Nanzhao’s climate was hot and humid all year round. Even the women here couldn’t get away with keeping their jade arms covered even in the height of summer, the way women in the Central Plains did.

In Nanzhao, men wore vests, and it was common to see them bare-chested. The women’s clothing was similarly light and cool—mostly sleeveless, high-waisted, fitted long skirts, some in solid colors, others in colorful stripes as beautiful as a peacock’s tail.

At that moment, Ziqing stood before the mirror, examining herself. A fitted, high-waisted long skirt showed off her graceful figure to full effect, paired with a white sleeveless underlayer and a simple silver necklace. Her long hair was pinned up into a bun in the Nanzhao style, with a silver hairpin slanted through it. The whole look gave her a refreshing air, none of her usual coldness showing through. Amid her natural grace there was now a faint hint of the wholesome charm of a girl next door—both alluring and pure at once, in a way that stirred the heart while also making one afraid to look too closely, lest it seem improper.

Hongyi was stunned, hardly able to believe that the person in front of her was Princess Consort Yao.

This was the first time her mistress had dressed this way, and yet there was no sense of it being out of place—it looked entirely natural, as though she’d been born and raised right here in Nanzhao.

When it came to women’s clothes, some wore them beautifully, and some wore them with presence.

Those three princesses outside had only managed the former—pretty, certainly, but there was something faintly off about it, as if the clothes didn’t quite belong to them.

Her mistress, though, had achieved both beauty and presence. It looked as if the outfit had been tailored for her alone.

Hongyi suddenly felt she must have been blind just moments ago—true beauty was standing right in front of her.

“Mistress, go stand outside!”

“For what?”

Go out and outshine them, obviously. What else would it be for?

“Out there… out there… go see what a sorry state Young Master Situ is in!”

“When did he get back?”

“Just now! The moment he laid eyes on those three princesses, he was practically drooling!”

“Oh.”

Young Master Situ’s reputation as a womanizer was well known—what was there to be surprised about?

Ziqing gently ran her fingers over the fabric of her dress and walked over to the wardrobe on one side. These were clothes sent over by Lord Changming; whatever she wore during her stay in Nanzhao would have to be chosen from here.

This particular fabric was called ice silk, something only the Nanzhao royal family possessed—wearing it against the skin felt cool to the touch. This was the royal family’s way of showing hospitality, a sign of how much importance they placed on honored guests. These clothes were all reserved specifically for the royal household—only consorts and princesses got to wear fabric like this.

In other words, Ziqing had no other choice. She had to wear it.

At a glance, every single garment was a fitted long skirt, which meant her movements would be severely restricted. If some emergency arose, that would be a real problem. Was there any way to swap these clothes out for something else?

“Hongyi, is Lord Changming still around?” Ziqing asked.

“He’ll be coming by shortly to escort you into the palace for an audience with the King of Nanzhao,” Hongyi answered.

“Go bring Situ Haonan in here.” Ziqing said it flatly, leaning back lazily, one hand propping up her head, brows furrowed in thought.

Hongyi was about to leave when she looked up and saw that Situ Haonan had somehow, without anyone noticing, already seated himself on the threshold. His narrow eyes were lecherously slitted, fixed intently on Ziqing.

Even a three-year-old could have told from that dazed expression that this “big brother” had completely lost his soul to the person before him.

Hongyi was startled. Surely Young Master Situ wasn’t…

Ziqing, however, said coldly, “Situ Haonan, put away that filthy look of yours and come talk business.”

“Huh?”

Only then did Situ Haonan snap out of it, looking embarrassed. He put on an act, his expression stiff, and scoffed at Ziqing. “Save it. If I wanted to leer at someone, there are plenty of beauties out there to choose from.”

“Shut the door and come here.” Ziqing’s voice turned serious.

Situ Haonan hurried to comply. “What’s going on? Something big happen?”

Ziqing kept her voice low, getting straight to the point. “Find a way to buy off Lord Changming. As soon as possible.”

“You… that’s not going to be easy.” Situ Haonan hesitated. Nanzhao’s receiving minister wasn’t someone easily bribed—if word got out, it would cause a lot of trouble.

“Anyone can be bought if they’re a person at all. He’s bound to have some weakness. Bring something along and feel him out. There’s a lot we need his help with—we won’t get anywhere otherwise.” Ziqing said seriously.

“A weakness?” Situ Haonan rubbed his chin, mulling it over as he turned to leave. But right as he reached the doorway, he stopped short, suddenly remembering that he’d actually come here to ask about Situ Xin’er—he’d gotten distracted staring like an idiot and forgotten all about it!

He hurried back in, his expression serious. “Han Ziqing, tell me honestly—did Jun Beiyue lie to me?”

“Lie to you about what?” Ziqing didn’t understand.

“Don’t play dumb. If Xin’er really was taken by Yelu Qianqian, would Yelu Qianqian have just let me off like this after seeing me? She’d have shown up threatening me long ago!” Situ Haonan said angrily.

Only then did Ziqing understand. She didn’t even bother glancing at him again, saying coldly, “That’s not my business to manage. Go ask Jun Beiyue.”

“You—!” Situ Haonan was left speechless with frustration.

“If you won’t tell me, fine, I won’t go feel him out either!” Situ Haonan threatened.

Ziqing simply didn’t respond. She was about to leave when Guxi and Shiliang came rushing in, looking anxious.

“Mistress, there’s a serious problem with the route to Duku. It’s a real headache,” Guxi said earnestly. Dressed as a guard, the youth looked as refined and handsome as ever.

“Come inside.” Ziqing couldn’t get away just then, so the matter of Lord Changming would have to wait.

Situ Haonan pursed his lips and plopped himself down carelessly on the bamboo couch to wait. He’d treated Jun Beiyue with nothing but sincerity and loyalty—he never imagined that bastard would actually lie to him!

If he didn’t get to the bottom of this, how was he supposed to hold his head up going forward?

People—no matter who they were—really could be bought, so long as you knew their weak point and struck exactly there.

At that moment, Lord Changming was in Chu Feiyan’s pavilion.

“Lord Changming, this is one of Western Chu’s most closely guarded feed formulas. No matter how stubborn a horse is, the moment it catches the scent of this feed, it will never refuse to eat! It’s guaranteed to fatten your horses up nicely—His Majesty is sure to love it!”

Chu Feiyan smiled brilliantly, presenting a sealed letter with both hands.

Lord Changming hesitated only a moment before hurriedly taking it and tucking it into his sleeve, then said, quite directly, “Princess Imperial, as long as it doesn’t harm Nanzhao’s interests, you may command me as you wish.”

“Lord Changming worries too much. Even if I had the guts to eat a bear’s heart and a leopard’s gall, I still wouldn’t dare do anything to harm Nanzhao. Actually, there’s something I wanted to bring up—I’ve been worried about Nanzhao’s interests myself,” Chu Feiyan said earnestly.

Lord Changming grew suspicious and leaned in closer. “Please, Princess Imperial, speak.”

Chu Feiyan talked for quite a while—it wasn’t clear exactly what she said—but Lord Changming’s expression grew darker and darker by the moment.

“Lord Changming, this matter is of great importance. I’ve only heard rumors myself and can’t confirm them, but I felt I had to remind you to be extremely careful.”

“Rest assured, Princess Imperial, I will absolutely keep this quiet until it’s been verified. I will proceed with the utmost caution. Thank you for the warning, Princess Imperial!”

“I know her quite well myself. If Lord Changming needs any help at all, feel free to come find me.”

“I will, I will, without fail!”

Lord Changming took his leave in visible distress, nearly tripping over the threshold on his way out—a clear sign of just how serious the matter was.

The moment the door shut, Chu Feiyan’s face immediately broke into a sinister, cold smile. Never mind Lord Changming—even she herself had been shocked the first time she’d heard about that matter.

The intelligence provided by Consort Yi of Da Zhou truly was full of surprises.

……