The night grew heavier like accumulating mist, layer upon layer of darkness sared across the sky.
An ordinary carriage, unassociated with magnificence, rolled slowly along the street, its wheels crushing the delicate and faded color of the moonlight.
Only the magnificent steed pulling the carriage hinted at the extraordinary status of the person it carried.
"It angers to death, that an old woman who’s been with so many n can be so arrogant! We’ve been waiting at her door for several days, and we still haven’t caught a glimpse of her, not even the Emperor himself carries on like this!"
Zhou Xiyue, the little princess of the Dazhou Dynasty, fud furiously.
The woman sitting beside her, dignified as a precious peony, had a look of dark clouds over her face, and her slightly clenched powdery fists hinted at the anger in her heart.
The Dazhou Dynasty had been established for two hundred and thirty-four years.
The current Emperor, Zhou Chang, was its ninth ruler.
Though Emperor Zhou Chang had many consorts and beauties across the three palaces and six courtyards, a total of seventy-two, he had fathered not many princes.
Excluding the two that died young, there were only three princes and two princesses to date.
Interestingly enough, neither the reigning Empress nor the recently favored Noble Consort Lin had born any offspring.
On the contrary, Consort Lan, who had once been a common favorite, had given birth to two sons and a daughter.
The eldest son, Zhou Wei, though of average talent at birth, had been naturally established as the Crown Prince due to the priority of succession given to the legitimate eldest son.
With her son’s elevated status, Consort Lan had also risen from Consort Wanyi to Consort Zhaorong, on an equal footing with Concubine Gui.
There had even been officials in court who had submitted remonstrations to depose the current Empress in favor of Consort Lan, but after that official was demoted to a remote county border for his proposition, no one dared raise the matter again.
The occupants of the carriage at this mont were Consort Lan, Crown Prince Zhou Wei, the second Prince Zhou Kang, and the little princess, Zhou Xiyue.
Previously, the Crown Prince had followed the advice of the Imperial Astronor and sought out Li Guanshi with the hopes of lucking out.
To see if he could qualify for Dual Cultivation.
Unfortunately, they had never managed to et her in person.
Compared to their earlier spirited confidence, the mood among the four was now indescribably gloomy, and the atmosphere inside the carriage grew exceptionally oppressive and somber.
A self-mocking smile played upon the lips of Crown Prince Zhou Wei.
To show their sincerity, his family had patiently waited outside Li Guanshi’s residence for two days. They were ticulously polite to even the lowliest guards, not daring to overstep in the slightest.
But that woman seed to have disappeared; she simply ignored them completely.
A Crown Prince had never suffered such neglect and humiliation.
Even the Saints of Confucianism and the Military wouldn’t dare to be so outrageously disdainful.
However, Zhou Wei possessed an excellent temperant, and despite the bitterness in his heart, he never complained or showed the slightest bit of resentnt.
After all, who could argue against Li Guanshi, the most beautiful woman in the world and the second greatest martial artist?
"I have other matters to attend to tomorrow, so I won’t accompany you," said Consort Lan, suppressing the frustration in her heart and looking straight into her son Zhou Wei’s eyes,
"Your father, the Emperor, agreed to seek out Li Guanshi, which ans that the Imperial Astronor believes you have a great chance of being chosen by her. You can’t give up just like that. No matter what, you must et Li Guanshi in person.
Although Li Guanshi is a Jianghu figure, she carries the fortune of a Luo goddess, not an ordinary woman by any ans. If you could draw even a bit from her, it would greatly benefit the extended prosperity of our imperial reign and national fate.
In addition, Li Guanshi has the rare ’Warm Jade Physique,’ a top-notch cauldron rarely seen in this world. Even if we don’t aspire to immortality, the benefits of extending life far surpass those of the Heavenly Discussion Virgin Classic from Zhenxuan Mountain and the ’Escaping Immortal Elixir’ from the Eternal Life Hall."
Even as she said this, Consort Lan, though already of such an esteed status, couldn’t suppress the intense jealousy welling up inside her.
How could there be such an incomparably radiant woman in the world?
Thankfully she’s not in the imperial palace.
Otherwise, the words "calamity to the country and people" would be most fitting to describe her.
Reflecting on this, Consort Lan solemnly said, "Wei’er, rember, you must not develop feelings for this woman! Nor should you think of keeping her by your side or marrying her. Li Guanshi is different from ordinary won; her heart aspires to the heavens, only the Way of Heaven is in her eyes, and no man in this world could catch her fancy.
Moreover, even if she has ambitions of becoming the Empress in the future, we will not allow it. Of course, if luck is not on your side and Li Guanshi does not choose you, don’t be discouraged. Strive to build a good relationship with her.
"The Buddha said that karma never rests; should you encounter trouble later on, having her help would be an additional safeguard," he said.
"Wei’er understands," Zhou Wei said, caressing the Mutton Fat Jade Pendant at his waist with a smile.
Consort Lan’s eyes were tender as she looked at her eldest son, who was destined to beco the ruler of a nation, pride shining in her eyes.
Initially, although her eldest son was nad Crown Prince, the Emperor did not favor him and even intended to cultivate the son of that wretched Consort Dong.
Fortunately, the Emperor ultimately discarded the idea of changing the Crown Prince.
Now that the Crown Prince is endowed with the destiny of the heavens and the vein of the hidden dragon, and with the attention of two Saints from Confucianism and the military families, having received the divine edict of the heavens, he is destined to beco the true renaissance leader of the nation.
The position of the Crown Prince is already secure.
Although the destiny of the heavens and the vein of the hidden dragon were seized from others, in her view, what is yours cannot be taken by others, and what is not yours, you cannot keep even if you wish to.
Therefore, these two fortunes should rightfully belong to my son!
What infuriated her, however, was that this secret that should never see the light of day had been leaked.
She wondered who could be so audacious.
But now that it had been leaked, no matter; the man with the unknown identity had already been killed by the censor.
Dead n tell no tales.
At first, she worried that her son, with his innocent nature, would feel guilty and anxious about this. But his words, "To not take when the heavens bestow is to invite disaster upon oneself," allowed her to be at ease.
My son is kind-hearted, yet he is not pedantic.
The young princess found the carriage suffocating and stuck her head out of the window for air.
On the roadside, so wandering beggars who were looking for targets saw the beautiful, aristocratic girl and crowded around with their bowls, hoping to grab so money.
After all, so young ladies raised sheltered in their hos tend to be naive and kind-hearted, often giving generously; they are practically like living bodhisattvas.
Zhou Xiyue, already irked, saw the approaching beggars and, despite the guards blocking them, still felt annoyed and said to one guard furiously, "Ma Wu, if another fly approaches, break their arms and legs!"
The beggars, savvy as they were, disappeared in an instant, sensing that the situation was not favorable.
Consort Lan patted her daughter’s leg and said with a frown, "As a lady, and especially as a princess, you should sit properly. Look at your elder sister; whether at ho or outside, she is always dignified and courteous..."
"I know, I know," Zhou Xiyue replied, just as she was about to pull her head back into the carriage, she caught sight of a remaining beggar on the street.
The other party was a thin and weak-looking girl, slender like a reed, sitting alone under a dirt wall, particularly conspicuous at that mont.
The thin and weak girl looked around, as if searching for soone, or perhaps waiting for soone.
Occasionally, her gaze t with Zhou Xiyue’s.
The girl’s bright, clear eyes, like those of a frightened rabbit, quickly looked away.
Zhou Xiyue frowned slightly and withdrew her head back into the carriage.
The young princess impatiently straightened up and sneered, "She’s nothing but a pretentious little temptress. Even the Emperor doesn’t like her. Isn’t it whom the Emperor dotes on the most?"
Consort Lan shook her head helplessly.
Perhaps the thought of her elder sister made the young princess’s already foul mood even worse.
The carriage hadn’t moved far when she suddenly leaned out of the small window and looked towards the thin and weak girl, saying with unexpected emotion, "A thin coat covers frail bones, in bitter cold who hears their pleas; where in this world is not pitiable. To be a beggar at such a young age, her life is truly hard."
The young princess turned her head, smiling amiably at the guard, and said softly,
"Go kill that wretched little beggar, and, hmm... dig her eyes out while you’re at it. Instead of allowing her to suffer like this, it’s better to let her be reborn into a good family in her next life and enjoy her blessings."
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