A few days later, Jun Beiyue’s party finally arrived at the royal capital.
As their carriage slowly rolled to a stop, two other carriages beside them slowed to a halt as well—these were the special carriages Nanzhao reserved for receiving important envoys. What other dignitary of note could possibly be visiting Nanzhao at a time like this?
Puzzled, Jun Beiyue looked on as Lord Bomiluo, the dedicated minister of protocol, hurried forward to greet them, personally lifting the carriage curtain, too flustered even to bow first, blurting out anxiously in a low voice, “Prince Yao, the situation is dire—the Empress of Dongqin and the Xijing crown prince have also arrived. Word is they were invited by the Prince of Nanzhao himself. This has been kept extremely tightly under wraps—this subordinate only just found out.”
Even as he spoke, the passengers from the two other carriages were already stepping down—none other than the Empress of Dongqin and Xijing’s Crown Prince Yelu Chenyi!
The one receiving them wasn’t a protocol official at all, but the Prince of Nanzhao’s most trusted eunuch, Eunuch Gao himself!
This alone spoke volumes about just how much importance the Prince of Nanzhao placed on these two guests.
Ziqing caught on to the significance too, and was about to speak when Jun Beiyue’s lips curved into a cold smile. “Since we’re here, might as well make ourselves at home.”
With that, he helped Ziqing down from her horse. The Empress of Dongqin and Yelu Chenyi seemed to have anticipated his arrival—the Empress had both hands clenched into fists, struggling to contain her fury, glaring at Jun Beiyue with a look fierce enough to devour him whole. Had they not been on Nanzhao soil, where rules were exceptionally strict, she likely would have already lunged straight at him. Yelu Chenyi, by contrast, was more composed, nodding silently to Jun Beiyue and Ziqing in greeting.
Unfortunately, Jun Beiyue and Ziqing paid them no attention whatsoever, heading straight toward the royal palace.
But just then, Eunuch Gao suddenly spoke up. “Prince Yao, if you would stay a moment!”
Jun Beiyue stopped, turning to look, saying nothing.
To everyone’s surprise, Eunuch Gao gave a cold smile and said, “Prince Yao, His Majesty is meeting with important guests today. Please, do lodge at the envoy quarters for now, and seek an audience tomorrow.”
The moment he said this, the entire gathering fell dead silent!
How could this be? Whenever Jun Beiyue had come before, no matter how pressing the Prince of Nanzhao’s business, it had always been set aside without exception!
To put it in the most extreme terms, even if the Emperor of Da Zhou himself had come to visit, the Prince of Nanzhao would see Prince Yao first, before even the emperor.
What was happening today?
Jun Beiyue had barely reached the gate, and already the Prince of Nanzhao was delivering this kind of blow to his standing!
The “important guests” Eunuch Gao spoke of were, unmistakably, none other than Yelu Chenyi and the Empress of Dongqin!
Even Lord Bomiluo stood there dumbstruck. But Eunuch Gao merely smiled at Jun Beiyue, then turned and bowed respectfully to the Empress and the crown prince, gesturing for them to proceed. “Your Majesty, Your Highness, this way please. His Majesty has been waiting in the great hall for quite some time.”
With that, he led the two of them off, walking away with a confident, unhurried stride!
After a few steps, the Empress of Dongqin still couldn’t resist glancing back, shooting Jun Beiyue a provocative look, as if warning him of something.
Once they’d disappeared, everyone else remained stunned—but Ziqing couldn’t help bursting out laughing.
The mighty Prince Yao of Da Zhou—this was probably the very first time in his life he’d ever been given such a cold shoulder.
Whatever schemes Yelu Chenyi and the Empress of Dongqin might have cooked up, the fact remained that the Prince of Nanzhao had personally written to Jun Beiyue more than ten times, from polite inquiries to outright demands regarding the naval battle, and Jun Beiyue hadn’t answered a single one. It served him right to be left waiting on the sidelines now!
Seeing Ziqing laugh, Jun Beiyue, whose expression had been none too pleasant, found himself unable to stay annoyed. He pulled her close, smiling. “One day is more than enough! This prince was already worrying about having to trouble the Medicine Clan chief again anyway!”
He knew perfectly well that the Empress of Dongqin and Yelu Chenyi had no choice but to try their luck through Nanzhao—he just hadn’t expected them to come in person, and so eagerly at that.
With that, he had Lord Bomiluo lead the way to the envoy quarters.
Along the way, Ziqing remained thoroughly puzzled. One day being more than enough—what exactly did that mean?
Once they reached the envoy quarters, away from the watchful eyes of Nanzhao’s guards, Lord Bomiluo lowered his voice. “Prince Yao, His Majesty is watching you extremely closely this time. Are you really going through with it?”
“Didn’t Eunuch Gao just say the audience is tomorrow? If anyone comes looking, just tell them this prince has already retired for the night, and will grant an audience tomorrow,” Jun Beiyue said, seemingly in unusually good spirits, not the least bit angry, even answering with a hint of playful teasing.
Ziqing felt both suspicious and uneasy at once. She suspected that tomorrow’s meeting with the Prince of Nanzhao wasn’t going to be so simple after all.
This man had come here in person, and yet the Prince of Nanzhao still refused to see him—wasn’t that just asking for trouble?
Anyone could guess, without even thinking hard, that if Jun Beiyue had dared to come at all, he must already have full confidence in how to explain the naval battle.
He carefully packed up their things, gave instructions to Yingzi and Physician Gu, arranged for the mercenaries, and then, taking only Wuzheng with him, led Ziqing off.
At that point, Ziqing finally couldn’t hold back any longer. “What exactly are you planning?”
Jun Beiyue’s smile widened, dazzlingly handsome. “Didn’t I say I had a gift for you? Come on, let’s go get it!”
“Get it from where? What is it?” Ziqing asked, baffled.
“You’ll find out when we get there. Let’s go!” Jun Beiyue said, and right there in front of everyone, he scooped Ziqing up into his arms and vanished in a flash, leaving the whole room of people convinced they must be dreaming.
“My lord… is everything all right?” Lord Bomiluo asked timidly. He had never once seen Prince Yao smile like that before.
“Should be… nothing serious,” Yingzi said, none too certain himself. Never mind Lord Bomiluo—even Yingzi, who had followed his lord since childhood as a shadow guard, had never once seen him in such a good mood.
Only Physician Gu stood with his brow deeply furrowed, thinking privately to himself, “Is meeting Han Ziqing a blessing or a curse for him, really…”
Not until they were well outside the city did Jun Beiyue finally set Ziqing down. His handsome, flawless face wore a smile brighter than sunlight itself, adding an extra note of vigor to his already striking features.
Ziqing could barely gather her wits, unable to resist asking, “Why is the one giving the gift happier than the one receiving it?”
Jun Beiyue affectionately pinched the tip of her nose, seeming about to say something, then thought better of it, simply pressing a light kiss to her nose instead before scooping her up once more and dashing off toward the mountain forest.
“Put me down, I have legs, I can walk!” Ziqing protested loudly.
“You can walk, but this prince enjoys carrying you,” Jun Beiyue said, pulling Ziqing even closer against him, then using a tree trunk to launch himself forward, his speed picking up as he wove swiftly through the forest—so fast that even Ziqing found it hard to bear, growing a little dizzy. With no other choice, she buried her face against his chest, letting him carry her through at breakneck speed.
Though she had no idea what was going on, her heart brimmed with anticipation.
She was such a perceptive person—so many things she could guess at a glance, see through at first sight. Few things in this world could still make her feel genuine anticipation.
And yet, this time, she couldn’t even pinpoint when this anticipation had begun.
She was even starting to feel a bit nervous!
This man was so happy—what on earth could he possibly be about to give her?
She couldn’t guess.
After a long while, Jun Beiyue finally landed and came to a stop. Ziqing’s dizziness finally faded, and she lazily lifted her head, glancing first at Jun Beiyue—who wore a mysterious smile—and then at their surroundings, and only then did she start with sudden shock.
This place…