“Raise your head and let this prince have a look at you.”
The moment Jun Beiyue spoke, the murmuring around them ceased instantly. Prime Minister Han glanced over nervously, seeing those deep, sharp eyes utterly devoid of warmth, truly unable to fathom what was going through his mind at this moment.
Prime Minister Han couldn’t help but feel a chill of fear. Ever since the Nation’s Beauty incident, Prince Yao had shown no reaction whatsoever—surely he wasn’t about to bring it up now, of all times!
Ziqing raised her head slightly, her composed eyes not quite meeting Jun Beiyue’s directly, remaining silent and demure, an inexplicable sense of foreboding washing over her—this man was best left undisturbed.
In the silence, Jun Beiyue descended the steps one by one, walking directly toward Ziqing.
Ziqing’s heart couldn’t help but pound faster, and she instinctively lowered her head again. She was merely a concubine’s daughter—what could this exalted prince possibly want from her?
Unexpectedly, he stopped before her, and suddenly lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes directly.
Those dark eyes were cold as a pool of frigid spring water, the kind that once one fell into, there was no escaping—deep as a bottomless abyss, and once one’s gaze met his, it became unwilling to look away, drawn instead into an unconscious, reverent, respectful stare.
Ziqing, too, found herself unwittingly drawn in, and the two of them locked eyes, oblivious to everything else around them.
At once, gasps of astonishment rippled through the crowd behind them—what could Prince Yao possibly mean by this?
He suddenly released her, saying flatly, “Han Ziqing… recite a poem in praise of chrysanthemums for this prince to hear.”
Immediately, the murmuring behind them grew even louder, and even Prime Minister Han could barely keep his footing.
An ode to chrysanthemums!
This was precisely the topic that had just been given in the “literary examination” portion of the selection in the main hall!
The consort selection in Da Zhou had always been divided into a “literary examination” and a “martial examination.” The literary examination encompassed poetry, verse, music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—Da Zhou’s culture being an enlightened one, even matters of state policy could be freely discussed and debated. The “martial examination,” meanwhile, tested proficiency across the eighteen traditional martial arts.
Was Prince Yao testing Han Ziqing with the very same question from the selection on a mere whim, or did he intend to treat her as one of the candidates for selection?
Prince Yao was never one to act on a whim where women were concerned—yet the idea of treating Han Ziqing as a candidate was even more inconceivable!
Yet, just as everyone stood in astonishment, Ziqing avoided his gaze, bowed slightly, and said flatly, “Your Highness, this humble woman cannot.”
She couldn’t?
The moment these words left her mouth, everyone gasped in shock—did Han Ziqing have any idea what kind of opportunity stood before her? To dismiss Prince Yao so casually with merely two words, “I cannot”! How many women in this world lay awake at night, scheming endlessly, just to catch even a moment of Prince Yao’s attention!
And here she was, refusing without the slightest hesitation.
Jun Beiyue’s brow furrowed sharply. Prime Minister Han hastily explained, “Your Highness, Ziqing… she knows her literary talents cannot compare to the other young ladies here, and that is why she answered so. Please do not be angered, Your Highness.”
“Heh, Prime Minister Han, your precious daughter is truly modest!”
“Modesty depends on the occasion, doesn’t it? To have Your Highness show such rare interest, and to be so lacking in tact in response.”
“Concubine-born or not, she is still a daughter of the Prime Minister’s household—to be so ignorant of proper etiquette! Is she truly incapable, or simply unwilling?”
…
Mockery and reproach erupted at once, all of it a slap to the face of the Han household. Prime Minister Han shot Ziqing several furious glares—what was this wretched girl good for besides causing trouble? Did she not realize that if Prince Yao’s displeasure fell upon her, it could easily extend to her sister Xi’er as well!
Seeing Prince Yao’s brow remained tightly knit, he hastily offered apologies. “My young daughter is still inexperienced and unfamiliar with proper etiquette—this is entirely this old official’s failure in raising her! I beg Your Highness to show some mercy, and forgive her disrespect.”
Finally, Jun Beiyue spoke again, “Of the eighteen martial arts, which do you know?”
This—wasn’t this precisely the topic from the “martial examination” portion of the selection that had just concluded? Prime Minister Han nearly stumbled where he stood, and the assembled officials were all left dumbstruck—literary examination followed by martial examination, Prince Yao’s intent could not have been more obvious.
Yet, unexpectedly, Ziqing spoke again, calm and demure, yet still the very same words, “Your Highness, this humble woman cannot.”