The officials on both sides stared in amazement at the two stunning beauties who walked in, unconsciously swallowing hard. The sight was truly like the sun and moon shining together – whichever one they looked at was radiant and bewitchingly alluring. Never in their lives had they seen such beauty, and now two such beauties appeared at once. Some of the simpler-minded military officers even looked at the King with undisguised envy.
“This servant Zhenqu Youjia pays respects to Your Majesty. May your reign last for thousands of years, with all corners of the world paying tribute!” Youjia spoke first, her graceful demeanor and blooming charm instantly eclipsing the impression left by the previous beauties and princesses. The onlookers couldn’t hide their admiration, immediately feeling that this beauty would surely dominate the palace and be showered with royal favor.
“This servant has brought Zhenqu’s national treasure, the Liuli Jade Cup Eternal Light, along with three chests of jewels and fine wines. Would Your Majesty deign to accept them?” She was incredibly composed, fearless in the face of the glares from the concubines at Nazhan’s side, her eyes filled with defiant pride and charm.
“You call yourself a servant?” Nazhan asked with a smile. She was indeed an interesting woman.
“Yes, this servant has come to serve Your Majesty. My status and position will only be what Your Majesty bestows,” Youjia raised her head to meet his gaze, not expecting this King to be so handsome and profound. Despite exuding an inviolable dignity, he still emanated a harmonious air of frivolity. Surely he must be a man who had known countless women and indulged in wild revelry. Though her heart wavered, Youjia still gritted her teeth and didn’t avert her eyes.
“Hmm! You may withdraw!” Nazhan’s thoughts were unreadable. Though a fleeting look of fascination had passed over his face earlier, he now showed no further favor towards Zhenqu Youjia.
He turned his head to look at the last exquisite beauty kneeling in greeting.
“You are Huang Beishuang?” Before Huang Beishuang could speak, Nazhan had already called her name. This caused a stir among those present – who could know someone’s name before they spoke?
Huang Beishuang herself couldn’t help but be startled, but she still observed Nazhan without showing any expression. After a moment, she smiled warmly, her eyes shining as she gracefully bowed down. The maids beside her began to sing and dance on cue. Each of them had full cheeks and alluring eyes, instantly filling the great hall with a bewitching, dreamlike atmosphere. Amidst the songs and dances, Huang Beishuang lifted a square package with both hands, with a small embroidered pouch on top.
Her calm, magnetic voice reached their ears: “E’naqi Huang Beishuang pays respects to Your Majesty. May the Yunpei Empire receive admiration for ten thousand generations and never decline!” She showed no nervousness, her composure no less than that of Zhenqu Youjia.
“What gift is this, just this little thing?” A concubine, unable to contain herself any longer, finally started to cause trouble.
Huang Beishuang smiled, nodding slightly towards her in a subtle gesture of respect. This small action silenced the agitated beauty. She looked at her for a while, then had a maid go down to receive the offering from Huang Beishuang’s hands.
In truth, this couldn’t be blamed on her – their jewels had already been stolen, and it was already quite arduous to reach this place.
Nazhan looked at Huang Beishuang for a long time before turning his gaze to the concubine beside him. The concubine first handed over the embroidered pouch from the package. Nazhan took it, squeezed it in his hand, and said, “Soil?”
By now, the song and dance of the maids had ended, and they calmly returned to kneel behind Huang Beishuang. Huang Beishuang nodded slightly, “We offer the native soil of E’naqi, to show our tribe’s eternal loyalty and submission!”
This statement pleased Nazhan greatly. He smiled and then looked at the golden package that had already been opened. Inside was a book, beautifully packaged but slightly damaged. The concubine held it in her hands, looking somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, unsure whether to hand it over. Unexpectedly, Nazhan’s eyes fixed on it, and he said, “Bring it here!”
“The Great Desert Collection!”
Huang Beishuang looked at Nazhan, knowing that he must be delighted to receive this rare book from the desert world. She couldn’t help but feel relieved.
However, Nazhan’s eyes suddenly turned cold, and he raised an eyebrow at Wu Jihai beside him. Wu Jihai understood and suddenly drew his sword, pointing it at Huang Beishuang’s throat and shouting, “You bring an old book as a tribute and call this loyalty?”
But Huang Beishuang didn’t even frown as she turned her head to look at him. The three maids kneeling beside her also remained motionless. These four people were astonishingly calm. This calmness made Wu Jihai pause, and he couldn’t help but look back at Nazhan.
Nazhan didn’t speak. He carefully scrutinized the smiling woman kneeling below, with her starry eyes and jade-like skin, gentle and charming. He waved his hand, and Wu Jihai retreated to the side.
“Does Your Majesty like this book?” Huang Beishuang smiled.
“I like it, but I don’t like the person offering it!”
Nazhan also smiled. His words greatly surprised those present, wondering why their King would be displeased with such a graceful and extraordinary beauty before him.
“Is that so? Your Majesty’s words make Huang Beishuang extremely uneasy. Does this mean Huang Beishuang no longer has the chance to serve Your Majesty?”
Nazhan, sitting high above, tapped “The Great Desert Collection” resting on his knee, and said with a smile, “No, you are somewhat interesting. I won’t deny you this opportunity.”
Huang Beishuang lowered her head, as both etiquette and her status forbade her from looking directly at the King. She could only ponder silently that this Nazhan must be another man she couldn’t see through, after Qingyun and Ruowen. He was too profound, too unpredictable, truly making her feel nervous and afraid.
Suddenly, Huang Beishuang realized she had been lost in thought and quickly lowered her head again. Nazhan looked around at everyone present, finally not wanting to dwell on the matter any longer. He leaned back on his throne and said, “Except for Zhenqu Youjia and E’naqi Huang Beishuang, the rest will be arranged by Ambassador Zhu Junan. Anyone in the court may propose marriage. Withdraw now and prepare for tonight’s investiture ceremony!”
With these words, the young women who had come for political marriages almost collapsed. The King’s words implied that he would distribute them among the civil and military officials of the court. Now, he only wished to add those two exceptionally beautiful women to his harem.
What a fate!
On that day, a trace of memory flashed across your brow.
I once wanted to ask you properly, who did you remember?
Who could make you indifferent to me while by my side?
But I didn’t ask, for if I had, I would want to know,
Whether that silk pouch filled with your homeland’s yellow soil
Also, contained your heart, calm in the face of all under heaven?
Who are you? Who are you thinking of?
And who am I?
Who am I?
Towards the north of the great desert, sand and dust were everywhere. This season was particularly prone to sandstorms, and it was also the migration period for many small ethnic groups. Looking into the distance, another group of shadowy figures could be seen, moving silently forward. Amidst the sandstorm, the faint sound of clear camel bells could be heard swaying. This might be a group of desert nomads who had left their tribe, carrying quite a bit of clothing, food, and jewels. Everyone’s face showed extreme fatigue, for they had to find a place to camp before sunset to avoid the storm.
Boom! Boom! Suddenly, the earth-shaking sound of hooves was heard, very abrupt but incredibly clear. In such a deep sea of sand, the thundering of hooves could only mean one thing! Realizing this, the leader of the tribe suddenly became alarmed and hurriedly shouted.
“Abandon everything and run quickly!”
His voice was very shrill, surely having fallen completely into a panic. This group numbered just over a thousand people, and once the group was thrown into chaos, it immediately became like boiling water in a pot. How could they be so panicked? They watched the approaching cavalry in the distance, the battle flags of hell flying high, their mad shouting like waves crashing on the shore, engulfing these thousand-plus nomads with nowhere to run. Who were they?
Yellow flags in all four directions, imprinted with white crowns, danced wildly in the fierce wind!
The Yellow Sky Berserker Corps!