Soon, the horse carriage stopped before the Imperial Palace’s gate. Since none of the court ministers had ever seen a carriage from the Western Region before, they couldn’t help but be stunned by the sight of one. A circle of peacock feathers laid on the roof of the carriage, and the studded gold at the sides shone dazzlingly in the sun’s rays.
Commander Yuchi went forth and knelt. “Please alight the carriage, Imperial Princess.”
A woman’s voice could soon be heard. “Commander Zhao Wu, with this Princess coming to Beimin today, it should be someone from Beimin helping me down from the carriage.”
A trace of coldness was evident within the woman’s voice. Understanding her intentions, Situ Lin spoke out of courtesy. “This Emperor shall support the Imperial Princess in alighting the carriage.”
However, he immediately heard the woman speak again. “The Western Region values the military, and this Princess reveres brave warriors the most. Now that this Princess has come to Beimin, I hope that Beimin’s bravest warrior can help me down the carriage.”
‘Bravest warrior’ was naturally referring to Pei Qianhao, prompting all the officials to look towards him. Commander Zhao Wu stood up and bowed at Pei Qianhao. “For the sake of courtesy, please help the Imperial Princess down the horse carriage, Prince Hao.”
All of a sudden, the atmosphere became much more solemn, and an awkward silence fell over the gathering as everyone waited for Pei Qianhao’s response.
The Western Region had been developing rather well the past few years. Having subdued several small countries and tribes, they seemed to be signaling that they had designs on the four nations in the Central Plains.
As the only imperial princess of the Western Region, this request wasn’t entirely unreasonable considering it was her first time in Beimin.
Everyone looked at Pei Qianhao, who finally parted his lips, replying in a deep and cold voice. “Imperial Princess, your arrival in Beimin is giving respect to Beimin, and this Prince is happy about that. However, Beimin has always valued its rules. Among those rules is one that states that a subject cannot cross the line; if you insist on having someone help you alight, it must be our emperor. Even if you are an imperial princess, Beimin cannot change our rules for you.”
The tides changed with his words, and the officials repeatedly nodded. Wouldn’t it just make it look like Beimin is easily bullied if we followed the whims of the Western Region’s imperial princess just like that?
The woman laughed, and her previous cold demeanor faded into a gentle call. “It’s this Princess’ fault for not being familiar with the rules of Beimin’s imperial palace.”
A slender hand pulled the curtain aside, and a woman dressed in pink clothes leapt down. With her agility and figure, she really lives up to her name; her combat skills are pretty good!
Du Rin swept her gaze across the crowd before she carefully sized Pei Qianhao up and laughed. “It’s this Princess’ first time seeing Beimin’s bravest warrior; you have an imposing demeanour, just like the rumours say.”
She continued to observe Pei Qianhao.
How come he isn’t surprised at all about us meeting again? He didn’t expect that he would see this face again, right? If not for the power struggle between you men, the Tan Residence wouldn’t have been exiled, and I wouldn’t have been forced to this step.
Surprise registered in Yuchi Mo’s eyes when he saw the person emerging from the carriage. Why does the Western Region Imperial Princess look exactly like the Eldest Miss Tan?! To be more accurate, their appearance is the same, but her aura is entirely different! Is their similar appearance just a coincidence…or something more than that?
Despite being bewildered, Yuchi Mo’s expression quickly returned to normal.
There was no change in Pei Qianhao’s visage. He put his hands together and greeted Du Rin in a friendly manner. “Welcome, Imperial Princess of the Western Region.”
“This Princess had stayed in Beimin for a while, but it’s my first time seeing this majestic imperial palace.” Du Rin’s gaze seemed to be distant as she gazed at the grand palace halls before her.
I had left the palace in a sorry state of panic and pain. However, that is all far in the past now!
Situ Lin was puzzled. “Imperial Princess, why would you have stayed in Beimin for a period of time?”
