The lights before her suddenly blazed brighter. The chime bells rang continuously, dancers with flowing sleeves and slender waists swayed, golden powder and fragrant incense floated in the air, and the mellow wine emitted an enticing aroma, like cannabis—just one breath made one eager to gulp it down.
Chu Qiao followed behind Li Ce, walking through the main entrance of Purple Cloud Palace. Immediately, enormous bell sounds rang out. Beneath the glazed red tiles were dazzling gold-plated jade pillars, carved with scenes of dragons and phoenixes presenting auspicious signs and qilins playing with pearls. On both sides of the great hall stood two rows of massive golden candles. The red candles, twice the height of a person and brushed with gold powder, were uniformly carved with auspicious phrases about the eternal stability of the nation. At the end of her line of sight was a golden throne. Below it were eighty seats on both sides, all filled with people now. The originally lively atmosphere suddenly grew cold when Li Ce’s group entered. All eyes instantly converged on them—some admiring, some amazed, some speculating, some puzzled, but more with inexplicable hostility and endless conjecture.
This was the noblest place under heaven—jade food, precious wine, brocade clothes, and luxurious splendor. How many people spent their entire lives trying to climb in, even if just to glimpse it from afar? But at this moment, Chu Qiao felt an indescribable pressure bearing down on her, arriving together with the room’s perfumed air, making it difficult to breathe.
“The Crown Prince is late; you must be penalized with two cups of wine later,” said Wei Guang with a smiling face, though his nephew had just died. His complexion was ruddy, showing no signs of decline.
Li Ce laughed heartily and strode forward. “Fine! I just fear that Lord Wei will run away again in the middle of drinking, just like last time.”
Wei Guang laughed freely and said, “I’m old now, unlike the Crown Prince who is in his prime. As for running away—well, that’s unavoidable.”
Everyone laughed loudly at his words. The Emperor and Empress had not yet arrived, so the atmosphere was inevitably more relaxed. Chu Qiao glanced around and saw that the position once occupied by the Mu He clan was now taken by the Wei family. Even beside the throne, two seats had been set up today, facing each other, with no distinction of rank. Clearly, besides Empress Mu He Na Yun, Wei’s Concubine Shu will also be attending today.
“Oh? Who is this beautiful lady? She looks somewhat familiar.”
The crowd immediately cursed inwardly. Over the past few days, this Crown Prince Li Ce’s catchphrase never seemed to change. It was as if he found all beautiful women in the world familiar—truly maintaining his flirtatious nature regardless of occasion or place.
Wei Guang laughed heartily and stood up. Beside him, a young woman in pink clothing rose gracefully. Her face was like a spring peach, her eyes like autumn waters, her body like a delicate willow, her spirit like a secluded orchid—truly a peerless beauty of heavenly fragrance and national color.
“Hehe, this is my daughter Su Mei. Your Highness flatters her.”
“Not at all! Lady Su Mei has the bearing of a heavenly immortal. Lord Wei, have you kept her secluded in your inner chambers for many years, unwilling to let others see her? This prince is truly fortunate today.”
Listening to Wei Guang and Li Ce’s back-and-forth, people immediately realized that the Wei family had just overthrown the Mu He clan, but the calculating Wei Guang was not satisfied with this. In the past, the Mu He clan had also wielded great power, with Mu He Na Yun being the current Empress. Yet at their downfall, they still suffered destruction with no chance to counterattack. With Wei Guang’s move today, could he be competing with the Emperor of Xia for this Bian Tang son-in-law to gain leverage for himself?
Zhao Qi stood to the side, once again shocked by his maternal clan’s powerful influence. Wei Guang might not be as aggressive and overbearing as Mu He Yun Ting, but his courage, intellect, schemes, and ambition were certainly no less. Even if someday he could ascend to the imperial throne, what would await him? A manipulated puppet or a powerless figurehead? Zhao Qi took a deep breath; he had to reconsider this issue once more.
Just then, Li Ce suddenly seemed to remember something. With a slap to his forehead, he ran back to the hall entrance and grabbed the young woman who had been standing at the door since entering. He said hurriedly, “Look at my memory! I forgot to introduce Qiao Qiao to you.”
Saying this, he directly pulled Chu Qiao’s hand and walked to the front of everyone.
Wei Guang frowned slightly and looked toward Zhao Qi as if wanting to learn about this woman’s identity from him. However, Zhao Qi was distracted, staring blankly at the throne, not looking over.
Despite Wei Guang’s calculating nature, he hadn’t paid meticulous attention to a lowly female slave. Although he had encountered her once at the hunting grounds, his memory of her wasn’t deep. In his eyes, the real enemies were the Mu He clan, the royal Zhao family, the Zhuge clan, the Meng clan, other powerful families, and the four regional kings of different surnames. Yan Xun, as a fallen Young Master who could die at any moment in their eyes, no longer posed any threat.
“Crown Prince, who is this?”
“This is Qiao Qiao,” Li Ce blinked his slender phoenix eyes and said with a smile, “She is this prince’s future wife. I am going to marry her.”
A stone stirred a thousand waves. Low exclamations of surprise immediately rose among the crowd. Chu Qiao’s attire and appearance made it obvious at a glance that she was not from a noble family. Faced with Li Ce’s bold, crazy statement, for a moment, even someone as experienced as Wei Guang was stunned.
“Is the Crown Prince joking?”
After calming down for a moment, Wei Guang finally managed to say this complete sentence. Li Ce replied seriously, “How could I joke about such a major matter as marriage? I came today hoping that His Majesty the Emperor would bestow Qiao Qiao upon me.”
Today, Li Ce was dressed in fine clothes. Although his eye socket still looked slightly blue, the swelling had gone down; no longer sporting a colorful face, he had regained his former spirit and confidence. The young man smiled brightly, and with his noble status, all the unmarried young ladies in attendance stared intently at him. How could they accept the sudden appearance of this commoner woman? How should they behave?
“Oh, so that’s it.” Wei Su Mei, who had been standing to the side with a sweet smile, walked forward gracefully, took Chu Qiao’s hand, and said with a smile, “I don’t know the sister’s surname. To have gained the Crown Prince’s favor, I must congratulate you.”
She was a year or two older than Chu Qiao, yet addressed her as “sister” repeatedly in a sticky way. Chu Qiao’s expression was cold as she withdrew her hand inconspicuously and said in a deep voice, “My surname is Chu.”
“Oh? The Chu family from Yunnan?”
“No.”
“Then, the Chu family from Peng Gui? What relation is Master Chang Lü to you?”
“I don’t know him. I am just a commoner. Not long ago, I was freed from slavery by His Majesty’s word. Before that, I was a servant in Young Master Yan Xun’s household.”
As soon as the words fell, a huge gasping sound suddenly rang out. Small buzzing sounds filled the ears. Li Ce turned his head to look at Chu Qiao, only to see the woman looking at him without fear, even with a hint of provocation.
The calculating Wei Guang looked at Chu Qiao, then turned to look at Li Ce, and instantly understood the whole situation. The old man smiled faintly, pulled Su Mei back slowly, bowed with clasped hands, and said, “Crown Prince is unrestrained, always capable of doing what others cannot, giving people surprises. With the Crown Prince in this world, life truly has many more pleasures. This old man wishes the Crown Prince success in fulfilling his desires.”
Li Ce smiled and said, “Thank you for Lord Wei’s good wishes.”
“When did she say she would marry you? This prince wasn’t aware!”
“Prince of Lu Jiang arrives!”
The elongated announcement immediately rang out. Zhao Song, dressed in a pine-green brocade robe, walked in from outside while removing the cape from his neck and throwing it to the attendant behind him. He looked hurried, bringing a rush of cold air with him.
Zhao Qi was startled and quickly stepped forward, intending to stop Zhao Song’s next words. But Zhao Song raised his hand to block Zhao Qi and said in a deep voice, “I’ve long heard that the Crown Prince of Bian Tang is unrestrained and acts recklessly. Today, this prince truly has his eyes opened.”
“Thirteenth brother! Don’t be disrespectful!”
Zhao Qi hurriedly reprimanded in a low voice. The royal relatives and nobles on both sides now had their eyes wide open, waiting to watch the spectacle. For a moment, the great hall with over a hundred people was completely silent, all looking eagerly in this direction.
Zhao Song stood in front of Li Ce, his gaze swept over Chu Qiao, and then returned to Li Ce. He slowly moved his head closer, near Li Ce’s ear, and said in a lowered voice, “Whatever you’re trying to do, don’t use her.”
Li Ce’s eyes crinkled in a smile as he leaned close to Zhao Song’s ear and laughed softly, “How could I bear to? I can’t wait to cherish her.”
Zhao Song’s eyes widened. Just as he was about to speak, the imperial bell suddenly rang out. Amid the rumbling sounds of bells and drums, the ruler of Da Xia finally arrived.
During the confrontation between Zhao Song and Li Ce, Yan Xun had also quietly taken his seat, his expression normal, as if his emotions hadn’t rippled at all.
“We pay respects to the Emperor! May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of ten thousand years!”
Resounding voices rose in the great hall. Under the bright yellow robes, the Emperor of Xia had a kind expression. He smiled faintly and waved his hand, saying, “Let all ministers rise.”
After a few pleasantries, the grand banquet officially began. Strings and bamboo music started, and dancers performed enchantingly. The Emperor smiled kindly as he asked Li Ce with concern, “Crown Prince, have you been comfortable these past days?”
Chu Qiao raised her head and looked at the dazzling throne. This was her first time seeing the Emperor’s true face. His appearance was quite ordinary; his features could only be described as proper, definitely not qualifying as handsome. His eyes were not large but narrow like a cat napping. His nose bridge was not high and had several millet-sized spots. He was very thin, and his temples were slightly graying. If not for the clothes he wore, he would be no different from an ordinary old man.
But it was precisely because he was too ordinary that it startled her. Thinking about it, an emperor who had been in power for decades, above millions of people, wielding worldly authority—yet still maintaining such a calm, ordinary demeanor after so many years—should one say he was naturally mediocre and inconspicuous? Or that his ability to conceal had reached a state of perfection?
Chu Qiao knew, just from seeing his methods in destroying Yan Bei and executing the Mu He clan, that he was not an ordinary person. The specific reason was obvious.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern. Li Ce has been very well, even better than at home. I almost don’t want to leave.”
“Hehe,” the Emperor chuckled, his smile very peaceful. He shook his head and said, “That won’t do. If you don’t return, won’t the King of Tang come after me?”
Hearing this, everyone laughed heartily, extremely flattering. The entire hall was jubilant, except for the expressionless Mu He Na Yun.
In just one month’s absence, Mu He Na Yun seemed to have aged twenty years. Her hair was completely white, difficult to conceal even with heavy makeup. Compared to Concubine Shu on the other side of the Emperor, her aging was even more obvious.
“Your Majesty,” Wei Guang stood up with a beaming smile and said, “Just now, Crown Prince Li Ce told this old minister that he wants to marry Miss Chu.”
As soon as the words fell, the elaborately dressed princesses immediately changed their expressions, looking at Chu Qiao in unison, their gazes as sharp as knives, filled with enormous shock and hostility. If today, in front of the most noble princesses of Da Xia, Li Ce took back a lowly servant as his wife, then Da Xia would surely become the laughingstock of the world. How could these heaven-favored ladies face themselves?
Unexpectedly, the Emperor smiled slightly, not minding at all, and said lightly, “For a great man to have three wives and four concubines is normal, let alone for the Crown Prince of Bian Tang. Lord Wei need not worry too much. The marriage alliance between our two countries is a grand event for the ages. I believe the Crown Prince will not disappoint me and the King of Tang.”
Li Ce’s expression darkened. Just as he was about to speak, Concubine Shu suddenly said first, “Your Majesty is right. This grand alliance must proceed. Lord Wei need not worry.”
Wei Guang was startled upon hearing this, and then slowly sat down. After all, Concubine Shu’s one sentence was already very clear in its reminder.
“Your Majesty is mistaken,” Li Ce hesitated briefly, then suddenly smiled and said, “This prince is not taking a concubine, but a wife. In royal terms, Li Ce wants to take a principal consort.”
“What did you say?”
The Emperor’s voice suddenly became deep. He slowly looked at Li Ce, his gaze passing over his many daughters, and said in a low voice, “Has Crown Prince Li made up his mind?”
“Yes,” Li Ce smiled faintly and nodded. “My mind is made up.”
“Good,” the Emperor nodded, suddenly raised his sword-like eyebrows, and called coldly, “Guards! Take this bewitching woman away, cut off both her hands, and see if she dares to bewitch others again!”
“Yes!” Burly soldiers immediately rushed into the great hall, grabbed the woman’s arms, and pulled her out.
Li Ce hurriedly blocked them and said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty, what are you doing?”
“She is just a lowly servant who first offended you and later seduced and enticed you. If she is not severely punished, what are the laws of my Da Xia? How can I face your father?”
Li Ce explained, “My wanting to marry her is my business and has nothing to do with her. How can Your Majesty cut off the hands of the one I cherish?”
The Emperor said coldly, “She is a citizen of Da Xia first, and your beloved second. Crown Prince of Tang, are you trying to interfere in our internal affairs?”
Li Ce was stunned and immediately had no words. The guards rushed forward. Chu Qiao frowned, not expecting the situation to change so rapidly. Her gaze anxiously searched the hall for Yan Xun’s figure, but she only saw his calm expression, unperturbed, as if he hadn’t noticed anything. Only his finger holding the wine cup lightly tapped on the table twice, then curled up, remaining motionless.
“Father!” Zhao Song suddenly stood up and shouted, “This is unfair!”
But before he could continue, the Emperor suddenly laughed coldly, “A mere slave who not only attracts the favor of a foreign crown prince but even makes my son defy me for her sake—if not a calamitous beauty, then what? No need to cut her hands, just behead her directly as a warning to others!”
“Father!” Zhao Song was furious. Zhao Qi stepped forward and stopped him, saying in a deep voice, “Thirteenth brother, be quiet. Do you want her to die by lingchi?”
“Take her away!”
The soldiers immediately stepped forward. Li Ce sighed a few times but didn’t plead for her. Chu Qiao remained calm, not afraid at all. Seeing Yan Xun’s hand gesture, she immediately abandoned the idea of rebutting. She obediently let the soldiers pull her out of the hall. Just as she was about to leave, a tall figure suddenly blocked her path. The man wore a deep purple robe and a golden crown. He grabbed the woman’s arm, stepped forward, and said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty if this person must be executed, could you bestow her upon this minister?”
Seeing the newcomer, Yan Xun’s expression finally changed. He immediately stood up from his seat, but by now, no one was paying attention to his actions.
The Emperor slightly raised his eyebrows, looked at the man, and said slowly, “You know her too?”
“Yes,” Zhuge Yue nodded slowly, turned to look at the young woman, and said in a deep voice, “I know her.”