The Dragon Soaring Kingdom was in such deep internal turmoil.
Wei Qiong and others had been secretly supporting Prince Ding and opposing Her Majesty the Empress.
Although on the surface, the Dragon Soaring Kingdom remained peaceful, in reality, it was already fractured internally.
One faction was loyal to the late Emperor, led by Prince Ding and General Wei Qiong.
Another faction was loyal to the current Empress.
And yet another faction was simply adaptable, choosing their allegiance based on circumstances.
Currently, with the Empress in power, they submitted to her.
Should Prince Ding ascend to the throne in the future, they would also be loyal to him.
They would be loyal to whoever benefited the Dragon Soaring Kingdom.
This faction was being vigorously courted by both Long Tianliu and Long Hongming.
In short, even after ruling as Empress for over a decade, Long Tianliu had not yet secured her throne.
At this juncture, how crucial was the strength of external allies?
Long Xinghe's proposed marriage alliance could only be with a prince or king who possessed real power.
Individuals like Feng Wuya, who remained detached from worldly affairs and lacked influence, naturally did not catch the Empress's eye.
However, he was still a prince of the Northern Nether Kingdom, and even without actual power, his status was undeniable.
If the eldest princess of their Dragon Soaring Kingdom were to marry Prince Xiaoyao, she would inevitably be unable to form an alliance with Prince Xuan.
Therefore, how could Long Tianliu permit this?
"Your Majesty, the eldest princess has achieved remarkable military successes recently. Her strength is now vastly different from before."
Eunuch An said gently, "The eldest princess's temperament has also changed significantly from her past self. Your Majesty, this subordinate believes there is room for negotiation. It would be best not to displease the eldest princess for now."
In the past, the eldest princess was only interested in feasting and merrymaking, and Her Majesty had almost despaired of her.
Unfortunately, Her Majesty had only this one daughter, and giving up was not an option. Thus, she watched the eldest princess grow up amidst despair and a glimmer of hope.
But recently, for some unknown reason, the eldest princess seemed to have matured overnight.
More precisely, she seemed to have become a different person.
If she had not personally witnessed the eldest princess grow up, even Eunuch An would have doubted if the current eldest princess was truly herself.
She had suddenly become incredibly capable!
Extremely adept, she acted decisively, not only achieving remarkable feats but also reforming her army in unique ways.
The current eldest princess was practically the most perfect candidate for Crown Prince.
Her Majesty, due to the eldest princess's previous dullness and incompetence, had delayed the appointment of a Crown Prince.
Now, they were in the preparatory stages for such an appointment.
At this time, it was imperative not to fall out with the eldest princess.
Her Majesty severely lacked trustworthy and reliable close confidantes, and the eldest princess was now the apple of Her Majesty's eye!
"Your Majesty, regarding the marriage contract, this subordinate believes it can be temporarily set aside. As for the eldest princess's feelings for that Prince Xiaoyao, she may not be truly that fond of him."
"Perhaps, the eldest princess is merely seeking novelty! This subordinate does not think the eldest princess would give up her achievements and career for a handsome man."
"Your Majesty, what do you think?"
Long Tianliu pondered for a long time, and her anger finally began to subside.
Perhaps, she was indeed merely seeking a moment of novelty and pleasure.
After all, Xinghe had previously desired several exceptionally beautiful men, but she had grown tired of them and discarded them within days.
Perhaps, this time would be no different.
"Since that is the case... very well, I shall indulge her whims for a few days. You shall make arrangements for me to receive these guests from the Northern Nether Kingdom."
... But Long Tianliu had truly miscalculated this time.
She could never have imagined that the legendary Prince Xiaoyao would be... so pure and unblemished!
From the first moment she saw him, Long Tianliu felt that her three thousand concubines instantly lost their color.
His face, so clean and devoid of any worldly dust, could not be simply described as exceptionally handsome.
It was a face that belonged only in the heavens, impossible to find in the mortal realm.
Immaculately pure, untouched by even a speck of earthly grime.
And his clear, dark, bright eyes, so clean, you could not find any trace of worldly impurity or turmoil within them!
Long Tianliu had been Empress for many years and considered herself to have seen countless handsome men, but she had never encountered such a refreshingly ethereal young man.
A young man who appeared to be only in his early twenties.
The moment they met, his immaculate aura struck deep into her heart!
Especially that head of silver hair, so heart-wrenching, yet so intoxicating.
Long Tianliu seemed somewhat lost in thought, and it took several calls from Eunuch An to gently pull her consciousness back.
Long Xinghe felt a pang of nervousness.
Her Majesty's harem indeed had many young and handsome men, but she had never paid too much attention to them.
However, why did the way she looked at Wuya today feel so unsettling?
"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty. This is Wuya, the Prince Xiaoyao from the Northern Nether Kingdom, whom I mentioned to Your Majesty in my letter."
Long Tianliu's gaze could not help but linger on Feng Wuya for a few more moments.
Feng Wuya merely inclined his head slightly, his voice like the gentle breeze of spring, magnetic and pleasant, comfortably caressing everyone's hearts, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress."
The others, including Long Ziyue, bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Chu Qianli, like Feng Wuya, only nodded slightly, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
As they were envoys from another country, their etiquette was not overly scrutinized.
As long as they were not arrogant, Long Tianliu did not mind.
Her gaze finally moved away from Feng Wuya, and Long Tianliu looked at another envoy from the Northern Nether Kingdom, "Your Excellency... who are you?"
She suddenly stood up, glaring at Chu Qianli, her fingertips instantly tensing.
"Your Majesty?" Eunuch An, Long Xinghe, and even Long Ziyue were startled, completely bewildered by Her Majesty's intentions.
Long Ziyue quickly explained, "This is the divine physician I invited from the Northern Nether Kingdom, the Seventh Miss of the Duke's Mansion, Chu Qianli. I request Your Majesty's permission for her to examine my mother's pulse."
The Duke's Mansion, Seventh Miss, Chu Qianli.
Eunuch An had naturally sent people to inquire about the envoys beforehand, but the appearance and demeanor of the envoys could not be ascertained.
One had to see them in person to form the most direct impression.
The shock in Long Tianliu's heart gradually subsided after a few more glances.
At first glance, she looked very similar, extremely similar!
Especially the spirit in her brows.
But upon closer inspection, her facial features were different, only a few similarities in the brows.
"Your Majesty?" Long Xinghe glanced back at Chu Qianli, then at Long Tianliu, silently asking with her eyes: Is something wrong?
Long Tianliu withdrew her gaze, her expression returning to calm.
"Since she is a divine physician from the Northern Nether Kingdom, perhaps she could examine my pulse?"
A flicker of something crossed her eyes: "Lately, I have also often felt..."
She had intended to say she felt dizzy.
But her gaze was involuntarily drawn back to Feng Wuya.
Seeing this young man, Long Tianliu did not wish to appear weak.
She smiled, "Lately, I have occasionally felt a bit tired. I wonder if Divine Physician Chu could help me feel refreshed?"
Long Ziyue's heart immediately sounded an alarm.
Could it be that Her Majesty intended to make a move against Ah Li?