Chapter 61 061 Falling into a Trap

Qingli's heart was in turmoil, unable to choose the best outcome for the first time. However, seeing Ling Shuyao emerge from behind the hall, her cheeks flushed, her eyes bright, and her spirits lifted, Qingli smiled. It seemed someone had been comforted.

A moment later, the sound of swords clashing rang out from the opposite side. The lively sounds from the women's side seemed to be silenced, and everyone looked over there with curiosity on their faces. The wind carried peach petals down in a rustling sound, adding an unexpected sense of tension.

Sometimes there were surging shouts, sometimes there were impassioned foreign words. The stalemate lasted for a long time, making the heart rise and fall with it, sometimes happy and sometimes sad. Finally, a crescent blade rose into the air. After two breaths of silence, with Emperor Mingkang's "Good", Qingli heard the sound of exhalations rising and falling in her ears.

Consort Liu was tormented by what she heard, and ordered several fast-moving eunuchs to keep watch over the area and report back immediately if there was any news, so that everyone would know what had happened.

Soon, a young eunuch ran back with a smile, "Your Majesty, the envoys from Beigu tried to provoke us. They tried to use a trick, a 'wheel of arrows' approach, but Commander Meng defeated them all by fighting three against one!"

Qingli loosened her clenched hands slightly. Emperor Mingkang summoned the envoys, clearly intending to teach them a lesson. The other side had the same intention. The victory in the first battle greatly boosted morale, making the rest easier.

A young eunuch ran back, full of righteous indignation, and said, "Your Majesty, they've started shouting over there that it's a best-of-three match, with the second match being a falconry contest."

The women all looked indignant. There were no eagles in Kyoto, so how could they train eagles? Just as the thought crossed their minds, a long and sharp eagle cry resounded through the sky, making everyone's scalp tingle. They all looked over there and saw an eagle with wingspan of about ten feet, its feathers gleaming darkly in the light, flapping its wings in a very unruly manner.

The timid women turned away, waiting for the eunuch to report, and in the end, the Di people won.

"Your Majesty, the third round is the archery contest, between Envoy Beigu and Young Master Lu."

Yishe, also known as archery, involves shooting wild geese with silk threads wrapped around the arrow. After hitting the geese, the silk is pulled out to retrieve them. The geese fly south to north, which corresponds to the yin and yang principles. Each goose accompanies only one other goose throughout its life, symbolizing fidelity and monogamy in marriage. It is used as a betrothal gift.

The crowd glanced at the eldest and second princesses, their expressions subtle. The eldest princess's face darkened, and she glared back angrily. Ling Shuyao lowered her eyelashes, her expression unreadable. Consort Liu nodded slightly and beckoned the two of them forward.

"They are all good princesses of our Great Jin. If His Majesty knew that you understood the greater good so well, he would be pleased."

Consort Liu's high-sounding words earned her a round of compliments, but Qingli's unease intensified. She noticed that the eldest princess's lips actually curved slightly. How could she be so calm and composed? Was it because she knew there would be no marriage alliance, or because she knew that the one to be married off was not her?

She wanted to remind Ling Shuyao, but Consort Liu had the two of them sit on either side of her, and then proceeded to give them earnest advice like a kind elder.

The women were arranged in groups of three or five under the peach trees. This was also a clever idea of ​​Consort Liu. Under the peach trees, there was a peach blossom banquet. The peach blossoms were in full bloom overhead, and the fragrance was intoxicating. They chatted and laughed, and gradually forgot the tension from before.

Qingli had been observing the eldest princess. In a flash of light, Qingli realized that Feng Yuchan had been standing beside her at some point. After not seeing her for a long time, Feng Yuchan was dressed in a moon-white dress with a peach wood hairpin in her hair. She smiled demurely and murmured, "Qingli."

A chill ran through her arms. Qingli looked at Feng Yuchan suspiciously. She had heard that after Feng Yuchan had been mentally impaired for some time, General Feng and his wife had all the temples near the capital recast their statues with gold and had all the Buddhist beads blessed by the abbots of the temples strung together and placed under her pillow. Sure enough, Feng Yuchan regained her three souls and six spirits.

Qingli suppressed her discomfort and said distantly, "Miss Feng."

Feng Yuchan sat to one side with a gentle expression, like a dough doll. Her eyes rolled dully a couple of times as she looked at Qing Li. "I was wrong before, and I apologize to you here."

Qingli couldn't ignore the strange feeling that was coming her way, and had no mood to deal with her. She said directly, "Miss Feng, you're exaggerating. We've never had any conflicts, so there's no question of who's right or wrong."

"Is that so?" Feng Yuchan asked slowly, beginning to mutter some words intermittently. The maid beside her just smiled apologetically and did not stop her.

Meanwhile, the eldest princess felt a sharp pain in her stomach and bit her lip. She watched as the Imperial Concubine, with a serene smile on her lips, listened to the conversation of the women below and paid no attention to this side. Instead, she whispered to Ling Shuyao on the other side, "Good Yao'er, come with me to change my clothes."

Ling Shuyao barely touched her food or even drank any water. Upon hearing this, she shook her head and said, "It would be better to have a maid accompany you, sister. If you leave and I'm not there, it's against the rules."

The eldest princess seemed to be in unbearable abdominal pain, pressing her hand to the painful spot, large beads of sweat pouring from her forehead, and panting, "They're not here!"

Ling Shuyao was hesitating when Consort Liu heard the rustling behind her and turned around. She immediately knew what was going on and was slightly displeased with the eldest princess's recklessness. "Where is the maid?"

The eldest princess shook her head, unable to utter a word.

"Yao'er, go with me, and come back quickly."

Consort Liu gave an order, her purpose being to ensure that the meeting with the envoy went smoothly. As for who would go for the marriage alliance, it was none of her business. Therefore, she kept the two under her watchful eye to prevent any trouble. Personally speaking, since Consort De had abandoned her to choose an empress, she would rather the eldest princess go for the marriage alliance, so that Consort De would know that the empress she chose could not protect her.

Ling Shuyao had no choice but to get up and agree.

The eldest princess hurriedly got up and rushed to the back of the palace, still calling out worriedly from inside, "Yao'er, are you still outside?"

Ling Shuyao stood under the corridor outside the palace, looking at the bamboo forest outside the moon gate on the west side. The bamboo was turning green again in the spring, casting a row of dark shadows. She remembered Lu Yunye's bold actions earlier. The bamboo was slender, and he and she hid among it. When they bumped into each other, some bamboo leaves fell down.

She broke free from his grasp, "Lu Yunye!"

Lu Yunye dropped his usual frivolous demeanor, his eyes dark and deep, making her heart skip a beat. "Don't be afraid."

Her eyelashes were still wet with tears, and she was still struggling to speak, "I, a princess, am afraid..."

Before she could finish speaking, a soft touch landed on her cheek, silencing her. Her eyes widened in astonishment, unable to question him.

Lu Yunye quickly said, "If I marry you, you won't have to go through the marriage alliance, and it will put the Emperor at ease. I can fulfill my long-cherished wish, killing three birds with one stone."

The bamboo forest swayed slightly, and Ling Shuyao suddenly came back to her senses.

A maidservant emerged from within, dressed in green, clutching a red thread in her hand. She cautiously looked around at first, but once she recognized the person behind the palace, she stepped forward and stood in the courtyard, holding the red thread in her hand before the princess. "Second Princess, this was sent to you by Young Master Lu."

Lu Yunye won, shooting the goose's webbed foot without injuring the rest of its body. Emperor Mingkang was overjoyed and rewarded him handsomely. Ling Shuyao hesitated for a moment, then finally accepted the reward, clutching it tightly in her hand.

The maid felt relieved and continued, "Young Master Lu asked me to tell you that he meant what he said and that he is waiting for you to personally confirm your promise at the bamboo grove path."

The maidservant spoke in a low voice, as if she knew the secret. She finished reporting with trepidation, bowed, and quickly retreated. The spring breeze rustled through the bamboo forest.

Ling Shuyao's cheeks flushed. This matter was a closely guarded secret, known only to her and Lu Yunye. She then walked towards the bamboo forest.

Deep in the bamboo forest, the air was filled with the sweet fragrance of bamboo leaves. Golden sunlight pierced through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows. Qingli leaned against the bamboo, panting heavily. Hearing the approaching footsteps behind her, she lifted her leg and hurried forward.

Qingli smiled as she thought of Feng Yuchan, gazing into the distance, and said leisurely, "The eldest princess isn't here, and neither is the second princess. It's rather boring."

Feng Yuchan had merely replaced her arrogant and domineering facade with a pitiful one; her heart was even more insane. She wouldn't have said such things without a reason.

"What do you mean?"

"Banquets are boring, so it's better to take a stroll and maybe you'll stumble upon some interesting things in nature."

Upon hearing this, Qingli suddenly stood up and said sarcastically, "Those who harm others will ultimately harm themselves. Miss Feng must know this all too well."

Ling Shuyao stood behind the artificial hill along the path. The Pangshui River was no longer there; there was only a bamboo forest. Behind her was a beast pens, where wild birds and beasts were kept, and their occasional low growls made people feel a sense of fear.

Suspicion arose in her feet, and she wanted to retreat, but she didn't expect to hear faint voices coming from the path ahead. When she heard that the people coming were speaking in a strange language, her face turned pale instantly. She knew that she had fallen into a trap. Just as she was about to retreat, she saw a group of servants coming out of the Beast Hall.

In the nick of time, Ling Shuyao stopped breathing and lost her ability to react. She could only watch as the voice grew clearer and clearer, and just as the hem of the robe was in front of her, a hand suddenly reached out from the side and pulled Ling Shuyao down to the foot of the artificial hill.

Qingli tightly covered their mouths, listening to Emperor Mingkang's powerful voice from outside the stone wall. Both their backs were drenched in sweat; they knew that if they were even a moment too late, the Second Princess would fall into the North Valley, before the Great Di envoy, who would then rightfully and sincerely propose marriage. Emperor Mingkang would be furious that the Second Princess had embarrassed the Great Jin...

The two men were deathly pale and dared not breathe until the sound faded into the distance. Only then did they sit down on the ground, still shaken by the near-death experience. But before they could even catch their breath, they heard hurried footsteps again.

Inside the animal academy, the lions and tigers were provoked by their trainers and roared angrily. The giant tiger in front of Emperor Mingkang was several meters long, with shiny black fur and sharp fangs. After roaring, it lay down in front of Emperor Mingkang very obediently. Emperor Mingkang scolded, "No matter how ferocious and terrifying it is, it is nothing more than an uncivilized beast."

The envoys behind them couldn't keep their faces down. This trip to the capital had yielded no benefits whatsoever. They had ceded territory and paid reparations. If they disagreed even slightly, the officials of the Great Jin Dynasty would stand up and recount the damage caused by the war a hundred years ago. The envoys from Beigu and Dadi exchanged a glance. A hundred years ago, this was not the Great Jin Dynasty!

He couldn't win a fight, and he was constantly suppressed in the capital. He could only pretend not to know and swallow the ridicule. Just as he was feeling bitter, two servants came running. One was an official from Da Di, and the other was a eunuch. The eunuch looked pale, but he knew he couldn't let them make a scene, so he had to bite the bullet and report, "Your Majesty, the princess has fainted. The Imperial Concubine requests your presence to take charge."

Just as Dexi was about to reprimand him, to be on the safe side, he pulled him aside by the ear. When he turned back, his expression changed drastically. He walked behind Emperor Mingkang and whispered something.

The Di envoy, having learned the whole story, wore a smug expression.

"The princess...and the envoy...collided..."

He heard the gist of it, albeit intermittently. The officials from the Great Jin side all bowed their heads. Lu Yunye gritted his teeth and glared at the Great Di, calming his anger. He then lifted his robe and knelt heavily on the ground.