klisemfg Chapter 244 The Infamous Young Lady 32
Chapter 244 The Infamous Young Lady 32
After resting for a while, officials from the palace kept sending people over with ulterior motives, indicating that it was time for her to meet the prince she was to marry.
Zhu Zhu had been staying in the mansion for several days and was already bored to death. Hearing this, she became excited and began to carefully dress up Ni Qing.
"The seventh prince from a few days ago was exceptionally handsome, even more so than any of the princes in our palace. It seems the rumors are unreliable. Who said all the princes here are so eccentric?"
Zhuzhu scoffed at the rumors she had heard.
Ni Qing: "..."
We shouldn't speak too absolutely.
As the weather got hotter, Zhuzhu passed on both the red and white dresses and chose a light blue brocade dress with gold trim, which looked incredibly elegant.
"Miss's clothes are too plain. She should wear something bright and eye-catching. Look, this dress makes her skin look so fair and elegant."
Zhuzhu was completely satisfied.
Ni Qing looked at the bronze mirror. The girl's eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, and there was a faint smile on her lips. Her small face was as delicate as a porcelain doll.
The light blue collar accentuated her snow-white skin, her slender and long neck, and her elegant demeanor.
The palace sedan chair was already parked at the entrance of the mansion.
The guards dared not offend the princess and looked up directly at her face, keeping their heads down and their eyes downcast.
They marched in a grand procession toward the Yu Kingdom's palace.
Some people stood along the street, while others stood on the rooftops of teahouses, watching the impressive procession from afar. The bright red banners bore four large characters:
Princess Jingyao.
A grand banquet was held in the palace. Red bricks and green tiles were adorned with festive red silk ribbons tied to the beams. Officials, ministers, and prime ministers drank and chatted happily, feeling a long-lost joy at this momentous occasion of marriage alliance.
The maids bowed their heads, arranged the delicacies properly, and then dispersed.
The Emperor of Yu was old, his white beard and fine lines around his eyes bearing the marks of time. He sat in the main seat with a beaming smile, flanked by his family, princes, concubines, and below him were the prime minister and ministers.
"Fourth Brother is so lucky! Father Emperor really dotes on you, betrothing you to a princess from a neighboring country to be the Third Imperial Consort. I've heard that the women in that country are all delicate and frail. I wonder if that's true or not."
The princes, who all looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, raised their glasses in celebration around an unremarkable young man.
The man was dressed in a moon-white robe, with a sickly look between his brows. He was of average appearance and was none other than the third prince of the Yu Kingdom, born out of wedlock.
His birth mother was a palace maid who, while drunk, climbed into the emperor's bed and unexpectedly gave birth to a prince, becoming a concubine. However, she was not favored, and thus the third prince was mediocre.
While his brothers have all been granted titles, he has yet to receive any.
Everyone knew the true nature of this marriage alliance. The princess from the neighboring country was ultimately just an outsider of unknown origin. Although it symbolized friendship between the two countries, there were many examples of spies in history.
It's best to be cautious and not let your guard down.
"A first-tier woman, how come you speak of her with such mystique? Aren't you afraid that all your efforts will be in vain, and that she's just an ordinary-looking woman?"
The Third Prince picked up his wine cup and chuckled.
Although the emperor has not explicitly stated which prince he will marry, he has mentioned it both openly and subtly before, so it's pretty much a done deal.
The palace is rife with intrigue and power struggles, and the Third Prince's every word and action carries a gloomy undertone.
"I heard that the young marquis went to the princess's mansion to cause trouble some time ago, and they parted on bad terms."
"Why would the young marquis go there for no reason? He's naturally playful, but surely he wouldn't go that far?"
"It is said that a few sons of officials made a bet on whether the new imperial concubine was beautiful or ugly. At that time, the young marquis was drunk and volunteered to find out."
In the end, he was never able to see the princess's face.
The sons of several ministers and princes reminisced and chatted about trivial matters. Before the guests even arrived, they were already quite drunk.
"I heard that the Seventh Prince has also returned to the capital. It's truly a double celebration."
The air fell silent for a moment when one of the minister's sons casually mentioned it.
The seventh prince was sent away when he was young, and there were many rumors that he died on his path of cultivation. There has been no news of him since then. When the news of his return to the palace was suddenly received, everyone was somewhat reluctant.
"Why hasn't the Seventh Prince arrived yet?" someone asked curiously. He looked around but didn't see a single unfamiliar prince.
Everyone knew perfectly well that the Seventh Prince hadn't visited much since returning to the palace, and they didn't know if he had received any notification. Ignoring that person's question, they started chatting about other topics.
"Princess Jingyao has arrived!"
The eunuch announced this in a high-pitched voice.
The crowd, which had been laughing and making noise, fell silent upon hearing this and stared at the door with great anticipation.
The first thing that catches the eye is the blue hem of the garment.
The girl's figure was slender and delicate, her jade-like fingers lightly holding a fan that partially obscured her face, clearly indicating that she had lived a life of luxury.
Ni Qing raised her eyes and looked at the unfamiliar faces of the crowd. She stood up straight and was not intimidated by the stares of so many people. She lowered her eyes and stepped forward to give a gentle bow.
"Your subject, Jingyao, greets Your Majesty."
The crowd was somewhat stunned. Although they hadn't seen her full face, her voice was gentle and clear, and she was still quite young and somewhat immature. Just the exposed eyebrows and eyes were enough to catch their eye.
"Very well! Guards! Bring a seat for Princess Jingyao!" The Emperor of Yu laughed heartily, instructing the maids to quickly set up the table.
The princes and princesses' gazes had not left Ni Qing since she took her seat.
Zhuzhu stood beside the girl and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to her, quickly glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.
Aside from their darker skin, they weren't horribly ugly. However, the Seventh Prince, whom I saw that day, wasn't among them. Was it a fabricated identity, or was the person simply too lazy to show up?
Zhuzhu was a little disappointed. Looking around, only the Seventh Prince was worthy of her young lady. The others were not good enough, and the one in question was not even here yet.
Ni Qing wasn't curious about her future husband at all; however, several sticky and somewhat disgusting gazes kept lingering on her face.
She glanced over and met the gaze of one of them.
Young Master Lin inadvertently locked eyes with the beauty, and immediately his breathing slowed down, his infatuation and lust in his eyes becoming undisguised.
Ni Qing frowned inwardly. How could the sons of officials in the Yu Kingdom be so blatantly frivolous?
All the things and props she made in her space haven't been used in a long time. If her marriage partner is the same, then she'll have to take them out and dust them off.
Zhuzhu also noticed these gazes. That young Marquis Lin was the man who tried to break into the Princess's mansion that day, and she couldn't help but curse her bad luck in her heart.
Just as the princes around were about to speak with the delicate young girl, the eunuch outside the door shouted again, his voice lacking confidence: "The Seventh Prince has arrived!"