Under Jing Hengbo’s arrangement, the palace attendants erected a curtain on the platform. After Jing Hengbo and Chang Fang entered behind the curtain, everyone below waited, knowing that painting was the most time-consuming task. Some wandered off to buy food, others sat down to drink water, and some began placing bets on how long it would take the Queen to paint a portrait.

“Place your bets, place your bets! No more bets after this!” Yi Qi was among them, the most active bookmaker jumping up and down.

“I bet one hour!”

“I bet half an hour!”

“I bet…” Yi Qi was about to place his own bet on half an hour when he suddenly turned his head.

Those eating looked up with their mouths full of crumbs, forgetting to chew; those drinking water suddenly lowered their heads, nearly choking themselves.

The curtain above suddenly lifted.

Chang Fang stumbled out with a stagger, his hands trembling, taking several steps forward before lifting his head, his lips quivering as if he were too excited to control himself.

Everyone was startled and stood up in unison, not understanding what strange occurrence had happened now. Someone murmured, “Was the painting too ugly and shocked the Great Sage?”

Only Yi Qi’s eyes rolled, then brightened, and he suddenly clapped his hands, “I bet one instant! It’s already painted now!”

“Ridiculous!” Everyone scoffed.

A quick hand might be possible in a quarter hour, but to say it was already finished? How could that be? The paper hadn’t even been laid out yet.

A hint of amusement flashed in Xuanyuan Jing’s eyes as he stepped forward to support Chang Fang. “Elder Chang, why are you like this? Was the painting too hasty? Elder Chang has such noble and ancient features, how could they be carelessly smeared by worldly brushes? We must…”

His eloquent speech was interrupted by Chang Fang’s cry of extreme joy.

“Heaven has eyes!” Chang Fang spread his arms wide and cried to the sky, “Finally sending down a goddess to grant to our Dahuang!”

Xuanyuan Jing’s outstretched hand froze in mid-air, the muscles on his face twitching.

Below, a crowd of people dropped their food and water, and those who wanted to lie down rolled over and got up.

Yi Qi was indeed the quickest to react, his eyes rolling as he collected the bets with great joy, “I won! Pay up, pay up!”

“Great Sage…” Xuanyuan Jing’s voice was somewhat hoarse.

The old Chang seemed to have suddenly become much more vigorous, nimbly stepping aside and saying solemnly, “This old man can testify. Her Majesty has already finished the painting, and as she claimed, extremely fast! Lifelike! Not a single detail wrong!”

The crowd was in an uproar. Everyone knew Chang Fang’s character was upright to the point of being harsh, the type who could find bones in eggs. When such words came from his mouth, the authority was like the cloth used to verify virginity on a wedding night.

“If that’s the case,” someone said, “please show it for us to admire.”

“No.” The old fellow tightened his robes. “This painting is so miraculous it has celestial traces. The Queen said that too many people viewing it would erase its spirituality. This old man promised the Queen not to show it to too many people.”

“You must give some proof, right?” Xuanyuan Jing glanced at him sideways. “If the Great Sage won’t show it, could there be some trickery involved?”

“I see you opposing the Queen at every turn – that’s what I call having a guilty conscience!” Chang Fang gave him no face at all, flicking his sleeves in a way that made Xuanyuan Jing’s old face turn iron-blue.

The curtain lifted, and Jing Hengbo emerged with a smile, walking with an enchanting cat-like gait, saying, “My painting indeed has mysterious properties. Not only will it lose its spiritual energy if too many people see it, but also…” She smiled sweetly while glancing at Xuanyuan Jing, Sang Dong, Fei Luo and the others, “those with impure hearts will find the painting quickly becomes blurred.”

“What nonsense!” Xuanyuan Jing snorted coldly.

“Great Sage, why don’t you show it to colleagues you consider reliable?” Jing Hengbo smiled charmingly.

Chang Fang, as if treasuring a precious object, walked over to the group of officials from the Ministry of Rites and carefully pulled out a… photograph.

Of course, he thought it was a painting.

Just now behind the curtain, the Queen had him gaze into the distance, slightly turning his head to the side, while she moved to his side. She told him that if he heard any sound, not to be nervous or distracted by turning his eyes, as it was a moment of divine inspiration that must not be disturbed by movement.

He did as instructed, sitting sideways, concentrating on gazing at a wisp of white cloud on the horizon. Just as he was worrying whether his old bones could maintain this position for long, he suddenly heard a click, and then the Queen said it was finished.

Old Chang Fang was shocked.

Later, when he saw that “unprecedented painting of unparalleled speed and precision that was identical in every detail,” he was even more shocked.

Now he happily pulled out the item, preparing to shock others.

Indeed, those few officials who had awakened and were glaring at the Queen with faces full of resentment, cursing her in their hearts for deceiving the world, reluctantly leaned their heads forward to look, and their eyes immediately widened.

This, this, this, this… this was a painting?

Was there such a painting in the world?

In the “painting,” Chang Fang sat sideways, gazing into the distance. The pale yellow light and shadow of the afternoon fell on his graying brows, mottled yet profound, his eyes deep, telling of wordless vicissitudes and the accumulation of years.

Even more astonishing was that the face, from eyebrows and eyes to skin tone to every wrinkle, was all so clear it seemed as if Chang Fang was standing right in front of them. Even a small mole below his neck was clearly visible.

The “painting” completely captured Chang Fang’s age and appearance, but those perfect light and shadows concealed that aged quality, making one not feel that the old man in the painting was frail and decrepit, but only sense the profound wisdom and calm elegance belonging to an elder and sage washing over them.

The setting sun is infinitely beautiful, not fearing the approach of dusk.

All were connoisseurs, and the perfect brushwork and lighting of this “painting” immediately drew everyone’s admiration and praise. The only pity was that the painting was somewhat small.

Everyone could see that old Chang Fang loved this “painting” to his bones. Having just handed it out for a moment, he began urging, “Everyone, be careful! Be gentle! Ah! Don’t breathe on it! Don’t exclaim! Have you seen enough? This old man needs to put it away!”

The crowd couldn’t help sighing. Even the most critical Minister of Rites, when reluctantly returning it, couldn’t help sighing, “Even the most outstanding painters of the Imperial Song could not achieve one ten-thousandth of this! Truly the brush of heaven, beyond human capability!”

The usually stern Chang Fang now beamed with joy, afraid that others’ fingers might dirty his treasure. He quickly took it back, and from his careful actions of opening three layers of brocade and wrapping this “painting” layer by layer, this thing would probably become the Chang family heirloom from now on.

The ministers looked on with admiration and envy, all feeling that such a “painting” was rare in the world. If they could have one too, it would be good to leave something for their descendants. Such a thing could truly be passed down through generations and never fade.

People always have an inexplicable fear about what happens after death. Sometimes what they fear is not death itself, but the complete disappearance of themselves as individuals. The complete erasure of traces of having existed is something difficult for anyone to bear. This is why later generations had various forms of image recording to comfort people’s psychological fear of post-death obliteration. So at this moment, this extremely clear “portrait” held far greater allure for everyone than ordinary luxury goods.

Jing Hengbo watched everyone’s expressions and smiled happily, calculating that there would likely be a good income in the near future.

However, at this moment, the uses of this Polaroid camera were not yet fully demonstrated.

She glanced at Fei Luo, who was currently turning her head to speak with someone beside her, then moved a few steps, presenting her profile to Jing Hengbo.

Jing Hengbo seized the opportunity to lower her sleeve, pretending to wipe sweat while saying, “So hot…” and quickly took another shot.

Fei Luo seemed to sense something and suddenly turned around, but Jing Hengbo had already lowered her sleeve. After waiting a moment, when the photo came out, she took the opportunity to glance at it while raising her sleeve, and smiled.

A minister below was asking her at that moment, “I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to demonstrate your skillful brush for us…”

“This minister,” Jing Hengbo raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, “this is a small matter, but I advise you to be cautious about painting in public. This is a heaven-granted art that I cannot control myself. Heaven-granted art comes with built-in character-discerning abilities. The more noble one’s character, the clearer the image. The Great Sage’s portrait is clear and lifelike entirely because his character is precious – it’s his own cultivation. If someone’s character doesn’t pass the test and the painting comes out blurry, you can’t blame me then.”

The official made an “uh” sound and dared not speak further, but Fei Luo sneered coldly, “Pure nonsense! The brush is held in Your Majesty’s hand. If you want to paint clearly, you paint clearly. If you want to paint blurry, just make your hand shake deliberately and it becomes blurred. What heaven-granted art! When did our Dahuang Queen start playing tricks and trying to deceive everyone! Do you really think there are no clear-sighted people left in this entire court?”

A portion of the ministers looked approving, feeling the Queen’s words were too arbitrary. This ability couldn’t be casually acknowledged, otherwise if she didn’t like someone in the future and deliberately painted them blurry, that person would wrongfully bear the reputation of being a “petty person” for life. How could that be acceptable!

“The Female Minister’s words are wrong.” Chang Fang immediately bristled, saying coldly, “How can you know it’s absurd without trying? Moreover, the painting Her Majesty just made for this old minister is truly not of mortal craftsmanship. Can you say this is not heaven-granted art?”

“Just painted with a bit more precision.” Fei Luo was dismissive. “Even if she has heaven-granted art in painting, to say that painting something blurry is also heaven-granted, I’m the first to disbelieve it.”

“Why is Female Minister Fei Luo protesting so intensely?” Jing Hengbo suddenly interjected, blinking her eyes. “Your character is so good, it won’t paint blurry anyway. Unless you know in your heart that your character is actually bad and you’re afraid I’ll paint you blurry, so you’re opposing so intensely?”

“My character is not something you can paint.” Fei Luo sneered. “Your provocation is useless.”

Jing Hengbo pouted and smiled, “Your character indeed can’t be painted. Your painting style is uniquely refreshing and intoxicating. After all, marrying at twelve, marrying three husbands and having all three die – each death bringing a step up, each death bringing a step up, the more your husbands die the more unlucky they become while the more your husbands die the more prosperous you become – such a unique specimen that normal people really can’t paint.”

“Jing Hengbo!” Fei Luo suddenly stood up, raising her hand, “Someone—”

Gong Yin and others were about to rise.

Jing Hengbo also raised her hand, lifting it higher than Fei Luo’s, and slapped a “portrait” onto the ground with a snap.

“What do you want to do? Huh? Do you want to assassinate me? Do you want to assassinate their Queen in front of these tens of thousands of people? Or do you want to assassinate their new master who can bring hope to Dahuang in front of this group of officials who wholeheartedly hope for the peaceful living of Dahuang’s people?” She pointed at her own nose. “Want to? If you want to, then come! Come on!”

Fei Luo’s raised foot paused, her pale face had turned purple. Being stared at by thousands upon thousands of people was not comfortable. Her leg was raised in mid-air, feeling as if pressed down by tremendous force – she dared not and could not raise it further, yet was unwilling and reluctant to put it down.

But Jing Hengbo had no intention of letting her off.

If she didn’t teach her a lesson, there would be more Fei Luos emerging to oppose her in the future, and she didn’t have the leisure to deal with them one by one!

“If you’re not coming up, then don’t come up. This place wasn’t meant for you to stand anyway.” Jing Hengbo kicked the photo with her toe to an official from the Ministry of Rites below. “I was giving you face, but you insisted on seeking abuse! You say I can’t paint your character? Come on, everyone passing by, take a look at our Female Minister’s uniquely refreshing painting style!”

A group of Ministry of Rites officials crowded their heads together to look at the photo, and their expressions all changed.

Fei Luo stared with wide eyes in amazement. She didn’t know when Jing Hengbo had painted her portrait.

“Earlier when I was painting for the Great Sage, I saw the Female Minister make a rather beautiful side profile, and on a whim, I casually painted one for the Female Minister too. Who knew that after painting it, it turned out very blurry. I wanted to save some face for the Female Minister, so I put it away without mentioning it. But the Female Minister kept opposing me…” Jing Hengbo looked up at the sky sadly, “Sigh, I’m just such a kind-hearted girl…”

Yelu Qi burst out laughing, Gong Yin lowered his head to drink tea, the tea water clear and green, reflecting a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

Such a cunning woman.

Using external tools wasn’t unusual, but what was unusual was that with clearly just one item, she could play tricks and create so many schemes. Divine eyes, spirits behind, precise portraits, portraits that discern character… changing direction and method, everything became a new mystery in her mouth. This ability to spin tales, this flexible and thorough thinking – even first-rate politicians couldn’t compare.

Deceiving people also required talent. Timing, psychology, sophistry – none could be lacking. Her methods for dealing with Dahuang’s people, Chang Fang, the hundred officials, and enemies were all different. For the people, first suppressing then praising; for Chang Fang, step by step deepening; for Sang Dong, you scheme and I scheme more; for Fei Luo, pressing step by step, then incidentally flattering the officials to reduce everyone’s hostility.

With an exquisite heart and slender fingers playing with the thoughts of ten thousand people, the entire ceremonial platform became her personal stage.

…

The “portrait” passed among the officials, everyone’s expression strange and amazed. Fei Luo watched everyone’s expressions, gradually shifting from anger to amazement to unease.

She couldn’t believe how a portrait could make everyone show such expressions. Even if it was blurry, it could have been deliberately painted blurry by the Queen.

“Look at this.” Jing Hengbo laughed melodiously. “Could this kind of painting be painted blurry on purpose?”

Everyone fell silent.

In the “portrait,” Fei Luo’s lower body was extremely clear – clothing, skirt, sashes, body shape, and movements were all perfectly distinct as her. But from the neck up, her face was eerily blurred into a mass, leaving only a colored shadow. You could still tell it was her, even make out the facial contours, but it was distorted beyond recognition, making people break out in cold sweat just from looking at it.

Most people there knew how to paint and understood that so-called blurred or ruined paintings usually had traceable causes – brush strokes too light or heavy, crooked lines, colors smudged by sleeves – all possible. They had originally thought the so-called ruined painting would be like this, which really couldn’t withstand scrutiny. However, looking at this portrait now, that kind of blurriness was indescribable, yet it was also smoothly rounded without traceable flaws. The feeling it gave was as if this person had suddenly become ethereal in reality, obscured by light, rather than an effect humans could paint.

Many wanted to object, but facing such special light effects, they really couldn’t voice opposition. They broke out in cold sweat because of such effects, afraid that if they took the lead in opposing and caught Her Majesty’s attention, they might also get a portrait with a uniquely refreshing style. Her Majesty’s painting wasn’t something you could escape by saying you didn’t want it – she could casually give you one immediately!

Even if they insisted it was deliberately painted badly afterward, so many people knew the truth. Future political reputation would inevitably have one more thing to be criticized for, not to mention tens of thousands of common people watching on the scene. Preventing people from speaking was more dangerous than preventing floods!

Now even the most rebellious and opposing officials didn’t dare to openly challenge her.

“What’s going on?” Fei Luo couldn’t stand this eerie atmosphere and couldn’t bear the strange looks everyone was casting at her. She quickly stepped over, snatched the photo to look at it, her face immediately turning green. Without another word, she tore it up with a ripping sound, “This isn’t me! How could this possibly be me! This was deliberately painted blurry! Deliberate!”

Several connoisseurs who enjoyed painting were studying the strange aspects of this portrait with great interest, unable to save it in time, secretly lamenting the loss.

“Since you say it’s not you, why do you need to emphasize that it was deliberately painted blurry? If it’s not you, what does deliberately painting it blurry have to do with you? And why would you need to tear it up?” Jing Hengbo always knew how to strike at the vital point. The common people below who hadn’t seen the photo and didn’t understand what was happening all made meaningful “oh my—” sounds in unison.

Fei Luo gritted her teeth and flicked her sleeves to leave again – those who understand current affairs are the wise ones. At least at today’s welcoming ceremony, anyone could see that continuing to fight with the Queen would definitely not end well. She had the support of the people, had conquered the sage, had the backing of the State Preceptor, and could use various divine arts at will. Who knew what other tricks she might pull next? When facing unpredictable situations, who wouldn’t have some reservations?

Jing Hengbo didn’t pursue relentlessly either. Today was just giving Fei Luo a small setback, which couldn’t shake the fundamentals. The days ahead were still long.

“Everyone,” she turned the topic with a smile, “I will be taking disciples for this skill in the future. However, I’ll only teach how to make precise miniature paintings. The ability to discern character through portraits is heaven-granted and cannot be casually taught. So in the future, if you want to leave behind your own precise portraits, there will still be opportunities.”

Everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief, and many showed joy on their faces.

Many people were interested in this type of portrait, but were also wary of that terrifying ability of “painting someone blurry means their character is bad,” not daring to try. Upon hearing that the portrait-based character discernment technique would not be passed down to descendants, they had no more concerns. Some elderly high officials were already calculating that when the Queen’s disciples graduated and sold paintings in the future, they must buy one.

Jing Hengbo observed their expressions and curled the corner of her lips.

Playing with a Polaroid camera in front of thousands, creating maximum sensational effect – she was fishing for exactly these old geezers.

The photo paper was limited, with each shot reducing the total by one. The one for the Great Sage counted as advertising, the one for Fei Luo counted as a warning. After this, they would need to be used to make money. When her photo studio opened, she would fleece them thoroughly. Hmm, how much should she charge per photo? One thousand taels? Ten thousand taels?

With a turn of her fingers, she put away the Polaroid camera. Today’s performance with this item was enough. With limited technological products, each one had to be used for maximum effect and couldn’t be wasted casually.

“My abilities…” she said with a smile, lifting her chin, “have you all seen them clearly now?”

The four sides quieted for a moment, then erupted in commotion. Great Sage Chang Fang walked onto the stage with upright bearing, and under everyone’s watchful eyes, bowed deeply to Jing Hengbo.

“This humble minister Chang Fang apologizes for my initial disrespect toward the Queen,” he said. “This humble minister has read poetry and books in vain, lacking both self-reflection and the ability to judge character. I was blind and slighted Your Majesty. Please punish this minister severely as a warning to others.”

All around fell into solemn silence. The Great Sage was of high virtue and noble character, pure and refined in nature. For decades he had never bowed his head to anyone, and throughout his life no one had ever found fault with his conduct. Now seeing him trembling as he lowered his head in public, his snow-white long hair quivering in the wind, everyone felt both pity and admiration.

The courage to directly face one’s own mistakes at any time, without shirking, concealing, or avoiding – this was true bravery, worthy of the title “Sage.”

Jing Hengbo quickly stepped forward to help him up, her laughter clear and crisp, “Oh my, Mr. Chang, don’t be so formal. It’s my fault for not explaining clearly. Come, come, sit down. Please visit the palace often in the future.”

Chang Fang lifted his head and saw the unaffected smile of the young woman before him, brilliant as if illuminating half the sky.

Her snow-white fingers gently supported his aged, dark hand, the black and white contrast striking, making one sigh at the passing of time and the birth of wisdom.

Chang Fang did not take her hand. He stepped back, breaking free from others’ support, spread his sleeves wide, and dropped to his knees with a “thud.”

The sound seemed to resonate in everyone’s hearts.

The old man prostrated himself in grand ceremony, his voice resonant, carrying far into the distance.

“Those who seek welfare for our people shall be the master Chang Fang serves forever!”

“Heaven blesses Dahuang! Today we joyfully welcome our heaven-destined Queen!”

The dense crowd in the square prostrated simultaneously, waves of heads rolling like black tides, sunlight illuminating the people’s gazes, joyfully dancing from countless hair tips.

“Heaven blesses Dahuang! We respectfully welcome the Queen!”

The shouts were like countless released eagles, breaking through the sky, shattering the hazy clouds. Under the vast heavens, rosy light gathered and shot forth like a brilliant rainbow bridge connecting to heaven. In this path of light, that tall, slender figure in gorgeous robes smiled, her pristine chin slightly raised, laughing out a sky full of brilliant clouds.

…

This shout thundered throughout Imperial Song City. The magnificence of this sound wave surpassed the cheers at Ming City Queen’s coronation ceremony five years ago, surpassed the cheers at the welcoming ceremony for Tianning Queen who successfully passed the reception trial thirty-eight years ago, surpassed the cheers when the wisest Queen Ruiheng promulgated the “Dahuang Code” two hundred twenty-one years ago, and perhaps even surpassed the cheers at the heaven-worshipping ceremony when the founding empress, Saint Virtue Queen, established the nation.

The cheers pierced through sky and time, awakening fate in the mysterious void, revealing a beam of bright yet bewildered light.

Jing Hengbo felt as if she was about to be lifted up by these massive sound waves, swaying and intoxicated.

All the hardships along the way, all the various frustrations, were compensated in this moment of glory before thousands. And this was something she had conquered herself.

Although modern knowledge came from plagiarism, she felt confident she was a winner in grasping everyone’s psychology.

To achieve earth-shattering results, one must first suppress before elevating. By deliberately showing so many things she couldn’t do, lowering everyone’s psychological expectations to the minimum, only then could the subsequent surprise troops emerge, shocking the masses.

While triumphantly enjoying these cheers, she carefully considered her bet with Gong Yin – she had won, so what kind of punishment should she devise? Streaking? Dancing? Singing? She hesitated and struggled, thinking on one hand that these things should be done by him in front of a large audience so she could gain the upper hand for once, and he would never dare bully her again. On the other hand, she felt that letting all those lustful women see Gong Yin streaking, singing, and dancing would be too advantageous for them – she should enjoy it exclusively. With various hesitations and unresolvable worries, she stood on the platform glancing sideways at Gong Yin while letting her imagination run wild…

Below on his grand chair, Gong Yin had already received her gaze. The teacup in his hand moved slightly as he raised an eyebrow faintly – without thinking, he knew this fellow must be thinking about the bet.

Thinking of the bet reminded him of her face flushed red with anger that day, her chest rising and falling with emotion… those bright, dark, angry eyes pressing right up to his face, so bright they were dazzling.

So he had finally misjudged once… willing to accept defeat.

His mood suddenly improved. He raised his eyebrows, looked toward Jing Hengbo, and his lips curved slightly upward involuntarily.

Jing Hengbo’s eyes went straight.

A smile!

God Gong’s smile!

The first time she’d seen God Gong’s heartfelt smile directed at her!

Holy shit, so! Damn! Beautiful!

It was natural pure scenery, fresh and beautiful like jade flowers. Like clouds lightened, like jade dust scattered in the forest, like bright moonlight illuminating mountains north and south, like wind stirring and breaking through falling flowers and blooming flowers, like jade moisture, like living light, like uniform white covering everything under heaven, lighting up in his eyes and at the corners of his lips.

When he smiled, his eyes actually curved slightly, the deep black eyes with hints of deep blue flowing with brilliant colors. His usual cold, stern, and chilly aura was instantly covered by warm wind and thin clouds of pure, laughing intention.

Jing Hengbo quickly raised her hand to cover her nose.

No good!

Don’t get a nosebleed…

What punishment was she still thinking about? Just demand that he smile at her every day – light smiles, graceful smiles, shallow smiles, fake smiles – any smile would be good! Damn, what a waste that he usually didn’t smile!

Gong Yin saw her lustful and befuddled appearance, turned his gaze away, and shook his head helplessly, the smile still lingering at the corners of his lips.

He gestured for the guards to step back and had someone arrange the next step of the palace welcoming ceremony. The crisis had passed, and they needed to strike while the iron was hot and return to the palace quickly to avoid complications from delay.

His gaze swept over Yelu Qi and the leader of the Zhanyu tribe. One was arranged opposite him, the other positioned even farther away, precisely to prevent these two factions from causing trouble during the Queen’s welcoming ceremony. Seeing that neither side showed any unusual movement, he relaxed slightly.

Yelu Qi’s eyes wandered around with a half-smile. A strategist beside him bent down and whispered in his ear, “Master, who would have thought the Queen would actually pass, and now she’s extremely beloved by the people. Look, the Zhanyu tribe’s people in Imperial Song are all here observing the ceremony. If we were to impersonate Zhanyu tribe members at this moment and attack the Queen…”

Yelu Qi slightly raised his eyebrows and glanced at Jing Hengbo.

…

Coincidentally, in an inconspicuous corner of the crowd, others were also plotting.

“Who would have thought the Queen would pass the test,” one person said in a low voice. “In that case, I have a new plan.”

“Oh?”

“Yelu Qi killed our Zhanyu tribe’s heir and severely damaged our forces in the capital. Such revenge cannot go unavenged. Originally, we thought when Gong Yin returned, he would help us kill Yelu Qi. Who knew he somehow took the wrong medicine and actually made Dahuang’s stability his top priority, using military force to suppress us. Now the opportunity has come. The Queen is currently beloved by the people, carrying the hopes of the Great Sage and others. If we were to impersonate Yelu Qi’s people and attack the Queen at this moment…”

…

Light flashed in Yelu Qi’s eyes, but only for an instant. Then his gaze turned toward the platform.

She was now radiant with smiles, her face glowing – perhaps the pinnacle moment of her life…

To strike her down at this moment would be very easy…

Then he shook his head.

The strategist looked at him uncomprehendingly, thinking this was a vicious and effective good plan, not understanding why his master would abandon it so easily.

Yelu Qi smiled without speaking, made a frame with his hands, framing Jing Hengbo’s face within it, looking back and forth, then sighed leisurely.

…

People from the Ministry of Rites squeezed to the front of the platform, calling softly to Jing Hengbo, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”

“Ah?” Jing Hengbo couldn’t hear clearly. Her mood was excited, still immersed in Gong Yin’s devastating smile. She took a big step forward, “What’s the matter…”

“Rip.”

A slight sound that only Jing Hengbo heard. Her body stiffened, frozen on the platform.

The officials and people below also seemed to sense something was wrong, and the cheering gradually stopped.

Then their eyes widened.

A white line slowly appeared from the Queen’s waist, getting wider and wider… oh wait! That wasn’t a line, that looked like the Queen’s skin!

Jing Hengbo maintained her half-turned position, staring wide-eyed at the increasingly large tear at her waist. Just now her step had been too big and fast, stepping on her skirt hem. When the skirt pulled down, the already loose waist area that had lost its belt was also pulled down, somehow catching on a sharply polished gemstone at her waist, instantly tearing a huge hole…

She reacted quickly, immediately covering the tear at her waist with one hand. Her seeking gaze immediately swept toward Gong Yin.

Unfortunately, today’s noon ceremony was quite hot, so everyone wore thin outer garments without cloaks.

Earlier there had been curtains on all sides, but after Jing Hengbo came down from behind the curtains, all the curtains had been moved away.

Gong Yin also reacted quickly, immediately rising and leaping onto the platform.

At this moment Jing Hengbo also came to her senses, shouting to Cui Jie, “There’s a small cloak in my box, get it for me!”

Cui Jie was startled and hurriedly opened the box. The box, kept on the platform to avoid getting dirty, was opened by Cui Jie, who immediately saw something and froze.

She stood there completely stunned, her face horrified.

Jing Hengbo urged, “Hurry up!”

Reminded, Cui Jie didn’t look for the cloak but instead pressed down with her hand, trying to close the box.

Before she could close it, the crowd behind surged, and she suddenly slipped, her entire body hitting the box. The box slid out, and the items on top immediately flew all over the platform.

Everyone’s eyes unconsciously followed those colorful things flying all over the platform.

High heels, skirts, various strangely shaped short clothes, various oddly shaped bags, and a pair of dolls embracing each other, wearing bikinis.

Actually many things flew out, and people’s eyes couldn’t distinguish them in time, not seeing clearly what they were, when suddenly a female voice shrieked.

“Ah—how shameful!”

The voice seemed to come from the crowd, trembling and shrill, full of shock, anger, and embarrassment. The people in front of the platform looked somewhat bewildered toward the platform, where one item kept rolling around. It looked like two dolls, but extremely lifelike, with that revealing clothing and intimate pose gradually attracting many people’s attention.

Jing Hengbo was also stunned.

Damn!

This pair of Barbie dolls was a custom version, hot and revealing, with intimate poses. The female doll was styled after herself – blonde with big waves, wearing a skimpy three-piece bikini with barely any fabric, standing on tiptoe, embracing a male doll wearing only beach shorts, styled after Beckham…

How was this thing in the box! Even if it was in the box, it should have been at the very bottom. When did it get moved to the top!

She tried hard to remember, finally recalling that this seemed to be from a few years ago when she met an online friend who, for her birthday, asked for her photo and custom-made “Beach Version Big Wave Beckham Water Play Barbie.” After receiving it, she laughed heartily and casually threw it in the box’s compartment. When packing, she hadn’t paid attention because the thing clearly had packaging at the time…

This thing really wasn’t anything special in modern times. But the problem was, this was ancient times, this was Dahuang with particularly strict rules, and it was styled after herself. If the officials in front saw this thing, how would she live in the future?

Gong Yin was also stunned.

He immediately recognized that the female doll was Jing Hengbo herself. His gaze swept over those shocking curves, his first reaction being that this doll was made very realistically – could it have been made based on her?

Second reaction: Barely clothed!

His third reaction finally saw the male doll, tightly embracing the barely clothed “Little Wave Jing,” also barely clothed!

So realistic, it must have been made based on a real person too! So who was this male doll?

That what Beck? What Do Min Jun? What wah wah wah?

His first reaction was to turn and look at Jing Hengbo, his eyes full of doubt. Jing Hengbo’s open mouth seemed to be telling him an ominous answer.

Gong Yin’s heart was rarely in such chaos, unable to believe what he was seeing. At this moment the thing was rolling right to his feet. He looked down and, unable to hide his anger, instinctively kicked it away.

After kicking it away, there was a chorus of “ooh” sounds of surprise from all sides.

Gong Yin suddenly awakened.

No, this thing couldn’t be allowed to be seen clearly by people! Especially since that woman’s appearance was identical to hers.

The Queen privately possessing obscene objects was worse than failing the grand ceremony!

Whatever questions could be asked later – right now this thing had to be destroyed immediately!

Gong Yin leaped forward in one bound, beginning to chase that pair of hot Barbie dolls all over the platform…

But the thing had already rolled toward the platform edge, with countless people crowding forward trying to see clearly.

Jing Hengbo also awakened from her shock at this moment. Without a word, she waved both hands – telekinetic object retrieval to destroy evidence!

Right at this moment, with a “whoosh,” Gong Yin grabbed the thing.

He grabbed the male doll’s unclothed upper body and immediately felt nauseous enough to vomit.

The next instant, the thing suddenly disappeared from his palm. Gong Yin turned around to see the thing flying toward Jing Hengbo’s palm.

Damn!

How could she be allowed to hold it!

Being seen doing this would be even worse!

With no time to chase and stop her, Gong Yin suddenly turned, drew a thin blade that appeared in his hand with one motion. He raised the blade with both hands, turned and struck down fiercely!

“Boom!” The high platform collapsed!

Smoke and dust filled the air, wooden boards flew everywhere. Large pieces of wood either tilted up or sank down. People in front of the platform covered their faces and retreated to avoid injury, vaguely hearing what seemed like flying sounds overhead. Someone shouted loudly, “The Queen is morally corrupt! How can our Dahuang tolerate such a woman of failed virtue and lost conduct? Take my blade!”

Others cried out in alarm, “Flying Swallow Blade! From the Yelu clan!”

People heard confusedly, and seeing blade shadows flashing in the smoke and dust, they could only retreat further. When they finally reached safety and opened their eyes, they saw the high platform had collapsed, with blade light vaguely flashing. The things rolling chaotically on the platform, along with the Queen, had all disappeared.