Tan Ge knew what he was thinking with just one glance. “I can’t believe you’re in the mood to think about things like that now. Allow me to tell you: Princess Consort Hao is beautiful, but you can only have her after we succeed. Prince Hao is no easy opponent, and you’ll have to give it your all!”
“Just how beautiful is this Princess Consort Hao? Compared to you?” Xianyue’s eyes squinted and he smiled as he stroked the bottom of hsi chin.
“As the number one beauty in Beimin, she’s more beautiful than I am. The blood of the Western Regioners flows in her, though she’s from the central plains – what do you think about that? You’ll have to succeed in order to obtain her.” Tan Ge spoke slowly, trying to tempt Xianyue with her words.
Xianyue was interested now. “Is that so? I guess I’ll really have to give it my all then. I want both power and beauty.” He then walked over to Tan Ge and forcefully embraced her, his right hand sneaking under her dress and exploring her body as he did so.
He said, “All of you will be my consorts when I become King. It’s not bad to have you all by my side.” He then pushed her away and laughed before leaving.
His laughter continued ringing in Tan Ge’s ears, leaving her to clench her fists in anger after he was gone. Xianyue, I’m not going to pursue this since you’re still of use to me now, but you’ll definitely regret it once Du Ling and Pei Qianhao have been taken care of!
Su Xi-er, now disguised as a soldier after knocking one out and taking his armour, entered the palace. She had been lucky that this particular soldier was of a smaller physique, as well as timid and ostracized by the rest, making it easy for her to pull the switch off. Furthermore, he belonged to the lowest rank and could thus only guard the entrance.
When her shift ended, she followed a few other guards to return to their quarters.
Some of the guards spotted her and said, “How could the Western Region have someone like you? What a coward!”
The other guards then laughed loudly, ignoring Su Xi-er as they continued on their way. Even after she had been left all alone, nobody gave her so much as a second glance.
Most palaces were designed to have the imperial garden placed between the imperial harem and the discussion area. Thus, Su Xi-er turned along another path and aimed to reach the garden, reaching it in about an hour before being faced with another conundrum. In front of her were three paths.
Where should I go? Why aren’t there any palace maids in the Western Region palace? I can’t even ask a eunuch for directions.
A tall man appeared before her, but she quickly hid herself in the bushes after catching the reeking scent of alcohol on him.
The man was Xianyue. He had been unable to locate Du Ling and Pei Qianhao, even after sending out a large number of men. Upon returning to the Imperial Princess’ repose palace to have dinner, he had drunk a large amount of wine. When Tan Ge’s harsh words had offended him, he even slapped her a few times before leaving for his own residence.
He stopped near the bushes and called out, “Who’s there? Stop hiding!”
Su Xi-er did not expect his hearing to be so good, and immediately fell silent.
“I’ll kill you if you don’t show yourself!” Xianyue began to walk towards her.
Su Xi-er lowered her head as she emerged from the bushes, bowing respectfully to him.
Xianyue saw the blue uniform on her and assumed that she was one of his men from the left faction. He thus waved a hand and said, “Security has been tightened in the palace recently. Why are you here in the imperial harem instead of doing your job?”
The gears turned quickly in Su Xi-er ‘s mind. Only the King and his personal guards are allowed in the imperial harem after nightfall. If this man is allowed to not only enter and leave as he pleases, but even drink, could he be the leader of the left faction?
