Chapter 1 The Beginning
The capital, the Imperial Study.
The Emperor selects imperial consorts.
The submitted lists and portraits were not even glanced at by Emperor Mingde. With a stroke of his red brush, all twenty-odd were chosen.
Fulu was startled and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, isn't that... a bit too many?"
"Too many? Not at all. The palace is vast, and it can accommodate dozens more." Emperor Mingde was unconcerned.
"But, Your Majesty, some of those submitted by the court officials were previously reprimanded by the Divine Maiden and forbidden from entering the palace..."
"Then let the Divine Maiden reprimand me!"
Fulu shivered, lowered his head deeply, and dared not speak further.
He had merely been trying to remind His Majesty!
"Deliver the decree!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Fulu, holding the list, bowed and exited the Imperial Study.
Emperor Mingde then looked at Liu Donghuai, who was respectfully waiting in the room.
"Liu Shujiu, continue telling me about the events that transpired in the village involving the Divine Maiden."
Liu Donghuai bowed. "The Divine Maiden was stopped by that woman surnamed Tian, who attempted to seize the silver hairpin from the Divine Maiden's head..."
After recounting the entire incident, Liu Donghuai fell silent, unsure if the Emperor wished to hear more, and waited quietly.
After a long while, Emperor Mingde swallowed the surge of frustration in his throat.
He stood up and slowly said, "From childhood, her feet trod upon cashmere carpets gifted by Xining, her head adorned with pearls from the Ice City, and her body clad in golden silk robes woven by dozens of artisans over months. A hundred palace maids attended her, and renowned singers from various regions entertained her."
"She resided in palaces of jade and carved railings, where flowers bloomed and brocades gathered throughout the seasons. She was the most noble Princess of Jing, and only such splendor befitted her status."
"Yet she was so humiliated and harmed by you commoners. It is simply unforgivable!"
He slammed the table in anger, his face a mask of incomprehensible gloom. "Why did she so desperately wish to return to such a place! If Xiaoshan loved her, why did he not consider her feelings? How can a phoenix enter a chicken coop? She should stand here, noble and precious, in the halls, receiving obeisance from all officials, enjoying the incense of the populace! To be her noble Divine Maiden!"
Liu Donghuai knelt. He remembered the scene when the Divine Maiden first entered Bozi Village, her face marked with tribal tattoos, yet neither humble nor obsequious. When she walked, she carefully avoided the filth on the ground, but never with disdain.
She possessed her own demeanor and a serene acceptance of hardship.
Of course, that was because there was a powerful man behind her.
He understood what His Majesty meant; he could not bear to see the Divine Maiden suffer and wanted her to possess the best in the world.
However, in the Divine Maiden's heart, there were clearly things more important than power or a comfortable life, for which she could abandon everything.
It wasn't that Brother Xiao did not consider her feelings, but rather that Brother Xiao followed her wishes.
"You may leave!"
Emperor Mingde dismissed Liu Donghuai and slumped back into his chair.
"When will you return?"
"If you return, I promise not to trouble Xiaoshan any further. Whether you wish to live in the palace or the general's manor, I will have no objections."
Fulu, accompanied by a few young eunuchs, went to the homes of various officials to deliver the decree.
The daughter of the Prefect of the Capital was naturally among those listed.
After Fulu left, the Prefect's wife was immediately displeased. Previously, she had considered having her daughter enter the palace, but now she had no such thoughts.
Since she had indirectly helped the Divine Maiden once, she had already obtained a grace period to lift the restriction on her daughter's entry into the palace.
Now, with the Emperor selecting consorts, all eligible daughters of court officials had to be listed. She could not resist, but the Emperor's actions were truly outrageous, accepting them all.
Among them were the daughters of families previously reprimanded by the Divine Maiden.
She did not know what the Emperor intended, but she still trusted the Divine Maiden's judgment. Those few families' daughters were truly not good people. If her daughter entered the palace and clashed with them, it would be a considerable nuisance.
It would be more liberating to marry the son of a court official of comparable standing.
Moreover, the King of Jiangbei was now very powerful, and who knew what the future held.
Therefore, the Prefect's wife began to devise a plan for her daughter to avoid entering the palace.
...
As Liu Donghuai passed through Xuanhe Gate, he was dragged to the foot of the palace wall.
"Your Highness."
As soon as he regained his footing, he stepped back and bowed respectfully.
The one who dragged him was Lingxi.
"Liu Donghuai, take me out of the palace," Lingxi commanded.
How was this possible? How could he privately take a princess out of the palace?
"Princess, if you wish to leave the palace, you may petition His Majesty. This subject dares not act rashly."
"I am merely an unheeded, pitiable princess. He will not pay attention to me. You are currently favored, and at most, you will be reprimanded even if you take me out. Liu Donghuai, for the sake of my past help to you, please help me this once."
Liu Donghuai's expression darkened, his eyes devoid of warmth. He stepped forward, closing in on Lingxi, his previous gentle and proper demeanor replaced by a heart-stopping oppressive aura.
"What are you doing?" Lingxi asked, slightly angered.
"Then, Princess, tell me, what do you intend to do after leaving the palace? Are you going to find Commander Song?"
Lingxi, her thoughts exposed, became somewhat irately defensive. "What I do is none of your business. Just take me out!"
"Take you out?" Liu Donghuai's handsome face turned cold, and he let out a mocking laugh. "And then? One day you'll be found dead outside, implicating me and leading to the extermination of my nine generations of kin?"
"You are audacious! How dare you curse this princess!"
Lingxi's face turned red with anger. "Well said, Liu Donghuai. I truly misjudged you. I didn't expect you to be someone who becomes arrogant once favored by the emperor! This princess will find someone else. I don't need your services as the Emperor's close confidant!"
"Stop!" Liu Donghuai lowered his voice, blocking Lingxi as she turned to leave.
"You dare to reprimand me, Liu Donghuai? Have you forgotten how you got your life? If I hadn't run to the palace to find my Imperial Sister, you would have been wrongly executed long ago. You ungrateful wretch! You turn your back on me as soon as you gain favor! No matter how unfavored I am, I am still a princess of the royal family. Do not get carried away!"
Liu Donghuai was almost amused to the point of laughter. Looking at Lingxi's furious expression, he clicked his tongue twice. "Princess, I heard that when you are with Commander Song, you are as obedient as a little follower. What happened? Have you forgotten you are a royal princess then?"
"You, what are you? How can you be compared to my Brother Wentang!"
"This subject cannot compare to Commander Song, but this subject must remind the Princess," Liu Donghuai's voice suddenly turned as cold as frost. "There are only two possibilities if you leave the palace alone: first, you will be sold into a brothel, or second, you will be robbed of all your possessions and starve in the countryside."
Seeing Lingxi about to retort, his expression became even fiercer. "Do not think this subject is trying to scare you. On my way to the capital for the imperial examinations, I encountered countless such situations! If you try to find Commander Song alone, you won't even be able to leave the capital, believe it or not!"
His final words were urgent and stern, causing Lingxi's heart to tremble. She dared not speak recklessly again.
He was right.
She was a weak woman who had never even left the capital. The world was vast, where would she find him?
However, she did not want to stay in the palace. Her Imperial Sister was gone, and her Imperial Brother would not care about her. If she stayed here, her ultimate fate would be to be married off to someone arbitrarily.
She was unwilling.
She wanted to find her Imperial Sister, and she also wanted to find Brother Wentang. In any case, she did not want to stay in this cold imperial palace.
"Liu Donghuai, what do you think I should do? If I stay in the palace any longer, I will go mad."
She had been too hasty just now. She still trusted Liu Donghuai's character. He had saved her life with his blood at a critical moment, so how could he be an ungrateful person?
Alas!
"This subject will help the Princess petition His Majesty for grace. Whether it is granted or not, we shall leave it to fate."