Sure enough, before nightfall had even fully set in, the convoy passed through the capital’s gates, heading straight for the envoy’s residence!
Ziqing’s face was ashen, sitting in silence within the carriage. She didn’t need to think twice to know that Jun Beiyue still hadn’t returned—otherwise, word would already have reached her, and he’d have come to meet her.
He’d also gone to the Poison Den—his whereabouts known to no one—both for safety’s sake, and because the path he traveled was certainly not one an ordinary person would take. Finding him wouldn’t be easy at all.
Ziqing kept forcing herself to stay calm, trying to think through how to handle this.
If she couldn’t weather this crisis, then even having safely navigated the disaster at the hunting grounds would count for nothing.
After that one glare, Hongyi hadn’t dared speak another word the entire journey, watching her mistress timidly.
At last, the carriage slowly came to a stop, and Ziqing’s heart lurched along with it as she heard Situ Haonan’s voice from outside. “Ziqing, we’re here. Come on out!”
Along the way, Situ Haonan had racked his brain for solutions too, but with the enemy hidden in shadow while they remained exposed, no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t arrive at any clear answer!
All they could do was respond to whatever came, adapting on the fly.
Ziqing stepped out of the carriage to find the Empress of Eastern Qin, the Western Liang general, and Yelu Qianqian also disembarking. The envoy’s gates opened, with the beastfolk clan elders and the Second Beast Young Master coming forward to greet them.
“Everyone, regarding the incident at the hunting grounds… this old man offers his apologies on behalf of us all, and hopes—”
Before the beastfolk clan leader could finish speaking, a loud announcement suddenly rang out from not far away. “His Majesty the King has arrived!”
So soon!
Ziqing’s heart lurched, and she instinctively glanced at Situ Haonan, who happened to be looking back at her at the same moment, looking even more shocked than she was.
The Empress of Eastern Qin’s reach truly was extraordinary!
To have the Prince of Nanzhao arrive with such perfect timing!
Just then, Yingzi and Imperial Physician Gu emerged from the gate, their expressions clearly anxious. The Empress of Eastern Qin caught this at a glance, a smug smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
With Shiliang’s assurances and now the reactions of Jun Beiyue’s own two subordinates, she could be completely certain Jun Beiyue wasn’t currently in the capital, which meant she could fight this battle with everything she had.
And this time, she certainly wouldn’t rely on the Second Beast Young Master as her proxy—this battle, she would fight herself.
How could she not personally teach a lesson to the woman who had so thoroughly bewitched her own obedient, carefully groomed son?
The Prince of Nanzhao stepped down from his palanquin, surveying everyone present before finally settling his gaze on the Second Beast Young Master. Gone was the young man’s usual hot-tempered arrogance—without even waiting to be led inside, he immediately dropped to his knees right there. “Your Majesty, forgive me, forgive me!”
“Isn’t this humiliating enough already? Hurry and invite our distinguished guests inside to rest!” the Prince of Nanzhao said coldly, his gaze fixed on the beastfolk clan leader, who wished nothing more than to kick his own son clear across the courtyard, yet had no choice but to bow and usher the guests inside first.
Losing face in front of distinguished guests was one thing—losing face for the royal family right here at the front gate was another matter entirely!
Once inside, everyone gathered in the main hall. The Prince of Nanzhao and the Empress of Eastern Qin sat together in the seats of honor, while the Second Beast Young Master knelt in the center, and the beastfolk clan leader, not daring to sit, stood beside his son.
He had no idea how His Majesty had arrived so quickly—he’d only just sent someone to report the general situation, intending to give a full account in person once they’d returned!
Now, with the King arriving so suddenly, he had no idea how to shield his son at all!
The Prince of Nanzhao’s face was clouded with displeasure, and he said nothing until the maidservants had served tea. Only then did he look around at everyone, his gaze landing first on Baili Weisheng. “And this young master is…?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, this is Master Baili, the very man who saved the Princess Consort of Prince Yao—he serves as the beastfolk clan’s veterinary consultant!” the beastfolk clan leader answered hurriedly.
Baili Weisheng rose at once, bowing respectfully. “This humble commoner is Baili Weisheng, a native of Da Zhou. Greetings, Your Majesty, King of Nanzhao!”
His white robes were spotless, his bearing gracious and composed, an air of scholarly refinement radiating from him along with a certain natural, unaffected nobility—leaving an excellent impression on everyone.
The Prince of Nanzhao rose immediately. “Thanks to Master Baili’s efforts—otherwise, how could I have ever explained this to Prince Yao!”
At these words, Ziqing’s outwardly composed heart lurched violently, nearly leaping straight out of her chest.
So it had finally come to this—the question of Jun Beiyue. Could she still get away with saying “Prince Yao will explain this himself to the King” in front of this… King of Nanzhao?
“Indeed, indeed! Thanks entirely to Master Baili—otherwise, if anything had happened to the Princess Consort or Princess Qianqian, this old servant would deserve death ten thousand times over! Your Majesty!” the beastfolk clan leader exclaimed hurriedly.
This old clan leader, so preoccupied with pleading for forgiveness and secretly scheming how to protect his son, had momentarily forgotten that Jun Beiyue wasn’t even present.
The Empress of Eastern Qin, of course, would never be the one to bring it up herself—she was simply waiting, waiting for the Prince of Nanzhao to ask the question himself.
Sure enough, the moment the beastfolk clan leader’s words faded, the Prince of Nanzhao turned to Ziqing. “Having given the Princess Consort such a fright is truly a failure of Nanzhao’s hospitality!”
Ziqing smiled faintly. “It was simply a misunderstanding. Hunting always carries some risk—it can hardly be called anyone’s fault that I accidentally wounded Princess Qianqian, though it certainly caused a great deal of trouble.”
“I’ve long admired the Princess Consort’s skill in mounted archery,” the Prince of Nanzhao said, glancing around before finally asking about Jun Beiyue. “Princess Consort, where is Prince Yao? I’ve come today specifically to offer him my personal apology!”
To receive a personal apology from a sovereign ruler was an extraordinary honor—but it was also, in this case, an extraordinary danger!
For the Prince of Nanzhao to humble himself so, offering an apology in front of so many witnesses, was granting Jun Beiyue tremendous face. What excuse could Ziqing possibly offer now?
Even with some excuse to decline, Jun Beiyue would still have to personally come out to meet the Prince of Nanzhao himself!
What should she do?
Ziqing had no time to think it through further. She spoke up loudly at once. “Yingzi, where’s His Highness? Go ask Lord Bomiluo! When I left, didn’t he say he wasn’t feeling well and needed to rest?”
“Unwell? Has a physician been summoned?” the Prince of Nanzhao asked hurriedly.
Lord Bomiluo hurried forward, about to speak, when Yelu Qianqian suddenly cried out loudly, “Wait!”
Her tone was fierce, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
“King of Nanzhao, you… you…” Yelu Qianqian struggled for a long moment before finally spitting out, “You’re playing favorites! Only asking about Ziqing, not about me!”
She had no idea what was really going on, but she knew how deeply Jun Beiyue doted on Ziqing—if he’d been in the capital, he’d have come out long ago. That man must have slipped off somewhere in secret!
The whole hunting incident had been caused by her own doing—the least she could do was buy Ziqing some time!
Her tone was unmistakably that of someone picking a fight. The Prince of Nanzhao was immediately caught off guard, while Yelu Qianqian, looking thoroughly displeased, picked up her teacup and took her time sipping it deliberately slowly, knowing full well everyone was waiting for her to continue.
She had no idea how much time she could buy—but every bit counted.
After finishing what felt like an eternity of tea, she still hadn’t continued, picking up a second cup instead. The Prince of Nanzhao, after all, was a sovereign—if Yelu Qianqian had been a citizen of Nanzhao, she’d have been dragged out long ago, but as the princess of Western Jing, he couldn’t easily touch her, nor could he simply ignore her outburst.
Yelu Qianqian knew the Prince of Nanzhao wouldn’t dare quarrel with her directly, and was about to speak again when, to her surprise, the Prince of Nanzhao paid her no attention whatsoever, turning instead to Lord Bomiluo and asking seriously, “So you’re saying Prince Yao is inside his quarters right now?”