I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1094 A Tremendous Shock to the Court and the Country
The Imperial Palace of Luoyang, in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate.

As Griffin's massive shadow loomed over the palace square, an eerie silence descended upon the entire scene. The Imperial Guards standing watch at the palace gates maintained their stance, halberds in hand, but their trembling fingers and wide eyes betrayed the turmoil within them.

The griffin circled once above the palace before slowly landing in the square in front of the palace gate.

Before the griffin could land, Su Yao leaped down from mid-air and crashed to the ground.

"I am back!"

Amidst the swirling dust, Su Yao's gaze swept past the stunned civil and military officials, landing squarely on the graceful figure carrying the dragon robe, her hairpins and ornaments askew as she ran.

Princess Wannian, now the Empress of the Great Han Dynasty, was utterly devoid of her usual majesty. Her eyes were slightly red, her chest heaving from the exertion of running, and her gaze was fixed intently on Su Yao's face.

Once he confirmed that the person before him was not a dream, Wan Nian rushed down the steps in three strides, disregarding etiquette, and threw himself into Su Yao's arms, embracing him tightly.

"You heartless bastard, you've been gone for a whole year! You haven't even written a single letter!"

"This is to give you a surprise."

Su Yao, holding the Empress in his arms, spun around once, then flashed forward, bringing her to Griffin's side amidst the gasps of the crowd:

"Look, my new pet—the resting sacred beast Griffin, which can soar through the nine heavens and travel a thousand miles a day."

Looking at the griffin's enormous body and lion-like face, Wan Nian almost forgot to breathe, tightly hugging Su Yao's waist: "A sacred beast that can travel a thousand miles a day?"

“That’s right.” Su Yao reached out and touched Griffin’s nose. “Thanks to it, I was able to fly back to Luoyang from Parthia in just over twenty days. I didn’t have time to send a message.”

"More than twenty days. From Parthia." The Empress's beautiful eyes widened, and she carefully touched Griffin's drooping wings with her jade finger. Suddenly, she turned her head sharply to look at Su Yao. "Flew back from Parthia? Doesn't that mean... the Tang King has already conquered Parthia?"

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials, who had been whispering amongst themselves, instantly fell silent, all eyes fixed on Su Yao. Wang Yun's hand, which was holding his official hat, abruptly stopped; Liu Yu's stroke of his beard froze in mid-air; even the usually composed Lu Zhi couldn't help but lean forward—what kind of power was the Parthian Empire? Back in the Han Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Wu, Zhang Qian's journey to the Western Regions took several years; now, the Tang Emperor had managed to conquer the Kushan Empire and then Parthia within a year—this was simply an unprecedented miracle!
“Even if it’s not right, it’s not far off.”

As he spoke, Su Yao put his arm around Wan Nian's waist and turned to face the assembled officials: "Several months ago, the Kushan Empire had just submitted when King Vologasis V of Parthia led an army of 10,000 to invade the borders of our vassal state and violate the sovereignty of our Great Han."

"Now, thanks to the valiant efforts of my soldiers, the invading enemy has been completely destroyed, and the Parthian king has been captured alive at the foot of Mulu. The eastern part of the Parthian Empire has been incorporated into the territory of our Great Han. This spring, I will march straight to their capital, Taisifeng, and wipe out the remaining bandits in one fell swoop!"

Su Yao's voice, like a booming bell, echoed before the silent palace gates, each word striking the hearts of everyone present and stirring up a storm of emotions.

"Captured alive...King Anxi?!"

"The entire east has been incorporated into our territory?!"

“Is this…is this true?!”

The officials were in an uproar, finding it hard to believe this outrageous battle report.

Then, Su Yao looked up at Griffin's back, clapped his hands, and saw Safia stick her head out. With a "whoosh," she pushed the Parthian King, who was stuffed with rags and tied up like a dumpling, off the table.

Woo! Woo!

The Parthian king stared in horror as the floor rapidly approached.

Just then, Su Yao leaped into the air, catching the falling King Anxi with a graceful "Monkey Scooping the Moon" maneuver. He then landed with a beautiful somersault, tossing the former King of Kings onto the marble floor in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate like a sack of potatoes. "Ugh! Ugh ugh ugh!" Vologasis V writhed on the ground, his eyes filled with humiliation and rage. His brocade robes were covered in dust, and his once majestic face was now twisted in agony; where was the last trace of his imperial authority?

Wang Yun gulped and asked, "This... this person is..."

“That’s right! This man is none other than King Logarsis V of Parthia.”

This scene completely ignited the atmosphere at the scene.

"It really is the King of Parthia!"

"My God! His Highness the King of Tang has actually captured the enemy monarch alive!"

Lu Zhi, Liu Yu, Yuan Shao, and the others were all dumbfounded.

After Su Yao brought maps and reopened the Silk Road, Kushan and Parthia were no longer unfamiliar capitals to the Han Dynasty.

In particular, the Parthian Empire had a long-standing custom of carving the king's portrait on coins, so after Su Yao pointed it out, they immediately confirmed the man's identity.

"Incredible, truly incredible!"

"What unparalleled martial arts skills!"

No one in the court could have imagined that Su Yao would be able to accomplish the great feat of defeating both the Kushan and Parthian Empires in just one year, and even capture the Parthian king and bring him to Luoyang.

Huangfu Song walked forward shakily, carefully examining the disheveled prisoner on the ground. Suddenly, tears streamed down his face: "This old minister, this old minister, has never been able to witness such a grand event in my lifetime! General, your achievement far surpasses that of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing in the past!"

Wang Yun was so excited that his beard trembled. He forgot to pursue the matter of Su Yao's disrespect in front of the palace and knelt down with a thud: "Heaven blesses the Han Dynasty! Your Majesty is wise! King Tang is mighty!"

This shout seemed to open a floodgate, and instantly everyone in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate knelt down, their cheers as loud as a mountain and as turbulent as a tsunami, resounding through the sky.
"May the Tang Emperor be mighty! May the Han Dynasty live ten thousand years!"

"Your Majesty is wise! Heaven blesses the Han Dynasty!"

Before the Vermilion Bird Gate, the thunderous cheers echoed for a long time. The Empress, nestled beside Su Yao, gazed at the subjugated enemy chieftain and the jubilant court, tears glistening in her eyes: "King Tang...you always manage to bring me, and the world, such great surprises."

"Your Majesty, His Highness Prince Tang has performed such an unparalleled feat, truly a blessing from Heaven upon our Great Han!" Lu Zhi was the first to react, and excitedly kowtowed. "Your subject requests that this be immediately proclaimed to the world, and that the captives be presented at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, to commemorate His Highness's achievement and demonstrate the might of our Great Han!"

"Granted!" The Empress took a deep breath to calm herself. "This matter will be handled immediately by Grand Tutor Lu and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. It must be done in a grand and solemn manner!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!" Lu Zhi and Liu Yu quickly accepted the order.

Just as the two were about to leave, Wan Nian took Su Yao's hand, preparing to arrange a welcome dinner for him, when Su Yao raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute, there is still someone I haven't introduced to everyone yet."

As soon as Su Yao finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Griffin's back.

The foreign girl, dressed in Han Chinese clothing, sat upright on the saddle, nervously gripping the griffin's reins, her large amber eyes blinking rapidly.

(End of this chapter)