It seed that this was not a welco banquet, but rather a courtship event. And the enchanting beauty they all desired was the mysterious gentleman.
Uh! Mu Qingge was startled by her own thoughts.
Though it was unlikely, her intuition told her that this guess was very close to the truth.
As Mu Qingge’s eyes shifted, suddenly, a soft yellow figure caught her attention. She was stunned and quickly locked onto that person.
’It’s him!’ she thought to herself upon seeing the fair and handso face.
The vibrant yellow carried an ethereal taste upon him. Like a picture-perfect beauty, yet disturbed by an unusual pallor, making people hesitate to approach him for fear of shattering him.
It seed that within a radius of six feet around him, all were deterred from approaching.
At such a palace banquet, his long hair was unbound, swaying freely with the breeze. He sat poised in his seat, quietly sipping wine, as if everything before him had nothing to do with him.
Why would he appear here? Who is he?
Mu Qingge asked herself.
Suddenly, she t a pair of distinctly black and white, undisturbed eyes. Instantly, everything around her fell silent, and in the whole world, it seed only she and the owner of those eyes existed.
So cold!
Mu Qingge struggled to pull back her soul, letting the surrounding noise reappear. The lost warmth seed to gradually return as well. She pressed her lips silently, still gazing at him from afar.
’What kind of environnt, what kind of experiences, could make soone’s eyes as cold as these? It is as if he has imprisoned himself within an icy castle, refusing the approach of warmth.’
"Aunt, who is that man?" Mu Qingge leaned towards Mu Lianrong and asked softly.
Mu Lianrong raised her eyes, followed Mu Qingge’s gaze, and returned after just one look, explaining quietly, "He is Prince Xian. At birth, he brought the death of his mother, and he himself is frail and weak. He has always been reclusive and is not favored by the Emperor, so it’s no wonder you don’t know him. Even those serving in the palace may not know him."
Prince Xian? A jinx to his mother? A weak and sickly body?
Mu Lianrong’s explanation seed to match well with his cold aura. Perhaps, that coldness is a sign of his hopelessness, living in desolation?
Mu Qingge pursed her lips, lowered her gaze, and no longer paid attention to him.
Since it bore no relation to her, she naturally wouldn’t expend much effort. Right now, she was more concerned with the unintentionally revealed intelligence in Mu Lianrong’s words.
That is, the Mu Family’s intelligence network.
A prince whom even those in the palace couldn’t necessarily recognize, yet Mu Lianrong identified him rely with a distant glance. Besides an acquaintance, there was only one explanation: Mu Lianrong had detailed information on Prince Xian to recognize him so swiftly.
An intelligence network, now that’s a valuable asset!
Mu Qingge smacked her lips, sowhat envious. However, she knew that as a good-for-nothing currently, she couldn’t access this Mu Family secret.
It’s not a matter of distrust, but fear that the more she knows, the more easily she could be exploited.
At this mont, a group of people arrived, surrounded by others.
Their arrival brought a sudden silence to the not-yet-started banquet, and everyone rose to their feet.
Mu Qingge stood up with Mu Xiong and imdiately spotted a few familiar faces among the crowd. Qin Jinhao, Qin Yiyao, along with the Empress Dowager, Consort Jiang...
And at the forefront, a middle-aged man in a bright yellow dragon robe, though unfamiliar, she deduced his identity.
This must be the very Emperor of Qin who had amused himself at her expense that day.
He was quite dashing and heroic-looking. However, his eyes were full of calculation, making Mu Qingge dislike him. Beside him stood two striking won, each with their own unique charms. The one with a phoenix crown, exuding elegance and nobility, must be the Emperor’s original wife, the Empress of Qin. While the other woman, dressed in a white silk robe embroidered with purple flowers, possessing delicate and extraordinarily beautiful features, gentle as water, based on her attire must also be one of the Emperor’s consorts.
Behind the Empress stood soone who looked sowhat like Qin Jinhao but bore more resemblance to the Empress. However, a hint of arrogance in the eyes spoiled the inherited grandeur of the Empress. He wore a yellow silk robe slightly lighter than the Emperor’s robe, with a feathered crown symbolizing his identity.
This ti, Mu Qingge didn’t need Mu Lianrong’s explanation to guess that this man was also the Emperor’s son, and further, the Empress’s legitimate son, the Crown Prince.
’Tsk, tsk, truly different fates for the sa person’s children. Both sons of the Emperor, yet Prince Xian seems forgotten, cast into the corner,’ Mu Qingge sighed inwardly, but she didn’t develop any sense of injustice.
Among the group that arrived, she didn’t see the little Princess she had encountered that afternoon. Upon second thought, she realized that the young in the Royal Family possibly weren’t allowed to attend such banquets. Or maybe, their farsighted Emperor had other plans?
Drawing back her thoughts, Mu Qingge stood quietly beside Mu Xiong.
Yet, the tardy Emperor did not take his seat but instead stood with his ministers in place, seemingly waiting for sothing.
Suddenly, in the dim sky, the sound of a wind chi rang out.
Everyone looked up to see the fierce and majestic Gale Dragon Leopard pulling the heavy, dark carriages coming forth...
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