Chapter 56: Former Glory

  Xiao Yu returned to the territory, and Xiao Hong had also basically settled some preparatory matters, mainly some items needed on the road, as well as some gifts.

  Anyway, the fifth lady returned home to visit her relatives and couldn't bring no gifts at all. When meeting younger relatives and friends, she had to give some money or send some gifts, and couldn't go empty-handed.

  These are the necessary courtesy among the nobles, and absolutely cannot make people feel that Xiwen is too shabby as the young lady of the Lion King's territory. Moreover, the Lion King's territory is indeed not so poor now.

  Xiao Yu has been plundering for several months and has indeed obtained a lot of good things.

  This northwestern region was originally an important passage for inland and Yunmeng people to trade, and merchants often passed through here. Although there were many bandits, the high profits still made them risk their lives.

  All of these merchants' belongings were robbed by the robbers, and Xiao Yu then robbed the robbers. In the end, most of this wealth still ended up in Xiao Yu's hands.

  Some things that even the old housekeeper Xiao Hong had never seen before, such as antiques, precious ornaments, spices and so on, especially some women's items were the most.

  The only thing that the people of Yunmeng lack is the exquisite craftsmanship from the Central Plains, as well as some high-quality spices and other things that are particularly popular there. As a result, merchants also love to transport these goods, so they are the most abundant in Xiao Yu's place.

  At that time, several sisters-in-law thought that the things Xiao Yu robbed were all women's supplies, so they directly gave him a list and must rob something back, making Xiao Yu cry and laugh.

  Nowadays, which of the five madams doesn't wear ten rings on her hands, hang several necklaces, and burn incense all night, and can change them every day, like cheap goods from street vendors, a pack at a time, casually picked.

  The Xiaoyu base only needs gold coins, these things can't be exchanged for gold coins. When Xiaoyu is short of money, she goes to rob, and these things are not allowed to be sold by the old housekeeper, but are worn by several sisters to play with.

  This time Xiwen returned home, naturally bringing a lot of things, preparing for when she would need them at home.

  Wangzi Mo has been waiting here for several days, feeling a bit anxious, not knowing what kind of ghost Xiao Yu is playing with. He wants to find Xiao Yu, but finds that Xiao Yu is not even in the territory.

  He hummed to himself, thinking Xiao Yu had gone off again to flirt with women.

  The nearby Weiguo State, the capital city of Huicheng is famous for its prosperity, music and dance are flourishing. Before, Xiao Yu often went there, and also met Kalu there.

  It's okay, in just a few days, Xiao Yu returned and gave them a departure date, which was two days later.

  After barely getting through the past two days, Wang Zimo got up early in the morning, packed his horse carriage, and prepared to set off. However, when he arrived at the city gate, he found that Xiao Yu and others were already waiting there. Several sisters bid farewell to Xiwen with reluctance, repeatedly reminding her to come back soon.

  The prince looked at them and sneered in his heart: "This broken place of the Lion King's territory, I will never come back again."

  "Alright, miss, it's getting late, let's get on the carriage." Wang Zimo walked over and urged Xiwen to set off.

  Looking at Xiwen, Wang Zimo couldn't help but despise the Lion King's leadership. He had fallen to such a state that he didn't even prepare anything for Xiwen, who was one of the five madams here. Fortunately, these things weren't needed anyway. As long as he could bring Xiwen back safely, his mission would be accomplished.

  Xī wén heard this and nodded, then reluctantly let go of several sister-in-laws' hands.

  "Miss, please get on the carriage." Although Wang Zi Mo's status in the Wang family was much higher than that of Xi Wen, when facing outsiders, he still had to let Miss get on the carriage first before he got on himself. This was etiquette, and naturally things would be different once they returned home.

  "Someone, bring over Madam Wu's carriage." At this time, the old steward Xiao Hong cleared his throat and shouted loudly.

  Wangzi Mo heard this and slightly furrowed his brow, not expecting the Lion King to send a carriage as well. He immediately raised an eyebrow and said, "Xiao Guan Jia, no need to be so polite, let's just use our own carriage instead. Otherwise, ordinary carriages are too slow, and who knows how much time we'll waste on the road."

  The Wang family's carriage was a very luxurious one, equipped with a wind system magic array. It was extremely stable and wouldn't shake at all, making it very comfortable to ride in. The two horses pulling the carriage were also carefully selected fine horses that could endure hardship and labor. Due to the effect of the magic array, its speed was also extremely fast, almost as fast as ordinary cavalry.

  Moreover, this carriage is extremely spacious, even if seven or eight people sit in it, it will not be crowded at all. So, he never planned to let the lion king lead the way.

  Xiao Hong smiled slightly and said, "It's not that we're being polite, but rather that Xiao Guan has no idea. The Fifth Madam has been in the Lion King's territory for a long time and is not used to riding in other carriages."

  As they were talking, suddenly a loud neighing sound was heard, and a cloud of dust rose up. Eight white horses pulling a large, luxurious golden carriage came galloping over.

  These eight horses, all with snow-white coats, clean and tidy, without a single stray hair on their bodies, and their hooves are also snow-white, all of them are rare breeds from the other side of the Cloudy Sky Mountain, known as the Heavenly Horses that Tread on Snow.

  These horses are extremely precious, the aristocracy of horses. Not only do they have the best endurance among all breeds, but their height is also much higher than that of ordinary horses. They are majestic and powerful, with a spirited and lofty demeanor, making them extremely difficult to obtain. In the Central Plains, their price can reach tens of thousands of gold coins per horse.

  The Tianxi Emperor is now on an imperial tour, riding in a carriage pulled by sixteen of these heavenly horses.

  The eight-horse carriage was a symbol of status that only the most noble and high-ranking princes could possess, while ordinary nobles were not allowed to have an eight-horse drawn carriage.

  Of course, this is just a traditional rule. Now, as the Tian Shi dynasty's ruling power gradually weakens, many nobles secretly use eight horses to pull their carriages, and some even use sixteen horses in secret.

  However, Xiao Yu using eight horses to pull a carriage is perfectly legitimate and does not count as cheating.

  Because, Xiao Yu's father Xiao Zhan Tian, in those years, had great merits, pacified the barbarians, saved the old emperor's life, and was conferred as the Lion King General, hereditary imperial first-class Lion King Duke, with eight horses pulling his carriage, absolutely worthy of it.

  Xiao Yu's several older brothers all died, so this first-class Lion King Duke naturally fell on his head.

  So others can't ride in this car, but Xiao Yu is completely fine with it, and she doesn't even need to sneak around.

  Apart from the stunning eight heavenly horses, the decoration of this carriage is also extremely luxurious. The size of this carriage is four to five times larger than that of the royal family's carriages. It is inlaid with gold edges and various exquisite carvings, making it a masterpiece of a great master.

  Moreover, on ordinary carriages, having two wind system magic arrays carved is already extremely rare. Because magicians are precious, letting a magician carve a complex magic array requires great face.

  And this carriage was also carved with eight magic arrays, showing its luxury.

  This carriage is not like an ordinary carriage with four wheels, but has eight wheels, divided into two compartments, separated from each other. This is to meet the different needs of some nobles, sometimes sitting in the first compartment to enjoy the scenery and taste fine wine, and sometimes resting and sleeping in the second compartment.

  When he saw this carriage, Prince Mo was stunned at the moment.

  Isn't the Lion King's reign over? How can they still have such a luxurious carriage? This carriage is probably worth hundreds of millions of gold coins.

  Moreover... they were all Tianma, eight Tianma, and they were pure white Tianma. The lord had spent a great deal of effort and asked many people for help back then, but he only managed to get four Tianma, which weren't even pure white, and not as majestic and powerful as these ones.

  Where did this lion king get such a luxurious carriage?

  He didn't know that this horse carriage was completely robbed by Xiao Yu, and as for who the bandit was, it was no longer within Xiao Yu's scope of concern.

  Originally, not all the horses of this carriage were Yun Meng Tian Ma, but Xiao Yu plundered many Yun Meng Tian Ma during the robbery and actually gathered eight pure white ones, which were naturally used to pull the carriage. The old steward also agreed with this, because such a horse-drawn carriage is absolutely a symbol of status, no matter what, Xiao Yu is also a first-class duke, and such a horse-drawn carriage can match his status.

  In the vicinity of Lion King Ridge, because many bandits bought horses from Yun Meng or robbed horse teams transported by passing merchants, good horses were never in short supply.

  Xiao Yu's own horse was also a heavenly steed, and even the horses he had allocated to Long Hui and many others were all heavenly steeds. This kind of thing could be said to be a local specialty.

  But seeing the eight heavenly horses pulling the luxurious carriage, Prince Mo also suddenly woke up in his heart. The Xiao family was a hereditary first-class lion duke, and had the qualifications to drive an eight-horse carriage.

  Although the Xiao family has declined, after all, the Xiao family is a noble among nobles. Any noble who meets them must bow and pay their respects. This is the traditional etiquette of the nobility.

  The lord now wants to force Miss back to remarry, and this Xiao family's young master does not agree, will there be some trouble?

  At this moment, Wang Zimo was infected by the momentum of the horse carriage and suddenly thought of the glory of the Xiao family in the past. He couldn't help but feel a little worried.

  "Whatever, even if they are dukes, what's the point? They've all fallen to this state now. A territory with a population of less than 50,000 is useless even if it's a dukedom. In the end, it's up to Lord Head to decide how things will turn out, I don't need to worry about it unnecessarily."

  Thinking so, Wang Zimou let out a heavy hum, with an extremely jealous gaze, and walked towards his own carriage.

  After all, being able to ride in such a carriage is an absolute symbol of status and identity, and it's also the ultimate honor. Who wouldn't want to experience it once?

  Unfortunately, he is not qualified for this.

  No wonder Old Steward Xiao Hong said that earlier, Fifth Madam was used to riding in the Lion King's carriage and couldn't get used to other carriages. Having been accustomed to such a carriage, who could still get used to riding in other carriages?

  The Wang family's carriage was also a good one, but compared to this carriage in front of it, it instantly became a little kitten in front of a lion.

  At this time, Xiwen was already on the second carriage with the support of two maidservants, while the first carriage was prepared by Xiao Yu herself.

  Although Xiao Yu could ride a horse, he still liked to sit in the carriage and drink red wine while enjoying himself, rushing along the road and admiring the scenery outside. What a delightful thing to do.

  "In that case, let's set off." Prince Mo said to Xiao Yu, and was about to get on the carriage. He really didn't want to look at this carriage anymore, it was too stimulating for him.

  Xiao Yu smiled and nodded, saying: "Wait a moment, Wang. My guards haven't arrived yet. You know that the Lion King's territory is not well-governed, and there are often some small bandits around, so I have to bring some guards when I go out. If it were just me, I wouldn't be afraid of those small bandits, after all, I am the lord of the Lion King's territory. But with Fifth Sister here, I must be careful. Recently, I've heard that many bandits are eyeing her."

  Xiao Yu's words were a double-edged sword, ridiculing Wang Zimo's true intentions for coming here.

  The prince hummed coldly, but he said lightly: "My royal family also knows that the Lion King's territory is plagued by bandits this time, so I brought a hundred elite cavalrymen, including five Douzhe. It's enough to deal with any small thieves. These thieves dare to block the way of the Lion King Duke, but they absolutely don't dare to show off in front of my royal family's flag. Mr. Xiao, you will be very safe with us, no need to worry."

  Prince Mo's words also meant to satirize Xiao Yu's poor governance, saying that even some petty thieves couldn't be handled, but now with our elite soldiers here, there's no need to fear, they will protect you.

  Xiao Yu smiled slightly, but didn't speak. Before long, a loud roar suddenly came from the vast wilderness, and more than a dozen figures suddenly rushed into everyone's line of sight.

  When the cavalry of the Wang family saw those figures, they immediately shouted: "Beastmen, how are there still beastmen here? Prepare for battle."

  Although these soldiers were well-trained, they were still shocked to see a dozen or so beastmen suddenly appear before them. The reputation of the beastmen was known throughout the continent, and it was synonymous with bravery.

  Although they were numerous and had been through many battles, they still felt a little flustered when they suddenly saw the beastmen.

  Xiao Yu saw this situation and suddenly waved his hand, using a very pretentious tone to calmly say: "Don't panic, that's just my Imperial Guard."

  "What? Your Imperial Guard?" Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, almost everyone in the Wang household's jaw dropped.

  The Beastman's Imperial Guard? How many years has it been since I've heard of such a thing? In the past, only the noblest nobles and most powerful lords could tame some savage beastmen as their personal guards. That was an absolute symbol of honor and status, even more glorious than owning an elven female slave.

  Xiao Yu recently read a lot of books and gained a deeper understanding of the history of this continent. Although he still hasn't found the answer to why Tyrande is the goddess of the Night Elf tribe, he has learned much about the history of this continent.

  The beastmen were not exterminated all at once, but were gradually oppressed by the human tribe, and slowly lost their living space. Even now, the beastmen are not completely extinct, they just hide deep in the mountains, very hard to find.

  In the past, on the mainland, beastmen were not rare creatures, and many people had seen them. When beastmen were captured by humans at that time, they would often not be killed, but instead thrown into the arena to fight against magical beasts or kill each other of their own kind, for the entertainment of human nobles.

  Later, some people also trained beastmen as bodyguards, known as the most popular fashion. At that time, whoever had a few beastman bodyguards by their side was absolutely NB and unbeatable.

  Until nearly a hundred years ago, the number of beastmen had been decreasing due to constant slaughter by humans, and they gradually disappeared from human sight.

  However, it is said that in some large cities' large arenas, there are still beastmen fighters.

  Xiao Yu went to the Wang family this time, needing to use some deterrent force to prevent the other party from being too arrogant, in order to increase the bargaining chips. After learning about these histories, he specially brought a beastman infantry with him, making it impossible for the other party to discern his true strength.

  Apart from these ten beastman infantrymen, Xiao Yu also brought Tyrande, Grom and the great mage Antonidas along with him.

  The reason why Thailand is brought, is because the elf tribe's guard is more NB than the beastman's guard. Although at that time many nobles took elven women as private pets, but in a much longer history, thousands of years ago, when human relationships with beasts and elves were not so rigid, noble elves would also lower their noble heads to serve as guards for some human heroes.

  In history, the famous Emperor Augustus once had several elf guards and a thousand beastmen as his personal bodyguards.

  Xiao Yu now has a beastman guard and an elf escort, that identity is absolutely greatly enhanced.

  Apart from this, magicians in this world are absolutely rare and precious professions, only some powerful nobles can afford to hire a magician to serve them.

  So Xiao Yu brought Lao An along as well, which can also help to add face. Now, Lao An is already at level 13, equivalent to the current human mage's second stage. A second-stage mage, wherever they go, is absolutely eye-catching.

  Eleven beastmen, an elf and a magician, these people formed the vanguard, damn it, whoever saw them couldn't help but take a second look.

  Xiao Yu actually brought them with a purpose, and also made preparations for a hard fight if the negotiations really didn't go well.

  "Nima Lerguo, if you don't open your eyes now, I'll directly snatch people away."

  These beastmen infantry are all level 6 infantry, their combat power is not inferior to any human first-class fighter, and with their strong physique, ordinary human first-class fighters are no match for them.

  Although these people are still unable to face each other's large army in a territory, using it well and sneaking out is still no problem.

  Under the gaze of Wangzi Mo and others whose eyeballs were about to fall out in shock, Xiao Yu stepped onto the carriage, waved his hand, and said: "Let's set off."

  After finishing speaking, Xiao Yu completely ignored Wang Zimo and got into the carriage by herself.