Chapter Four

At the Si residence, just as dawn was breaking, the courtyard was already filled with maids and servants carrying various items sent by the Prince of Qin towards Si Yanmo's room.

As for Si Yanmo, she was sitting in front of the dressing table, feeling utterly hopeless, letting her sister and maids stick hairpins all over her head.

She didn't show it on her face, but she had already complained a thousand times in her heart.

Yesterday, when that man helped her threaten the Fifth Princess, she thought he was a good person and sympathized with his impending death. She wondered if she should find a way to help him escape, or tell him his fate in its entirety so that he could be prepared.

I never expected this guy to turn around and betray me!

Not only do I want to marry her, I want to marry her today!

This isn't about marrying her! This is about killing her to silence her!

Sure enough, feeling sorry for a man means you'll have bad luck for eight lifetimes! That's what the musician sister at He Chunlou said!

Si's mother, Zhao Shuyun, sat beside her, holding her daughter's hand, her eyes full of worry.

When the Southern Emperor's edict came down yesterday, she and her husband were both stunned.

The fact that Si Yunyun was betrothed to the Third Prince was a pleasant surprise for them, but the fact that Si Yanmo was betrothed to the Prince of Qin was a shock to them.

Everyone in Nandu knows that this King of Qin was a ruthless killer even before he ascended the throne, and he killed his own sorcerer less than half a year after taking the throne.

It is important to know that in Da Nan, the right-hand men of the five rulers were shamans, except that the shaman of the Southern Emperor was called the Xiangbu.

To the people of the territory, the shaman was the one who conveyed the will of the gods. In the south, killing a shaman was almost equivalent to disrespecting the gods.

Zhou Yanqing casually killed him on the battlefield, and to this day, no one has dared to act as his sorcerer.

Rumor has it that he lived in the black market when he was young. As a merchant, Zhao Shuyun and her husband traveled all over the country and knew all too well what the black market was like—arson, murder, robbery, drug trafficking, smuggling, and all sorts of evil deeds.

Those who manage to walk out of there alive are not chosen ones, but rather the most vicious and ruthless.

She never imagined that the palace banquet attendant Yan Mo had simply gotten lost that day and was sent back by the Prince of Qin, how could it have turned into "longing for her demeanor"?

But looking at the endless stream of gold and silver jewelry being brought in, she was truly baffled.

His youngest daughter had been mentally challenged since childhood. Even though Man Nandu knew that she and her sister were auspicious zodiac signs, no one had ever proposed marriage to her.

Now someone has arrived, and it turns out to be the King of Qin, one of the Five Lords. Not to mention the Si family, even the daughter of the divination master would probably be out of their league.

Not to mention, there are now rumors that Si Yanmo was married to Zhou Yanqing after he ceded territory to her—the King of Qin offered two cities that he had recently plundered from Sak to the Southern Emperor in order to obtain an imperial decree to marry his beloved.

Si Yunyun, who was braiding her younger sister's hair, seemed to sense her mother's worry and comforted her, "Mother, don't worry too much. Look, His Highness sent so many things; he must truly like Mo'er."

"I hope so," Zhao Shuyun nodded helplessly.

Actually, she had never thought of marrying Si Yanmo off. If her daughter became mentally unstable, she and Si Jianwen would raise her for the rest of their lives. If they passed away, she would entrust her to the Zhong family's child.

They grew up together and their families have been friends for generations, so they would never mistreat her.

But now... all she asks is that Zhou Yanqing treats her daughter well, even if it's just keeping her in the backyard and not letting her suffer.

Zhao Shuyun raised her hand and touched her youngest daughter's hair, but the weight in her heart still wouldn't lift.

All she could do was tell her, "Mo'er, be good when you go to Qin. If... if they treat you badly or don't like you, write to your parents, find a place to wait patiently, and wait for your parents to come and get you."

As she spoke, her eyes reddened.

With one daughter about to marry into the palace and the other about to leave for distant lands, both facing perilous futures, how could she possibly feel at ease?

Si Yanmo felt uneasy listening to her mother's words of advice.

She hasn't found an opportunity to tell her mother that she has regained her senses. In her mother's eyes, she is still a child who doesn't understand anything and is about to leave home. How could she not worry?

"Mother," she hugged her mother and said obediently, "Mo'er will be good..."

"Oh!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Shuyun could no longer hold back her tears and hugged her daughter tightly.

At this moment, the sound of gongs and drums approached from afar in front of the Si family's gate, led by Zhou Yanqing.

Southerners admire the color scheme of black and gold, and he was wearing a wedding dress with a black background and gold thread. He leaped off his horse, full of vigor, and strode into the Si family's gate.

But this expression doesn't look like someone welcoming a bride; it looks more like someone going to war.

Si Jianwen quickly straightened his clothes, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and went to greet him, "Your Highness, Prince Qin."

The man's tone was calm, yet authoritative: "Father-in-law, there's no need for formalities."

After that, there was no more conversation. The two stood together, and although there was a great commotion of gongs and drums around them, Si Jianwen felt an eerie silence.

He could only force a smile, lead the other man to the front hall, and order someone to brew a pot of tea for him.

"I didn't expect Your Highness to arrive so early. My daughter is still getting ready."

"It's alright, I'm willing to wait." Zhou Yanqing took a sip of the tea in front of him, his expression inscrutable. "Otherwise, what if my wife, whom I've ceded a city to marry, runs away?"

Upon hearing this, Si Jianwen's clothes were almost soaked through, and he couldn't help but shiver as the cold wind blew by.

"Your Highness, I truly do not understand," he asked boldly, "how could my foolish daughter have won Your Highness's favor?"

"Love at first sight, heartbreak at first sight." Zhou Yanqing smiled slightly.

——

This story begins the day after the palace banquet:

Zhou Yanqing was summoned by the Southern Emperor and came to the Ganming Palace, where the Southern Emperor usually met with his ministers.

A colossal statue of Emperor Gu stood behind the palace gate, with a human body, a snake's tail, a pair of black-feathered wings, and two golden horns on its head, resembling ram's horns.

Emperor Gu protects the people of the Great South, understands the principles of Heaven and destiny, and governs all matters, large and small, in the human world.

The people of the south are most devoted to Emperor Gu. Emperor Zhou Chu of the Southern Dynasty even ordered the construction of an Emperor Gu statue here after he ascended the throne, and worshipped it daily.

When Zhou Yanqing saw the statue, he instinctively bowed and then followed Yu Siguan inside.

Inside the palace, beneath a black draped curtain, Emperor Zhou Chu of the South sat upon a golden feather throne.

Zhou Yanqing noticed that not only he was there today, but also the Third Prince Zhou Junsong.

"Jun Song, you have already undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, haven't you?" the Southern Emperor asked.

“Father, I turned twenty two years ago,” Zhou Junsong replied with a bow.

The man was thin and pale, and coughed occasionally; he looked like he wouldn't live much longer.

The Southern Emperor nodded. “At yesterday’s Lantern Festival banquet, I saw the eldest daughter of the Si family. Si Yunyun is outstanding in both looks and talent, and her demeanor is also elegant and refined. She must be a good girl.”

"There have been rumors circulating that the two Si sisters are auspicious omens from heaven, a sign of good fortune. Consort Shu also told me that she met the girl and was very pleased with her, wanting her to be her daughter-in-law. What do you think?"

"Ahem, Your Majesty, I will naturally obey you, Father and Mother."

With the Si family? Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanqing thought of Si Yanmo.

No wonder she insisted on hiding behind the artificial hill that day; it turned out she was creating an opportunity for her sister and Zhou Junsong.

“Then it’s settled,” the Southern Emperor said with a smile. “This is a joyous occasion for the palace.”

Having received the imperial decree, Zhou Junsong obediently withdrew.

When the Southern Emperor's gaze fell on Zhou Yanqing, his kind expression turned cold.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that a conflict has broken out again between Qin and Sak today?"

The news travels fast!

Zhou Yanqing sighed in frustration.

The south is a five-nation alliance, consisting of: Nandu, Qin, Sak, Qigu, and Lanyu.

Among them, Nandu occupies the largest area and has the most developed agriculture.

Thousands of years ago, several cities united, recognizing the southern region as the Southern Capital and the Southern King as the Southern Emperor, becoming the common ruler of the world.

Other countries voluntarily paid tribute to the Southern Capital.

When the five kingdoms occasionally went to war, the Southern Emperor would usually negotiate, and the outcome was generally a matter of "each side taking equal responsibility."

The Qin region happens to be adjacent to the Sak region, and both countries are warlike. Today you take a city from me, tomorrow he will plunder a pond from you.

Since the Battle of Wushan a year ago, Sak almost lost his capital to Qin troops and surrendered to make peace. The two sides have been at peace for two years.

Unexpectedly, three months ago, a conflict broke out between farmers in Qin and Sak on the border. Sak took this opportunity to attack Qin again, attempting to plunder the city.

Zhou Yanqing was not one to sit idly by and wait for death. He immediately took to the battlefield and led his troops back, capturing two of Sak's cities instead.

Zhou Yanqing bowed and said, "Yes, but this matter was not caused by Qin..."

Before he could finish speaking, the Southern Emperor said, "If it's not Qin that started the trouble, just drive them out. Why plunder the city? The impeachment memorials have already been submitted to me. Take a look!"

The Southern Emperor pointed to the stack of memorials in front of him, furious.

"That's not all. Since yesterday, there's been a lot of gossip in the palace, saying that you and the youngest daughter of the Si family were at Lin Garden yesterday..."

As he spoke, the Southern Emperor frowned, looking ashamed to speak.

"You're becoming more and more outrageous these days!"

Zhou Yanqing was a bit confused. He and Si Yanmo hadn't done anything, so how did rumors of a romantic affair spread?

He was about to say something when he heard the Southern Emperor say irritably, "Now everyone in the palace knows, and maybe by tomorrow the whole of Nandu will know. That woman's reputation is ruined, you tell me..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanqing understood the Southern Emperor's meaning. He was trying to pin two separate offenses on him to punish him for the same crime.

The talk of plundering cities and the rumors are just excuses.

Now, with the conquest of Qin territory, its territory is showing signs of surpassing that of the Southern Capital. A tall tree catches the wind, and its achievements overshadow the ruler; this is merely the first step in suppressing it.

Si Yanmo's words, "Conceal your sharpness," instantly popped into his mind. Perhaps this woman was right.

His eyes darted around, and he immediately knelt on the ground, bowing deeply to the Southern Emperor: "Your Majesty, I have a request."

Seeing his sudden change, the Southern Emperor was also puzzled. "Speak."

"The rumors about Miss Si are not true, but my heart truly belongs to her. I humbly request Your Majesty to grant us marriage."

Seeing that the Southern Emperor had not yet reacted, he quickly added, "I originally intended to report on the conflict with Sak a few days ago."

"This matter was due to my impulsiveness in seizing Youqi and Shanlong. I have come here to apologize to Your Majesty and am willing to hand over the two cities to Nandu. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission to marry Miss Si."

Now it was the Southern Emperor's turn to be confused, wondering what he was up to.

"Yan Qing," even the way he addressed her had changed, "what you said... is it true?"

"I've heard that this second young lady of the Si family was mentally challenged in her childhood. You... do you really like her?"

The Southern Emperor always felt that there was something fishy going on.

"Yes, I like her." Zhou Yanqing simply put on an act of being crazy in love. "I know that in other people's eyes she is a fool, but in my eyes she is like a gentle breeze and a bright moon."

“I did not want to force her, as I was worried that she would be afraid of me because of my status. But now there are rumors circulating in the palace, and I do not want her to be hurt by them. Even if she remains the same in the future, I will still love her and respect her. She will be my only wife.”

Zhou Yanqing's display of weakness, his act of being blinded by love and willing to cede territory, convinced the Southern Emperor to agree to the marriage.

He also issued an imperial edict to Sak, ordering him to send a hostage to Qin and guarantee that he would no longer send troops to provoke Qin.

——

After a while, Si Yanmo finished dressing and was helped out by her sister and mother.

She held a feather fan in her hand, as is customary in Da Nan, to cover the lower half of her face, revealing only her peach blossom eyes that seemed to gaze affectionately at even dogs. Her beauty mark under her eye once again caught Zhou Yanqing's eye.

He had to admit that the woman before him was indeed beautiful. But her beauty was aggressive, and didn't match her tender eyes.

Si Yanmo heard her mother's reluctant farewell words and her sister coaxing her to go with Zhou Yanqing; in front of her was this annoying man.

If it weren't for the feather fan blocking her view, Zhou Yanqing would definitely have seen her gritting her teeth in secret.

The man raised his hand and parted his thin lips slightly: "Let's go, Madam."