In the crowd, only Qi Yun suddenly stood up, staring at the beauty with bright eyes.
But at this moment, everyone was overwhelmed by the beauty’s radiant appearance, their hearts in chaos, so no one paid attention.
The Grand Secretary of Zhongji Hall said with difficulty: “This…”
An official had a flash of inspiration and loudly declared: “Has Your Majesty already chosen this beauty? If so, please have the Imperial Consort issue an edict to select her as a consort and bring her into the palace!”
The beauty suddenly laughed with a “puff.”
When she laughed, divine light truly seemed to scatter and merge. She covered her lips with her sleeve, revealing only her eyes sparkling with alluring charm.
Most of the ministers were completely entranced.
But she laughed harder and harder, her laughter making flowers sway, laughing until she bent over.
The Imperial Consort, who had been staring at her, suddenly changed expression.
She angrily said: “Mu…”
At the same time, the beauty finally stopped, wiping away tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, and said: “What, have all the women in Da Feng died out? Making me marry myself?”
Ministers: “!!!”
Noble ladies: “!!!???”
Murong Yi looked down at the ministers and said flatly: “Don’t say I refuse to fill the rear palace. I have only this one requirement—select empresses and consorts more beautiful than me.”
Ministers: “…”
“If the selected empresses and consorts aren’t even as beautiful as me, is there any precedent for wronging a nation’s ruler like this?”
Ministers: “…”
Murong Yi slowly rolled up his sleeves, turned around, and facing the stunned noble ladies in the water pavilion, slowly said: “I’ll also give you all a chance. Anyone who thinks she’s more beautiful than me, step forward, and I’ll immediately grant you the title of consort.”
Noble ladies: “…”
Then they all stepped back in unison.
Then the only one who didn’t step back was pushed forward.
Qi Yun.
Murong Yi raised an eyebrow.
He looked Qi Yun up and down. His gaze was like hooks, bewitching and sharp—most people couldn’t withstand it.
Qi Yun actually withstood it, looking at Murong Yi with fervent and focused eyes.
Murong Yi suddenly found this somewhat interesting, because he felt this woman’s gaze, though also amazed, contained more satisfaction and joy.
He said: “What, you’re that confident?”
Only then did Qi Yun come to her senses. She stepped back and said neither humbly nor arrogantly: “This subject’s daughter was merely amazed by Your Majesty’s beauty and had no intention of competing in beauty.”
Murong Yi said: “Having no intention to compete doesn’t mean not daring to compete, so you’re still quite confident.”
Qi Yun said: “Your Majesty, beauty in this world comes in all forms, each appealing to different eyes. What one considers ugly might be beautiful to another, and vice versa. Therefore, this subject’s daughter believes there’s no definitive judgment on who is beautiful or ugly.”
“I must refute that,” Murong Yi smiled. “Ordinary beauty is indeed difficult to compare, but truly extraordinary, transcendent beauty can still be universally recognized by people of different races and regions.”
Qi Yun thought seriously for a moment and nodded: “Your Majesty speaks reasonably. Your Majesty’s beauty is indeed transcendent and unparalleled in the world.”
Murong Yi shook his head: “That’s not entirely true either.”
Qi Yun asked curiously: “There are people in the world more beautiful than Your Majesty?”
Murong Yi’s expression instantly became distant: “You’re not worthy to ask.”
Qi Yun didn’t get angry and calmly said: “Yes.”
The two actually began conversing like this, making the other ladies both envious and jealous. The Imperial Consort’s eyes flickered, while hope appeared in the ministers’ eyes.
Originally, the Emperor appearing in women’s clothing and outshining all the ladies had left them in despair. But unexpectedly, Qi Yun had emerged, allowing His Majesty, who usually showed no kindness to women, to actually chat with her. They immediately felt there was still hope.
But Qi Yun didn’t seem eager to curry favor. After a few exchanges, she said no more.
It was Murong Yi who looked at her again before saying: “Since no one steps forward, let’s dismiss. When you find someone more beautiful than me, notify me to marry.”
The ministers had no choice but to reluctantly rise and depart with their embarrassed female relatives.
Qi Yun followed behind her father, walking at the rear. As they were about to leave the Imperial Garden, she looked back.
His Majesty was standing by the railing, bending to pick a lotus flower. That rosy lotus spun between his fingers as his snow-white fingers slowly broke the stem.
Her father gently urged beside her: “Let’s go, Ah Yun. Someone like His Majesty… it’s better not to marry.”
His voice was very soft, not daring to let the palace people hear.
Qi Yun turned and said seriously to her father: “His Majesty is very good.”
The General Secretary knew his daughter’s stubborn temperament and didn’t argue with her, saying helplessly: “Yes, yes, very good. It’s just a pity he didn’t take a liking to you, otherwise if you liked him and he didn’t mind, it wouldn’t be impossible to enter the palace.”
Qi Yun shook her head: “He won’t take a liking to anyone.”
“That’s natural, with his appearance…” The General Secretary shook his head, thinking about how he’d always heard that His Majesty had been raised in women’s clothing by Imperial Consort Bao as a child, making the late emperor and all the princes think he was a sister. Later, when his true gender was revealed upon reaching adulthood, he lost the late emperor’s favor and even caused many incidents. With such an unpleasant experience, any normal man would never be willing to dress as a woman again in his lifetime. Yet this one truly had no taboos and was always unconventional.
A man who, when dressed as a woman, was more beautiful and feminine than women, yet when restored to his male form, had no feminine qualities whatsoever.
Truly an anomaly.
Qi Yun still shook her head.
This had nothing to do with appearance.
At this moment, father and daughter were passing a corner, with flowers and trees behind them and no one around.
A figure swept by, and the General Secretary silently collapsed, caught by someone.
Qi Yun quickly covered her mouth, neither screaming nor looking at her father, but stepped back while her other hand reached behind her to feel for any branches or broken bricks.
Her shoulder was then pressed by someone, and a somewhat familiar voice said behind her: “Miss Qi, please come with us.”
Half a quarter-hour later, Qi Yun stood before Chenglong Hall, slightly raising her head to gaze at this imperial sleeping palace.
Zhao San said behind her: “Please be assured, Miss Qi. We’ll arrange for your father to be sent back. His Majesty awaits you in the hall.”
Qi Yun ascended the steps.
Murong Yi had already removed his women’s clothing and changed back to his previous plain gauze white robe, sitting cross-legged on the couch with the robe’s corners trailing long to the floor.
When Qi Yun entered, he didn’t open his eyes but went straight to the point: “Do you want to be my empress?”
Qi Yun thought for a while and answered: “Your Majesty, I don’t want to.”
Murong Yi opened his eyes with a playful expression: “Is that so?”
Qi Yun didn’t answer this question but said: “When this subject’s daughter came over, I saw ministers passing by. Later, will there be rumors in and outside the palace that this subject’s daughter has caught Your Majesty’s eye?”
Amusement appeared in Murong Yi’s eyes: “What, you don’t like that?”
Qi Yun said: “Everything stems from Your Majesty’s arrangement. Whether this subject’s daughter likes it or not doesn’t seem important.”
“You’re very clever,” Murong Yi said. “So I called you back to ask you a question.”
Qi Yun quietly looked at Murong Yi.
“I want to ask if you’re willing to have a romantic rumor spread about us.”
Qi Yun showed a confused expression.
Murong Yi said to himself: “Indeed, her words are interesting. No one understands them.”
His expression was quite pleased.
Seeing that he didn’t intend to explain to her, Qi Yun thought for a moment: “Do you mean there will be rumors but no follow-up?”
Murong Yi nodded: “First, to help me deflect attention and toy with those old fools, shutting their incessant mouths; second…”
He didn’t say what the second reason was, only smiled.
Qi Yun, thinking her father was also among those old fools, felt somewhat complicated.
As for the second reason, she felt she could vaguely guess.
What could provoke a lover more and elicit the desired reaction better than rumors of romantic involvement?
“Mu Si said this would harm your reputation,” Murong Yi said. “I will compensate you. Afterward, I’ll make you my sworn sister, grant you the title of princess, and fulfill one wish of yours.”
Qi Yun was silent for a while, then curtsied: “This subject’s daughter thanks Your Majesty for your grace, but as for the honor of princess, this subject’s daughter dares not aspire to it.”
Murong Yi didn’t mind and nodded. Looking at her once, he suddenly smiled playfully: “It seems you truly have no interest in me.”
Qi Yun was silent again. This time she raised her head and looked directly into Murong Yi’s eyes: “No, Your Majesty. This subject’s daughter loves and admires you.”
Murong Yi tilted his head slightly, rarely showing surprise.
“This subject’s daughter has loved and admired you for a long time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have asked my father, who originally didn’t want me to enter the palace, to submit my name for this selection.”
“Oh? A long time ago? I believed you before, but this statement gives you away,” Murong Yi closed his eyes and shook his head. “Before this year, I rarely appeared in Ruzhou, and even during my days in Ruzhou, I lived reclusively and was unknown. How did you know of me, understand me, and come to love and admire me?”
Qi Yun said quietly: “The Embroidered Guards.”
Murong Yi’s eyes flew open.
His gaze was like a sword, making Qi Yun tremble slightly and step back, though she showed no fear.
“Please don’t misunderstand, Your Majesty… This subject’s daughter’s family has no connection to the Embroidered Guards, otherwise I couldn’t be standing here safely now. It’s just that years ago, by chance, I saved an Embroidered Guard. He was just an insignificant junior officer among them. Later, I helped him several times, and after we gradually became acquainted, he would tell me some harmless secrets about the palace and ministers, and speak of affairs among the Embroidered Guards’ higher ranks.”
“From his accounts, I learned about the Eighteenth Prince’s childhood and how the Chief of Embroidered Guards rose from nothing to gain royal favor and intimidate all officials.”
“But this person later disappeared without a trace. Before disappearing, he had said some strange things to me. Later you returned. Before your return, you forced the late emperor to kill the Chief of Embroidered Guards and disband the organization.”
“This was unreasonable. You’re not a benevolent emperor who grieves for others. The Embroidered Guards were such a useful bloody blade—you had no reason to destroy them unless they had betrayed you.”
“From then on, I compared what that Embroidered Guard officer had said with their behavior patterns over the years. Then I guessed that you were the original Chief of Embroidered Guards, that you were betrayed, and then you personally executed the organization you had built.”
“During this process of comparison, Your Majesty, I fell in love with you.”
“In those past events, I saw such a youth—born beautiful yet persecuted for his beauty. Used by his mother as a tool for favor yet rejected by his father-king because of it. He had seventeen elder brothers yet none treated him as a brother. He suffered all manner of humiliation yet grew strong through hardship and suffering.”
“Such a person—the more one explores, the more perplexing; the more perplexing, the more irresistibly captivating.”
“Your Majesty, long before you knew of me, I had already fallen in love with you.”
Murong Yi remained silent throughout.
When Qi Yun spoke of his upbringing, he didn’t move, his countenance clear and cold as ice.
Zhao San at the side felt his heart in his throat.
Murong Yi was becoming increasingly unpredictable lately. This girl was too bold, rashly bringing up those old matters—who knew what might happen next.
But Qi Yun seemed oblivious to possible consequences. From childhood, she had been “open-hearted and sincere, hiding nothing.” She believed “clever deception is inferior to clumsy honesty,” speaking frankly without considering what the emperor opposite might think.
After a long while, Murong Yi slowly said: “Since you’ve loved and admired me for so long, why did you say you were unwilling when I asked if you wanted to be empress? Playing hard to get?”
The last four words were said with a laugh, but Zhao San immediately broke out in cold sweat.
Qi Yun was obviously insensitive to danger and seriously answered: “Because of ‘The Chronicles of Compassionate Heart.'”
Murong Yi’s eyes flashed as he looked up sharply.
It had been long since he’d heard this book title. In Da Feng, no one read this book, yet few knew that the emperor’s bookshelf contained an entire wall of “The Chronicles of Compassionate Heart.”
His gaze carried killing intent as he looked over.
Yet he smiled and asked: “You also love reading ‘The Chronicles of Compassionate Heart’?”
Qi Yun shook her head.
“‘The Chronicles of Compassionate Heart’ is required reading for ladies in Da Qian. But in our Da Feng, such volumes praising enemy rulers are all banned books.”
“I only obtained a copy by chance.”
“If exploring Your Majesty’s life made me fall in love with you, then this book made me admire Your Majesty even more.”
This surprised Murong Yi again as he looked up, wondering how this girl’s every statement was so unexpected.
How could a miscellaneous book writing about Tie Ci’s great achievements and his love story with her make someone who admired him love him more?
“Because in it, I saw Your Majesty’s deep affection and persistence; saw the ultimate trust between Da Qian’s Crown Princess and Your Majesty; saw how someone who had suffered humiliation since childhood and treated the world with a cold heart could entrust heart and life to Da Qian’s Crown Princess; saw how such a person, who must have many aspects unacceptable to the world, was still discovered, cherished, and then loved and pampered with someone’s entire strength.”
“I saw the world’s most beautiful love.”
“I don’t know what happened in Da Qian then. Rumors say Your Majesty and Da Qian’s Female Emperor had a falling out, but I think even if they did fall out, this relationship must be unforgettable and impossible to erase. Today, at the lotus appreciation banquet, Your Majesty’s actions also confirmed my thoughts.”
“If so, what hope could I, a latecomer, have to compete with such an unforgettable love?”
“Why should I waste my lifetime fighting a shadow that cannot be erased, torn away, or driven off?”
…