Göktürk, but even though she isn't as fluent as Cui Buqu, she could still understand a little. Just now, when Cui Buqu swears, he obviously said 'Me' and not 'Us', and so it also means that if Feng Xiao sows trouble, it is not included in the swear.
However, the Göktürk is unclear about this. In their eyes, Feng Xiao and Cui Buqu are the same.
When speaking with Cui Buqu, if one is not careful, then they will be pitted. Feng Xiao knows this very well, but it is a pity that he is not here and could not give Jin Lian a warning.
Very quickly the Second Prince brings men to Cui Buqu's yurt and search for a round. They did not find Feng Xiao, so they are positive that Feng Xiao has already gone to kill the HeiYue Shaman and wants to grant punishment on Cui Buqu.
Of course, Jin Lian defends them. They could not even find the person, so it is impossible to determine that it has anything to do with them. If they insist of granting them punishment, then it can only prove one thing: that the Second Prince really wants them to die as soon as possible.
Instead, it is the number one fighter of Göktürk, Fo Er, from the moment the banquet begins he has been sitting there until everyone crowds around. He has never spoken anything ever since the incident began, and he hasn't say anything against Cui Buqu and his company either. Qian Xian almost thought that he has a change of heart.
Among all present, there is not only the Kedun, the First Prince, Jin Lian, but there are also officers from all around. Even if the Second Prince is more stubborn than he is right now, he cannot simply grant punishment upon them, otherwise the rest would think that he has some ulterior motives that is related to the gathering of the Eight Ministries tomorrow. So under the persuasion of close subjects, he forces himself to calm down, clasping a hand on his waist, he goes outside of Cui Buqu's yurt and waits for people who searches to report back to him.
"Prince Ade, that person's martial arts is high, he is not beneath me." Fo Er finally speaks. Of course, he did not have a change of heart, he is only searching for the best opportunity to speak. "If he isn't injured, then he can be found. Since we cannot find him now, it can only mean that he is injured, so he could not have run far, but he might be searching for a place to hide himself. Those stores and stables are places one can hide easily."
"Right!" The Second Prince perks, and orders his men, "Quick, go to those places to find, and search Lord Father's yurt also, to avoid the culprit hiding himself in there!"
Qian Xian knows about the matter pertaining Feng Xiao going to look for the HeiYue Shaman. However, at this time, it is quite possible that Feng Xiao's investigation was interrupted and something has happened. The Shaman is dead, and he himself has been injured. Although Feng Xiao's martial art skills are incredible, and there is not a big possibility that he is caught, but he cannot keep this up and not show himself. However, if he shows himself, and his injuries were discovered, then he cannot avoid suspicions of paying the HeiYue Shaman a visit. The Second Prince and Fo Er's eyes were always on them, how could they let him go just like that?
As she thinks of this, Qiao Xian feels that this matter is a little bit difficult, then she looks at Cui Buqu, who is still behaving strangely calm and peaceful, as if this is completely unrelated to himself.
From Qiao Xian's memory, there is almost nothing that could ever make Cui Buqu nervous.
She could not help feeling admiration and says in a low voice, "Do you have a plan?"
Cui Buqu shakes his head lightly.
Then how could he be so calm? Qiao Xian asks questioningly.
Cui Buqu writes a few words on her palm. It is faked. I am only pretending to be calm.
Qiao Xian: "....."
The Second Prince has already begin to feel impatient, until someone finally comes to tell him that Feng Xiao has been found.
The Second Prince brightens up, couldn't helping casting a glance at Cui Buqu with a look that says 'now let us see what you have to say' before telling the guard, "Where is he?! Bring me there!"
But who could have guessed that the colour of the guard's face changes as he stutters.
The Second Prince says in anger, "Speak quickly! Do you want to be the accomplices of the Sui Empire's ambassadors?!"
Er, the person has not yet been found, but he has already grant the verdict.
When news of Feng Xiao being found reaches them, Cui Buqu couldn't help but feels his heart relieved, the corner of his lips arching into a smile.
The Second Prince raises a cane, ready to whip someone, and the guard immediately flies out of his way, shouting loudly, "In your yurt!"
"What rubbish is that! How can he be at my place?!" The Second Prince's face grows black.
Cui Buqu says angrily, "I see you are the one who has allied himself with the Sui Empire's ambassadors. Ah, why don't you say earlier? We could have been people of our own!"
"Impossible!"
The Second Prince retorts, taking a large step he flips his own yurt and enters under the protection of two guards, he kicks the mat cruelly!
Originally, his face is as back as coal, but now it changes to the colour green. From his head to his ears, even his hair, has turned green.