A young man then said, “With Prince Hao’s position, how can he take only a single consort? He will probably be taking in secondary princess consorts and concubines. The military power the Princess Consort wields would prevent any of the other concubines from bullying her.”
One thing after another happened, and there was soon another commotion amongst the commoners. It only came to an end once Commander Yuchi Mo passed by while on patrol and instructed someone to capture the young man.
“Do not irresponsibly speculate about Prince Hao’s actions. Prince Hao and Princess Consort Hao are on very good terms.” Yuchi Mo spoke in a commanding tone as he addressed the commoners before instructing his men to take the young man away.
At this, nobody dared to continue the discussion.
Situ Lin was waiting at the palace gates with Xie Yun sitting in a wheelchair beside him. Clad in white robes, there was a bright red sachet with a tiny yellow flower embroidered on it that was hanging on Xie Yun’s waist. Such an accessory looked extremely out of place, and in fact, many officials wondered why the Commandery Prince was wearing such a feminine sachet.
Their attention quickly turned to Su Xi-er when they saw the horse carriage approaching, bowing as the Prince and Princess Consort made their way down. The gentle smile and noble aura of Su Xi-er was a stark contrast from Tan Ge’s when the latter had come to visit.
Though the fake princess had looked refined, her attitude was brutish and petty, and although she had carried the bold disposition of a Western Region citizen, such a supercilious imitation was far from enough for the princess! Nobody had expected for Princess Consort Hao to actually be the real princess.
Those who had thought poorly of Su Xi-er in the past because of her low birth no longer dared to do so. She was an imperial princess, and even wielded significant military power! Such a woman was a great match for Prince Hao.
The officials were delighted. The Western Region is a strong country beyond the Central Plains, and now that they are a powerful ally for Beimin through a marriage alliance, Prince Hao would take Beimin to greater heights!The other three nations in the Central Plains won’t be able to catch up!
Joy was apparent on Situ Lin’s face as he watched his imperial aunt and uncle approach. “Imperial Uncle, the banquet is ready to welcome the Imperial Princess of the Western Region!”
Su Xi-er noticed that Situ Lin had grown a bit taller in the past month, and that the imposing aura of a ruler had begun to show itself.
“Imperial Uncle, Imperial Aunt, this way please!” Situ Lin gestured with his hands politely.
Pei Qianhao nodded as he scanned through those who were present, spotting Xie Yun in the crowd. It was because of Xie Yun’s urgent letter that he and Su Xi-er had decided to rush back to Beimin; it had mentioned Situ Li, the Third Imperial Prince.
Xie Yun looked up and smiled respectfully. “This Prince is unable to stand in greeting. I hope Prince Hao doesn’t mind it.”
Su Xi-er walked up and laughed. “Commandery Prince, why do you have a red sachet at your waist? Are we about to hear good news?”
Xie Yun smiled while the officials wondered to themselves, Commandery Prince Xie is going to get married? That’s great news!
“We’re supposed to be welcoming the Princess, so let’s not talk about anything else today,” Xie Yun answered.
Pei Qianhao nodded and entered the palace shortly after.
The banquet was held in the courtyard, and besides the exquisite dishes being served, there was even an entire roasted lamb set on the center of the table.
Seeing the food, Su Xi-er was reminded of what Pei Qianhao told her previously. Roasted lamb was also a Beimin delicacy, but it was prepared in a different manner from the Western Region. However, Su Xi-er was not in the mood for more meat after having almost nothing but meat for the past few days.
