Xie Jiaoying was unusually dressed in a light blue-white outfit today. Standing next to her, she glanced at the crowd and clicked her tongue, saying, "It seems no one wants to go on a marriage alliance."

Qingying smiled and said, "Beiyue is far away and is known for its bitter cold. Why would the pampered young ladies in the capital want to go to such a place?"

"Not only that, I also heard that the emperor of Beiyue is nearly fifty years old, old and ugly." She paused here, leaned close to Qingying's ear and whispered, "To be frank, although our emperor is also a bit old, he is at least handsome. Even if he enters the palace for the imperial concubine selection, it would be better than going to Beiyue for a marriage alliance."

Qingying recalled the Emperor's appearance. Although she had only caught a glimpse of him from afar during the autumn hunt, she roughly remembered that he was quite handsome. After all, all the princes were exceptionally handsome, so the Emperor, as his biological father, couldn't be too ugly.

To say that entering the palace for the imperial concubine selection is better than going to Northern Yue for a marriage alliance is truly an exaggeration. Not to mention that the emperor is several generations older than them, there are rumors that the emperor's health is currently poor. If they enter the palace now, they will not be favored, and who knows, they might be forced to be buried alive with him one day.

A short while later, palace maids came to lead them into the banquet.

Qingying was surprisingly seated at the back. The banquet seating was arranged in three rows, and she was seated in the middle of the third row, not exactly in a corner, but her view was still blocked. Xie Jiaoying, on the other hand, was right in front of her.

"Oh~ they've all hidden behind the scenes. Looks like someone's afraid you'll attract too much attention." Xie Jiaoying covered her mouth and teased her.

Qingying smiled sweetly, "Yes, unlike you, who had to pay for your own seat."

Xie Jiaoying's position was specially arranged by paying money to the steward of the Imperial Household Department. Her father had recently been promoted from the second rank to the first rank, and she should have been sitting in the first row.

Xie Jiaoying said sourly, "You're not even married yet, and you're already showing off to me?"

"Then you should hurry up and find a suitable husband so you can show him off to me."

"Oh, no need for that. I'd like to stay home and be a virgin for a couple more years, and enjoy a few more days of leisure."

Qingying agreed with her, "Yes, it's a good thing to be able to enjoy the company of our parents for a few more years."

Suddenly, a figure sat down in front of Xie Jiaoying. The two looked at each other at the same time and found that it was the Princess of Anyang, who had not appeared for a long time.

Upon seeing them, she gave them a polite and kind smile and nodded slightly. In addition, they noticed that the person sitting at the very front of the first row was Princess Yongning.

After some time apart, Princess Yongning seemed to have become thinner, her face looked slightly haggard, and there were obvious dark circles under her eyes. Today, she was not wearing any makeup, and her black hair cascaded down to her waist like a waterfall, adorned only with a sandalwood hairpin. She wore a plain white silk dress of medium to low quality, and from a distance, she looked like she was dressed in plain clothes.

Xie Jiaoying leaned closer and whispered, "I think Princess Yongning's outfit is the most suitable for someone who has come to pay their respects."

Qingying simply watched without saying a word.

A short while later, with the sound of a bell, they all rose and bowed. Then, the eunuch announced that the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine had taken their seats, and the envoys from Northern Yue had also taken their seats.

They sat upright in their respective seats. Although none of them wanted to go on a marriage alliance, they could not lose face. They were all dignified and polite when necessary.

The emperor spoke at length about the friendly relations between the two countries.

Qingying glanced quietly at the seats opposite her. Wei Huaixu was sitting in the very front of the first row, listening intently to the Emperor's words.

She only dared to glance at it a few times before quickly looking away, but suddenly met a pair of light brown eyes, which made her spine stiffen in fright.

What kind of eyes were those? Like an eagle that had spotted its prey, full of aggression and predation.

She hurriedly lowered her eyelashes, not daring to meet his gaze.

She knew this person.

It was none other than Yuchi Wuyou, the second prince of Northern Yue.

She didn't hear a word the Emperor said; for some reason, she felt a little flustered.

But the panic gradually subsided after the dancers came up. Watching the beautiful women dancing gracefully, she relaxed and started eating grapes from the table.

But she only relaxed for a short while before she felt a gaze constantly falling on her. She looked in that direction and, to her dismay, met Yu Chi Wuyou's eyes again.

Damn it! Could it be that he's taken a liking to me?

Qingying thought to herself.

She quickly looked away again, pretending nothing was wrong, and continued watching the dance. But this time, she couldn't concentrate at all. Sitting in the audience, she felt as if needles were pricking her bottom, making her extremely uncomfortable.

Just as she was thinking about whether to make an excuse to slip away, she clearly felt the unsettling gaze that had been fixed on her disappear.

She glanced over there discreetly and saw that it was Wei Huaixu talking to Yuchi Wuyou, diverting his attention.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It's unclear what Wei Huaixu and he were talking about, but the two seemed quite pleased and were clearly having a pleasant conversation.

After that, until the palace banquet ended, Qingying didn't find it so unbearable.

...

After the girls left the palace, the time of waiting and torment began.

During the banquet, the envoy from Northern Vietnam had been observing and preparing to select the most suitable woman to marry into Northern Vietnam.

Inside the palace, a scroll of paper was laid out on a table, depicting the seating arrangement for today's palace banquet. Each seat had a small wooden plaque with the woman's name on the front and her father's official rank on the back.

The envoys gathered together to discuss the matter, and finally selected five women for the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine to review.

The Emperor glanced at them, picked out one of the plaques, and said, "Second Prince, this Liu Qingying is already engaged to my son, so it is probably not suitable for her to go to Beiyue."

Yu Chi Wuyou frowned and said coldly, "Since you are already engaged, why are you showing up at this palace banquet? His Majesty said that the women invited to the banquet can be chosen at will."

Standing to the side, Wei Huaixu maintained a gentle smile and said unhurriedly, "I had a pleasant conversation with Brother Yuchi at the banquet just now, and I felt that it was rare to find a true friend. Is it inappropriate for Brother Yuchi to covet my wife now?"

During the banquet, Wei Huaixu mentioned to him that he had a beautiful and virtuous future crown princess. At the time, he also said, "The one who can win Brother Wei's favor must be a rare and exceptional beauty. I would like to congratulate Brother Wei in advance. If you get married in the future, I hope to have the honor of tasting your wedding wine."

Now, looking back on what he had said earlier, he felt as if he had been slapped in the face, the pain burning.

Yu Chi Wuyou could only force a smile and say, "I didn't know she was Brother Wei's wife before, and I apologize for any offense I may have caused. Since this Miss Liu cannot be chosen, then Your Majesty may decide and select one of the remaining four ladies."