Like a pearl falling onto a jade plate, the lady’s clear voice echoed throughout the hall.
It became even quieter in the hall, for Shangguan Yue was the exact person the rulers of the Dongning Dynasty and the Xiyan Dynasty were talking about just moments ago. But of course, they couldn’t say this to her face as she was ultimately also a ruler of a dynasty. Even if the Tianling Dynasty was in no way comparable to the other dynasties, they were considered equals in terms of status and positions.
The people in the hall suddenly felt that they were caught in the act of bad-mouthing someone behind their back.
After a brief silence, Ning Yuan took the lead to say, “It was just a trivial matter. No need to pay heed to it. The Beiming Dynasty’s Emperor and Crown Prince haven’t arrived yet. Please feel free to make yourself at home, Empress Yuan Xi.”
The corners of Chu Liuyue’s lips curled up slightly in a smile. “Thank you. Everyone here today is considered my elder and senior. If you don’t mind, you may just call me by my name.”
Ning Yuan had a good impression of her when he saw that she carried herself well as both an empress and a junior despite her young age. He nodded and introduced himself, “I’m Ning Yuan, and I’m from the Dongning Dynasty.”
Chu Liuyue nodded and looked to the other side. “And you are…”
Despite Gongsun Xiao’s contempt toward the Tianling Dynasty, it would be impolite of him to make things difficult for Chu Liuyue when she was treating him in such a polite manner. Thus, he said, “Gongsun Xiao from the Xiyan Dynasty.”
“I’ve heard a lot about the two of you, and it’s an honor to meet you today. I hope that you can guide me along if there’s something I don’t understand,” said Chu Liuyue with a gracious smile as if she hadn’t heard what they had said about her earlier. After that, she led her entourage to take their seats next to Ning Yuan and his people.
Countless gazes followed her, and many people had confused expressions on their faces when they saw how relaxed she was. S-she seems different from what the rumors say… She doesn’t seem like a despotic young lady at all! Each of her words and actions was flawless, and she’s clearly very gracious!
Gongsun Xiao and Ning Yuan exchanged a look.
After hearing the rumors, I thought that Shangguan Yue deliberately provoked the Taiyu Dynasty because she had the support of the Beiming Dynasty’s Crown Prince. But now that I see her, she doesn’t look like a person who would do such a thing… Gongsun Xiao pondered for a moment before saying with a laugh, “I wanted to go meet you after hearing about your arrival yesterday, but your villa is a little far from ours. I also didn’t want to disturb you since it was already quite late. I wonder… if you had a good rest yesterday?”
Although it seemed like he was just asking a simple question about the villa, he was actually trying to sound out the relationship between Chu Liuyue and the Beiming Dynasty’s Crown Prince. If they really had something going on between them, then he would have to be extra careful moving forward.
Chu Liuyue smiled. “Thank you for your concern, Senior Gongsun. Like everyone else, everything was arranged for us by the Crown Prince, so everything is well.”
She didn’t give a direct answer to Gongsun Xiao’s question and merely praised the Beiming Dynasty’s Crown Prince. They were now on the latter’s turf after all, so it didn’t hurt to praise him a bit. Besides, who would dare to say anything bad in the open?
Sure enough, Gongsun Xiao was disappointed to hear this answer, but he didn’t comment further on it. Ning Yuan, on the other hand, seemed truly disinterested in their conversation.
“Emperor Huai Ren of the Taiyu Dynasty has arrived!”
Thereafter, Dantai Chen and his group walked in one after another. The former’s mood worsened when he noticed that everyone else had arrived. After making a simple introduction, he quickly went to his seat and sat down.
However, the uneasy feeling didn’t subside, for he could distinctively sense the eyes staring at him from all directions. Without even lifting his head, he knew what those looks meant—everyone must’ve already found out about what happened yesterday.
This made Dantai Chen feel even more embarrassed and restless. Unfortunately, he didn’t even have a chance to defend himself as they didn’t say anything on the matter. Thus, he couldn’t help but feel even more aggrieved.
In addition, after sitting in the hall for a while, he realized that Gongsun Xiao and Ning Yuan’s attitude toward Shangguan Yue was rather polite, which might be because yesterday’s event made them suspect the relationship between the Tianling Dynasty and the Beiming Dynasty’s Crown Prince.
Dantai Chen secretly clenched his fists. I’ll leave her be for the time being. Once I get the chance, I’ll expose all of her pretenses and disgrace her in public!
…
“His Majesty has arrived! His Highness has arrived!”
As the doors opened, the noise in the hall instantly died down. Everyone turned to look at the doors in unison, only to see a bright yellow figure walking toward them.
It was a middle-aged man with a sturdy figure. This man exuded authority and a powerful aura, and he was none other than the Beiming Dynasty’s Emperor, Jun Qizhi.
Walking slightly behind him was a young man clad in a bright-blue brocade robe that had embroideries of golden dragons on its collar and cuffs. He had a jade belt around his waist and a crown on his head, and he exuded an air of nobility.
He had sharp eyebrows and a high nose bridge, and his lips were gently hooked up in an alluring smile. However, the most mesmerizing thing about him was his unique phoenix eyes.
Although he appeared to be smiling, his eyes were cold and indifferent. There was also a hint of red in them that looked like faint bloodstains, making them unforgettable. His gaze looked lazy, and it was like he had never held anything in regard before.
Chu Liuyue froze slightly when she saw him for the first time, and a thought surfaced in her mind: This must be Jun Jiuqing! What an arrogant man he is!
Indeed so. Even though he didn’t say or do anything, her sixth sense told her that this was a very prideful man.
Jun Jiuqing—who seemingly felt her gaze on him—looked over and met her gaze.
This man is very strong! Chu Liuyue’s heart turned cold as she instinctively went on her guard.
All of a sudden, Jun Jiuqing curled his lips and laughed. The ice in his eyes was seemingly shattered as he let out what seemed to be a sincere laugh. However, cruelty and ferocity were reflected from the depths of his eyes.
Chu Liuyue could feel that Jun Jiuqing held no malice toward her, but her wariness toward him just wouldn’t fade for some reason.
“Shangguan Yue?” Jun Jiuqing called her name out of nowhere, his voice deep and mellow like wine. He then smiled and said, “Long time no see.”
