Wen Fan led the horse carriage away, leaving behind a trail of dust in the process.
“Cough!” Yin Hao’s face was flushed as he fumed, “Who do you think you are? Do you really think that you’ve gotten associated with a big shot?!”
As Wen Fan was weak, frail, and timid, he used to be a coward in front of Yin Hao and dared not disobey the latter’s orders. Hence, Yin Hao thought that Wen Fan had gotten cocky after just one day of following the Tianling Dynasty’s people around. Seriously, the Crown Prince arranging for them to stay at that villa may not necessarily mean anything!
“The Tianling Dynasty… has got some airs, huh?” Dantai Chen lifted the curtain to take an expressionless look at the horse carriage that was disappearing into the distance.
“Don’t take it to your heart, Your Majesty. They won’t be able to act smug for too long! Only those who are truly capable will get the last laugh, don’t you agree?” said Yin Hao hurriedly out of fear that Dantai Chen might get angry. The Tianling Dynasty might’ve been a match for the Taiyu Dynasty in the past, but with all the unrest and instability they’ve been through, they’ll definitely come in last place now. Let’s see how they’re going to continue to act arrogant when that happens!
Dantai Chen put the curtain down and coldly said, “Let’s go!”
…
The Beiming Imperial Palace—which sat atop a huge piece of land—was spectacular and magnificent. Word had it that the palace had been renovated to celebrate the successful attempt at reaching Apotheosis by the Beiming Dynasty’s ancestor.
Because of the ancestor’s blessing, nothing major had ever happened in the Beiming Dynasty, and they remained a strong and rich empire throughout the millennium following his success. This was why their royal treasury was always full and why they could afford to use a portion of the money specifically on the maintenance of the palace every century.
In addition, everything that was related to the royal family was paid special attention in Lin Zhou City. No matter which aspect it was, Lin Zhou was indeed much stronger than Xi Ling.
Chu Liuyue closed her eyes to rest while sitting inside the carriage. At first, she could still hear occasional noises coming from outside, but they gradually died down. Their surrounding atmosphere also became cold and tense.
The horse carriage stopped a moment later, and that was when she opened her eyes. We’re here!
…
Wen Fan stepped forward and handed over the invitation he had prepared beforehand.
“Tianling Dynasty?” The guard at the palace gates took a closer look at the invitation in surprise.
Word about the Tianling Dynasty and the Taiyu Dynasty fighting for a villa yesterday had spread, so a lot of people had found out that the Beiming Dynasty’s Crown Prince seemed to regard the Tianling Dynasty highly. As such, even the guards couldn’t help but be nervous, and they didn’t dare to slack off at all.
“Horse carriages aren’t allowed within the palace grounds. Please get off and proceed inside on foot.”
Chu Liuyue lifted the curtain and hopped off from the carriage before raising her head slightly to take a look at her surroundings.
The thick and heavy palace gates exuded a menacing aura, and one could vaguely smell a sweet metallic scent in the air by just standing there.
Chu Liuyue’s heart tingled slightly. I’d like to see what those people are up to this time!
…
Imperial Palace, Qianlong Hall.
In the middle of the far end of the hall was a golden throne that clearly belonged to the Beiming Dynasty’s emperor, Jun Qizhi. On its left was a similar chair that was slightly smaller in size, which indubitably belonged to the Crown Prince, Jun Jiuqing.
Generally speaking, only rulers were qualified to sit on a throne. But the fact that Jun Jiuqing was allowed to sit on one despite him being a crown prince showed how high his status was in the Beiming Dynasty—he was almost on the same footing as his father.
Following downward were two rows of seats on the left and right respectively. If one looked closely, they would notice that each side was further divided into two areas. Apart from the Beiming Dynasty, a total of four dynasties were invited, so each dynasty had one area to themselves.
Currently, an area on each side was occupied by the Dongning Dynasty and the Xiyan Dynasty, which arrived one after another.
Jun Qizhi and Jun Jiuqing weren’t here yet. Apart from the people from the two mentioned dynasties, only the palace staff responsible for waiting on them were present. Hence, the atmosphere was relatively relaxed.
“Have you heard about yesterday’s interesting incident, Brother Ning?” asked Gongsun Xiao, the Xiyan Dynasty’s emperor, with a glass of wine in his hand.
Ning Yuan looked up with an expressionless look. “Are you talking about… the villa issue?”
“Looks like you’ve heard about it as well.” Gongsun Xiao laughed. “It’s a shame that we arrived too early yesterday and ended up missing such a good show.”
“There’s nothing to be missed about. It’s just a lodging anyway.” Ning Yuan seemed unconcerned about this matter.
This wily old fox is just as pretentious as ever! Gongsun Xiao snickered inwardly, but he wasn’t in the mood to bicker with Ning Yuan about this, for what he was most interested about now was the Tianling Dynasty. “You’re wrong, Brother Ning. The Crown Prince was responsible for the lodging arrangement. Can’t you tell anything from it?”
If Jun Jiuqing wanted, he could’ve arranged the same accommodation for all of us. However, he didn’t. Doesn’t that mean he’s deliberately picking a fight with the Tianling Dynasty? “Do you know anything about the Tianling Dynasty, Brother Ning?”
Ning Yuan froze. “I don’t know much about the Tianling Dynasty since the Dongning Dynasty is far away from them.”
“But surely you’ve heard that their new ruler is coming today? Aren’t you the slightest bit curious about her?” Gongsun Xiao smiled and stroked his beard. It’s hard for us not to hear about the sensational news!
Ning Yuan was just about to speak when he heard the palace staff announcing, “Shangguan Yue, Empress Yuan Xi of the Tianling Dynasty, has arrived!”
Silence immediately descended upon the entire hall as everyone turned their heads toward the doors to see a group of people coming their way.
Leading the group was a tall and slim young lady who looked around the age of sixteen. She looked like a red cloud floating over from afar in her attire, and gasps of surprise could be heard throughout the hall as she got closer.
A hint of astonishment appeared in everyone’s eyes. Beautiful! This lady has such outstanding and distinguished looks! ‘Beautiful’ is the only word that can be used to describe her! Her presence alone makes everything fade into the background!
Many people were secretly amazed by Shangguan Yue’s astounding beauty. Every single person was one of the most esteemed figures in their respective dynasty, so they had naturally seen their fair share of beauties. But still, their hearts skipped a beat at the sight of her, and their gazes unconsciously roamed over to her.
Being used to such looks, Chu Liuyue walked to the middle of the hall, where she stopped and smiled. “It seems that I arrived a little late. I wonder what you were talking about earlier. Do you mind sharing it with me and letting me join the conversation?”
