70. Arrival of the Princess II

Early in the morning inside the Hall of Jingren within the imperial palace, Xuanyuan Ren, accompanied by civil and military officials of the fourth rank and above, waited for the arrival of Puli and Yunqing. Yue'er was naturally among them. Though she should have stood at the very end of the line, her status as the chief contributor to this endeavor allowed her to stand next to Feishu. To her left were Haiyang and Haiming, clad in imposing and handsome general attire. To her right stood Feishu, attired in a red robe embroidered with a golden python, resembling a new bridegroom. While his majesty was somewhat overshadowed by that of Xuanyuan Ren beside him, he still possessed an extraordinary air of authority compared to Yue'er and the others. Everyone was waiting for Puli. After all, with a foreign sovereign paying a visit, no one wished to afford the slightest pretext of discouragement or discourtesy.

Led by Zhao Chengxian, a magnificent and sprawling procession arrived from the city gates, instantly filling the previously spacious courtyard with people. At the very forefront, performers danced traditional folk dances unique to the Linyan realm, closely followed by dozens of unarmed warriors. In the center was a luxurious carriage drawn by four horses, draped in white gauze that appeared both sacred and noble. Once the carriage came to a halt, its occupant stepped down. Yunqing looked about with curiosity at everything outside the Hall of Jingren. To her, everything within a palace was familiar and far from strange; instead, she felt a profound yearning for the world beyond the gates of the Radiant Empire's palace.

Zhao Chengxian walked ahead as a guide, ascending the platform where Xuanyuan Ren stood. Puli, dressed in casual attire, followed closely behind Zhao Chengxian, while Princess Yunqing, supported by her personal handmaiden, walked up the steps. Soon, they arrived before Xuanyuan Ren. To demonstrate goodwill, Xuanyuan Ren spoke first, "You have had a long and tiring journey, Sovereign. On behalf of the people of the Radiant Empire, I welcome your arrival!" As Xuanyuan Ren uttered these words, a pair of eyes constantly observed him. The owner of those eyes was Yunqing, standing right behind Puli. Before departing for the Radiant Empire, her elder brother had explicitly told her that she was traveling there for a political marriage. Though profoundly reluctant, she could not withstand the endless, joint persuasion of her brother and mother, and ultimately came to the Radiant Empire—a helplessness born of imperial birth.

Puli, who was in his early thirties, looked at Xuanyuan Ren and smiled, "I have come here to learn from the ruler of the Radiant Empire. Ascending the throne at a tender age, you have made the Radiant Empire wealthy and powerful in just over a decade. I am here to gather some experience!" With that, the two men burst into hearty, booming laughter.

Noticing Feishu standing beside Xuanyuan Ren, Yunqing walked right over to him. Standing very close, the two glared fixedly at each other, leaving everyone utterly bewildered. Suddenly, Yunqing blurted out, "Little eunuch, so you are actually a high-ranking official in the Radiant Empire?" She was well aware that anyone standing here to welcome them could not be a minor official, but her gaze had been entirely fixed on Feishu's face, completely failing to notice his attire—a distinct princely robe, as only a prince was permitted to wear garments embroidered with pythons.

Feishu gazed at the young maiden before him with a look of utter disdain and chuckled, "Little princess, I never imagined we would meet again. This prince thought he would never have to lay eyes on a willful, overbearing princess like you for the rest of his days!" The mere memory of Yunqing's haughty and arrogant demeanor back in the Linyan imperial palace made Feishu's blood boil; he was utterly incapable of speaking to her with pleasantries. Both of them had been pampered since childhood, so their tempers were naturally formidable. Combined with their innate arrogance, these two were bound to have endless quarrels.

Just as Yunqing was about to unleash her fury upon Feishu, her brother stopped her. Puli signaled with his eyes for her to come back, and then introduced her to Xuanyuan Ren, "This is my younger sister, Yunqing. She has been spoiled since childhood, and I trust Your Majesty will forgive her!" The intention was abundantly clear.

Xuanyuan Ren smiled and said, "Princess Yunqing possesses a forthright and cheerful disposition, much like my own younger brother, the Prince of Qing. I am certain that given time, they will become great friends!" With that, Xuanyuan Ren neatly passed this powder keg back to Feishu.

Yunqing offered a formal bow to Xuanyuan Ren and said, "Yunqing greets the Sovereign of the Radiant Empire!" Yet her eyes continued to glare sideways at Feishu.

Waving his hand with a smile, Xuanyuan Ren said, "Princess Yunqing, there is no need for such formalities!" He nudged Feishu's elbow, signaling him to step forward and help Yunqing to her feet. Feishu had no choice but to obey his imperial brother's command; whatever his brother instructed him to do, he had to do. Reluctantly, Feishu stepped up to assist Yunqing.

Watching the scene from the side, Yue'er recalled the first time she had ever met Xuanyuan Ren upon hearing Yunqing address Feishu as "little eunuch." She could not help thinking to herself, *How is it that both of these brothers keep getting mistaken for little eunuchs?* At the thought of this, a smile involuntarily surfaced on her lips.

Haiming looked at Feishu with profound sympathy. Being the one most familiar with the ins and outs of this entire affair, he knew that Feishu and Yunqing had been at loggerheads from the very beginning. He also understood that forcing two untamed, supremely arrogant individuals together would make quarreling an absolute certainty.

Everyone watched Feishu and Yunqing with their own hidden thoughts. As Feishu reluctantly went to help Yunqing up, Yunqing took advantage of his lowered guard to suddenly pull him down with her. Naturally, Yunqing tumbled down right along with him. It was perhaps the most comical state visit in history. Both elder brothers stood in awkward silence. Xuanyuan Ren offered a polite smile and said, "Sovereign, please rest a while at the Hall of Tianhe. This way, please!" Deciding to simply ignore Feishu and Yunqing, the grand procession filed out through the gate on the opposite side. Zhao Chengxian let out a sigh, patted Feishu on the shoulder in sympathy, and walked out of the Hall of Jingren alongside him. Yue'er cast an appreciative glance at Yunqing, who was still busy dusting off her clothes. She rather admired Yunqing's vibrant, bright, and carefree personality—surely far better than those who spent their days scheming and calculating.