Chapter 175: Peerless Beauty

It was a magnificent carriage adorned with beautiful patterns, its windows covered by cyan brocade curtains that swayed slightly as the carriage moved forward.

Suddenly, two slender, fair fingers pressed against the cyan brocade, and the curtain was lifted, revealing a face as beautiful as a hibiscus flower.

Countless people were captivated by the woman's radiance within the carriage, letting out audible gasps.

The curtain promptly fell again, but the fleeting glimpse of the beauty left a profound impression on the crowd, and the murmurs surrounding the woman in the carriage continued incessantly.

Lin Hao tugged at Qi Shuo: "Did you see that? There's a rare beauty in that carriage."

"I saw her." Qi Shuo's tone was somewhat cold. "She is the youngest daughter of King Yuliu, Princess Lingque."

Lin Hao's expression of curiosity vanished, and her gaze toward Qi Shuo turned puzzled.

"Since we've seen the spectacle, let's go sit in a teahouse."

"Alright."

Once they had entered the teahouse and sat down for tea, Lin Hao asked curiously, "When you mentioned Princess Yuliu just now, your tone seemed a bit off."

She had almost forgotten that in her past life, she was no longer in the capital at this time, yet Qi Shuo was still living a normal life.

In other words, he had already witnessed such spectacles once before. He might have even dealt with the person in that carriage long ago.

The laughter and clamor from the street drifted in through the street-facing window, robbing the elegant room of some of its tranquility.

"Mhm. I almost became Princess Yuliu's husband."

"Cough, cough, cough!" Lin Hao choked on her tea and began coughing.

Qi Shuo set down his teacup and gently patted her back: "Don't get worked up. It didn't happen."

Lin Hao coughed until tears came to her eyes. Looking at that calm and indifferent handsome face, she felt inexplicably annoyed.

"Why didn't it happen?" She pressed the corner of her eye and asked coolly.

Qi Shuo looked at her, remaining silent for a moment.

Lin Hao nudged his arm; the sensation was starkly different from the delicate touch of a woman. As if possessed, she switched to poking him with her finger.

A hand reached out and caught her finger.

"I didn't like her," he said simply, his tone flat, hiding the pain of losing his beloved in his previous life deep within.

But Lin Hao felt it.

In both her past and present lives, the Prince of Jing had always been a man of extraordinary restraint.

"Then who became Princess Yuliu's husband?" She stopped asking things that would trigger his pain.

Qi Shuo's expression turned somewhat strange: "It was King Wei."

Lin Hao looked surprised: "King Wei?"

Even though she had returned to the capital in her past life, her time there had been too short, and she lacked much information.

"It can be considered a temporary stabilization of the relationship between Great Zhou and Yuliu," Qi Shuo commented indifferently.

As for the storms stirred up by the rejection of Princess Yuliu, he did not intend to mention them to Ah Hao.

In this life, he and Ah Hao were successfully engaged; the troubles they once encountered naturally no longer existed.

"I wonder if Princess Yuliu will marry King Wei this time." Mentioning King Wei, Lin Hao's mood became somewhat complicated.

Almost, King Wei would have become her brother-in-law.

In her past life, her sister had married the Heir of Marquis Pingjia according to plan, so there was naturally no matter of an engagement with King Wei.

Was King Wei's destined wife actually Princess Yuliu?

Lin Hao felt a sense of sighing and vigilance toward fate.

After circling around, fate could easily return to its original trajectory, but through personal effort, some things could indeed be changed.

Qi Shuo reached out to rub Lin Hao's head; his clearly hard facial features exuded a certain softness: "That's why, regarding matters that don't involve us much, knowing too much isn't actually beneficial. Don't think too much. With so many changes in this life, it is already a brand-new existence."

"I'm still a bit curious about who will become the Princess Consort of King Wei." Lin Hao held her hair bun with one hand and used the other to swat away his restless hand.

Hearing her say this, Qi Shuo's expression became more serious: "One can judge the Emperor's attitude toward the Crown Prince by whether Princess Yuliu can become King Wei's consort. The Crown Prince lost the use of his left hand and caused quite a bit of trouble; if the Emperor's choice for the heir were wavering, he wouldn't allow Princess Yuliu to become King Wei's consort."

A foreign princess could become a favored concubine of Great Zhou, but she could not become the Empress.

Lin Hao suddenly felt more expectant and smiled: "Then let's wait and see."

To see if her efforts would be useful.

Qi Shuo remembered: "There will be a flower-viewing banquet. Noble ladies of similar age will be invited to act as hosts and accompany Princess Yuliu for entertainment. You should receive an invitation."

Lin Hao laughed: "Then I'll prepare my clothes in advance."

However, Qi Shuo's expression was not so relaxed: "There was an accident at this flower-viewing banquet."

"What accident?" The smile vanished from Lin Hao's lips.

"I haven't paid much attention to these kinds of banquets." Qi Shuo rubbed his brow, recalling, "It seems a stone on a rockery suddenly slipped and injured a noble lady."

"Do you remember who it was?"

"I heard faintly that it was the second daughter of the Marquis of Weiwu's manor. When something happens to a young lady, it is handled discreetly and not publicized widely. I don't know the specifics."

"Was it serious?"

Qi Shuo shook his head: "I'm not quite sure, but no one died. And since it happened during the visit of the Yuliu envoys, the matter wasn't blown out of proportion."

Lin Hao fell into thought.

The second Miss Kou of the Marquis of Weiwu's manor was the younger sister of Princess Yi'an and the grand-niece of the Empress Dowager. For the matter to pass so quietly, it showed the Emperor's importance regarding Yuliu, which allowed one to deduce that the relationship between Great Zhou and Great Qi was quite tense during this period.

"Be careful that day. Don't go near the rockeries."

"I know."

***

The Yuliu procession headed straight for the Imperial City. The Yuliu Prince, the Princess, and an envoy entered the main hall led by an official, while the rest waited in the plaza outside the hall.

Emperor Taian had long been seated on the dragon throne waiting, flanked by civil and military officials holding their breath.

"This humble prince greets Your Majesty." The Yuliu Prince bowed to Emperor Taian.

Emperor Taian, who was usually stern before his officials, looked much gentler facing the Yuliu Prince: "No need for such formality. You have traveled a long way; you must be exhausted."

The three of them rose upon hearing this.

First, the Yuliu envoy spoke incessantly to Emperor Taian, expressing King Yuliu's longing and well-wishes, and then came the introduction of Princess Yuliu.

The Yuliu Prince said with a smile, "My younger sister is named Lingque. She has always admired the elegance of Great Zhou. Since we have the chance to pay respects to Your Majesty this time, I brought her along to see it."

"Later, let our court's noble ladies accompany Princess Lingque for more fun." Emperor Taian remained composed on the surface, but his mind began to speculate.

Yuliu is visiting—what is the meaning of bringing a beautiful princess?

Could they be offering beauty to forge an alliance?

"Serve the banquet."

Soon, fine wine and delicacies were laid before everyone like flowing water, and the melodious sounds of silk and bamboo instruments rose.

Emperor Taian touched the wine to his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Crown Prince constantly glancing toward Princess Lingque. He was so angered that his hand trembled, nearly spilling his wine.

This disgraceful thing! He was never this undisciplined before!

The Crown Prince was indeed mesmerized by Princess Lingque's beauty.

He had seen many peerless beauties, but perhaps due to his recent misfortunes, and because Princess Lingque appeared at just the right time, she attracted him inexplicably.

Emperor Taian gave a light cough to remind him.

The Crown Prince's heart jolted. He hurriedly picked up his wine cup to drink and hide his expression, but in his haste, he reached out with his left hand.

(End of Chapter)